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.

Recipes and a side note

Side note: I have some horrible, wicked laryngitis. Which is sad because my
little brother will be calling home from Korea on Wednesday evening. He'll be home in 6 mos
but it's still a little depressing. I sound like a frog with a history of smoking. Very
pathetic. Daniel keeps telling me to be quiet so I don't do damage.

Now, on a happier note, some recipes of the yummy goodies I made
last week. I'd love to claim some credit, but sister-in-law provided them all from Kraft.com. That
is also where the pictures come from. But here are some of what we made. If you click on the
treat, it is a link. They are actually pretty easy to make. Easier than they look.

Chocolate
Peanut Butter Truffles

Prep Time:
20 min

Total Time:
1 hr 20 min

Makes:
3
doz. or 12 servings, three truffles each

What You
Need

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP or COOL WHIP Extra Creamy Whipped Topping,
thawed

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Make It

MICROWAVE
chocolate in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate
is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

STIR
in peanut butter until well blended. Cool to room temperature. Gently
stir in whipped topping. Refrigerate 1 hour.

SCOOP peanut butter mixture with melon baller or
teaspoon, then shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Store in tightly covered container in
refrigerator.

Black Tie
Truffles

Prep
Time:
1 hr

Total Time:
2 hr 50 min

Makes:
2
doz. or 12 servings, 2 truffles each

What You
Need

1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S Bittersweet Chocolate

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tub (7 oz.) BAKER'S White Dipping Chocolate

Make It

MICROWAVE bittersweet
chocolate, whipping cream and butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate
is completely melted, stirring after each minute. Freeze 1-1/2 hours or until firm.

ROLL into 24
(1-inch) balls; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Freeze 20 min.

MELT white chocolate; use fork
to dip in truffles. Return to baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining chocolate or decorate with
sprinkles. Refrigerate until firm.

Easy OREO
Truffles

Prep Time:
30 min

Total Time:
1 hr 30 min

Makes:
3-1/2 doz. or 42 servings, one truffle each

What You
Need

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate,
melted

Make
It

MIX
3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended.
Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

DIP
balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet.
(Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature
and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until
firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Easy
Chocolate Truffles

Prep
Time:
30 min

Total Time:
1 hr 30 min

Makes:
6
dozen or 24 servings, 3 truffles each

What You
Need

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1-1/2 pkg. (12 squares) BAKER'S
Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

suggested coatings, such as
ground PLANTERS Walnuts, unsweetened cocoa, powdered sugar and/or BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE
Coconut

Make
It

BEAT
cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until
smooth. Gradually add sugar, mixing until well blended.

ADD melted chocolate and vanilla; mix well.
Refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled.

SHAPE into 1-inch balls. Roll in walnuts, cocoa,
powdered sugar or coconut. Store in refrigerator.

Just a few things I
learned:
1. When covering them in chocolate, do it double burner style and
melt the chocolate on the stove. It works well, you don't burn it and you can always throw a
few more in.
2. White chocolate MUST be melted in the microwave. 1 min. or
30 sec. then stir. Repeat. It's made differently so it behaves differently.
3. Mark them with something on the outside (likes crumbs on top) so you know which
are which.
4. You can make them multiple at a time. Get a few people
together and each person take a part. We did all or ours in about 3 hours or so.
5. Make the balls SOOO much smaller than you are naturally inclined. If they are
small they are bite size! and easier to eat.

We also
did choc. covered pretzels. We used the small sticks and the put sprinkles on the warm
choc.

Another treat that I don't have a picture of...and I don't know what to call them
either.
Small pretzels, with Hershey's kisses melted on top (turn on on
broiler on high for about 10 - 15 min.) then push a mint M&M down on the kiss and
you have quick, very easy treat.

These are great. They
look amazing and taste even better. And people think you are some sort of magic cook for
having taken the time to do it. But they are simple! Thank you Kraft.com!!