Removing Burnt-on Food from Ceramic Cook Top

You will have to trust me on this one.  I had a yucky, stubborn black, burnt blob--well, in the shape of a blob but by now it just looked like a stain-- on my ceramic cook top.  I have been trying everything to remove that.  Needless to say, the "Ceramic Cook Top Cleaner" didn't do the trick.  Where do you turn to find everything you need to know about everything?  I mean besides Pinterest.  GOOGLE!!  I found a list of possibilities so clicked on one and watched the YouTube video. Yeah, not too crazy about that one.  Clicked on the next one and BINGO. Tried it out. NAILED IT!!!  For real, with stuff I already had at home.  Sure wish I could have thought to take a BEFORE shot, but who knew this would work so well that I would want to share it with the world?

You will need:
Small Dish
Baking soda
Lemon juice

Microfiber cloth

Directions:
1.  Mix a paste of baking soda and water in a small dish.  It should be the consistency of toothpaste.
2.  Spread the paste over the burnt area and allow it to set for about 12 minutes.  Do not allow to sit too long or it will dry out.  Really it will.
3.  Pour a little lemon juice (bottled worked for me!) over the paste and let it fizz to help release tougher stains.
4.  After 12 minutes, gently scrub the area with a soft cloth or plastic scrubber.  Do not use anything abrasive or it will scratch the surface.  Found that out the hard way one time.
5.  Repeat as necessary until food is gone.  GONE I tell you!  So happy right now.

6.  Clean off surface with a wet cloth or paper towel.



Source:  How to Clean Stuff

Non-Alcoholic Substitutions

I don't know about you, but as a cook who doesn't partake of alcoholic beverages, I have a hard time figuring out what to substitute in recipes that call for wine and liquor.  I was looking through a cookbook the other day to figure out my next blog post and found this list of substitutions that seem to be pretty good.  It's a little lengthy, but comprehensive.

DESSERTS:

• Liquor/Liqueurs--sub an equal amount of fruit juice
• Wine--sub equal amount of fruit juice plus 1 T. vinegar

SAVORY DISHES:

• Liquor/Wine--sub equal amount of liquid: chicken, beef or vegetable broth, or even water.  Add 1 T. of red wine vinegar or white vinegar for a little zing.  Also consider available non-alcoholic wines, but still add a vinegar to balance their sweetness.

SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS:

• 2 T. Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur--sub 2 T. unsweetened orange juice concentrate.
• 2 T. Rum/Brandy--sub water, white grape juice, or apple juice.
• 1/4 c.or more White Wine--sub equal measure of chicken broth, vegetable broth, or clam juice (If      using non-alcoholic wine, add 1 T. vinegar to cut the sweetness.
• 1/4 c. or more Red Wine--sub equal amount of chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth, clam juice, flavored vinegar, fruit juices, apples cider, and non-alcoholic wines (remember the vinegar trick).

SUBSTITUTIONS THAT INCLUDE EXTRACTS:

• 2 T. Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur--sub 2 T. orange juice and 1/2 t. orange extract.
• 2 T. Rum/Brandy--sub 1/2 to 1 t. rum or brandy extract for recipes in which liquid amount is not crucial.  Add water, white grape juice, or apple juice, if necessary, to get the right amount of liquid.
• 2 T. Amaretto--sub 1/4 to 1/2 t. almond extract.
• 2 T. Sherry or Bourbon--sub 1 to 2 t. vanilla extract.
• 2 T. Chocolate Liqueur--sub 1/2 to 1 t. chocolate extract plus 1/2 to 1 t. coffee granules dissolved in 2 T. water (I don't drink coffee either, so if you know of another way, let me know)
• For 1/4 c. or more port wine/sweet sherry/rum/ brandy/fruit-flavored liqueur--sub equal measure of orange juice or apples juice plus 1 t. of corresponding flavored extract or vanilla extract.

Source: Just a list stuck in my cookbook.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Toasting Pecans in the Microwave

Yes, I toasted my pecans in the dang microwave.  Does that sound like cheating?  Perhaps, but if time is an issue, this is a great alternative to the standard oven procedure.  Here it is, in a nutshell.  

