Green Tomato Pickle Relish Makes about 2 pints. 8 cups chopped green tomatoes 2 large onions, chopped 1 sweet red pepper, chopped 1/4 cup coarse pickling salt 1 1/2 cups cider or white vinegar 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1 tablespoon mustard seed 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Combine vegetables, Sprinkle with salt and let stand several hours or overnight; drain and rinse with cold water. Combine remaining ingredients in large saucepan and bring to boil. Add drained vegetables and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pack into hot sterilized jars and seal.

I don't blister the peppers, I blanch them, then slit them. I figure the boiling water will kill most of the bacteria on the outside of the peppers and the vinegar will do a great job for the rest. I have tons of very small jalapenos and this method is perfect for them. If I were to slice them into rings then I'd get loads of seeds and they would be harder to eat if you are like me who wants them whole for bites with cheese. If you use them for salads then making rings is better. I haven't used this recipe for other peppers because the jal's are the only ones I grow. For the cayenne or other small peppers my other farmer friends give me, they go into the dehydrator. Nancy

It's hard to save a partial pouch of liquid pectin - I'd try using powdered pectin (which you can start with maybe 1T and work up if needed). I got this recipe off an extension webite (forget which), it calls for 1 package (1.75 oz) but you can use less. APRICOT PEPPER JELLY Makes 6 half-pint (250-ml) jars. 1 1/4 cups dried apricot halves, finely slivered 300 ml 1 cup red or green bell pepper strips 250 ml (about 1 medium-size pepper) 1/3 cup chopped jalapeno or other hot pepper, stems and seeds removed 75 ml 2 cups cider vinegar (5%) 500 ml 4 cups sugar 1 L 1 package powdered fruit pectin 1/2 tsp butter or margarine 2 ml 5 drops red or green food coloring 5 drops (depending on the type of pepper used) 1. Cover dried apricots with boiling water. Leave for approximately 10 minutes. Drain. 2. Combine bell pepper strips, chopped hot peppers, drained apricots, and 1/2 cup (125 ml) vinegar in a food processor or blender. Process until partially ground with small chunks remaining. Pour into a saucepan. 3. Mix 1/4 cup (63 ml) sugar with pectin. Stir into fruit mixture. Add butter and food coloring. 4. Bring to a boil quickly, stirring constantly. Immediately stir in remaining sugar. 5. Bring to a full boil, stirring, and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. 6. Skim foam off the top. Then ladle jelly into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of headspace. 7. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Secure lids and ring bands, and process in a boiling water bath as prescribed in Table 8. Table 8. Recommended Processing Time for Apricot Pepper Jelly in a Water Bath Canner Processing Time at Altitudes of 0-1,000 ft 1,001-6,000 ft above 6,000 ft Jar Size half-pint or pint 15 min 20 min 25 min I like the jelly a little runny, so I don't use pectin in this one at all, the apricots are enough. You could also try adding a little homemade apple pectin/juice if you want to use liquid.

Here are two that are tried-and-true that we like very much! Shredded Beef Fajitas (Serves 3-4) 20 (1½-inch) cubes sirloin OR 1½ lbs boneless beef chuck) ¾ cup medium-hot salsa sauce 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed 1 Tbsp soya sauce ¼ cup fresh cilantro (optional) 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (optional) Put everything in crock pot and cook on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 8 hours. Shred meat with forks and return to sauce; cook on Low for 20-30 minutes for meat to soak up the sauce. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, if using. Serve on small soft corn tortillas with toppings of your choice (shredded lettuce, sour cream, roasted peppers, Spanish rice, etc). ********************************** Sirloin Roast 2-3 lb sirloin tip roast 2-3 garlic cloves, quartered 2-3 tsp dried oregano 1½ tsp powdered thyme Black pepper, to taste 2-3 Tbsp dry onion soup mix ½ cup medium-bodied dry red wine 1½ cups beef broth, divided With a knife, make holes in roast and insert garlic clove quarters in each hole. Rub oregano, thyme, and a little pepper all over the roast. Let sit in refrigerator overnight. Let roast come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. In a skillet, brown roast on all sides; transfer to slow cooker. Pour ½ cup beef broth into skillet and scrape up all the browned bits; pour into crockpot. To crockpot, add remaining beef broth, red wine, and dry onion soup mix. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Turn roast over halfway through cooking. When done, let roast rest on platter (covered with foil) for 20-30 minutes to let juices redistribute. Put the roast broth into a small saucepan and thicken with a cornstarch/water mixture.