Sweet Letha and Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe

The strawberry season is quite a bit longer this year than usual here in Savannah.  Due to warm weather, we have been getting sweet, ripe strawberries since early February.  And living only a half mile away from my neighbor's berry farm, it's great to be able to dash over to pick fresh berries whenever I need some.  

On this cool mid-morning,  I shouldered my camera and drove to the farm.   I was happy to see my poco Letha, and her mother uncovering the white floating row covers.  Letha is a daughter of migrant workers at the farm.   Her big dancing brown eyes greeted me, along with her cheerful "Hola, Miss Kay!"   When she saw me taking photos of the berries, curiosity got the best of her, and instead of helping her mama, she tagged along with me.  

I handed her a few pint-size baskets and asked if she could help me pick some not-so-big, red, shiny, pretty, stemmed berries.  Despite my numerous adjectives, she flashed me a smile and hopped over the beds like a graceful fawn and went to work.  

In no time, she had the baskets filled.  Her nimble, expert fingers did exactly what I asked for. She was tickled to be my helper/light bouncer/hand model and I was so happy to have her with me.  Her cheerfulness and sweet countenance made my day even brighter.  Gracias, Letha!  

These photos will be featured this coming Wednesday in Miss Sophie's column.  

Freezer Strawberry Jam

4 cups crushed fresh strawberries
3 cups sugar
1 (1.75 oz) pkg low sugar sure gel
3/4 c water


Rinse clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.

Crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 4 cups crushed strawberries into a large bowl.

Mix sugar and pectin in large saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add strawberries; stir 1 minute or until well blended. FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Butter Sauce

 Happiness is when you get a case of Lane's peaches from a friend.  What a friend!   I'm grinning from ear to ear looking at the half-bushel box on the dining table.  As the ripening peach scent wafting in my kitchen, and with kinda stupid-happy grin on my face, you'd think my husband has given me another engagement ring.  Food is my love language.   I left the box as the centerpiece for the table for four days, I think.

Another happiness?  Choosing what to do with these glorious Georgia peaches! Miss Sophie and I had crazy wonderful time deciding on which recipe to write and photograph.....yes, we are complete food nerds to the core.  Digging through her recipe boxes, she chose this recipe, along with a few others for her Wednesday food column with Savannah Morning News.  Click here to read.

Grilled Georgia peaches with vanilla ice cream topped with Bourbon butter sauce.... these dog days of Savannah summer just got better.   

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Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Butter Sauce
Recipe by Miss Sophie 
Used with permission

2 peaches, ripe ones, cut in half and pitted
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup bourbon
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Vanilla ice cream

Combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, salt and bourbon in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat until butter and sugar are melted. Remove from heat.

Lightly coat hot grill grates with oil. Place peaches cut side down onto grates. Cook for 5 minutes or until carmalized. Place grilled peach in a bowl, top with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle with glaze.

Mock Muffaletta Sandwich & Olive Salad

I know I broke all the rules with this one.  No muffaletta bread, instead it was the sour dough.  And I hear it's considered blasphemy to heat the sandwich.  But we did, all of them.  And the Wednesday lunch crowd went wild!  These hearty, delectable sandwiches will be on a very short rotation on our Wednesday lunch menu for sure.    

Slices of ham, provolone cheese, salami, mozzarella, and then da bomb, the olive salad!  Oh, my.  

 Why didn't I make this sooner?  The briny and flavorful olives melded with roasted peppers and artichoke hearts just did it for me.  I'm forever changed and will love this sandwich for rest of my life.  The End.   

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Mock Muffaletta Sandwich & Olive Salad
Makes 4 Hearty Sandwiches


Olive Salad  

• 1 cup pitted green olives , chopped
• 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tiny capers
• 1/3 cup diced roasted red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup roasted artichoke heart coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• pepper, to taste

Sandwich:

• 8 slices of sour dough bread
• 16 thin slices of ham
• 12 slices of salami
• 8 slices of provolone cheese
• 1 cup of freshly shredded mozzarella
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

For olive salad, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, season with pepper.  

