Red Cabbage and Jalapeno Peppers

What a LUCKY weekend I've had!!  I'd fill you in on my winnings over the last 3 days, but I don't want to jinx myself.
Here's some of my loot (note, I just finished a hilly 1/2 marathon so I look rough):

Feeling LUCKY (and looking rough)

I planted many red cabbages in my garden this year, and I found some ways to cook them up.  The first recipe, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, is out-of-this-world-good.  Lick the bowl good.  Oooooooh, how I love this recipe.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Here's the recipe:  Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

And, then I made Rachel Ray's Sauteed Red Cabbage, which was not as good.  Not even close.

Cabbage

Red Cabbage

I had LOTS of fun playing with the rest of our jalapeno peppers.  First I sliced up a bunch of peppers and baked them at 300 for one hour along with garlic and olive oil.  My plan is to freeze them yet today and then pull them out to add to chili and soups, as needed.

Baked Jalapeno

Then I made some vegetarian chili with jalapenos for lunch.    I love having the peppers separate so I can add them to my own chili (the kids aren't fans yet).

VEGETARIAN CHILI

Saute in olive oil:  1 carrot, 1 onion, and 1 celery stalk
ADD:
1/3 cup ketchup
1 cup salsa
4 cups veggie broth
4 cans mixed beans (I like black and chili beans)
3 cans tomatoes
1 package chili seasoning
1 TBSP worchestire
1 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP cumin
1/2 TBSP paprika
2 cups of corn

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

I love this chili, and I make a side of ground beef and add it for those that want it.

Next I made jalapeno hummus.  Hummus is a staple in our house, and it's so easy to make!

Jalapeno Hummus

Yes, it was pretty spicy, but it was also fantastic.   Here's the recipe:  Jalapeno Hummus

Last but not least, I made Jalapeno Jelly.  And how crazy is this, I made my own pectin.  But, first - the jelly.  Yum, yum.

Jalapeno Jelly

Here's the recipe:  Jalapeno Jelly


And yes, I made my own liquid pectin because I received some more apples and we did not have any Sure-Jel in the house and I was not planning a trip to the store.

Apple Pectin

To make pectin, you add 12 chopped apples into a pot (core and all), add water just barely covering the apples and boil until the apples turn to liquid.  Strain the mixture and the leftover liquid is pectin.  Easy, right? 

Finally, we picked our first jack-o-latern this morning.

Gus with our first pumpkin

I'm feeling so blessed today for a million different reasons, LIFE IS GOOD:)  Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Kristin