1 box fudge marble cake or cake of your choice
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 lbs ricotta cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (3-1/2 oz) box instant chocolate pudding or your choice
1 cup milk
8 oz cool whip

Mix cake as directed. Pour into greased & floured 13x9 pan. In separate bowl combine ricott, sugar, eggs & vanilla; mix well. Spoon over top of unbaked cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool. Mix udding with milk; fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake . Refrigerate. I added 1 tsp. almond extract to cool whip simply because I like almond flavor.

Linda Lou's Apple Pie Jam
4 cups tart apples, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 box pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter

Add water to chopped apples to measure 4 cups. Place apples and water into large, heavy saucepan. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice.

Measure sugars. Stir pectin into fruit. Add butter. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in both sugars. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle quickly into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on finger tight. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

If you like this kind of jam, here's another favorite of mine from wizardnm, it's similar but adds maple, which I just love.

APPLE MAPLE JAM

12 C finely chopped apples (about 6lbs) I used the food processor
6 C sugar
1 C Maple syrup (grade B if possible)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

Combine all in a large deep pan. Slowly bring to a boil. Cook to the jellying point. Stir frequently, so it doesn't stick.Pour into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust caps. Process 10 min in BWB.

Yields about 8 half pints. I double this recipe and it works fine.

Happy Canning!

Annie

Peloponnesian Pot Roast

2-1/2 to 3 lb. Beef pot roast
8 cloves garlic-cut in half
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Hot cooked spaghetti
3 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown vinegar
1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
6-8 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

Make slits in top of roast with tip of sharp knife; insert garlic halves into slits. Sprinkle roast with salt & pepper. In large skillet, brown meat on both sides in hot oil. Take meat from skillet & put into small roaster.

Combine tomato sauce, vinegar, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon & allspice. Pour mixture over meat in roaster.

Cover and roast at 350 degrees for about 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat to cutting board; keep warm.

Bring juices in roaster to boiling; boil, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced a bit. Remove the cloves from the sauce. Remove the garlic from meat, if desired. Cut meat into serving portions & serve over spaghetti with a little sauce over the top.

Homestyle: Marlen's Chubby Hubby Cookies

December 13, 2006

Makes: about 4 dozen
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 ounce package peanut butter chips
1 cup salted peanuts
2 cups crushed pretzels (see note)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Blend into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips, peanuts and pretzels.

Drop by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool one minute on baking sheet. Cool completely on wire racks. Store tightly in covered container.

From Nancy Nahas, White Lake and adapted from http//ths.gardenweb.com

Cook's note: The pretzels should be about the size of the chocolate chips, not pulverized. You want to taste bits of pretzel as you munch. This is a crunchy cookie. I use a food processor and just pulse until the desired size is achieved.

From Nancy Nahas, White Lake

thanks
Marie

Mango Lime Refrigerator Jam

An unusual jam combination if you are looking for something different. PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT shelf stable jam - once sealed in jars, it must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Adapted from Cooking Pleasures magazine.

5 cups 45 min 30 min prep

4 cups ripe mangoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 3 pounds)
2 tablespoons fresh lime zest, finely grated
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons powdered fruit pectin
3 cups sugar

Combine mangoes, lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, and pectin in a large stockpot.
Mash, using a potato masher until well blended.
It can be a little chunky, but really try to crush everything together well.
Cook over HIGH heat 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture come to a rolling boil, stirring the entire time.
When jam is boiling and you can't stir it down, gradually add sugar- stirring the whole time.
Return to a full boil over high heat and cook 2 minutes exactly, sitrring occasionally.
Remove from heat.
Ladle into hot, sterilized canning jars and seal with hot, sterilized canning lids.
Store in refrigerator,unopened,up to 6 months or in freezer.
Once opened, use up in several weeks.

Sambuca Romana Jam
3/4 cup sugar
1 box light fruit pectin
5 cups fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sambuca
1 3/4 cups sugar
50 coffee beans

1. Mix 3/4 cup sugar and pectin together.
2. Stir in blueberries, lemon rind, water, and Sambuca in a heavy saucepan.
3. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a hard boil.
4. Stir in remaining sugar.
5. Bring to a rolling boil, still stirring constantly.
6. Boil for 1 minute.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Skim off foam with metal spoon.
9. Place 10 coffee beans in each jar.
10. Immediately pour jam into hot sterilized jars and vacuum seal.
**

Kudzu Jelly

Kudzu's purple blooms appear in the fall. They have a grape-like aroma. Beware that there is pollen in the blooms. The jelly is a lavender-pink jewel-tone shade with an aroma of apple or plum jelly.

2 cusp firmly packed kudzu blossoms
4 1/2 cups water
4 or 5 cups granulated sugar
1 box Sure Jell (fruit pectin)

Rinse the freshly gathered kudzu blossoms.

In a saucepan, bring the blossoms and water to a boil. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, until blossoms are faded in color and the liquid is a deep lavender color. Strain in a colander and discard the blossoms.

