Favorites from our Christmas Open House — 2014

Pine Cone Cheese Ball
Ingredients:

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup bacon crumbles
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 teaspoon chopped dill weed
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/4 cup whole almonds

Add all ingredients except almonds in a mixing bowl
Fold until well mixed (don’t be afraid to use your hands)!
Divide into two equal parts
Mold into pine cone shapes
Insert whole almonds into cheese
Accent with rosemary for decoration.  Chill before serving.

 

Olive Cheese Ball
Ingredients:

1 8 oz package cream cheese
8 oz blue cheese, crumbles
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup chopped, pitted olives, drained (I use black and green)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chive (can substitute with green onions
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Fold all ingredients together and shape into a ball.  Chill before serving.

 

 

Cranberry Walnut Cheese Ball
Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped English walnuts
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
4 oz (1/2 jar) Meadowcroft Farm Cranberry Walnut Jam

Stir together and cover with Craisens.  Chill before serving.

 

 

Meadowcroft Farm Ole Fashioned Wassail
Ingredients:

2 qts unfiltered apple cider
2 qts cranberry juice
2 cups orange juice
2 small cans frozen pineapple juice (do not dilute)
1 cup sugar
6 whole cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons whole allspice
2 teaspoons whole cloves

Heat in a large pot and simmer for 35 – 40 minutes.  Serve hot.

 

 

PICKLES

Pickled Asparagus:

Individually freeze stalks on cookie sheet. After freezing, put in zip lock bag. Use in Bloody Marys. Keeps drink cool, eat when finished!

Pickled Eggs using Pickled Beets:

Save Pickled Beet liquid.  Boil eggs and peel.  Place into container with saved liquid and refrigerate.  Rotate eggs daily.  Ready to eat in one week.

Harvard Beets:

Place 1 jar of beets into saucepan, reserving ½ cup of syrup.  Mix 2 tablespoons flour into reserved syrup.  Whisk out all lumps.  Bring beets to boil.  Add flour mixture while stirring.  You now have Harvard beets!

Bread and Butter Pickles

The name says it all! 1 slice of butter bread, folded in half, fill with pickle.  Mmm mmm good.  Add to burger or sub sandwich.  Serve on cooked dried beans.

Cinnamon Pickles

Craving something but don’t know what? Eat a cinnamon pickle! Great to cleanse the palate after your meal – much like a sorbet.  Save syrup – pour over baked apples or mixed fruit.

Pickled Baby Corn

Great finger food. Arrange yellow corn around edge of a party tray in sunburst pattern. Fill in center with cinnamon or watermelon rind pickles.  Syrup is similar to bread and butter pickle. Nothing like those tasteless corns on food bars. Can be cut and used in garden salads. Think color –beets – corn.  Steak for dinner? – top off by adding 3 ears crisscrossed on top with a sprig of parsley. An edible garnish!

Dill Pickle – Hot Dill Pickle

Fried pickles??? Purchase hush puppy mix. Follow directions to mix but add more liquid to make consistency of pancake batter. Dip pickle into batter and drop into hot oil. Fry until batter is golden brown. Cool. Makes a great appetizer.

Sweet German Pickle (14-day Crock Pickle)  ### 1 Pickle!

Staple of the house, along with peanut butter! Addictive – once you try them, no other pickle will add up to this one. This is a fermented pickle, similar to a gherkin, still aged in stone crocks for 14 days. By the way, how about a peanut butter and pickle sandwich? You might be surprised!  Peanut butter cracker with a pickle on top.  Cheese square with a pickle on top (use toothpick).  Cut into small bits and add to turkey, tuna, chicken, or ham salad. Save syrup for dressings for potato salad or pasta salad: 2 teaspoons mustard, ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon celery seed, and enough syrup to liquefy. Add liquid to deviled eggs, top with small piece of pickle.  Million Dollar meal — grilled cheese sandwich with German pickles.

Lime Pickle

No, not a fruit pickle. Lime pickle gets its name from using dehydrated lime to make the cucumber crisp. Excellent sweet pickle. The green colored pickles are used on a Christmas platter or served as a colorful garnish. Excellent with cheeses.

Spiced Peach Pickle

Serve chilled on a bed of crisp lettuce. Add a dollop of mayonnaise in center, top with a maraschino cherry and grated cheddar cheese.  Also good on lettuce and cottage cheese. Need a hot dish?  Pour fruit and juice into baking dish. Place cherry in center of each peach.  Place in oven under broiler. Watch closely until tops are caramelized.  Serve with turkey, ham or pork chops.  This can be a family tradition for the holidays. Don’t forget breakfast. Nothing better with ham, bacon, or sausage.

Watermelon Rind Pickle

Grandma’s specialty! Remembered by middle-aged adults, never heard of by youngsters. This pickle was a very special treat, made from the rind of the watermelon. This pickle takes 5 days to make. Color has been added to ours to prevent darkening from the spices used in the syrup. This pickle has a distinct flavor of cloves. Just one smell and you will be taken down memory lane. Excellent served with broiled or grilled tuna or salmon.

RELISHES

Nanny’s Chow-Chow

Chow-Chow is a familiar name. Some call it green tomato relish or end-of-the-garden relish. Made of green tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cabbage.  This heirloom relish is commonly used on dried beans or greens.  Add to roast beef sandwiches. Another suggestion is to mix thoroughly 1 can corn beef, 1 8 oz. brick cream cheese, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, and 2 tablespoons of Chow-Chow. Can be rolled in parsley flakes, almonds, or walnuts. Use as a cracker spread or on finger sandwiches. Dried corn beef slices spread with above mixture rolled in jelly-roll fashion and sliced in bite-size pieces, serve with a toothpick. Great hors d’oeuvre!

Onion Relish (Sweet)

Always good on hamburgers and hot dogs. Use to season meats, soups, and stews.  Make an onion dip using sour cream and onion relish to taste. Great for chips or fresh veggies.

Sandwich Spread

This heirloom spread was used to flavor country ham sandwiches. A mixture of Chow-Chow with mayonnaise and mustard cooked together for a unique flavor. Can be used on any sandwich or sub. Great for stuffing tomatoes. Score grape or cherry tomatoes with an “x” on top. Spread open and fill with sandwich spread. Fill celery sticks with sandwich spread. Great with cucumber or squash sandwiches.

Spicy Pepper and Onion Relish

Use to flavor meatloaf. Use in chili and spaghetti sauce. Also use to make a dip. Mix sour cream and relish to taste. Good for chips.

Jalapeno Pepper and Mustard Sauce (aka PMS)

An all-purpose mustard-based sauce similar to a sweet and sour sauce. Used many years ago as a ham glaze. Can be used to baste chicken, ribs, pork chops, and fish. Great for crock pot cooking. Simmer little Smokeys or meatballs in sauce.  Add to meatloaf in place of tomatoes or ketchup for a different taste. Wonderful!!! Can also be used as a salad dressing or over rice. Heat in microwave to liquefy. Serve hot. Kids love it on chicken tenders, pretzels and French fries.

Nanny’s Special Sauce

Made with Nanny’s Sweet Chow-Chow and her homemade ketchup. Some call it a chili sauce.  Another use for it is add 4 heaping tablespoons of Special Sauce, 1 tablespoon prepared mustard, 1 tablespoon Onion Relish to Bush’s Original Baked Beans. Heat in 350° oven for 30 minutes. Optional: Place strips of bacon over top of beans.

Zucchini Relish

This vegetable relish can be served with dried beans. Great for hamburgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. Use also to make a dip with sour cream.

Hot Zucchini Relish

A man’s favorite! Just enough heat to feel an after-burn. Made with a small amount of habanero pepper. Good on any meats. Delicious on a baked potato in place of butter or sour cream. Try a little on a peanut butter cracker for a quick snack.

SPREADS • SPREADS • SPREADS

Any pepper jelly can be used to serve over cream cheese on crackers. Delicious on toasted bagels. Try on salmon, steaks, chicken, or burgers. Grill meat and add pepper jelly over top before removing from heat, let rest one minute before serving. As the meat cools, the flavors are drawn into the meat. Choose from any of our four heat levels. Red is mild heat, Green is mild heat, Jalapeno is medium heat, and Habanero is HOT! Perfect Cole Slaw dressing. Mix 2 heaping tbls mayo and 2 tsp of pepper jelly together and pour over 6 cups coarsely chopped cabbage. I use a little shredded carrot and red cabbage for color. EXCELLENT

Mix 1/3 jar of Red Pepper Jelly (or to taste) with cooked, peeled, sliced beets.  Yummy!  (Thanks to Ginger Burwell for this idea.)

JAMS AND JELLIES

All of our jams are made with fruit cooked in their own juices. Reduced sugar and apple pectin are added. No corn syrups or additives are used. Not just a breakfast food. These jams can also be served with cream cheese and crackers or on vanilla wafers.  Great for finger-print cookies.  Use to flavor yogurt.  Sinfully delicious over ice cream!

SALSAS

Thick and Chunky Garden Style, Peach, Pineapple, Mango, Regular and Hot, Southwest Black Bean and Corn, and XXX Hot

Choose any flavor you like. All of our salsas are made with fresh ingredients. Real fruit is added to make a variety of flavors. You can SEE and TASTE the difference. Not just for chips. Make your own taco salad. Excellent on scrambled eggs and omelets.  Add the REGULAR or HOT to browned hamburger, add BLACK BEAN andCORN and you have homemade chili.

Mexican Party Dip

Layer refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, Black Bean & Corn, Regular or Hot Salsa, more sour cream. Top with crumbled tortilla chips.

REMEMBER!

Send us your favorite recipe using any of our products. Be sure to include your name and address to add with the recipe. Experiment and have fun!