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The idea of making jam with a can of tomatoes came to me toward the end of our recent vacation.

We had a nice kitchen at our vacation rental, and we cooked most of our meals.

But toward the end of our stay there, I realized that I had a can of diced tomatoes I had bought but forgotten about.

So, I was pressured to use it for something quick.

I couldn’t think of any particular dish I could use it for, and then I thought, why not making jam?

I had some bread, and I knew we could use jam for toasts.

I put it together with limited ingredients I had, and it turned out great.

We liked it so much that I decided to recreate it at home.

( ↑ This is when the content of the can was just poured into the pan, before cooking).

1. Combine a can of diced tomatoes and sugar (I go with 3 to 4 tablespoons, at least) and cook over medium heat while stirring it constantly. Don’t burn.
2. Remove from heat when the liquid is almost gone (I cook for about 20 minutes).
3. Add lemon juice (approximately from a quarter of a lemon) and cinnamon (I like to go heavy on it).

This jam is so versatile.

You can enjoy it on toasts, scones, and biscuits, like you would with fruit jam, or you can also serve this with savory dishes.

A hint of cinnamon adds an unexpected, somewhat exotic, flair.

The rhubarb season has arrived!

Luckily, my mother-in-law always tells me when the rhubarb in her backyard is ready.

She lets me “harvest” ones I like, and I really enjoy finding dark red ones and pulling them one by one.

I have a lot of ideas of how to use it, but one thing I always make every year is pickles.

Sweet, tart, and crunchy.

Tasty!!

When it’s pickled for a few days, it turns pretty pink (see the top pic).

I was so spoiled!!

My husband ordered a full-course dinner takeout from http://roottorisekitchen.com/ to conclude the celebration of my birthday month.

I was so excited to pick it up.

Everything was packed so well, and opening each box was like opening my birthday present one by one!

I knew he ordered a course meal for me, but the menu was a secret.

Hearts of Palm & Jackfruit Crabby Cakes.

Unripe Shaved Papaya Salad.

Spicy Pumpkin and Coconut Thai Soup.

Butternut Squash Tamale with Roasted Orange Sauce Wrapped in Banana Leaves.

Hummus Platter with Seasonal Fruits and Veggies.

Avocado Chocolate Soufflé.

Everything was absolutely delicious!!

It was one of the best course meals I’ve ever had, vegan or not.

My husband chose the dishes, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well he knows my food/flavor preference!

Although we are not spending time with our family this year, making a vegan Thanksgiving meal for two is the same as usual.

The stuffed vegan roast took the center stage this year as well.

It just looks so festive.

I always have a hard time deciding if I want corn bread or dinner rolls, but this year the choice was easy just because creamed corn casserole was on the menu.

I like how these cloverleaf rolls look.

So pretty!

Loved these rolls.

This year’s Thanksgiving menu…

-Crimini Mushroom and Italian Olive Stuffed Vegan Roast.

-Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Gravy

-Creamed Corn Casserole

-Sauteed Green Beans

-Lingon-Cranberry Sauce

-Cloverleaf Rolls

This year I plan things well, and as a result, the whole process went so smoothly.

This is our third plant-based Thanksgiving, and I guess practice helps.

I usually make a dessert myself, but this year I decided to order it from a local vegan baker, Rachel with RachCakes.

This worked out great because I had to work the day before this year, and I also wanted to try her baked goods anyway (and why not supporting small business particularly this year).

I got two kinds of pies.

Apple Cranberry and Salted Chocolate Caramel Pecan.

They were both excellent!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Remember my sourdough starter?

Well, we call him “Bobby” around here (lol).

He is doing well, healthy.

Today, I wanted to discard a little before feeding him, and I decided to make crackers with the discard.

This was so easy to make, and it turned out great!

I sprinkled vintage Merlot fusion salt, mostly for the pretty purple color.

While baking the crackers, I decided to make vegan feta because I don’t know about you but I do need some type of cheese spread for my crackers.

Crispy crackers, creamy vegan feta, and lingonberry jam.

So good!!

Where is my wine?

Last night I wanted one more vegetable side dish, and I remembered I had one zucchini I waned to use up in the fridge.

You saw this dish in my previous post.

It was a part of our last night’s Japanese style dinner.

This zucchini dish is actually not really a Japanese dish.

But that’s okay.

Grilled zucchini, lemon zest, homemade vegan feta cheese, parsley, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

Delicious.

My husband is not a big fan of zucchini (or anything that looks like cucumber), but he even liked it.

I’ve been making different kinds of vegan meat now, but this was my first time to make bratwurst.

Got some ingredients ready.

Right out of the steamer.

This is the picture when the steamed sausages were pan-sautéed.

These turned out amazing!

Loved everything from the taste, look, to the texture, but the perfect texture really blew my mind!

I loved this vegan chicken recipe so much.

You don’t need any crazy ingredients, and the whole preparation and cooking process is so easy and quick.

Remember I made fried chicken with this?

This time I decided to turn the chicken into Panko crusted Katsu.

Crispy outside and juicy inside.

Come back to see how I enjoyed this Katsu.

Sake-kasu is the solid left from the sake production.

It has the miso like paste texture and very unique flavor.

It’s been traditionally used to flavor fish, soup, and pickled vegetables for many years.

But it has become so much more in the recent years, and it’s now used to flavor many baked goods as well.

They are so good as they are.

These are slightly sweet, but more like a snack than a dessert.

These are perfect for an afternoon wine/beer time.

At the last minute, however, I decided to add a little more sweetness (who doesn’t like extra sweetness?!) and color.

Pretty and tasty!