THERE IS STILL TIME TO GIVE A 2010 TAX-DEDUCTIBLE GIFT!

You have until midnight 12/31/10 to make a charitable donation for the 2010 tax year. Please consider contributing to For the Love of Children or The James & Karen Hood Foundation. Not only will you receive a deduction on your taxes, but you will be making a valuable contribution that you can be proud of to a charity dedicated to the betterment of society through reaching out on both a local and global level.

Your donation helps make possible the blogs for both charities, where we pull together articles on a wide range of informative and important topics that you can put to use both in your day-to-day life and in the pursuit of crucial social issues. On these blogs you can find information on adoption, including detailed breakdowns of the unique challenges associated adopting from specific countries; health and nutrition; parenting tips and advice on foster care; domestic violence; debilitating medical conditions like Multiple Sclerosis and Sjogren’s Syndrome; articles on education and literacy; and much more. Furthermore, we hope to offer opportunities for volunteer work through both For the Love of Children and The James & Karen Hood Foundation in the coming year.

But even more importantly, your donation goes to directly support those in need in the following ways:

For the Love of Children concentrates on funding research on issues involving education, nutrition, health and wellness, abuse, and neglect of children. This charity is dedicated to touching the lives of as many children as possible the world over. Remember, these children are the future of our world. It is crucial to ensure that they receive the brightest and best we can give them.

The James & Karen Hood Foundation funds worthy causes and other established charities that assist the downtrodden in every area of need. Even in the United States, there are so many people suffering needlessly from poverty and neglect, and there are many more on a global level. Nothing is more important than addressing the welfare of our brothers and sisters in need. In helping others, we create a better world for everyone.

Help us address these crucial issues facing our modern world: donate today. Please click here to donate to For the Love of Children and here to donate to The James & Karen Hood Foundation. Thank you for your gift. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

The Cockapoo puppies from our last litter

We are so excited! Reggie & Ginger, our first-generation pure bred Cockapoos, will soon be proud parents! Ginger is expected to give birth on February 25, 2011. These will be second-generation Cockapoos, which are more rare and valuable. Normally a Cocker Spaniel is bred to a Toy Poodle, but in this case two Cockapoos were bred to each other. This produces smaller litters, which is why second-generation Cockapoos are more rare.

Of course, we can’t predict exactly what the new puppies will be like, but Reggie & Ginger’s last litter produced three females and two males in a range of colors, as you can see above. Ginger is a silver, beige, and white Cockapoo with a very loyal and loving personality who loves to be around people; and Reggie is a red Cockapoo, a loyal companion who enjoys spending time with his owner.

The puppies will be for sale after they are weaned from their mother. All puppies will have a complete set of vaccinations and health examinations, as well as having their dew claws removed and tails docked.

Cockapoos are known for their intelligent, affectionate personalities and playful activity. They also have the low-shedding and low-dander qualities of the poodle, making them the ideal pet for any home.  This breed is eager to please, vigorous, and friendly, making these dogs a popular choice as a companion. The Cockapoo has an easygoing personality and generally gets along well with children and other animals.

We are accepting reservations for the puppies from interested parties. Reservations require a non-refundable deposit of $350 on the total price of $1500. You may request a specific gender/color combination (for example, a black female) but we cannot guarantee what puppies will be born in this litter. In the event that your requested puppy is not available, you may choose to have your deposit applied to the next litter or refunded in full at the time the litter is born.  Please note that this is the only condition in which a refund will be issued. We will take orders on a maximum of 4 females and 4 males. Puppies can be picked up or shipped at 8 to 10 weeks of age. We ship via airlines anywhere in the US. Cash, check, and credit cards are accepted for deposits and payments on puppies. If you interested in reserving a puppy, please call 509-928-1800.

By David Zinczenko for Men’s Health
Source: Yahoo

Two out of three people in America today are either overweight or obese. That means every time you sit down in an airplane or a packed movie theater, more likely than not you’re going to wind up as the lean center of a fat sandwich. But as you look right and left and see nothing but heft, you can’t help but think, What happened?

How did we all get so darn fat?

Well, the simple answer is that we eat more calories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that American men eat 7 percent more calories than they did in 1971; American women eat a whopping 18 percent more—an additional 335 calories a day! But the harder question is this: Why do we eat so many more calories? Are we suddenly more gluttonous? Do we have some kind of collective death wish? Is the entire country hellbent on qualifying for the next season of Biggest Loser?

