Saucy Salsa

Tall Cool One makes fun of the way I say salsa…he says I say “SELTZA”. I don’t hear it come out that way. “Salsa, Seltza” … it’s all the same to me. You put it on a lime tortilla and yum; you got yourself a healthy nutritious and delicious snack. The good thing about this recipe, you can make it as hot or as mild as you like. Tall Cool One just whipped up a recipe and put a handful of chopped Chile peppers in … I don’t think I can eat it. Feel free to add more or less on the garlic and the jalapeño peppers or you may want to even try different peppers.

8 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 cups coarsely chopped onions (2 Vidalia + 1 red)
1 cup coarsely chopped green pepper
1 cup finely chopped seeded jalapeño
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp coarse salt (canning salt)
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
6 oz tomato paste (optional)

Combine all ingredients except the tomato paste in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add tomato paste, if desired (this just thickens the mixture a little and adds a little more red color to it…works well if some of the tomatoes you are using are green). Ladle the salsa into hot sterilized jars, leave ½ inch head space. Wipe the rims clean, add covers. Process the jars for 20 minutes in boiling water bath. Quantity: 5 pints.


Crackerberries 2009

Cherry Tomato Chow Chow

Chow Chow Chow


Typically I only put my own recipes on here, but Tim from CCL asked if I was going to have it posted and so…here it is. I found this recipe in the August edition of Cooking Light when I was trying to find something to do with all of the cherry tomatoes we had. You can serve this will beans, field peas, ham, chicken, burgers or on hot dogs, bratwurst or even on a turkey burger. You might even try it on a veggie roll-up.


2¼ cups white vinegar
1½ cups sugar
18 black peppercorns
9 whole allspice seeds
1½(3-inch) cinnamon sticks
6 cups chopped seeded tomato (I just chopped the cherry tomatoes)
4 cups chopped green cabbage
1½ cup chopped green pepper
1½ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1¼ tsp salt
2 Serrano chili peppers, minced



Combine vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, allspice and cinnamon in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook one minute and add veggies and salt. Return to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature; discard cinnamon sticks. Place tomato mixture in air tight containers and store in refrigerator for up to three weeks. Chow chow grows tastier with time.

I think you could probably process this in a boiling bath for 15-20 minutes, if you were of a mind to put some up for winter.

© Crackerberries 2009

Dog Days of Summer Iced Tea

August always brought about the dog days of summer. I remember my grandmother always saying to me, “don’t plague the dog, he’ll go mad”. Never really knew what that meant other than it was so dang hot outside, who wants someone plaguing ‘em? They were wicked hot days and the nights weren’t any cooler. My Mimi would make ice tea and cucumber sandwiches and say that would cool us off. It was good. I remember at night lying on the grass watching the lightening bugs and looking up at the stars. I was amazed at how vast a universe there was out there. The dog days have rolled around again. I wonder what happened to the lightening bugs, still I am in awe of God’s creation and I recall how good a mason jar of homemade iced tea tastes … just like my Mimi used to make.

8 tea bags
2 quarts cold water

1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Place tea bags and cold water in a large glass jug. Set in the sun for a day. Remove tea bags and refrigerate. Sweeten with homemade syrup.

Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cool and store in fridge.




© Crackerberries 2009

Stuffed Cabblage Leaves

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 cup white rice, cooked
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
6 large cabbage leaves
½ cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 cups salsa





In large skillet cook beef and onion until meat is brown; drain off fat. Add tomatoes, 1 cup salsa, rice, thyme, nutmeg and pepper and bring to a boil and cook 1 minute; remove from heat and set aside.

Trim away heave veins from back of each cabbage leaf. Place leaves in boiling water for about 2½ minutes; or just until limp.

Combine parmesan cheese and beef mixture. Divide beef mixture up amongst cabbage leaves. Fold in sides and roll each one being sure to get the folded side in the roll. Place in greased baking dish seam side down. Pour remaining salsa over cabbage leaves. Cover and bake at 350º 35 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with Colby-Monterey Jack cheese and bake uncovered another 10 minutes. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.


© Crackerberries 2009

BTC Omelet

Omelets aren't just for breakfast!

3 large brown eggs, beaten
1 large tomato
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 – 2 slices American cheese
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 medium onion, diced
4 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled






Heat non-stick fry pan to over medium high heat. Slice two pieces from the tomato and dice the rest. Dice the onion; cook over medium heat just until crisp tender (about 2 minutes). Remove from pan, set aside; wipe the pan clean with paper towel. Spray with non cooking oil and heat over medium high heat. Add fresh ground pepper to egg mixture and pour into pan. Using spatula, pull egg mixture carefully toward you to let uncooked portion drain off cooked portion. Once you have all of the egg cooked, sprinkle with bacon, tomato, onion, and mozzarella cheese into the highest side of the egg mixture. Carefully fold the egg over with spatula and top with American cheese and sliced tomatoes and any bacon crumbs leftover.

© Crackerberries 2009

Snowman Donuts

Back in the day when Tall Cool One and I were next door neighbors and “going together” my dad would let him come over every other night only to watch Rockford Files and then he had to go home. On special nights when our moms went to ceramics class, Dad would get the deep fryer out and we would have a time… flour everywhere. Mom used to get so mad when she came home…no one can quite clean up your kitchen like yourself, if you know what I mean. We have the ceramics that our moms made us that year and sometimes we whip up a batch and reminisce about the days when Dad made us the donuts. Not sure if this is the recipe he used, but it worked pretty good for us and it makes a double batch so we could whip up a bunch later.

4½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup non-fat dry milk
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1½ cups shortening

In large bowl combine flour, powdered milk, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Mixture can be stored in an air tight container for up to 6 months. Yield 2 batches of donuts.

4½ cups mix
2 eggs
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Oil for deep frying

Combine eggs, milk and vanilla; pour over doughnut mix and stir just until moistened. Turn dough on floured surface and knead 15-25 times. Using donut cutter or fancy cookie cutter, cut into ½” thickness. Cook in 370º oil for 1½ minutes per side. Yield 1½ dozen donuts.

© Crackerberries 2009

Vidalia Onion Applesauce

So everyone has heard of pork chops and applesauce? Sometimes you gotta think out of the box – or out of the apple-ordinary!

5 apples, peeled & cored
1 cup water
½ tsp ground cloves
1 cup sugar
1 large Vidalia onion
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp thyme leaves


Dice apples and place in sauce pan with water and cloves. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat. Cook for about an hour or until apples are tender and mushy, taking cover off for last 15 minutes or so to cook down liquid. Add sugar and set aside.

In small skillet heat oil and add diced Vidalia; cook for about 8-10 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar, stirring often and cook 2 minutes. Add vinegar, continuing to stir and cook three more minutes. Stir in apple mixture and thyme. Cool and serve with pork, chicken or lamb.

© Crackerberries 2009

Stuffed Lasagna Roll-Ups

1 10 oz package frozen spinach
1 egg, beaten
1¾ cup ricotta cheese
4 Tbsp parmesan cheese
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
8 slices deli salami or prosciutto
2 cups prepared pasta sauce
8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained



In a bowl combine spinach, egg, ricotta, 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Half the salami lengthwise and place two slices on each noodle; spread with spinach mixture.

Roll up the noodles and seam side down on greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Top with pasta sauce. Cover and bake at 350º for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese; let set for 15 minutes before serving.

© Crackerberries 2009

Breakfast Pizza

So the pizza dough wouldn't rise for me and I was having a heck of a time trying to turn it into pizza. I threw it in the fridge and left it overnight...well then of course I had to turn it into something...

2½ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp garlic powder

1 package (1½ tsp.) active dry yeast

¾ cup hot water (120º-103º)

1 TBSP olive oil

2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup heavy cream
1-2 shakes Texas Pete hot sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Ham, sausage, bacon, green pepper, onion, etc. (breakfast toppings)

In a large bowl combine ¾ cup flour, seasoning, garlic powder and yeast; blend well. Mix hot water and oil together and combine with flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened then mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add ¾ cup flour to form stiff dough.

On floured surface, kneed in ¼ - ½ cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes).

Place dough in greased bowl, twirling around to coat; cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80º-85º) for 30-40 minutes or until double in size.

Combine egg, heavy cream and hot sauce; slice or dice toppings and set aside.

Punch dough down several times to remove all air bubbles. Roll out dough to form pizza crust; spread with egg mixture. Cover with cheese and top with ham, sausage, green pepper, etc.

Bake in 400º oven 18-23 minutes.

© Crackerberries 2009

Maniac Fried Chicken

It’s not Kentucky Fried Chicken. I used to LOVE Kentucky Fried Extra Crispy Fried Chicken but we just don’t eat out… If I am not mistaken it took the guy 100 times to finally sell the recipe for it. There is some secret marinade you soak it in before you fry it. I haven’t figured that part out yet, so this does not compare to Kentucky Fried Chicken…but it is a good picnic basket chicken. Have a side of potato salad and some homemade mustard pickles and you got yourself an indoor picnic.


