I’m so excited that I actually had enough bell peppers to make my own home-grown Pepper Jelly!  Very easy to make and very yummy!!

Here’s my recipe:

City Girl Farms Pepper Jelly

*1 ½ cups Chopped Bell Peppers (green or red)

*1 ½ cups Apple Cider Vinegar

*6 ½ cups Sugar

*25 Shakes Tobasco

1 pouch Liquid Certo

½ teas. Food Color ( green or red)

Combine first 4 * ingredients. Bring to full boil over high heat. Remove and set aside for 20 minutes. Return to heat, bring to full rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add certo and food coloring. Stir, skim if necessary, and pour into prepared mason jars.

I use 4oz jars which are the perfect size for pouring over an 8oz block of cream cheese! Just include some wheat thins for dipping!!  Perfect for the upcoming holidays – Enjoy!

I love this stuff and I love that you can mix anything you want into it!  I used a bag of White Cheddar Popcorn, a bag of Brach’s Candy Corn (I split this large bag into 2 batches), one bag of Fall Colored M&M’s and one can of salted peanuts.  I covered a giant cookie sheet with parchment paper, then spread out the bag of popcorn & sprinkled the m&m’s, candy corn and peanuts on top.  I melted some “orange” candy melts in a double boiler (glass bowl over a pan of boiling water) and then drizzled the orange candy melt over the top.  That’s it!!  I’m storing it in old popcorn tins hoping it won’t get stale. I have some cute little baskets I’m going to put this snack in for my Harvest Party. 😉

Fall is my favorite time of year!  Cooler temps, football, sweatshirts AND my very first “Harvest Party”!  When I bought my little farmhouse one of my dreams was to have my pumpkin patch on the side of the barn and to host an annual “Harvest Party”!  Well, the Pumpkin Patch is in (thanks again to my son for building my pumpkin patch fence!) and the “Harvest Party” is scheduled!  With that being said – my brain is totally into Harvest Party mode . . . every creative brain cell is ON.  Whenever the “Fabric Quarters” go on sale at Joanne’s I’m there.  I bought the squares for my harvest banners earlier this spring and decided to pull out the sewing machine this weekend and get’um done!  They are a tad bit time consuming buttttt you’ll have them forever once you make them!  With every 5 Fabric Quarters you buy, you’ll get 2 banners (12 pennants each and each banner is 9′ long – the length of the bias tape).  On the tutorial below, I was making those for my daughter’s wedding so I spaced the pennants out because I had a boatload to make – now I place the pennants inside the bias tape, corner to corner.

Here’s the link to my original post:

Pennant Banner Tutorial

I was able to get a batch of Strawberry Jam made last weekend.  Hoping for time to do a batch of Peach Jam too!  I love making jam – it’s sooooo simple, you should really give it a try. I just use the recipe for “cooked jam” on the directions in the Certo box.  One of my most favorite things is when I hear the lids pop (they suck in and seal), seriously I want to do a happy dance!

WOW – I haven’t done one of these posts forever!  I’d seen the commercial by Bush’s Beans that they have a new “Hummus” mix available and I wanted to try it.  Crazy simple (you know I love crazy simple), you just add the pouch to a can of garbanzo beans – that’s it!  I did add some extra virgin olive oil and some pine nuts.  Plopped it all in the food processor and went to town (mixed it).  It was veryyyyy yummy!  I bought the “Roasted Red Pepper” pouch but there are other flavors as well.  I think next time I’m going to try the same pouch but use Cannellini Beans in place of the garbanzo beans, they’re a creamier bean than the garbanzo.  You should totally give this Hummus a try!  😉

This little drink will bring a smile to your face. Just thinking about it gets me excited! LOL  . . . We’re going to have temps in the 80’s this weekend and I just plan on working in the yard the whole entire weekend (until I need a nap).  Mixed with a little sugar, a little milk, a little 1/2 & 1/2 and you will be grinning from ear to ear.  I make a smaller batch of Ree Drummond’s version of Ice Coffee.  I make it every summer and it’s the best!  I am not a coffee connoisseur so I just buy wants on sale:

1 & 1/4 cup of your favorite coffee grounds to 2 quarts water.  I steep it in the fridge overnight or I make a batch before I leave for work and let it steep all day.  Strain through cheese-cloth and it’s ready to go.

 You will not regret it!! Enjoy!!

Ree Drummond’s website . . http://www.thepioneerwoman.com

I found this recipe on Pinterest but changed it up a bit.  Every once in awhile you JUST need some chocolate!  The great thing about this is, just put it in an airtight container and it will be there when you’re ready – no fuss, no muss.  I think the key is the Angel Food Cake because the post said you could change up the chocolate cake mix for any flavor you want.  I’m going to try lemon cake mix and angel food next, oh and maybe a dollop of lemon curd!  Here you go  . . . .

Mug Cake – Add one box of Angel Food Cake Mix & one box of Chocolate Cake Mix (mine had choc chips) – mix together & store in airtight container

Mug Cake: 3 TBLS of cake mix/3 TBLS of water/½ Teaspoon of Vanilla

Mix everything together and cook in microwave for 1 minute!! When it comes out of the microwave I sprinkle the top with some mini choc chips and let it cool a bit. Top with some Whip Crème and you will be in heaven!  You are soooo welcome!  😉

It’s finally back!!  Rainbow Chip frosting!  I think it actually came back last summer.  It’s my daughter’s 27th birthday today and her absolutely favorite cake in the world is Funfetti cake w/Rainbow Chip frosting!  And it has to be “Rainbow Chip” frosting NOT Funfetti frosting!  It’s just not the same.  Funfetti cake mix is by Pillsbury and they also make a Funfetti frosting.  But Betty Crocker makes the “Rainbow Chip” frosting and they discontinued making it awhile back.  She’s soooo happy it’s back.  Jason & Tara actually found it last year and bought her several tubs of it, lol.  The label even says “back by popular demand”!!  Yummmmmm Happy Birthday Amie! 😉

Oh my gosh – this is delicious!  I made this Christmas Day – we celebrated Christmas the day after this year.  This pot roast is crazy good and crazy simple!  I will totally make this again and soon.

Just plop your roast in your crockpot – sprinkle the gravy package & ranch package over your roast.  Drop in several peperoncini’s and then lay that stick of butter on top of your roast!  That’s it!  Cook on low all day and enjoy!  Be sure to eat those peperoncini’s cause they are fulllll of buttery goodness!  😉 YUM