It was a busy week here at FiJ HQ. In addition to all the regular stuff, I had four book events (adding up to a total of 12 half pints of honey sweetened strawberry jam – those small batches sure do add up), did some furniture rearranging (new dining room chairs were picked up and the old ones were sent off to a new home), and spent a little time mentally preparing for my upcoming birthday (35 feels slightly jarring). Now, links!
- I’m always on the look out for chewy granola bar recipes and this one looks interesting!
- A chocolate loaf cake that is satisfying and entirely vegan! I like to have a couple recipes like this one tucked away for potlucks and parties where I know lots of plant-based eaters will be in attendance.
- Five things to do with spent vanilla beans (I love this post and wish I’d thought to write it).
- A clever trick for labeling the jars you use for dry goods.
- Sign me up for a glass of this iced spiced chai latte.
- Vanilla rhubarb butter. Perfect for this long, slow spring.
- No-cook strawberry lemon curd, thickened with chia seeds. Not safe for canning, but absolutely useful for many curd applications.
- I got a kick out of this story about these amazing small batch PB & J sandwiches.
- Curious about the history food preservation? This presentation from Master Food Preserver Ernest Miller is a really great (though long) watch.
- Kaela from Local Kitchen is writing a data-driven series about sugar and the first post went live this week. It’s really fascinating and everyone should read it.
And now, just a few links that reference my own work from this week
- First up, my recipe for strawberry caramel sauce that went live on Simple Bites on Wednesday.
- Ellen shared my recipe for rosemary rhubarb jam from Preserving by the Pint on her blog, From Scratch. So glad you liked it, Ellen!
- And over at Grow and Resist, Meg shares some thoughts about both my little book and Kate’s new book, The Hip Girl’s Guide to the Kitchen
. I love keeping such good literary company!
. I love keeping such good literary company!
I made your honey sweetened strawberry jam this weekend too!!! I also made your vanilla strawberry jam and whole berries in vanilla syrup. Our berry farms just opened this weekend and we picked a few too many.
I made those chewy granola bars last week and they are AMAZING. I encourage you to make them as soon as humanly possible. I plan to pick up some almond butter this afternoon so I can try a cherry-almond-chocolate version.
Happy early birthday! I turned 35 about five months ago, and it was jarring for me, too. Not sure what it is about being in the middle of your 30s that doesn’t set well. I *think* I’ve gotten over, but for a few months prior, it was kind of ugly! Where does the time go?
Thanks for the link! (The granola bars ARE quite good!). I cannot wait to dig into your book. We have a whole mess of rhubarb growing in the kids’ school garden, and pretty pink preserves might be just the thing to entice the students to try it. Happy 35!
Thank you for the link, and for all the amazing recipes! I wasn’t joking, your cookbooks make me drool just looking at them. Thanks for helping me get over my canning hesitation! Happy birthday!
On a different subject, just saw Preserving By the Pint as a recommended read in my Mother Earth News newsletter. Go, you!!!!
Oh! That’s pretty darn cool! I hadn’t seen that!