Apricot Jam

My husband is a big fan of apricots, I think he might get more excited about them than he does about the peaches!  We missed out on the apricots last year and so this year he was eager to get some apricot jam for the winter.  I tried a no pectin added jam this year to maximize the amount of flavour and the amount of fruit I would use!  I found this recipe for “French” apricot jam on the recipe of the day section of guardian UK and decided to give it a try.  I ended up not cooking and adding in the stones, that will have to wait for next year.


Ingredients:
1.5kg fresh apricots
800g sugar
1 vanilla pod
¼ cup of lemon juice

Directions:
1. Half and remove stones from the apricots.
2. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
3. In a large heavy bottomed saucepan combine the fruit, vanilla pod, seeds, sugar and lemon juice.
4. Let the mixture sit until the fruit has softened (several hours).
5. Bring the mixture to a boil  Continue boiling for 20 to 25 minutes and the mixture has thickened.  (Jam sets at about 220F if you have thermometer or use a chilled plate and a small amount of jam to see if it sets).
6. Transfer the jam into sterilized jars and seal.  Process for 10 minutes. Ensure the seal before storing.

Note: I removed the vanilla pods before distributing the jam into the jars.

Reviews:
I had 3.5 jars of jam.  The half a jar is already finished and I believe Owen has opened another jar as well - guess this batch will be the first gone!

Kiwi Daquari Jam

A few weeks ago Kiwi’s had gone on sale and I had picked up a bag of them.  However, life got busy and BC fruit (Cherries, yum) starting coming in and the poor Kiwis were forgotten behind something in the fridge.  I discovered them and decided I would not be able to eat all of them before they needed to be used, and as it was already canning season jam seemed like a good use for the rest of them.  

I found an intriguing looking recipe on the Bernardin canning site and decided to give it a try.  I found a few of the instructions a little confusing (it calls for rum in the ingredients but never tells  you to add it), so I improvised a little.  Here is what I ended up with.



Ingredients:
5 kiwifruit, peeled
3 cups (750 ml) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (150 ml) unsweetened pineapple juice (I used a Dole in a tetra pack)
1/3 cup 75 ml) fresh squeezed lime juice
1 pouch (85 ml) Liquid Pectin  (I used the certo brand and it worked fine)
4 tbsp (60 ml) rum (I used a spiced rum as that was all I had in the house)

Directions:
1. Clean and sterilize 4 or 5 250ml jars. ( I keep them  in the oven at 275F while working so they are sterile when I want to fill them).
2. Mash or blend the fruit (I put mine in a blender and pulsed a couple times.  I found this worked better than my potato masher as I like fewer large chunks in my jam).
3. In a large saucepan mix together the fruit, sugar, pineapple and lime juice.
4. Stirring constantly bring the mixture to a full rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes.  Note: once the sugar is fully dissolved I stop stirring constantly, but still every 30s to 1 minute.
5. Remove the jam from the head and immediately stir in the pectin (skim the foam off if there is any.  
6.  Stir in the rum, mixing well.
7. Fill jars, leaving ¼ inch head space and place on the lids and rings.
8. Process jars for 10 minutes, let cool to seal.


Reviews:
I love this jam - it is something very different from the normal berry or peach jams that I normally make.  I gave a jar to a friend of mine and she liked it so much she was eating it with a spoon!  This will be great for a cheer up treat in the middle of our long winters!

Update

I am sorry for the lack of posts lately and I am working on getting a couple of new recipes and items ready for posting.  There have been a lot of changes around here the last couple of months.  I have started a new blog for the quilts, so they won't be taking up room from the cooking anymore!

The other exciting event is that I changed jobs a few months ago, I went from working in a research lab to being a lab instructor at a University were I live.  I have been busy working on getting lectures, assignments and quizzes ready,  For the last three weeks I have been teaching classes! 

It is exciting and I am loving, but finding that I have less time in the evenings than I am used to.  For these reasons, I am trying out more slowcooker and freezer recipes.  Hopefully things will work themselves into a schedule and I will have more time to start posting them recipes again!

Thank you for reading, and look for more fall posts coming soon.

Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry

It is harvest season and that means zucchini, lots and lots of zucchini (although oddly enough I haven’t had as much this year as in the pasts, and I have actually had to buy zucchini this summer)!  I love zucchini just grilled on the bbq but as the weather cools I am looking for other ways to use up the yummy veggies as well.  On pinterest I came across instructions for making zucchini noodles - very easy with a mandoline or the right peeler!

