A Peck of Pickled Peppers

Last week I felt a frost coming on, so I harvested my jalapenos for pickling. What I thought was a huge amount of peppers on the plant, turned out to only fill three pint jars. I'm afraid that won't be enough to supply DD's jalapeno habit for the next year. He's been spoiled by my homemade canned jalapenos and prefers them to the store bought variety.

Recipe: Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

from Texas A & M Agriculture Extension Services

makes 1 pint jar

1 lb Jalapeno peppers

1 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pickling spices (I used garlic cloves instead)

Wash peppers. Slice and pack tightly into hot jar, leaving 1/2 inch head space at top. Combine vinegar, water, salt and spices; heat to boiling. Pour boiling liquid over peppers, to 1/2 inch from top of jar. Wipe jar rim. Put on lid. Process in boiling water canner 10 minutes. At altitudes of 1001 to 6000 feet, process 15 minutes. Higher altitudes 20 minutes.

Craft Idea: Tea Cup Candle Holder

I purchased this tea/coffee snack service set at a thrift store a couple of years ago. I loved the snowflake design. At the time I had no idea what I would do with the set, but it was only a couple of bucks and I was really drawn to the design. It's too small to use as a serving dish for a party, and with only one set, not usable for it's intended purpose.

So, after purchasing a pack of candy cane votives from Party Lite, the solution dawned on me. The set makes a perfect holiday candle holder. The cup is perfect for the candle and the tray can be left empty or adorned with holiday items once winter rolls around. At night, the entire cup glows from the light of the candle.

If you are going to make your own tea cup candle holder, I have a few suggestions. First, make sure you choose a cup with a wide brim. Second, make sure the set you are using is for hot beverage and not punch. Third, choose a candle in which the wax burns away (like Party Lite) so clean up is easy.

Photo Op: Creative Side

I'm combing a bunch of pictures from the last week. They document the creative things I've been working on lately.

My first harvest from the new garden - red radishes.

The linguine platter I hand painted at Color Me Mine.

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Bread topped with fresh tomatoes and spinach.

Banana Streusel Muffin