Preheat a stove top griddle or a large frying pan to medium heat. 

For sandwich, on a slice of sour dough, divide the sandwich ingredients and liberally spread the olive salad.  Top it with the second slice of bread.  Makes four large sandwiches.   Butter the outer layer of the sour dough slices and heat the sandwich through until bread is toasty brown and cheese begin to melt.  Slice diagonally in half and serve immediately.   

Crispy Pea Cakes with Avocado Aioli

 As some of you may know, I have been taking recipe photos for Miss Sophie, who is a weekly food columnist for Savannah Morning Newspaper.  It has been such an enriching experience for me to have a dear friend whom I can freely talk about food/recipe/life/faith with.  As we talk about our next recipe project and/or dream of a cookbook one day, we become like giddy school girls.  

Miss Sophie's article on peas this week is especially good.  Her story is always laced with personal experiences you might hear from your favorite aunt, rocking the heat away on the front porch while sipping on a tall glass of  overly sweetened iced tea.    

 Top: Pink Eyes, Dixie Lees Bottom: Zippers

 Beautiful green mixure is tossed in Panko bread crumbs

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Crispy Pea Cakes

Makes 8 small cakes

2 cups cooked peas(black-eyed, Pink-eyed, Zippers, Dixie Lees); left-overs are great for this recipe
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

1/4 cup onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons canola oil, divided 

1 garlic clove, grated 

1 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs, divided (use only 1/3 cup for pea cake mixture)
1/2 lime, zested and juiced (Save the other half for aioli)
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 eggs

Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a medium-high heat and sauté onion and red bell pepper.  Transfer to a large bowl and cool.  

Drain cooked peas well.  Pat dry with paper towel.  Put the peas in the food processor and pulse 4-5 times in a quick interval.  Do not over process.  You want the mixture to be somewhat chunky but mashed.  Add peas to onion and red bell pepper mixture.  Add garlic, 1/3 cup of Panko, and the remaining ingredients.  Combine well.  Mixture will be a little wet but it will cook and get firm.  

Divide and make into 8 cakes.  Roll the cakes in 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs.  Using the same frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil to medium-high heat and cook 4 cakes until the crust is golden brown and cake is firm about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Add the remaining oil and repeat.  

Serve hot with Avocado aioli.  

Avocado Aioli

1 avocado, ripe but firm, pitted, and peeled, diced

1/3 cup mayonnaise, Hellman's
1/2 lime, zested and juiced

1/2 clove of garlic, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Whirl all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Add more salt to taste. Refrigerate until needed.  

Simple Garlic Pickles

It's about time I share this super garlic pickle recipe with you.  I tried to post it before, but as you know, pickle are not so photogenic.  My point & shoot camera plus my lack of photography skill a year or two ago didn't help much to improve the look either.  But now, a proper introduction is in order for these fabulous (yes, pickles can be quite fabulous) garlicky pickles with a delightful kick.

Drain all the pickle juice.  After slicing the pickles, put them back in the jar, then add Tabasco sauce, garlic cloves, and sugar.  Easy, wasn't it?  After 2-3 days in the refrigerator, it is ready to serve.  

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Simple Garlic Pickles 

1 jar    one gallon, whole kosher dill pickles, regular sour kind

1/2 C  Tabasco sauce

8-10   whole garlic cloves, peeled

3 C     granulated Sugar

Completely drain and discard all the pickle juice. Cut pickles into 1-inch slices. Put sliced pickles back into the empty jar then add the remaining ingredients.

Screw on the jar lid very TIGHTLY. Turn jar upside down and refrigerate; pickle juice will exude and dissolve the sugar. Just incase the pickle juice leaks, put a small pan under.  

Refrigerate pickles 2-3 days, turning the jar once or twice a day.  Now it's ready to serve. 

Keeps crunchy for about 2-3 weeks. 

Strawberry Butter and Wednesday with Miss Sophie

Miss Sophie's Wednesday article and Recipe at Savannah Morning News

Our planet celebrates with the bursts of color from azaleas and flowering trees. Seemingly dead limbs are suddenly filled with tiny sprouts of green and yellow. The tops of neatly shaped bushes explode with new shoots in triumph over their dormant growth.....click here to read more

Mr. Waller's strawberry farm is less than half-mile away from my house.

