10 EASY WAYS TO USE PRESERVES….BEYOND TOAST

• Heat 1/2 jar of fruit jam in saucepan and mix in 1 Tbsp. mustard, 2 cloves garlic and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• Place protein of choice (chicken, pork, fish or ribs) in plastic bag, pour marinade over it and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight
• Remove meat or fish from bag and place on grill or roast in oven. Use the marinade to baste the meat the last 5-10 minutes.

2. Easy Appetizers

• Spread jams or chutneys over a round of brie and microwave briefly
• Spread cream cheese on toast rounds and top with hot pepper jellies
• In saucepan, mix chutneys with some orange juice, cornstarch, soy sauce and mustard; heat over med-high until thoroughly combined and use as a dipping sauce for meatballs
• Mix chutneys or jams with mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions and curry powder and use as a dip for raw vegetables

3. Sandwiches

• Panini: Use basting brush to spread olive oil or softened butter on outside of 2 slices of robust bread (or sourdough bread); layer inside of sandwich with cheese (I like asiago) and a fruit jam or chutney (prosciutto or other meat sliced thin can also be added); place sandwich in Panini machine, oiled sides of bread on outside (touching grills) and close machine until cheese is melted and light comes on.
• If you do not have a Panini machine, just grill above sandwich like a grilled cheese sandwich.
• Try peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches with one of the hot pepper jellies for taste treat
• Use chutneys or savory jams as topping for grilled hamburgers (gooseberry chutney is wonderful with hamburgers)
• Use tomato jam or other savory jam on a bagel with cream cheese and bacon

4. Smoothies & Breakfast Shakes

• In blender, add some frozen vanilla yogurt, a banana, some jam of your choice, some skim milk and/or some fruit juice (to help liquefy). Add protein powder or flax to blender if desired. Blend to desired thickness.

5. Drinks

• Prosecco Sparkler: warm jelly until liquefied and stir several tablespoons into glass of chilled prosecco or other sparkling white wine.
• Sparkling Red Wine & Peach cocktail: Add several tablespoons of any of the low-sugar peach or apricot jams to a glass of sparkling shiraz. Add ice and stir gently.
• Lime marmalade margarita: Add several tablespoons of lime or lemon ginger marmalade to your recipe for margaritas and blend.

6. Desserts

• Chocolate-Raspberry Panini with Mascarpone: Butter 4 slices of French bread and arrange on baking sheet, buttered side down. Spread each with 1 Tbsp preserves. Sprinkle chopped bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao) over each, leaving 1/2-inch border. Spread 6 Tbsp mascarpone cheese evenly over plain side of remaining 4 bread slices.
• Sandwich cookies: Spread generous tsp of jam between two of your favorite cookies (oatmeal or ginger cookies work great). Add dose of chocolate sauce and kiwi on top for special cookie dessert;
• Bars: Use as filling in any of your favorite bar recipes (i.e., raspberry-almond bars)
• Use as a filling for empanaditas (apricot works really well)
• Mini-tarts: roll out a pie crust and line a small circle of dough in miniature muffin cups. Fill with jam and bake until crust is golden and filling bubbles thickly.
• Spoon sweet jams over ice cream (the cherry jams and peach jams are especially good with ice cream, but the hot pepper jams are a nice twist.

7. Breakfasts

• Spread soft jams over pancakes or waffles
• Dollop tomato jam or savory jam on omelets
• Stir fruit jams into plain yogurt or into oatmeal

8. Sauces & Dips

• Add Dijon mustard to any of the citrus jams and use with fish
• Melt hot pepper jellies and use as dipping sauce for eggrolls, wontons, samosas, etc.
• Use fruit jam as a base for your favorite BBQ sauce recipe (especially good with black cherry jams or peach jams)

9. Mustard Butters for Vegetables

• Combine 1/3 cup marmalade or chutney with 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard and 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp lemon juice; heat until melted and drizzle over vegetables

10. TOAST! (and other breads)

• All of the jams and jellies are wonderful with toast, but the marmalades are wonderful with English muffins, the chutneys with bagels, the sweet jellies with croissants, and the pepper jams or jellies with cornbread.