The DIY Diary: Boozy Bacon Jam

My friend Beverly is a huge fan of bacon and admittedly, I am, too.  In fact, I really love all types of pork:  ribs, loin, belly, chops.  But I have a soft spot for bacon and when I came across a recipe for boozy bacon jam, I knew that I had to try it.

Amazingly, I had all the ingredients including a pound of bacon (okay, I confess, I had two pounds of bacon in my fridge).  The spices included in this recipe are ones that you probably have in your pantry, too -- cinnamon, ginger, paprika, chile, salt, and pepper.  The sweetness comes from maple syrup and the acid from apple cider vinegar.

I'm partial to red onion so substituted one for a yellow onion but otherwise, I stuck to the recipe.  And I even had the boozy part of the recipe:  a nice French brandy (who knew?).  As I was simmering this gorgeous concoction, the house smelled deliciously wonderful. Spicy, boozy, bacony, and sweet.

After the jam simmered for about an hour, I cooled it down and thickened it in the blender. This is a terrific recipe that makes a really sweet gift (pun intended).  I jarred some up for Beverly and another friend, Polly, and I hope they like it.  I know I do!

The Tale of Two Desserts

While I pondered making more traditional sweets for my family's Thanksgiving meal, I couldn't stop thinking about something unusual and chocolatey.  I have a healthy collection of cookbooks and spent a few hours leafing through a whole host of delicious dessert recipes before settling on two that made the cut.  Of the many cookbooks that I own, one of my favorite authors is Ina Garten of Barefoot Contesssa fame.  Her dishes are always so homey and made from very basic ingredients which I truly appreciate. 


The first holiday dessert that Miranda and I baked was a simple and fragrant apple crisp from Garten's Back to Basics Cookbook.  5 pounds of apples goes a long way and most of the ingredients are typically found in a well-stocked pantry.

Apple Crisp

While the apple crisp was fun to make, it was the French Bark from Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties that Miranda and I really loved creating.  Made with a combination of good-quality semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolates, the bark came out smooth, not-too-sweet, and delicious.

French Bark

As Garten explains, what makes this a French bark rather than an American one is that the candied/dried fruits and nuts are layered on top of the bark instead of mixed into the chocolate.  We put a more varied combination on one half and simply Crasins and almonds on the other.

Both desserts were a hit but the dessert table wasn't complete without my sister Kathy's fantastic pumpkin roll and pumpkin pie, my niece Kristina's beautiful blueberry pie, and my other niece Nicole's sugar cookies.  Heavens knows how we had room for these desserts, but don't worry ...  we did!

Xavier, Miranda, Nicole, and Kristina

Almost Made It!

Well, dear friends and fellow bloggers, I almost made it through blogtoberfest with full participation of blogging everyday in the month of October and then my part of the world was hit with a freak snow storm on Saturday which took my power out.  I had so many wonderful plans of how I would end my last weekend blogging in this challenge, but it was not meant to be.  I missed yesterday (Sunday) so I will post that piece today and my little final Halloween posting will now have to wait until tomorrow.

Thanks to EVERYONE who checked in regularly on project:stash, cheered me along, and left comments that made me laugh, think, and feel connected to all my fellow knitters and bloggers. This has been such a great challenge and I feel inspired to keep it up (well, I may not post everyday but close to it so I hope you all keep visiting).  Fingers crossed that my power comes back on soon!

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I love finger food, and I also love small plates. So when I came across this fabulous recipe for Inside-Outside Monkey Bread, I knew I had to try it.

This snack could not be easier to make.  All you need is pizza dough, sliced pepperoni, cubed mozzarella cheese, minced garlic, and butter.

This makes a quick snack or light lunch and if you have kids, they'll love making each ball.  You can find the recipe on my pinterest board under party food.  Bon appetit!

Cookie Love

Last Sunday, I posted about the deep connection between knitting and cooking.  These two passions often go together (not at the same time, of course) but in terms of interest and practice.  I try to be a seasonal cook and since I live on the east coast and actually have seasons, I really enjoy turning to certain fruits and vegetables that come with the change in weather and climate.

It's apple harvest time in my region and I love cooking with apples.  When I came across this little recipe on Smitten Kitchen's blog, I was so excited.  You see, I'm a cookie monster. I have a cookie jar in my kitchen that is never (and I mean never) empty.  Sometimes it's simply filled -- plain butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal -- but when I feel inspired, more complex cookies get added to the jar -- peanut butter, black and whites, dulce de leche sandwiches.  

These are apple cookies and I love that they look like tiny apple pies. We need to go apple picking soon.  I know, it's on the late side but I bet there are still some nice varieties on the trees.  This recipe will be a nice addition to my autumn recipe file, and I can just imagine enjoying them with a nice cup of tea and my knitting.  

What Inspires You?

All through my childhood, I wanted to be an artist.  I didn't have a particular type of artist in mind, but I knew that I loved working with my hands and creating things. Things didn't quite work out the way I had imagined in terms of becoming an artist, but I have surrounded myself with creative and artistic friends and family and that has been a wonderful gift.  And, of course, my knitting has become my most creative outlet.

I noticed recently that many knitters really love food and I'm no exception.  My parents were amazing cooks, mainly of Cantonese cuisine, but my dad could also roast a mean prime rib (my birthday dinner request for years) and I grew up eating very, very well.  When I set off on my own, I experimented endlessly with food (just ask Mark who was my victim dinner guest most nights), and taught myself how to buy ingredients, match them up (sometimes well), and create dishes.  Over the years, my confidence has grown, and I think I can honestly say that I'm a creative and solid cook.

When I'm not knitting and reading craft blogs, I'm cooking and reading food blogs.  Orangette's recent post about her upcoming trip to Paris (and then the trip being side-tracked), stirred the traveler and foodie in me.  This trip was long-in-the-making  and it was meant to inspire creativity, both in her writing and in her cooking. 

From Orangette's post

I look for inspiration in many different places and loved the way Molly described how she was hoping to be inspired by Paris.  She also shared a recipe that I was completely taken with. I'll be baking these this weekend.  I'll let you know how they turn out.