A Delivery System for Jam

It’s always fun to try something new. Last week I was browsing one of my cookbooks (Blue Chair Cooks, a companion book to Blue Chair Jam) and found an interesting recipe for making English muffins. That same day we received our new Fine Cooking magazine and it featured a recipe for English muffins. I took this quinky-dink as a “sign” and “Make English Muffins” went on our weekly list (actually, Verne’s list) of projects.  The process was similar to making our favorite no-knead pizza dough. The basic bread ingredients were mixed and then left to rest on the counter for 12-16 hours. The next morning, Verne rolled the dough, cut the muffins with a 3-1/2" cooking cutter, and baked as follows: placed on a griddle over low-medium heat to brown for 3-4 minutes per side and then into the oven to finish for about 8-10 minutes. The muffins were removed and fork-separated (rather than trying to slice them with a knife, the tines of the fork are inserted around the circumference of the muffin leaving the center in tact). When ready to eat, they are further separated and toasted, buttered, and of course topped with a generous slathering of my homemade jam. For a first try, they were excellent and are without a doubt the perfect delivery system for my jam!

Speaking of my jam, it’s been a while since I’ve said much about it. Don’t get the idea my obsession with jam making has waned. During the off season (now), I spend my time reading jam books (15+ and growing), making the occasional batch of jam using fresh-frozen fruit, teaching MFP classes (three so far this year), and planning my jam making for the new year. I’m just like a gardener who spends the winter months browsing seed catalogs, planning the garden, and anxiously anticipating the first sign of spring…I browse recipe books, magazines and the Internet for inspiration, plan my ("our", I don't jam without my trusty assistant) summer jamming, while I anxiously anticipate the first sign of April strawberries.

Yes, I did indicate above that I’ve made a few batches of jam from frozen fruit over the past few months.  In January, a fellow MFPer asked if I had a recipe for peach marmalade. I thought the question absurd, as everyone knows marmalades are pure citrus, and I was quick to tell her. Wrong! (I’ll get to that in a moment.) Shortly after that, I was again browsing my cook books and came across a recipe for Peach Marmalade. Imagine my surprise (and embarrassment). I contacted my friend regarding the recipe and she asked if I’d make it with her. She furnished the peaches and citrus and I provided the sugar and a couple of afternoons. The recipe called for a pound of lemons and three pounds of peaches. Gail’s home-grown peaches were frozen from last summer. They were a beautiful orange-red color and tree-ripened sweet. Our jamming session went well and she went home with eight half-pints of jam (I kept three jars and a three-pound bag of her frozen peaches). The following week I made a second batch of Peach Marmalade and it turned out equally delicious. In fact, it’s so good I think it might be a jam worthy of entering in the 2015 Amador County Fair (I’m getting a lot of pressure from the family to participate in the Fair).

Okay, back to my faux pas…here’s what I’ve learned about marmalade. The term is thought to have come from the Portuguese word “marmelo” or “marmelada” and was first used centuries ago to describe one of the earliest preserves, a sweet paste made from quince fruit and honey. In many languages, variations of the word marmalade refer to fruit preserves in general and of varying types, not strictly citrus. The English, however, adopted the word “jam” as a generic term for different preserves and narrowed the definition of marmalade to be jam made from predominantly citrus fruits and their peels. Interesting...whatever we call it, marmalade by any other name would be just as sweet!

  

The Mid-Point

We're home from our third whirlwind trip to SoCal and Jana is officially half way through her chemotherapy. The cancer news this past few weeks has been good as Jana’s oncologist excitedly noted a significant reduction in the size of the tumor. Her physical examination will be followed by an ultrasound sometime before the next chemo treatment on March 12^th. This trip began much like the last one arriving Wednesday afternoon and spending a wonderful evening with the family talking, laughing, and of course, eating (our favorite form of entertainment).

Jana planned a casual dinner for us at Wurstkuche, a hotdog place (according to Jana) in Venice Beach. Wurstkuche, a purveyor of exotic grilled sausages (according to the menu), is certainly not your typical “hotdog” place (think Der Wienerschnitzel)…there is nothing ordinary about it. They serve over twenty different kinds of sausages, including a few classics (Bratwurst, Hot Italian, Vegetarian Mexican Chipotle…these don’t sound very classic to me), several gourmet (Mango Jalapeno, Filipino Maharlika, Austin Blues), and about eight exotics (Rattlesnake & Rabbit with Jalapeno Peppers, Pheasant with herbs de Provence). I’ve only named a few. The other choices are equally unique. Besides sausages, they serve Belgian Fries and Belgian and German beers. That’s it! If you want a burger, you’ve come to the wrong place. We all played it safe and stuck with a classic dog topped with caramelized onions and sauerkraut (Jana chose sweet and spicy peppers for her vegetarian dog). We loved the place and will definitely be returning. I’m hoping to muster up courage to try one of the exotics…maybe Duck & Bacon with Jalapeno Peppers or Buffalo, Beef & Pork with Chipotle Peppers. I think I’ll avoid the rattlesnake. I’ve included a few pictures from our evening.

