Pomegranate Champagne Jelly

It's jam and jelly season!!

Last weekend Mountain Man's mother's friends were kind enough to throw us not one, but two showers.

Mama Mountain Man wanted to do something nice for all the hosts and so I offered to make some jelly to go along with a few other goodies in a gift basket.

As I sat down at my kitchen table brainstorming ideas for new flavor creations, my mind kept wandering to the bottle of champagne left over from the Raspberry Cupcakes I made recently.

With an idea in mind, I hopped on the internet and found exactly what I was looking for.

After looking over a few different recipes, I took the artistic liberty to change some things up a bit and came up with this...

Pomegranate Champagne Jelly
Fills 12 6 oz jars

3 1/2 cups dry champagne (I used Andre- nothing but the best!)
1 cup pomegranate juice
juice from 1 lemon
3 1/4 cups sugar
1 package of low-sugar pectin

Make sure to run your new jars through the dishwasher and let them completely dry before using them for canning.
Fill a small pot with water, add lids, and heat on low as you make your jelly.
Mix 1/4 cup of sugar and pectin in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine pomegranate juice, champagne and lemon juice in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Add 3 cups of sugar and return to boil.
Immediately stir in sugar/pectin mix and return to a rolling boil for 1 minute.
To test for readiness dip a metal spoon in mixture and place in fridge- if the mixture congeals after a few seconds you're ready to go.
Pour hot mixture into jars, making sure not to go all the way up to the top.
Remove warmed lids from water, pat dry and place on top of filled jars. Screw second part of lid to secure.
Place filled and secured jars in a safe place and start listening to those little guys pop.
Let sit at least one night before using.

Happy Jammin'!!

Thumbprint Cookies

Christmas time is in full swing and you know what that means??

COOKIES!

Obviously, Christmas brings joy in many ways, but one of my favorites is the fact that no one questions you (or judges) when you're making batches and batches of cookies.  And trust me, you're going to be seeing lots and lots of cookies round these parts over the next few weeks.

Sometimes I find it a little difficult getting into the jolly mood here in Texas... mostly because there are still days of 70 degree weather in the forecast, some of the trees are still green and you would have no idea that a visit from Santa is right around the corner other than the fact that now it's actually okay to have your lights up. Man I miss the east coast sometimes...

But that's all changed now that Mountain Man and I picked out a gorgeous tree at a local tree farm!

Just one of my favorite ornaments.. it was dated Evan 1989.

Pretty good for only being 4, if I do say so myself.

Now on to the cookies... I found this recipe while browsing the King Arthur Flour catalog. They are a ridiculously soft cookie, with a strong vanilla flavor- making a perfect showcase for the Vanilla Bourbon Peach Jam that I received from Anna (from Blondie's Cakes & Things) during Steph's Jam Exchange this summer. Feel free to use any type of jam you have on hand though!

Thumbprint Cookies
King Arthur Catalog
Oven: 350 Bake Time: 12 minutes
2 1/2 - 5 dozen cookies depending on size

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 cup jam (give or take)

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in egg.
Add flour and continue to stir until blended.
Using a tablespoon of dough for each cookie, roll dough into balls and place on baking sheet about an inch or two apart.
Use your finger to put an indentation in the center of each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and then add jam to thumbprint (you may need to use the back of teaspoon to make the well a little deeper before adding your jam)

Happy Baking!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Texas Three Pepper Jam

I know what you're thinking, jam is supposed to be made with traditional fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries...

You're right..ok..is that what you wanted to hear?! But in trying to embrace my new life in Texas, I thought what better way to do so than with some jars of homemade pepper jam?

Pepper jam or jelly is more of the savory variety. Although it does have its fair share of sugar in the mix, it's not your 'spread on some toast and eat me for breakfast' kinda jam... Instead, it should be enjoyed along side a good piece of fish, on top of a burger or served with cheese and crackers.

I chose to use a variety of peppers for the different flavors they would bring to the mix and even used some fresh peppers that Mountain Man's brother brought back for us from their family's enormous garden! Check this thing out..

Sticking with the Texas theme, this was the second jar of jam that I sent to Anna along with my Blackberry Blueberry Port Jam for Steph Chows Jam Exchange.

Three Pepper Jam

Makes about 6 8oz jars of jam

1 large red pepper

1 large green pepper

1 large yellow pepper

3 jalapenos

1 box no sugar pectin + 1/4 cup sugar

3 cups sugar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

Finely chop all peppers and pat dry to soak up some of the extra moisture from the peppers. You want to make sure you have about 4 cups of chopped peppers, so if you need more than 3 then chop away!

Pulse peppers in a food processor a few times, making sure not to completely puree them.

Place chopped peppers and vinegar in a large pot over medium heat.

In a small bowl, mix pectin and 1/4 cup of sugar. Add to peppers and vinegar and continue to heat until boiling (about 10 minutes).

Once a rolling boil has been reached, add the rest of the sugar (another 5-10 minutes).

Bring back to a boil and let the mixture boil hard for about 2 minutes.

Test jam using the chilled plate test* have a plate waiting in the fridge- at this point place a small amount of jam on plate- if the jam doesn't run then you're set.

Remove from heat and prepare jars for canning.

Warm jar tops in a small pot of water over medium heat (you're heating them so they seal better)

Fill jars with jam, leaving room at the top.

