Sangria!

 ½ cup brandy

¼ cup lemon juice

⅓ cup frozen lemonade concentrate

⅓ cup orange juice

1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine

½ cup triple sec

1 lemon, sliced into rounds

1 orange, sliced into rounds

1 lime, sliced into rounds

¼ cup white sugar (Optional)

8 maraschino cherries

2 cups carbonated water (Optional)

In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving.

NOTE: I got this recipe from Caroline Langfeld who had made it for Daniel's grad party.  We also served it for Felix's baptism without the cherries.  A bottle of Winking Owl red it just right!

Grandma's (in)famous Cranberry Relish

People have strong love/hate feelings about this recipe, but it's worth recording here.

Ingredients
16 ounce bag of rinsed raw cranberries
2 crisp apples, cut into thick slices
1 large, whole (peel ON) seedless orange, cut into sections
1 to 2 cups granulated sugar (depending on how sweet you would like your relish to be)

Method

• Chop in your food processor until it's the texture you like.  Don't overprocess if you want it to be like Grandma's.
• Mix in the sugar and store in a sealed container.  Start with one cup and add more later if necessary.

"Fun" fact: Grandma likes to eat this as an ice cream topping.
Funner fact: Make a batch for Thanksgiving and it'll still be good at Christmas.

Kolaches

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted (If you use unsalted butter or margarine, add an additional 1/4 teaspoon salt)
2 teaspoons instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 large eggs
1 tsp orange or lemon zest(or a few drops of lemon extract)
4 cups All-Purpose Flour

PINEAPPLE FILLING 
20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained*
1 cup sugar(This was quite sweet, you could probably easily get away with 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons cornstarch OR Instant ClearJel
2 tablespoons melted butter

*If you’re using cornstarch as the thickener, reserve 3 tablespoons of the pineapple juice, in which you’ll dissolve the cornstarch.

STRAWBERRY FILLING
1.5 lbs. frozen strawberries
1 cup sugar(This was quite sweet, you could probably easily get away with 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons cornstarch OR Instant ClearJel
2 tablespoons melted butter

*If you’re using cornstarch as the thickener, reserve 3 tablespoons of the strawberry juice, in which you’ll dissolve the cornstarch.

STREUSEL TOPPING
2/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 cup sugar 
1/3 cup (about 5 2/3 tablespoons) melted butter
(This is more than enough streusel for a double batch of dough)

DOUGH: Warm the sour cream gently, and combine it with the sugar, salt, and butter or margarine in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer. Cool the mixture to lukewarm (if it isn’t already that temperature), and add the yeast (if you’re using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the water first), warm water, eggs, and flour. Mix and knead the dough, using your hands, or a mixer, until it’s soft and smooth. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough overnight. Note: This dough won’t rise much, so don’t worry about having to put it in a huge bowl.

Next day, remove the dough from the fridge, and divide it into about 24 pieces, each 1 3/4 ounces, about the size of a golf ball. Place the pieces on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about an inch between them. Flatten the balls till they’re about 1/2-inch thick, and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.

PINEAPPLE FILLING: In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the drained pineapple to boiling. If you’re using Instant ClearJel(r), mix it with the sugar, and stir this mixture into the pineapple. Immediately remove the filling from the heat, and stir in the melted butter. Cool to lukewarm before using.

If you’re using cornstarch, mix it with the reserved pineapple juice. Stir the dissolved cornstarch and the sugar into the hot pineapple, and cook over medium heat, stirring, till the mixture thickens and becomes clear. Remove it from the heat, stir in the melted butter, and let it cool to lukewarm before using.

STRAWBERRY FILLING: In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the strawberries to boiling, drain off excess juice(I removed ~1 cup). If you’re using Instant ClearJel(r), mix it with the sugar, and stir this mixture into the strawberries. Immediately remove the filling from the heat, and stir in the melted butter. Cool to lukewarm before using.

If you’re using cornstarch, mix it with the reserved strawberry juice or water. Stir the dissolved cornstarch and the sugar into the hot berries, and cook over medium heat, stirring, till the mixture thickens and becomes clear. Remove it from the heat, stir in the melted butter, and let it cool to lukewarm before using.

