It’s December. And it’s starting to get FESTIVE! I’ve already belted out my rendition of Santa Baby. El Grand Combo and Fernandito Villalona MP3’s are on repeat. I’m thinking of buying the Menudo Christmas album and a record player. It’s getting real.

I’m making crazy amounts of cookie dough to prepare for the season – Oh, and did I tell you I entered a cookie competition in Brooklyn?

No?

More on that in a few days. This post isn’t about cookies, or my upcoming cookie competition.

It’s about ja-yum.

Jam… It’s about jam…

We’re going to pump up the jam. Pump it up. While the jam is pum.pin’.

This here, is a quick jam. There’s no canning involved. Some of you are crazy scurred of canning. It’s the holidays, I’m not here to scare you. I’m here to ease you into the idea of canning. Just ’cause…

And what better way than this crazy amazing cranberry orange jam?

No fancy water bath, no bottles of liquid pectin, or sterilized jars. This is going to be easy like a mofo.

So cranberries. Tart, red, beautiful. AND! The amount of pectin in cranberries allows for some quick-as-hell jelling action. That’s all you need to know.

You jellin’?

We jellin’…

Orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice add immense brightness to this jammy. Um… Jam…

And what are holidays without insane clown posse amounts of spice? Cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Do it.

Everything gets thrown in the pot. Just throw it. Don’t over-think it.

Bring your stuffs to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium/high once the cranberries have been bought to a full rolling boil. Make sure you stir. Not constantly, but enough so your jam isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.

No one likes burnt jam. We like good non burnt jam. Aim for that.

Once the jam thickens, remove it from the heat. You can strain your jam, but I like fruit pieces in my jam, so I only strained half the mixture. You may do as you wish. Don’t forget to pour onto clean jars and seal.

Unless you want to eat a full pot of jam out of the pot. In that case, I applaud your efforts.

Let’s be homies, cause you be jammin’…

: Cranberry Orange Quick Jam

Ingredients:

• 1 (10-oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw out)
• 1 ¾ – 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
2. How to tell when your jam is ready: Pour a couple of drops onto a clean surface. Run your fingers through the drops. If the jam drops don’t come together, it is ready.
3. Remove from heat and pour roughly half the jam in a medium bowl. Strain the rest through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the skins and seeds. Combine with the reserved jam. Divide the jam into 2, 8 oz jar. Seal and allow the jam to come to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator. Jam will last about 2 weeks.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)