When blueberry season approaches I am always so happy. Not only is there usually a surge of local New Jersey blueberries, but I can usually get them by the case at the local outdoor market pretty cheap. I'm not sure what the issue was this year, but the local market hasn't been flooded with these delicious berries, and, due to an overcrowded schedule, we haven't been able to get to Jersey a lot this year to get some on our own. Recently, however, I have been able to get some inexpensive blueberries that have been quite tasty despite their long travel from Chile. And, I'll tell you what, they made a damn good jam!

Chicken is one of the most versatile of proteins out there: you can bake it, fry it, turn it into a soup or stew, steam it, stir fry it - it's pretty much endless. And at 38 gram of protein per cup, very low saturated fat, and is naturally low in sodium, you can't beat this lean meat.

When it comes to canning and preserving, you usually think about fruits like apples and berries, or maybe pickles and tomato sauces. The last thing that comes to mind, at least for me, are bananas. Bananas are super versatile and used in many different baking recipes.

***There is debate as to whether or not bananas are safe to water bath can or they must be pressure canned, however, from experience, I have water bath caned this jam three times in the past two year and have had no bad experiences. Do your research, and, as always, if there are any doubts as to whether or not something canned is safe to eat or not, don't do it. Food borne illness with preserved foods is very serious and not worth risking your health over.***

We usually have tons of bananas lying about the house...and I mean tons. Every trip to a store or market with Eamon ends up with a bunch of bananas. They are his favorite fruit (and honestly the only fruit he will willingly eat) and you cannot walk through any fruit aisle without him wanting to eat a banana, or two. Even though I love putting them in smoothies and adding them as a topping to a snack of peanut butter topped rice cake, three to four pounds of bananas are sometimes hard to go through in a one week period. They start to brown and thanks to a certain Pete the Cat book, Eamon will not touch them at this point.

In comes Monkey Butter.

When my father in law (whom I also work with) comes into the office last week with a bag full of peppers, I knew it was his way of saying: "Can you make me some jelly?"

You see, I am one of those hosts who sets out a plate of crackers, cheeses, homemade sweets and jams every time someone stops by...even if it is for only a short time. I'm like a mini Martha Stewart in my own way, only a lot less pretentious and covered in tattoos. And despite the usual hesitance people have when I offer "jalapeno jelly" on crackers with cream cheese, it quickly turns into them begging for a jar to take home themselves.