Strawberries are looking good in the local markets right now. Big juicy berries are wonderful on their own but I can’t help but want to cook up a batch of strawberry jam. Prices are currently pretty good, as well, so I was able to purchase two pounds for not much more than one pound has cost lately. And when the cherries get a little sweeter, I’ll use this same method with pitted Bing cherries. In fact, this recipe will adapt easily to stone fruits, such as apricots, peaches and plums. And maybe you’ll have a tomato plant or two that will produce more than you can eat at once. If you haven’t tried tomato jam, it’s a real treat on bruschetta or biscuits.

This particular recipe can be made without pectin to thicken it. And with three simple ingredients, it’s a snap to make. You’ll have fresh, homemade jam within an hour or so. It’s perfect to spread on toast for breakfast, or shortbread biscuits for dessert. Enjoy food made fresh!

With warm weather coming in, I’m thinking more and more about spring vegetables. It’s great to have such an assortment of wonderful, fresh produce suppliers. And I try to push myself to look beyond the usual veggies I would normally purchase.

If you haven’t taken advantage of what’s available, next time you make a trip to the market, take note of all the different types of potatoes, mushrooms, even carrots and radishes, just to name a few.

We can easily bring new and interesting alternatives to our typical vegetable side dishes.

In this recipe, I’ve picked up an assortment of carrots and radishes with interesting, mild flavors and bright colors. Not to mention the fantastic nutritional value.

This would be an easy recipe to adapt to most any fresh produce you may be planting in your garden, as well. Enjoy food made fresh!

Broiled Baby French Carrots, Cincinnati Radishes, and Icicle Radishes With Raw Honey Butter

3 cups assorted carrots and/or radishes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven broiler (500 degrees F). Clean and peel carrots and radishes. Trim off most of the green tops. Pat dry and place on baking sheet. Brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Broil in preheated oven approximately 6 inches from heat source for about 7 to 9 minutes, shaking the pan about halfway through cooking time.

Remove from oven and brush with honey butter.  Recipe follows.

RAW HONEY BUTTER

1 stick, or 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup raw, local honey

With electric mixer, mix butter and honey together until well blended.  Leftover honey butter can be kept in refrigerator for later use on tortillas, toast, biscuits, or your next batch of roasted or broiled vegetables or fruit.

Biscuits were always a staple in our house when I was growing up. My dad seemed to want my mom to be in the kitchen every morning donning an apron with her hair pulled back in a little bun rolling out dough. I guess that was in his dream-world; even though my mom loves to cook, she certainly wasn’t making an appearance like that every morning, especially on a busy workday. But I think he fondly remembered his mother doing it that way and longed for the memories that homemade biscuits conjured up. My mom would indulge his fantasy once in a while when she had time, but typically, she whacked open a can to unleash prepared rounds of dough. They tasted good, and definitely work in a pinch. But when she was really clever, she would tell him we were having square biscuits, as she popped the sliced bread into the toaster. 

I’ve tried recipe after recipe over the years, always hoping to perfect my own homemade biscuits, but also trying to keep it simple. I wanted the process of making biscuits to be almost as easy as using biscuit mix or running to the store to purchase a can of biscuits. It really doesn’t take much more. I use self-rising flour to eliminate the steps of measuring out baking powder and/or baking soda. And I love the tang you get from a buttermilk biscuit but often don’t have buttermilk on hand. So to cut out the part of the process where I hopped in the car and drove down to the store to get it, I started using the sour-milk method of adding vinegar to regular milk or “sweet” milk, as my dad always called it. And at times, I don’t even use a biscuit cutter; I simply cut the dough into 2 1/2 inch squares with a knife before baking. They definitely aren’t the same square biscuits we used to have!