Tag Archives: coffee

Caramel Apple Coffee Jam

apple apples applesauce cutting boardYeah, coffee lovers … you read that right — COFFEE JAM!

This jam is tasty and fun!  It is easy to prepare and makes for a delicious spread, baked good filling, or ice cream topping.  If you know how to can, it may also serve as a surprising gift.

make applesauce peel core cut cubeNOTE – It is important that to read and fully understand how to prepare this recipe before starting to cook the jam.  Also, have all ingredients measured and within each reach, along with a timer, utensils, and containers ready.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups – 480 mL Applesauce
  • 2 cups – 240 mL Strong Brewed Coffee
  • About 1/2 teaspoon – 2.5 mL Butter
  • 4 Tablespoons – 60 mL Pectin (see note below)
  • 2 cups – 426 g Brown Sugar

DIRECTIONS

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    Put applesauce, coffee, butter, and pectin in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

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    Add brown sugar.  While stirring over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil that cannot be stirred down (this helps to get the sugar dissolved).  Start timer for one minute and continue boiling while stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; carefully and quickly, skim any foam off of the surface using a tablespoon into a bowl (later, discard or taste once cooled to sample).

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    Ladle the hot jam into storage containers then allow to cool.  Use soon, store in your refrigerator for several weeks.  This jam may be canned for long term storage if you know the process.  If you need to learn how to can properly, look to the Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving (a classic!), also the USDA website has free resources online.

Makes about 2 pints worth of jam.

warm cornbread muffins snack breakfast side dish homemade butter jelly

TIPS THOUGHTS 

Safety First!  Accidents can happen in kitchens, and it is best to develop practices to avoid them in the first place.  I suggest using a long wooden spoon or another implement that does not conduct heat, and cannot fall in when laid on an angle in the pan.  Also – Word to the Wise – if you are canning, I advise against using tongs (below left) to get lid pieces out of hot water.  The water can run down the inside channel and get on to you – OUCH!  Instead, my suggestion is to use these other tongs (below right) or something similar.

silicon salad Tongs pinchers

Instead of storing this jam in your refrigerator, you could probably freeze it – however, I have not personally tried this.

Not All Pectin Is Created Equal — Read On …

In perfecting my recipe, I made batches using each pectin product pictured below.  When I used the Ball pectin, my jam came out more like a spread – even to say, it was a little runny.  I also had some of the Sure Jell on hand and I thought to make another batch, wondering how it might come out.  When looking at the back label of both products, I noticed something – let’s get mathy

Ball brand canister Sure Jell Pectin box

Ball
Serving size 1/4 tsp (0.7g)
Sure Jell
Serving size 1/8 tsp (0.5g), multiplied by 2 = 1/4 tsp (1g)

Already we can tell that the Sure Jell weighs more by volume.  Presumably, one product is denser than the other – and I figured if one is denser, likely there is more pectin present … making the jam thicker.  This becomes even more obvious when one calculates out to the 4 Tablespoons of pectin this recipe calls for …

Ball – 4 Tbsp (33.6g)
Sure Jell – 4 Tbsp (48g)
48g – 33.6g = A 14.4 gram difference for the same volume of pectin.

What were the results of my batch of jam using the Sure Jell pectin?  Sure enough, it was thicker!  All said, there are various pectin products produced and available on the market – use different ingredients and you will get different results.

PAIRINGS

Let's Bake Cookie Squares and Biscotti!
Click the picture to get a copy of my FREE SAMPLE E-BOOK!

No matter what pectin I have used, this jam tends to be soft – something to use more as a spread … okay, what I’m trying to nicely say here is that if you put this in a peanut butter and jam sandwich, I’m pretty sure the jam is going to run out.  The choice is yours.  In any case, due to the unique flavour of this jam, I prefer to put it on a baked good where the jam is the prevailing taste.  One example I’m fond of — warm cornmeal muffins with a little bit of butter … they’re particularly good!


Updates & New Recipe Books — Coming Soon …

Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies
Wanna guess who’s my hand model?

My debut book Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies is getting new cover art and interior colour pictures.
Re-release Goal — mid-April 2023 … maybe sooner!