STREUSEL TOPPING: In a small bowl, mix together the flour and sugar, then add the butter, stirring till crumbs form.

ASSEMBLY: Using your fingers, make a wide, deep indentation in the center of each flattened dough ball. Don’t be afraid of being decisive here; you want to make a deep enough indentation that it doesn’t just disappear as the buns rise and bake. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling into each bun; crumble a little of the streusel on top. Cover the kolaches, and allow them to rise for about an hour; they won’t necessarily double in bulk.

Bake the kolaches in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, till they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and serve warm, or at room temperature.

Notes
*I didn't get a picture, but mine came out looking like your average grocery store danish, not very tall at all, but they have a lovely texture.
*I'm sure you could substitute just about any frozen berry for the strawberries without any complications.
*There are loads of other filling recipes online.
*I only got two out of the 4 pans of assembled kolaches baked before we had to leave for the vigil mass; the remaining pans were left out for ~4 hours and there was not a noticeable difference between the them and the ones that had risen for an hour.

Fresh Blueberry Pie

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold water
5 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and water until smooth. Add 3 cups blueberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.
Remove from the heat. Add butter, lemon juice and remaining berries; stir until butter is melted. Cool. Pour into pastry shell. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 8 servings.

NOTES:

• Recommended by Like Mother Like Daughter and from Taste of Home.
• I made the recipe as is and really liked it!
• Using a frozen crust made this a super easy dessert.
• Having uncooked berries really makes a difference!  It's pretty delicious.

Fresh Cherry Crisp

FOR THE CRISP TOPPING

1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING

2 cups pitted cherries
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray four ramekins with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine oats, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Whisk together well to evenly combine.
Add brown sugar and melted butter to the flour mixture and mix well to form a clumpy dough. Set aside.
In another bowl combine pitted cherries, granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Mix well so the cherries are coated with the flour and sugar. Divide them between the four sprayed ramekins.
Cover cherries with crisp topping, dividing it evenly between the four ramekins.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until crisp topping is golden brown.
Notes:
You can easily double this recipe and prepare in one 9"x13" baking dish.

NOTES:

• Easiest dessert ever AND quite delicious served warm with a little ice cream.
• I made it as directed except I added a few blueberries to get more fruit.
• I baked it in a 9x9 pan instead of ramekins.
• Source

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam - No Pectin

1-1/2 lbs Fresh Strawberries, chopped

1-1/2 lbs Rhubarb, diced

2 cups sugar(more or less to taste)

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and let sit for 4+ hours.  Pour the contents of the bowl into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat, keeping it just at a slow boil for around 20 minutes or until thickened(somewhat like apple butter).  If you want it smoother, puree with an immersion blender.

Makes 2 pints.

Sangria

1 bottle red wine (Winking Owl Merlot was perfect for this)
4 oz brandy
3 oz triple sec
2 oranges
2 limes
1 apple
4-6 oz simple syrup, to taste
12 oz or more club soda

Juice one orange and one lime; combine with first three ingredients. Add simple syrup to taste. Slice the remaining fruit thinly and add to pitcher. Chill thoroughly and serve over ice mixed about 2:1 with club soda.

Rhubarb Vodka

Just bookmarking it here so I can find it again.  Delicious!

3 pounds rhubarb, cut up

Mixed with
1 bottle vodka
1/4 cup grand marnier
Simple syrup (6 tablespoons sugar heated to boiling with 1/4 cup water)


Cool the syrup before mixing into the rest of the ingredients. 
Let stand 1-2 weeks in covered container.

Recipe is flexible - it originally called for 1/2 cup of the Grand Marnier, but my source preferred with less.

It's a lovely pink color and, according to reports, is dangerously good when mixed with 7-Up.

Cherry Jam

After having this unproductive sour cherry tree in our yard for quite a few years, we were pleasantly surprised to see more than a few berries finally this year.  Tony beat the birds to them and I was able to make this recipe.

