Spreading around recipe for low-calorie jam

Dear Heloise: I think I remember reading in your column a recipe for a low-calorie jam. Can you check your files and reprint this for me? Thanks so much. Linda from Nevada

Linda, I sure can, and it’s an easy jam to make. One of the good points of this recipe is that you can use practically any fruit you choose. So, fruit that is on sale is a good choice! It makes the jam more economical, too.

You will need:

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon lemon juice

1‚Ñ2 to 1 teaspoon fructose or sugar substitute

1 to 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1‚Ñ8 to 1‚Ñ4 cup apple juice (the amount depends on how tart or sweet the fruit is)

3‚Ñ4 to 1 cup of fresh fruit, rinsed, dried and cubed (I like to keep the skin on, but you can peel it if you want to)

Mix all the ingredients (not the gelatin) and cook for only three or four minutes on high heat, stirring constantly. I taste the jam at this point and add a little fructose or sugar substitute if needed. Next, add the gelatin, stirring until dissolved. Put the jam in clean jars with lids or in a sealable container. Keep in the fridge and use within two weeks. There are no preservatives, so it does not keep long. This is why I make small batches with fruit that is ripe or on sale.

This jam is delicious on waffles, pancakes and even as a topping for ice cream! Heloise

Dear Heloise: It’s taken me 56 years of marriage to finally come up with this handy hint. In the kitchen utility drawer that has long-handled utensils, usually you open the drawer and you’re looking at handles! I turn the items so the handles are at the back of the drawer, and you easily can see at a glance what you have without having to pull the drawer all the way out.

Every day I look forward to reading your column in the Kennebec Journal. Dorothy A. Turner, Augusta, Maine

Dear Heloise: When I roast a chicken, we eat off of it for a few days, then I put it into a pan with water and boil it to make chicken soup. The meat falls off the bones, which adds flavor to the stock. After removing the bones, I add my veggies and have a wonderful chicken soup as another meal. Nothing is wasted. Ambrosia, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I got tired of my large cake and muffin pans “jumping” around in the dishwasher. I got some short stretch cords with hooks and anchor the pans down. Works like a charm! Arlyce Manney, Lubbock, Texas

Dear Heloise: I don’t have a pizza cutter, but I find that using a plastic knife and occasionally dipping it in water (and wiping it off! — Heloise) makes cutting brownies a lot easier. Joan Corboy, Silver Spring, Md.

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate