Blueberry Fig Jam ... YUM

9 cups fresh figs (Kadota) quartered
3 cups fresh blueberries
4 cups sugar
½ cup lime juice
1 tsp mace

Combine all ingredients in preserving pot; mash figs and blueberries. Let stand at least 2 hours. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and boil gently for 45 minutes to an hour until mixture thickens to gel stage (22o° degrees).

Remove from heat and stir 5 minutes to prevent fruit from floating. Skim off foam if necessary. Ladle into prepared sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch head space. Wipe the rims of the jars to ensure there is no spilled jam to prevent a good seal. Seal jars according to manufacturer’s directions. Place in boiling bath for ten minutes.

Crackerberries © 2010

Mimi Hill's Maraschino Party Cake

Okay, me following Mimi’s recipe was not the easiest thing in the world. My Mom loves this cake I think because her mom had her crack the walnuts. I cheated and bought the already shelled ones. Here you take a look at the original recipe. I would have called my Mimi up if she was still alive. I think it came out pretty good, considering what I had to work with.


1¼ cup sugar
½ cup shortening
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
½ cup cherry juice
¼ cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
½ cup or more chopped cherries
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 cups flour
2½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp almond flavoring

Cream the sugar and shortening together. Add eggs to shortening mixture. Combine milk, cherry juice, lemon juice and almond flavoring in large measuring cup. Combine flour, baking powder and salt together in separate bowl. Alternate adding flour and milk mixture to creamed sugar until well combined. Fold in cherries and walnuts. Spread into greased and floured baking pan. Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Use creamy white frosting and top with cherries and walnuts for garnish.


© Crackerberries 2009

Pumpkin Banana Bread

"We're not falling for the banana in the tail pipe trick" ~~ who remembers what movie?

3½ cups flour
2 mashed bananas
2 cups pumpkin
2 tsp baking soda
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup butter flavored Crisco
2 cups sugar
1 cup raisins



Preheat oven 350º. In small bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon; set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition; add pumpkin and banana; mix well. Add flour mixture and stir until well combined. Fold in raisins. Pour into two greased 9x5 bread pans. Bake 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

© Crackerberries 2009

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Being the week of Halloween I thought this would be a good time for some festive spook-tacular recipes. Tall Cool One likes cherry filling on his cheesecake. Believe me, when he put it on pumpkin cheesecake I thought that just sounded gross, but it actually tasted okay. I prefer a scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream with mine, but you go ahead and have it however you like it.



1½ cup graham cracker crumbs
6 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 Tbsp sugar

16 oz cream cheese softened
¾ cup sugar
16 oz pumpkin
¼ tsp salt
1¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
3 eggs



Preheat oven to 350º

Combine graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tbsp sugar and melted margarine and mix well. Press into 9 inch spring form pan and bake in 350º oven for 8 minutes.

In large bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Add pumpkin and spices and mix well. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Mix until smooth.

Pour into prepared crust and bake at 350º for 50-55 minutes until center is set. Turn oven off and crack oven door, let cool in oven for one hour. Using butter knife, loosen sides before opening spring. Garnish with caramel apple flavored candy corn.


© Crackerberries 2009

Jambalaya

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
24 oz chicken broth
6 oz red wine
½ cup salsa
8 oz kielbasa, halved and cut into ½ inch pieces
¾ cup long grain rice, uncooked
1 cup cubed ham
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp basil
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 bay leaf

Thaw and rinse shrimp and set aside. Cook onion, celery, garlic and pepper in olive oil until tender. Add broth, wine, salsa, kielbasa, rice, thyme, basis, bay leaf, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add shrimp and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 5 minutes. Add ham, remove bay leaf and heat until hot. Serve with biscuits or garlic bread.

© Crackerberries 2009

Turkey on Rye Meatloaf

When using ground turkey, it is very important to use spices, otherwise the taste is kind of institutional … not that I have any experience in an institution, but it kind of reminds me of the pale yellow walls or the green color that the halls are painted with. (Okay, I get that from watching movies.) Plain ground turkey is blah.




1¼ lb ground turkey meat
3-4 slices rye bread, cubed
¼ cup salsa
1 medium onion, diced
1 large egg
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp poultry seasoning
½ tsp coriander
¼ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp fresh ground pepper



Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Shape into a loaf in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350º for one hour. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


© Crackerberries 2009

Spaghettie Pie Casserole

8 oz spaghetti
16 oz pasta sauce
1 lb ground beef
2 eggs
2 Tbsp butter
¾ cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Add 2 Tbsp butter, eggs and ½ cup parmesan cheese; set aside.

