Strawberry Jam

Being from a long line of jam and jelly makers I really look forward to the wonderful fresh strawberries here in southern Indiana.  About a mile down the road is WRIGHT'S BERRY FARM and they have the sweetest and most fragrant berries I have ever found.  You can pick them yourself or they will pick them for you.  So I have been making jam!!  Here is how I make strawberry jam.

Wash 4 glass pint jelly jars and 1,  1/2 pint jar.  I use Ball or Mason jars with the 2 piece screw on lids.  Always buy new flat sealing portions of the lid.  You can reuse the screw top but not the seal portion.

I wash the jars in the top rack of the dishwasher on hot and on heated dry but I cover the 2 piece lids with water and boil them. Then I turn the  heat off and leave them sitting in the hot water til I am ready to use them.

Wash, hull and quarter 2 quarts of berries.....but as I do them I quarter them into a glass measuring cup and each time I have 1 cup I dump them into a heavy medium sized bowl.  Them using my favorite 30 year old potato masher I mash the strawberries 1 cup at a time.  Then I dump the mashed berries into a large heavy bottomed kettle. Then I repeat these steps until the berries have all been processed.  You should have 5 c. mashed fruit.

Measure 7 cups of sugar into a large bowl and set aside.

I stir 1 box of Sure Jell fruit pectin and 1/2 teaspoon of butter into the fruit,  turn on the heat and bring to a full rolling boil,  and stir.  The butter helps keep the jam from foaming so much as it boils and then you have to skim off less before you fill the jars.

When this comes to a full rolling boil,  which is when it boils all over and you cannot stir it and stop it from boiling I add the sugar all at once.  It must be added all at once you cannot be gradual about this!

I keep stirring til it comes to a rolling boil a second time and then you boil it for exactly one minute.  Turn off the heat and remove from the hot burner.  Using a ladle or large spoon skim as much foam off the top of the jam as you can.  I skim it into a coffee cup or small bowl.

Fill each jar to within 1/8" of the top of the jar.  Using a clean wet cloth be sure the rims are clean of any dripped fruit.  Cap with the 2 piece lids and tighten.   I immediately stand all the jars upside down on the lids on a clean dish towel for 5 minutes.  Then I turn them right side and don't touch them again for 24 hours.  Then I check the seals.  Usually I have heard everyone of them seal but I still make sure before storing them in a cool dark place.

NOTE;  YOU WILL FIND DETAILED DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING JAMS AND JELLY IS THE SURE JELL PACKAGE AND THEY ALSO HAVE A SPECIFIC DIRECTION FOR SEALING AND PROCESSING.  I WILL SAY IT IS THE RECOMMENDED WAY.   MY WAY IS PROBABLY JUST MORE OLD FASHIONED AND NOT THE NEW AND IMPROVED!!

Cranberry Orange-Pistachio Biscotti

I  REALLY  love a cup of black hot coffee in the morning and occasionally I have to have biscotti!!!  This is one of my many favorites.  It is a really great gift at Christmas with the red and green peeking through the cookie.

1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c hot orange juice, or use water or lemon juice if desired
3 c flour, I use King Arthur all purpose flour,  plus extra for dusting
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
4 T soft butter
1 c sugar, plus extra for sprinkling tops
3 large eggs,  plus 1 additional lightly beaten egg
2 t pure vanilla
1 T orange zest, optional
1/2 c shelled and rough chopped pistachios

This makes about 4 dozen cookies.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment and set it aside.  Put the cranberries in a small bowl and add the hot orange juice to plump the cranberries. Just set these aside too,  15 minutes or so is is good.  Then drain and leave them til you need them in the batter.  Sift together the dry ingredients excluding the sugar and set aside.

Using the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter an sugar about 2 minutes at medium speed.  Add 3 eggs one at a time beating after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla and orange zest.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure it is all well combined.  Add the flour mixture and mix on low till combined.  Mix in the drained cranberries and pistachios.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half.  Shape each half into a 16" x 2" log.
Transfer onto prepared parchment covered baking sheet about 3" apart.  Using the palm of your hand
flatten the logs slightly.  Then brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Bake until slightly firm to the touch about 25 minutes.  Transfer the logs on the parchment paper to the cooling rack and cool  about 20 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

After the 20 minutes cooling place the logs on the cutting board and cut diagonally to 1/2" slices.  Arrange the slices cut side down on the rack.  Bake about 30 minutes.  Cool completely and keep in an airtight container.

Apple Enchiladas, Cinco De Mayo school project!!

It is great to be a Grandma and be called upon to help when school projects come up. It is just sheer fun when Emily or Kate want to cook in my kitchen!!

Cinco De Mayo presented just that opportunity. Emily needed to make a desert to take to school and she picked a recipe for "apple enchiladas."



1, 21 oz. apple pie filling
6, 8" flour tortillas
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/3 c. margarine
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. water

Emily assembled a 9x13 pan and buttered it and preheated the oven at 350. She got all of the rest of the ingredients out as well as the measuring cups and spoons and can opener.

After opening the fruit she spooned a row of apples across the top third of the tortilla. Then she rolled it cigar fashion and laid it seam side down in the buttered pan. When all this was finished she combined the rest of the ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and brought it to a boil for 3 minutes. She ladled the gooey syrup over the apple cigars and baked for 20 minutes.

I am sure her classmates delighted in these little deserts and I loved helping her with her project!!

I have been taking pictures and will post them as soon as my son shows me how. They are all much more computer "saavy" than I am.