There was only a pound of usable fruit (pits removed), so I added another 1+ pounds of bing cherries to make the jam-making mess worthwhile.  I may regret that, since I've heard such fantastic things about sour cherry jam, but in the meantime, I'm sure we'll enjoy the few pints of mixed cherry jam I made this afternoon. I'll bookmark the recipe here (and below, in case it drops off the interwebs), just in case next year's yield is closer to the 4 pounds the recipe asks for.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds of pitted and mashed sour cherries, which should yield about six cups of jammable fruit
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 packet liquid pectin (that's half a box)

Instructions

• Put three pint jars or six half pints (or some combination thereof) in your canning pot and bring to a boil.
• Combine fruit and sugar in a heavy, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and let bubble for a good twenty minutes, occasionally skimming the foam from the surface of the fruit as it develops. Add the pectin and boil for another five minutes. You want to cook it until it looks like boiling sugar - thick and viscous.
• Kill the heat, fill your jars, wipe rims, apply the lids and rings and process in the hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water and let cool on the countertop. When the jars are cool (I typically wait until overnight), remove the rings and test the seal by picking the jar up by the lid. If it stays put, your jars are good to store indefinitely.
• I love the flavor of sour cherries, so I didn't add a drop of extra flavor to this jam. However, you are welcome to spice things up with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla or orange (or anything else).

Strawberry-Peach Slush (boozy or otherwise)

2 small peaches (or one large)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 oz lemon juice (the yummy Costco stuff is preferable)
Sugar or simple syrup to taste (about 1/2 c.)
7 ice cubes
Blend all ingredients, adding a bit of water or club soda if necessary to keep things loose in the blender. Pour into tumblers or margarita glasses. Add alcohol or top off with club soda if desired.

Rose's Lime Substitute

Only without the high fructose corn syrup.

2 cups lime juice
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water

Heat water in the microwave or on the stove until almost boiling. Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. (You just made simple syrup.) Let cool. Mix with lime juice. Your sweetened lime juice will keep a couple of weeks in the fridge.

For future reference, or if you want to make a smaller amount, the ratio of sugar to water in simple syrup is 3:2. In sweetened lime juice, the ratio of lime juice to simple syrup is 2:1.

Same goes for making your own sour mix. Substitute lemon juice for lime juice and you’ve got homemade sour mix. It’s that easy.

NOTES:

• I'm drinking a gin gimlet as I type this.
• I recommend Hendrick's Gin for this purpose.  1:1 ratio.
• Couldn't be easier.
• I made a half batch and stored it in an 8 ounce lime juice bottle saved for this purpose.  (Plus I had enough left over for a couple drinks.)
• Source

Peaches and Cream French Toast

1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
2 tbsp reserved juice from canned peaches
1 29 oz can of peaches, drained
1 French baguette, cubed
8 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
12 eggs
1 1/2 c half-n-half
1 tsp vanilla

Heat butter, sugar and peach juice in saucepan until bubbly.  Pour into a 13x9 inch casserole dish.  Scatter peach slices over caramel sauce.  Top with bread cubes then pieces of cream cheese.  Place eggs, half-n-half, and vanilla in blender; blend to combine.  Pour egg mixture over bread and cream cheese.  Cover and refrigerate at least an hour but preferably overnight.  Bake, uncovered, in 350F oven for 50-60 minutes.

NOTES:

• I made a 1/2 batch in a smaller baking dish and it was just right for 5.
• I had some leftover croissants that I used instead of a baguette.  Worked well.
• I cut up the peaches so they would distribute better.
• Very good - not as sweet as expected.  Would definitely make it again.
• Source.

Sour Cherry Slab Pie

From Smitten Kitchen, with cherries from Emily.  We ate this (and practically nothing else) for several days.  I used the pie crust recipe listed, but with shortening instead of butter (just because I have lots of the former).  I don't have a rolling pin at the moment, so I was stuck using a wine bottle, which is less effective.  I rolled the bottom crust out the best I could, then just pressed it onto the pan.  For the top, I rolled out strips and just laid them across the top.  It worked out just fine.  This would also be particularly good with rhubarb or something else tart.

