A lazy person's guide to apricot jam

... also, a lazy person's guide to food blogging.

Because I'm no longer in the great state of California, I thought that the only apricots I would see this summer would be dried or canned (by someone else, not me). Imagine my surprise--and excitement!--to find nice looking apricots for only $1 a pound at the grocery store. $18.50 for a 24-pound case! That certainly seems like the start of a canning adventure to me.

(No, they are not organic. The other disadvantage was that there was no farmer to joke with me about being Joni Mitchell as I bought them. And, the season is shorter here. I'll take what I can get!)

I let them ripen at room temperature for a few days. (Okay, a week.) A few of them went bad. (Okay, more than a few.) Then I washed them and started a lazy version of canning that worked very well.

Day 1:
Time required: about 45 minutes.

Wash apricots. Cut into quarters or eighths, depending on size, and discard pits. (You can peel them, but apricot skins aren't too tough, so I didn't. Also, lazy.) Also, trim and discard any weird spots. Layer prepared apricots into a big stockpot (mine was 8 quarts) with a little more than half their weight in sugar. (I did 8 lbs of apricots--weighed before prepping and pitting--with 4 lbs sugar.) Stir it (or don't), put the lid on, and put it in the fridge overnight.

(Tip for being a lazy blogger: don't take any pictures of the beginning of the process.)


Day 2:
Time required: about 30 minutes.

Take your pot from the fridge. Stir it a little bit. There's lots of liquid, isn't there? There will probably be some sugar sludge at the bottom of the pan, so just kind of stir it up a little bit and put it on the stove over medium heat.

Lazy blogger guide: take pictures with your cell phone camera.

Squeeze lemons to get 1/2 c lemon juice (remove all seeds). Add the lemon juice to the pot and heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Turn heat up to high and bring to a rolling boil (one that you can't stir down):


At this point, it's very easy to boil over if you're not paying attention (or trying to take a picture with your cell phone camera). When it starts to boil hard, pick up the pot and move it to a cold burner or to sit on the table on a hot pad. Give it one last stir (the bubbles will die down quickly), put on the lid, and let it sit overnight. Room temp is fine.

Tip (not related to laziness or blogging): I usually put a note on the lid saying:

Please do not open. Jam in progress. :)

Reason: the lid gets steamy, the room smells good, and someone wants to see what's cookin'. They open the pot, take a sniff, take a little taste, then all of the sudden they're eating a bowl of syrupy apricots (who can blame them, really?). The bad part is if you open the lid when it's lukewarm, bacteria can get in and then you have a nice, warm, sugary spot for bacteria to grow. If you keep it covered from when it's very hot until you heat it up again, bacteria don't get a chance to take hold and it's pretty safe to leave at room temp. If you live alone or your spouse/roommates/children are terribly incurious, you can skip this step.


Day 3:

Time required: 1.5-2 hours.

This day takes the longest, but at the end you'll have jars of sunshine. yum yum

First, fill your canning kettle with water and put on the stove over high heat. Put in clean jars (half-pints or pints) in the waterbath to warm up. Put your funnel or whatever else in there that you want to sterilize, too. Heat up a pot of water to warm up your lids.

Take the lid off your apricot pot and give it a slow, gentle stir. Some of the apricots have probably fallen apart. Some are still in chunks. That's the way I like it. If you want fewer chunks, feel free to mash it up a little bit with the spoon or a potato masher. Turn the heat on medium and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.

Put a couple small plates in the freezer to test for gelling.

When the jam is simmering, stir often. It sticks to the bottom really easily. When it starts looking thicker and more glossy, put your lids in the warm water to soften the seals.

Check for gelling. Here's a good description of several methods. What I do: take the jam off the heat and put a little hot jam on a cold plate and put the plate back in the freezer. After a couple of minutes, take it out and check the consistency. If it's what you'd like to spread on toast (or put on ice cream or however you're going to use it), it's ready to process.

Let the jam sit for about 5 minutes so that fruit does not float in jars.

Take your hot jars out of the waterbath and fill with hot jam. Leave 1/4" headspace. Cover with hot lids and return to waterbath. When waterbath is full, put on the lid and bring it to a full boil. When it starts boiling, start your timer: 10 minutes for half-pints, 15 minutes for pints.

Remove from waterbath, place on towels and leave alone for a day. Test seals (buttons should be down) and store in a dark, place at room temperature. (I find that apricot jam gets dark relatively quickly, so use or share within a year.) Refrigerate after opening.

