Asparagus Spears wrapped in Prosciutto, drizzled with Habanero-Balsamic Reduction

This is a delicious appetizer- & the first way I tried prosciutto-

I was immediately hooked…

One bunch of organic asparagus spears- ends cut off, washed
About 10 thinly shaved pieces of prosciutto-
Cut each strip into 3 long strips, about 1″ wide

Boil a pot of water then turn off the heat.
Add asparagus & let sit for 2-3 minutes.
Drain & immediately cover with ice to preserve color.
Drain & gently pat dry. Set aside.

In a saucepan over low to medium heat add;
3 T. Ojai Habanero Jelly
1/2 c. Balsamic Vinegar
handful of craisins

Whisk together & stir until thickened, then remove from heat.

Wrap towel-dried asparagus with strips of prosciutto by twisting the asparagus as you hold the prosciutto.
For easy clean up, lay wrapped asparagus side by side on foil, in a baking dish.
Drizzle with balsamic Habanero reduction.

Broil for 5-7 minutes-

Served warm or @ room temperature-

Savory, sweet, salty wonderfulness- & you get your vegetable too!

enjoy!

Cowboy Cookies

Get in my BELLY!

This cookie is a bit like an energy bar‐
The batter is thick & sticky. This recipe makes a big batch of cookies‐ I use Glad “Press n’ Seal” & it keeps
them fresh & they freeze well.

Ingredients;

2/3 c. butter, melted
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter
6 c. oats (old fashioned Quaker Oats)
2 t. baking soda
1 c. chocolate chips (dark semi sweet)
1 c. butterscotch chips

Melt butter.
In a BIG bowl;
Blend melted butter in with sugars, eggs & peanut butter until fully mixed.

Mix in remaining ingredients‐ & as you’re adding the oats gently sprinkle in the baking
soda & mix well-

Using a teaspoon or a tablespoon, form a ball for each cookie, then place on a parchment paper covered cooking sheet.

Bake at 350*
12‐15 minutes

They’ll cook faster in a convection oven; 10‐12 minutes.

enjoy!

Baked Camembert with Ojai Habanero Jelly & Cranberries

This is a great holiday crowd pleaser-

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 8-ounce wheel Camembert cheese
3 T. Ojai Habanero Jelly
1/4 c. frozen cranberries; thawed
1 egg yolk
1 T. water

I like to bake the Camembert in the wood crate it comes in-
be sure to get the wrappers off so you don’t have an oven fire!

What to do:
Let a sheet of puff pastry slightly thaw at room temperature on a cutting board; about 20-30 minutes.

Roll out the dough to approximately a 10” square-

Put your Camembert on top of the pastry dough & pull the dough up & around the Camembert-
Pleat the pastry dough so it meets at the top center then trim away excess dough-

Put the Ojai Habanero Jelly + cranberries on top of the pastry dough.
Mix egg yolk & water then brush with a pastry brush to coat the dough.

Place on a baking sheet & bake until golden brown; about 25 minutes.

Once out of the oven, let it rest about 10 minutes on a cooling rack-

I like to serve this with bits of slightly toasted bread, as I would fondue-

or you can serve it with your favorite crackers.

enjoy!

Burnt Sage Butter

Instructions;

Place about 1/2 c. butter (salted) into a medium frying pan, over medium heat.
Cook until butter is fully melted & almost golden brown in color-
Into the browning butter, add 10-15 culinary sage leaves (organic, whole sage leaves).
Swirling the mixture often, cook butter and sage leaves for about 4-5 minutes more, until the butter turns an almost deep nut brown color, sage leaves will be quite crisp and irresistible-

Inspired by Dario, Chef Extraordinaire
Ca’Dario Restaurant
37 East Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, California
805.884.9419

It was by the hand of Dario that I was first graced with
“burnt sage butter”- now I’m hooked!

Ca’Dario’s is my favorite Italian Restaurant, if not my favorite restaurant overall-
Dario is as sweet as he can be & he’s a hell of a chef-

When you dine at Ca’Dario, be sure to order; “RAVIOLI AL BURRO E SALVIA“ It’s heaven!

enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

This recipe is being Jelly Blogged today for my sweet “Insight” buddy Marc LaFont- he’s up to his ears in zucchini!