1 lb chicken pieces
¾ cup flour
¾ cup bread crumbs
1 cup Crisco
1 egg, beaten
½ cup milk
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
Dash Tabasco sauce




Combine flour, paprika and pepper in one bowl. Combine egg, milk and Tabasco in a second bowl. Place bread crumbs in a third bowl. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then flour, then egg and finally bread crumbs. Fry in hot Crisco over medium high heat for 30-45 minutes, flipping frequently until internal temperature reaches 165º. You will note, I didn’t flip mine often enough on one side…no I wasn’t trying for the extra crispy recipe.


© Crackerberries 2009

Black Bean & Rice Salad with Quick Quesadillas

I love black beans, but Tall Cool One, not so much. Thought I could hide the taste by putting them in a salad... it worked. He loved this. I cooked the black beans in the crock pot for about 6 hours with a bay leaf, 2 Tbsp oregano, 2 Tbsp basil, 4 cloves garlic and 4 cups water. A quick and easy meal.

3 cups cooked white rice

2 cups black beans, drained
3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 small green peppers, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp basil
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp lime juice
¾ cup vegetable oil


Combine rice, beans, tomatoes, green peppers and onions in large bowl and mix well. In small bowl add remaining ingredients except vegetable oil. Mix well. Gradually whisk in vegetable oil until well combined. Pour over rice & beans and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.


Quick Chili Quesadillas


6 -6 inch flour or corn tortillas1½ cups prepared chili1 cup shredded cheddar1 cup prepared salsa


Place three tortillas flat on a cookie sheet; spray with non-stick cooking spray. Flip tortillas; spread each tortilla with chili and sprinkle with cheese. Place remaining tortillas on top and press down. Spray with cooking spray. Place in 375º oven for 15 minutes. Cool for five minutes and using pizza cutter slice in quarters. Serve with prepared salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc.


© Crackerberries 2009

Fried Green Tomatoes & Pork Riblets

Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my favorite movies. If you haven't seen it, rent it...it's one of those movies you can watch over and over again. I always wanted to make fried green tomatoes but never got a chance to until last year. We had so many green tomatoes falling off the vines, I couldn't keep up with them. I fried a bunch up and froze them for later use. This year, we aren't getting as many, but a good batch of them.

3 green tomatoes
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup milk
¾ cup bread crumbs
½ cup corn meal
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 drops Texas Pete hot sauce
¾ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 eggs slightly beaten
½ - 1 cup vegetable oil
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
6 oz can tomato paste
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
½ tsp paprika
¼ cup chardonnay wine
¾ lb pork tenderloin

Slice tenderloin in one inch cutlets. Salt and pepper on each side; sear on high heat on grill for about two minutes per side (long enough to create the grilled look). Remove from grill and slice into two inch riblets. Combine tomato paste, onion, brown sugar, hone, paprika and chardonnay in medium sauce pan; bring to boil. Reduce heat and add pork; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour.

Slice washed green tomatoes into ½ inch slices; sprinkle with salt and pepper and let set for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine flour, cayenne pepper and paprika in medium bowl and mix well. In another bowl combine milk and Texas Pete. In another bowl whisk the eggs. In a final bowl combine the bread crumbs, corn meal and Italian seasoning; mix well.

Dip the tomato slices, one at a time first in the milk, then the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs; being sure to coat both sides of each dip. In a skillet fry in hot oil over medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve with your favorite sauce… ranch dressing, ketchup, horseradish, etc.

© Crackerberries 2009

Not'Cha Mama's Chop Suey

Remember your mama’s chop suey? It had a little hint of pink color to it and maybe a scant tomato chunk here and there with a few green peppers and onions – if you were lucky. Well this ain’t like that.


3 cups uncooked elbows macaroni
16 oz pasta sauce with diced tomatoes (we used homemade)
1 lb ground beef
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 can tomato soup

Cook macaroni in 4 quarts water and 1 Tbsp salt until al dante; drain and set aside.

In large skillet, cook ground beef, until it is no longer pink. Drain any grease from burger; add onion, green pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender.

Add tomatoes, pasta sauce and tomato soup and cook on medium low heat for about ten minutes. Combine with elbows and mix well. When serving, sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.


© Crackerberries 2009