Sour Cherry Slab Pie

Yield: Varies, but I cut mine into 20 2 1/2-inch by 3-inch pieces

1 1/2 All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Doughs, divided, patted into thick rectangles, wrapped in plastic and chilled for at least an hour in the fridge

6 cups sour cherries, pitted (fresh or frozen will work; if frozen, defrost and drain first)
3/4 to 1 1/4 cups of sugar*
1/4 cup cornstarch
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch or two of salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream or one egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water or 1 tablespoon water plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I did this to make the glaze more interesting)

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger piece of dough into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. I won’t lie: this can be kind of a pain because it is so large. Do your best to work quickly, keeping the dough as cold as possible (and tossing it in the freezer for a couple minutes if it softens too quickly; it is summer afterall) and using enough flour that it doesn’t stick to the counter. [See more of my pie-rolling tips here.]

Transfer to a 15-by-10-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet, (pastry will hang over sides of pan). I went ahead and lined mine with parchment, just to ensure I’d be able to easily lift it out. Pour cherry mixture into lined baking sheet; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining piece of dough into a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Drape over filling. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Pinch edges to seal. Using a fork, prick top crust all over. Brush with heavy cream or egg wash.

Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk, water or lemon juice (or combination thereof) until desired glaze consistency is achieved. Use a spoon to drizzle over top. Serve warm or room temperature.

* Martha had suggested 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar for 6 cups of sour cherries. I balked, imagining my beautiful Jersey cherries drowning a syrupy death, and used 3/4 cup, which yielded a lightly-sweetened pie with the tartness of the cherries still coming through, just as we like. Please adjust this to your tastes, and according to the tartness of the cherries you brought home.

Pear, Brandy, and Walnut Cranberry Sauce

1/3 cup, plus 2-3 tablespoon brandy, divided
water
2 cinnamon sticks, each broken in half
8 black peppercorns
12 ounces fresh cranberries, picked over
3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 medium bartlett pears, peeled
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted and divided

• Pour 1/3 cup brandy into liquid measuring cup; add enough water to reach 1/2 cup liquid total. Set aside. Place broken cinnamon sticks and peppercorns in center of small piece of cheesecloth or large tea bag and tie closed using kitchen twine.
• In medium saucepot, combine cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon-pepper bundle. Using large holes on a box grater, grate pears into saucepot. Stir in brandy-water mixture.
• Over high heat, bring cranberry mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook 10-12 minutes, or until cranberries have burst and the mixture has combined, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons brandy. Let cool. Remove and discard cinnamon bundle. Stir in 7 tablespoons toasted walnuts. Transfer mixture to small serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining walnuts.

NOTES:  This was really excellent!  Less bitter than Grandma's but with all the cranberry goodness.  I made the cranberry part about 3 days before we ate it and just added the walnuts that day.

Source

Pearsauce

3 1/2 lbs. pears, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup water
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine the pears, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a food processor, working in batches if necessary, fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved. Do not liquefy.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Alternatively, freeze in one cup quantities in the freezer and store for several months.

NOTES:

• I bought a flat of pears earlier this week and it was time to do something with the ones we hadn't eaten.
• This was my base recipe but I didn't peel them and I simmered everything longer so it was a little thicker.
• For a final step, I pulverized it all with the immersion blender and added about 2 tbls. brown sugar.

Cherry Pie LaraBars

1 1/4 cups medjool dates, pitted
1 1/4 cups dried cherries
1 1/2 cups almonds, toasted (optional)

To toast the almonds, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for ten minutes. Remove from oven and transfer the almonds to a bowl or plate to cool.

Place dates and cherries in a food processor and pulse until a gooey semi-paste has formed (you want some bits of fruit, but not huge pieces). Empty the dried fruit into a large mixing bowl. Put the almonds in the food processor and pulse to coarse bits. You don’t want to make this a powder. Empty the almonds into the mixing bowl with the dried fruit. Knead the dried fruit and almonds together until combined and evenly distributed. Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan to about 1/2-inch thickness. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes. Invert the pan’s contents onto a cutting board and slice to desired size. Makes about a dozen 1.5- x 3.5-inch bars with a few odd pieces leftover.

