Blackberry Jam

I read this fantastic book, The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook and found some wonderful helpful hints to make and can jam. Rachel Saunders wrote a wonderful book full of beautiful pictures and tantalizing recipes. I decided to tackle some blackberry jam for the wedding guest hotel baskets.

Start with some beautiful fruit.  

  

And my new favorite item in my whole house…ahhh, a copper jam pan. It is not only pretty but it is very useful!!! 

First, put three clean metal spoons in the freezer on a plate. Trust me, you will need it. 

Next, take your clean and dried jars, line a baking sheet and set in a 250 degree oven for at least 30 minutes before you will need the jars.

Heat 5 cups of blackberries. (I froze these last summer and never got time to make jam)

Add pectin to the berries, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Once the berries come to a boil, add 7 c. of sugar all at once, have the sugar measured out ahead of time. 

Bring back to a full hard boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Take a spoon from the freezer and dip in the jam. 

Let it rest for three to four minutes and test if the jam is thickened enough. If it is, remove and get ready to fill your jars. 

Fill the jars to the bottom lip of the jar. Carefully wipe the lip of the jar to create a clean seal, add the clean sealed top and screw the ring on, loosely. 

Set the finished jars back in the oven (250 degrees) for another 15 minutes.

Remove and set on a cooling rack. Now, here is the fun part. Wait to hear the pops. As the jam and jar cool, a vacuum seal will occur with the vacuum 

pulling the sealed top into the jar, ever so slightly, creating a popping sound. I like to make sure I hear the same number of pops as I have jars. That way, I know the jam has sealed sufficiently. 

How much easier is the oven method than the messy water bath method? We added a sweet sticker of the happy couple.

Rachel Saunders is a genius. I am going to try this method on other items I want to can this summer. I will keep you posted.

Painted Armoire

After completely remodeling two bedrooms, I needed some inexpensive (read cheap) furniture to fill out the last bedroom. Unfortunately, this bedroom houses the hub of all the cable hardware for the home. So I needed an armoire to make all that ugly wires, components go away. 

Well, my friend found this armoire at a yard sale and asked me if I liked it. I loved it because the room is French Country and the details of the armoire would fit perfectly with the room, but more importantly, I needed a smaller armoire that would not over power the room.

But UHHHH, the color would not work. 

Painting furniture has never bothered me. And at $90, it fit the bill of an inexpensive piece without looking inexpensive. Yes the back has a big whole, I haven't decided if I am going to put a new back or leave it.

After painting this mirror, last fall, I was confident the color would be beautiful on this armoire. So with paint gun in hand, I taped the hardware

Removed handles and sanded any rough spots. 

After two coats of paint, using the air compressor paint gun, the beauty of the armoire started to shine through. 

And look how great it fits in the room. 

So pretty!!!

Next week, the bedroom gets the reveal! I can’t wait.

Plum and Pork Kabobs

Summer is coming and the grill is getting warmed up. Kabobs is one of our favorite dishes and unfortunately, I don’t make them often enough. A new favorite for us is grilled fruit.

  

I decided to try grilled plums and pork kabobs. So first, I found nice firm plums. 

 Quartered 

Add the other vegetables to the kabobs, like onions, peppers and tomatoes.

Brush with a honey vinaigrette ( 1/3 c. of red wine vinegar, ¼ c. honey, ¼ olive oil, 2 T of lemon juice, 1 t. of Dijon mustard and Salt and pepper to taste)

 

And grill to perfection.  

Get out the grill this weekend, soak the wooden skewers and whip up some kabobs.

Menu: Week Ending May 29th

This week, I am finalizing the last wedding projects that need to be completed. My goal is to have most of the items for the reception packed up and ready to go. As I am making the pork for the rehearsal dinner, the pork needs to be seasoned and cooked for a long time to make the pulled pork for the sandwiches. 

As much as I would like to say I have finished all my projects around the house before the wedding, I know that it would be stressful to try to complete them. As organized as I am, I know when to say, “I can’t finish these projects the way I would like.” So I will schedule them for when I have time after the wedding. Most importantly, I will free up my time to make sure the wedding is completely ready and we have time to enjoy my daughter’s wedding.

One of the most important things about being organized is to 

1.    KNOW YOUR LIMITS

2.    Be flexible

3.    Adjust time lines as necessary

P.S. I found the most fabulous yard sale find for a woman who’s daughter is getting married in four weeks and may have free time after the wedding: 87 old copies of Martha Stewart Living Magazine!!!! All for $20. Imaging me laying by the pool flipping through all those old magazines! HEAVEN

Monday

 Cobb Salad

Tuesday

Crockpot Baked Potatoes topped with Broccoli, cheddar and bacon

Wednesday

Church for dinner

Thursday

 

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Cole Slaw

French Fries 

Friday

BLT Pizza

Saturday

Herb Butter Steaks

Grilled Potatoes

Cesar Salad

Sunday

Chicken and Shrimp Kebabs

Lime Butter Grilled Corn

Sautéed Zucchini

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

We love this cake, it has been a family favorite for 50 years, okay maybe 40 years. And interesting enough, my son requested it for his birthday. Named for a family friend, it is easy to make. 

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I carefully grease two 9 inches round cake pans, line with parchment paper 

Lightly grease and flour the parchment paper. This step will make getting the cake out of the pan, fool-proof.

Start with ½ c. of vegetable oil and 2 cups of sugar. Beat until well mixed.

Next add 1 c. of hot coffee, the coffee enhances the chocolate flavor, but keep mixing to cool off the coffee.  

Add 2 eggs, beating well after each and one cup of milk. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just mixed. This cake mixture is very runny.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Take out of oven when toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool thoroughly before you frost the cake.

Our favorite frosting for this rich dense cake is peanut butter icing. It is a perfect combination. 

 

To make the frosting, place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a mixer using the paddle attachment. 

 

Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

He didn't attack this cake but it sure looked like it. 

Barbara’s Cake

2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

2 t. baking soda

¾ c. cocoa

½ c. vegetable oil

2 c. sugar

1 c. hot coffee

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Peanut Butter Icing:nocoupons

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy cream