Jalapeno, Paprika, Sea Salt, White Chocolate Candy Recipe

Jalaoeno white chocolate candy

 

~~~~SO~~~~

 

We're making candy for Christmas....

 

~Again~

 

We did the normal menu of flavors and threw in a few oddballs too.

 

Chocolate covered cherries/peanut butter cups

Pretzel letters/jalapeno white chocolate

Red hots

 

Melting chocolate/crushed candy canes

 

I use my electric skillet as a double boiler, (just add water to the skillet, and pop in your jars). I put the chocolate in wide mouth mason jars and got started. (When I have chocolate left over I just cool, cap and it's ready for the next candy making session. No muss, no fuss, plus this way I'm more apt to make candy at non-holiday times)!

 

The jalapeno thing just hit me, sounded good so I went with it.

 

If you're adventurous here's the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

4 or 5 finely diced jalapenos, depending on size, mine were BIG

½ block or so of roughly chopped white almond bark

a Tsp. or 2 of vegetable shortening

Paprika

Sea salt

 

Baking sheet

Parchment or wax paper

 

Method:

Put some water in your electric skillet and turn her on.

Roughly chop up the almond bark,  put it in the mason jar and set the jar into the simmering water to melt.

 

Meanwhile.....

 

Wash the jalapenos and drain well.

Remove the stem end from the jalapenos, slice, and then finely dice. I didn't de-vein or seed mine. I wanted all the fiery goodness! Set aside.

 

 

Check on the consistently of the white chocolate, I wanted a wafer type candy so I added veggie shortening to thin it out.

Once you have the white chocolate to your desired consistently, spoon rounds onto the parchment lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle/spoon on the jalapenos, a little paprika and sea salt.

Set in the freezer or fridge to chill.

Once set, place in plastic bags to give as gifts/ or eat them all yourself.

Continue on, making as many or as few as you desire.

 

I wasn't sure how these would turn out,

but,

me being me, I had to try.

 

They are super yummy!!!!!

 

The flavors work very well together, they're not overwhelming hot, I would say rather medium-mild.

The addition of the paprika and sea salt brought the whole recipe together.

If you decide to give these a try, please let me know what you think.

 

Till next time, happy cooking,
Bonjour





 

 

Here's the link to the peanut butter cup recipe.





Making Homemade Sausage With Free Recipe

Meat Grinder

Well......

 

The Hubby, Nathan and I  were at Gander MTN recently looking at "stuff"

when I spotted this meat grinder.

Hubby wanted one last year and I said NO, they're too expensive!

I had been looking online and they were about $200.00.

 

I don't think so.

 

Imagine my suprise when I ran across this similar model on sale for 129.99

regular price $199.99.

It has three sizes of grinding options, and, I think,

three sizes of sausage stuffing thingies.

Still being unemployed, I had to think about it,

even on sale it was still quite a chunk of change.

But, God has been good to me thus far so I took a leap of faith

and bought it for him.

(Early and only Christmas present).

 

Tuesday we had an opportunity to test drive it, so to speak.

 

The thought was, can we make breakfast sausage, chorizo, andouille etc

cheaper than we can purchase it at the market?

 

Lets start small with breakfast sausage currently @ $3.00 pre pound.

 

We mixed rough chopped, raw chicken,  pork bacon, (ends and pieces) with onions and apples.

 



Grinding Apples And Onions



After we ground up the apples I drained/pressed them in a colander, then

 bottled, to make juice for the great- grandbaby.

I drained the onions the same way for future use in soups/stews etc.

 



Chicken, pre cut up and ground bacon, ends and pieces

While hubby was coarse grinding the pork I skinned and de-boned the chickens.

 



Adding spices and testing for flavor



Second grinding

 After we taste-tested (yummo) we ground it a second time with a smaller bit?

(Not sure what the correct terminology is for the grinding thingies).

 

Packaging

The packaging was pretty straightforward.

I anchored the plastic baggies in this coffee can

so hubby could fill said baggies without me having to hold them..

I was else wise occupied with rolling, pressing out the air,

freezer paper wrapping and labeling.
(When you're working with raw meat it has to be very cold,
and you need to work very fast).

 

Cost/Recipe?

 

2 chickens, @  .88 per # = $9.68 (about 11#)

1- 3# package bacon, ends and pieces @ $5.97
(Took out about 4 oz for beans, so lets subtract .4975).

2 medium onions, @ . 49 # =  .49
½# red apples, @  .98 per # =  .49

(put a little lemon juice on apples to prevent browning).

Sage, ¼ cup @ $1.14

Salt, 1 tbsp. Cost?

Pepper, 1 tbsp. Cost?

hot pepper flakes, 1 tbsp. Cost?

Sugar,  ¼ cup @ $1.79 for 4 # =  .0497222

 

Total

 

$17.3322222 for 8# finished product.

(Not counting the stock I got from simmering the chicken bones,

 the apple juice for baby and the onion juice for soup/stews)

Total for finished sausage product, more or less? 

$2.1652777 per #

This is not counting the price for packaging, time, electricity, water etc..

 

Would I do it again?

 

YEP....

 

The final product cooked up lean and very tasty, not too much

of any one flavor being predominent.

I do have a turkey in the freezer......
 

Give it a try.

 

Have fun and enjoy.

Till next time,

Bonjour