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Jammin'

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:30:30 -0800

Here, the OnSugar blog Smörgasbørd teaches us how to make pepper jelly. It would make a wonderful edible gift.

All the Pepper Jelly talk in Kitchen Goddess gave me a hankering for some of Nigella's Chilli Jam. So I made a batch over the weekend. I've never made anything like this before because, well, I'm lazy and I assumed it would take all day. But it was dead easy and so delicious. Here's how you do it.

12 Days of Edible Gifts: Bacon Jam

partysugar — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:50:32 -0800

Sweet edible gifts not your thing? Then how about something savory? Even better, how about something bacony? Inspired by Top Chef's Kevin, I decided to try making bacon jam. I'm glad I did, this bacon jam is to die for. Seriously, it's amazing.

It's so good that I could only give one jar away. The other jar I gifted to myself. It's smoky, sweet, porky, and spicy. A long, slow cook ensures that the onions caramelize and the bacon melts. It has the chunky texture of tapenade and is easy to spread.

I've enjoyed it on toast, crackers, pasta, and simply, devilishly, by the spoonful. If you want someone to fall in love with you, I highly recommend giving them bacon jam. The words themselves are magical: say it with me, bacon jam. Bacon jam. You get the idea, now get the recipe!

Making Preserves at a Public Fruit Jam

YumSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:50:57 -0800

Last weekend, I attended a collective canning event. Sponsored by Fallen Fruit, an activist group that promotes the planting of public fruit trees, the public fruit jam was a free, communal jam-making session where participants shared fruit and jam-making tips. I arrived with empty jars and lots of plums, and left with new friends, half a dozen jars of different kinds of jam, and the know-how to make fruit preserves. To see how it went down, read on.

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Would You Eat Jam on Your Grilled Cheese Sandwich?

YumSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:43:18 -0700

Whenever my dad would make grilled cheese sandwiches, he would always end up coating the top of his with grape jelly. As a kid, I copied him and have grown up enjoying the delicious pairing of sweet and savory. It may sound weird, but a lot of folks use fig spread and it's not much different than that. Last night I ended up having a simple one with raspberry-peach jam, and thought it was an extremely flavorful pairing. So tell me, would you eat this grilled cheese sandwich?

Bagel For Breakfast: What Should You Put on Top?

FitSugar — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 04:00:00 -0800

Who doesn't love a soft and chewy bagel on the weekend? I don't care that they're full of carbs, since our bodies need them for energy. Plus I try to go for whole grain bagels anyway, so they're healthier than ones made with white flour. I also try to choose healthy spreads like low fat cream cheese and peanut butter, but sometimes I can't help but go for sugary jams and butter. Let's see how these bagel toppings compare.

Source

Take the quiz

Yummy Link: Microwaved Orange Fig Jam

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 04:01:31 -0700

This totally knocks my socks off: Spicy Fig Orange Jam made in a microwave!!! - Simply Recipes

The How-To Lounge: Dealing with a Chipped Fingernail

DearSugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:00:00 -0700

I LOVE getting my nails done; I always feel clean and put together when my nails look perfect. On the flip side, there is nothing worse than chipping a nail right after you get home from the salon. While I follow every tip to help keep my manicure from lasting as long as possible, chips do happen so here are some tips to help cope with a ruined manicure!

Click here to read more

Obviously the best thing to do is pop into the nail salon if you chip your nail and have them re-paint it
If it's a slight smudge and your nails are still damp, dab a bit of remover on the tip of your nail and carefully smooth it out. Be sure not to get too much on your application finger or else you will end up taking polish off both fingers
If you tend to use the same color over and over again at the salon, buy yourself a bottle and keep it at home for touch ups. If your bag is big enough, carry the bottle with you for chips on the go
If you're not keen on carrying a bottle of polish with you, at least carry a nail file. If you chip your polish, simply file your entire nail down until the chipped part is gone
A slightly chipped nail is excusable, but only for that day - once you get home, either fix it accordingly or take off your polish altogether. There is nothing worse than a manicure that has clearly passed its prime

I hope these tips are helpful and if you have any to share, please do so in the comments below!

