HABANERO APRICOT JELLY

  • 1-1/2 Cup Diced Dried Apricot
  • 3 Cups White Vinegar
  • 1 Cup diced Red Bell Pepper
  • 10 Habanero Peppers, Diced
  • 12 Cups White Sugar
  • 2 (3 ounce) Packets Certo Liquid Pectin

Using a food processor, finely mince the diced apricots.

Place the apricots in a large stainless steel stockpot, add the vinegar and cover. Let the apricots soak in the vinegar for at least 4 hours (can be left to sit overnight if you'd like, but 4 hours will do the trick).

Using a food processor, finely mince the red bell pepper and habanero peppers.

Place the apricots, vinegar, peppers, and sugar in a large stainless steel stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to make sure all the sugar dissolves.

Once the mixture has reached a full rolling boil (a boil you can not stir down), it will double in size. Stirring constantly, keep at a full boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and whisk in pectin and continue to stir for 3 minutes - this helps to evenly distribute the apricot and pepper pieces throughout the jelly.

Ladle the jelly into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with damp paper towels to remove any jelly which got on the rims or the threads. Place the lids and the bands on the jars, just tightening the bands fingertip tight.

Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes, then remove and let sit, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours before checking seals. It is important to let them sit undisturbed for 12 hours because the sealing compound on the lids is still cooling and hardening, completing the seal. While the jars cool, you will hear a "plink" type sound from each jar - this is the jars completing the vacuum seal as the final air escapes the jar. After 12 hours have passed, remove the bands and check the lids - press down in the center of the lid. If you cannot push the lid down any further, the jar is sealed. If the lid "gives" a bit, and you can push it down, the jar did not seal. You can either put the band back on the jar, and reprocess it for another 5 minutes, or you can just put it in the fridge and use it within 3 months.
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AMBROSIA SALAD

  • 1 Tub of Cool Whip
  • 1 Bag of Mini Marshmallows
  • 1 Bag of Sweetened Coconut
  • 1 Can of Pineapple Tidbits
  • 1 Can of Mandarin Oranges
  • 1 Jar of Maraschino Cherries (stemless), sliced in half
  • Optional - 1 Cup Small Green Grapes, cut in half

Drain the fruit in a colander (press on it a little bit to get some of the juice out). Mix everything together in a bowl, refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
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CREME BRULEE

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar, more for topping

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream and salt and cook over low heat just until hot but not boiling. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla extract.

In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir.

Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days.

When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Hit them with a torch until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit. Serve within two hours.


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