No. There’s an even crazier reason: It’s the food!

We’ve added extra calories to traditional foods, often in cheap, mass-produced vehicles like high fructose corn syrup. These new freak foods are designed not by chefs, but by lab technicians packing every morsel with maximum calories at minimum cost—with little or no regard to dietary impact. Indeed, Eat This, Not That! 2011 has uncovered the truth about some of your favorite fast food and grocery store items and how they’re causing you to pack on unnecessary pounds. It’s enough to kill your appetite, which—in these cases, anyway—would be a good thing.

Bonus Tip: Don’t miss our year-end walk down The Restaurant Hall of Shame: The 20 Worst Foods of 2010!

THE FAST-FOOD HAMBURGER
The great American staple. Don’t worry, burgers really do come from cows—but have you ever wondered how those giant chains process and distribute so much meat so cheaply? And . . . are you sure you want to know?

The Truth: Most fast-food hamburger patties begin their voyage to your buns in the hands of a company called Beef Products. The company specializes in taking slaughterhouse trimmings—heads and hooves and the like—that are traditionally used only in pet food and cooking oil, and turning them into patties. The challenge is getting this byproduct meat clean enough for human consumption, as both E. coli and salmonella like to concentrate themselves in the fatty deposits.

The company has developed a process for killing beef-based pathogens by forcing the ground meat through pipes and exposing it to ammonia gas—the same chemical you might use to clean your bathroom. Not only has the USDA approved the process, but it’s also allowed those who sell the beef to keep it hidden from their customers. At Beef Products’ behest, ammonia gas has been deemed a “processing agent” that need not be identified on nutrition labels. Never mind that if ammonia gets on your skin, it can cause severe burning, and if it gets in your eyes, it can blind you. Add to the gross-out factor the fact that after moving through this lengthy industrial process, a single beef patty can consist of cobbled-together pieces from different cows from all over the world—a practice that only increases the odds of contamination.

Eat This Instead: Losing weight starts in your own kitchen, by using the same ingredients real chefs have relied on since the dawn of the spatula. (Here are the 15 best dishes for quick and easy weight loss.) If you’re set on the challenge of eating fresh, single-source hamburger, pick out a nice hunk of sirloin from the meat case and have your butcher grind it up fresh. Hold the ammonia.

BETTY CROCKER’S BAC-O BITS
We’ve all been there before: A big bowl of lettuce or a steamy baked potato is set before us and the sudden desire for a bit of smoky, porky goodness pervades. We try to resist, but we grab for the bottle anyway: Mmmmm . . . bacon.

The Truth: Not quite. If it’s Bac-Os you grab for, just know that there’s not the slightest whiff of anything pork-like to be found in the bottle. So what are those little chips you’ve been shaking over your salads? Well, mostly soybeans. The bulk of each Bac-O is formed by tiny clumps of soy flour bound with trans-fatty, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and laced with artificial coloring, salt, and sugar. The result is a product that’s actually less healthy for your heart than the real thing!

Eat This Instead: Hormel makes a product called Real Bacon Bits, and as the name implies, it’s made with real bacon. And gram-for-gram, the real bacon actually has fewer calories than Betty Crocker’s Bac-Os. If Hormel can make a nutritionally superior product using real bacon, then why would you ever choose the artificial one that’s loaded with partially hydrogenated soybean oil?

PREMADE GUACAMOLE
When you buy bean dip, you expect it to be made from beans. And when you buy guacamole, it seems reasonable to expect it to be made from avocados. But is it?

The Truth: Most guacamoles with the word “dip” attached to the label suffer from a lack of real avocado. Take Dean’s Guacamole, for example. This guacamole dip is composed of less than 2 percent avocado; the rest of the green goo is a cluster of fillers and chemicals, including modified food starch, soybean oils, locust bean gum, and food coloring. Dean’s is not alone in this offense. In fact, this avocado caper was brought to light when a California woman filed a lawsuit against Kraft after she noticed “it just didn’t taste avocadoey.”

