In Honor of St. Patrick's Day

It is Saint Patrick's Day! Another reason to celebrate life and food and all that good stuff we have.  A couple of tidbits about St. Patrick.  He is the patron saint of engineers and the excluded. Isn't that ironic? Or maybe they go hand in hand. :oP He is also the saint for guarding against snake bites, snakes, and those with the fear of snakes. Some swear he is the patron saint of beer too. Not really. That is just a bad joke.

The tradition of wearing green is really old; like when Christians were just Christians (ok..they were Catholic).  So we wear green.  A small number of Christians wear orange to protest the Catholics. Why orange? It has to do something to do with William of Orange and Orange being on the opposite end of the color wheel of green. And something to do with protesting the Corrupt Catholics. It is all in good spirit.:o)

Oh well, St. Patrick didn't mind being Catholic. Neither do I.  As a symbol of solidarity with those who wear orange, I made bitter orange marmalade! So there is a little rebellion in our home too. :o) I was pleased with the results and will probably continue this as tradition. I made a mistake though.--> I didn't follow a recipe and I didn't write it down either. I will give my best guess.

Remember these?

 Well I made this out of them.

And ate it like this:

This stuff is bitter, sweet, sour, and bright. It is not like Smucker's at all. There is no film left in your mouth and it doesn't taste like sugar. It is a lot like the bitter orange stuff I had in Sevilla. Totally took me back to Spain. I think they make it in France too.

My Recipe:
Bitter Orange Marmalade Confit Stuff:

1 1/2 cups bitter orange juice
3 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups orange peel + parts*
2 cups water

1. Squeeze the juice out of the bitter oranges through a strainer to catch the seeds. Save the skin.
2. Combine the skins and 1/2 cup sugar in a processor and puree it.
3. In a large non reactive pot. Combine all the ingredients.  If you have cheese cloth wrap 2 tbsp of the seeds or more into it and secure it.  Toss it in. If not, just toss some in.
4. Boil over medium.
5. Watch the marmalade. Timing is everything. It could take 30 minutes or 60 minutes.
6. It is ready when it gets to soft ball stage.
7. Pour it in to sterilized jars or can it if you know how to do that. (I don't. I just put in the fridge.)
Made two 8 oz jars.
To Test: Drop a few drops in a glass of ice water if it crystallizes and falls to the bottom it is ready. Or put a little on a plate and stick it in the fridge for 2 minutes. If it is jelly like then it is done.
Note:  *The seeds have starch that thickens the jelly. Remove them when they turn green.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!