Jezebella

Morning morning, cant believe I have woken up so early, but clearly BL you beat me too it!! Is it possible they are ornimental pears?? take one to a local nursery and a pic of the tree, they might be able to tell you. I have heard stories of people putting brown paper bags on the pears whilst still on the tree and fastening them with elastic bands to cause them to ripen but it could just be urban legend. Coulis would be best frozen. it keeps forever that way. The Black and Blue sounds just brilliant!! The name tickles me entirely. Muffins sound amazing. I must go to Sainsburys because I have seen they have proper american muffin pans there. I have a really nice wholewheat and raisin recipe somewhere, that keeps in the fridge for up to a month, and you just dollop a spoon in and bake off when you fancy, Lol although all these things are far far away still. It is good to plan. I was really chuffed with the tea party. I think they enjoyed it hugely. Did feel a little bad though because Pat (the mom) hadnt seen us for 2 years and was so impressed with the weight loss, that she started having a go sort of at her son James and tellng him he needs to loose weight. Which is true he does, but I did explain that it has to be the right time for him. Sadly imho he has no real inclination.

I think you can cut the sugar and it would be a conserve, must look for a recipe, but on the shelf in the supermarket you can find the Bon Maman (at least i think it is that brand name) which is french and a very low sugar jam. Probably would need to buy some pectin though and up that to be able to reduce the sugar, which would help it reach a setting point. I have just been buying sugar at the local, but I am sure you can buy online from a preserving supplier and get it a bit cheaper and in larger quantities. Only prob is the weight of it all for postage!

Happy Jammin!

Jez
xx

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Jezebella

Hey BL, just found this and thought it might be of use. It is various recipes for low and no sugar jam. As I suspected you need the pectin, but should find it at a health food shop or online. This is an american page so there are some links to US shops and webpages for ordering. She uses splenda, but I have also seen and used when it was launched a really good product called Fruisana - you can get it in most supermarkets, it is very low GI fruit sugar and it is great in cooking and baking. Anyway might be worth a try!!

How to make Jam Without Adding Sugar (Using Splenda or Fruit Juice)

Might be good to try and certainly a lovely healthier alternative.

And another version:

Low Sugar Strawberry Jam Recipes | Home Improvements and Gardening

Happy Cooking

Jez
xx

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Blonde Logic

Jezz.....

Black and Blue......

Oh.

My.

God.




Sublime. Absolutely SUBLIME. Its better then sex! LOL

Turned out the best so far - it is GORGEOUS - I used half blueberries and half blackberries - zest and juice of one lemon and threw in a cinnamon stick while it bubbles away - mashed half the fruit as it cooked, left some whole.

It wouldn;t set, so used half a pouch of pectin.

Oh my god. I have DIED and gone to JAM Heaven.

It is taking HUGE restraint not to have a proper sample, on toast - but I am happy with my sips from the spoon after all is jarred. And I can just say this one is divine.

Black and Blue. uh huh. There will be more of this to come!! I think that will be a staple.

SO now, I am going to start playing with it to try and make it low sugar - so those links are perfect timing. Will have a good look. I want to be able to enjoy this, and wouldn't be able to with the amount of sugar - but now I have my fave, time to start playing mad scientist!!!

Thanks!!

Hope you are enjoying your chilled day. I am. ANd the house smells lovely.

Going to throw on a pot of nice strng french roast, put my feet up and enjoy a movie or something.

Ahhh. I love B/H weekends.

SB - how did your Pear Yummy stuff come out? Pear and Basil sound reallyinteresting....I will play with my pears - butI just have a hunch they would require a huge amount of sugar as there is no pear flavour, so may just leave it.

Anyhooo....happy days!

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Blonde Logic

lol - oh yeah, forgot to say - Hubby LOVES all of this, and is quite happy now for me to invest in some quality kit.

He told me he'd pay 5 pound for the marmalade I made.

So I stuck my hand out.

But he looked away. Cheek.