Ingredients:

4 cups pecans, shelled

1/4 cup butter

sea salt

1.  Place the pecans in a microwave-proof pie plate.  Add the butter, then salt to taste.

2.  Microwave on high for 3 minutes, then stir to distribute the butter.

3.  Microwave on high for another 3 minutes.  You can certainly check on the pecans and make sure they are not getting too done.

4.  Taste immediately, or wait until they have cooled a little.  These suckers are yum!

5.  Coarsely chop or not.  Add to whatever recipe needs them.

Source:  Food.com

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

Okay, I admit it.  I've never tried spaghetti squash before this.  But I've always wanted to.  It always looks so cool....all those little curly fibers.  But I never had motivation to try it until I had to go wheat-free.  You know, rice pasta is nice and all, but it's a little bland.  So I was really hoping for something interesting here.  I got it, and it's pretty versatile to boot.  You can serve it with a sauce like you would pasta or just top it with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil, or serve it as a side with salt, pepper, and butter or ghee.

And it's just so stinkin' fun to scrape all those little fibers!!!  Seriously, I giggled.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut a spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds and loose flesh and discard.  Place cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for one hour.

Remove from oven and carefully turn the squash halves over to cool.

When it has cooled enough for you to handle it, take a fork and scrape the squash flesh towards the middle.  (This would be so fun for kids to help with!)

You just made spaghetti!!  Now wasn't that fun?!

How to Boil Eggs (and avoid the Green Yolks)

 

 

How many times have you boiled eggs for egg salad or Deviled Eggs or just to have some yummy hard-boiled eggs, and when you cut into the egg the yolk has that yucky green outer layer?  Ewww. Nasty. Well Mom taught me how to boil eggs so that doesn't happen and it works every time.  Here are Mom's instructions for No More Green (unless you are celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday, and then, by all means, green it up!).  Also, you will notice the baking soda listed.  I recently tried that trick while boiling eggs to help with the peeling process and it has worked, so far.

 

Ingredients:

water

eggs

baking soda

 

1.  Placed desired number of eggs in a saucepan.  Do not crowd them.  They need their space. 

 

2.  Put in enough tap water to cover the eggs.   I would start from cool water, not hot.  Don't ask me why.  I read it somewhere. Add a tablespoon or so of baking soda.

 

3.  Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat.  Once you reach a full, rolling boil, put a lid on the pan and remove pan from the heat .  Set a timer for 15 minutes and step away from the eggs.  Do not even lift the lid.  They are cooking away in the pan as we speak. Go do something else.

 

4.  After 15 minutes, drain off the hot water and immediately put eggs in a bowl of ice water.  This will stop the cooking process.  Let them chill out for a few minutes and then you can go in and start peeling away.  Cut the egg open and you will see beautiful, golden yellowness.  Proceed to use those babies any way you desire.  These went into a scrumptious, Fresh Spinach Salad. 

Cuke Check

 

 

How many times have you stabbed your fork into a scrumptious salad, laden with fresh cucumbers from the garden (or your grocer's produce aisle--and I always buy the pickling cucumbers because they taste so much better), popped that bite into your mouth and bitten into the most bitter mess you can imagine?  Yeah.  Me, too.  So to remedy that situation, each time I put cucumbers into anything that I make, I do a Cuke Check.  I take one bite out of each cucumber as I am preparing them to make sure they are not bitter.  There is nothing worse in a salad.  It is worth the extra step and, let's be honest, we are going to eat some while we are preparing our food, anyway.  You know you are.  Who can resist?  

DIY Dishwasher Tablets

Ingredients:

1 c. Borax
1 c. Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 c. Epsom salt
3/4 c. lemon juice

Directions:

1.  Mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.  Add the lemon juice and mix completely.  You want the mixture to be wet enough to mold without falling apart.  Add additional lemon juice if needed.

2.  These dry very quickly so working quickly and one at a time, portion out a tablet around 2 tablespoons.  I used a small cookie scoop.  With wet hands, form the tablet into whatever shape needed to fit the soap dispenser in your dishwasher. Place on a sheet of wax paper and let dry for a few hours before putting in a storage container.  If a tablet happens not to fit into the dispenser, just toss it in the bottom of your dishwasher.

