finding new ways … Roasted Canned Tomatoes

So I’ve just returned from France, particularly the Southwest region, where I spent the better part of this summer and I’ve come back energized and filled with all kinds of ideas. My weeks were filled with cooking, a lot of eating, a lot of cold rosé, good friends and twice weekly market visits. One day I walked into my friend Kate’s kitchen to the most delightful smells. In the oven were pans of the beloved Coeur de Boeuf tomatoes, slowly roasting in a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Later, she slipped the skins off, packed them into jars and water processed them for longer storage. Just a normal everyday occurrence for her but a light bulb went off in my head. The woman is a genius.

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holy crap, I’m Betty Crocker … Quick Spicy Garlic Pickles

Or Fannie Farmer. Or some pioneer woman stocking up for a long hard winter in the plains. I’ve long been a stress baker, creating things when I’m antsy and need to calm myself.  Yesterday, however, I was a stress canner.  At the end of the day, I looked back and actually surprised myself.  I wonder if I’m from another era sometimes.  In a cloud of crazy energy, I busted out the following:  cherry blueberry jam, red plum jam, quick dill pickles, bread & butter pickles, salted caramels and some really crappy rice krispie treats.  Regarding that last one, file it away in the “I should have known better” category.  Stale rice krispies and Dollar Store marshmallows do not a delicious treat make.  Ick.

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too many injuries to count … Wild Blackberry Jam

This weekend, I took some time to visit family in Southern Indiana.  I’ve always gotten a kick out of my aunt and uncle – they’re hilarious, a little kooky and live in a solar house they built themselves in the beautiful woods of Brown County, near Bloomington.  They used to buy a couple piglets in the spring and have a big “butcher the pigs” shin-dig around

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