Hello Readers!! Today marks my 200th blog post – can you believe it? Me neither. It’s been so much fun – I love sharing recipes with you. ….and since I have been up to my jam spattered elbows all afternoon making strawberry jam, I thought this would be a good time to share one of my very favorite posts with you. Strawberry season seems to be over in the blink of an eye, and farmer’s markets are full of these beauties right now, so it’s important to jump on the jam wagon before it’s too late. Making jam is easy and fun, and with a couple of tricks I’ve thrown in based on much trial and error, it’s a snap. So hope you enjoy – and thanks so much for reading this blog. I know there are a thousand other things competing for your time, and it means so much that you’ll spend some of your time with me. And without further rambling from me, here’s Number 200:
…. I cannot bring myself to tell you how many eons I have been making strawberry jam, but it wasn’t until the last three years that I figured out how to make it so that it tastes like fresh strawberries for the entire year. I’m talking about the cooked jam recipes, which I’ve always preferred over the less ‘set’ freezer jams. The secret? First of all, play a little fast and loose with the amount of fruit you use, and secondly – don’t use a canner if you are making cooked jam. Here’s the thing….canning jam does make it ‘shelf stable’, but after a few short months both the color and flavor start to deteriorate in a big way. Freezer jam always tastes like fresh berries, so I figured, “what the heck? Let’s make the best of both worlds”, and that’s what I did. It’s a whole lot less mess and effort, and a whole lot more flavor to boot. Come on along with me and check it out….
Traditional Olive Tapenade is hard to beat. The briny, dark purple, Greek Kalamata olives mixed with capers, lemon, olive oil and all kinds of good stuff create the ultimate spread. What do you say we go one step further? Making an additional tapenade with either buttery green Frescatrono or Castelvetrano olives puts an entire new spin on things. Serve them side-by-side so you can tell the distinct difference in taste, or mix them together for the ultimate tapenade experience. You will swoon over this spooned onto crusty Artisan bread. But this stuff isn’t just a one-trick pony – I love to keep a constant stash in my refrigerator to slather on chicken or fish before baking or grilling, and it is guaranteed to blow your mind if you dollop generously on rice or other grains. Check out the recipe below to see how incredibly fast and easy this one is…
Guests dropping in? Late night snack? Let’s throw together the world’s easiest appetizer platter! First of all, it makes me crazy to spend a ton of money on something I can make for myself, but I love the sweet combination of fig spread with all of those delicious stinky cheeses available today, especially smeared on a savory cracker. So…I set about trying to make fig spread myself. My first try involved a lot of splattering of hot figs on the stovetop, trying a Fig Jam recipe I found. This resulted in a lot of cussing by yours truly. My second attempt involved the slow cooker, and I was home free. No splattering, and you can just walk away and let the slow cooker do all the work. This is such a cinch to make you won’t believe it, and full of fig flavor since we go light on the sugar. The appetizer comes together in minutes, and can be as complicated or as simple as you like. I like to keep a variety of roasted nuts and dried fruits in my freezer. A trip to the supermarket for some stinky cheese and olives and you’re ready to go. Figs are still available in the supermarket, so if you jump on this quickly, you’ll be set for the entire winter.
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