My 8 lbs of apricots made 2 full canner loads (16) half-pints and one full pint for the fridge. I did it again a few days later (still no pics!) and made 7 pints and two pints for the fridge. So it looks like it's about half a pound of fruit per half-pint of jam.

Apricot jam is like honeyed sunshine. It's so delicious. And this is an easy way to make it! Hope you enjoy!

Last lazy blogger tip: post the "money shot" later, after you've posted the recipe.

It has to start somewhere...

Well, I have to get back into this somehow, and I guess it will have to be without many pictures.

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Last week I made ravioli with beet and goat cheese filling. I got the idea here.

Wrap two beets in foil and put in a ovenproof dish. Roast at 450 for 45 minutes or until cooked through (pierced easily with a fork). When cool enough to handle, rub to remove skins and grate on a cheese grater (wear an apron for this, I looked like I had committed a crime afterwards).

In a medium bowl, mix the shredded beets with some goat cheese. I used garlic and chive goat cheese from Baetje Farms (found at many St. Louis farmers' markets). I used a few ounces, maybe 3? Mix well, then add some salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs. Mix again and taste. Does it need more salt? Add it now or forever hold your peace.

Roll out some pasta dough. I used pasta sheets from Mangia Italia from the farmers' market.

Make the ravioli. I didn't do a very good job, so find instructions elsewhere.

Boil the ravioli in salted water until they float. Melt some butter in a skillet, add some poppy seeds, and saute the cooked ravioli in the butter.

Serve over a bed of wilted chard and beet greens with a squeeze of lemon.

(I made half with golden beets and half with red beets. I like the red beet version better.)

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This week I made some absolutely lovely yellow cupcakes with chocolate sour cream frosting. They came together so quickly--just over an hour from plugging in the mixer to taking the cupcakes out of the oven, then another hour for making the frosting and frosting them in the morning. I will definitely be making them again!

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I've been making a lot of salads from Randy's farm produce lately. Here's a favorite, adapted from Veggie Venture:

6-8 cups baby lettuce mix, washed and spun dry

3 smallish turnips, peeled, cut in half, and sliced into moons

1/4 c sunflower seeds (not in shell), preferably toasted and salted

2-3 collard leaves, ribs removed and cut into thin ribbons

other veggies or fruits as available (thin slices of apples, carrots, cucumbers, a little cabbage...)

Dressing:

1/4 c whipping cream

1 T grainy mustard

1 t honey

Salt and pepper

Handful of basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons

Juice from 1 lemon

In a smallish bowl, whip cream with a small whisk until it has soft peaks (it should only take a minute or two). Mix in mustard, honey, and salt and pepper. Add basil and bash a little bit with your whisk to bruise it and make the flavor infuse with the cream. Let sit while you prepare your veggies.

In a large salad bowl, toss together lettuce mix with collards and other veggies. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top.

Go back to the cream mixture and squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon into the bowl. Mix well and taste. Add as much juice from the other half the lemon (and any other seasonings) that you need to make a balanced dressing.

Pour dressing over the salad, toss, and serve. It doesn't keep very well but it sure tastes good.

Makes enough for 4 large salad portions or 6-8 smaller portions.

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We have a surplus of collards lately, so tonight I made a nice market feast.

Put a stopper in your sink and put the collards in (I had enough to fill the entire sink!). Cover with water and let soak for few minutes to loosen any dirt.

In a big stockpot, add 2-3 smoked ham hocks (preferably from the farmer's market). Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, put on the lid, and turn the heat on high.

Get out the biggest cutting board you have. Peel a big onion, cut it in half, slice and add it to the ham pot.

Swish the collards around to clean them, then start taking them out of the sink. Inspect for any dirt (rinse it off) or bad spots (pull them off), then pull them off the stems and make a pile of collards on your cutting board. When you have a bunch, cut the whole stack into chunky pieces and put them in the ham pot. Keep going until all the collards are cut up in the ham pot.

When the pot comes to a boil, turn it down to medium-low and crack the lid. As the collards wilt, stir them into the liquid so everything is a little underwater.

Add some butter and olive oil to a small skillet and turn the heat to medium. Cut enough garlic scapes into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices to cover the bottom of the skillet. Add them to the skillet with some salt and pepper and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Set another pot of water on the stove to boil pasta. Salt the water.

When the scapes are softened and slightly tan around the edges, add about 1/2-3/4 c cream. It should cover the bottom of the skillet. Turn down the heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the cream is reduced slightly and looks very delicious.