Also Coming …

  • Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Cookie Recipes – Fall 2023
  • 2020 & 2021 Recipe Of The Month Collection – Fall 2023
  • Scot-Irish Recipes – in time for St. Patrick’s Day 2024
  • 2022 & 2023 Recipe Of The Month Collection – Early 2024
  • The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01 re-release with colour food photos – fingers crossed … late June 2023

Check me out online at FacebookTwitter, and now Instagram for further updates on my upcoming books.

Why I Love Organic Coffee

Here and there, talking with people in person and online, I share why I love organic coffee.  For this, some folks have titled me a ‘coffee snob’ — inaccurate but acceptable — and once you read my reasons I think you’ll understand why I disagree and believe that organic beans are best.

Sure, I can tell you that I’m not a very good morning person, that I like the taste of coffee — all the usual “I like coffee” tag-lines, but that’s aside the point.  I could also get cavalier and tell you how I can drink gallons of it all day — but that’s not true any more.  Yeah, there was a time that I’d have cups throughout the day — now — my limit is 2 … more than that and I don’t even like me.  I can’t even drink it past 5PM or I have problems sleeping … so while I’d love a fresh cup with that slice of pie, I’m going to have to pass.
(Despite all this, I still think that a coffee IV drip / alarm clock is a magnificent concept!)

So let’s get down to why I love organic coffee …

I used to buy the bulk container of inexpensive name-brand coffee grounds.  It was cheap and the flavour was consistent — and with any luck the can came in handy afterwards.

For me, after 5 or 6 months of drinking this stuff, I’d get what felt like a terrible sinus infection.  It felt as though I wanted to climb the wall with my face.  Every time it occurred I thought I was coming down with something … until I remembered.  Apparently some of us — including me — need to take a break from coffee from time to time.  I know what you’re saying, “Oh god, the headaches!!!”  But before we get too much into that, let’s take a look at how mass-produced commercial coffee is grown, and see if we can figure out why people get headaches when they go off coffee.

As I understand it …

Coffee plants are supposed to grow in the shade, so they grow slow.  Big companies often don’t do “slow” — they want a lot and they want it Now … because they want to make a lot of money and fast.  These large food producing companies clear-cut acres upon acres of land to grow coffee — meaning that it is in the full sun where it is also easy to access (none of those pesky trees getting in the way of their harvesting equipment).  Either to compensate for the full-sun issue, or to make more coffee / money / now, they use fertilizers and pesticides.  Later various other not-coffee ‘ingredients’ are used in processing their beans, preservatives and such.

Think about it …
Fertilizers, pesticides, and preservatives are in your mass-produced coffee — and when you go off that coffee you get headaches.  When I go off of organic coffee, I don’t get headaches.  Organic coffee doesn’t use fertilizers, pesticides, and preservatives.  So what do you think it is giving you headaches?  As I can tell … it’s not the coffee, beans, or grounds.

So back when I had the ‘sinus infection’ sensation every 5 to 6 months, how did I get rid of it?  I’d give my body a chance to detox from the stuff.  Stop coffee for 1-2 weeks.  Dealt with a whopper of a headache for 1-2 days.  Drank plenty of water.  Tried to get some simple exercise in like walking.  All things that gave my body — and my aching head and face — and opportunity to flush everything out.

I started getting together with a friend of mine for breakfast once a month.  We both lead busy lives, however she was able to schedule making a substantial breakfast at her place every few weeks.  With that, she would serve coffee that had incredible flavour.  When I asked her about it, she said that it was from freshly ground organic beans.  She said something about it being better for your body, but I didn’t give it much thought at the time — to me, coffee was coffee and this stuff was good!

While that was my introduction to organic coffee, I don’t remember when I switched to buying organic beans and drinking it regularly myself*.  I noticed some changes, and I was pleased…
(*When I launched WIBC, this was one ingredient I insisted upon along with the other quality ingredients I used — and still use — in making my cookies.)

I still get the ‘sinus’ issue — but it is lighter and it occurs further apart.  The detox is easier and shorter — about 5 to 7 days.  When I skip coffee on any given day, no headache (could it be that my body isn’t addicted to any fertilizers, pesticides, or preservatives and I’m not quitting them cold-turkey?).  Something I’ve also noticed is that my coffee doesn’t get acidic after sitting around for a while — not in my pot, and not in my stomach if I’ve delayed getting lunch.  I’ll still have a cup of commercial-bean coffee — I don’t let my organic switch rule my life — if someone offers me coffee I don’t ask if it’s organic and decline if it isn’t.  So I get some commercial product here and there, that doesn’t affect me.  Instead, most of the time, I consume organic coffee and my body is much happier for it.

