My California Stay-cation and my first Giveaway!

My school district is closed for the month of July. That means I get one month off (without pay, of course--lest you turn too green). Craig is taking time off until July 13th. We're not going anywhere exotic. I'm still basking in the memories of our wonderful and romantic week in Kauai, eight months ago.

For the most part, I am going to enjoy R&R at our own Bed & Breakfast, in the Salinas Valley of California. Our home, is about 25 miles inland from the Monterey Peninsula-- just a hop, skip and a jump to tourist destinations such as John Steinbeck's Cannery Row, the famous Pebble Beach and it's world class golf courses, Carmel (where Clint Eastwood was once mayor and where I grew up and went to school). I, sometimes, drive 5 minutes to Asilomar Beach to enjoy lunch while watching the waves and listening to the sounds of seabirds and watching tourists snap photos.


Monterey Bay has been my home for the majority of my life (except for being born in Hawaii and my father being stationed in Germany when I was in kindergarten), and I love it here. Why would we want to go anywhere else? We might not live in an East Hampton home, with gardens and a separate kitchen (like Ina Garten)...

... but, we love our humble home.

...and the surrounding country side. We do feel like we are living in the 'burbs.

I can lovingly set our table for breakfast, made with farm-fresh eggs from just down the road:

...and look at the bigger homes, right from the hill in our own backyard.

We have our own semi-private subdivision pool and jacuzzi, where we can swim everyday... just 2 minutes away from our house. If we get there by 9am, we have the whole place to ourselves.

The summer temperatures are helping our 20 plus container tomatoes grow...

I spotted the first three red tomatoes...

(I can already taste the bruschetta), where we can dine al fresco in total privacy (while our neighbors are working)...

I can stop and smell the roses (thanks to my hubby's green thumb)...

We plan to take a few day trips-- to Paso Robles (two hours south of here) to visit my horse on the ranch where she lives...and admire all the beautiful vineyards along the way:

...the drive another half hour to Cambria (near Hearst Castle). Maybe spend a night there.

...and then drive north on Highway One to stop at Nepenthe's in Big Sur, CA...

We love to look at the beautiful Big Sur coast while, noshing on Nepenthe's famous Ambrosia Burgers and fries...
(These are the juiciest and tastiest burgers. You have to order this, if you are ever in the area!) ...and then drive home, just 45 minutes away.

I hope that, another day, we can to take a trip north, to Half Moon Bay...

... and to find one of the many unique little restaurants along the way.

I have already spent two leisurely mornings on my newest obsession...

Making homemade jam! I've been vacation jammin'!

This is my favorite... apricot-pineapple. I have just the right ratio of sweet apricots and pineapple. I ate two pieces of toast with it, this morning-- and it was good!

I've made, strawberry, apricot-pineapple, olallieberry and strawberry balsamic-- pay attention. There will be an announcement, soon...

Coming soon-- peach jam, raspberry jam, red bell pepper jam (a Southern speciality and it's fabulous with cream cheese on crackers...whoa!) and my first bread & butter pickles. Humbly said, my jams are so good and much easier than I ever imagined jam making could be. I've got the whole system of making a batch down to 90 minutes, from start to finish. I have always wanted to learn how to make jam, and I'm wondering what took me so long to do it.

My birthday is in less than three weeks, and I want to share it with you. I've seen blog "giveaways" but I rarely enter them. Why? I'm so glad you asked. It's because I never win anything! This time, I'm going to give something away that I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

I'm giving away jam... just kiddin' on the commercial jam that is no longer welcome in my home.

I want for you to know how delicious and easy homemade jam, too. Making your own homemade jams, preserves, chutneys and so much more is what I am giving away. That's why I'm going to buy the lucky winner a "Canning Kit" from Amazon.com. Click to my blog posting to see how I made jam, and what is in the kit. Go ahead, click here. I'll wait for you. If you don't come back, then you won't know how to enter.

Yes, I'm going to buy you a brand new canning kit, with the Ball cookbook (super easy), jars and utensils. Plus, I'm going to give you two of my half-pint size of two flavors of my jam.
Are you ready to make jam? They make great Christmas gifts. Hi family! I know you read my blog. Yes, you're getting some of this too. In December. If you want it sooner, then you have to enter. No cheating. I'm using random numbers chooser, okay?

But, wait...there's more (I've watched too many infomercials). I want more people to have a chance of winning something. I want to pick two more winners. My second place winner gets two half pint sized jams & my third place winners will get to choose one of my half-pint jams to enjoy. (Psssssst, I recommend picking olallieberry. It's delicious and these only grow in select areas) Though, I personally love the apricot-pineapple.

How do you enter? Easy. Leave a comment, on this very posting, and tell me two things-- what's your favorite way that you would enjoy eating homemade jam? On biscuits? Toast? Or do you have a special recipe that might inspire me to make? That's one thing. The second thing? What flavor jam do you want?

Strawberry? Strawberry Balsamic? Olallieberry or Apricot-Pineapple? If you still don't know what an olallieberry is, I've been posting about them like crazy! Just scan through my blog...oh heck, just click here:

Here's the fine print/rules:

• I am going to pick a winner on July 9th.
• I will announce the winners on Monday, July 13th, because my husband goes back to work and I'm home alone again.
• I can only ship within the United States, please.
• One entry per person.
• You must be 18 years or older (I don't know why, but it sounds good).
• Should my husband hide the olallieberry jam (he's highly territorial over it), I reserve the right to substitute flavors. I just made 14 more half pints, so I hope he's happy!
• Don't tell my husband I spent my allowance on prizes. It's my birthday and I want to share it.
• Once I pick the winner of the canning kit, get ready. I'm going to have it shipped directly to you, which took only a few days.
• You must have an email address, please. How can I notify you.

Making jam and giving it away feels like I'm sending you a piece of California where I live. My secret ingredient is "love". That's how I cook for my friends-- and that includes you!

Good luck! In the meantime, I've got my bubble wrap and a Priority Mail Box waiting to ship your jam. I so hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I'll be a little scarce for most of this week. As you can see, I have a lot of beautiful California sights to enjoy. I have some baking to do, and recipes to post. But, right now-- it's time to relax with my sweetheart and unwind.

On to vacation, with love--