(If you want to make another veggie or a salad, now would be a good time.)

Add the pasta to the water to boil. I used large shells, 1 pound.

Check the collards. They should have been cooking for 45 minutes or so by now. Are they tender? Ham flavored? Delicious? Do they make your husband glad he married you? Pull out one of the ham hocks and pull the meat off the bone(s). I usually chop it into smaller pieces and trim off excess fat.

When the pasta is al dente, drain. Put it back in the cooking pot. Toss with the chunks of ham. Pour the scape-cream sauce over top and stir to mix well. (Shells are nice because little soft pieces of scape nestle into the shells.) There isn't much cream sauce but it should lightly coat the pasta.

Serve in wide, shallow bowls. I suggest a couple big ladles of greens and the pot juices in the bottom of the bowl, topped by a couple scoops of garlicky-ham pasta. I served it with lightly sauteed fresh zucchini. Yum!

This made a ton--at least 6 servings of pasta and enough greens to go with the pasta tonight and to have with eggs tomorrow (and maybe the next day). There is also extra ham.

Missing California

The grape leaves changing at Domaine Chandon in Napa.

I'm back in the Midwest and in some ways it's lovely. Being near my family and getting to know my new baby nephew (who grunts and stares and whose ears are like little warm slices of cheese)? Great! Witnessing a historic election where Iowa turns blue? Wonderful! Seeing the leaves change and walking around in musty, crunchy piles of them? I love it! ...the cold and snow? Not so much.

But I miss my friends in Berkeley. I also miss my kitchen and my canning pot and picking apples and seeing "my" farmers at the market. And I miss the produce.

Heirloom tomatoes well into October, how could I have left you? Tender Armenian cucumbers and crunchy fresh grapes, how did August pass by without you? Gravenstein apples, fresh figs, how can I find you? There are soybean fields in Iowa, why can't I find edamame? And what about little cippolini onions, and tender fall cabbages and kale?

And my two fall fruit loves: Asian pears, how I adore thee! Persimmons, I miss you so!

I had a friend in college who talked longingly about persimmons and I didn't understand it. They were always so expensive and not very impressive. Then, my first fall in Berkeley, I couldn't get enough of them. I lined the windowsill in the kitchen with plump orange orbs and ate a couple of persimmons every day. I loved the squat Fuyus that you can eat crisp--they have just a little bit of that tender slimy-ness that is a persimmon.

Hachiya persimmons are more oblong and cannot be eaten firm. They have lots of tannins and taste horribly astringent when underripe--when they're fully ripe, they're almost liquid. My sister said that the texture of ripe Hachiya persimmons is similar to what she imagines intestines would be. They're goopy and slimy and so so sweet. They're also perfect for baking.

My friend Jody's mom, Robin, makes persimmon pudding every year for Thanksgiving. It's a proper British pudding that you pour in a tin and boil for a couple hours. Jody made it last year and she gave me the recipe and I made it, too. I made a few changes, though: Robin uses brandy and sets the pudding on fire, while I decided to add the bourbon to the pudding itself; I also added raisins and used baking spice instead of cinnamon. I was very happy with it. (These pictures are from the pudding I made last year.)

One of my favorite farmers at the Berkeley Market, Didar, sells Hachiya persimmons in various stages of ripeness. I could go to his stand and say 'I need about 3 lbs of persimmons to make a pudding in 4 days', and he would pick them out for me. This year, I might order some persimmons on eBay.

Oh, I miss Berkeley! Oh, I miss persimmons!

Persimmon Pudding
adapted from Robin's recipe

3 T butter
1 1/2 c (white or brown) sugar
2 T vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c persimmon puree
1/4 c milk or buttermilk
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 t baking spice from Penzey's (or 1 t cinnamon)
1 T grated lemon zest
1/2 c burbon or brandy (optional)
1/2 - 3/4 c raisins or currants

Topping
1 c whipping cream
2 T sour cream
2 T powdered sugar
1 T lemon juice
1 t grated lemon zest

1. Butter and flour a pudding mold, preferably one with a lid (I got mine at Sur la Table). Prepare a water bath to cook the pudding in--a pot big enough to hold the pudding mold with a trivet (or dishtowel) on the bottom to keep the mold from touching the bottom of the pot. Add a few inches of water to the pot and turn the heat on low.