Is organic coffee for you?  I don’t know — try switching for a while, see what it does for you.  In the process you might also find that you’re consuming a tastier, natural product.

Want to know how to make a great cup of coffee?

Make Your Own Darn Good CookiesThe longest section in my debut recipe book, Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, explains how to get the most use out of a French press.  This is one of the best ways to make coffee — it takes patience, and it’s worth it.

This book presents over 50 proven recipes — cookies, beverages, breakfast items, and main-course comfort foods.  Read more about my book here on my site, order a copy online, available through most major retailers in e-book format, and ask for it by name through your favourite bookstore and local library.

WOWI, Dan Petersen, and Final Impulse

You know about WOWI — right?  Writing On Whidbey Island — the new writing-focused podcast I’ve co-launched with Tom Trimbath?  Tom and I were recently invited into the home of author Dan Petersen.  We had the pleasure of discussing his approach to writing and his experiences since first publishing nine-books ago!

Dan Petersen’s Latest Release!

Final Impulse
Available NOW!

This weekend Dan releases his newest book from the Shane Lindstrom detective series — Final Impulse.  Prior to our visit, Dan kindly saw that Tom and I received advance copies of his latest addition (or would that be edition? LOL).  This is my introduction to the Detective Lindstrom series — and I quickly found I thoroughly enjoy Dan’s writing!

Dan Petersen

Like a lot of us, I’m a busy guy.  It can be tricky to fit in daily reading time.  I frequently have to set down a book after only a few minutes or even a few pages.  When it comes to Dan’s book, many chapters are only a couple of pages long.  Personally, I appreciate this — I refer to this approach as ‘digestible chunks’.  This presentation makes for an easier transition to and from a literary adventure.

Have you seen Tom Selleck portray Jesse Stone in the TV-movie series?  I too have enjoyed these and often thought their stories could take place here on Whidbey Island.  My hope has been to discover a detective series that answers this call — and with Final Impulse I believe I’ve Finally Found IT!  Dan writes using real-life Whidbey locations; for an islander like myself, I feel-like-I’m-there as I follow the story.  The characters are are distinct and memorable.  While I have only begun to read Dan Petersen’s newest book, I am excited to follow Shane Lindstrom as he gets to the bottom of his latest mystery!

~

Dan Petersen is a former professional journalist turned book-author who is now writing for fun.  His impressive list of titles are enough to cover most coffee tables!  Our time with him was pleasant and insightful — discussing how, why, and what to write, including the seemingly counter-wisdom of what not to write.  Every Saturday morning Dan posts on his sought after blog.  And when you join us for this WOWI listen, don’t be surprised by hearing heavy breathing and clicking toenails in the background.  That’s Duncan — Dan’s dog and the cover-model for one of his books.

LINKS

Outdoorsy Male
Duncan the Dog

WOWI episode 8 – Dan Pedersen, Final Impulse

Dan Petersen’s popular blog, including — to our surprise — his posting about the WOWI interview!

Find Dan at his Amazon and Goodreads profiles

Listen to WOWI podcasts

And, last but not least, my recent WOWI blog post leading up to our interview with Dan

You can find Dan’s books on Whidbey Island at

Eldritch Black and Weirdbey Island

Eldritch Black
This fellow …

Exactly ten days ago, as you will recall from my recent blog post, I met at a local coffee shop with one Mr. Eldritch Black.  A rather curious gentlemen and fellow author here on Whidbey Island, Mr. Black writes creepy books for the purpose of scaring youngsters.  We’ve asked him not to do this terrible thing, however the children seem to enjoy these tomes of his, so I guess it’s all for the better. Weirdbey Island

Since becoming an author myself just over a year ago with “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, I’ve had the blessing (and sometimes curse) of connecting with numerous other authors.  Quite a few have kindly shared their works, most often in the form of e-books — some with audiobooks.  Over the past year I have received so many of each I can’t keep up with them.  Mr. Black generously foisted some of his upon me — two from his Weirdbey Island series along with The Book of Kindly Deaths.

