Peach jam and a giveaway!

As a "chick who cans," I received a very cool cleaning kit in the mail from the generous folks at Bon Ami. Certainly you have heard of Bon Ami, the cleaning products company that has been around for more than 125 years. Their products are toxin-free and gentle on the environment. They also smell wonderful (Tangerine Thyme, yum!) and they did a fantastic job of cleaning my jars in preparation for holding peach jam! 

Bon Ami has offered to send one of my readers a cleaning kit, as well!

To be entered to win a Bon Ami cleaning kit (pictured below), leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite flavor of jam/jelly is.

For additional giveaway entries, leave separate comments for any or all of the following:

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I will randomly select a winner Tuesday, September 4th at 9:00 a.m.

I would also love to share with you the peach jam I made last week! I am a huge jam fan, and I have something to tell those of you who have never made it and who are perhaps daunted by the task. It is EASY! Way easier than pie. There is nothing better than homemade jam, and it is a perfect and thoughtful gift for those of you thinking ahead to Christmas. 

First, thoroughly clean seven 8-oz. mason jars.

Pit, peel and coarsely chop 8 large peaches.

In batches, place the peaches in a food processor and pulse until the mixture appears chunky (but is not mushy).

Add the peaches to a medium saucepan, along with:

3 cups sugar

Juice from 1/2 of a lemon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil, stirring frequently, for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the jam sticks to the back of a spoon.

Pour the jam into the cleaned mason jars and secure with lids. Place the jars in the refrigerator, or freeze.

Good for 4 to 6 weeks in fridge.

Enjoy!

Printable recipe: Peach jam

Peach-topped blueberry cheesecake

I have been absolutely dying to share this recipe with all of you. It is one the most delicious things to have been produced in my kitchen in quite some time. And isn't it pretty?

A few weeks ago I picked up a box of peaches from Trader Joe's. I allowed them to ripen for two days and they transformed into some of the juiciest, most delicious pieces of fruit I have ever tasted. I envisioned myself crawling into peach flesh like in James and the Giant Peach, and just sleeping there. Mmmm, juicy, tasty peach flesh..

Anyhow, I wanted to do everything possible to not waste a single morsel of these tasty peaches. So I ate my share. My husband ate his share. Sammy ate his share. Elijah wasn't interested. Then I made this cheesecake. I indulged in one delicious slice and I brought the rest to work to share with my coworkers. This was a dangerous one to keep at home.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a food processor, add:

15 graham crackers, broken into pieces

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Process until crumbs form and butter is combined. Press the crumbs onto the bottom of the springform pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the following ingredients with a hand-held mixer until smooth:

Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Blend in 1/2 cup milk, and add 4 large eggs, one at a time, just until combined.

Add:

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Mix until smooth.

Add 1 pint of fresh blueberries and carefully mix them in with a spoon until combined.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool with the oven. This helps to prevent cracking.

Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.

Top the cheesecake with 4 peaches, cut into thin slices.

In a small bowl, warm 1/2 cup peach preserves for 30 seconds in the microwave. Brush the warmed preserves over the peaches.

Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

I can't think of anything I'd rather do with fresh summer peaches. Aside from crawling into them, that is.

Click here for a printable recipe!