2. Prepare the persimmon puree. I'm not sure how many persimmons you need for 2 c of puree, at least 4-5 big ones. The ones I used were just about ready to burst, very juicy and slimy in a way that only a truly ripe Hachiya persimmon can be. Use a knife to cut around the leaves and core, then hold the persimmon over a mesh strainer set over a bowl or measuring cup and scrape the pulp into the strainer. Try to keep the skin from getting into the strainer. Most persimmons I've seen don't really have seeds, but occasionally you'll run into one that has seeds--long, oblong brown seeds about half the size of an almond. Throw them away with the skin. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the flesh of the persimmon through the strainer to make a smooth puree. Continue until you have 2 c of puree.

(Isn't this a lovely vivid color?)

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar until light in color (I used half white and half brown sugar). Add vanilla and eggs, then persimmon puree, milk, and liquor, mixing well after each addition.

4. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and baking spice in another bowl. Take a pinch of the dry ingredients and toss it with the raisins (or currants) and lemon zest--this will help keep all the raisins from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

5. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then fold in the raisin/lemon zest mixture until well combined. Pour into prepared mold:


6. Cover with aluminum foil, then put lid on top of mold. Carefully put it into water bath and add water if necessary so that water comes at least 3/4 way up the side of the mold. Don't fill the pot too full or it might get into your pudding mold, and that would be no fun at all. Put the lid on the pot and bring it to a boil. Start your timer--cook it for 2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7. I don't have any tips about how to get it out of the water bath. I remember getting my potholders wet and swearing a lot--the main idea is remember to try not to get water into the mold.

When you do get the pudding mold out of the water bath, let it rest for about 5 minutes before turning it out onto a plate.


8. Mix the topping ingredients to make a sauce. Taste and add a little more sugar, lemon juice, or sour cream if you'd like. Drizzle over warm slices and enjoy!


If you'd like to make this in advance, you can unmold the pudding, wrap it well in saran wrap or aluminum foil, and keep it in the fridge for 10 weeks or the freezer for 3 months. Unwrap, put it back in the mold, and steam it again to serve it warm.

Pictures in progress - Cinnamon rolls

My husband took some more pictures in progress when I made cinnamon rolls for the fair this year. I put together a little movie that shows most of the key points. For the recipe, go here.

Making the rum raisins:rolls


Making the rolls:


And in case you need extra incentive to make those rolls, here's a detail shot of the finished rolls:

YuM!

What do you get...

with 10 lbs of flour, 1/2 a gallon of half 'n half, 2 lbs of raisins, 2 c of rum, 3 lb butter, 3 lb brown sugar, a pound of honey, a quarter cup of cinnamon, a pound of cream cheese, a pound of pecans, and a lot of love??

A lot of happy family and friends... but not $1000.

I tried again for the $1000 cinnamon rolls yesterday. I made 8 batches of rolls between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning... and unfortunately missed it again.

I did get some more "in progress" shots, though, and I found a good caramel recipe for the sticky rolls. It was the last thing I posted about last year--it will be the first thing I post about this year. More soon!

(Almost) Award-winning Cinnamon Rolls

Last summer I heard that there was a big contest at the Fair in my hometown. They were trying to increase interest in the culinary department and had found a sponsor to highlight one of the contests. The subject was cinnamon rolls, and the top prize was $1000.

I was impressed and I encouraged my mom and sister to enter but forgot to tell them about it until the night before the contest. Award-winning cinnamon rolls need a little more lead time, so last year's contest came and went and the $1000 prize went with it.

This year I planned a trip home for the Fair. I brought Randy home for the first time and we had lots of fun things planned. He could meet my extended family and see my hometown, and we could visit the fair. I could show him a tractor and we could see pigs and eat pork tenderloins and funnel cakes and gyros and cheese curds and Tom Thumb Donuts. I entered some canned goods in the fair and I planned my attack on the big one: cinnamon rolls.

Now, before September I had made cinnamon rolls a grand total of twice in my life. I watched a couple of shows on the Food Network where they made cinnamon rolls and got the general idea: rich dough and sweet fillings. How hard can it be, really?

As it turns out, it was harder than I imagined. I initially tried a combination of recipes that included a brioche dough by Ina Garten. I'm not sure if it was the recipe or how I made it, but it was too soft to handle and I ended up putting handfuls of dough into the pan and serving it like monkeybread. (My labmates didn't mind, but it definitely wasn't a pan of $1000 cinnamon rolls.) I finally decided to use as the base of my recipe a sweet dough that I have made many times before. I originally saw the recipe on public television in St. Louis. It's from "Breaking Bread with Father Dominic," a book by a bread-baking monk. The dough is easy and very forgiving. (What else would you expect from a monk?)