Pirates of Penn CoveA few months ago I had the opportunity to listen to the first of the Weirdbey Island books — The Pirates of Penn Cove.  Despite Mr. Black’s purpose of scaring children, I being an adult found I rather enjoyed the story.  His story of Island newcomer, Dylan, was unsettling at every turn — and the locations were written much as they are in real life right here on Whidbey!  For his generosity, and whatever possibly twisted reasoning behind it, I wanted to return Mr. Black’s courtesy with my online review.

The Day of the JackalopeToday I started Weirdbey Island book #2 — The Day of the Jackalope — and it’s already off to a bizarre and unnerving start.  Dylan is with his friends leading their own investigations into the mysterious going-ons on Whidbey Island.  These books have been a delight for the sheer sake that they remind me of the creepy books I read as a kid.  It is a nostalgia-blast that takes me back to the first two books of the Bunnicula series.

As time permits I will listen to the audiobook copy of The Book of Kindly Deaths … not that I really want to, I just want to make sure the children out there are safe. Weirdbey Island

This has been an attempt to write in similar style to the story-telling you will find in these first few Weirdbey Island books.  Frankly, they’re a lot of fun, and I hope you and the children in your life will enjoy them as much as I have.  Both of the Weirdbey Island books above are delightfully narrated by J. Scott Bennett.
~ Best, Don

Eldritch Black ~ Links

Homepage – Amazon – Goodreads
Twitter – Facebook – Instagram

J. Scott Bennett ~ Links

Audible worksGoodreads – Twitter – Facebook

Great Tips From a Fellow Author

coffeeEarly this week I met with a fellow Whidbey Island author at a local coffee shop — a curious individual we will call Eldritch Black.  We wrote, we caught up, laughed, and — unsurprisingly enough — did what two like-minded people do, we talked shop.  Eldritch has about a dozen kids-book titles under his belt long with others under a sobriquet, his nom de plume … or in simple terms a pen name.  He shared with me from his wealth of knowledge and gave me more than a few invaluable tips!  Two of these have occupied my mind NON-STOP … really, I should be charging them rent.

I’m considering starting an e-mail newsletter including a recipe-of-the-month. TIPS

MailerLiteEldritch gave me the suggestion of starting an email newsletter and using MailerLite to handle the list.  Their features and prices look good.  I’m still weighing my options and what I might do with this.  What I know is that when I start I want to begin with a plan.  Sure, this may get modified as I go but I won’t be winging-it.  If you are interested now in joining my future mailing list, please drop me a line and say “Please add me to your mailing list!” TIPS

Recipe of the Month

Also suggested among Eldritch’s ideas was that I start doing a recipe-a-month — DUH — that’s big!  I’ve had this idea but it was put into a different perspective when it was suggested in an e-mail list.  It’s also where I want to have a plan-in-place — figuring out which recipes to present in advance.  I’d also love to get recipes from my readers to feature along with giving kitchen tips.  All of this could also lead to its own book!  (Here are a few free recipes in the mean time.)

Draft2DigitalLastly, Eldritch showed me Draft2Digital.  I was told interesting things about what this company offers — after learning more, I may publish my e-book with Draft2Digital, too! TIPS
(PSST — I’ve also started looking into a company that can manufacture my book with colour photos!)

Keep your eyes here — updates as they come!

~ Don

Eldritch Black ~ Links

Eldritch Black
Eldritch did not wear the top hat when we met for coffee — which is good … that’d have been distracting.

HomepageAmazonGoodreads
TwitterFacebook – Instagram

Kid’s Book Titles

The Pirates of Penn Cove (Weirdbey Island Book 1)

The Day of the Jackalope (Weirdbey Island Book 2)

Krampus and The Thief of Christmas: A Christmas Novel

The Night of the Christmas Letter Getters

One Dark Hallow’s Eve: A Lost Tale from The Book of Kindly Deaths

The Book of Kindly Deaths

The Ghosts of The Tattered Crow

The Clockwork Magician

The Festival of Bad Tidings: A tale of magic and unrequited love

The Mysterious Case of Spring-Heeled Jack

Three Curses for Trixie Moon