Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Happiness Is....

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. Helen Keller

I don't know what happiness is for you...spending time with children or grandchildren, going to the beach, practicing a fulfilling hobby or maybe it is your work. What makes a person "happy" is as different between individuals as in falling snowflakes.

One of the things that I am "happy" doing, is canning great fruits and vegetables each year that I can use through the winter. Today let's do Peach Butter, one of my husband's very favorite things...it makes him smile, and that makes me happy!


SPICED PEACH BUTTER

Yields 8 half-pint jars

* 12 cups peaches, peeled and diced
* 1 cup honey
* 6 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
* 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker (crock pot). Cook on low heat for about 12 hours. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth. Cook for an additional hour or two, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. (You may want to remove the lid on your slow cooker for a little while to let some of the steam escape and give the peach butter a chance to thicken up just a bit.)

A shelf fully of "happy" in my pantry!

Now, if you are not crazy about the "spice" you can opt to leave the spices out and instead add about 1/4 cup brown or white sugar instead of the honey and spices. Believe me, either way it is a family favorite!

I usually cut (with pinking shears) small circles out of Christmas Printed material (Hobby Lobby always has great fabrics early in the season) and put atop the jars and tie with rafia. This makes great Christmas gifts for co-workers or neighbors, if your family will let you part with any of it!




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