Canning Day! Four Berry Jam

I spent a very productive morning making fourteen pints of this - delicious Four Berry Jam!  I've made many different types of jams and jellies over the years, but this one is still by far my favorite.  I use a recipe that I found years ago here, and have modified.  One of the things that I like the most is that it's not overly sweet.  The berry flavor really shines through, resulting in a delicious taste of summer all year.  It takes less than an hour to make one batch of jam, and the results will last all year long (unless you give it all away - that's why I made two batches today!).

As you will see from the recipe, I use frozen berries for this.  You certainly can use fresh berries, but our berry bushes don't produce enough yet for that, and it's less expensive for me to buy frozen than fresh.  Make sure that if you buy frozen berries they are the "no sugar added" type.  I usually pull all of the bags of berries out of the freezer at night, let them sit in the sink to thaw, then rinse and drain in the morning.  

It cost me about $55 for the ingredients to make two batches of jam, coming to approximately $4 per pint.  Since this will last us all year, and be used for gifts, it's well worth it!  You could probably spend less, but I buy good quality frozen berries that I know from experience are not 3/4 ice...  If I were to use fresh berries, the current cost would be about $70, given the current prices in my area at the local grocery stores and farmer's markets.  Plus, there's a very small window in which the four varieties of berries are all ripe at the same time, so quality can be a concern here when buying fresh.  If you want to use fresh, please do!  And if you want to use frozen, don't feel guilty - the jam turns out beautifully, and no one will be able to tell!

Four Berry Jam 

2 c frozen blackberries - thawed, rinsed, drained

2 c frozen blueberries - thawed, rinsed, drained

3 c frozen raspberries - thawed, rinsed, drained

3 c frozen strawberries - thawed, rinsed, drained

2 boxes regular pectin

10 c sugar (a 10 lb bag will be just enough for two batches of jam)

7 pint jars, with rings and fresh lids

1. Combine all the berries in a very large stainless steel pot.  If you don't have quite enough of one type of berry, use extra of another.  If you're short on blackberries, use extra blueberries.  Low on raspberries, increase the strawberries.  The important thing is to use 10 cups.  Slightly more is okay, too.

2. Mash them up really well.  If the blueberries don't all mash, that's okay.  They'll burst as they cook.

 3. Add the pectin to the berries and, over med-high to high heat, bring the berries to a full, rolling boil.  Stir frequently.  You know you're there when it keeps boiling despite being stirred.

4. Add the sugar and stir really, really, really well.  Return to a full, rolling boil.  Keep stirring often!  Once a full boil has been reached, boil for one minute.  Then put the jam in prepared pint jars, leaving 1/4" of headspace, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

5. Let cool completely.  If any of the jars don't seal properly, you can try processing them again, or you can just stick the jar in the fridge and eat it first.

Additional Note:  Sometimes, there's some extra jam.  If I'm making more than one batch, I usually sterilize an extra half-pint jar.  Whatever is left after I fill the pint jars goes into the half-pint one, then when I'm all finished it goes in the fridge and is used first.  If I'm only making one batch, the extra goes in a small ramekin.  It's really good mixed in with some Greek yogurt...

My New Favorite Summer Salad - Vietnamese Beef Salad

I stumbled across this recipe while going through a cooking slump - desperately needing some new ideas and inspiration.  The first time I made it, I was blown away by the flavors!  Now, with only slight modifications, it has become a regular for dinner.  It is so quick and simple to make that it doesn't seem right for it to taste this good!

I think that it would be a fantastic recipe for one person, or as leftovers - although there are never any leftovers from it around here...  If you're cooking for one, I would go ahead and make the whole thing, but keep the individual ingredients separate until ready to fix it.  So far we have always eaten it with the beef hot, but I'm thinking that it would be just as phenomenal cold.

Here it is, then: my version of Skinnytaste.com's Vietnamese Shaking Beef.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as we have!

Vietnamese Beef Salad

1 - 1 1/2 lbs beef sirloin, trimmed of fat and cut into largish bite-sized chunks
5 cloves minced garlic (use fresh, its worth the effort!)
1 T sugar
1 T oyster sauce
1 T fish sauce
1 t sesame oil
1 t low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 c red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c rice vinegar, divided (sushi vinegar works well, too)
1 1/2 T sugar, divided
1 1/2 t kosher salt, divided
1 T lime juice
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
8 oz assorted fresh greens (I used spinach and baby mixed greens)
1 tomato, thinly sliced (or a handful of grape tomatoes, halved)

1. In a bowl or bag that will hold all of your meat, combine the garlic, sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce.  Stir well.  Add the meat, stir or shake to coat well.  Marinate at least several hours, or overnight.

2. An hour or so before eating, in a small bowl or bag combine the red onion, 1/4 c rice vinegar, 3/4 T sugar, and 3/4 t kosher salt.  Mix well.  Let this sit in the fridge until ready to assemble the salad.  Please, DON'T SKIP THIS STEP! If you think you don't like red onion, try this anyway.  Trust me.  Just do it.  (I didn't give my onions quite enough time to pickle when I made this for the picture.  Ideally, they will be almost translucent and the pickling liquid will be pinkish-purple.)

3.  In a small dish or cruet, combine the remaining 1/4 c of rice vinegar, 3/4 T sugar, 3/4 t kosher salt, plus the lime juice and fresh ground pepper.  Set aside.

4. Heat a heavy skillet on medium-high.  I use a cast-iron skillet, so I don't add any oil, but you might need to add a touch of extra-virgin olive oil, depending on your pan.  Add the meat and all of the marinade.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned and cooked to your desired "doneness".

5. Meanwhile, assemble the salad greens on plates.  Add the sliced tomatoes and pickled red onion.  Drizzle the dressing over the salad.  Top the salad with the beef, when it is finished. 

Cinnamon Roasted Pecans

I started making these nuts for Christmas several years ago.  We host a kind of open house on Christmas Day for our extended family, and I like to have lots of different finger foods available.  I don't remember where I found this recipe, but it is easy to make, foolproof, and addictive - what more could you want?!  They are great for a party or for gift-giving.  While pecans are expensive here, the rest of the ingredients are things that you'll likely have on hand, making it a pretty economical - and unique - gift.  I start buying the nuts before Thanksgiving, a bag or two each time I get groceries, so its not insanely expensive all at once.

I've modified the original recipe, and also tripled it.  If you don't want to make lots at once, feel free to cut the recipe by a third, but be aware that you may need to decrease the cooking time by 15 minutes or so.

Cinnamon Roasted Pecans

3 egg whites
1 T cold water
1 T vanilla
3 lbs pecan halves
1 1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 t salt
3 T cinnamon

1. Thoroughly grease two 9" x 13" glass pans.  Preheat the oven to 250* F.

2. In a very extremely large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, water and vanilla.  Whisk well, until foamy/frothy but not stiff.  Add nuts and toss until well coated.

3. In a separate bowl, combine sugars, salt and cinnamon.  Mix well.

4. Add 1/2 of the sugar mixture to the pecans.  Toss well to coat.  Add remaining sugar mixture.  Stir and toss well.

5. Divide the pecans between the two prepared pans.  Spread them out so that they are evenly distributed in the pans.

6. Bake at 250* for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.  Pour nuts on to parchment paper lined cooling racks, and cool completely.