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Raspberry Jam, click for recipeRaspberry jam is just the best! Great on pancakes or toast.

Apricot Pineapple Jam click for recipe If you like pineapple with your apricot jam you might like this recipe.

Drying Apples

Use slightly tart "eating apples" as opposed to "cooking apples." Rome Beauty, Northern Spy, Jonathan, Baldwin, Wine sap, Graven stein, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious work well. Choose mature fruit that is evenly colored and un bruised.

Wash and peel apples, you may leave peelings on if you like them with them on. Optionally drop fruit in an ascorbic acid bath to prevent browning. I use concentrated orange juice in water or sometimes white vinegar. I don't usually use ascorbic acid. This is something purely personal, after all these are your dried apples.

For indoors start dryer at 130 degrees, increase to 165 degrees after about 1 hour. I turn my apples often. If you are using a cooking sheet in the oven be sure to spray with pam or use oil on soft cloth so apples won't stick. You don't want excess oil on pan, just enough to make the apples not stick. When most of the moisture has left the fruit, lower the temperature to 145 degrees and regulate it between that temperature and 130 degrees as needed to prevent scorching. Stir and turn fruit on trays frequently as it finishes drying. Apples should dry in 6 hours or less under controlled heat.

For Outdoors dry in the sun for 1 to 3 days. Some say sulfuring is required but I personally never use it, I like mine natural and I have had mine last for years. Place the fruit one layer deep on trays and cover with cheesecloth or other light fabric during drying. If you use screen be sure and don't use galvanized, use fiberglass screen you get at the hardware store, its cheap and you can make drying trays quite easily. My father made me years ago an enclosed dryer for outside, I love it...

Baked Beans (These are sooo good!)

1 onion finely chopped
2 15 oz. cans pork and beans
½ cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 small 9 oz. can tomato sauce
Fried beacon (4 to 8 pieces) cut into small bits

Combine all ingredients, Bake 300 1 hour or until done.

Pumpkin Cake 1 of 2, another version at bottom of page.
2 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter
½ cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
6 to 7 eggs (I use 7)
1 29 oz. can 100% Pumpkin
or you can use fresh pumpkin
½ cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare baking pans or line muffin cups if making cupcakes.
2. In bowl sift together flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt: set aside.

In large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium for a minute. Add granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add pumpkin, milk and vanilla. After pumpkin is mixed in add flour mixture and beat on low until mixed together. Don’t mix too long.

Fill baking pans, can fill 3 round pans. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, check to see if done with toothpick. Cupcakes take about 15 minutes.

Cool cake then frost with your favorite frosting, I like sour cream sugar frosting with vanilla and orange. There is a frosting recipe at the bottom of the page and another version of a pumpkin cake.

Canned Peaches

2 to 3 pounds peaches per quart
Sugar
Water

To prepare peaches: Wash peaches; dip in boiling water 30 to 60 seconds; immediately dip peaches in cold water. Slip off peel. Cut in half; pit. Cling peaches are easier to cut into halves if a pitting spoon is used to loosen the pulp from the pit. Push the spoon through pulp from the stem end to the end of the pit, cutting pulp from the pit. If a pitting spoon is not available, use a knife to cut through to the pit; begin at stem end and follow crease to blossom end; continue cutting on opposite side. After cutting, hold a peach in half in each hand and twist in opposite directions to separate half's.

I prefer raw pack.

Raw Pack: Peel peaches; cut in half and pit. Treat to prevent darkening. Make a light or medium syrup; (I prefer a light syrup, syrup recipes at bottom), keep syrup hot. Drain peaches. Pack peaches cavity side down, layers overlapping into hot jars. I use a wooden spoon to put peaches into jar with, lay the peach on top of the wooden spoon and put into jar, they will lay nicely, if you want to just throw them in remember they are your peaches you may do as you like.. Leave a 1/2 inch head space. Remove air bubbles by running a knife or plastic tool around sides, try not to cut the peaches. Adjust two-piece caps, always use new caps, make sure your screw on rims are not bent, you want your peaches to seal.
Process pints 25 minutes, quarts 30 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Hot Pack: Peel peaches; cut in half and pit. Treat to prevent darkening. Make a medium or heavy syrup. Drain peach's. Cook peaches on layer at a time in syrup until are hot throughout Pack hot peaches into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Ladle hot syrup over peaches, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps.
Process pings 20 minutes, quarts 25 minutes, in a boiling water canner.

Note: If peaches are juicy, measure peaches after pitting and peeling. Add 1 to 2 cups to each 5 quarts peaches. Cook peaches slowly until sugar dissolves and peaches are hot throughout. Pack and process as for canning peaches, hot pack. If there is not enough syrup add boiling water to cover peaches leaving 1/2 inch head space.

Always check your canning books recipe before canning as it may change for your area depending upon the altitude.

Gingerbread House

Preheat the oven to 375 In a large pot on low heat, melt
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup molasses

Remove from heat and mix in
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Stir in thoroughly 1 cup at a time
4 1/2 to 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Mix and knead all ingredients until the dough is even in color and smooth, not crumbly or dry. Place dough on a cookie sheet and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Place your pattern on dough and cut out pattern, remove the excess (you can reuse it). Bake dough at 375 for 10 to 14 min. You should not be able to touch the gingerbread and leave an imprint. Immediately after you remove gingerbread from oven, place pattern back on ginger bread and trim it (gingerbread will spread while baking). Do this while gingerbread is still hot. If you wait for it to cool it will become hard and break if you try to cut it.

Gingerbread Icing

4 cups or 1 lb of powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder

Slowly add 6 to 8 Tablespoons warm water
Beat Frosting until stiff peaks form
Keep frosting bowl covered with wet towel while you are decorating or it will dry out.

Cranberry Salsa great for the Holidays!

1 12 oz. pkg. fresh cranberries, you can use frozen, but fresh are prettier
3/4 cup sugar
1 medium jalapeno, remove seeds
1 green onion
1 - 2 T. fresh cilantro, to taste or
1 tsp. of dried cilantro
1/4 tsp. cumin

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Process until mixture is coarsely chopped. Store in refrigerator over night to allow flavors to blend.

Makes 3 cups. Serve with tortilla chips. This is also great served with crackers and cream cheese. Good with beef, pork or poultry. Great with Pork Chops.

Christmas Memory