Sweet Potato Hummus

Well, this recipe came with a lesson! It seems lately that I have been super busy and feeling like I am not getting enough done around my house or in my private life. So on Thursday of this past week, I made a list. Now for those of you that really know me you know how I feel about lists. They make me feel like I am going a bit CRAZY!! I like to believe that I am highly educated, intelligent and together enough that I do not need to put on paper what needs to be done. Also growing up in my parents house we lived by lists. My mother is the queen of lists. She even called yesterday to say we have to go over lists for the upcoming beach trip. I HATE LISTS!

But... in a desperate moment this slightly overwhelmed multi-tasker finally gave in and wrote it all down. In all efforts to be ambitious and accomplished, (are you seeing a serious Type A problem here!!! Ugg....) as soon as I got home on Thursday, I set about completing tasks so I could cross off them off that dreaded list. I had laundry going, I had remade all of my bed, dinner was in the oven, bills had been paid, and I set about peeling sweet potatoes for this recipe. Although I know potato peels don't do well in the garbage disposal, my mind was on everything else I could get accomplished before bed, and I hit the switch. Down they went but the water did not..... #@&*!!!!! I had just blocked the drain and in the long run stopped all progress on completion of my list!!! For the rest of the evening, I had only one task!! I worked on the drain. Eventually, with a good friend's advice and instructions, I got it unstopped but it was almost 10 pm.  Out of desperation, I promptly put the offending list in the drawer, poured myself a glass of red wine and plopped myself in the bath tub. Tasks complete for the night!!!

Oh, so what is the lesson?? Don't make lists!!!

Sweet Potato Butter

OK... we are down to the last minute Christmas gift frenzy!! What do you get a neighbor to show your appreciation or that friend that gave you his preserved heirloom tomato seeds this past summer? (Or is this just a Rebecca problem?) How about something homemade? Every Christmas, I have a personal mission to give everyone on my gift list something that I have made over the past year- whether it be jelly I made over the summer, a hat I knitted in their favorite color or a tin of cookies that they wait for every year. I think this is the meaning of Christmas gift giving; taking the time to put love into something you give. Sure, everyone gets a commercial gift of some sort as well, but I know that I appreciate when someone takes the time to make something special for me, and I hope to reinforce that sentiment in my gift giving.

As you know, by this time each year, I have a whole cabinet of jars that I have preserved. Everything from Pickled Hot Wax Peppers to Strawberry Prosecco Jam. I have been making gift bags of assorted jams for friends and will be tucking jars of Bourbon Peach Jam into my suitcase for family in Pennsylvania. It is just what I do!!

I love to open the cabinet in my kitchen and see all the jars lined up. This year, I added this recipe to my line-up. On a recent trip to Charleston, SC in October, my aunt and I decided to go to the Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square. This is a great event that I try to get to a few times per year. This year I had the opportunity to meet Stephen Palmer Dowdney and purchase his book Putting Up.  After tasting several of his recipes, we talked about our canning experiences and he was so personable and welcoming. As I was getting ready to leave, he of course signed my book and then provided his email and phone number in case there was any questions about the recipes. He also encouraged me to make my own recipes and if I  needed canning safety advice, he was always available. It was an awesome "local foodie experience." I encourage everyone to buy this book and visit Mr. Dowdney in the Charleston Farmers Market. I know I will be buying his new book on my next trip to the Holy City and probably some of his amazing jellies!

Tomato Basil Jam

My garden goodness is almost gone. The summer garden is done. I have two last recipes that I just finished this weekend from all of the last plants that I have harvested. For me this is always a hard time of the year. I now have to buy tomatoes from the store and those never have the same taste as a good, fresh garden tomato. The other thing that I will miss is the fresh basil that I use on a daily basis. I put it in mixed drinks, scrambled eggs and just about everything. In order to hold on to those flavors a little longer, I whipped up some more of this jam. I made it last year as well and it helped get through the tomatoless time of the year.

So long summer garden. Can't wait for your garden goodness next year.