I made the zucchini noodles and let them sit to lose some of the water while I chopped the remaining veggies.

Stir Fry with Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients:
1-2 zucchinis
Red Pepper
Yellow Pepper
1 - 2 stalks celery
Onion
Bean Sprouts (optional)

Sauce of your choosing (I used a little lime juice and pepper).

Directions:
1. Using a mandoline or peeler make zucchini into small noodles and discard the seeds.
2. Sprinkle the zucchini noodles with a little salt and lay on paper towel to drain.
3. Slice the peppers, onion and celery.
4. In a fry pan or wok with ½ to 1 tbsp oil, cook the vegetables until tender.
5. Press the “noodles” into the paper towel to remove the water on the surface.
6. Add the noodles, bean sprouts and sauce to the fry pan.  Cook until warm.
7. Enjoy!

Reviews:
This was a great dinner with lots of veggies.  You could easily add in some chicken or pork to add more protein or use it as a side dish for supper.  I am looking forward to trying this out again - maybe with a spicier sauce!

As a side - when using lime juice (out of the container - bad I know) and pepper as a sauce, make sure the top of the lime juice is on tight before turning it upside over your dinner....

Spicy Cheesey Grilled Peppers

This summer has been HOT here.  If it isn’t hot and humid (which is a little abnormal), it is a thunderstorm.  Due to this I have been trying to use the kitchen as little as possible to try and keep my house under 26C.  I pulled out this forgotten recipe from 3 or 4 years ago and for the life of me I can’t figure out why I haven’t made this more often.  It has become almost a weekly dish now.

Ingredients.
2 -3 peppers, assorted colours
~ ½ cup grated cheese (I like a sharp cheddar)
Jarred/canned Jalapeno rings

Directions:
1. Remove the seeds and membrane from the peppers.  Then slice into strips about 1.5 to 2 inches wide (you want them wide enough to be able to hold the cheese).
2. Put the pepper slices skin side down and add cheese to the top on each pepper slice.
3. Place a slice of the jalapeno on top of the cheese of each pepper slice.
4. Place on the grill at medium high heat and grill until the peppers start to soften and cheese melts (~8 minutes).  The peppers should still retain their shape and have enough structure that you can pick them up.
5. Remove from grill and let cool for minute before enjoying!

Reviews:
I really enjoy these and we never seem to have leftovers.  They are a great way to use up any peppers we have had leftover from earlier in the week.  Depending on how much spice you like you might want ½ the jalapeno slices on the top of your peppers ( I find I do this for mine a lot, while I put whole slices on O’s peppers).

Grilled Squash - Zucchini and Pattipan

I love summer and being able to break out the grill to go with all the fresh produce from the garden and the farmer’s markets.  I love grilled vegetables and we eat a fair amount of different grilled veggies during the summer depending on what is in season and fresh.  My current obsession is green beans and squash, yum!  They are simple to make and don’t heat up the stove or require me to be in the warm kitchen when I can be sitting on the deck with a glass of iced tea as I cook supper!

Ingredients:
2-3 patty pan squash (quartered)
2-3 small zucchini squash (sliced, 1.5 inch thick)
1-2 tbsp olive oil (just enough for a light coating on the veggies)
Salt and pepper

Directions,
1. In a bowl combine the squash, oil, salt and pepper.  Toss to coat the squash in oil and seasonings.
2. On a grill heated to medium high, place squash in a veggie basket on medium heat.
3. Gill for 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of your squash).  Stir occasionally.
The squash should be soft and warm when done but still have some firmness left ( I am not a fan of mushy squash, so I like mine a little more on the firm side).
4. Enjoy

Reviews:
I love how simply this is for those busy summer evenings.  That and it is a nice fresh light vegetable side perfect for eating outside.  These have even got my husband, who normally does not like squash, eating zucchini and liking it!  He even ate the extra I made (hoping to have some for my lunch the next day) along with his regular portion for supper!

Gumpaste Lilies

Recently a girl I had worked with during Grad School joined the lab I was working in (well she was actually taking over my job as I was leaving), and she was getting married in a few weeks.  Her wedding was taking place out of province and she was trying to plan long distance.  She wanted to put Casa Blanca Lilies on her cake, but couldn’t find fake flowers that she liked and didn’t want to use real ones for various reasons.  She asked if I could make her some gumpaste flowers for her cake.  I agreed and a few weeks later I was giving her a box of 8 lilies for her cake!

I hope they made it through the air travel okay and that she had a great wedding!  I will post a picture of the cake when I get one!