Grainy Mustard (Caution it’s Hott!)
3/4 C Yellow Mustard Seeds
1/4 C Brown Mustard Seeds
3T Honey
1/3 C Vinegar of your liking
1/4 C Irish Whiskey
1 T fine sea salt

COMBINE yellow and brown mustard seeds, cover with water and let soak 8-10 hours.

DRAIN the seeds and pour them into a food processor.  Process until the mixture becomes creamy and emulsified.  Add the honey, vinegar, whiskey and salt- process again to combine.

POUR the mustard into a bowl, cover and let sit overnight at room temperature.  The next day check the flavor and consistency.  If it’s too thick and the taste is perfect, add a little water.  Adjust the other seasonings according to your taste, just beware this will be Hot!

SPOON into sterilized jars and store in the refrigerator where it should keep almost indefinitely.  Homemade mustard benefits from at least a week’s rest before using to allow the flavors to blend.

Final Product before Jarring

I got this recipe from a great book I have in my kitchen titled Food for Friends, Homemade Gifts for Every Season. The great thing about this mustard is that the taste comes out slightly different every time so it’s hard to get tired of!

Tri-Color Roasted Peppers

I’ve been meaning to buy a bunch of peppers on sale, roast and jar them in olive oil to use throughout the year but I never got around to it at the end of the summer.  I decided to give this idea another whirl for the holiday season to take advantage of the festive pepper colors.  To make this present cost effective I headed down to Trader Joe’s to get a great deal on their tri-color pepper package ($2.99) and a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($6.99).  The other requirements were some jars which i picked up from Michaels Craft Store and Crate and Barrel.

I used this simple roasting method then spread the orange, yellow and red peppers throughout the jars and then filled the extra space with olive oil to preserve them indefinitely.  After that all you need is some pretty tissue paper to wrap them in and a nice ribbon.

Now that winter is here I find myself using more and more items out of the Pantry.  I managed to pull this comforting black bean dip off with all items from my pantry (minus the cheese of course).  Here are my star ingredients:

Thank you Trader Joe’s for good quality canned goods.  The two on the end are staples in my pantry, the canned corn was bought on a whim one day but came in handy for this recipe.

INGREDITENTS: One can black beans, 1/2 can of corn (can substitute with frozen), 1/2 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (the kind with green chilies would work great with this recipe), 1 small onion- diced, 2 garlic cloves-minced, shredded cheese, freshly chopped cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne to taste.

METHOD: Saute onions and garlic in an oven proof skillet.  Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if you’re a fan of the heat.  Once softened add black beans, tomatoes, cayenne pepper and cumin.  Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until juices evaporate and the beans begin to break down.  Cover the mixture with a hefty amount of shredded cheese and bake in a 375 degree oven until cheese is melted and starting to bubble (about 15 minutes).  Top with chopped cilantro and serve with salty tortilla chips.

I would love to make this dip again in the summer with fresh tomatoes, corn and cilantro topped off with some shredded manchego.