banana peppers

Dilly Beans & Spicy Pickled Peppers

/ Jodi / 13 Comments

dilly beans

I’m on a little bit of a canning kick…

jalepeno peppers

Last weekend, I gathered all the banana peppers and jalapeno peppers I could harvest from my tiny little garden, sliced them up, and pickled them.

peppers

This weekend, I tried some Dilly Beans.   (As I type, the jars are cooling and “popping.”  Pure joy to anyone who has ever canned – right?)

dilly beans

If you are looking for something to do with all of those peppers or beans, here are a couple very easy recipes to try.  How yummy they will taste in the middle of winter to remind us of summer!

Dilly Bean Recipe (compliments of “Oh Rob” & Joyce Brugnoli)

2 pounds of green beans
1/2 cup of canning or Kosher salt
2 1/2 cups of vinegar
2 1/2 cups of water
4 cloves of garlic divided
4 heads of dill divided

Trim the ends of green beans,  Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a large sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Pack beans lengthwise into hot jars. Add one clove of garlic and one head of dill to each pint.  Ladle hot liquid over the beans. Add lids, and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Yields approximately 4 pints.

 

Banana Pepper Rings (as found on The Virtuous Wife’s Blog)

15-20 banana peppers
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 clove of garlic (per pint jar)
1 tsp canning/pickling or Kosher salt (per pint jar)
1 tsp vegetable oil (per pint jar)
3-4 pint jars and lids, sterilized and prepared for canning

Wash the peppers. Slice, remove seeds, discard stem ends.  In each sterilized jar, add one garlic clove. Pack jars with pepper slices.  In each jar of packed peppers, add 1 tsp canning/pickling salt and 1 tsp vegetable oil.  In a sauce pan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and ground turmeric. Bring to a boil.  Ladle hot pickling liquid into jars, leaving 1/2 inch head-space. Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid as needed.  Apply lids and bands, screw down to fingertip tight. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Cool and store.

It is recommended to let both “cure” for approximately 2 weeks before eating. I’ll have to let you know how they turn out!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Zesty Italian Roast Beef Sammies

/ Jodi / 5 Comments

italian roast beef sandwich

Ooooo Laaaa Laaaa – I’ve got another delish sandwich to share.

I’ve been hearing about this roast beef that goes in the crock pot with a jar of pickled banana peppers (even from one of the guys I work with), so I was anxious to give it a try.

Pair this tender, shredded zesty Italian roast beef with a nice thick slab of mozzarella and a generous shmear of basil mayo on a toasted potato roll – and O. M. G!  It had me at “Zesty!”

The recipes I found consisted of mainly three simple ingredients:  roast beef, a package of Italian dressing mix, and a jar of banana peppers.

So I threw a 3 lb hunk of chuck roast in the crockpot (and – B T W – since when did chuck roast cost almost as much as filet mignon!?!??! – I guess the grocery industry realized what a tender, delicious roast this is if cooked properly.  It used to be considered “scrap!”)

I dumped a 12 oz. jar of mild banana peppers on top.

And then – this is when I realized I did not have an envelope of Italian Dressing Seasoning Mix…..

But no problem – isn’t that what cooking is about – improvising, experimenting, making it your own?!…  (not to mention the virtues of Googling!)

So I made my own Italian Dressing Mix with guidance from AllRecipes.com:

1 Tbsp Garlic Salt
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Dried Oregano
1 tbsp. Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
1/4 tsp Celery Salt
2 Tbsp Salt

italian roast beef in crock pot

I  sprinkled about 6 oz. of this mix on top of the roast beef, and then added 1/4 cup of dried minced onions and about 1/4 cup of leftover sautéed fresh banana peppers from my garden that I had prepared for some grilled pizzas a few nights ago.  So either way will work – the homemade one or the package of Good Seasons or some other Italian Dressing Mix.

I turned the crockpot on high for about 4-5 hours, and then went and watched the Steelers game (thankfully we squeaked out a victory against the Cleveland Browns – oh yep we did Bub! 🙂 ), had a G&T, chatted with Marty and “Oh Rob,” and then enjoyed a delish dinner of a Zesty Roast Beef Sandwiches, Fresh Corn on the Cob, and a Spinach & Arugula Salad with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts – and guess what kind of dressing???  Homemade Italian Dressing made by using 2 Tbsp. of my new seasoning mixed with 1/4 cup vinegar, 2/3 cup oil, and 2 Tbsp. water.

A great Sunday dinner – with a couple great guys.

And BTW – if you didn’t want to have sandwiches (or didn’t have buns or bread!), I’m betting this roast beef would be great served with creamy mashed potatoes or wide egg noodles too.

italian roast beef sandwich

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi