Hello Everyone! The holidays are almost upon us. I hope you
are safe, well, and happy. I also hope you get everything you want for
Christmas. As for me, I’m doing well. I have two sweet little girls staying
with me most of the time now, which really cuts down on the time I have to
write. But that’s okay, this time with Emma and Cassie is precious to me. Would
you like to see their pictures? My angels.
Anyway, as I can find the time I’m making goodies. Chocolate
chip cookies, Libby’s Brownies, Hot Spice Crackers, Martha Washington candy –
and a bunch of other stuff. One other thing is always necessary and that’s
COWBOY CANDY. Not what you might presume, but so good and highly addictive.
Considering this is a cowboy blog, I thought I’d share the recipe.
Another name for this delectable concoction is candied
jalapenos. Yes, candied hot peppers. They are hell yeah! good, I promise. But
fiery! So, be brave.
Here we go:
3 pounds jalapenos
2 cups apple cider vinegar
6 cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper – or less if you can’t take
the heat.
First, find some gloves and put them on – you’re about to be
handling fire. Take 3 pounds fresh firm jalapenos – wash them, cut off and
discard the stems, then slice the peppers in circles – 1/8 to ¼ inches thick.
Keep as many seeds as you want, the more seeds the hotter the finished product.
Now set these little jewels aside.
Next, bring the vinegar, sugar, the turmeric, celery seed,
garlic, and cayenne to a boil in a large pot. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5
minutes. Raise the heat to a boil again and add the jalapeno slices, return to
a rolling boil, then reduce the heat once more and simmer for EXACTLY 4
minutes. Now, to put them in jars… It’s best to use a slotted spoon to pick up
the peppers and transfer them into clean, sterile canning jars. Leave a ¼ inch
of head space at the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat back up under the pot
containing the syrup and bring into a boil one last time. Boil hard for 6
minutes.
Turn off the heat then ladle the boiling syrup into the jars
to cover the jalapeno slices. Insert the blade of a case or butter knife
carefully into the jars on each side to get rid of any trapped pockets of air.
Try to keep the level of syrup to a ¼ inch from the top. Wipe the rims of the
jars with a clean paper towel that has been dampened in vinegar. Then put on
new two-piece canning lids and tighten to finger tight.
If you have leftover syrup, don’t throw it away, it can just it
in a pint jar – it’s amazing on grilled meat or to top a salad.
Put the jars into a canner or a big stock pot, cover with
water higher than the jars by 2 inches. Bring the water to a rolling boil and
boil for 10 minutes for half pints and 15 minutes for pints. This is called
water bath canning. Once the time is up, use canning tongs to move these very
hot jars to a cooling rack. If you don’t have any canning tongs, wait until the
water cools, and use a couple of dishtowels to grab onto them. Be careful the
glass jars are super-hot if you don’t let them cool properly. Let them rest for
24 hours, then wipe them off with a washcloth and label them with a cute label
if you have one. If you can wait, allow the cowboy candy to sit for two weeks
to a month – but I usually can’t wait and have been known to indulge after a
couple of days. They do improve with time, however.
If you choose to make these, I’m sure you will love them –
if you like spicy things. I can eat a pile of them with a helping of peas and
they are great on sandwiches or just as a snack with cheese and crackers.
Personally, I can vouch that cowboys love these – I’ve made jars for quite a
few of those noble, manly rascals.
Here is a photo of my favorite way to eat them.
Those little knees on the table belong to Miss Em. Right
after I took this picture, she grabbed the cheese. I managed to remove the
peppers before she popped it into her mouth, but she let out a squeal of
surprise at one remaining drop of sweet, hot pepper juice that remained on the
cheese – but she ate it anyway. That’s my girl.
Finally, I wish you the very best Christmas. I hope Santa
brings you everything you ask for.
So, goodbye until next time and be careful during the
holidays.