Set lid and tighten ring.

Place filled and sealed jars in large pot of boiling water bath.

Keep jars covered in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes.

Remove from water bath and allow to cool.

When you need a little Texas in your life or just in the mood for something different, give this jam a go! You won't be disappointed!

Happy Baking! 

Jam Exchange 2010 & Awards

As I mentioned a few posts ago, this summer I took part in Steph Chows 2nd Annual Jam Exchange...little did I know that it would lead to a complete obsession with jam and the whole process of canning.

I was partnered with Anna from Blondie's Cakes and knew I would be in for a treat whenever her jams made it my way. I mean, anyone who loves Biscoff Cookies as much as I do has to have good taste! Her blog is full of delicious dishes, like her Apricot Almond Tart, Chocolate Guinness Ice Cream.. oh and did I mention she loves decorating cakes just like me?! I think Steph made a perfect match up!

After browsing her site and between a few friendly emails I knew I would be receiving her Vanilla Bourbon Peach Jam, but she wanted to keep her second jar a secret till it made its way to Texas. With high expectations, I waited anxiously for her package to arrive in the mail.

Watermelon Jam?! Genius!

And holy cow did they taste good!

The Watermelon Jam tasted almost like Jolly Ranchers and the Vanilla Bourbon Peach Jam is going to be the perfect addition for some cookies I'll be making soon :)

I can't wait to see what happens next year!

An award!? For me!? 



I honestly got goosebumps when I first saw a message from Nancy over at Spicie Foodie who graciously passed along The Sunshine Award, The Beautiful Blogger Award and The Innovative Chef Award. For those of you not familiar with Nancy's delicious dishes you need to make your way over there immediately! Beautiful pictures, creative, delicious entrees, and some delectable desserts can be found all through the Spice Foodie.

Then after spending a find Sunday traveling for business, I settled into my hotel room, turned on my trusty Mac and found a new message from Marisa from Cook's Book who was sharing another award with me.. A Blog with Substance

Marisa had such nice things to say when sharing this award with me and the feelings are absolutely mutual! A fabulous writer, Marisa is a lover of anything food and there is always something new and scrumptious looking popping up on her site. You must absolutely check it out!

The rules of the awards are to pass them along to fellow bloggers we also feel deserve them, but I enjoy soo many blogs that I don't even know where to begin! I'm going to have to think about this...so check back.

You all have no idea how much your comments and following means to me... These kind of awards are a kind reminder that you're liking what I'm dishing up and that makes me so extremely happy!

Happy Baking!

Blackberry Blueberry Port Jam

I just discovered a new love.. jammin'.

No, not the Bob Marley kind, although I do love reggae.. but fruit jammin'!

A few weeks ago I signed up for Steph Chows 2nd Annual Jam Exchange. What does that exactly entail you ask? Basically Steph pairs you up with someone else out there in the blog world that also loves jammin' and you make a little exchange: two of their fave homemade jams for two of yours.

I got paired up with Anna from BlondiesCakes.. an adorable blog that you need to go check out. As soon as I got the email with my partner I rushed over to see what kinds of things she was cooking up and man-oh-man did I get excited.. first thing I saw... Peach Vanilla Bourbon Jam.. umm yes please?! I can only hope I'm getting a jar of that!

Through a few quick emails it was quickly determined that when it comes to baked goods (or jam in this case) Anna and I are both booze hounds. OK, not really, but we both apparently were on the same 'jam wave length' as far as certain ingredients were concerned.

I wanted to make sure that my jams screamed Texas and my initial thought went to the lovely bottle of 2008 Sojourn sitting on our counter, a port that MM and I purchased at a local vineyard (you might remember the Carrot Cake Scones I brought to brunch before we headed to Texas Legato in Lampassas a few months back). I knew the sweet after dinner wine would pair perfectly with the fresh blackberries I had waiting in my fridge.

I will admit jam making is a little time consuming and may seem intimidating at first so I highly suggest checking out websites like pickyourown.org, where everything is broken down in easy step by step instructions before getting started.

Blackberry Blueberry Port Jam
recipe from Show Food Chef
24 oz fresh blackberries (about 3 containers- 4 cups), crushed & mushed
8 oz fresh blueberries (about 1 large container-1 cup), curshed & mushed
1 lb 6oz sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup port

In a large pot, add berries and sugar. Stirring often, heat on low until sugar has dissolved.

Add lemon juice and increase to medium heat so mixture comes to a boil. Cook until mixture has reached about 220F.

Carefully add port and return to boil until temperature reaches 222F or perform the plate test*.
*Plate test: Place a plate in freezer for a few minutes..place a dollop of jam on pre-chilled plate- if it doesn't run, then the set is good.
Remove mixture from heat for 3-5 minutes while preparing tops.

Pour mixture into prepared/sterilized jars, seal properly and place in water bath for 10 minutes.*

After 10 minutes remove your jars from boiling water and allow to set overnight.. you'll start to hear the popping of the lids which just means they're sealing properly!

*All the steps for preparing, sterilizing and sealing jars can be found on the side of the box of jars or you can check out pickyourown.org that explains everything you need to know about making your own jams and jellies!

This may have been my first jammin experience, but it will by no means be my last! I've already got a few more concoctions up my sleeve :) I've got jammin' fever!

Happy Baking!

Or Jammin!