Apricot Jam

I had my first experience making jam the other day. A friend gave me some apricots from her tree, and while I would never put a plain apricot in my mouth, I am in love with apricot jam.

I followed this recipe from Little Green Cottage Designs, Best Apricot Jam Recipe, modifying it for the amount of apricots I had on hand. Here is my modified version:

26-28 apricots washed and cut in quarters

6 cups sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Place the apricots in a large pot or saucepan with a scant 1/2 cup of water and 2 cups of the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Turn heat to high and boil the apricots until they are soft and then add the remainder of the sugar and the lemon juice.

Boil over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Let cool slightly in the pot, then fill jars, cool and store in the refrigerator. I used half-pint canning jars, but did not use any preservative methods, so this jam should be eaten within a month.

The jam will thicken when it is cool.

I was able to fill six half-pint canning jars.

This jam is so delicious on toast, waffles, ice cream, bagels...ohhh, the possibilities!

A Spice Salute

This is a shameless plug for one of my favorite products, 21 Seasoning Salute, from Trader Joe's.

I always have a jar of this in my kitchen. I use it in my roasted carrots and to season chicken, whether it's in the pan or the pot. I've also added it to rice, soups, other veggies, and we use it as a better alternative to season Top Ramen.

It contains spices that you'd expect like onion, garlic, basil, rosemary...and some maybe you wouldn't, like orange peel, carrot, cumin, cayenne, and oil of lemon. What it doesn't contain is salt!

Here's my simple, yet delicious recipe for Roasted Carrots:

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Now, you can mix everything up in a bowl like you should, or be lazy like me, and mix it all on the baking sheet. =)

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 425.

Mix together baby carrots (enough to serve your group) and oil (olive, canola, or grapeseed)- enough to coat the carrots. You want to coat them, but not drown them!

Sprinkle coated carrots with coarse salt and the 21 Seasoning Salute and stir to mix.

Set your rack one level up from the middle and roast carrots for at least 20 minutes or until done. Check and stir along the way. They should be tender and look roasted...you can do this! These are yum-O!

Just one of the many products I love from Trader Joe's. And no, I don't work there (how fun would that be!!!) I just enjoy shopping there! Don't even get me started on their cornbread...

Easy and Cheap Recipes

Here are a couple of recipes I've discovered recently. These are all easy to prepare, cheap, and actually liked by every member of my family. They also use ingredients that with the exception of a couple, are staples in my kitchen.


"Maple" Syrup
I really like this maple syrup recipe, not just because it costs less than what I can buy at the store. We tend to go through a lot of the stuff thanks to our affinity for crepes, waffles, pancakes...you get it. This recipe is made without corn syrup, and in my opinion, tastes really good! It does need to be refrigerated, but can be warmed up as needed.


1 3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2+ tsp. vanilla (I always like MORE vanilla!)
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring


Combine sugars and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the stove, but allow the saucepan to remain on the burner for several minutes, stirring occasionally (make sure the sugars are completely dissolved).
Remove from burner and allow to cool a little, then add the vanilla and maple flavoring, stirring well. Cool completely before pouring into container (I use a store-brand syrup bottle!)




Cake Mix Cookies
This is another super easy recipe, and a great way to use up that cake mix that is just sitting in the pantry, or those leftover nuts from another recipe (or the half-eaten bag of chocolate chips...because your family thinks your pantry is a snack bar). You could also just buy a box of cake mix, such as German Chocolate Cake (yum!), since on sale or with a coupon you can usually get them for around $1 per box.


1 box of cake mix (any flavor)
2 eggs (better if you have Piper Crazy Chicken Farm eggs!)
1/2 cup oil
Optional ingredients: nuts, chocolate chips, m&m's, coconut, etc.
Optional: Flavoring such as vanilla, orange, etc. if you are using a white cake mix.


Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. I did this by hand with my strong arm (cough, cough) and a wooden spoon.
Drop by spoonfuls or cookie scoop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until done. Let cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack. Or just eat them as you are taking them off the cookie sheets!!!
If you manage to not eat them all at once, you can frost them or make ice cream sandwiches with them.


I saw a variation to this recipe where one egg, 1/4 cup oil, and 1/4 cup water was used instead of what I listed above. I have not tried this variation, but am curious to know how they differ. I wonder if the cookies come out flatter...they are probably a little healthier with the smaller quantity of oil. All in all, not a big difference, so you can choose.