Eat This Instead: Avocados are loaded with fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Trading the good stuff in for a bunch of fillers is cheating both your belly and your tastebuds. Either look for the real stuff (Wholly Guacamole makes a great guac), or mash up a bowl yourself. Scoop out the flesh of two avocados, combine with two cloves of minced garlic, a bit of minced onion, the juice of one lemon, chopped cilantro, one medium chopped tomato, and a pinch of salt.

Bonus Tip: Unlike packaged-food manufacturers, fast-food and sit-down restaurants don’t typically rely on chemicals to enhance flavor. Instead, they pack in sugar and sodium, calorie counts be damned. Beware of The 10 Worst Fast Food Meals in America!
FRUIT ON THE BOTTOM YOGURT
It seems like the ideal breakfast or snack for a man or woman on the go—a perfect combination of yogurt and antioxidant-packed fruits, pulled together in one convenient little cup. But are these low-calorie dairy aisle staples really so good for you?

The Truth: While the yogurt itself offers stomach-soothing live cultures and a decent serving of protein, the sugar content of these seemingly healthy products is sky-high. The fruit itself is swimming in thick syrup—so much of it, in fact, that high-fructose corn syrup (and other such sweeteners) often shows up on the ingredients list well before the fruit itself. And these low-quality refined carbohydrates are the last thing you want for breakfast—Australian researchers found that people whose diets were high in carbohydrates had lower metabolisms than those who ate proportionally more protein. Not to mention, spikes in your blood sugar can wreck your short-term memory, according to a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Not what you need just before your urgent 9 a.m. meeting with the boss!

Eat This Instead: Plain Greek-style yogurt, mixed with real blueberries. We like Oikos and Fage brands—they’re jacked with about 15 to 22 grams of belly-filling protein, so they’ll help you feel satisfied for longer. And blueberries are another great morning add—scientists in New Zealand found that when they fed blueberries to mice, the rodents ate 9 percent less at their next meal.

Bonus Tip: Daily e-mails (or tweets) that contain weight-loss advice remind you of your goals and help you drop pounds, according to Canadian researchers. We’re partial to our own Eat This, Not That! newsletter, and to the instant weight-loss secrets you’ll get when you follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/davezinczenko).

TURKEY BACON
Pork bacon’s got a bad rap for wreaking havoc on your cholesterol. But is turkey bacon really any better?

The Truth: Stick with the pig. As far as calories go, the difference between “healthy” turkey bacon and “fatty” pig is negligible—and depending on the slice, turkey might sometimes tip the scales a touch more. Additionally, while turkey is indeed a leaner meat, turkey bacon isn’t made from 100 percent bird: One look at the ingredients list will show a long line of suspicious additives and extras that can’t possibly add anything of nutritional value. And finally, the sodium content of the turkey bacon is actually higher than what you’ll find in the kind that oinks—so if you’re worried about your blood pressure, opting for the original version is usually the smarter move.

Eat This Instead: Regular bacon. We like Hormel Black Label and Oscar Mayer Center Cut bacon for some low-cal, low-additive options.

REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTER
Nothing makes a PB&J feel less indulgent like a scoop of low-fat Jif. It’s low fat, so it must be better for you . . . right?

The Truth: A tub of reduced-fat peanut butter indeed comes with a fraction less fat than the full-fat variety—they’re not lying about that. But what the food companies don’t tell you is that peanut oil—the fat in peanut butter—is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that can actually help fight weight gain, heart disease and diabetes! Instead, they’ve tried to cash in on the “low-fat” craze by replacing that healthy fat with maltodextrin, a carbohydrate used as a filler in many processed foods. This means you’re trading the healthy fat from peanuts for empty carbs, double the sugar, and a savings of a meager 10 calories.

Eat This Instead: The real stuff: no oils, fillers, or added sugars. Just peanuts and salt. Smucker’s Natural fits the bill, as do many other peanut butters out there. We especially like Peanut Butter & Co. Original Smooth Operator and Original Crunch Time.

Bonus Tip: The average American drinks 450 calories a day—a quarter of the calories you’re supposed to consume during an entire day! Beware of The 20 Worst Drinks in America, 2010 Edition.

Fruit leather is a treat that kids love!  It is a healthy substitute for candy. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that dried fruit is like eating sticky candy. It stays on the teeth longer than fresh fruit, releasing sugar into the saliva for a greater period of time, which promotes tooth decay. Make sure you limit the amount of time in which your or your children’s teeth are exposed to sugar without being cleaned.

