A few weeks back a friend of mine was asking around about making a red berry/jalapeno jelly, and while I did not have red berries or jalapenos I did have blueberries and hatch chilis in the freezer! So, I got the bright idea to come up with a recipe that combined those two ingredients!

My friends response; That was phenomenal. I'd say you definitely nailed it and I'll be letting you know when I run out. LOL The flavor was so freaking good.

​Well, there you have it! Don't take it from me, but I too would have to agree it is phenomenal!

There are a few things to note;
1. Most importantly, make sure that you have absolutely all of the seeds out of the chilis. If you don't, you are definitely going to know it!
**take a look at the picture below where you can see that even I missed one seed! The good news is, they do float, and they are relatively easy to spot! The seed is the little white spot just left of center. 
2. The first time around I used 7 chilis, and I wanted just a little bit more bite so this time I used eight.
3. These are hot chilis, so if you can't take the heat you might want to use mild ones or less than 6 hatch chilis.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 Hatch Chili’s *HOT* (roasted and diced)
• 5 c. Blueberries (frozen and ground)
• 4 c. Sugar
• 3/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 8 tbsp. Ball - Realfruit classic pectin
• 3/4 c. Water
  

This is a new take on a old recipe(the Andrea’s Blueberry Cheesecake recipe I wrote a blog post about back in 2015). There are a few variations, however!

I have to say this version turned out fantastic and was certainly a hit to all who got a slice!
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Crust:
1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 12 full sheets, crushed)
1/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp. Salted Butter (softened)
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Topping:
Fresh Strawberries, cored and sliced
1/2 cup Strawberry Jelly

The Topping:
Place sliced strawberries on top of the cheesecake. Melt jelly and spoon over strawberries to glaze.

Here is a quick BBQ Sauce Recipe, that is easy to make and sure to please! 

Time: 10 Minutes
Makes: roughly 2  1/2 cups.
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The Crust:
In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar. With two forks, or a mixer, mix butter in until it forms pea-sized crumbs. Pat the mixture into a 10 inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 10 - 15 minutes (until browned).

The Filling:
Cream the cheese with a mixer, scraping the bowl with a spatula several times to ensure the cheese is fully creamed.

When the cheese is softened, add the sugar, flour, and vanilla. Beat until mixture is consistent. Add the heavy cream, and eggs, and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the filling into the spring pan.

Bake for one hour at 300 degrees and until the middle doesn't jiggle when nudged, and the top has slightly browned. Turn off oven. Remove cheese cake once oven has cooled (usually about 1/2 hour). Loosen the sides of the cheesecake from the pan with a small knife. Then remove the sides of the spring pan when cooled.

The Topping:
Place frozen blueberries on top of cake. Melt jelly and spoon over blueberries to glaze.

Chill until served.

Over the weekend (okay every weekend) I stopped down at our local farmers market, here in West Bend Wisconsin and visited with a good friend of mine, Starla, who creates and sells her own gourmet seasoning and dip mixes. 

And I thought to share some of my favorites with you, so you would have the chance to share them with others, whether you need a dip mix for a party or are looking for a gift for a friend. Her dips are sure to please!

Not only are these dip mixes great tasting but there also easy to prepare. Directions for each dip are printed right on the back of the package. Most dips can be made by combining 1 package of seasoning with 1 1/3 cup sour cream(or Buttermilk) and 2/3 cup Mayonnaise, or for the sweet dips you can combine 1 package of seasoning with 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese and 1 (8 ounce) container of whipped topping. And these aren't just for dips, you can add them to almost anything!

The Downtown West Bend Farmers' Market, brought to you by the Downtown West Bend Association, features over 65 vendors and is one of the largest markets in Southeastern Wisconsin.

The market is located in the heart of Downtown West Bend and runs for 23 weeks each year; May 24th through October 25th.  The hours are 7:30 am - 11:00 am.
 
There are a wide variety of vendors featuring produce, fruits, meats, eggs, maple syrup, bakery items, spices, soaps, herbal products, prepared foods and more.

There is a number of other dip mixes that are just as pleasing, such as their bestseller 'Grandma's Garden', 'Cheesy Bacon Ranch' and 'Glorious Garlic' to name a few. So be sure to visit ilovedip.com or visit the store at shop.ilovedip.com

These savory muffins are studded with poblano peppers and laced with cheddar, making them the perfect accompaniment to soup or chili.

Muffins:
1 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp. butter
3/4 c. mashed cooked pumpkin
2 roasted poblano peppers, peeled, seeded and finely diced, or 1/4 cup chopped canned green chiles.
Cooking spray

Streusel Topping:
1 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. finely shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. cayenne, or to taste
1/3 c. roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Instructions

1. To prepare the streusel, combine butter and flour with a pastry blender until crumbly. Add cheese, brown sugar and cayenne. Stir in pepitas.
   
2. To prepare the muffins, preheat oven to 400F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
   
3. Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. 
4. Combine egg, buttermilk, sugar, butter and pumpkin; whisk well. Stir into flour mixture. Add poblanos and stir gently. Spoon into muffin cups. Sprinkle streusel topping over each muffin.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 12 Muffins

Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon