So, yesterday was our 22nd wedding anniversary. When that fact sank in, we looked at each other and said – simultaneously – “Wow. And we haven’t killed each other, yet.” See? That’s why we’re married. I thought the occasion called for something a little special, and since I’d made some challah bread in a loaf-shape a couple of days before, French Toast came to mind. Not just any french toast, mind you – Stuffed French Toast. I think even the most mundane foods seem extra-special when you stuff them, no?
Stuffed French Toast

For the filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 heaping tablespoons jam (I used my own Freakin’ Flamingo Strawberry Daiquiri Jam, but any
flavor will do)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend everything together in a small bowl with an electric mixer, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. It should be stiff enough to make mounds and not be runny at all. Set aside.

For the French Toast:

One 1 lb. loaf Challah bread (slightly stale)

3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. sugar (I used natural cane sugar, but regular white will do)
pinch of salt

Butter for frying

Slice the bread into 1 1/2-inch slices. You should get 8 – 10 slices. Scoop out the middles with your fingers, making sure not to go all the way through to the other side. Match up your bread slices so that you have matched up pairs of similar size with “pockets” facing each other.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well-blended. Add the milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt, and whisk well.

To assemble:

Spoon the cream cheese/jam mixture into the pocket of one of the challah slices (a couple of heaping tablespoonsful). The mound of filling should actually come above the top of the pocket. Cover with the second slice of bread, so that the pocket of the second slice fits over the first. Press together gently, but firmly. They should stick together.

Melt some butter in a large frying pan (I prefer non-stick) over medium heat.

Place the sandwich into the egg mixture and allow to soak for about a minute. (These are thick slices and take a little extra time) Turn and soak the other side. Remove the sandwich from the bowl, allow some of the excess liquid to drip off, and place into the now hot frying pan. Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until GBD (golden brown & delicious). You can prepare several at a time.

I like to dust them with powdered sugar and finish with a little extra jam on top.

So, here’s to another 22 years together! If we don’t kill each other, first….. Nah.

The day has finally arrived! Freakin’ Flamingo is LIVE!

What is Freakin’ Flamingo, you ask? It’s my brand-spanking-new online store, selling my handmade, micro-batch jams, marmalades, and whatever else I feel like canning and sharing with you! All with a South Florida / Caribbean vibe and made in season. Super-limited edition, if you will, because, when it’s gone – it’s gone. Whatever little of it there was in the first place.

I’m also selling some of my very favorite Oxford Falls products, like the Vegan Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce and the Dix Fried Green Tomato Salsa (which we eat by the jar around my house, and goes into a lot of my cooking!).

Please stop by and let me know what you think. Or better yet, buy something. Well, you know…

This is the time of year when, in most other parts of the country, virtually nothing – or next to nothing – is being harvested for market, so it’s kind of tough for a lot of our Can Jammers to find anything local suitable for canning. Therefore, our assignment for the April Can Jam was Herbs. Even if you’re growing them on your own windowsill, most people can find fresh herbs, right?

So, what have I got growing in the backyard right now? Mint. And lemongrass. Okay, so if I really put my mind to it, I suppose I could have thought of a dozen interesting things to do with the lemongrass, but my brain was focused elsewhere (see previous several posts). Mint. This is the pot of mint my husband thought I’d killed when I forgot to water the eensy little nursery pot it came in. Looking pretty dead, huh?

What to do with it? Something else that was in abundance in Southern Florida at the time, was strawberries. And what fabulous strawberries they were, too! You could go out to a u-pick field and pluck ‘em yourself, or go to any grocery store and get the same fine, local berries at (for a change) incredibly low prices.

So, of course, the only sensible thing to do when confronted with such bounty, is to make jam. I adapted the basic strawberry jam recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving:

Strawberry Mint Jam (makes about 4-5 pints or 8-10 1/2 pints)

Ingredients:

7 cups granulated sugar
2 quarts whole strawberries, washed & hulled
4 Tbs. lemon juice
1 pkg. regular powdered fruit pectin
1 small lime, cut into quarters
Sprigs of fresh mint equal to the number & size of the jars being used

Preparation:

Get your jars and lids sterilized as appropriate.

Crush the berries with a potato masher and add to a large, deep saucepan. Add the lemon juice and quartered lime, then stir in the pectin until it’s completely dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat while stirring frequently. Add the sugar all at once and bring back to a full boil , while stirring constantly. Boil hard, while continuing to stir, for one minute. Remove from the heat, skim off the foam and fish out the lime quarters.

Fill the hot jars with the hot jam, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Push a thin spatula or butter knife into the jam to release any air bubbles. Take a sprig of fresh mint, sized appropriately for each jar, and insert into the hot jam. Place the lid on the jars and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the hot water for an additional 5 minutes before removing to a towel or newspaper-covered surface to cool completely and listen for that satisfying ->Ping!<- of the lids sealing.

Now, Tigress may be thinking right about now that, hey! this was more about the strawberries than the mint. I disagree. And so would you, if you tasted it. That one sprig of mint in the hot jam, infuses it with its essence. Wait a couple of weeks before popping open a jar, and see what you think. The mint permeates the jam, giving it a freshness – without being overpowering – that’s perfect on a buttered biscuit on a hot, sultry summer afternoon, perking up your peanut butter, or even (being a tad daring!) brushed on baked or roasted chicken as a glaze.