Drying fruit has been done for centuries. It is an easy way to preserve fruit. We generally think of dried fruit as such things as raisins, prunes, apple slices or apricot halves, but that isn’t the only way to preserve fruit. Pureeing fruit to make leather is an easy way to use up excess fruit before it goes bad. It is also easier than drying fruit pieces, because the puree is a more consistent thickness so that it all dries at the same rate.

Following are three fruit leather recipes you can use to preserve fruit for later use as tasty snacks.

Kiwi Fruit Leather

From St. Patrick’s Day Delights Cookbook

This is a great way for preserving kiwis when you are able to catch a great sale and they do not look like they will get used or eaten fast enough.

Ingredients:

10 kiwifruit, peeled

2   Tbs. white grape juice concentrate

¼  c. sugar

2   Tbs. lemon juice

green food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Purée ingredients completely in blender, making sure seeds are pulverized.
2. Spread purée in trays; dry until leathered.
3. Wrap in wax paper and store in airtight jar.

Blueberry Applesauce Fruit Leather

From Easter Delights Cookbook

This is excellent fruit leather, and it makes a great Easter basket filler.  This makes a tart fruit leather, so if you like it sweeter, add more honey.

Ingredients:

1  c. blueberry purée

1  c. unsweetened applesauce

1  Tbs. honey

Directions:

1. In blender or food processor, combine blueberries and applesauce.
2. Process until smooth.
3. Pour mixture through strainer or sieve to remove skin and seeds.
4. Stir in honey.
5. Place mixture in 10-inch skillet.
6. While stirring frequently, cook over very low heat for 1 hour until thickened.
7. Preheat oven to 150 degrees F.
8. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
9. Pour thickened mixture onto parchment paper, and spread to form rectangle.
10. Bake 5½ to 6 hours, until fruit sheet is dry enough not to stick to your fingers but moist enough to roll; remove from oven and cool.
11. Placing a potholder in oven door to keep it ajar will help dry the leather by allowing moisture to escape.
12. Once cooked, leather should be rolled in plastic wrap or stored in airtight container to keep.

Raspberry Fruit Leather

From Easter Delights Cookbook

Try homemade raspberry fruit leather for a great snack or lunch treat.  You will not want store-bought leather after tasting these.

Ingredients:

2  c. raspberry purée

2  Tbs. honey (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix purée and honey together if using honey.
2. Line cookie sheet or tray with wax paper.
3. Evenly spread purée ¼ inch deep.
4. Place in sun, oven, or dehydrator to dry.  (It takes 4 to 10 hours.)
5. Leather is ready when edges are not sticky to the touch.
6. Pull from wax paper while still warm, and roll in plastic wrap.
7. Can be stored for 30 days at room temperature or for months in the refrigerator.

St. Patrick’s Day Delights Cookbook and Easter Delights Cookbook are coming soon! Find more preserving recipes in Karen Jean Matsko Hood’s Cookbook Delights series of cookbooks. These may be purchased online from Karen’s Bookstore.

By Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
Source: Yahoo

If your holiday celebrations are leaving you feeling fat, achy, and lethargic, you’re not alone. Millions of your fellow revelers are in the same swollen boat.

Good news! This 3-day detox will blast away bloat, boost energy, burn fat, and ensure you regain your mojo in just 72 short hours. The meals are vegetarian (no meat or poultry—you had your fill on Turkey Day), and they’re loaded with the ideal mix of antioxidants, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Here’s how it works:

• Follow the same daily menu for three days in a row.
• Eat only what is listed on the menu–no added sugar, honey, sugar substitute, salt, salad dressing, condiments, etc.
• Drink only what is listed on the menu—no soda, fruit juice, alcohol, or diet beverages.
• Enjoy black coffee or tea at breakfast (regular or decaffeinated).
• Drink two 8-ounce glasses of water within 30 minutes of eating your lunch and dinner meals.  Drink as much additional water as you’d like throughout the day.
• Drink one cup of regular or decaffeinated green tea after your lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.
• The plan is vegetarian, but if you’d like to make it vegan see simple substitutes at breakfast and dinner.

Ready, set, go.

