the jam...

So referring to a previous post about shoving things in jars, I've been experimenting with jam. I learned that powdered pectin requires an insane amount of sugar to make jam. Even regular recipes require lots of sugar. So I found a new pectin that only requires the sugar you need for sweeting. Uses calcium to activate the pectin. Enter lower sugar jam. Not calling low-sugar because jam is fruit and sugar. With possible blood sugar issues looming on the horizon..this could prove to be a fabulous find.

I haven't actually opened a jar to see how it tastes after the canning process. I probably should do that. Pan scrappings where mighty tasty.

canning - or is it jarring

So, I think I do have an obsession. It's the ball canning jar. I admit it. I love to put things in jars, pull them out of the water and wait for the distinctive pop that is the lid sealing. In the past week along I've made two batches of salsa, raspberry jam and mixed berry jam...we'll get back to the jam in a moment. I wonder why I do this. It's not completely economics because raspberries are not exactly cheap eats. I guess I could go with the fashionable answer that's locally grown produce - some even from the backyard - and so I'm saving the earth by not purchasing salsa made in california that's shipped to Indiana on a truck. I really think it's because I like the process. Precisely measuring ingredients and a scientific rationale for why the jars have to be hot and why they need to sit in a full boil for exactly 10 minutes. Every summer I delve into my cookbooks, re-reading directions to see if I missed anything last year. It's definitely the process. I've noticed that while the hubby will think of salads and entrees that will use the vegetables right now - I"m thinking, how can I put that in a jar.

So..hopefully the family won't mind if salsa is the food product that is given this year. Just another reason to put things in jars.....

Best hot cocoa ever

The hot cocoa I found on vacation deserves it's own post. It was the best EVER. Sapore is restaurant in Westfield, New York and is part coffee shop, part bistro, part wine bar. Very groovy decor I might add. Their hot cocoa was a mayan blend - chocoate with cinammon and ancho chili powder. Perfect. I've had mexican hot cocoa before but this was incredible. Must figure out how to replicate.

Will bike for wine

We biked for wine. Yup, we did. Our vacation took us to New York wine country for a few days. Before I mention wine, I will say that countryside was the lake and grape vines. That's pretty much it. We were a little early for the smell of grapes, but biking on roads that took us down through vineyard after vineyard was pretty incredible.

As for the wines, well, pretty darn tasty. This is problem when you are one a bike - limited capacity. Somehow we managed to bike all day and still come home with a good supply of wine. We've done quite a bit of wine tasting, and have come to expect certain things from these experiences. New York did not disapoint. Great conversations were had while tasting - in several cases, with the winemaker. Did I mention that we came home with some great wines? Several suprises - I actually found a concord wine that I like (they can be dry) and a sweet catawba that was refreshing. I love surprises.

We also discovered that this region of New York is concord grape capitol of the world. Found some concord grape pie filling from the grape co-op at the farmers market. This will be fun to try.

Spinach

I planted spinach this year. No worries, I'm not going Popeye on all of you, but I have this recipe for strawberry spinach salad that is incredible. The whole reason for planting spinach was to eat this salad, but oddly enough I haven't made it yet.

When the home garden calamity of good grief I will never eat all of this produce set in with the spinach, I actually suggested that we make spinach pasta. Turned out to be a great use of extra foliage.

More garden adventures to come...

catching up

Ok - so the blog hasn't been the first thing I think about when I hop on the computer. Stupid facebook and webmail. Time to catch up.

We've been eating lettuce from the garden. I made a realization the other day about garden lettuce. It's really green. Yes, I know, all lettuce is green but when the stuff goes from dirt to salad spinner to my plate in under 5 minutes, it's this vibrant pile of green on my plate. Definitely more appetizing. Understand this is coming from the girl who 5 years ago wouldn't touch a salad that wasn't equal parts iceburg lettuce, ranch dressing and croutons. A carrot could look at the salad if it wanted to.

And speaking of salad, a friend of mine has me hooked on yogurt dressing. Finally, ranch dressing that I can feel good about eating. I do love David's vinegrettes, but deep down, I'm a creamy, garlicky ranch kinda girl.

Dutch Baby

This has been a week of must cook dinner FAST.  For some reason, this is always a challenge for us because the things I consider fast typically come out of boxes and frankly, we never have boxes of anything more than cereal  and past.  David discovered a terrific solution - Dutch Baby.  Turn on oven to  450, run eggs, milk and flour through the blender, throw in cast iron skillet, shove skillet in oven.  20 min later - dinner.  David made a simple icing - melted butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice. It was fabulous.  WE have since found variations that include ham and swiss cheese or suggest throwing berries on top. I think the possibilities are endless.  

The meal reminded us of advice from two very different people. Lynn Rossetto Casper advices that when you don't know what to make for dinner, turn the oven on to 350. By the time it's warm, you'll have something figured out.  The other piece of advice comes from one of our favorite people that has ever been on this earth - Grandma Pop.  Always keep eggs on hand because when you have extra people for lunch, you can always make eggs.  There are endless possibilities with eggs, and none take very long. 

Didn't have any more vanilla ice cream for the strawberries. Cookies and cream is a good substitute....now to eat before it melts.