Simplicity at its best: whipped butter, powder sugar, and fresh strawberries.

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Strawberry Butter

Recipe by Teri Bell aka Miss Sophie

3 sticks of butter, softened but cool, divided
1/2 to 3/4 cups of finely sliced fresh strawberries

1/4- 1/2 cup powder sugar (depending on how sweet you want the butter)

Begin with two sticks of softened butter whip it in a mixer (hand mixer works just great) until light and fluffy. Add strawberries and mix. Add powder sugar. 
Add the third stick of softened but cool butter, and whip it well. This gives the butter a beautiful fluffy consistency.

Store in refrigerator up to a week. Bring the butter to room temperature before serving. Serve on warm bread, biscuits, or even pancakes!

Simple Pineapple Salsa

I had a wonderful break from work last week, and I am truly thankful for the whole week off to do some cleaning and organizing at home.

Here is a simple pineapple salsa which I served a few Sundays ago. Everyone loved the sweet and tangy flavor which beautifully complimented the pan-seared pork tenderloin.

Finely chop fresh pineapple, green & red onions, cilantro, Jalapeño peppers. Since I was making a large amount, I coarsely processed the pineapples to save some time on hand chopping.

A bit of Pantai Sweetened Chili Sauce....There are several different brands out there, but this one has the best taste. This is what I always keep in my fridge for egg rolls or anything that needs a good sauce. You can purchase these at your local Asian food markets.

If you can't find this particular brand, look for red chili sauce without MSG.

Simply mix and let the flavor meld in the fridge for an hour or more.

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Simple Pineapple Salsa
(Makes about 1 1/3 Cup)

1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple (do not use canned), click here for prep tutorial
2 tablespoons finely chopped purple onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper, optional
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons Pantai Brand Sweetened Chili Sauce
2 teaspoons finely minced jalapeno pepper, optional
juice of 1 fresh lime, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients; cover and refrigerate for an hour or more to blend flavors. Serve with grilled pork,broiled fish, or chicken. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

Make Ahead Tip: (if you are making in large quantity)

Up to 3 days:

Pineapple can be cut in 4 wedges (Click here for how-to post), wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator

All veggies can be trimmed and washed ahead, wrap in paper towel and store in zip-lock baggies.

Up to 8 hours:

Chop pineapples and veggies. Combine all ingredients and cover and store in the fridge.

Herb Pesto

In the IPC Kitchen, pesto is used quite frequently to flavor just about everything we serve for lunch. Traditionally, a mortar and pestle were used to crush fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, cheese, and olive oil. However, with the use of a food processor, you can easily prepare a delicious pesto with unlimited variations.

Here are some samples of food we prepare using herb pesto:

Pesto chicken and shrimp pizzas


Pesto chicken breast for sandwiches or to top on salads


Pesto added to remoulade for fried green tomatoes

To achieve creamy texture, process fresh herbs, kosher salt first, then add pine nuts, and olive oil.

Add a little mayo, sour cream, and prepared horseradish and you have fantastic sauce for sandwiches.

Fried green tomato BLT with pesto aioli.

Orzo salad mixed with pesto and fresh vegetables

Pesto Crusted Pork Loin

And pesto quiche


Pesto can be made and frozen in ice cube trays for easy use.

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Herb Pesto

Makes 1 Cup

2 cups packed fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, Italian parsley, or combination of these herbs

1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, extra if freezing
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan or your favorite hard cheese

Freshly ground black pepper and extra salt, to taste

Combine the herb and kosher salt in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add garlic, pine nuts and process a few quick pulses. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with pepper and extra salt if needed.

If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.

If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container or ice cube tray; drizzle a little oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.

