Rosemary Della Robbia Jam

The other day I was given a lot of grapes. Now I can only eat so many and my bf wont eat many either. So I wandered online looking for recipes to use them in. I was looking to preserve them. There's really not many recipes out there for grapes other than Concord and those kind. The grapes you get from the store which is plentiful for me, I never see any canning recipes for. So I gathered the few I did find and went into my kitchen to do what I do best....play Mad Scientist.

I had two nice Honeycrisp apples left I wanted to use up so I decide to add those and I'm glad. These grapes really don't have much substance, there's more juice than pulp. And I didn't want skins in this either, I don't like them. But once I cooked up the grapes and apples they had a sickly pale beige color. Yuck. And so I had some plums here yet and decided to add just one for color and it worked. Its a nice rosy color now. But again I wanted more, I wanted spice. So I added cinnamon. It was good but needed more so I added orange zest.........okay NOW we're talking! Yum. But again I wanted more so I added fresh ground black pepper....lets get this thing spicier now. That gave it a little bit of heat, not alot. And finally I decided to try an herb and I picked rosemary cuz I know its yummy with orange.

This turned out really  yummy. Even my bf tasted it and said its really good. I picture this for the holidays for entertaining........with some nice goat cheese or even a brie on crackers. I have just a bit left chilling in the fridge now that I'm hoping to snack on later. So for those interested , here's my recipe. You could add more pepper if you want it hotter but since I wasn't sure what would happen with cooking and canning, I didn't want to overwhelm it. Right now it has a nice bite but something you don't notice right away.

Rosemary Della Robbia Jam Makes 3 pts.

6c. assorted grapes off the stems
2 Honeycrisp apples, quartered, cored
1 Italian plum, pitted 
1c. water
1 lg. orange
1tsp. cinnamon
1tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 4 in. long sprig of fresh rosemary
4 tb. low sugar pectin
1 1/2c. organic sugar
3 extra sprigs of rosemary about 2in. long each

Cook grapes, apples and plum in the water till soft and skins are tender. Cool a bit then run thru a food mill to remove skins. I used a plum to add a better color. I was given a big batch of red and greens grapes and the color was a pale pink beige and just didn't look too appetizing, so I added the plum to give it more color.

Put juice and pulp back in pan and heat. Add one tb. of zested orange peel, chopped fine and the juice from the orange. Add the cinnamon and pepper and bring to a boil.

Add pectin and stir in quickly. Let come back to a boil and boil for 1min. a boil you cannot stir down.

Add sugar and bring to a boil and let boil for 1min. with a boil you cannot stir down. Remove Rosemary from pot.

You should have your jars hot and ready to go. In each jar put a piece of Rosemary about 2in. long and pour hot jam over and seal. Water bath for 10 min. Turn off heat and let sit 5min. more then take out and let cool on counter for 24 hrs. Check seals.

This has a sweet, orangey, herby taste with a bit of heat you don't feel right away. It would be yummy with cream cheese or goat cheese on crackers for the holidays.

DADS CLAM SPREAD

This is my dads version of a clam dip he had at someones house. He found it not spicy enough and way too dry so he adapted it further. Recommendations follow the recipe. Just know people fight over this its that good! You can also use this to fill clam shells for baked clams.

Dads Clam Spread

2 cans chopped Clams
1 tb. lemon juice
2 garlic cloves , chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. each parsley, oregano, basil and crushed red pepper
Dash of Tabasco
1/2 c. Italian flavored breadcrumbs
4-6 tb. Parmesan
Bottled Clam juice
Paprika

Heat 2 cans clams and lemon juice for 10min. Set aside. Saute garlic and onion in the butter for 5-10min. till soft. Add parsley, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper and a dash of Tabasco. Add flavored breadcrumbs. Sprinkle 4-6 tb. Parmesan over it. Add clams and broth slowly. Mix well. Place in buttered casserole. Sprinkle with paprika on top. Bake 20 min. at 400 degrees.

**Daddy doubles the amts. except for the red pepper. He uses about 1/8 tsp. He also adds more clam juice to make it very moist. The breadcrumbs absorb the juices.

