In A Jam

I love jam.

I love it even more when it’s cold and rainy out, and I am missing summer and spring and all of the fresh fruits. Luckily, fall and winter means that cranberries are everywhere, and I can make a quick jam that brings a little sunshine my way. It’s a little jar of tart, sweet, and a great combination of winter from the warming flavors of cinnamon and vanilla, but bright like summer from the oranges and Cointreau. It comes together quickly and makes a great last minute gift, too!

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2 packages (24 ounces total) rinsed organic fresh cranberries, soggy/bad ones thrown out, any remaining stems removed
2.5 cups sugar
1-2 large very ripe orange, juiced (approximately 1 cup juice)
1/2 c Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1 Tb vanilla bean paste, I use this one (affiliate link)
1 tspn cinnamon

In a dutch oven, or heavy pot with a thick bottom (I prefer my dutch oven), add your cranberries, orange juice and liqueur, and turn the heat onto medium. Once your mixture is warmed through, add your sugar, vanilla bean paste and cinnamon, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook slow and low, keeping the heat at medium low, until your cranberries start to break down and quickly pop when you poke them with a spoon. Continue to cook, approximately 20 minutes until you have a nice chunky, delicious smelling pot of tastiness.

If you’re canning this prefer a thick well-set jam, add 1/2 packet of liquid pectin and cook for 5 more minutes at a low simmer. Process jars according to the jar manufacturers directions and enjoy! If you’re canning this, it makes 6-1/2 pint jars.

I love this with cream cheese on crackers or spooned over french toast!

What is your favorite holiday jam?

Best,
Raina

A long time coming

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Almost two years ago, this tiny wild child came into my life. We’ve had good days, we have had rough days, and we have had amazing days. All the days have pushed me to be better than I was the day before, and I know this will continue with each passing day, month, and year.

When Izzy was born, we were in a whirlwind of doctors, specialists, hospitals, and equipment (for those of you new to the blog, you can read more about that experience here).We longed for the day when kiddo could eat with us, and when we didn’t have to spend our time around a feeding pump, or a bolus syringe. We wondered if that would ever end, and if we would ever experience “normal”. It turns out, normal is overrated, and when you spend the first week of your child’s life in Children’s Hospital, you get your very own baby care manual.

After a week in the NICU and specialty care, two surgeries, hours of hospital visits and home care visits and who knows how many medical supply shipments over almost the past two years, Izzy is officially weaned from her g-tube and is eating on her own.

It feels so good to say that!

It wasn’t an easy journey. We started a couple weans in the past, and they just didn’t stick. We all ended up tired, sad, and frustrated. This time though, we had a lot of support!  We worked with our tube weaning clinic team at Seattle Children’s and our feeding specialist at NW Center Kids. Folks came to the house weekly and we worked with Izzy to help her relearn to eat and swallow. Once she was able to master those techniques, we began the actual wean which was reducing her overall calories down to 30% to trigger hunger. She would do well for the first few days, live on Goldfish crackers the next few days, but eventually she learned and we used the g-tube less and less. Here we are now, feeding her what we eat and having her choose her own meals. We’re working on meal timing, versus just grazing all day (a work in progress for me as well!), but the main thing is that she is eating consistently.

Now that the hard stuff  is behind us, we can focus on the fun. Our days are spent playing, painting and exploring. She loves climbing and hates butterflies. She dresses herself and insists on wearing hats as much as possible. She’s obsessed with boots and anything tiny (again, except for butterflies. I don’t get it) and is just the happiest little thing.  She plays hard and then sleeps hard.

Dear reader, I am so, so lucky. Thank you for being on this journey with me too!

On a completely different note-stay tuned for some posts this week about drinks and new holiday recipes (buckwheat whiskey cocktails or chocolate bourbon pecan pie, anyone!?) Some DIY goodies-I’m whipping up some arnica and calendula salves, and even some beauty and date night recommendations.

It’s been an amazing couple weeks, and I can’t wait to share more, but I wanted to share the good news about kiddo 🙂

Yours in happiness,

Raina