So yay - will do a bit of shopping aroun to get some good equipment. I love buying Kitchenware.

I left all my quality equipment in California, thinking I would just be here a couple of years....so I have been making do with my husband 'batcholer' kit, and have decided - time for some better stuff.

Lakeland - here I come!!

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Jezebella

So very exciting that hubby is letting you shop for more kitchen bits, I hate cooking without the right equipment. Are you buying online or in the shops? OOOH if you really have cash to splash, get a set of Global Knives, they are the best and soooo worth the money.

Have any of you watched the new 30 min programme on BBC2 at 8:30 by Levi Roots about Carribean cooking??? If not ladies, watch it, catch up on the iPlayer!! Totally amazing, has opened up my eyes to loads of new flavours and cooking styles. The basis of the cooking is really very healthy. I am sooooo excited at the thought of cooking some of it. They make a lot of use of yam and sweet potato which from what I understand are good carbs. He does use some coconut milk, but I think the amounts could be reduced or you could use the light coconut milk to make it a little healthy. It is otherwise, very fresh, loads of veg and very little fat in the cooking process. Oooh I am so inspired. He has a "sunshine kit" which is his basic collection of herbs and spices for carribean foods and damnit in winter I want a sunshine kit to cheer me up He also uses loads of fresh salsas which should appeal to you BL.

Anyway was so excited about it all that I had to share, watch it if you can.

Jez
xx

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Blonde Logic

Here is a pic of my very first adventure in Jamming!

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Jezebella

Beyooooooooooooooooootiful BL, they look stunning, you must be thrilled with it. Such a great result for suprisingly little labour!. The marmalade looks divine, have yet to make mine. Been a V busy day.

I adore your lables, did you do them on the PC and if so how?

Jez
xx

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Blonde Logic

Hi hon

I just used Avery mailing labels and did it on Word using Clipart.

Nothing too techy!!

There are more jars, but I didn;t want to stuff them all in. I am over the moon with it all. I am making a list of what I want to do next, and I definatley want to make Lemon Jelly, and the chili jelly - next up will be Blackberry and Apple - labels ready to go already!

I just hope they all last and don;t go off, as it will be slow going through them here.....hopefully. It better be!

ALso want to try a pomegranate jelly, but shudder to think how many poms I would need to press enough juice!

AM I correct in thinking it will take far more fruit to mkae jelly then jam, as the fruit itself certainly bulks it out?? But I would love to try some lovely delicate jellys, and want to use some wine in some too.

Any ideas?

I am really chuffed with it all.

Thanks for the encouragement and tips, from you and SB, and TI - everyone that helped!
xx

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Jezebella

Hey Hun

The few times I have made jelly, it has not been with massive quantities of fruit, not that I was making huge amounts. it is more the pectin from the fruit and the liquid, which the pectin sets, a la using gelatine in small amounts to set a jelly. I guess it depends on how much you want to make and what recipe you use.

The best jelly I ever made is rose petal which uses apple as a base, with a bit of rosewater and pink, red and white rose petals. It is a gorgeous pinky colour.

The jams will absolutely last, and would make amazing xmas and bday pressies. I am a bit over spending huge amounts on junk in a shop, far nicer to give or get something home made I have great plans that my Xmas pressie work will be done by mid November. Am planning quite a few things, including some boxes with marzipan fruits. Will also try some preserved orange peel or ginger dipped in bitter chocolate. Have you ever tried making fruit leather? I have a recipe somewhere and it is great.

Pomegranates are suprisingly juicy, and you can always use half pomegranate half apple if they are a bit pricey. Think we need a website for all our produce. We could call ourselves the earth mommas or prairie woman or something ;P

Jez
xx

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Blonde Logic

I was thinking that today Jez - how nice would it be to run a little gourmet shop, where you can just make things all day, package them up nice and pretty, and sell yummy things to yummy people. WOuld be so nice!

