apricot jam

this stuff is the most beautiful jam! and it is hoarded like gold in my family...

my mom has been making this recipe for years...and she does such a good job, everybody knows it as "[her] jam". i made it for the first time last year, and it turned out really well, and started sharing it with Mr. D's side of the family. this year i'm hoping to expand my domestisity and do apricot jam and raspberry pear (which my mom also used to make and it's fantastic!), my grandma taught me to make her family recipe homemade noodles from the mid-west, and my other grandma is going to teach me to make her applesauce in the fall. i'm excited. it is so fun to have goodies like that to share with people...that YOU made! and who would have ever thought I would be capable of that???

well, i bought two boxes of canning apricots the other day and made one batch (which HARDLY) made a dent in them...and i made a double batch today...and i still have a ton left, luckily they are a little green, so i have a few days to let them age before i have to make more! but, so far, i have 19 jars of sealed jam, and one funky jar (that was uneven so it didn't seal properly) that is in the fridge. so, i think i'll be making the rest to fill my mom's jars (since she won't be making any this year)...i have no idea what i'll do with all of that!!!

...macarons...

oye...i saw a photo and a wonderful sounding recipe on MSN a few weeks ago for a French meringue cookie called a macaron (no, not macaroon). two cookies with a filling...and the one I wanted to attempt was chocolate with ganache filling!  mmm...  sounds heavenly, right?

well, being the experimental and self-taught cook that i am, i saw "almond flour" in the recipe and (not knowing that it was a key ingredient and how different it is) used all-purpose instead, because that's what i had in my pantry.  well instead of an end product of meringue that i could pipe onto a cookie sheet, it ended in a dry nasty paste. OK! second attempt, we bought some almond flour...which is also known as almond meal, and had it said that i wouldn't have thought of using flour- due to the oils and fats in the nut, it has a moister consistency...beautiful...i had a thick creamy substance that i was able to fold the meringue into and scoop into a pastry bag.

mistake substitution #2, i did not have parchment paper. it was late and the grocery stores were closed and i had forgotten that i was out of paper...so i used foil! i knew that aluminum conducts heat very well, and was therefore positive that it would change the way they baked, but i tried it anyway. one batch was burnt on the bottom and the other was gooey and hollow on the inside. well, i also figured out through this attempt that my insulated cookie sheet was going to work better than my other sheet. but i sealed up the batter and called it a night.

sure that i had solved all the problems and that i had NO substitutions to worry about this round, i attempted for a third time. well, half looked good, and the other half did the hollow/raw thing again. so frustrating...and they are such cute little things that if i could master them, they'd be fantastic for parties and whatnot. (and i hear they are the new "cupcake"!) but alas, i tossed the remainder of the batter, frustrated and willing to give up...for now. i may still attempt the ganache and see if the ones that have smooth bottoms turned out at all...

after watching a video of how the shop Sucre does their macarons, i wish i hadn't tossed my batter...the recipe i was using said to stick the sheets in at 400 and immediately turn the oven off, then after 5 minutes turn the oven back on to 400 and leave in for another 8 minutes. the shop bakes theirs for 14 minutes at 280 (i believe that's what she says). that's a huge difference...

oh well...macarons 3, nutmeg 0...rematch: someday...

photo from: Paulette Macarons

A macaron (the French word for macaroon) is a sweet confectionery. Its name is derived from an Italian word “maccarone” or "maccherone". This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference, and flat base. Connoisseurs prize a delicate, egg shell-like crust that yields to a moist and airy interior. The French macaron differs from other macaroons in that it is filled with cream or butter like a sandwich cookie, and can be found in a wider variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the exotic (truffle, matcha tea)

definition from: Wikipedia

allrecipes.com

mmm...have i mentioned that i love this site? allrecipes.com is my "go to" reference for anything i can think to cook, bake, or whatever...or even if i have something that i need to use and i have no recipes that include it...

i got this fantastic herb roasted pork recipe a couple years ago and Mr. D (who hates pork) loves it! everyone who has tried it thinks it has such a delicious flavor, and my grandma (who is from the mid-west) said she loves pork and that was the most beautiful piece of meat she has ever seen! hahaha

well, let me share this gem with you:

Herb Roasted Pork

Prep Time: 20 Minutes                         Ready In: 3 Hours 20 Minutes
Submitted By: WENDEE_H Cook       Time: 3 Hours       Servings: 8
"Herb-rubbed roasted pork loin with a sweet, tangy glaze."

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed  (as suggested I stab the meat and insert garlic slivers instead)
1 (5 pound) boneless pork loin
1/2 cup sugar  (as suggested I use brown sugar)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup vinegar  (as suggested I use balsamic vinegar)
1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, combine sage, salt, pepper, and garlic. Rub thoroughly all over pork. Place pork in an uncovered roasting pan on the middle oven rack.
3. Bake in the preheated oven approximately 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C), depending upon your desired doneness. (I prefer well done meat, and for this pork recipe I find that 150 is too rare and chewy...I typically wait until 170, and everyone has liked it that way).
4. Meanwhile, place sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, water, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly.
5. Brush roast with glaze 3 or 4 times during the last 1/2 hour of cooking. Pour remaining glaze over roast, and serve.
(It's a good idea to double the rub ingredients, and double or triple the sauce ingredients if you like to drizzle over meat when served.)

such a great recipe! and the sauce is the type that you're happy if it gets on everything on the plate...it surprisingly tastes good on potatoes too (i have served with mashed, but typically do oven baked potato chunks with onion soup mix and olive oil). 

allrecipes.com is a fantastic place to go for any recipe, and the interesting thing is that people leave comments on the recipes, so (as you can see above) you can try other peoples alterations to the recipe and see how you like it. try it next time you have something in the fridge you can't seem to figure out what to do with...you can even look up recipes based on ingredients!

now, i need to finish making dinner...ENJOY!