Note: Try adding parsley to your basil pesto to give it a vibrant green color

Savannah Spring Rolls

Living in Savannah, Barbecue is very much a part of the southern lifestyle and cooking culture. So, I decided to give the Vietnamese Spring Roll a southern makeover. Smoky, pulled pork and local Georgia shrimp is paired with a ginger infused BBQ sauce to create a unique Savannah style roll.

Prepare your ingredients: Pulled pork, deveined and cooked shrimp, shredded red leaf lettuce, cilantro, finely julienne green onions, and carrots finely julienne for color. You can also use sprouts or any other veggies you like.

In lukewarm water, dip spring roll wrapper for 2 to 3 seconds. Yes, I mean it! Only few seconds. If you soak the wrapper too long, it will be very limp and very hard to roll. The wrapper should be stiff but completely wet.

Fold in the wrapper into thirds, with both sides over lapping. The wrapper will be stiff, which is good!

Starting from the bottom of the wrap, line your ingredients and place shrimp about an inch below where you will finish wrapping (hey, I see a face!)

At this point, your wrapper will be softer and pliable. Begin the roll, making sure the fillings stay together and roll is nice and snug. Finish rolling, ensuring two shrimp are tucked in with tails hanging out on both open ends. Cover the the rolls with damp paper towel while rolling several more.

Right before serving cut the rolls in half. These rolls are tastiest right after they are rolled. Invite your guests in your kitchen and have a rolling party!

Place cut side down so the rolls are standing up with shrimp beautifully exposed.


Serve with your favorite sauce or here is a very simple barbecue sauce with fresh ginger.

Savannah Spring Rolls

Makes about 20 whole rolls (40 appetizers pieces when cut)

1/2 pound Pulled Pork, shredded not chopped

1 pound medium shrimp, deveined, cooked and peeled (31-40 count shrimp)

2 cups red leaf lettuce, finely sliced

3 Green Onions, cut into thirds and julienne thinly lengthwise

2 carrots, peeled, julienne very thinly (if you own a Japanese Mandolin Slicer, this is a great time to use it)

1 cup cilantro leaves, washed

25 Basil leaves, washed

Mint leaves if desired

1 package of Rice Paper, 12 oz package contains about 35 rice papers, purchased at Asian Market

Luke warm water in a shallow dish big enough to soak rice papers

Dip the rice paper in lukewarm water for 2-3 seconds. Place the wet rice paper on the cutting board and fold them in thirds, overlapping two sides. Place your meat and prepared veggies on the third bottom of the paper and begin rolling. Before finishing the roll, place two shrimp with tails out of the edges, finish rolling, carefully tucking the thick half of the shrimp. Cover the roll with damp paper towel.

Roll several more. When ready to serve, cut the roll in half. Place the cut side on the plate. Garnish with mint, basil, or cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with your favorite sauce.

Ginger Barbecue Sauce

1/2 Cup Cattleman's Gold BBQ Sauce (this is mustard based sauce, if not available use regular bbq sauce)

1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Mix well. Serve room temperature.

Spicy Fig and Ginger Jam

Each summer, I have a major battle: the birds and I race for the ripe figs culminating under the leaves. This year my five-year old fig tree really went all out, and is producing so much fruit, each branch droops to the ground. And my backyard birds know it. At every opportunity, they are swooping in to take gaping pecks at my ripe, luxurious fruit.


So to outsmart my feathered enemies, I have devised a foolproof plan. I go out to gather figs after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Thankfully, this plan seems to be working so far, because I have been able to gather enough figs to make my jam, with some to spare (leaving only a handful that have been pillaged by the birds.)


Crystallized ginger gives a little spunk while fresh lemon juice lightens the flavor.


If you prefer jam with big, fruity chunks, coarsely chop the figs, otherwise, pulse the fruit in processor for a minute. After adding sugar and water, bring it to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Less than one hour of prep and cooking time, you will have this beautiful, glorious jam for your scones and biscuits. Actually, I am craving Brie en croute with fig jam! Oh, won't that be just heavenly?

Spicy Fig and Ginger Jam

4 cups coarsely chopped fresh figs
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Cool; pour into airtight containers.

Note: Refrigerate Fig and Ginger Jam in airtight containers up to six weeks.