Jalapeño Pecan Brittle

Hi everyone...long time no see!  Just popping in to share a recipe for my new addiction...Jalapeño Pecan Brittle!

Like Faithy's Quick & Easy (Microwave) Peanut Brittle, it's super easy and makes a minimal mess in your kitchen.  If you have all the ingredients, you can whip up a batch in a snap!

This year, we've been making lots of Cowboy Candy to sell (along with our homemade jams & jellies) at our local farmer's market.  With each batch, there's always plenty of the yummy jalapeño syrup leftover.  We've been canning it for later use as a meat marinade, etc.  I recently saw someone online mention that they've used it to make peanut brittle before, so I decided I needed some of that in my life!  LOL!  As a true Texas girl, I decided that pecans would go better than peanuts in this delight, so my husband & I went to work, experimenting to get the ratios and timing of everything just right.

Please note:  You can easily replace the pecans with whatever nuts you prefer.  However, they'll need to be raw when you start (not pre-roasted) or they may burn.  Also - microwave times may vary depending on the strength of your microwave.

As with my peanut brittle recipe, you'll need to keep moving with this recipe, because you don't want the mixture to cool until you're finished, so be sure to READ THE RECIPE ALL THE WAY THROUGH BEFORE STARTING...so you know what's coming.  I always have my ingredients pre-measured before I start, so I can just dump and stir quickly.

Here goes...

Mix 1/2 cup jalapeño syrup, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup light Karo Syrup in a large microwaveable bowl with handle.  (I use an 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup - helpful, because the mixture gets REALLY hot.)  

Microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Stir in 1 cup raw pecans.

Microwave on high 3 minutes and 45 seconds or until light brown.  Stir in 1 tsp. butter and 1 tsp. vanilla.  (Be careful, as the mixture will be very hot, and may spatter when these wet ingredients go in.)   

Microwave on high 1-1/2 minutes more.  Pecans will be light brown and syrup very hot.  (As I mentioned before, no matter how tempting it may be...DO NOT lick the spoon, or attempt to wipe the mixture off with your fingers...just trust me!) 

Add 1 tsp. baking soda, and stir gently until light and foamy.  (You need to work quickly here, because the mixture will harden fast as it cools.)  Pour mixture immediately onto lightly greased cookie sheet and spread to desired thickness.  (I recommend using a flexible cookie sheet if you have one...it's much easier to remove the cooled peanut brittle once it's done by just giving the pan a little twist...and DON'T FORGET to grease the pan first!)  Let cool for about 30 minutes, or until cool to the touch.  Break into pieces & enjoy!

(Another note:  If you're making this for a gift...DO NOT take a sample taste...you may eat the entire batch and have nothing left to give away!  😂  Seriously y'all...I may never eat peanut brittle again!)

I hope you and your family will enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Merry Christmas and may God bless you abundantly in the year ahead!
Blessings,
--Faithy 

P.S.   If you don't have any jalapeño syrup handy, there are lots of Cowboy Candy recipes online.  Just pick your favorite one, and be sure to save the extra syrup when you make it!  Local friends can pick some up through Scantlin Kitchens!

Jalapeño-Lime Chicken

HOWDY folks!

I’m back with another simple recipe I found in an My H-E-B Texas Life flier at the local grocery store.  (It’s also available online - click here to find the original recipe.)  It sounded wonderful, so I tried it soon after I came across it.

It’s truly super easy!!!  The first time I made it, I just dumped everything into a gallon-sized zipper bag and stuck it in the fridge on a Sunday night.  When I got home from work on Monday, I just dumped it all into a pan and popped it into the oven while I changed clothes, etc.  It was ready in no time!

It’s very versatile too…I sliced the cooked chicken breasts (although they would also shred very easily) and made soft tacos the first night, adding a little diced tomato and avocado along with a bit of Mexican crumbling cheese.

The next day, I had a yummy salad with the leftovers.  I just added the chicken (along with some of the cooked onions & jalapeños) to some lettuce & grape tomatoes from my garden, along with black beans, diced avocado, seedless cucumber & shredded carrots...oh so good!