In large skillet, cook onion, celery, garlic and beef; drain if necessary. Add sauce until heated.

Place spaghetti mixture in greased baking dish, pushing spaghetti up around the sides and making a well in the center forming a crust. Pour sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake in 350º oven for 25-30 minutes or until sides are lightly golden; remove from oven and let stand minutes prior to serving.


© Crackerberries 2009

Roasted Rooster

Yes, we killed our rooster and cooked him and ate him.  He was a tough old bird.

½ fresh rooster; plucked, cleaned
1 Tbsp fresh ground pepper
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion, peeled & quartered
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp poultry seasoning
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 325º

Wash rooster well with cold water, being sure to pull any loose feathers from the skin; and pat dry.

Place in baking dish, skin side up; add onion, celery, broth & wine. Rub rooster with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Cover place in oven. Bake at 325º for 2½ hours, removing from oven every 30 minutes to baste with juices.

Serve with favorite sides; butternut squash, mashed potatoes, honey glazed carrots, gravy and stuffing (or as they refer to it in the south, dressing).

© Crackerberries 2009

Overstuffed Peppers with Piquant Sauce

Yum yum yum, I love stuffed peppers, they are like mini-meat loaves!

2 large green peppers
1 lb ground beef
1 envelope of onion soup mix
½ cup bread crumbs
1 tsp oregano
1 egg
¼ cup ketchup
1 lb ground beef
3 Tbsp brown sugar
4 Tbsp ketchup
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dry mustard

Preheat oven to 400º

Cut peppers in half and discard seeds and white pulp. Wash and set on paper towels to drain.

In large bowl combine ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, oregano, egg and ¼ cup ketchup. Mix well. Pack tightly into green pepper halves. Arrange closely in lightly greased baking dish.

In small bowl combine brown sugar, nutmeg, dry mustard and ketchup and stir well. (I double this recipe because I like extra after it bakes); spoon evenly over peppers.

Bake uncovered at 400º for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350º and cover peppers with aluminum foil or baking dish cover and cook an additional 40-45 minutes. Remove from baking dish immediately. Add more sauce if desired.



© Crackerberries 2009

Pasta Salad

2 cups colored pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup chopped ham
1 cup chopped Swiss cheese
½ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup slice black olives
1 medium tomato, diced
10 slices pepperoni, quartered
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper
½ cup parmesan cheese

Combine pasta with all of the vegetables and mix well. In a small bowl pour in vinegar first then add Italian seasoning and salt and pepper, while whisking, slowly add olive oil, mixing well to combine. Pour over pasta and toss to mix. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.


© Crackerberries 2009

Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

¾ cup butter flavored Crisco
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cups flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins



Preheat oven 375º. Combine Crisco and sugars in large mixing bowl and beat until creamy; add eggs and vanilla and mix well. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves and stir to combine; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in rolled oats and raisins.

Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool on cookie sheet 1 minute then transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

These are good with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream tucked between two cookies. Mmmmm, good!


© Crackerberries 2009

Jalapeño Parmesan Biscuits

Preheat oven to 450º

2 cups jiffy baking mix
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup parmesan cheese
½ tsp garlic powder
¾ cup buttermilk

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and stir just until moistened. Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased cooking sheet; bake at 450º for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

© Crackerberries 2009

Boston Butt Chili

In the winter time you cook a 3 lb Boston Butt in the rotisserie using Crackerberries special spice rub mix. Then you have a nice Sunday afternoon din-din of butt and candied sweet potatoes. After that you pull some butt and have pork sand-ridges with some spicy brown mustard on fresh sub rolls on Monday, you will have just enough butt left to whip up a chili. Oh, yeah, don’t forget to cook your crock pot beans on Saturday and have them for supper and then you’ll have the leftovers for chili on Tuesday.  In the summertime, smoke that Boston Butt on the grill. 



2 cups chopped Boston Butt
2 cups navy or kidney beans
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 Tbsp paprika
1 cup salsa
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper







Combine all ingredients in crock pot and simmer on low for 4 hours. Serve with jalapeno parmesan biscuits or Johnny cake.


© Crackerberries 2009