Apricots in Abundance

This year we have apricots in abundance. However, we have enough canned apricots and apricot jam to last for years. Trying to be eco and budget conscious, I have been trying to use up them up rather then letting them go to waste. Last sunday, I made frozen yogurt pie with some of them. This recipe is originally from my aunt, Ilse Ehlert. It is excellent with any type of stone fruit or berry.

Frozen Yogurt Pie

Filling:

2 small yogurts; either plain or the flavor of the fruit you are using.

1/2 cup mashed fruit

8 oz. cool whip

Graham Cracker Crust:

3 small pkg graham crackers

4 tbls. butter or margarine melted

2 tbls. sugar (optional)

Crush graham crackers until they are fine crumbs and pour them into a 12" pie plate. Mix sugar with the graham cracker crumbs. Pour in the melted butter or margarine and mix with crumbs until thoroughly coated. Gently press the graham cracker mixture onto the pie plate to for a crust.

Mix all of the filing ingredients together and pour into the graham cracker crust. If you are using store purchased graham cracker crusts, you will have enough filling for two pies. Freeze the pies for 45 min to 1 hour before serving.

I think that next time I use this recipe, I will try substituting whip cream for the cool whip. It should turn out and cut out all the corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and preservatives.

Fresh Apricot Jam:

This morning I made some fresh apricot jam to eat on our toast. This would also be an excellent topping for pancakes, waffles, or ice cream. What I did was fill my food processor with pitted apricots (about 4 cups). I then added a few squeezes of lemon juice (2-3 tbls) and about 1/2 cup sugar. I blended the mixture until it was a smooth consistence. It was fabulous!

Apricot Pork Chop Glaze:

Last Sunday, I made a fabulous, asian inspired, apricot pork chop glaze. I started with about 1 cup of pureed apricots. To that, I added about 1 tbls. ground ginger, 1/8 cup chopped fresh chives from my garden, 1-2 tbls. soy sauce, 1 clove crushed garlic, and a bunch of brown sugar. I brushed it over pork chops while I was grilling them. They turned out really yummy.