CARROT CAKE JAM

As a business owner (Royal Cottage), I am constantly trying to find new recipes.  My customers, or as I refer to them as my "guest", look forward to trying something new every month.  In the midst of my research and development I have "sidelined" countless delicious concoctions.  

Everyone knows that one of my favorite desserts is carrot cake. Well I figured, heck, why not try and turn this into a jam!  I did some research and found that this has been done before.  So I needed to make this recipe my own.  Below is my version of Carrot Cake Jam, it will be featured at Royal Cottage during the months of September/October/November.  This is my Cottage Carrot Cake Jam!  

Ingredients:

-1 (20 oz.) can of crushed pineapple  

-2 cups pears (chopped)  

-2 cups shredded carrots  

-1 cup coconut flakes (optional)  

-1 cup raisins (your choice of regular of golden)  

-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice  

-1 tsp ground cinnamon 

-1/4 tsp ground cloves  

-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg  

-1/4 tsp white pepper    

-4 tbsp powdered pectin  

-4 1/2 cups white sugar  

Instructions:  

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large pot.  
2. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer approximately 12-15 minutes.  (Please remember to stir frequently to avoid sticking)
3. Stir in pectin and bring mixture to a boil.  
4. Stir in sugar and bring back to a boil.  Boil hard for 1 minute.  
5. Remove pot from heat.  
6. Please note: the next steps for me may differ from you.  I then place the mixture in sterilized mason jars, along with sterilized lids and bands. I then perform a water-bath for 12 minutes.  NOTE: make sure the water is boiling hard and the lid is on the pot.    
7. Remove jars from water and place on cookie sheet to cool.  
8. Jam will stay for up to 6 months.  

You can purchase Cottage Carrot Cake Jam at www.royalcottagellc.com.  

MY FIRST CHARCUTERIE PLATTER

Upon my retirement, I promised myself that I would try new things.  I'm pretty open to trying new dishes, even if I don't eat what I make, someone in my family will always give it a whirl.  😋  This season at the farmer's market I've noticed that many of my Royal Cottage customers have been using the jams and butters for charcuterie boards/platters.  This prompted me to begin following #charcuterieboard on Instagram, among other popular pages with similar themes.  After months of viewing sites and doing some basic research, I decided to try my hand at a charcuterie platter.  Below is what I used.   

1. Royal Cottage, LLC's Splendid Strawberry Jalapeno Jam www.royalcottagellc.com 
2. Royal Cottage, LLC's Auntie Kat's Apple Butter www.royalcottagellc.com 
3. Early California Pimento Stuffed Olives 
4. Keebler Toasteds Party Pack IG: @keebler
5. Cabot Habanero Cheddar Cheese IG: @cabotcheese  
6. Bel Gioioso Asiago Cheese IG: @belgioiosocheese 
7. Bel Gioioso Mozzarella Pearls  IG: @belgioiosocheese
8. Kings Choice Havarti Cheese
9. Daniele, Inc. Hard Salami IG: @danieleinc  
10. Daniele, Inc. Capocollo IG: @danieleinc 
11. Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc IG: @joshcellars  
12. Other ingredients; dried banana chips and apricots, loaf of baguette, turkey lunch meat, white and red grapes, pineapple, blackberries, raspberries, almonds, pecans, capers

I decided with these pairings based on personal preference.  I LOVE cheese, so that part was easy for me.  In terms of meat options, I am very familiar with hard salami and capocollo.  I have been trying to offer myself healthier options so I added some turkey lunch meat.    

Some of our favorite pairings were 

1. Auntie Kat's Apple Butter, dried banana chip, capocollo, havarti cheese, and dried apricot.  
2. Capocollo, asiago cheese, and green grapes.  
3. Crackers, turkey, Splendid Strawberry Jalapeno Jam. habanero cheddar cheese.  
4. Asiago cheese with Auntie Kat's Apple Butter.  
5. Baguette, capocollo, hard salami, turkey, Splendid Strawberry Jalapeno Jam, with green olive.  

So, overall this was not a bad experience and would definitely do it again.  Perhaps I will get a bit more adventurous.  Maybe mix in some veggies along with fruits.  I would love to see what you come up with for your first charcuterie platter/board.  Please send me pictures and let me know how you came up with your design.  To try out Royal Cottage's Auntie Kat's Apple Butter and Splendid Strawberry Jalapeno Jam, please visit our website at www.royalcottagellc.com  

New Orleans: The City of Happiness

Good morning, afternoon, or evening! 

Like a lot of people, one of my favorite things to do is travel.  I love seeing how others live, eating good food, and truly absorbing the environment. When I retired last year one promise I made to myself was to travel more.  I've always been intrigued by the south and its southern hospitality and had been wanting to visit some historic places...and of course eat some great food!  Since myself and my significant other are both in the food industry, we decided to make this a "working" vacation.