I ended up spending half of one of my days at home baking trial batches of rolls. We all sat down to taste and I sent my family on a sugar high, but we were able to decide on the best version of each recipe and I was ready.

The next day, I made two batches of rolls, one for the cinnamon roll category and one for the sticky roll category. They were due by noon and I turned them in--warm from the oven--at 11:45 with much anticipation. When the judging started at one o'clock, my mom glanced nervously around to see a roomful of mostly gray hair. Most of the women had probably been making cinnamon rolls longer than I'd been alive, and this was my 6th batch. I had been talking big to whoever would listen about how I was making thousand-dollar cinnamon rolls, but seeing my competition made me want to eat my words.

We didn't get very good seats at the judging, so all we could do was listen to the emcee while the judges sniffed and ate their way through 68 pairs of cinnamon rolls. After two hours we were all on edge as the judges went behind a curtain to look at the rolls that had scored in the top 10 and decide on a winner.

When they started to read the names of the bakers of the top 10 rolls, my heart was beating pretty fast. Both Randy and my mom were patting my knees and probably hoping that I could cope with a loss. But then they called my name! My hands were shaking and I couldn't stop smiling as I went to the front--I was in the top 10!

I looked at the table behind me and honestly expected to see my sticky rolls, but they were nowhere to be found. I got in the top 10 for my cinnamon rolls. I won't tell you what was going through my mind as they announced the top 3, but it was a short torture. At least they dashed my hopes quickly. I'm happy that I did so well. It gives me incentive to work towards next year--a little more practice and I could be dangerous.

I can't take any credit for the wonderful dough, but I will take credit for the raisins. According to my judging sheet they were done "perfectly." Apparently, I caused quite a stir by adding raisins--no one else that I saw had raisins in their rolls, much less raisins soaked in rum! The cream cheese frosting is a variation from the carrot cake frosting. These rolls are rich, sweet, soft, and very, very big. (Rules required 4 rolls in an 8x8 pan, whew!) If you don't want such mammoth rolls, roll the dough the long way and make 12 rolls in a 9x13 pan. But either way, they sure are tasty.

Rum Raisin Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
3 1/2 - 4 c all purpose flour
1 pkg (2 1/4 t) rapid rise yeast
1 t salt
1 c half 'n half
1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 t vanilla extract

Filling:
2 T unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t cake spice (Penzy's)
1/2 c raisins
1/4 c rum (I prefer dark rum, spiced rum might be nice)
1/4 c water

Frosting:
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 - 1 c powdered sugar (I used 3/4 c)
1/2 t vanilla extract

1. To make dough, combine 2 c flour, yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl. Heat the half 'n half, butter, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture cool to 120-130 F (please use a thermometer--be kind to your yeast!) then add to the flour mixture. Whisk to mix well. Add the egg and vanilla and combine thoroughly. Slowly add remaining 1 1/2 to 2 c flour and mix with a wooden spoon to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. I stir in a cup or so of flour in the bowl, then turn the whole sticky mess onto a well-floured countertop and dust some more flour on top. It will come together quickly as you knead it.

Knead for 3 minutes or until dough is uniform in texture. I'm not sure how you're supposed to knead, really, just push and fold and push and fold, adding flour if it starts to stick to the countertop. The dough will still be a little sticky when it's ready, but it will release from the countertop without leaving a trail of goo. My mom helped me knead the (almost) prize-winning dough and she says to "knead until the dough feels like a baby's butt." Ha

This dough is ready to rise.

Lightly coat a large bowl with butter (I usually wash and re-use the one I mixed the dough in earlier). Put the dough into the bowl, then turn it over to coat it with butter. (Isn't that a neat trick?) Cover with saran wrap (I usually butter the saran wrap and press it right against the dough--you don't want to get a dry crust on the dough). Let rise at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, preferably more like 60 minutes. It should approximately double in volume and when you poke a finger in it and take your finger out, the indent will remain.

I've been trying variations on pre-making the dough and one variation is to mix the dough and put it into the fridge overnight. (I'm not sure if this saves much time, see below.)

2. Prepare the rum raisins by combining the raisins and rum in a small saucepan. Heat and boil until the rum is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add the water and heat again until the water is completely absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Make the filling by mixing brown sugar and spices until evenly combined.

4. Prepare two 8x8" glass baking pans (or one 9x13" glass pan) by coating the insides with a thin layer of butter. Set aside.