Yummy Link: Save The Blenheim

partysugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 02:01:31 -0700

Two guys in Santa Clara, California have taken it upon themselves to save an endangered species of apricot, the Blenheim. They're saving a fruit that's not commonly available in grocery stores or farmers by making and selling a tasty jam. With only 3000 jars, you better get your jam now. - SFist

Blueberry Jam Session

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 07:57:21 -0700

A couple of months ago, I got together with my pals April and Jessie for what I hope is to become a new tradition of ours: hanging out drinking champagne while doing random bits of domestic diva-ry. This time we were doing one of Jessie's specialties: jam - blueberry jam to be exact.

It all came about when I had my housewarming party back in August. When Jessie arrived she presented me with a jar of homemade jam which caused me to totally pull an Elaine (from Seinfeld). I yelled "SHUT UP," nearly knocked her down and then rudely demanded that we get together to make some in the future. Lucky for me Jessie is a great gal and knows my rudeness was just because I was excited to make my own jam. To check out how ours came out (which I'll cheat and tell you it was great, if not too sweet), and see step-by-step pictures so you can make some yourself, read more

We decided on blueberry since Jessie was craving it, however in the future I think I'd like to try some in season fresh fruits instead. This is a huge batch, we made twelve jars, but you can easily cut the recipe in half. Also, both April and I thought it was too sweet, I'd easily omit a cup or two of the sugar (to taste).

Blueberry Jam
Makes 1 Dozen 8oz Jars

8 cups of frozen blueberries
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 packets of 100% fruit pectin
10 1/2 cups of sugar

First of all, you will need to sterilize the jars.
Wash the jars & lids in hot, soapy water, rinse and then sterilize by putting them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Since it's best to fill the jars when they are hot (to prevent breakage) you may want to leave them in the hot water until you are almost ready to pour the jam in. Remove them with tongs, they're going to be very hot.

Now on to the jam...

Thaw and drain blueberries. We forgot to thaw our berries, so we ran cold water over them instead.
Place one "layer" (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) of berries into the pot and crush. If you have to crush/mash the berries outside of the pan, you can, however you may end up losing a lot of juices.
Add another "layer" and crush. Repeat until all berries are crushed.
Add lemon juice and stir.
Stir in Fruit Jell pectin and bring to boil. Stir constantly.
Add sugar, stirring to dissolve - again, I thought this was too much sugar...
Return mixture to a rolling boil. You really want this to get going, you're looking for deep bubbles emerging from the bottom. Boil at rolling boil for one minute. Stir constantly.
Remove from heat and skim off any foam (if necessary).
Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4" below the rim. You lose some of the jam this way, but we found it easier to ladle it into a cup measure with a spout and pour from that instead.
Wipe rim clean, place inner lid on jar, and tighten band (just until there is a bit of resistance).
Process jars in boiling water bath. Keep the jars covered with 1" of water and keep the water boiling. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from water and cool for 12-24 hours. Lids should be concave in the center. Note: For whatever reason we actually didn't do this step. We made sure all of our lids were concave though. Only one did not stick and we just decided to eat it first. The processing step is to help hinder spoilage.
Decorate with cute cloth if desired!
Label the stickers that come with jars and stick them on your lovely creations!
Once it's cooled, pop-it open and serve with bread, crackers, scones, or even vanilla ice cream!

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Must-Read: Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It

YumSugar — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:00:20 -0700

Given that some say we're in the middle of a food revolution, and local, sustainable, home-grown produce is popping up everywhere, it's only logical that an uptick in home preserving will happen, too. Enter Karen Solomon's Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, a new book that's focused on making your own artisanal food products, either to keep or to give as gifts. The tome isn't simply limited to fruit jellies and quick pickles - it also includes instructions on making everything from flatbread to watermelon Popsicles to chai tea. But did it live up to its high expectations? Find out when you read more.

Pros:

The cookbook covers a wide range of basic preserving techniques that run the gamut from dairy products to cured meats.
Each recipe provides a general overview of the dish, estimated time required, and suggestions for storing.
Book size and binding make it easy for the tome to stay on the desired page.

Cons:

This do-it-yourself book could benefit from having more instructional pictures.
Recipe directions are written in paragraph form, which can be hard to navigate.

Recipes: I'm excited to create homemade versions of many different comestibles using the book's artisanal techniques and tips. Intriguing projects include:

Baked potato chips
Kimchee
Gravlax
Smoked trout
Ricotta salata
Lemon curd
Jamaican ginger beer

Imagery: While only a quarter of the book contains images, all of them are vivid, visually appealing color photographs.

Overall Rating: If you're looking to be a resourceful kitchen do-it-yourselfer, then this book would seal the deal.

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