The next time I made it was on a busy weekend.  Again, I dumped the zipper bag full of stuff into the fridge one night, and then poured it all into the slow cooker the next morning.  It simmered all day while we stayed busy with multiple projects.  By the time evening came around, we were exhausted, and ready for something to eat.  All we had to do was lift the lid on the slow cooker and eat!

I think it would also be good served over rice.  Just use your imagination.  The possibilities are endless!

Jalapeño Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

8 cloves garlic, chopped (the original recipe calls for 4 cloves, but I’m a garlic fiend…feel free to use as much or as little as you like)

4 jalapeños, halved & seeds removed

2 limes, zested & juiced

1 sweet red onion, quartered (you can use regular red onions if you can’t find the sweet ones)

1 can (14 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth 

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized zip-top bag or a large bowl.  (If using the bowl, be sure to cover it with a lid or plastic wrap.)  Marinate over-night (or for at least 6 hours) in the refrigerator.

Oven Version:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Place chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan and top with marinade.  Bake for 35 minutes or until juices run clear when poked with a fork.

Slow-Cooker Version:

Place chicken in a lightly greased slow-cooker, and top with marinade.  Cook on high setting for 6 to 8 hours (until chicken is cooked through & juices run clear when pulled apart with a fork).

I hope you’ll try this one.  It’s really good and easy.  I’ve even made the slow-cooker version for guests…so easy to pull together after a busy day of sight-seeing!  I received rave reviews from all!

HEB has lots of great (and healthy) recipes available on their website, so take a minute to check it out.  Just promise you’ll let me know if you find anything interesting that I haven’t come across yet!

Blessings,

--Faithy

“Use It Up” Soup

HOWDY friends!  Brrrrrrrr…it’s cold outside!  Temps are only in the mid 30’s here in South Texas...all day today!  This weather put me in the mood for some hearty soup, so I went looking in my refrigerator & pantry to see what I could throw together.  I decided to just experiment today, and this is what I came up with.  It turned out REALLY good, so I thought I’d share the recipe with you.  Feel free to adapt it to fit whatever you have in YOUR pantry or refrigerator.  LOL!  If you come up with something really yummy, please share your recipe with me too!

Can you smell this?  It smells heavenly!

“Use It Up” Soup

3/4 cup chopped celery (I had some celery & carrots left over from Thanksgiving, that needed to be used)

1/2 cup diced carrots

1 large sweet onion, diced

1/8 cup chopped jalapeño peppers (I had a few small ones left in my garden that had to be pulled before last night’s freeze)

3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped (because I put garlic in practically everything I cook!)

1 Tbsp. butter

1 (15.5 oz) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 (15 oz.) can mayocoba beans, rinsed & drained (or any white bean you like)

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed & drained (I used some that had jalapeño & lime in them)

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes

1 (32 oz) carton low-sodium beef broth (you could also use chicken or vegetable broth)

1 small link smoked sausage, diced (I used a pork/beef sausage with hatch green chili - you could leave this out if you want, the soup is very hearty even without it)

6 cups water (I started out with 4 cups, and added more as the soup cooked…just use your own judgment on this and make it to the consistency YOU prefer)

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. dried thyme (fresh would be better if you have any - my thyme plant didn’t survive the past few weeks)

1/4 tsp. soul seasoning (or whatever seasonings you prefer)

1/3 of a 16 oz. bag frozen chopped collard greens (spinach - or some diced cabbage - would be good too)

1 large baking potato, diced

4 Tbsp That Green Sauce, mild (I got some of this stuff free with some other purchases at the grocery store.  I don't like it much on it's own, but it really added a nice flavor to the soup!  Glad I finally found a way to use it!)

Sauté celery, carrots, onion, jalapeños & garlic in butter until softened.  Add all remaining ingredients (except for That Green Sauce) and stir well.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until reduced and thickened a bit.

All the veggies are in, and starting to cook!

Stir in That Green Sauce about 10 minutes before serving.

If you want a creamier, less chunky soup, you can use an immersion blender to emulsify some (but NOT all) of the veggies.

Serve with a nice loaf of crusty bread or some hot biscuits!

I found some Hatch Chili & Cheddar scones in the freezer that needed to be used...
that worked out well!

This stuff really hit the spot for me today.  Hope you like it too!

Stay warm out there!

Blessings,

--Faithy