5. When dough has risen, turn out onto the counter and punch out air bubbles. Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle approximately 8"x18". The dough should be about 1/4" thin on the counter; make sure there are no big air bubbles. It seems thin, you'll have to trust me. Spread the butter evenly on the dough and sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle the cooled raisins evenly over top (if the raisins have released any liquid, drain them before adding to the filling). For huge rolls, roll from the narrow side to get a very thick log about 8 inches long. (If you want to make more normal-sized rolls, roll from the long side to get a thinner log about 18 inches long.) Turn the seam side down. You might want to squeeze it a little to make sure you didn't roll up any air bubbles and make sure it's holding together well.

6. For the contest rolls, start in the middle and cut 1 1/2" slices with a sharp knife. Try not to squish the log as you're cutting. Space four rolls evenly apart in one of the pans. Try to put the prettiest side up and make them as circular as possible. Use the rest of the log to cut rolls for the other pan--they don't have to be as pretty but try to make even widths because they will bake more evenly. Cover both pans with saran wrap (you can re-use the saran wrap from the earlier rise) and let rise in a semi-warm place for 60-90 minutes.

Variations:

• If you're making the normal-sized rolls, cut the log into 12 equal sized pieces and space out in the 9x13" pan.
• If you made the dough the night before, and put it in the fridge, you can roll it out while it's cold, straight from the fridge, although it will be a little more difficult. You might want to use the raisins for the filling while they're still warm because it will help to warm up the dough. It might take a little while longer for rising--you could preheat the oven early and put the pan on top to catch some of the oven's heat or just put it in a warm place to try to speed it up.
  
• One more option is you could make the rolls until this step and then either refrigerate them or freeze them. If you refrigerate them, take them out to come to room temperature as you're preheating the oven in the morning. If you freeze them, put them in the fridge the day before you want to make them to thaw overnight, then allow to warm to room temperature and bake.

Rolls, fully risen. Aren't they puffy and pretty?

Preheat the oven to 350 F when there are 30 minutes left in the rising time.

7. Bake for 15-22 minutes. The judges said mine were slightly overbaked but I don't know exactly how to tell when they're done so you're on your own. Allow to cool about 5 minutes before turning out of the pan and turning right-side up on a serving plate.


8. Combine frosting ingredients and beat to mix thoroughly. It should be smooth and maybe a little fluffy. Use more or less sugar to make it more or less tangy--I tend towards the tangy side.

9. Frost rolls while still warm. I just used a spatula and tried to put it on evenly, but you might drizzle it on by putting the frosting in a baggie and cutting a corner off. Whatever you do, put it on evenly and let it drip down the sides at least a little.


Serve warm with coffee. Enjoy!

This is what my sticky rolls looked like. The caramel was a little too chewy--when I figure it out, I'll post the recipe.

Blue ribbons

I decided to enter some of my canned goods in the Clay County Fair this year. Canning is alive and well in my hometown of Spencer, Iowa, and they would even let me enter Jam from California.

Unfortunately, to arrive in Iowa, the jars had to travel in my checked suitcase, which meant they got turned upside-down and all around. But they arrived, and a few weeks later my mom even took them in to the fair for me (because they were due when I was still in Berkeley). I came home to see my ribbons, make some cinnamon rolls (more on that later), and introduce Randy to my hometown. It was a good time.

I didn't do too shabbily, either. Here's how the ribbon breakdown went:

1. Applesauce: red ribbon
2. Bread and butter pickles: blue ribbon
3. Dilly beans: blue ribbon
4. Tomato-chili sauce: blue ribbon
5. Sweet pickle relish: blue ribbon and "honorable mention" (for what, I don't know)
6. Strawberry jam (no pectin): white ribbon
7. Apricot jam (no pectin): white ribbon
8. Strawberry preserves (with pectin): blue ribbon
9. Apricot preserves (no pectin): red ribbon
10. Strawberry lavender jam (no pectin): red ribbon
11. Plum jam (with pectin): blue ribbon
12. Low-sugar apple butter: blue ribbon

My apricot preserves got a comment of "what's in here besides apricots?" Well, folks, the only ingredients were apricots, sugar, and lemon juice--and a three day process with a lot of love. Maybe they ran into an apricot kernel? I thought it would be a nice touch, a little natural amaretto flavor. Yum.

So, seven blue ribbons out of a dozen entries isn't too bad. I think it's pretty clear that the judges like pectin in their jams, so I'll keep that in mind for next year.