Source:  mykitchenescapades.com

Cookie Bars

I have trouble finding the energy to make cookies.  I have never enjoyed taking batches out and putting them back in over and over and over again.  Lucky for my kids I found making cookie bars to be much easier and is now pretty much the only way I make cookies.

It is simple!  Take your favorite cookie recipe that makes approximately 5 dozen cookies, follow the directions but add 1/4 cup cornstarch to the dry ingredients (this helps keep the cookies soft).  Press dough into a greased 15x10 inch jelly-roll pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 mins.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Fondant

When I first began decorating cakes in earnest I wanted to try my hand at fondant.  But I had always heard that store-bought fondant tasted, well, icky.  Plus, it was expensive.  So I checked out cakecentral.com to see if I could find a fondant recipe.  I was a little intimidated, but decided to forge ahead anyway.  Well, I hit the jackpot with this recipe because it has turned out every single time and I always get compliments on it's flavor and texture.  Many people try the popular marshmallow fondant recipe that's floating around but, to me, that thing is just a messy headache.  This recipe may take longer and have more ingredients but I find it far superior to the marshmallow fondant.  Once you've made it a couple of times, it's a piece of cake!  Get it?

Yes, the pancakes, butter, egg, and bacon are all made out of fondant.  I made this cake for one of my son's birthdays.  one of my favorite cakes to date!  So much fun.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
3 pkg. plain gelatin (6 tsp.)
1 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. salted butter
3 Tbsp. glycerin
2 tsp. vanilla
dash salt
3-4 pounds powdered sugar

1.  Combine the milk and gelatin in a double boiler and allow to set until firm.  Then simmer the water and cook gelatin until it is dissolved.
2.  Add the corn syrup, butter, glycerin, vanilla, and salt and cook until the butter is almost completely melted, stirring frequently.  Set aside to cool.
3.  Put TWO pounds of powdered sugar in large mixer bowl.  Strain the gelatin mixture into the powdered sugar.  Mix slowly with a batter blade until just combined.
4.  Change to the dough hook attachment.  Slowly add 1-2 pounds powdered sugar.  The amount will depend on the humidity where you live.  I never get to 2 pounds.  You want the fondant to be firm and barely sticky.
5.  Scrape fondant onto a heavily-powdered-sugared surface and knead it for a few minutes.
6.  Take two pieces of plastic wrap, about 2 feet each, perpendicular to each other.  Spray lightly with nonstick spray.  Place fondant in center and fold wrap over fondant.  Store this in a large ziploc bag or large airtight container.  Allow to set for 24 hours before using.

Source:  cakecentral.com

Here's the Scoop!

Decades ago I attended a Tupperware Party.  You know, I kind of miss the cool little giveaway items they would have for their party games.  One time I got this long, skinny, cute little spoon thingy.  It was great for getting the last little bit of something out of food jars.  I lost that.  I miss that.  And then, one day I was in Walmart--any given day of the week, actually--and found these lovely smoothie straws and KA-CHING, I no longer missed my Tupperware tool.  I bought a pack of  3.  Thank goodness.  Because yesterday, while making one of several Super Bowl munchies, I had to use up the last of the mayonnaise and I just did not relish the idea of sticking my fist down in that jar to "bring out the rest" (did you get that play on a Hellman's commercial?).  It's a universal frustration. So I just wanted to share this great find with you because, well,  sharing is caring.

DIY Shampoo

I like to try and find ways to use more natural products, especially when they don’t cost an arm and a leg. I found this shampoo recipe online and thought that, since I had most of the stuff already, it was worth a try. The Dr. Bronner’s was already in my supply as well as the doTERRA Lavender oil. A quick check of the pantry produced the coconut milk so I was left just searching a store for Vitamin E oil. I figured this would be a tough search. I don’t live in a small town, but we don’t have a lot of access to natural products here. I figured that checking my local grocery store while on my regular grocery run would be an exercise in futility but I was pleasantly surprised. They had it in the personal care section! Score. I’ve been using this shampoo for a month or so now and I find it works well. The first time I tried it my hair hadn’t been washed in a couple of days (I’m a daily washer normally) and it didn’t get my hair fully clean. But for daily washing it is great.