I think I need to go make some cookies now!

The Swim Princess turns Eight...and Mommy makes a Pool Cake!

My second baby had a birthday last Saturday. She turned eight...thankfully not fourteen! We let her open her family presents in the morning, because patience is still a hard-fought-for virtue in this house...and hey, that's just what we do!

My thanks was a kiss from the dog! (not really)

Actually, Grace wouldn't stop thanking her daddy & I for her presents...it was so sweet!

Then it was on to Grace's pool party, which she had been talking about non-stop fuh-evah! Which means that I had been cleaning and improving our home a little too much (can you say *cough* frustrated perfectionist *cough*) Well, I am much improved from my previous self...

So, the house was clean, except for the nasty, hairy cat chair (doesn't something always get missed?) and the kids arrived, and it was a wonderful party. The weather was windy and a little on the cool side, but the kids had fun getting in the pool, squealing about how cold it was, getting out of the pool, jumping on the trampoline, and then getting back in the pool. I edited the other kids out of the pictures to protect their privacy, but really, they were there! =)

The fun part for me, with a little anxiety thrown in for kicks, was making the cake. We decided to make a pool cake to fit the theme of her party. At first, I was just going to frost it blue and call it done. Then while looking for party ideas, I saw a picture of a pool cake with, of all things, blue Jell-O! Why not? So I made the cake, and we made cupcakes, too, because I had made this cute three tiered cupcake stand, so we had to have cupcakes to put on it! Rachel frosted and decorated the cupcakes (which came out super-cute...she even put bathing suits and sunglasses on the teddy grahams!) and I worked on the cake, which was not without it's disasters. Poor Craig got an earful the night before the party and I had to apologize to him later. But by the grace of God and the miracle of frosting, it all came together, and yes, I did get that Jell-O to become a pool. The 8 year olds were impressed, my 8 year old was impressed, and that's all that mattered to me!

What could make a day like that any better? Going out to dinner...to one of Grace's favorite places, "Good Times." In fact, we went there for her birthday dinner last year. It looks like a 50's diner, with lots of movie memorabilia and "I Love Lucy" episodes playing on the TV. The food is fantastic, too. We always have a good time when we go there (oh, sorry about the pun)!

So, that's Grace's birthday. She is eight now. Oh, how the years go by!

I love you, Boo!

Our Garden of Promise

We have a garden again this year. I'm very excited. Last year, we planted a garden in the only spot our one acre will allow us to...a sloping plot of ground towards the front of our property. The garden did okay for a first effort, but this year, Farmer Beloved & I were determined to do better!


We borrowed our neighbor/friend's rototiller, and Farmer B got to work. Truth is, the work was hard, but I think he had fun with that rototiller! Then we, I mean he, surrounded the garden with chicken wire to keep out the wild rabbits that hang around here. They'll not be free-mealing off my veggies!


Here's Gardener Grace and Gardener Rachel helping plant the seeds.

Before long, Grace disappeared, and it was the three of us planting.

So far, we've planted tomatoes, green peppers, basil, carrots, red and yellow onions, radishes, garlic, green onions, potatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, green beans, corn, and an artichoke plant (we're told they do very well here). Later in the year, when the weather cools, we have lettuce and other seeds still to plant after we harvest what's in the garden now.

My favorite time is the very first veggie that is harvested to be eaten. It always tastes the best! Isn't it wonderful that even with our average gardening skills (well, I will say that Farmer B is awesome at most things), and soil that is nothing to brag about, yet God still blesses our efforts with these amazing vegetables, providing us with food from our own garden, that we for a season, don't have to go out and buy. I'm even thinking of learning how to can and store the excess so we can use it later on...isn't that a kick? 

Here's myself and Farmer Beloved after working hard in the garden (you can guess who worked harder!)

Don't you love our hats? Sooo stylish, and they protect our heads from burning. I wear mine every time I go outside now...I just wish I could keep it from blowing off my head when the wind picks up!

Oh, and for those of you that think you need a big space to garden, container gardening is the "in" thing to do right now. So go buy yourself a couple of large, cheap teracotta pots, throw some mixed seeds or plants in there...you could even have a themed pot, like a pizza pot or herb pot...and get gardening!

Berries!

These are homegrown berries. There would have been more in this bowl when I took the picture, but they were so delicious, some got eaten before I could get the shot!

