Broken Glass Jello

I know I haven't posted much lately; I've been very busy with long term house guests, a birthday party, the garden, animals and getting ready for the upcoming school year!  I will be starting my new teaching position in exactly two weeks and can't believe its time already!  This summer has flown by!

I made this AWESOME jello for Mr. J's birthday party.  I found the recipe from Food Librarian and have been meaning to try it for a long time now.  I'm sure you could even do a version of this with my Peppermint Martini Jello Shots; only for an adult party of course!

I doubled the recipe so we got to pick out 8 flavors of jello instead of 4; and we ended up with two 9 x 13 pans of this fun stuff!  It was great; and the cool thing is that you can use any flavors/colors of jello you like!  

I think it would be really neat to make for Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, St. Patricks day, etc!  The possibilities are endless!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-4 (3 oz.) boxes of jello, any flavors you like

-4 cups + 1 1/2 cups boiling water

-2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

-1/2 cup cold water

-14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Process:

Day 1:

1. Mix each 3 oz. box of jello with 1 cup boiling water.

*Tip: start with the lightest color of jello and work to the darkest; then you don't have to wash or rinse the container between mixing.

2. Pour each jello mixture into its own flat container.

*I used the small Glad plastic containers, which are about 5 1/2 inch square and hold 3 1/8 cups each.

3. Cover containers and refrigerate until firm.  {Do this at least 2 days in advance.}

Day 2:
4. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish for jello by spraying it with non-stick spray {this will help the plastic wrap stay in place}, then place a long sheet of plastic wrap into the pan, press the corners down so the wrap is completely stuck to the pan.

5. Cut each container of jello into "squares", they don't have to be perfect or even straight.

6. Use a spoon or your clean fingers to remove the jello from the containers.  Place all of the jello squares into the prepared 9 x 13 dish.

*Tip: I found that setting each container of jello in a shallow dish of warm water just before cutting and removing helped a lot.

7. Sprinkle both envelopes of unflavored gelatin over the 1/2 cup cold water and allow gelatin to bloom.  Let gelatin bloom for about 5 minutes; this will ensure your jello has a nice smooth texture.
8. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of boiling water to the gelatin mixture and dissolve completely.
9. Add sweetened condensed milk to the dissolved gelatin and let set until cooled to around room temperature.  
{Don't put it in the fridge to cool it down or it could set up and you'd have a large mass of white jello!}

10. Pour the cooled milk/gelatin mixture evenly over the jello squares.

11. Cover and refrigerate the jello overnight.  

Day 3 or Serving Day:
12. Use the plastic wrap to lift out jello or flip the pan onto a large cutting board.  Cut into squares. 
{You could even cut using fun shaped cookie cutters and treat yourself or the kids to the scrap pieces.}

I'm telling you, its totally worth trying.  My dad doesn't like jello and he really liked this, he said it was kind of like ice cream.  ENJOY!

Smokey Zucchini Salsa

This recipe is a must for any one who has a plethora of zucchini and also does some canning.  The yield for this recipe is huge; I got 30 pint jars from one batch!

You'll need to prep and brine the vegetables overnight, so be sure to start this recipe when you know you'll have time to can it the following day.

This recipe is great for those larger zucchinis you may have missed in the garden.  Just half zucchinis lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.  You can also peel the zucchini if you like; I didn't bother, I like the extra color.

Liquid smoke can be found near the the barbecue and hot sauces in most grocery stores.  Or you can make your own homemade liquid smoke!

Tip:  I recommend placing a kitchen towel under your cutting board when cutting up lots of tomatoes...

This salsa is fantastic year round.  Its great with chips, tacos, enchiladas and really anything else!  It also makes an excellent addition to soups that call for salsa, like my Crockpot Taco Soup!

