Candy Cane Puffs

 1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

package white chips

1/2 cup peppermint candies, crushed

Combine flour and salt; set aside.

Blend together butter and sugar; beat in egg and extracts. Mix into flour mixture using low speed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate for one hour.Or more if you are like me and had things to do and forgot about it for two.

Shape dough into walnut-size balls; place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes; cool. 

Melt white chocolate chips in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.

Dip tops of cooled cookies into melted chocolate. Sprinkle on crushed peppermints; set on wax paper or parchment paper until hardened. Makes about 3 dozen.

 These were SO SO easy to make and they were yummy!!
Linking up to the cookie party at Pleasant Home and the party at No Minimalist Here!

I got this recipe from cute Julie over at A Vintage Chic!

Creamy Pesto Chicken and Pasta

I made this tonight for dinner on a whim - it's been cold and windy here all day and something nice and warm sounded so good!

You will need: 

2 tsp butter (I used just a drizzle of olive oil)

4 skinless, bonelkess chicken breasts, cut into cubes (about 2 cups worth) 

1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 cup pesto

1/2 cup milk

3 cups pasta, cooked and drained (you can use bow tie pasta, I used penne since I had that on hand)

Fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat butter or oil in large skillet, over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.

Stir soup, pesto sauce and milk in skillet.  Heat to a low boil.  Reduce heat to low or until chicken is cooked through.  Stir in pasta and cook until mixture is hot.

To serve sprinkle with teaspoon full of fresh Parmesan cheese. 

Pineapple Pear Syrup

I had some pears on hand so I decided to try a new recipe yesterday called Pear Honey.

It was a fairly simple recipe for canning (love that!) calling for only three ingredients.

It took me about 20 minutes with the food processor to get everything together and then 3 hours later I was canning and done.

You will need:

8 cups pears, peeled and grated (in food processor)

4 cups sugar

1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained.

Mix together in large stockpot and let simmer for several hours.

Mixture will become syrup like and golden colored.

  It looked more like syrup than honey - so I renamed it.  It is very sweet and delicious!!  Perfect for a special breakfast topping over french toast, pancakes or waffles. 

When ready pour into warm pint jars, seal tightly and place them in a water bath canner with boiling water for 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool.  You can have these on your pantry shelf for up to one year if they have sealed properly.

 They most likely won't last that long in your home though - look at that beautiful golden color!

I thought that some of these would make perfect little "Hello Fall!" gifts to friends.

 Add a bit of twine and a tag and it couldn't be cuter!

 Linking Up to Show and Share at JAG

Chopped Tomato and Basil Sauce

We still have quite a few tomatoes coming into our garden.  The basil is on its way out so I thought I would take what was left and make my house smell yummy today.

This was about half of the tomatoes we had!

4 medium sized, ripe tomatoes (about 1.5 pounds - I used a lot of smaller Romas from the garden)

1/4 cup olive oil

2-3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/3 chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp salt (I used course sea salt for no special reason)

salt and pepper to taste

Remove and discard the cores of the tomatoes and then coarsely chop them and put them in a large saucepan.
Add the olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and salt and pepper to the tomatoes. Stir well.
Cover and set aside a few hours to release the tomato juices and let the flavors combine.

Pour over pasta and enjoy!
This tomato sauce will keep for one week in the refrigerator.

Isn't that just gorgeous!  I wish you could smell it - it's that good! 
Linking up to Show and Share Day at Just a Girl.

Witch Finger Cookies

Witch Finger Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole almonds
• 1 (.75 ounce) tube red decorating gel

Directions

1. Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer; gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, continually beating; refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets.
3. Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.

 These are so realistic looking they are a little awkward to eat.  Until you taste one - then my boys couldn't stop.  They are yummy but you might have to close your eyes to get over the fact they are SO realistic looking!

I made these for several Halloween parties last year - easy and so much fun to bring!
Linking to Show and Tell Saturday!

Raspberry Peach Freezer Jam

Raspberry Peach Freezer Jam

Dan and I made 36 jars of this last night (some are those tiny, cute jars for gift giving) and oh my goodness I think this recipe makes the most beautiful colored jam I have ever seen in my life!

Gorgeous!  

We just followed the recipe in the SureJell box using the instant pectin (it's a silver and blue box you can pick up at Wal-Mart)

No cooking on the stove, just sugar, lemon juice, pectin and berries!

Delish!

Linking up to Black Cat's Cheap Thrills Thursday!

Fresh Garden Salsa

I made this delicious salsa from a recipe I got from my friend Kari.  After sampling hers, I knew it was going to be a big hit!

Here is the full recipe, although I made a 1/2 batch to test it out and learn the ropes.

28-30 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

(I used a mixture of Romas, Big Boys and Celebrity.  Using a mixture will give you better flavor.  If you aren't sure how to peel a tomato, go here. ) 

4 green peppers, chopped

4 onions, chopped

12-15 Anaheim peppers, seeded and chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

4 big cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

1 can chopped and sliced green chilies

1/2 cup sugar

4 cans tomato paste

I chopped everything in my Cuisinart instead of by hand.  I hate chunky salsa...so if you want a chunkier consistency, I suggest you chop some things if not all by hand.  

Put all together in a large stock pot  and mix together well.  Let stew on low heat for 21/2 hours.  

You will need a canning pot with metal rack and lid as well as canning jars, lids and rims.

While salsa is stewing, make sure jars are washed well.  Place on a cookie sheet in an oven at 225 degrees for at least an hour until you are ready to use them.  Do not let them cool down before filling.

In a separate pan on the stove, boil water and place lids and rims in to sterilize for about 15 minutes.  Take out and dry off.  Set aside. 

Fill canning pot full of water and start to boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat.

Taking one jar out of the oven at a time, fill with salsa leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch head space.  Place lid on and then tighten rim.  Place in wire rack in hot canning water.  Repeat until rack is full.  

Lowering rack full of salsa jars into the canning pot, make sure there is at least 2-3 inches of water covering the top of the jars.  Cover pot with lid and let gently boil - process time is 15-20 minutes.

When done, take jars out and set aside.  Repeat process until all jars have been filled and processed.

Half recipe makes about 7 pint jars of salsa. 

Full recipe makes about 14 - 15.