Daily Menu

Breakfast

Joy’s Protein Power Smoothie

In a blender, combine ¾ cup skim milk (for vegan plan, substitute soy or almond milk), ½ banana, ½ cup frozen raspberries, ½ cup frozen blueberries, 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (for vegan plan, substitute soy, rice, or pea protein powder), ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and 5 ice cubes. Blend until smooth and frothy.

Optional black coffee or tea

Lunch

Drink two 8-ounce glasses water (with optional lemon) within 30 minutes of eating. Drink as much additional water as you’d like during the meal.

Large spinach salad

• Unlimited spinach leaves
• Unlimited antioxidant-rich produce (Best choices include bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, red onions, broccoli, and sliced beets. You may also add cucumbers, mushrooms, celery, and cauliflower.)
• ½ cup red kidney, pinto, or black beans
• 1 tablespoon toasted, chopped pecans
• Dress with 1 teaspoon olive oil and unlimited balsamic or red wine vinegar

1 pink or red grapefruit

1 cup green tea

Snack

½ cup unsalted pistachio nuts (in shell)

1 cup green tea

Dinner

Drink two 8-ounce glasses of water (with optional lemon) within 30 minutes of eating. Drink as much additional water as you’d like during your meal.

Unlimited baked, grilled, broiled, or poached fish

Good choices include cod, halibut, haddock, and wild salmon, seasoned with fresh lemon and black pepper (for vegan plan, substitute Sautéed Tofu—see recipe below)

Unlimited steamed broccoli with optional fresh lemon and black pepper

1 cup green tea or naturally caffeine-free herbal tea

Recipe: Sautéed Tofu

• Oil spray (canola or olive oil)
• 1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed for at least 30 minutes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar

Liberally coat a large nonstick skillet with oil spray, and preheat the skillet over medium-high heat.

Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Add the tofu cubes to the skillet in a single layer and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes.  Toss the cubes and cook for 6 minutes, stirring every few minutes to brown the tofu evenly on all sides. Add additional oil spray as necessary to prevent the tofu from sticking to the skillet.

Add the garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds (watch the pan closely to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn).

Transfer the tofu to a plate and dress with unlimited fresh-squeezed lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

by Mike Krumboltz for Stop The Presses!
Source: Yahoo

Christmas comes but once a year. Christmas carols, on the other hand… they can stay in your head for much longer.

Over the past several weeks, aspiring crooners have been searching for all manner of holiday tunes. Chestnuts roasting on open fires? Check. Reindeer with improbably red noses? Yup. Below we’ve written a list of the top searched-for Christmas carols. And, yes, we checked it twice.

Not surprisingly, it’s the 12 Days of Christmas in the top spot. We suspect most of these searches are from people wanting to know more about the story behind the lyrics. A partridge in a pear tree? Come on, who does that?

The song dates back to the 18th century, but didn’t come to the United States until the early 20th century when Emily Brown, a grade school teacher in Milwaukee, put on a play inspired by the classic carol. First Stage writes that Brown wrote several plays. Her version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was so popular that the tune went on to “spread throughout the country.” And keep in mind, this was pre-Facebook.

The story behind “Silent Night” may be even more amazing. An Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr wrote the song in the 19th century. According to legend, it was Christmas Eve and Mohr discovered that his church organ wasn’t working. With little time to spare, Mohr pulled out a poem he had been working on, thinking that the church’s chorus could sing it without an organ to back them up. Needless to say, it worked. Silent Night is one of the all-time favorite Christmas carols. That may not be exactly how it all went down, but it sure makes for a good story.

The decidedly more modern “The Christmas Song” (aka “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”) comes in third. This classic tune was co-written by Mel Torme, and went on to be one of the “the most beloved seasonal standards after it was recorded by Nat (King) Cole in 1946.” According to his obituary in The New York Times, “Mr. Torme liked to recall that the song was written in just 40 minutes on a sweltering July afternoon in Los Angeles and that it had subsequently been recorded in 1,734 versions.”

Below, the rest of the top-searched Christmas carols…

1. 12 Days of Christmas

2. Silent Night

3. The Christmas Song

4. Jingle Bells

5. Baby it’s Cold Outside

6. Joy to the World

7. Last Christmas

8. O Holy Night

9. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

10. Feliz Navidad

By MarthaStewart.com
Source: Yahoo!Green

Why buy fancy wrapping paper when it will only end up crumpled in the recycling bin? Every year, Americans spend billions on ribbons, paper, and bows, only to see them ripped up and tossed away.

