December 24, 2012

hot sauce x-mas present

2012.12_hot sauce
Eric smothers most of his food in hot sauce.  Since he loves it so much I decided to make it for him for x-mas.  While I was picking out hot peppers at the store, I couldn't decide if I should make red or green hot sauce.  I indecisively ended up making one of each.  Turned out to be pretty festive...

The internet was not at all clear about the best way to make hot sauce.  You can use any hot pepper you come across and then you can ferment the peppers, half ferment/ half cook the peppers, or just cook the peppers in order to access their juices.  You can also add other ingredients like onions.

Hey readers, do you have a favorite hot sauce recipe or a favorite hot pepper to grow in the garden specifically for its stellar hot sauce flavor? 

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. hot peppers, stems removed
  • 3/4 lb. red frezno for my 1st batch
  • 1/2 lb. jalapeño + 1/4 lb. serrano for my 2nd batch
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. white vinegar

Use a food processor to mince up the hot peppers, garlic, and salt.  Put the mixture in a covered glass jar for a week.  Stir every few days.  Transfer to a small saucepan and add the vinegar. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.  Put it through a food processor again.  Strain the liquid into a bottle.

December 17, 2012

blueberry infused vodka

2012.12_blueberry infused vodka
Cheers!  Na zdrowie! За здоровя / Za zdorovja!

This blueberry infused vodka (aka horilka) finished infusing just in time for a whole hearted cheers!  Cheers to what you say?  To our buying a house in Wheat Ridge, CO!!  Here we come perennial edibles, bees, chickens, home energy improvements and more!!!!!

Ingredients:
3 cups blueberries (we happened to have frozen around)
750 mL vodka

Soak blueberries in vodka for 3 - 6 weeks in a large glass jar.  Shake things up every once in awhile.  Strain the infused vodka into a fancy bottle.  Serve.  Also maybe figure out what to do with your leftover vodka blueberries.  Probably don't put them into pie as the solo fruit.  Too much alcohol!