Recipe

Some of you asked for the peach jam recipe. After I was inspired last year, I did an extensive search through cookbooks and on the internet to find a recipe that I wanted to try. I have to say it is overwhelming how many different recipes there are! Sugar content is always high in jam but I found a recipe that called for the least amount of sugar and the maximum amount of fruit, and no pectin. The jam is plenty sweet but the peaches really shine. You can find the recipe here, on Recipezaar. If you have never visited that site before, it is awesome!! The one thing I did differently was to cook it with a whole vanilla bean that I split open lengthwise. I had some leftover vanilla beans from one of my next projects, making my own extract. More on that another time. In my research I also found instructions for cooking jam to jell point, which is 221 degrees. The recipe says it takes about 25 minutes but I have had it take as much as 45. I actually like to cook it a bit longer so it gets thicker and deeper in color.
This spring I hosted a tea at church and for one of our tea sandwiches I mixed some of the jam with cream cheese, spread it onto pumpernickel bread and topped it with ham. It got the most comments and people wanted to know the "secret" ingredient. This mix would also be good on crackers as an appetizer.
I hope you will give it a try and let me know how it went.
Today I put up 2 batches of salsa with the tomatoes I was given. The first batch set our mouths on fire, lol!! We are spicy heat wimps. The second batch was much better, way less flames. I guess I will be giving away the first batch.
My first new catty order finally came today and I only managed to get them mounted. Maybe tomorrow will be time for stamping.