You mentioned orange peel and that reminds me of a question I had for you ar SB - or anyone -.... I am making a xmas cake and it calls for candied citron. What is that, and where would I find it? Is it mixed peel??

Rose Jelly sounds lovely - delicate and light. I would like to try some jellys definately.

My mom used to make Pineapple-Guava jelly - which in not a mix of pineapple and guave - a "Pineapple-guava" is the fruit. I don;t think you grow it here in the UK? It is akin to a Kiwi - same kind of shape and size - but a very pale green, acidic, tart odd, but nice flavour. Kind of the Marmite of fruit.

I loved her jelly . Really want to try something like that.

I wish there was something other then bread to smear it on. lol

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Jezebella

Lol my mom swears by Matzo crackers!!! and she is a skinny cow who eats what she wants. Might be quite nice to make jam tarts or bakewell tarts for people though. I would love a shop, I think I told you before it is what I plan for the future. Candied citron is just candied lemon, but candied citrus as you get in the shops is fine. We always use that, though you could make your own. One of the best things we got when my sis worked at QVC was a brilliant Veg and Fruit dehydrator which is brilliant for that kind of thing.

Have googled your pineapple guava and it is also know as Feijoa or Guavasteen. Seems to be loads of websites to buy seeds or plants. I am guessing though you might find one in a caribbean type shop???

Looks yummy though. Have to say I adore real guavas, and they are so hard to come by here. I remember the tannies on the farms in SA used to make the most beautiful bottled guavas which they cut like roses, it was a work of art in a bottle and always seemed a pity to eat them.

Lets start a shop BL where we make and sell pretty things!!!

Jez
xx

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Jezebella

Oooh btw are you watching channel 4 tonight for Jamie Olivers tour of the US and the food??? Can't wait.

Jez
xx

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Blonde Logic

No, I missed it - is a a series or a one off?

Ladies, I made a yummmmmy Baba Ganush (sp?) which is low fat and a lovely kind of hummous-y like dip, in case anyone does not know.

1 small Eggplant, cut in hald, roasted 30 minutes and scraped from the skin
couple cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp chili
1 T lime juice
1 T tahini
1 T olive oil -
S&P

Whizzed up to a puree and chilled fully.

Its GORGEOUS and the chili and lime add a nice kick! I forgot I made it so it sat for 2 days in fridge - flavours are intense and lush!!

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Jezebella

Hello Fellow Foodies

I wish I had have taken pix today of all the beautiful things I made for a food presentation tomorrow!!! Still I had loads of fun.

BL the Jamie programme is a series so check it out next week. He was in LA this time, but only went to the mexican areas. Amazing food, and lots with healthy potential.

I adore Baba Ganoush!! It really is one of my all time favourites. I love to put loads of coriander and ground cumin in there, if you can get some smoked paprika it also adds a lovely kick, as does adding the smoked paprika to hummus. If you cant find any let me know I have loads at work so more than happy to post some.

What has been in the Wok tonight BL? Dying to hear your latest exploits.

Love that skirt btw!!

Jez
xx

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Blonde Logic

Hi Jezz - had an early night last night - needed my ZZzzzzz apparently!

Last nights wok was gorgeous.....savoy cabbage, red bell, red and green chili, garlic, fresh ginger, shrooms, carrots, onions, broccoli, very fine noodles, and 5-spices salmon on top! Lovely!!

I will look for Jamies next week! Man, I miss Mexican food - you just can;t beat Mexican food in California, unless you cross the border to Mexico! We have Mexican Restaurants like the UK has Kebab shops - one on every corner and 2 in between!

I have often looked for smoked paprika but can never find it! I'd love to try some!!

The skirts - another Charity find!!

WHat did you make for your presentation?

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Celebrating over ONE YEAR of Maintaining!!!!!!!!!!!!

except for this recent blunder








GOAL: Get back into these jeans!



BL's Diary: http://www.minimins.com/lighter-life-forum/27465-blonde-logics-stream-consciousness-diary.html