Pour liquid through a jelly bag or cheesecloth. Use 4 cups of the kudzu liquid with sugar and fruit pectin, following instructions on pectin package.

I may try the first one. Hubby like Sambuca (bleck) that is some potent tasting stuff. Tastes like liquid black licorice concentrate. anyone here brave enough to try it before I do? I am no so sure about the coffee beans though......

* Posted by: Canarybird (My Page) on Sat, Aug 13, 05 at 17:41

Watermelon Margarita

This is the best margarita I've ever tasted ! My son-in-law Dick made these for my birthday and again the other night for dinner. Missing from the pic is the slice of lime on the edge of the glass and the watermelon wedges. I could drink these by the liter ! They are sooo refreshing and not at all too sweet.

Watermelon Margarita

2 cups cubed, seedless watermelon, cut small
2 oz tequila
1 oz orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
4 lime and 4 watermelon wedges for garnishing

1. Freeze watermelon on a plastic wrap-lined plate until frozen solid
2. Place in a blender with the other ingredients and blend until smooth and light
3. Pour into a well-chilled glass, garnish with lime and watermelon wedges and serve immediately.

Source: Times Colonist Victoria Newspaper

SharonCb

Brenda

I was canning cranberry maple orange jam today, and realized that is the perfect recipe for someone new at canning, plus it's fast, needs no pectin and it is my favorite.

12 oz of cranberries (340g)
1 cup sugar
1 cup maple syrup
zest of one orange

Put all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil. Boil until desired consistency (maybe 5 minutes)and fill 250ml (8oz)jars. Water bath for five minutes. Cranberries split open when it is boiling good and the jam is ready almost right after. (The recipe multiplies easily too, I usually cook six times as much at once, for 18 jars).
This was actually a recipe for cranberry sauce that I cooked too long by accident (but don't tell anyone), so I guess you could make the jam, and heat it with a bit of water around thanksgiving to make the sauce. I have two clients who will only buy this jam, so my biggest challenge is having cranberries year round (seems I never freeze enough). Someone asked me for cranberry salsa last year, but I still have not found a good recipe for that. Maybe someone around here has one. If you do, I would like to see it please.

I hope you enjoy this one.

Marie

I broke down and bought Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving. 400 canning recipes...jackpot!!!! Check out this tasty sample:

Carrot Cake Jam

1 1/2 cups grated, peeled carrots
1 1/2 cups cored, peeled pears
1 3/4 cups canned pineapple, including juice
3 T lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsb ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 package of powdered pectin
6 1/2 cups sugar

In a large saucepan, combine carrots, pears, pineapple with juice, lemon juice, and spices. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in pectin until dissolved. Bring back to a full boil, add sugar all at once, bring back to another boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, skim off foam. Ladle into prepared jars with 1/4 inch headspace. Process jars in a BWB for 5 minutes for sterilized jars, or 10 minutes for unsterilized jars.

Makes 6 half pints.

Blitz Torte

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup flour
1 t. baking powder
4 TB milk
1 t. vanilla
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
pinch of salt
strawberries, sliced peaches or other fresh fruit
whipped cream

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and beat well. Combine flour and baking powder and add alternately with milk and vanilla. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans and line with wax paper and grease again. Add cake mixture to pans. Beat egg whites, sugar, vanilla and salt until stiff. Cover cakes completely with the meringue and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cut into pie wedges and top with fruit and whipped cream.

The two cakes serve 12-16.
My recipe is from Out of Our League, Jr. League of Greensboro, North Carolina, 1978.

Have you found any good tomato salads lately?

IRISH TOMATO SALAD (4 to 8 servings)

1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut in chunks
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
6 scallions and tops, cut in 1" pieces
6 Tbs. fresh parsley leaves
½ cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup lemon juice
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
red leaf lettuce

Mix together cucumber, green pepper, scallions, parsley and mint in blender for several seconds. Add vegetable oil, beginning with a few tablespoons and using up to ½ cup, as preferred. Add lemon juice and salt. Blend for several seconds.

Pour mixture over tomato slices and let stand 1-2 hours. Arrange over red leaf lettuce and serve.

Source: The Central Market Cookbook

The size plants I use are according to the scale of the frame: I use small sized mature semps for a 6" X 9"frame and medium sized semps for a 9" X 11" frame and large semps for a 13" X 21" frame. I use redwood to make my frames and a combination of 1/4 inch chicken wire, sphagnum moss ( the blankety kind) and a mixture of soil that I am still experimenting with. I then plant the semps with dental tools and spray then with a solution of SuperThrive to help them settle into the frame. Once settled they then take off to achieve their own "look".

My semp hunting days are now spent looking for small to medium sized semps outside my home state of New Mexico because all we have here are the large sized semps which are too big for most of the frames I like to put together.

Those semps in bonsai pots with shells must be so pretty - I find myself looking for pretty semp pot rocks everywhere!!