(this recipe is from my personal blog)

Ingredients 
 1/4 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup Dr. Bronner's soap
1/2 tsp. Vitamin E oil
20 drops doTERRA essential oil of your choice
optional: 1/2 tsp. olive or almond oil (for dry hair)

Instructions
Combine the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well.

Use about 1 Tbsp. per wash, more if washing less often than once a day.

I stored my shampoo in one of those empty bottles you can get in the travel toiletries section at Target. Make a larger recipe and store in an old shampoo bottle. You can use any scent of Dr. Bronner's soap and of doTERRA essential oil. I used Lavender in both but next time I may try mixing scents, like Lavender and Peppermint. Or, my new favorite doTERRA oil blend, Citrus Bliss. Make sure to shake it up each time before you use it. I squirt about a tablespoon into my hand, rub in and lather, and quickly get my fingers going with the lather on my scalp. The lather has a tendency to “fade” quickly but I find that if I focus on my scalp first it’s just fine.

To order doTERRA Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils, click here.

DIY Lip Gloss

Do you buy a lipstick in the store only to take it home and realize you hate it?  Do you like to take advantage of Bonus Time at your favorite makeup counter but never use the freebie lipstick they give you in the goody bag?  What do you do with them, give them away?  Well, don't!!  Try this first....you may end up loving that weird shade of lip color.

Ingredients:
lip stick
Vaseline
small jar or pill box

1.  Twist the lipstick tube all the way out and cut off the actual lipstick into a microwave-safe bowl.  You can combine colors or just do one tube's worth.  It's up to you.
2.  Add the Vaseline to the bowl.  Just eyeball it and try to get about the same volume of Vaseline as you have lipstick.  Adding more Vaseline will make a more subtle gloss, adding less will make a more vibrant gloss.
3.  Place in the microwave and heat in 15-second increments until the mixture can be stirred smooth.
4.  Pour into a small container like an old makeup counter sample jar (a good reason to save those suckers) or a small pill box.  Cool in fridge.

That's it!

So when life gives you ugly lipstick, make lip gloss!

Source:  Pinterest, of course!

Carpet Stain Remover

You may ask why I am posting a carpet stain cleaner on a food blog.  Well, to be honest, it was the quickest thing I could do in a really busy week.  And we had a cookout for all the youth in our congregation at my house, tonight, just before I scheduled this blog post. It was great fun and they played Corn Hole and Frisbee and Ping Pong and Foosball and ate lots of hot dogs and hamburgers.  I love working with the youth of our church.  They stayed longer than the activity was supposed to end, but I don't care.  Anyway, that's another reason for the weird post.  I just finished cleaning up from the festivities.  However, we can relate this spot remover to food because the test spot I used is in the dining room where food is eaten and spilled...see where I am going with this?  Yeah, it works.  I think I got this from Facebook, because it is totally turning into "Pinterest," don't you think?

Ingredients:

1 large bottle hydrogen peroxide (I asked myself, what is large? When you see the bottles all lined up beside each other , you will know.)

2 tablespoons of baking soda

1 tablespoon of Dawn Dish Soap



1.  Mix all the ingredients together in a plastic spray bottle. Use a good quality plastic.  My bottle appears to be leaking so I will need to switch.

2.  To apply, saturate the stain with the mixture, let it dry, vacuum and done.

Frozen Grapes

I am one of those moms....you know the ones that don't like high fructose corn syrup, food dye, ....etc.  So we usually don't have Popsicle in our home unless they are homemade.  I don't know why but homemade sometimes just seems like too much work, so I found an easier way.  Frozen Grapes!  They have a wonderful icy crunch, are prefect for those hot days, and super easy!  

Wash Grapes well (I use food wash for grapes to get off all the pesticides)

Pull off the vine and place individually on a cookie sheet

Freeze

It is that easy.  Once mine have frozen (I usually leave them in for 3 hours), I put them in a zip lock bag to save space in my freezer.  Enjoy!

Mango-Strawberry Masque

This clarifying, hydrating masque unclogs pores and helps reduce acne.   Of course, you are certainly welcome to use it as a super healthy snack .                                                                                                                                                                                       Ingredients:

4 slices of mango (an antioxidant)
1/2 c. plain yogurt (an exfoliant)
4 strawberries (collagen boosters)

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients in a blender until you've got a paste.  Then massage onto skin.  Leave on for 10 minutes.