NOTES: 

• Source for this recipe.
• I had a bag of dried cherries from Aldi which was a little more than a cup, so I just added 1 1/2 cups of dates.
• The Aldi cherries list sugar as an ingredient, so I might search for a sugar-free option next time.  The sad part of this is that Aldi's dried cherries are a fantastic price.  :(
• I added a little salt.
• Not sure I had the variety of dates this recipe called for - I bought whatever it is they sell at Sam's.
• It says that toasting the almonds is "optional."  Ignore that.  Toasting the almonds is fantastic!  It was an easy step and added a wonderful flavor.
• I would never do this without a food processor, but it worked really well with it.

Clif Bars

Yield: 9 bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

1 cup dates (pitted)
1¼ cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup quick-cooking oats
¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
½ cup peanut butter
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1. Spray an 8×8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

2. Place the dates in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Combine the pureed dates with the cereal, oats, peanuts, flaxseed, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

3. Combine the peanut butter and brown rice syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and completely blended. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

4. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly to pack the mixture into the pan. Let the mixture sit until completely cool and set, at least 1 hour. Cut into bars, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

NOTES:

• The recipe above is from Brown Eyed Baker.  
• I didn't add the chocolate chips because ... why would I want them for breakfast?
• I also looked high and low for brown rice syrup with no success.  I'll keep searching, but until then, I just used corn syrup.  I was tempted to use agave syrup, but had a sample at Costco once that I wasn't too fond of.  I hated to buy an overpriced bottle of something I likely wouldn't like and wouldn't have another use for.
• Bottom line: these are good.  I'll play around with different flavors if they work well for breakfast on the go and I make them again.

Shortbread Tea Tarts

Photo Credit:
J. M. Klejeski

Crust:
1 cup (227 grams) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (55 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all purpose flour
3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch (corn flour) or rice flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

• Lightly butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, 36 miniature muffin tins (approximately 2 inch (5 cm) in diameter).
• In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together (1-2 minutes) until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix just until incorporated. If the shortbread dough is too soft to roll into balls, cover and refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes.
• Take a scant 1 tablespoon of shortbread dough (about 15 grams) and place in the center of each muffin tin. With your fingertips, press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the individual muffin tin. Once filled, cover and place the tart pan, with the unbaked shells, in the freezer for about 15 minutes so the shortbread can become firm. (This will help to prevent the shortbread from puffing up during baking.)
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven.
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. About halfway through the baking time, if the shortbread has puffed up, lightly prick the bottom of each shortbread with the tines of a fork. Once they are fully baked, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When completely cooled, remove the tarts from the pan. (They can be frozen.)

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese (not low fat)
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Fruit:
We used blueberries and raspberries, but kiwi, tiny strawberries, or blackberries would also be good.

Notes:
The original recipe is here.  There were lots of warnings about how fragile the crusts were, but mine came out of the pans really well.  I did take care to weigh the dough (15 grams, as suggested) and when I pushed them into the mini-muffin tins, I made sure the sidewalls weren't thin at all.  The impressions I made were more bowl shaped, resulting in fairly thick bottoms and walls.  Fortunately, the shortbread was delish (!) so this wasn't a problem at all.

We piped my standard fruit pizza filling into each (rather than the sweetened condensed milk version on the original recipe), topped it with a berry, and refrigerated them until the tea party.

I made the crusts early in the week, and just filled them a few hours before serving.  It is now the day after though and they're still very good.

FIg Cinnamon Preserves

3 lbs fresh figs, the riper the better
2-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 cup water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon

Stem and quarter the figs.  Combine the water and sugar in a small kettle and heat until the sugar dissolves.  Add the lemon juice, cinnamon and figs; simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally and breaking up the figs.  Fill sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.  Process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Makes ~3 pints.

Tropical Sherbet

1 c sugar

1 c orange juice

1 c pineapple juice

1 ripe banana

1 T lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c milk

Combine all ingredients except milk in blender and blend until sugar is dissolved and banana is pureed. Add milk and chill in refrigerator if necessary, then freeze in ice cream maker.