I forgot to toss this photo in yesterday’s post. It’s our most recent finished dresser for a customer. That’s grasscloth wallpaper on the drawer fronts and iron/rope hardware. We love how it turned out. For any newcomers, my husband and I refinish furniture as a side business and blog about it at the Wits. There’s a post up about this piece.
Our latest finished client project: grasscloth wallpaper fronts with iron/rope hardware
Self-saucing banana and butterscotch pudding cake
My dear blogger friend, Monet, asked that I do a guest post. No way would I let her down and with this self-saucing banana and butterscotch pudding cake (I know!), don’t think I will be letting you down either. It is as good as it sounds. Please stop by Monet’s amazing baking blog, Anecdotes and Apple cores, for the recipe. She’s a sweetheart. (By the way, I noticed a few comments on her site with some encouragement that is much appreciated….I think I know who they might be. Thank you!)
Keeping this post short, sweet, a little tangy, hot and pretty darn good on a number of things.
I’m of course talking about this tomato apple jam with ginger, chilies, balsamic vinegar and a few other ingredients. I created this after raiding a friend’s garden, helping gather the last pick of produce that would otherwise rot.
There were beacoup amounts of apples, some tomatoes and Thai chilies. My tweets (yeah from twitter) voiced that I had roughly 4 tons of apples. Sorry to those that recommended cider (hard cider specifically), I made applesauce (a twist this year with brown butter and rosemary-Greg really likes it) and apple butter which pretty much wiped out the supply.
Tomato Apple Jam
So 3 apple recipes came about in the last week around here. This being the best of the recipe bushel. A little apple humor. Very little.
Greg and I had a late dinner of this tomato jam over ricotta on baguette slices (and a nice glass of wine). It’s like ketchup’s more complicated, more flavorful cousin. It would be lovely with eggs, layered in a sandwich, topping rice, over baked camembert cheese and excellent with pretzels/fries. Tested and approved. My version is spicy hot but you can tame it down with a jalapeno or no pepper in place of the Thai chili.
Sweet and Spicy Tomato Apple Jam with Ginger, Chili Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar
*You can make this less spicy or not at all by using a jalapeno in place of the Thai chili or no pepper whatsoever
Makes a little over 4 cups
Print Recipe
Ingredients:
3.5 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped with seeds and skin attached
2 large apples, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 Thai chili pepper, minced (keep a few of the seeds for the heat and pitch the rest) or a jalapeno with very little seeds or skip altogether
1 cinnamon stick
¼ tsp cumin
pinch of ground cloves
1 tbsp lime juice
1 ½ tbsp salt
1 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
Place all of the ingredients (except the balsamic vinegar) in a large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the juices have evaporated and the tomatoes and apples have softened and the consistency is thick. This could take a few hours. Remove from the heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Once cooled slightly, remove the cinnamon stick and place in jars. Store the jam for up to a week in your refrigerator. I like it at room temp or warm over ricotta on toast, with pretzels and fries, in a sandwich, over rice, with eggs, in a box, with a fox, on a train. Now I’m going all Green Eggs and Ham Seuss style on you. I’m just saying it’s like ketchups more mature cousin so the possibilities are endless.
Have you heard of the Fairy Hobmother from Appliances Online? Don’t doubt the existence of this person/phenomena and don’t be hatin’ on an offer from a complete stranger you meet on the internet this time because I was given (gratis/free/complimentary) a blender!
Picture from Amazon
The story being that I visited my friend Monet’s blog, Anecdotes and Apple Cores. Her post mentioned that she was given a food processor by the fairy and that perhaps by leaving a comment, with mention of a kitchen tool/appliance you could use, maybe you’d also be visited by the Hobmother. I mentioned my need of a blender and days later, received a lovely message and the next thing I knew, there was a package on my doorstep. How awesome is that?
This is not a scam. This is a kind, giving, interweb presence. So if you’re in need of a tool or appliance for your kitchen, let me know your wish in a comment and see if you are visited by this kind fairy. Big thanks to you, Fairy Hobmother!
And check out our etsy shop to see my talented, crafty mom’s crochet snowflake ornaments. Seriously awesome. Hey, if stores can pull out the winter/Christmas decor before Halloween so can I. My mama is one creative lady.