Good use of your abundant crop, but also helps keep it around throughout the year if
you freeze it.
If you friends & neighbors get a whiff of this tasty treat, that wont want your ‘extra’ zucchini anymore, but your zucchini bread instead!

This moist, sweet, nutty bread is very easy to make & it freezes well-
It’s good morning, noon & night!
Stash some in your freezer to last throughout the winter- pull it out in the morning & have in place of toast,
or as a midday snack, or an evening dessert-like treat.
It’s delicious plain, with a dab of butter, or a smear of cream cheese.
Just pop a piece in the toaster & enjoy with coffee or tea-

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease & lightly flour bread pans.

Ingredients;

3 eggs
1 c. canola oil
2 c. “Turbinado” raw sugar (or 1 c. brown & 1 c. white)
2 c. fresh grown, organic zucchini squash
3 c. flour (I use 1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour & 1 1/2 c. “Swan’s Down” cake flour)
½ t. salt
½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
3 T. cinnamon
1½ c. walnuts (chopped)
¾ c. raisins
1 t. vanilla extract

In a large bowl;

Beat eggs till foamy, add oil, sugar & zucchini.  Mix lightly.
Add dry ingredients & mix.

Bake at 350 for about an hour.

This recipe makes a lot-
I always bake using my all time favorite “French” mini-loaf pan.  After the loaves cool completely, I wrap each loaf individually with “Press ‘n Seal”, then put them all in freezer bags for my Winter Stash!

enjoy!

Pickled Asparagus

Makes 5-6 quarts

Surprisingly crunchy & delicious like a great pickle can be-
Eat alone, cut them into your chopped salad, serve with cheese,
or use as a ‘swizzle stick’ in your next Bloody Mary!

Wash 6 quart-size jars
Sterilize jars & lids

Wash all ingredients-
You’ll need;
Asparagus- about 5-6 clusters
Break or cut off asparagus ends, allowing asparagus to stand in jar; about 3/4″ from top.
18 sprigs of fresh dill – 3 per jar
12 cloves fresh garlic – 2 per jar
6 small Peppers – 1 per jar (Habanero, Serrano, or Jalapeño; dried or fresh)

Fill clean, sterilized  jars with raw ingredients; asparagus, dill, garlic & Peppers.

In medium sized pot, boil until salt is dissolved:
6 c. water
2 c. apple cider vinegar
6 T. kosher salt

Using a ladle, fill jars with hot liquid-
Always remember to leave about 1/2″ at the top, as per canning instructions.

Seal jars.
When cooled, store jars in refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.
(you can also make with fresh green beans instead of asparagus)

enjoy!

Healthy Way to Start the Day

In a blender add;

1-2 c. juice (my favorite is Guava or fresh orange juice)
4-5 heaping T. “Greek Gods” Greek Yogurt (or your favorite plain yogurt)
1 T. Organic Bee Pollen (from your area is best) *if you have allergic reactions to bees, check with your Doctor*
1 T. Calcium Powder (I prefer this to pill form)
1/2 – 1 c. frozen berries (I prefer organic raspberries)
handful of ice

Blend well for about a minute.
Makes 1 large serving (about 2 1/2 – 3 cups)

enjoy!

Conquering Hummus

I ♥  hummus!  It tastes amazing & it’s so full of protein!
Today I decided to try making it myself-
I looked in my cookbooks & every recipe for hummus I found suggests using CANNED garbonzo beans-

So, knowing I had to work on my computer most of the day, I soaked the chickpeas (about 5 cups)
for about 3 hours.
I rinsed them, then covered again with water, plus about 2 extra inches.
I had extra green onions, so I added about ten & I picked a large handful of rosemary & added it to the mix
+ a generous amount of sea salt.