Baba Ganoush

So what do I do when I am stressed and feel like life is not going my way??? Anyone paying attention out there??? I cook!! And in this case, I knit as well. (Uh Ohh! that is not a good sign.) This weekend has been a trying one but unfortunately my life has been this way for so long that I know that "busy is best." So I planned doctor's appointments, craft parades, event with friends and lots of activities for this weekend. I have been fairly successful.... NO! I am proud of myself and I will say I have done excellently, considering. (If you are lost, you have not been reading often.... shame! Lol!)

So this morning when my wonderful, sweet pups who love me dearly, woke me up at 7am  on my only day off, I needed something to do. (Do you sense the sarcasm here?) Thankfully, one of my employees and friends brought me 6 Japanese Eggplant and boy did I have plans for them. Here is the outcome and it is fabulous! Once you eat this you will never order Baba Ganoush at a restaurant again when you can make it so easy! I promise. It is smoky, garlicky goodness!

Strawberry Prosecco Jam

 

 



It is summer and fresh fruit abounds. This allows for one of my favorite activities: jam making. Every year I tackle a new jam recipe or two as well as make my usual favorites like my Bourbon Peach Jam. As I have told you before, ever since my teen years I have been making jams and jellies. 

 

 

 

There is one story I always think of when I make jelly. When I was young, my sister and I would go to have weekend visits with my Gram and Pap. We would do all the things that grandparents and grandkids did together; we played putt putt, ate ice cream, and stayed up later than we are allowed at home. We were spoiled at Gram and Pap's. In the summer, we would sleep on the porch and look at the stars. During other times of the year, we would sleep in the guest bedroom in our little single beds. When we would get all tucked in, my Gram would light a candle and tell us a story. One of my favorite stories that she told was of her Mom, my Noni making jelly. She would start by telling us about how hard Noni worked and what a strong woman she was, then she would begin to talk about the jelly. Noni was making grape jelly and as she was stirring the pot she looked out of the window to see the family cow had gotten out of its fence.  She went out into the yard in such a hurry, she forgot about her jelly. By the time she corralled the cow and got back into the kitchen, the jelly was burned in the bottom of the pot. Back in those times, that was a big loss for a family who was on a very fixed income. I can imagine her disappointment.

 

I am not sure why but I was always so enthralled by this story.  Maybe I saw the grown-up me being like my Noni. Maybe I saw my jelly making days ahead. I am not sure, but that is one story that I never got tired of hearing. Of course, my grandma was a great story teller and kept us hanging on every word.

After her story she would stand up kiss each of us and head downstairs. As she went, she would say "Good Night Mrs. Calabash." And my little sister and I would reply, "wherever you are." To this day my sister and I say this to each other! Although I don't see them everyday, my family is my staple.... wherever any of us are.

Blackberry Lemon Thyme Jam

Blackberry Lemon Thyme Jam

Every summer when I was a child, as a family we looked forward to blackberry season. Because I lived in a somewhat rural area in Western Pennsylvania, our house was surrounded by wooded and undeveloped areas. This allowed for the perfect environment for wild blackberries to grow. They were not the "monster-size" berries that you find at the grocery store now, they were tiny, sweet purple clusters that mother nature tended all on her own.

My dad was the blackberry pro; spotting them on the side of the road as we drove home from my grandma's house or the grocery store.  Dad is a man of few words. He will talk when needed but he is never a person to "waste words" just to hear himself talk. Us girls always knew when he was thinking and as we would drive, we knew he was making mental notes of location and approximate ripening time for our berry picking.  When that day came and dad declared the berries ready, we would all bundle up in our long sleeve shirts and long pants and head out. Since my sister and I were young, we would pick the berries along the bottom and the perimeter of the berry patch so we did not get "stuck" by the thorns on the bushes. Mom and Dad would always venture more into the middle of the patch and therefore get the largest haul.

One really memorable thing about berry picking for me was the vessel that we brought the berries home in: my dad's miner's bucket. For most miners, the bucket that they use to take their lunch into the mine, is a very special item. It is an item that they carry with them everyday; into a place unlike any other and a scene that most people will never see. Most miners carry the same bucket through their mine career. Those buckets see young, hopeful men just starting out going into the mine, they see hard work, the loss of best friends and in this day and age, business politics, and unfortunate mine closing which include the loss of local jobs that have sustained families for generations.  In most cases, the mine bucket will "retire" or become "laid off" from it's duties at the same time their owner does.

