Raspberry Jam that a Six Year Old Can Make

6 cups of raspberries
6 cups of sugar

Mix and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Test the thickness of the jam by dripping some from a spoon. When thick drops fall off the spoon, it is ready. Fill small  sterilized one half cup canning jars and then process for 10 minutes in a canner. Cool. Apply labels. Ensure the six year old labels the jam with her neat and interesting six year old printing style.

Soft Goat Cheese doused in Herb and Garlic Olive Oil

I read this recipe, promptly forgot the ingredients and started to improvise. Recently I found the recipe and was startled how much I had drifted away from the original into my own creation. Unfortunately every time I make the dish, it is always delicious, never to replicated because it is different each time. So here are the basics. 

Place slices  or leave as a round of 8 oz.  creamy goat cheese on a nice platter. You might want to   surround the cheese with slices of English cucumber. There is something pleasing on the palette when you have the softness of the cheese against the crunch of the cucumber. I like the colour as well - green and white speckled with brown bits.

Heat ¼ cup olive oil on low heat. Add a dash of any seeds that appeal to you. The key word is seeds. So I shake into the olive oil:

Pepper corns – black or mixed

Coriander

Fennel

Mustard seeds

Then add 3 to 4 bay leaves. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Add 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced. Brown. Watch at this point because the garlic browns quickly. When the garlic is a golden brown, pour the oil over the goat cheese slices.  Surround the cheese with slices of cucumber. Serve with crusty long thin baguettes cut into rounds. The combination of cheese and cucumber on crusty bread is so good that the last time I served it; we decided that this should just be the main course. We literally licked the plate clean. The conversation was equally as good.

The original recipe has one bay leaf (a small one), ¼ tsp of seeds (fennel, peppercorns and coriander) and 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves.  I can see why I was attracted to this recipe. The next time I make it, I will  include  fresh rosemary to see how the flavours change.  

Bacon Maple Popcorn

One of the easiest, creative and simplest appetizer is popcorn. However you can really change the perceptions of plain popcorn by this recipe.

In a pan, place

2 tablespoons smoked bacon fat

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Bring to a boil. Whisk. Cool for 5 minutes. Pour over 4, 6 or 8 cups popped corn. Toss well.  Sprinkle with Himalayan salt. The fewer cups of popped corn used,  the greater  intensity of flavor. I used 8 cups of popcorn. The flavor was subtle, slightly sweet but not cloying because the bacon fat cut the sweet of the syrup. The bacon flavor in turn was muted. Overall the flavor was nicely balanced and very different from the usual buttered and salted popcorn. Great for entertaining.