Grapefruit and Rosemary Jam

The concoction of the day is Grapefruit and Rosemary Jam.  This started as a marmalade till I remembered I don't like marmalade so I tossed the peels and started over.

I zest-ed 2 grapefruit.
Add the pulp from about 8 grapefruit and all the juice.
I had made fresh squeezed citrus juice it had grapefruit, oranges and a lemon in it.  There was about 1 1/2 quarts left so I used it all.
Pure cane sugar to taste.
Agave nectar to taste.
Pinch of salt.
Rosemary and black pepper (1/2 tsp) and 1 tsp. sugar morter and pestled till a fine powder was achieved.

I boiled the pulp, zest, juice, and 4 cups water for 15 minutes.  Then set it in the porch to cool overnight.  Added the rest to taste and let it simmer till a jell is formed.  I am then going to can it.  So far it tastes pretty yummy!!!

Banana Jam

A blast from my childhood...bananas and peanut butter on toast.  YUMMY  I had about 12 over-ripe frozen bananas in my freezer.  Not being a huge fan of banana bread, and not feeling like making smoothies for a month I did some Googling and came with my own creation for banana jam. 

12 frozen bananas peeled and mashed
1 lemon,  juiced
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves;  to taste
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tab. of my homemade vanilla vodka extract
1 cup of water
1 1/2 cups sugar or to taste
1 tsp. unsulfured molasses

I mixed it all together and am now cooking it down to thicken.  I am going to refrigerate it when done and freeze the rest.  I wanted to can it but I don't have PH paper or a tester so I will save that for another day.

ETA:  Don't add all of the lemon juice, mine it a little tart.  Also back off on the sugar to sweet.  I will probably add more vanilla.  If I had a whole bean I think that would be even better.  Scrape the seeds and boil the pod.

Ker-Thwack!

Back to that last posting....we were walking hand in hand and it was a FANTASTIC night.  Dinner was great, it was the perfect temp. outside just plain wonderful.  (We had no idea that my Mom's house had been broken into the day before.)  We had not a care in the world!!!

We were walking.....Dan looked down and said look at that!  I screamed then the night was ruined!  ;)  He took his size 16 feet and smashed the biggest roach I had ever seen!  It was one of those hissing roaches.  It grossed me out!!!!  To top it off....all the rooms have doors that are on the outside, unlike a hotel where they are inside the building.  The doors don't seal at the bottom and I worried all night that we would be taking home roaches.  The next day, as we sat outside of our building on this little bench and enjoyed the view of the gulf;  something caught my eye; and there stuck to the wall, rather close to my head was a green gecko!  Once I got over the shock he was rather cute. 

It was a wonderful trip.  I have been truly blessed two wonderful boys and a God fearing husband.  I had said earlier...times have been REALLY hard.  Our savings has been drained but never fail there is always food on the table and the mortgage has been met.  The bakery put tires on the car this winter.  God heard our cry and dropped the idea of the bakery and we ran with it.  Talk about a God thing!  "Someone" put extra money in the box with a note saying this was extra for us to help out with bills and the like,  it was so fun to take it and give it back to the Lord that next Sunday.  AMAZING

A good part of being tested is we have shared the money or lack-there-of with the kids.  Nothing is hidden and at their young ages they understand many concepts that adults struggle with on a daily basis.  We went out to dinner this past week-end.  We dined family style at an "Amish" restaurant.  I asked our server if we could take the leftover food home.  She was like nope sorry.  Benjamin was stunned!  So much so, that he confronted her (a huge step for him)  about how sad it was to waste food,  how expensive it was, what a bad idea to just throw it away.  I was so proud of him!

I hope that when you're tested and look back you have found something good has come from it,  life shaping soul changing growth!