Our first vacation following retirement included a few days in the beautiful, exquisite, warehouse district of New Orleans, Louisiana.  Our hotel was thoughtfully placed within walking distance to a significant amount of restaurants, bars, and other attractions.  Transportation was never an issue, as an abundance of Uber and Lyft vehicles were made available.  My only complaint is the parking fee for your personal vehicle, which was at least $20.00/daily!  This was disappointing since we had decided to drive.  However, this was minor in comparison to the rest of the city.

Can I just say that southern hospitality is real?!  We never had an interaction with a rude, disrespectful, or unpleasant person in the entire city!  Whether it was hotel personnel, an Uber driver, restaurant staff, or a random person on the street, everyone was more than helpful...and nice!  It was as if the entire city went through hospitality training.  When you consider the people of New Orleans have faced one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history with Hurricane Katrina, the sheer glee of this city is infect.  Tenacity and resilience are two words that come to mind when I think of New Orleans.  

One thing that we love doing is eating local cuisine while we're in new cities.  Let me tell you...the New Orleans did not disappoint...we literally never had a bad meal!  Seriously, even the gas station food was incredible!  I have listed a few of our favorite restaurants below.  It is my hope that if you are ever in New Orleans, that you will take the time to visit these establishments.  You will not be disappointed!         

Briquette (restaurant)  

Briquette (restaurant) 

Briquette (restaurant) 

Briquette (restaurant) 

Briquette (restaurant) 

Me eating a beignet for the first time from Loretta's Authentic Pralines

Loretta's Authentic Pralines

Johnny Sanchez (restaurant) 

Johnny Sanchez (restaurant)  

Me at Johnny Sanchez

THE BEST chocolate orange frozen treat at Johnny Sanchez

Us at Johnny Sanchez

Gus's World Famous Hot 7 Spicy Fried Chicken (restaurant)  

Gus's World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken (restaurant)  
Side Note: this restaurant serves 40 oz. beer 😉

Tommy G's Coal Fired Pizza (restaurant)

Tommy G's Coal Fired Pizza: Truffle Fries

Alligator Po'Boy at Corporation Bar and Grill  

Cafe Du Monde 

Briquette 

701 S Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130  

FB: @briquetteNOLA  

IG: @briquettenola  

Website: www.briquettenola.com  

Loretta's Authentic Pralines  

13 French Market Pl, New Orleans, LA 70116  

FB: @Lorettaspralines  

IG: @lorettaspralines  

Website: www.lorettaspralines.com 

Johnny Sanchez 

930 Poydras St Suite 101, New Orleans, LA 70112  

FB: @johnnysancheznola 

IG: @johnnysanchezrestaurant 

Website: www.johnnysancheznola.com 

Cafe Du Monde 

800 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116  

FB: @cafedumonde  

IG: @cafedumonde  

Website: www.cafedumonde.com  

   
Gus's World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken  

308 S Diamond St, New Orleans, LA 70130  

IG: @gusfriedchicken_nola 

Website: www,gusfriedchicken.com  

Tommy G's Coal Fired Pizza 

901 Convention Center Blvd #115, New Orleans, LA 70130  

FB: @tommygsnola

IG: @tommygs_nola

Website: www.tommygscoalfiredpizza

This was the best "working" vacation that we could have taken.  It helped us to relax, while re-centering our business efforts.  I think we needed to step outside the box and look at what others are doing in a completely separate region.  Love and food, and love OF  food is such a huge part of New Orleans.  It speaks to the people, culture, and overall way of life.  I believe we were able to bring some of that love back home to our life and businesses. 

Most people who are not familiar with New Orleans, believe that all food coming from there this city will be spicy or Cajun style.  This is not the case at all, at least not at the restaurants we visited.  The food there is just very well seasoned as opposed to the perceived northern style of cooking.  Returning home after having all of that delicious food was sort of difficult.  We ordered out upon our return home and it seemed so underwhelming  Nothing compared to New Orleans food...or perhaps it was the people...maybe both!  Nonetheless, I plan on returning to the city of New Orleans in the very near future to absorb even more of the culture, people and of course, delicious food. 

Thank you to the City of New Orleans, Louisiana for your unmatched hospitality, customer service, resilience, and tenacious energy!      

Please visit my website: www.royalcottagellc.com        

Better Apple Times

Good morning, afternoon, or evening!  

As I contemplated the topic of my next blog post, I thought of the state that our country is in currently with the COVID-19 pandemic.  I felt that we all needed a bit of a boost and reminder of better times.  In this issue of The Royal View I will share a recipe that will make you briefly forget about Coronavirus, quarantine, unemployment, homeschooling, etc.    