2.  Rinse off and shield your eyes from the glow you've unleashed!

 Source:  cosmoforlatinas.com

The Pantry Door

I have been seeing a lot of ideas lately on Pinterest and on several of the organizing blogs that I follow about organizing your pantry.  These ideas jump out at me because my pantry needs some TLC.  One thing that I do have organized--for the most part--is all those little things that end up getting shoved to the back of the shelves or fall off because there is no way it will stay propped up in front of the balsamic vinegar bottle, especially since the shelf is only 4" deep.  Really.  I found this idea in a catalog that I received in the mail.  They had this great idea of hanging an organizer on the back of your pantry door to put all those "little ones" in.  That was a great idea, but the price for that puppy was not so great.  My take on this organizer was to head out to Walmart and buy a clear over-the-door shoe organizer for at least half the price.  When I finally get around to organizing the rest of the pantry (you are probably thinking it doesn't need it.  I know.  But visually it is very cluttered to me.  I want a more streamlined look.  It's just too busy), shown here...

...I am going to label my door organizer so that  others in our house will return things to the right place.  Yeah, said no homemaker EVER!  By the way, I have another organizer in my linen closet for all those items like sunscreen, cotton swabs, hotel soap/shampoo/conditioner, bedroom door "keys", extra toothbrushes, etc.  You get the idea.  It is wonderful there as well.

School Food Trays

Today I thought I would share one of my favorite tips for eating in front of the TV.  Yes, I know this is totally discouraged in this day of finding ways to keep you from overeating--and meals in front of the "boob tube"are taboo in the diet culture.  But, really, we all do it because, if there are just two of you and the kitchen island is covered with the stuff of life and the dining room table is just too big, and you want to watch "The Five," then in front of the TV it is!

 Years upon years ago I read a wonderful book entitled "Simplify Your Life,"  The subtitle is "100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter."  Page 33 is on using food trays.  The author took herself on a personal retreat (awesome) and the place she stayed had a rule for taking food to your room--any food or drink leaving the kitchen had to be on a tray.  It saved on spills, crumbs, etc., and it's a great idea for taking food from your kitchen at home to your family room so that you can eat and view simultaneously.  I picked mine up at a thrift store.  They are school lunch trays.  The food in my picture looks like school food, too, LOL..but it was really yummy--and low fat-- and maybe I will share the recipes one day!

Source: Elaine St. James, Simplify Your Life.

"Boiled" Eggs

Oh, y'all...you have got to try this technique when you need to boil a large number of eggs.  Like a dozen or two.  So quick and easy!  I saw this on....wait for it...PINTEREST.  Yes and it was a success.  I did it quickly while I was preparing Veggie Shooters for a board meeting--which was my 9/27 post.

Ingredients:
Eggs (can't get any simpler than that)

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2.  Place eggs in muffin pan.
3.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes.



Perfection and easier to peel than boiled.


Source: Pinterest. 

DIY All Natural Deodorant

Is this a recipe? Yes.  Should you serve it with a side veggies? No.  But you could confidently wear it to a special dinner feeling fresh and dry. You can even count on it to eliminate odors.  After my husband became allergic to one deodorant after another, we gave up and decided to search out a more natural alternative.  My friend Cindy introduced us to this recipe.  For us, it literally works--ALL DAY.  And the most important benefit is that you get to miss out on all of the harmful ingredients that you find in store-bought Antiperspirants.  You can find a list of those HERE.  And it's simple to make:

Ingredients:
1/3 C Coconut Oil (in it's soft solid stage, room temp. Somewhat resembling Crisco)

1/4 C Baking Soda (You know...the greatest--all-time--odor absorber!??)
1/4 C Arrowroot Powder* (found in the whole food section or baking aisle or a whole foods store)
    *I've recently researched that you could substitute Corn Starch for the Arrowroot Powder, but I haven't personally tried it.

Measure and mix all ingredients in a small or medium size bowl until smooth and looking a bit like this:

For a container, I used a small freezer jam jar. They're plastic with a nice tight-fitting lid...and just the right size!  I made the mistake of trying to stir it all together in the jar.  What a mess!  Eventually we got it...but please, learn from my mistake.