Ingredients:
-30 cups shredded zucchini
-12 small onions {or 6 to 8 large onions}
-6 green peppers, shredded
-6 red peppers, shredded
-3/4 cup canning salt
-3 tbsp dry mustard
-3 tbsp garlic powder
-3 tbsp cumin
-1 to 2 tbsp chili powder {I used 1 tbsp}
-3 tbsp liquid smoke
-5 cups white vinegar
-1 cup apple cider vinegar
-2 1/4 cups brown sugar
-2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
-10 to 15 jalapenos, chopped
-3 tsp ground pepper
-15 to 20 cups chopped ripe tomatoes {skins on}
-3 to 4 tbsp cornstarch
-3 (12 oz.) cans tomato paste

Process:
Day 1- 
Mix and Brine Vegetables:
1. Thoroughly mix shredded zucchini, onions, green and red peppers with canning salt in a very large bowl {or multiple bowls}.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2-
Cooking and Canning:
1. Prepare canning jars and lids.
2. Rinse and drain the zucchini mixture in batches.  Squeeze out the access moisture.
3. In a very large pot {I started with my two largest cooking pots and ended up switching to my canner} combine zucchini mixture with all remaining ingredients.

4. Bring salsa to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.

5. Pour salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head-space, wipe rims, top with lids and place in water bath.
6. Process jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
7. Remove canner lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
8. Remove jars from canner to a wire rack or clean kitchen towel.

9. Allow jars to cool and seal.

Enjoy!

Mom's Vegetable Pizza

This is my Mom's fantastic vegetable pizza recipe!  This is one I could enjoy on a weekly basis or at least once a month, but don't.  It makes a great appetizer, party snack or a side dish.

Ingredients:

-2 (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls {or you could make your own "Pillsbury" Crescent Rolls, use one batch}

-2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

-1 cup mayo {I always use Miracle Whip}

-1 oz. package ranch dressing mix  {or you can make your own Ranch Mix #1 or Ranch Mix #2, use about 3 tbsp}

-1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped

-1 cup tomatoes, chopped

-1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

-1 cup cauliflower, chopped

-1 cup shredded or chopped carrots

-1 cup cheddar, shredded {or any other cheese you enjoy}

*You could substitute or add any ingredients you'd like... cubed cucumbers, sliced green onions, fresh sugar snap peas or other fresh peas, thinly sliced radish, chopped red pepper, fresh chopped jalapenos or banana peppers.

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Roll out crescent rolls on a baking sheet, pressing the seams together to seal.

3. Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden.  Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, mayo and ranch.  Mix well.

5. Spread cream cheese mixture over the cooled crust.

6. Top cream cheese mixture with vegetables.

7. Top vegetables with shredded cheese.

8. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour up to 8 hours.

9. Slice and enjoy!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container, and use within one week.

Mom's Fantastic Fruit Pizza

This is my Mom's fantastic fruit pizza recipe!  Its great as a dessert, an appetizer or just as a snack.  

You can use whatever fruit you have in the house or customize it to your family's likes.  Enjoy!

Ingredients for Crust:

-1 cup flour

-1/2 cup butter, softened or melted

-1/4 cup powdered sugar

Ingredients for Sauce:

-8 oz. cream cheese, softened

-1 tsp vanilla

-1/2 cup sugar

Ingredients for Glaze:

-1 cup pineapple juice, reserved from canned pineapple plus enough water to make 1 cup

-1 tsp lemon juice

-1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Suggested Topping Ingredients:

-canned pineapple slices or tidbits

-apple, peeled and sliced

-bananas, sliced

-kiwi, peeled and sliced

-strawberries, sliced

-red and/or green grapes, sliced in half

Other Topping Ideas:

-mandarin oranges

-pear, peeled and sliced

-pomegranate seeds

-blueberries

-blackberries

-raspberries

-oranges or clementines, peeled and sliced

-fresh cranberries, finely chopped

-peaches

-apricots

Process:

Prepare crust:

1. Mix together flour, powdered sugar and butter.

2. Pat or roll the crust into a pizza pan.  {I used a layer of plastic wrap to prevent the dough from sticking to my rolling pin.}

3. Bake crust at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Cool completely.

Prepare Sauce:
1. Mix together softened cream cheese, vanilla and sugar.

2. Spread sauce over the cooled crust.

3. Arrange fruit over the sauce.

Prepare Glaze:
1. Mix together pineapple juice, water, lemon juice and cornstarch in a saucepan.

2. Bring mixture to a boil, until thickened.

3. Spread glaze over fruit.  Cool in fridge for 2-8 hours and enjoy!