I was in the middle of making a batch of Auntie Kat's Apple Butter for Royal Cottage, and recalled going fruit picking as a child.  One adventure I remember best is apple picking.  We meticulously picked our apples, brought the apples back home, cleaned and cored them, and watched my grandmother make an apple pie.  She would then place all of the ingredients on the table and let us "have at it", meaning it was our turn to try and make a pie.  While part of the lesson was how to make a pie crust...I sadly did not retain this info.  To be honest, to this day I still cannot consistently make a good pie crust.  😞    

So, the way that I recreate apple pie is by making an apple crisp.  This recipe pairs well with french vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.  Full disclosure, I have never been a huge fan of any type of pie.  But apple crisp gives a different texture because of the topping.  Feel free to play with the topping mixture in this recipe; add raisins, dried cranberries, pecans, walnuts, etc.  Tip: sliced apples, cinnamon, and crushed walnuts are a healthy, delicious treat!  


Ingredients:  

• 12 apples (6 Granny Smith, 6 Honey Crisp)  
• Juice of 2 lemons    
• 1 cup white sugar  
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour  
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 2 tsp vanilla extract  
• 1 tsp nutmeg  
• 1/2 cup water  
• 1 1/2 cup quick-cook oats  
• 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar  
• 3/4 cup melted better  
• 1/4 tsp baking soda  
• 1/4 tsp baking powder  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees.  
2. Peel, core, and slice apples.  
3. Place apples in baking dish.  ( I prefer to use glass or ceramic)  
4. Pour lemon juice, as evenly as possible, over the apples.  Toss a couple of times to coat apples.   
5. In a bowl, mix together the white sugar, 1/4 cup AP flour, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and nutmeg.  
6. Sprinkle mixture over apples, then pour water over apples and mixture.  
7. Combine oats, remaining flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and butter together.  Evenly distribute over apples.  
8. Bake 46-50 minutes.       

If you decide to try this recipe, please shoot me a message and let me know what you think.  I would love to hear from you!  

Auntie Kat's Apple Butter can be purchased at:  
www.royalcottagellc.com  

Mason Jars...a second life

Many uses for mason jars.  

Good morning, afternoon, or evening!  

Growing up we always had access to arts and crafts and were encouraged to indulge in our creative inspiration.  Unfortunately, I have not a creative bone in my body!  I think my three siblings absorbed all of our parent's artistic abilities.  😕  Luckily, in this edition of The Royal View no real creativity is needed.  😉

When people buy jams, preserves, and butters at Royal Cottage, I sometimes get the question of what to do with the empty mason jars.  These jars can be re-purposed in countless ways; for the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, yard & patio, etc.  A few ways I use leftover jars are for; makeup brushes or hair ties, storing fresh herbs and veggies (especially asparagus), money bank, drinking glass, terrarium, home decor, and craft day for the kiddos.  I mean, the possibilities are endless!    

My nieces and nephews love arts and crafts.  It brings me so much joy to see them expressing themselves through art.  One way to have some fun with the kids is to throw them a paint party.  All you need; a few old jars, a large drop cloth, leftover paint and brushes/sponges, and of course... a lot of patience.  😊

When I'm trying to spruce up my bathroom and give it a little something different, I will use a couple mason jars.  I have used them as a toothbrush holder, cotton ball holder, or to add a little "pop" of color.  I typically will achieve this by filling the jar with clear or color marbles or with various potpourri.  Tip: I sometimes blend 2-3 different potpourri scents to create a unique fragrance.

In the past I have used the larger mason jars as terrariums.  The design on these will differ depending on where it will be located.  So, again I will reference my bathroom decor.  All you would need is a little sand, a few clear marbles or stones, and some sea shells like the ones I collect while on vacation.  If you don't have authentic shells, no worries, just head over to your local market or store and grab some.  Pour the sand in first, place the stones in then the sea shells.  You can opt to use the lid or leave it uncovered.  You will end up with a beautiful and inexpensive addition to brighten up your bathroom.  Please note: if you have children in the house, you might consider leaving the lid on.  Trust me, kids love sand and rocks and putting their little hands in these jars.       

Lastly, mason jars have been used in my family for many years.  As I mentioned above, they have longed been utilized as drinking glasses.  My grandmother used them for drinking ice tea.  I usually get up pretty early in the morning and sometimes will make a smoothie or protein shake before beginning my work day.  I will blend the ingredients, grab a mason jar, pour, and head to my office. We have so many traditional drinking glasses in our home, but for some reason I still gravitate toward the jar.  😊

Hopefully, this post offered a few ideas of how to give your mason jars a second life.  There are so many uses for these wonderful glasses, you cannot go wrong with any idea you have for them.  If you have any suggestions or would like to share your own creation, please drop it in the comments below.  I would love to see what you come up with!  

My morning protein drink before starting work.  

Fun Fact about the Mason Jar
The Mason jar is named after John Landis Mason, a tinsmith, whom invented and patented the glass jar in 1858.