Peach Jam

Peach Jam:

4 pounds Peaches

4-6 cups of sugar

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch mixed into 1/4 cup water

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for me

My mom helped process the peaches because I just had a baby.

We had about 4 pounds of Peaches. Sprinkle sugar and lemon juice over trimmed peaches to preserve the consistency of the fruit. We stored ours in the fridge overnight.

I keep a large container of lemon juice around in case I do not have fresh lemons.

Place peaches in large stock pot and turn on low heat.

Peaches should start to cook in their own juice, if not, add some water.

Add 4 cups of sugar. That's right, 4 cups.

Cook on low for a few hours stirring so the mixture does not stick. 

Now We're Jammin
(I added 2 more cups of sugar)

In a separate cup add 2 Tablespoons of corn starch to 1/4 cup water and mix. Once it is dissolved place in jam and mix in.

I sanitize my jars with a boiling bath one at a time with tongs. Carefully!

These are new heat pads that can be used to handle the very hot jars with very hot jam in them.

These are the jars after their sanitized bath.

I used one of those ladles that is meant to sit on top of soup and look like a monster to scoop the jam into the jars. I used a damp paper towel to wipe off any spills before sealing the jars. 

I had more.

I just love this jar's color

Sanitized

Glamour shot

Me Haw

Me Haw!

This is a family recipe that has been tweaked but the name stuck. It is not traditional Thai Me Haw.

Ingredients for chicken:

1 onion chopped

5 cloves garlic minced

1 tbs ginger minced

1 Thai chili minced

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

1-2 pounds of chicken

Ingredients for sauce:

4 tbs fish sauce

1 lime juice

5 tbs tamarind paste

4 tbs sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for rice:

4 cups rice

8 cups water

2 cups coconut milk or cream

2 mangoes cut up

Shell peanuts from the shell will be ground up. You can use a hammer and plastic bag or a blender or food processor. 

Use about 1-2 tbs of ginger

Use pairing knife to cut the skin off the ginger to be able to mince it as best you can. Ginger can be fibrous and hard to cut at times without a super sharp knife.

Cut with the grain of ginger usually length wise first. Then go against the grain to mince.

1 tbs of minced ginger

Next we mince the garlic

5-6 cloves of garlic

Ginger and Garlic

Rinse rice in water to wash

I use my nifty rice cooker to do the rice. 

4 cups rice, fill water to 8 cup mark

Chop 1 yellow onion small

Onion, Garlic, Ginger

1/4 cup cilantro

I only use one Thai chili. One is enough for me.

Ginger, Garlic, Onion, Cilantro, Thai chili.

Chop the mango, chop, chop the mango.

I cut off each side and then cut lines horizontal and vertical. I use the knife to cut the pieces off into a bowl.

Mango pieces

Cut the chicken into pieces and put to the side in a bowl.

1/4 cup crushed peanuts

Heat oil in large pan or wok.

Saute onions first

Add garlic

Add ginger

Saute all together until golden.

Saute chicken in the middle of the pan and then add in onions

Saute together

Add chili

Mix the sauce and get it ready to add

Add sauce

Saute chicken in sauce on low heat until sauce thickens

Simmering

Add 2 cups of coconut milk to the rice and mix.

Add mangoes

Reduce sauce

Add peanuts

Add cilantro

Enjoy over rice