One Way to Clear Your Sinuses: Making Hot Pepper Jelly

My mom makes this fantastic jelly made with hot peppers. No, you don't just slather it on toast and take a big bite, unless you like self-inflicted torture. However it is delicious with cream cheese on crackers! Since my mom had a nice harvest of hot peppers and was coming to visit this weekend, I participated for the first time in the Making of The Jelly.

Anyone who has every cooked with hot peppers knows you have to look like you are about to perform surgery: gloves are a must so you do not get anything related to the pepper in your eye. From experience, THAT SUCKS!!!!

You start by seeding the peppers, chopping them into small pieces, and then grinding them in the food processor. This is the step that usually gets your eyes burning and sinuses tingling just from the fumes!! My throat even got a bit scratchy!

The you add the other ingredients, cook 'em for 15 minutes, add the pectin, cook some more, then finally jar the concoction using standard canning techniques.

Yet again, the jelly did not "gel." Although my mom said it has happened to her before, I think it is my fate. If the concoction is supposed to get thick, it will not while in my kitchen. It still tastes really good, and I'm sure I can find uses for it in it's current consistency (similar to my Chunky Peach Preserves "Topping"). I'm already imagining it on top of Brie and then dipping into it with a cracker. Yum!