Squash Spaghetti

I have made this one a couple times and each time I do something different, and love it. This version is my favorite but you can easily adapt the recipe for your own preference.

Ingredients:
2 squash, cut in half and seeds removed
LOTS of tomatoes, sliced
Bell pepppers, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese

On a foil lined baking sheet place the squash so the "skin" side is on the bottom. Lightly cover each half with olive oil, and bake in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes

Let the squash cool, and then take a fork and shred the inside. These are your "noodles." Then in a large sauce pan on medium heat saute the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic using a little bit of olive oil. After a few minutes add your squash noodles and then serve warm with Parmesan cheese. If you are not an olive oil fan, you can use any type of sauce and add any of your favorites!

Pickled Hot Peppers

I make Italian Beef in the crock pot at least once a month in the winter, and that usually includes chopping some peppers and onions for packing the meat full of flavor.  Peppers are so fresh right now, and I had a ton of them! So, I decided to pickle them so that I've got a pint ready to go as when I make the next Italian Beef dinner (probably Sunday, but whatever...)!

Pickled Hot Peppers


Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of fresh mixed peppers (I used all kinds of hot peppers and also some bell peppers)
1/2 onion, sliced into thin strips
9 cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp pickling spice
3 pint jars with lids and rings

Instructions


Slice all the peppers and trim off ends.  If you want them to be milder, you can remove all the seeds.  If you want them to be hotter, you can leave all the seeds...  I left some in, and took some out for medium heat...  To ensure that I had an even mix of pepper types, I used three bowls and distributed each pepper among the three bowls so that I knew I had a good mix in each batch.

Separate the sliced onion into even portions among the three bowls.  Put 3 crushed cloves of garlic into each bowl, as well.

I should tell you that I like my peppers a little crisper, so I opted to put them straight into three sterilized pint jars.  The jars are packed very tight, and they barely fit - use a spoon to push them down.

In a pot, mix the vinegar, water, and pickling spice and put on the stove on high heat.  Bring the liquid mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.  Using a ladle, transfer the hot liquid over the pepper mixture in the pint jars, leaving just about a half an inch of headspace in the jars.

Wipe off the rims of all three pint jars, and place the lids and rings tightly on the jars.  place the jars into a large stock pot and cover completely with water.  Bring the jars to a boil on the stove over high heat, and boil for a total of 15 minutes.

Remove the jars from the hot water, and allow to cool completely. Makes 3 pints.  Store in a cool dry place, and refrigerate after opening...

Delicious!