Cherry Jam

It tastes reallllllly good. I am excited to eat it with toast and waffles tonight.

From the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

4 cups finely chopped pitted sweet or tart cherries
2 tbsp lemon juice (only if using sweet cherries - needed for the acidity and preservation)
6 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 pouches liquid pectin

Prepare lids and jars as in this post.

In a large sauce pan combine cherries, lemon juice and sugar. Add the sugar in slowly of medium heat, stirring it in as you go. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Then add the pectin. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off the foam (If you don't you get jam foam that tastes funny.)

Ladle the hot jam into hat jars and add hot lids. Screw the rings on finger-tight. Water bath in a rolling boil for 10 minutes.

Oh, So, Good.

Blueberry Sauce

This tastes so good. I can only imagine it on vanilla ice cream, cheesecake or with yogurt.

It's pretty runny but very potent. So yummy.

7 cups blueberries
2 3/4 cups unsweetened apple juice. (Western Family makes some - can't be from concentrate)
1 TB grated lemon zest
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 corn syrup
1/4 lemon juice

Prepare you jars and lids like with this recipe.

In a large pot combine berries, apple juice and lemon zest. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat crushing the berries with a potato masher. Then slowly add the sugar until it's dissolved. Then slowly add the corn syrup and lemon juice. Then bring to a rolling boil for 15 minutes. (At this point it will bubble up pretty seriously.)

After 15 minutes, turn off heat and ladle into jars leaving 1/4 in. headspace. Screw the rings on finger tight. Water bath with rolling boil for 10 minutes.

Makes 6-7 8 ounce jars. Use on anything.

I got this recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

I made a batch of this this afternoon. It smells so yummy. I can't wait to mix it up.

Here you go:

6 cups hulled strawberries
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (I just used a 32 oz. bottle of Western Family lemon juice - no additives or concentrates)
6 cups granulated sugar

Prepare your jars and lids before hand. Clean your jars in a hot wash in the dishwasher. Then place them in the over at 170* or however low your oven will go. Put your lids in water and boil them so they are hot when you place them on the jar.

Puree the strawberries in a food processor till they are smooth. Transfer them to a large stainless-steel pot. Add the lemon and sugar as you heat it up on medium until 190*. When you reach temperature turn it off, ladle the concentrate into the jars. Water bath the jars at a rolling boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Then pull them out to cool and then store.

To use add water, soda, ginger-ale, etc. at a 1:1 ratio.

It makes 5-6 16 ounce jars.
I got this recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

A Grave Day...

Today I had the opportunity to spend the first half the day with my grandfather placing flowers on graves. It was a neat opportunity in many ways. I got to spend 2+ hours with him while we drove between three cemeteries in Ogden, and one in North Ogden. I learned about my personal history, where my family was raised (for generations back), about the immigration of some of my ancestors and how much my grandfather remembered from so many of them. He knew many of the people who's graves we visited. In fact I knew many of them, great aunts, great uncles, great grandparents, etc. We talked a lot about many of them while driving around. I have a rich heritage, and I'll bet you do too. Do you know about it? You should learn. I have learned so many things about what I have come from and why I have some of the emotional connections and interests that I do. Find out about your own history and where people are buried so you can be the one to tell your children about their ancestors when your parents and grandparents are gone. Here are some of the headstones:

Asael and Jennie Farr - My grandpa's, mother's parents. My great-great grandparents.
Connie and Jim Underwood. My Grandma Budge's parents. My great grand parents.
William Arthur and Jennie Budge. My grandpa Budge's parents. My great grandparents.
Ezra Granger Williams - My great-great grandfather.
Henriette Crombie Williams -wife of Ezra Granger Williams. My great-great grandmother.

We placed flowers on a total of 18 graves. It was a neat experience and I challenge you all to do it too. Learn about more than your parents and grandparents. There are generations upon generations to learn about.

C PAP

Daniel's new little friend. Tuesday night he went in for an overnight sleep study to see if he had sleep apnea. He does. It was bad enough that halfway through the night they hooked him up and he slept really well. We got a taste of the energy and good mood it will give him. Hopefully in the next two weeks we get the home machine and everything taken care of. I'll let you all (all 3 of you ;) ) know how it goes once we get it.

If any of you suspect your spouse other of sleep apnea - GET THEM TESTED! It can cause horrible problems with your mental health, heart health and many other things. A quite machine it at night is worth better health!

Are you willing to help?

They Came!!!!
500 adoption pass-a-long cards were on my door step when I came home for lunch! They have our picture, our names, and how to find out more about us.

Talking about adoption and sharing what you know is the best thing you can do for adoption!

If you want some cards to give out just e-mail me your address and I will send them out this week.

ashleyallen15 @ gmail . com

Recent Food Experiments

I have been having fun doing some home made foods. I got a pasta roller for Christmas and have been having fun with it. I made 3 cheese and spinach ravioli. They weren't pretty but they tasted pretty good.

I wilted the spinach in olive oil.
Then added it to the cheese - ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
I rolled out the pasta in sheets and then I put the filling between the sheets.
These are the best looking ones of the bunch.
Daniel mostly approved. They tasted good, but I need to work on my skills. I have to time the cooking better, but I'll get there.


Saturday I made Kiwi preserves. It only takes 5 ingredients. Pineapple juice, lime juice, 4 kiwi, liquid pectin and sugar.

You slice the kiwi thin (peeled of course!) and then boil it with the sugar and juices. When it gets to a rolling boil you add the pectin and boil for a full minute.
Then you put it in hot jars with hot lids and process them for 10 minutes. I added some food coloring. I think a little too much. But it looks pretty. It tastes pretty yummy, but you can definitely taste the pineapple. It's more a pineapple-kiwi jam. I think it was a success.