Chipotle Cranberry Marmalade

I created some delicious pepper jelly a couple of years ago, no, I was inspired by a recipe I found in Matthew Mead's new holiday publication, well, okay I had some cranberries I needed out of the freezer, and I was craving pepper jelly, and I really wanted to make something delicious with the mandarins we had but couldn't eat before they went bad. So it was all those reasons that I created this new recipe, but couldn't settle on how to start this. There you have it, I have all the reasons in the opening sentence. Lol. This is great on turkey sandwiches, or cream cheese and crackers, there are a lot of ways you could use this.
Here's the recipe:

Chipotle Cranberry Marmalade

10 mandarins  - peel all but three and thinly slice. About 3 cups
2 1/2 cups frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cups minced onion
1 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 t. canning salt
4 T. instant pectin
3 whole cloves
2 allspice berries
5 cups sugar
7-8 half pint canning jars, sterilized

In a large pot combine fruit, onion, salt and vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes and then crush with potato masher. You should have about 4 cups pulp and juice combined. Sprinkle the pectin over the pulp in the pan. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Boil hard stirring constantly, for one minute. Take off of the heat and pour into sterilized jars. Water bath process for 15 minutes. Yield 7-8 half pints

Chipotle Cream Cheese & Spinach Tortilla Appetizers

The other night I had a Stansbury Art & Literary Society Open House. We had been gone all weekend, so after work I had to scramble to find something to create an appetizer with. This is while I was trying to finish projects for the open house as I had a commission piece to finish. I poked around the fridge, and spied some orange marmalade and Dijon mustard. Hmmm I thought, that would be a good combo in something, but what? Easy is what I needed, and something quick. I ran to the store and picked up tortillas and cream cheese. Back home I found a couple of cooked slices of bacon from breakfast, so I had my sweet, salty, savory bases covered, which is my favorite combo for just about any food. These were a big hit with everyone. The topper was that I got another commission for a sunflower painting!

Chipotle Cream Cheese & Spinach Tortilla Appetizers 

1  package green spinach and herb appetizers
1  8 oz. brick cream cheese, softened
3 heaping tablespoons orange marmalade (peach or apricot would work nicely as well)
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 green onions, minced finely
1/4 t. Chipotle chili powder
2-3 slices bacon, cooked til crisp, crumbled

In a mixing bowl whip all ingredients except tortillas together. Divide mixture between 3 tortillas, spread to the edges. Roll up each rather tightly, and cut into 1/2 inch slices. You should get about 8 to 10 slices, with end pieces to snack on. Yield 24 - 30 appetizers

ENJOY!

Tasty Tuesday - Yogurt Cheese and Artisan Bread Dippers

I have been fascinated by the idea of making my own cheese, so I picked up a magazine on the subject the other day and tried my hand at an easy and very tasty soft cheese. I had some artisan bread on hand as well so I made tasty dippers to go along with this luscious and creamy cheese. A perfect way to start a party, or to snack on during a hot summer day, just add fruit or a salad as a side, along with fresh lemonade, and you will be praised for your culinary prowess. Here's how to go about making the cheese:
Yogurt Cheese
2 cups plain low fat yogurt
2 tablespoons heavy cream, (optional but improves the texture and spreadability of the cheese)
cheesecloth (can be found at your local hardware store
colander
Line the colander with the cheesecloth and clip to edges with clothespins or clips. Mix the yogurt and cream together and pour into the cheesecloth lined colander. Place the colander in/on a large bowl to catch the whey as it drains. Place in the refrigerator and allow the mixture to drain. After about 4 hours check to see how much of the whey has drained into the bowl and pour off. You can save and freeze the whey to be used in soups, gravy or bread. When whey stops draining, the yogurt cheese is ready. This will take about 48 hours. Don't worry about covering the colander. I noticed that I didn't have much whey drain off. Perhaps it was because I used non-fat yogurt, but anyhew, this still worked.
I seasoned my yogurt cheese with chopped chives, a few dashes of celery salt and some garlic powder. Wow, is that yummy! You can also make a sweet yogurt cheese for bagels and such by using vanilla flavored or fruit flavored yogurt. If you'd like to add fruit, use dried, snipped fruit and fresh will make the cheese runny.
Artisan Bread Dippers
Any good bread such as french, rye, or sourdough will do
melted butter
Old Bay Seasoning
Slice bread about a half inch thick and brush both sides with butter. Sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning on both sides as well. Place on cookie sheet and toast under broiler until golden brown. Slice bread into strips and let cool. Serve with yogurt cheese and fresh fruit. Yummy!