Green Tomato Relish

24 large green tomatoes
3 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
3 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 banana pepper
6 large onions
2-3 jalapenos - veined and seeded to taste
3 tablespoons celery seed
3 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups white sugar
2 cups cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a grinder or food processor, coarsely grind tomatoes, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and onions. (You may need to do this in batches.) Line a large colander with cheesecloth, place in sink or in a large bowl, and pour in tomato mixture to drain for 1 hour.
2. In a large, non-aluminum stockpot, combine tomato mixture, celery seed, mustard seed, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Sterilize enough jars and lids to hold relish (12 one-pint jars, or 6 one-quart jars). Pack relish into sterilized jars, making sure there are no spaces or air pockets. Fill jars all the way to top. Screw on lids.
4. Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with boiling water. Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, then cover and process for 30 minutes.
5. Remove jars from pot and place on cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press top of each lid with finger, ensuring that seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Relish can be stored for up to a year.

2013 Notes:
25 pounds of green tomatoes, yield 20.5 quarts
Used 6 jalepenos - semi-rough clean
Yellow onions
Mixed sweet peppers - 2/1 lb. bags

Zucchini Cakes

1 whole Large Zucchini
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
½ cups (to 3/4 Cup) Cornmeal
½ cups 4-cheese Italian Blend (or Parmesan Or Romano)
2 whole Eggs
Kosher Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Olive Oil

Wash and cut the end off of one large zucchini. Shred it using the large holes of a cheese grater. Squeeze the shredded zucchini inside of a clean towel until you’ve removed as much liquid as possible.

Place shredded zucchini into a medium sized bowl. Add minced garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese (shredded), eggs, kosher salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a fork until well mixed.

Heat olive oil (about ¼ inch deep in bottom of skillet) to a medium heat. When the oil is hot enough drop a glob of zucchini batter into the skillet and flatten it a bit. After about two minutes, turn the cakes over ( they should be nice golden-brown) and cook on the other side until done (about 2-3 minutes).

Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice and enjoy!

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

3 whole Eggs
1 cup Vegetable Oil (or 1 Cup Applesauce)
2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 cups Shredded Zucchini (You Don\'t Have To Peel Them)
2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
½ cups Baking Cocoa
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
Handful Chocolate Chips Or Mini Chips

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. Combine all the dry ingredients and add it to the zucchini mixture. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans, or make muffins by filling the pans 2/3 full with batter.
Bake loaf pans at 350F for 1 hour or until bread tests done. Bake muffins at 350F for 15 minutes or until they test done.

Garlic Chicken Farfelle

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt (I do a spoonful of crushed garlic)
1 Tbsp. pepper*
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled**
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice


*Seems like a lot of pepper, but it has a wonderful flavor when everything mixes together. If you’re apprehensive, do less pepper. You can always add more.


**We like to cook our bacon in the oven (400 degrees, convection). Way less messy. And it’s crispy every time. Time varies, so you just have to watch it. I think it’s usually around 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then crumple.


Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Recipe from www.BeckyHiggins.com

Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

4 sweet potatoes (10 ounces each), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, plus additional to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 pounds), rinsed and patted dry
Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potatoes in the olive oil and scatter on the bottom of a roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. 
2. In a small bowl, mix together the chilies, garlic, honey, vinegar, salt, cumin, and cinnamon to make a paste. Rub the paste evenly over each breast. 
3. Place the chicken breasts on top of the sweet potatoes and roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro if desired.


recipe from www.fitnessmagazine.com

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

So different, but so yummy! Not your traditional spicy enchilada!  Great for when you crave Mexican but want something a little more mild.

Marinade:

6 Tbs. honey

5 Tbs. lime juice

1 Tbs. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded

8-10 flour tortillas

1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded

16 oz. green enchilada sauce

1 c. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Whisk the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken in a Zip-loc bag.

2. Let it marinate for at least a 1/2 hour, but preferably a half day or so.

3. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan.

4. Fill the tortillas with chicken, saving marinade, and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.

5. Put tortillas in 9x13 pan as you go.

6. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade (if there is any).

7. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas.

8. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

This recipe was found at Dinner on a Dime.

This is also a great recipe to make as a freezer meal- put into 2 8x8" pans. Bake 1 pan for dinner now, put the other pan into the freezer. Pull it out and bake it when you need it!

Onion Strings

from The Pioneer Woman...sooooo yummy! And eeeeasssyy!

1 whole large onion

2 c. buttermilk
2 c. flour
1 T. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1-2 quarts oil
Black pepper to taste.

Slice onion very thin.  Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour.

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil to 375.

Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and PLUNGE into hot oil.  Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.