This holiday season, I won’t be spending much money, but I always like to give a gift to family members and friends. I enjoy receiving hand-made gifts just as much as I enjoy making them. For birthdays, I almost always make the card. It makes the gift much more personalized and it shows the person how much you care with the effort you put into making the gift. This year, my sister and I are making tomato jam. It may sound unappetizing, but if you’ve ever had pepper jam, it’s similar. Tomato jam is sweet and spicy. When I first tried it, I described it as “Christmas in my mouth!” The cinnamon, cumin and cloves give the jam a nice Christmas spice, while the sugar adds the sweetness. It tastes best on an unsalted cracker with cream cheese. If you don’t believe me, try it! Not only is the jam delicious, but my sister and I are going to have a great time making it together for our family! I thought I would share the recipe we borrowed from the New York Times. Happy Holidays! Recipe Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. good, ripe tomatoes (Roma are best), cored and coarsely chopped 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon salt 1 jalapeno or other pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced, OR red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste 1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy, medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. 2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has the consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use. This will keep at least a week. Yield: About 1 pint -Courtney Centeno, account executive