Now, if we can only keep the pesky birds from snitching them off the vines!

The Lazy Baker's Dream Cookies

I have a confession: I am a lazy baker. Maybe it's because I am not a huge fan of cakes and pies, or maybe it is because I detest doing all the clean up afterward, but my poor family rarely reaps the rewards of my measly baking skills. I also suspect I am just too impatient to get through all the steps required of baking (I like to guesstimate rather than follow exact measurements) to make it to the payoff. Oh, and did I mention what a stinker all the clean up is?

So when I stumbled across this recipe for Pumpkin Cookies on Sumo's blog www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com I knew she was speaking my language. Three ingredients, no measuring, one bowl...can it get any easier? I know we're into the Christmas season now, but I had to share this easy yumminess with you, so here you go!

Pumpkin Cookies

Gather your ingredients:

1 box Spice Cake Mix

1 small can (15 oz.) Pure Pumpkin

1 bag Chocolate Chips

Mix pumpkin and cake mix until well blended.

Stir in your chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto your cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 16-20 minutes.

Just try to keep them in your cookie jar!

(I ate three before they even went in there...shhh!)

Enjoy!

Mmmmmaking Waffles

Let me just say that I am not a huge "Martha" fan. Sorry, Martha...it's not you, it's me, actually. I just never think I can achieve what you're offering.

But this morning, Rachel & I wanted to make a "scratch" breakfast and in my Google search, I came across this recipe for Buttermilk Waffles from...Martha! (Go figure) Well, it looked do-able, and there was also a simple-looking recipe for Blueberry Sauce, so we gave it a try.

Of course, our waffles did not come out looking as perfect as these (I'm certain even Martha's don't...are these even real?!?) but they tasted so good! Even Grace, who shook her head at waiting for the process to be done, and had cereal instead, ate one later and declared them "very good."

The blueberry sauce is what sealed the deal for me, though.

Again, the picture is a little too perfect, so don't expect miracles, folks. But it was simple to make, and it tasted delicious on top of the waffles.

Here's the link for the recipe if you want to try for yourself (there's a link to the Blueberry Sauce recipe from the Waffle recipe): http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/how-to-buttermilk-waffles

Thanks, Martha!

Granola: Homemade Goodness

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about how I need to get off my lazy keister (yes, I'll admit that) and start giving some wholesome goodness to my family. That means making more foods, with less and better ingredients, and buying less pre-packaged, loaded with who-knows-what, I can't pronounce that, stuff. Don't get me wrong, I didn't jump on the bandwagon, slap the horse, and take off at breakneck speed. But...I am moving forward...slowly...and enjoying the progress I've made so far.

One of the recipes I have become hooked on is for granola. I really like granola, and could probably eat it every morning if it weren't so expensive and full of fat! So, a few weeks ago, I found this recipe for granola from the kitchen sink recipes and it is wonderful! I do have to say that even though I am going to reprint her original recipe, I did not follow it to the letter. But first, here is the original recipe:

Granola

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
3 tablespoons flax seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup toasted mixed nuts, chopped (I used pistachios and almonds here)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups mixed dried fruit (I used raisins and dried cherries and cranberries here)

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to incorporate.

Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the depth of goldenness you’re looking for), stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and and cool completely, in its pan, on a wire rack. Once the granola is cool, mix in the dried fruit.

And it looks like this in all it's yummy goodness:

Too bad I can't share the smell with you as it was baking in my oven today...mmmmmmm. Well, I guess you will just have to make it for yourself. Make sure you get the first taste of it 'cause it won't last long!

Oh, here are the modifications I made, but feel free to make your own, based on your tastes.
-I omitted the coconut (boo for me, but my love is not a fan)
-No sesame seeds, either. Not a pantry item, and I didn't feel like adding them.
-I decreased the flax seeds to 2 Tbs. on my second batch. Don't make me explain why! =)
-I used chopped pecans for the nuts - Yumm-o!
-Sad to say, I don't have pure maple syrup, so I had to omit that. For my second batch, I increased the vanilla to 1 Tbs. My feeling is: if a little vanilla is good, more is better!
-Craisins & dried cherries were my fruits of choice.

One last tip: watch your baking time. My granola was done in just under 20 minutes, and you do not want this to burn! So be sure to stir at the 10 minute mark and let your nose and eyes be your guides more than the timer.

Enjoy! =)