We serve this with Triscuits cuz we love the crunch but you could use any crackers. Dad makes several of these usually and bakes them in the small foil loaf pans, then freezes them. This way all he has to do is reheat one for snacks or company. This is so good there's never any left! I will even eat this for lunch the next day, I cant get enough of it!.

Swedish Meatballs

A friend of mine was looking for a recipe for this so I posted this for her. Her hubby loves them. But I got this recipe many yrs ago from a friend of my own. She used to serve them at parties and they were so delicious! So when I had my own I had to make them.

Swedish Meatballs Serves 6

1 1/2c. soft breadcrumbs(5-6 slices of white bread)
3/4 c. milk
3 tb.onion, finely chopped
4 tb. butter
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 c. flour
1 c. beef bouillon, stock or cream (or evaporated milk)

Soak bread crumbs with milk. In fry pan, saute onion and 2tb. butter, till soft. Add this mixture to bread crumbs. Add this to beef, seasonings and egg. Form meatballs 1inch. Roll meatballs in flour (it gets sticky doing this). Saute them in last 2tb. butter for 10min. or till light brown. Add cream. Cover and simmer for 5min. Remove meatballs to serving dish. Thicken gravy with 1-1 1/2tb. flour blended with equal amts. of water. Pour over meatballs and serve.

When I make this I like a beefier gravy so I use half stock and half cream. But you can use whatever combo you like best. I often make these for parties. People love them.

PIZZA FONDUE

I used to make this for parties and there's never any left. I sometimes even made it for dinner for us. The kids love to play with their food and this was a nice leisurely meal while we watched a movie. Now they make it for their own families.

PIZZA FONDUE

2 tb. butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb. chopped beef (you can add a bit of italian sausage out of the casing too)
1 (10 oz.) cans of tomato sauce or pizza sauce.. I use Contadina
1 tsp. fennel seed (opt).
1 tsp. cornstarch
10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
10 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
Garlic bread cubes to dip into it

Brown meat and onion in the butter. Add sauce, fennel seed, and cornstarch. Stir well. When hot and bubbly add the cheeses and serve. Use garlic bread to dip. Fennel seed does make a difference so try not to eliminate it if you can. Thats what is in many Italian sausages on the east coast. In many other areas tho they dont put that in.

Don't stir the cheeses in too good because they will just blend in. We like it gooey so I just stir it in and once its melted I serve it. I kept mine hot in a fondue pot but becareful because the bottom can burn. If you have a nice size crock pot tho that's better.

I make homemade garlic bread but when I'm in a hurry I buy packaged.

For my garlic bread: I throw a stick of butter , a couple garlic cloves and some S&P in a food processor. Zap till soft and blended. Spread on a split loaf of Italian or sourdough bread. Sprinkle with some parsley and Parmesan cheese and bake at 400 degrees till bubbly and brown. Cut into chunks to serve.

***I have frozen leftovers. While the cheese does blend more with the sauce, it still tastes good. I used to keep it around even for snacks in small microwavable containers.

Crispy Chicken Wings with Lemon Dip

I took a cooking class with Martin Yan from the Yan Can Cook tv show many years ago. This is one of his recipes. Its very good and Ive made it for parties before.

I got to talk to Mr. Yan after the class a bit. When I told him I had made Peking Duck he was very impressed and signed my book. Somewhere around here I have a picture.

Crispy Chicken Wings with Lemon Dip

12 chicken wings

4c. oil

Chicken Marinade:

1 1/2 tb. wine

1/1/2 tsp. ginger juice

1/2 tsp. garlic juice

1 tsp. salt

1tb. cornstarch

1 egg

Can also add 1tsp. sesame oil if you want for more flavor

Lemon Dip:

1/4 c. soup stock

3 tb. fresh lemon juice

1 tb. rice vinegar

1 tb. soy sauce

1 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sugar

Make marinade and pour over chicken wings. Marinate for about 2hrs. Mix lemom dip mixture in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in wok over high heat. Deep fry chicken wings. Reduce heat to med. if chicken is browning too quickly. Remove wings and drain. To serve , dip chicken wings in dip and enjoy.

I have a note here on the recipe that the sauce may be thickened too. You would use one part cornstarch to 2 parts liquid. You would have to add it to the Lemon mixture and heat till thickened.

The ginger and garlic juice can be made by squeezing both in a garlic press. If you just chop it and add it, they will burn in the oil.