Chloe’s Blog

Ingredients

• 1 pound of small, hot red peppers-the peppers must fit into the mouths of the jars
• 1/2 gallon distilled, white 5% vinegar
• 8 small, clear decorative glass jars

Instructions

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  1. The small individual 875 ml wine bottles are great for making this pepper vinegar; you can also buy pretty decorative bottles. Be sure to use only clear glass jars. Wash jars and remove labels if there are any. Basically, any jar will work – some folks use Mason jars. I like to use small jars so that I have more bottles of pepper vinegar to give away.
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  2. Trim any long stems on the peppers. Pack as many peppers as you can get into the jars. Use the handle end of a wooden spoon or a chopstick to stuff the peppers in the jar, being careful not to damage the peppers. If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves.
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  3. Using a funnel, fill each jar with the distilled vinegar, covering the peppers. Set on a shelf and in a few weeks you will have glorious hot pepper vinegar. You can refill the jars several times.

Ingredients

• 2½-cups all-purpose flour
• 1¼-cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs (if mixture is too dry you may need to add another egg)
• 2 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
• 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
• 1½-cup slivered almonds (reserve ¼ cup)
• Zest of one lemon or lime

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Grease a large, heavy cookie sheet.
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  Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. In another large bowl mix eggs and egg yolks together. Add vanilla, almond flavoring and 1 ¼ cup of the nuts and the zest to the eggs.
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  Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring until just barely blended. You will have to use your hands and perhaps add another egg or you can use some of the reserved egg whites if the mixture is too sticky to form.
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  Using greased hands, form dough into three 4-inch by 9-inch (or thereabouts) rolls that are 2 inches thick. Mixture will be sticky and you will have to use your hands. Using a greased spatula, gently place the “rolls” on greased cookie sheet, making sure the rolls are several inches apart.
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  Press reserved almonds on top of the shaped dough.
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  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough will hold together. Remove from oven and cool slightly. (You must not cool the biscotti too much because they will get too hard to cut). When cooled slightly, gently slide the rolls to a floured cutting board and gently cut through each roll at an angle into 1½- inch pieces. Turn each piece on its side and place on the cookie sheet.
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  Bake again for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn each piece onto another side. If you prefer harder biscotti, turn biscotti and bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 orange, washed
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 12-ounce bag cranberries, washed and picked over
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 teaspoon key lime juice or lemon juice
• 3 packages unflavored gelatin (3 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Instructions

• Remove stems from orange and cut orange into pieces, leaving peel on. Put orange pieces in a blender with the orange juice and pulverize.
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  Add cranberries and sugar. Pulse to mix but do not completely pulverize. (This part of the salad can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator).
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  Add celery and nuts and lemon juice. Blend again.
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  Soften gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water. Add 1/2 cup boiling water. Add to cranberry mixture.
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  Spray a four-cup mold with cooking spray. Pour cranberry mixture into mold and chill until set.
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  Unmold onto a pretty dish and garnish with a piping of mayonnaise.

Ingredients

• • 2-3 pounds raw, green peanuts in the shell (this is about 12 cups peanuts with shells) The peanuts are not green, just raw
• • ½-1 cup of salt
• • 3-4 quarts of water or enough to cover the peanuts - add more water as they cook

Instructions

• "Green" peanuts are not green; they are just young, raw peanuts. These peanuts are usually dug by hand several weeks before the farmer moves through the field with the machines that dig the peanuts. Here in eastern North Carolina, these green peanuts are ready late August or early September.
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  Wash the peanuts, still in the shells, several times until the water has no grit in it. Pick over and remove any bad peanuts and discard.
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  Put the peanuts still in shells into a large cooking pot. Cover with water at least 2 inches above the peanuts. Add the salt and stir.
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  Bring to a boil. Lower heat and boil slowly for 1-3 hours, depending on how mature or old the peanuts are. If the nuts are really young and pink, it will only take about 1 hour of cooking. If they are older, it can take up to 3 hours. You might also have to add water to keep the water level above the peanuts. Keep cooking until the peanuts are soft inside. Cooking time varies according to how old the peanuts are.
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  After they are done, they will continue absorbing the salt. If the salt taste is like you want it, then remove the peanuts from the salty water. They will keep in the refrigerator for several days.
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  Refrigerate or freeze after cooking.
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  It is much easier if you eat the peanuts outside. You can just spit out the shells.

Ingredients

• 6 cups seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
• 1 sweet yellow bell pepper cut into thin strips
• 1 sweet onion like Vidalia or 1 red onion, cut into very thin rings
• 4 ounces of Feta Cheese (or goat cheese), crumbled
• Juice of 1 lime (about 3 Tablespoons)
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• This is a “make now and eat now” salad. If you dress it, you eat it. You can cut the parts of the salad early, but do not amalgamate it until you are ready to eat it.
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  Cut the watermelon into large chunks and lay it out on a plate lined with paper towels to remove some of the excess water. I do that when I am making watermelon skewers for my B&B guests. It keeps the watermelon from weeping into the dish.
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  Cut watermelon again into cubes about 1½" large. Put cubes of watermelon, pepper strips and onion rings into each salad bowl. Add crumbled cheese. For each salad, cut 1 basil leaf and 1 mint leaf into very thin strips and place on top of each salad.
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  Wisk together the lime juice, honey, salt and pepper.
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  Garnish with an edible flower like a begonia or nasturtium. Dress salad just before serving.
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  Instead of individual salads you can make one large salad if you prefer. Also do not dress this until just before serving.
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  This salad recipe is adapted from a Watermelon Salad in "Our State" magazine.