What a sweet surprise - from my friend Laurie "Chocolate Covered Twinkies"!!  She found them at Vermont Country Store....

The Georgia Peach Truck came to town and I loaded  up on peaches.  My friend Ann had her mothers old recipe for making spicy Peach Jam so we had quite the busy day jammin'!  It was so much fun learning the official way to can preserves; plus spread the joy of jam (pun intended) to family and friends.

You need to try this Greek style dip............

Sweet Paul’s Feta and Lemon Dip

It’s also one of the simplest recipes ever. Just a few ingredients, 2 minutes in the food processor, and voila, you have the most amazing dip.

Serves 4

7 ounces feta cheese (about 1 cup crumbled)

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish

1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Crudités, chips, toasts, or pita crisps, for serving

 

1.Place the feta, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil in a blender and whir until combined but still slightly chunky. It’s dense, so you may need to stir it with a fork once or twice. Taste, and if it’s too salty add more lemon juice.2.Spoon into a serving bowl, drizzle with a little oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of pepper flakes and some lemon zest.3.Serve with crudités, chips, toasts or pita crisps.

Read more: http://www.sweetpaulmag.com

This is the perfect cookie for the Fall season.  It is my friend Rusty's recipe, your gonna love them!  I just made a batch --hint wrap each cookie in saran wrap; they make great gifts!



Rusty's Giant Gingersnaps                           

 2 c. flour                   l

2 t. cinnamon           l

2 t. ginger                   Stir together in small bowl.         

1 t. b. soda               /

¼ t. nutmeg              l

¼ t. salt                    l

 

½ c. butter or marg., softened    l

¼ c. shortening                             Beat together until fluffy.

¾ c. sugar                                   /

½ c. brown sugar, packed          l

 

1/3 c. molasses      Beat into sugar mixture, then gradually add flour mixture.

1 lg. egg               /

 

1/3 c. granulated sugar, spread on dinner plate or pie tin

 Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350˚; lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets.  Measure ¼ c. dough, roll into ball and then roll in sugar to coat.  Arrange 4” apart on cookie sheets, about 5 cookies on each.  Bake about 18 minutes, switching position of sheets halfway through.  (They may need a couple more minutes after this.)  Cool on sheets 5 minutes; transfer to racks and cool completely.  Can be frozen individually for quite some time.  Makes 10 cookies.

Since it is the season for EGGS thought I would share tips on the best way to make Hard Boiled and Soft Boiled Eggs.

This tip came from my pottery artist friend Diane & "Cooking with Kids":

Easy to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

1.  Place a steamer basket in the bottom of a pot that you would use for soups/pasta.

2.   Add water until it comes thru the bottom of the steamer basket.  Gently place eggs in the basket and cover the pan with a lid.

3.  Bring water to a boil, then slightly lower the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.

4.  Remove eggs with tongs and place in a bowl of cold/ice water  - allow to cool down before peeling.  Crack your eggs by tapping the broad end of egg on a hard surface, they should peel easy.  Remember when using fresh eggs like ours, you need to wait a few days before boiling as they are impossible to peel when really fresh.

* * * * *

Soft Boiled Eggs ( we call them "Dippy Eggs" for toast) From Cooks Illustrated:

1.  Bring 1/2 inch of water to a boil in a medium sauce pan.

2.  Using tongs place eggs in boiling water (eggs will not be submerged) and cover sauce pan with lid.

3.  Cook eggs for 6 1/2 minutes.

4.  Remove pan from heat - place in sink and run cold water for about 1 minute.

Eggs are ready to serve, snip the top off and serve with buttered toast.