Finally....the small appliance portion of our show

I've always wanted a bread maker, so I decided with my Christmas money it was finally time to get one. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough money to get "The One". I actually only had $75.00. So, I had to go searching and found a "like-new" Cuisinart for 60 bucks on Craigslist! SCORE!

The sweet little couple I bought it from was moving back to Serbia, their visas had expired and they couldn't find jobs. :(

I've made LOADS of bread in the past few months, but I'm the most proud of my Grapefruit Marmalade!

Yep, made my own Grapefruit marmalade with my bread maker!! I actually used two separate recipes. One from the recipe book that came with the bread maker and one I found online. I still need to get the professional opinion from the Roddies, but I think the recipe from the bread maker is actually more traditional...so I'll share that recipe with you...because I know you are all going to make your own now...yeah right.

I used 4 Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit from the valley, so they were SUPER fresh. (medium to large in size)

You'll also need 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup orgeat syrup (good luck finding it...I went to 4 different SPEC'S)
1 box powdered pectin

Peel grapefruit using a sharp knife.
Slice the bitter white pith from the peel, leaving just a thin layer on the peel. discard bitter white pith.Cut the peel into thin (1/8 inch thick) slices and place in a medium bowl.
Cut the grapefruit into sections, removing the membrane and seeds. Add the sections and any accumlated juices to the bowl. Stir in sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours-this is to tenderize the grapefruit peel.
Stir the orgeat and pectin into the macerated grapefruit peel and sections. Transfer to the bread pan fitted with the kneading paddle. Place the bread pan in the bread maker. Select Jam on the menu. Press Start. Scape the sides of the pan when tone beeps at 5 and 10 minutes into the cycle.

Transfer marmalade to clean jars. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate. Keeps refrigerated for 4-6 weeks. (I actually sealed my jars in boiling water for 5-7 minutes, so I could keep it in the pantry.)

One batch only made a pint and a half. It would be great in little jars to use as gifts.

YUM!!

riddlelove

If you've known me for very long, you know I'm a wannabe farmer who lives in the city with a husband who would rather starve than eat a vegetable.

My farmer persona likes to plant vegetables, herbs, flowers, anything that might grow. She also likes to make food from scratch (using small kitchen appliances, of course) and NEVER follows the recipe, exactly. In my former life, I'm convinced I was Laura Ingalls, I'm even the right size, half a pint.

Though, I'm not sure I would have survived without my gas oven, I'm 100% positive that Katie Riddle would have. She has inspired me to make my own cheese, pink pancakes and now roast my own coffee beans. (you can win green coffee beans from riddlelove and u-roast-em.)

You should check out Katie's blog, and you too can be Laura Ingalls. I'll share her for a moment, just one though.