While Verne and Lauren are looking pretty sweet in the picture, I assure you they were being very, very naughty. Each table included about five quart-size containers of different mustards with bands around the top to differentiate them. You guessed it…they decided to switch the bands.

Raelin made the two-hour drive from her home in Fontana to spend Thursday with Jana (and the rest of us). We drove together to the Santa Monica Oncology Center and were pleased to find that Jana was scheduled for the room with an ocean view. We chose a spacious end cubicle and all piled in (as we had the past two treatments) and were promptly met by a cranky nurse who refused to begin Jana’s treatment until we left. All but one, that is. She pointed out to us that there was one guest chair and the rest of us would have to stay in the waiting room. To make a long story short...we protested, but to no avail and we finally retreated to a private little nook on the first floor. The treatment was more difficult for Jana than the previous ones and she slept through much of it, so it all worked out for the best as she was able to rest and we got to catch up with Raelin. This picture was taken before we were thrown out!

On the way home from the treatment, we stopped by RiteAid to pick up a couple of meds for Jana. The girls began sharing memories of living in Campbell, Verne as Mr. Mom, and Thrifty ice cream cones after school. Before long we were all sitting in the sun and enjoying a Thrifty cone while we waited for the prescriptions to be filled. The happy stories (to hear the girls talk, some of their best childhood memories are from the three years Verne spent as Mr. Mom…what does that say about me?) and ice cream were just what Jana needed. 

Three down, three to go!

Second Chemo Trip

We made our second trip to SoCal last week to accompany Jana to her chemo treatment. Scott flew down from Seattle to join us and spend the weekend. It’s been Jana’s choice that we spend Wednesday through Friday with her and then leave before the going gets tough. She’s at her peak (that term is relative, as even on her best days she is far from feeling normal) those three days and then the waves of sickness return sometime on Saturday. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to help her through that following week and she prefers to be alone.

Our time together with the three kids (Lauren also flew down from Portland to be with Jana) was incredible…so good to see Scott and I loved seeing  “the Mexico Fishing Team” together. Here’s a picture from their most recent trip last fall and shows the marlin they teamed up to catch. Normally, it would have been released, but, sadly, the three-hour fight did it in. The meat was shared with the boat captain and Scott had the rest smoked.

Jana was tired Thursday afternoon, but managed to muster strength to plant several new herbs and succulents she got on the way home from her treatment. She has a green thumb and loves to “work in her garden.” She reminds me of me when I lived in SoCal and spent hours propagating and tending my plants and was active in the local garden club. Living in the foothills with deer, turkey, and other plant-predators, I have given up all hopes of growing anything beyond rosemary and lavender or the occasional hanging basket of flowering plants. 

Thursday evening, we went to our favorite restaurant, Musha, and were seated in their private room where we removed our shoes upon entering and sat on the floor. What fun! As usual, the food was amazing and we ordered no less than a dozen courses finishing with their green tea ice cream. Scott entertained us with his travel stories, a favorite (of ours) being his story of a day and night spent in Japan wearing only a bathrobe, actually a kimono, beginning with a sauna and an elaborate dinner and ending being escorted by his Japanese client from one karaoke bar to another until the wee hours of the morning. Scott’s a seasoned world traveler and his stories of these foreign adventures kept us laughing, but it was his understanding and acceptance of other peoples’ customs, traditions, and general ways of life that made me proud. Verne and I have never left the states and while we are open-minded to ways and beliefs that differ from our own, Scott is experiencing it first hand. While he’s a great storyteller and has a wonderful sense of humor, he is always respectful and appreciative of these people and their cultures that are so different from our own.  

The following morning we all gathered at Bar 9 across from Jana’s cottage and enjoyed one of their delicious breakfasts…actually, there are only two to choose from: bacon and avocado drizzled with a vinaigrette on multigrain toast (Yum!) or a breakfast sandwich of bacon, chard, and a over-easy egg (double Yum!). Friday afternoon Scott attended a coin show in Long Beach and Lauren met up with her girlfriends and former roommates from Berkeley. It just happened that one of her friends was spending a two-day layover on her trip from Australia (where she lives) to New York to visit her father. The other two girls live in L.A. It had been ten years since the four of them first met at the dorms in Berkeley, became fast friends and later lived in a multi-room house on MLK until they all graduated.

This was an especially short trip as we had a commitment on Saturday mid-day and had to drive back to Volcano on Friday afternoon. But, three short weeks and we’ll be making the trip again and Jana will be at the mid-point of her chemotherapy! Lauren has set up a blog on a non-profit website called www.caringbridge.org, which includes all of her email “Jana updates” she’s sent over the past few months. If you are interested, let Lauren know at laurrae@gmail.com and she’ll either add you to the email list or send you an invite or go directly to www.caringbridge.org for Jana Moser. Love to all and thank you for your continued support of Jana and the family.