Now you're ready to use it!  All you need is a small amount on the end of your finger tip for each application (I was going to say "for each pit" but that didn't sound very lady-like...lol).  When you're applying the deodorant in a paste, like this, just rub it in until you feel the coconut oil softening or melting. Then you're good to go!

I've always wondered if I could somehow maneuver this mixture into an empty deodorant container. Hmm....Maybe I'll try it sometime.

*Make sure to store in a cool area.
*If your Coconut Oil does liquify after you've made the mixture (like...you forgot and left it in the bathroom while you took a steamy shower), just stir it well and return to a cooler area.
*If you don't over apply, this stuff will last you a long, long time!

--Jamie

Peach Preserves

We moved two weeks ago into a new home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  The previous owner was an outdoor lover and put lots of time and care into her beautiful yard.  When we were moving into the home I glanced out the kitchen window and saw our new peach tree was OVERLOADED with peaches! Into my wanna be domestic mind came one thought, "Oh! I get to make peach preserves!"  Well, two weeks later as the peaches started to fall off the tree and the neighbors started coming over and asking if they could have some, I remembered I wanted to try my hand at making some preserves.  So, I stopped unpacking and arranging the house and set to making preserves.  Which, I have NEVER done before! Long story short, it wasn't hard!  It went really great!  (Aside from the fact that I had the heat turned up too high at one point and it popped all over my arm while I tried to stir the concoction! That burned like crazy! But, I'm okay now.) This recipe is scrumptious!  And we have probably gained a few lbs this week because we can't stop eating it! That probably has something to do with all the sugar in this, but I keep telling myself its the fresh peaches...they are so healthy for you!  This is my recipe. Its a combination of at least 3 or 4 I have read in preparation for this. And believe it or not, I didn't add as much sugar as some of the recipes suggested! 

12 cups peaches, fresh whole peaches, peeled and chopped, about 20 peaches size of tennis ball
3 TBSP. lemon juice, freshly squeezed, no seeds please
8 cups white granulated sugar, for every 3 lbs of peaches use 3-4 cups of sugar
1 box of pectin
12- 1/2 pint sterilized canning jars and lids, and I also used 2 pint sized jars for immediate use.
tongs, to remove the jars from the canning process in the hot pot of water
wide mouth funnel, but I didn't have one and all went well

     The first thing I did was set a big pot of water on the stove to boil.  Sterilize everything! Then set to dry on a sterile rack.
    Then boil some more water and get all the peaches washed while waiting for the water to boil.  I filled the sink with the peaches and then filled it with water. Washed them off really well again as I was draining the sink and rinsing it out.  Place all the peaches in a huge bowl and then one by one cut an "x" across the bottom of the peaches and placed them into the pot.  Add about 6-8 peaches at a time and let them boil for about 1-2 minutes.  Then take them out and place them into another large bowl. Add more peaches to the pot of boiling water.
     The purpose of this is to loosen the peach skin so you can peel it right off!  It works pretty well. Although, you might not find it necessary if you just want to dig in and start peeling away with your knife. But, I think the boiling method helps you save more of the peach flesh when peeling.
     After you have seeded and peeled and chopped all the peaches,you should do a bit of clean up and get out the sugar. Add 8 cups of white granulated sugar to the peaches in the bowl and stir really well. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to an hour.  Stir periodically to get the settled sugar off the bottom.
     Add the peach and sugar mixture to a big stock pot and stir in the pectin. Bring the mixture to a boil then lower it as needed to keep yourself from getting burned as you stir constantly to keep it from sticking. Boil and reduce this while stirring for about 30 minutes, maybe longer if it needs to thicken more. Cut off the heat. Funnel the peach preserves into the jars and tighten the lids.
     Bring another pot of water to boil that will be deep enough for your jars to sit in. Water should reach the lids. Add about 5 jars at a time and boil for about 10 min per group.  You should hear the lids popping.  That is the suction being created!  Remove and set aside on a rack to cool.  I even heard the popping after the jars had been removed!  It was like an applause for  a job well done!!!!
    We immediately spooned some hot peach preserves over ice cream and thought we had died and gone to heaven.  This stuff is divine!