Yanno what I love about cooking? Well, there’s always the fact that I get to eat what I’m cooking – but cooking also means I get to taste & tweak and adjust and make things just how I want them. Case in point: Sweet Tart Bread & Butter Pickles.

Smoky Chipotle Tomato Chutney
This year, it seems I’m all about the tomato. We’ve been tomato crazy, and now have tons of tomatoes in various stages of ripening. If you’re in the same boat, this Smoky Chipotle Tomato Chutney is gonna be a perfect way to use up a glut of red ones.
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Garden Chili Sauce
In honor of the upcoming New Year’s (and to use up a bag of black eyed peas and a couple of ham hocks languishing in my freezer) I decided to make Black Eyed Peas. And there is no better accompaniment to Black Eyed Peas than a my home-made Chili Sauce.

Home-made Pickling Spice
Most pickling spice recipes share a number of standard ingredients with just a few variances in amounts and proportions, and many have an extra special touch or two that makes them stand out. Here’s a recipe that will work well in almost any recipe that calls for “pickling spice.”