Strawberry Balsamic Jam

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Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

At the ripe age of twenty-three, I fear I'm becoming an old woman. It's a silly fear, I know. I'm not afraid of growing older (we all must go through it eventually), but I am afraid of skipping my thirties and forties and jumping straight into my sixties.

Over the last couple years, my habits have begun to betray me. I can't remember the last time I went out on a Friday night; and when I did, I was certain to be home before the strike of ten. My mother and I enjoy watching Hot in Cleveland together (and I find myself laughing louder and longer than her). I ask for kitchen appliances and dishware when the holidays roll around. I often wear vintage clothes and, to my dismay, more than once my students have loudly proclaimed I dress like an old lady (you have the same shoes as my grandmother!).

I suppose, in many ways, you could say I am already channeling the spirit of a seventy-five year old woman.

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Maybe I wouldn't fear becoming an old woman if The Signs hadn't already arrived. As I sat down in the optometrist office last month, my eye doctor broke the news that my eyes were already getting cataracts. I have exactly three old lady veins—two in rather inconspicuous locations—but the last has the unfortunate position of running down the entire length of my nose (which my boyfriend so lovingly pointed out "looks bluer when I'm cold"). And, to spread the icing on the cake, I recently discovered I have laugh lines while tiredly looking at myself in the mirror.

I even talk like an old woman. Just the other night I caught myself telling my mother that I wished pants weren't so low cut and I hoped I could find a pair with a higher waist.

It's like a disease, I tell you. Old womanitis.

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Despite my frivolous concerns towards aging, when I stumbled upon the quote above by Cassandra Clare, I did feel more at ease about myself. Beauty may fade, but cooking is forever. It's comforting to know that it doesn't matter whether my hair is gray or my hands are gnarled; I can make a mean chocolate chip cookie. In the end, I think that's what matters most. Food brings people together—it's a celebration of life and love.

When it comes down to it, I'd rather my legacy be lovely strawberry jam instead of a history of face lifts.

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

This strawberry jam is thick and sweet. Balsamic vinegar joins strawberries, lending a unique and enhancing flavor. The jam is thickened on the stove top until it reaches your desired consistency. This strawberry jam is perfect to spread on bread, crackers, or drizzle on top of ice cream.

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Cranberry Sauce

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Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce

I often find that cranberry sauce is a necessary, but neglected part of the holiday season. Rarely have I found a Thanksgiving table without some kind of cranberry sauce or spread, but often there are only a few spoonfuls missing (and the bowl is never licked clean). While I can understand this phenomenon of the forgotten cranberry (after all, there is turkey, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, breads, and desserts to distract), I'm afraid this doesn't excuse the crime. I am just as guilty as I may have ignored the poor cranberry sauce in favor of my grandmother's famous stuffing on plenty of occasions.

I feel troubled for the cranberry sauce. The vegetable tray already knows there will be plenty of leftovers to go around (in a battle of sweet potato casserole versus a celery stalk, there is a clear winner), but the cranberry sauce still holds hope within it's small berries. It has big dreams of finding a home arranged across a slice of turkey breast and those hopes so often fall flat.

Cranberry Sauce Cranberry Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce differs greatly from canned cranberry sauce. For one, homemade cranberry sauce doesn't make that awful slurping sound as it falls out of the can (once heard, it can never be unheard. Beware). Secondly, it doesn't hold its shape. When the ribbing from the can is evident in the final product, I'm not sure this is something you'll want to serve to your guests. Now I know not all store-bought sauces feature the rim-lined, gelatin appearance, but I will still argue that they won't be as delicious as a simple homemade spread.

And certainly never as delicious as this particular one.

Cranberry Sauce Cranberry Sauce

If you are hosting a holiday this year, but scoff at my claims that homemade cranberry sauce is really worth the time and effort, let me make my case.

Cranberry sauce is surprisingly easy to make, requiring a handful of ingredients and roughly 10 minutes time (with only a few moments you actually need to pay attention). Subtle changes and adaptations will customize the sauce to precisely fit your tastes, neither too sweet or too tart. And, the kicker—you can make this cranberry sauce today and it will keep fresh until the special day.

Today.

Now you don't have any excuses.

What are your feelings on cranberry sauce? Do you also feel it is a necessary, but overlooked component of holiday meals?

Cranberry Sauce Cranberry Sauce

This Cranberry Sauce is fresh, light, and perfectly suited to your holiday meal. Instead of cooking my cranberries down in water (which so many recipes call for), I cooked them in orange juice, which adds fantastic orange tones to the final product. I also spiced the sauce faintly with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice which brings the sauce a well rounded, full-bodied flavor without tasting like a dessert. This recipe is adaptable, so feel free to adjust the amount of sugar for a sweeter or tarter cranberry sauce to suit your taste buds (you can start with less sugar and add more upon taste testing). If you have any leftovers, they are perfect as a dressing for leftover turkey sandwiches or a topping for your next bowl of ice cream.

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Grandma's Applesauce

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Grandma's Applesauce

Grandma's Applesauce

My Grandma is one of the best cooks I know. Every time I visit my grandparents on their farm, my grandmother, without exception, prepares a beautiful feast. She always jokes that her food "isn't any good," but my family knows better, reassuring her once again that no one can cook like she can. She's a humble cook, but knows her way around the kitchen.

She's never one to shy away from butter and cream, knowing that sometimes you need a little butter to get cubed potatoes perfectly browned. She knows how to cook a mean roast which falls apart at the mere sight of a fork. At the holidays, she makes some of the most brilliant German food I have ever eaten (or will ever eat). If I could be half the cook my grandmother is, I would feel satisfied for the rest of my life.

Grandma's Applesauce Grandma's Applesauce

My Grandma encouraged me to experiment in the kitchen when I was younger. No culinary thought or idea that popped in my head was too ridiculous to give a try. In some ways, she was the first person to help me realize that I loved not only eating food, but preparing food.

I remember one wintry, blustery day in particular. My sister and I were staying the weekend and it was too cold to venture outside. For a mid-morning snack, my grandmother often made us chocolate chip muffins from a stash of box mixes she kept in the pantry. On this particular day, as she brought out one of the familiar mixes, I had a wild idea. I felt the urge to make a few batches of muffins to see which brand was actually the best—a side-by-side taste test, if you will. Without hesitation, my grandmother agreed it was a brilliant idea.

Grandma's Applesauce

My sister, my grandma, and I each tackled a brand on our own. Though we ended up making 36 chocolate chip muffins for just the three of us, there was, without a doubt, a clear winner. Pillsbury brand had the most chocolate chips (an important muffin trait for me), required less ingredients to make, and tasted the moistest and lightest (and now you know too!).

Though I'm afraid many of those muffins were never eaten, my grandmother taught me that it was okay to try something new, that no idea (in the kitchen or otherwise) was too crazy to give a shot, and that sometimes it's okay to make 36 muffins for 3 people.

This applesauce is one of her tried and true recipes. I grew up on this applesauce, eating it both warm and cold, loving everything about it. It seems only fitting to share my grandmother's applesauce wisdom with you.

Grandma's Applesauce Grandma's Applesauce

My Grandmother's Applesauce is chunky, soft, and tender, with just a hint of spice. Using only four ingredients, she proves that it's all you need to create a masterpiece. The apples are thinly sliced and cooked on the stove until tender. I love the chunky nature of this applesauce; it gives the finished product a beautiful, soft variation in texture. However, the applesauce can be pureed if you want a smoother texture. This recipe is simple, easy to follow, and creates homemade applesauce you can be proud to share.

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