Whenever I used to see my dad's mine bucket come home from a long day's work; dirty, scuffed, and with its reflective stickers, I was instantly proud of my dad. But most important for a miner's kid, that bucket was always a sign that my dad was home! Mining is dangerous and knowing he was home was always comforting and a relief (some of my fellow classmates where not so lucky.) The dirty, empty bucket would then sit on the kitchen floor until we were done eating dinner as a family. After dinner, as my mom scrubbed that bucket to get it ready for the next shift,  I always wondered what the bucket had seen that day!

I think that vessel, my dad's bucket, is one of my family's most valued items. It was present in our everyday life and saw my family in all stages of our lives.  If it could talk, it could tell the story of the mine, my dad's long hours there, me and my sister's childhood and my mom ever present in the kitchen making home life happy. That bucket did not just feed my Dad lunch; it fed our entire family.

And on special days in mid summer, in rural Pennsylvania, that shiny silver bucket would go into the woods empty and come out brimming with dark purple berries....

Hot Red Pepper Jelly

Hot Red Pepper Jelly

When I was in Charleston this past Thanksgiving, I went to one of my favorite restaurants in that area Hominy Grill and had the appetizer of goat cheese and hot pepper jelly on water crackers. It is one of my favorites; simple flavors and textures but so satisfying.

When my hot peppers started to come in this summer, I thought again of this concoction and instantly thought why would I buy this jelly when I can make my own. I have had this recipe on my "to do list" for quite a few weeks now but this past weekend, I am not sure if the craving got to be to much or if the stars were aligned just so and all other aspects of my life in order, but I set about the task of making this wonderful jelly. 

As I sit on my couch four days later, enjoying a glass of wine and a few crackers with goat cheese and my hot pepper jelly, I am feeling very accomplished.

Beet Hummus, Goat Cheese, Mint Crostini (plus alternative version)

Beet Hummus, Goat Cheese, Mint Crostini

OK for those of you that don't know I have become quite the "beet advocate." In the past, I never really liked beets. I always felt that they tasted very "earthy." OK that is a bit of a lie, I always thought they tasted like dirt. But, as I explained in my Beets and Sweets post, I have really found some recipes that bring out the sweetness in the beets and this recipe does just that. I will say that the addition of lemon and garlic really compliments the beet taste. There is quite a bit of lemon zest and juice in this recipe which to me upped the freshness factor.

I was kind of skeptical about making this recipe for a group with differing palates, but I am happy to say that everyone at my summer party tasted and really loved it; even the beet haters in attendance said that if they did not know it was a beet they would have never guessed.  This appetizer really is a wonderful mixture of interesting tastes and texture. The crisp crostini was the perfect base for the creamy goat cheese and hummus and the mint was the perfect "summer inspiring" topping. Great with a cold glass of white wine.

And look at what beautiful all-natural color!

Bourbon Peach Jam

Jam! What is more reminiscent of summer! I started to make jams and jellys when I was about 15 years old. I thought it would be a great gift to give to friends, my parents and grandparents. My mom was supportive of this effort and while she had some experience, she was not the pro. I began with strawberry jam, then peach. All things went well. But as I have said before I am a self-proclaimed lover of all things cherry. We were at the farmers market and I saw a huge basket of Bing cherries. I thought they would be the best thing for my new jam obsession. We got them and took them home and that weekend I set out to make some fabulous cherry jam. I was so excited so I decided to triple the recipe!!! Big mistake! What I ended up with was amazing cherry flavored syrup. The jam never set up. My mom's first response was to call Grandma Ethel. Grandma quickly told me to never change a jam or jelly recipe. You can make multiple batches but these recipes do not double or triple with great success. I hold that lesson and memory in my head today. This was by far not my last kitchen failure but definitely my first and I will remember it for a long time.