These creative, eco-friendly gift wrap ideas make use of materials already lying around your home — maps, shopping bags, even kids’ artwork. Did we mention they don’t cost a cent?

Biodegradable stuffing

Biodegradable stuffing cushions small, fragile items just as well as plastic bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts, a recycler’s worst nightmare.

Potato-chip bag gift wrap

Give a new life to empty potato-chip bags by dressing up your gifts in them. Cut open a potato-chip bag along its seam to reveal the shiny white or silver inside of the bag. Flatten the bag, wash it with soap and water, and air dry. Then wrap your present and adorn it with ribbons and homemade cards.

Cloth gift wrap

In Japan, the art of wrapping gifts in cloth is called furoshiki, and it’s brilliantly eco-friendly. Use scarves or towels (which become second gifts) or fabric scraps leftover from other projects. Secure open ends with a button, safety pin, or knot.

Stamped shopping-bag gift wrap

Have shopping bags around the house? Repurpose them into festive gift wrap. Cut an open paper shopping bag along one fold and scissor out the bottom of the bag. Wrap your gift in the paper. Dip one end of a wine cork into ink or a dark fruit juice and begin stamping patterns.

Vintage and repurposed paper gift wrap

Easy to find and work with, vintage and repurposed papers add pop to presents. Layer several colors and textures, or add vintage beads for a finished look.

Kids’ artwork gift wrap

Children’s drawings make for inexpensive and delightful homemade gift wrap, especially for family members. Have kids doodle on Kraft paper, calendar pages, shopping bags, magazine pages, and phone book pages.

by Stephanie Jolly
Source: Suite 101

If you’re like most holiday revelers, you’ve got a few parties to attend this season. Odds are that upon walking through the door, you’ll come face-to-face with a large bowl of murky liquid known as eggnog.

Your first reaction may be one of confusion, but try to keep it together. Although eggnog isn’t much to look at, it’s impossible to get away from. Around the holidays, sales of this gelatinous liquid skyrocket, and so do the Web searches.

Here are two syrup recipes taken from two of Karen Jean Matsko Hood’s cookbooks from her Cookbook Delights Series, Huckleberry Delights Cookbook and Raspberry Delights Cookbook. Check them out and let Karen know what you think of them. She also invites you to join others to share your favorite recipes on Cooking with Karen Blog.com.

Raspberry Syrup

Nothing is better than hot pancakes, waffles, or French toast, and homemade raspberry syrup.  Adjust the sweetness to your taste.

Ingredients:

2½ c. frozen raspberries, thawed, with juice

1    c. sugar

1    c. light corn syrup

Directions:

1. Place raspberries (including juice) and sugar into blender and process at high speed.
2. Mash and force through a sieve with potato masher.
3. Pour into saucepan and bring to boil over moderate heat.
4. Add corn syrup and cook a little while longer.
5. Pour into bottle and refrigerate.

Huckleberry Syrup

Try this delicious version of syrup made without corn syrup.  It is full of true huckleberry flavor.  While this recipe normally gives good results, fruit sugar, pectin, and acid concentrations can vary.  Start with a small test batch and allow it to cool thoroughly before testing for syrup thickness.

Ingredients:

2    c. huckleberry juice

1¾ c. sugar

1    Tbs. lemon juice (optional) for a tarter syrup

Directions:

1. Crush fruit; press out juice using cheesecloth or jelly bag.
2. If you will not be making syrup immediately, pasteurize juice by heating to 194 degrees F. for 1 minute; filter through cheesecloth and refrigerate.
3. Mix juice and sugar in large pan, and bring to rolling boil that cannot be stirred down; continue to boil for 1 minute.
4. Remove pan from heat and skim off any foam.
5. Pour syrup into clean, hot canning jars.
6. Process following canning directions on page 186.
7. Refrigerate after opening.
8. This recipe produces fairly thin syrup.  If you desire thicker syrup, use 1½ cups sugar and ¼ cup corn syrup in recipe.
9. Do not add more sugar or boil longer to thicken, because both methods can cause jelling to occur.
10. Corn syrup and lemon juice can be used together.

Visit these websites to get your copy of these and other cookbooks in the Cookbook Delights Series today: Karen’s Bookstore or Whispering Pine Press International Bookstore.