The weekend is finally here! I’ve got a ton of stuff planned for the weekend and my sister is visiting as well, so I’m sure we’ll get up to lots of mischief (tame, of course). Not too much happening in the garden right now – we’re working on getting through the last of the kale by making lots of kale chips and also giving away as much as we can. Here are a few things that have caught my attention lately:

1. Canning, Pickling, and Freezing with Irma Harding by Marilyn McCrae. I first saw this book on Food in Jars and immediately added it to my Amazon wish list.

2. Jolly Rancher Infused Vodka via A Beautiful Mess. My first reaction was “OMG gross” because I confused Jolly Ranchers for Starburst but then realized my mistake and changed my reaction to “OMG amazing”. I have a fantasy of throwing a teeny bopper birthday party (for myself) that is horse/cat themed and I think this candy-infused vodka would be perfect for my weird fantasy birthday party.

3. Pear Cranberry Jam via Food in Jars. I actually made this a couple of weekends ago and added in cinnamon and black pepper via a suggestion in the comments, but I also added a splash of vanilla to put my own take on it. I’m hoping that it will replace the canned cranberries I usually serve with turkey dinner (you know the kind, that slurps out of the can and then you present on a platter with the tin can mold still completely intact? So classy.).

4. Chocolate Pot de Cre’me via Sweet Paul looks unbelievably amazing. And easy to make! Plus I have tons of preserved sour cherries to go with it!

5. Fish Peppers via Garden Betty look so neat! I’ve added these to my seed purchase list for the next growing season (along with like 15 other hot pepper varieties). I love the story behind them as well – it really hits home how important seed saving is.

Have a wonderful weekend!