My Dutch Oven (on the stove top) cooked the mix for a few hours on a low/medium heat.
The house smelled great-

Once tender I rinsed them lightly & I removed the large leftovers of green onions & rosemary.
Some bits remained & made the final hummus very tasty-

I need to remember to purchase a large Cuisinart…
In the meantime, I added to my mini Cuisinart;

Jalapeño Hummus
2 c. Cooked Chickpeas strewn with bits of rosemary, etc.
Juice of one Lemon
2 T. Sesame Tahini
3 T. Jalapeño Olive Oil (if you don’t like heat, use Basil Olive Oil or plain Olive Oil)
2 Garlic cloves, minced (I prefer to use Darot- defrost before adding)
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. ground cumin
pinch of ground turmeric
fresh ground salt + pepper to taste

Pulse in Cuisinart until smooth & mixed.
I served this with spears of toasted Curried Indian Naan & it was amazing!
It would be delicious served with a fresh medley of carrots, jicama, & bell pepper-

So, I asked my daughter to sample the hummus- she said “Mom, you know I don’t like hummus”
But, being the good sport that she is (or did she just have mini pangs of guilt thinking back on all the times she’d locked me out of the house, while I gardened, so she could cook everything she could reach?)  She expected me to try “it” every time, & I did- She did too & she loved it!

I made it this way too;

Sweet Pepper Hummus
2 c. cooked chickpeas with the bits
Juice of one Lemon
1 roasted sweet bell pepper
(rubbed with olive oil- roast in oven on cookie sheet- put in plastic bag to cool, then removed peel & dice)
3 T. basil olive oil
2 T. sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic (Darot)
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. smoked paprika
fresh ground salt + pepper to taste
Delicious served with a fresh medley of carrots, jicama, & bell pepper

enjoy!

Spicy Mediterranean Apricot Boats

Here’s what you’ll need;

2 heads of Organic Endive-
1 handful “Mediterranean Apricots”, cut in thin, long strips
1/2 c. “Absolut Vodka”
3 T. Ojai Habanero Jelly
4 sprigs of Organic Lemon Thyme
1 t. Green “Caper” Brine
1 Chévre Log (I like “Cypress Grove” Chévre Logs with herbs), room temperature
about 25 Green Capers
about 10 Walnuts (or Pecans), dry roasted, broken up

Carefully pull apart the endive leaves; wash, spin, & set aside to dry

In a small saucepan, over low heat, simmer;
Apricots strips, covered with Vodka, Ojai Habanero Jelly, lemon thyme & brine.
Stir occasionally to mix.
It will take about 10 minutes to cook off the liquid.
Once it thickens, set aside to cool.

With a frosting piping bag (or a strong plastic bag), pipe the chévre onto the center section of the endive.

For each endive ‘boat’, add:
1 strip of the Spicy Mediterranean Apricot
1 caper
1 small piece of walnut (or pecan) dry roasted

Place on a platter & watch them disappear-
(no serving utensils needed)
The apricots are the same beautiful color as the Ojai Habanero Jelly, so it seems like you’re eating a long strip of hot Habanero Pepper, but the union of flavors united are divine- not too hot, not too sweet!
Where Heat Meets Sweet; Ojai Habanero Jelly

enjoy!

Humboldt Fog & Endive

Yesterday was my dear friends birthday; Kathleen Nolan of Ojai, CA.

Every chance I get I like to experiment with new recipes on my friends- so I wandered through Whole Foods & bought some amazingly creamy & delicious, aged Cypress Grove “Humboldt Fog” Goat Cheese,
& 2 heads of Organic Endive- as a starting point for my dish-

Once home, I carefully pulled apart the endive, one layer at a time,
gently cutting as little as possible off the base to free up more leaves; (wash, spin & sit aside)
I placed a handful of “Mariani Cranberries” (sweetened, dried), in a small saucepan with:
1/2 c. “Absolut Vodka”
2-3 T. Ojai Habanero Jelly
dash of caper brine
4 sprigs of organic lemon thyme

I slowly simmered this mixture, I occasionally gave it a little jostle to mix.  Once the liquid is mostly cooked off (about 10 minutes), set aside & cool.

Use a butter knife to transfer about 1/2 t. of the “Humboldt Fog” Goat Cheese onto the base end of the
endive (at this point, the cheese was almost room temperature & a bit gooey).
I placed the filled endive on a large, black serving plate & added:
1 cooled Vodka-Habanero-Cranberry
1 caper
& 1 tiny piece of a candied pecan
I had some left over “Humboldt Fog” Goat Cheese & cranberries, so I put them in a little bowl in the middle of the platter with a small serving spoon, for guests to apply more Heat & Sweet IF they so desired (& they did!).

enjoy!