Cooking with Sam: Serve up these snack-time treats

With the cold weather and snowing in Charleston, S.C., it started me thinking about dishes from that area.

We would keep this made and serve with cream cheese in the afternoon when guests would come to the B&B early. We always had something to snack on.

Lowcountry Hot Pepper Jelly

4 medium bell peppers

12 small hot peppers

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

6 1/2 cups sugar

6 oz. bottle Certo fruit pectin

¾ teaspoon red or green food coloring

Chop pepper coarsely and remove the seeds under cool running water. Liquefy peppers and vinegar in blender for a few seconds. Pour pepper mixture into a large pot and bring to boil. Stir in Certo and sugar and boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and add red or green food coloring. Pour into hot sterilized jars. Makes 8-9 pints.

My Pralines

2 cups of granulated sugar

¾ cup sweet milk or canned milk

½ teaspoon soda

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Put sugar, milk and soda in a saucepan and cook until a few drops in cold water forms a soft ball. Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla and nuts. Beat until creamy and drop to form patties on wax paper over which salt has been sprinkled.

Use a saucepan larger than one used usually for this amount of candy (because in cooking it foams quite a bit). These are sugar-sweet, and each guest will only want one.

North Charleston Peanut Butter Pie

2 eggs

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

½ cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Unbaked 8-inch pie crust

Beat eggs. Mix in corn syrup, sugar, peanut butter and vanilla and pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees, 45-50 minutes until top is browned and crisp. Cool before serving.

Shrimp Mold

1 can tomato soup

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon gelatin, dissolved in ½ cup warm water

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green pepper

1 lb. chopped shrimp, cooled

Salt, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce to taste – about a dash of each

Bring soup to a boil on lower heat; add cream cheese and melt. Stir in mayonnaise and use a whisk to dissolve. Add dissolved gelatin, green pepper, onion and seasonings. Stir in shrimp. Pour mixture into mold. Cover with cling wrap and chill overnight. This will serve eight to 10 people.

I like to add a dash of hot sauce or two to the mixture, along with the salt, lemon juice and Worcestershire.