Sure, you can find any number of bad breakfasts traveling across Europe, but a true continental breakfast served in a first class hotel or in a privately run bed and breakfast can be a culinary treat. Although there can be as many variations of a continental breakfast as there are languages in Europe, a good breakfast will always have an abundance of the four food groups:

• Grains
• Dairy
• Meat
• Fruits

Like most European meals, grains are the backbone of a continental breakfast, the glue that holds the meal together. The form your morning bread comes in depends on where you are eating it. In French speaking countries you will find croissants, baguette and even pastries on your table, while in most other countries you will find a local variety of bun that will look different from region to region. You will be offered a wide range of local delicacies to slather on your morning bread, from freshly churned butter to wild honey and homemade jams.

If heavy bread is not your ideal way of starting your day, then you may be more interested in cereal. You will be able to find major brands or similar boxed variations, especially in touristy areas, but most Europeans start their day with their favourite granola mix. If you like to drench your cereal in milk, remember that in Europe milk usually has a much higher fat content, making the taste and texture very different from what North Americans are used to.

Dairy products are also a very important part of a continental breakfast. Since milk does have such a high fat content in Europe, most continental breakfasts will offer a wide selection of cheeses and yogurts for you to put on your bread or mix in your granola. With an emphasis being on local produce, what ends up on your table will vary from region to region. Especially in the romance countries (Spain, France and Italy), be ready for unpasteurized products, as well as cheeses made from sheep or goat milk.

Although nuts in your granola can provide you with your daily protein, most continental breakfasts will also offer a selection of meats. Often what North Americans would expect to find behind the deli counter: cold sausage, shaved ham and paté will all find their way onto the table. If you are along one of Europe’s many coastlines, then you can also expect to find fish with your breakfast, most notably pickled herring near the North Sea.

At one time seasonal, with the world so easily accessible by plane, fresh fruit usually makes its appearance towards the end of a continental breakfast. Naturally sweet melon, apples and oranges make a nice way to round out your morning meal.

Finally, you’ll need something to wash it all down. Fresh juice will start your continental breakfast off, but a strong cup of coffee from the espresso machine will give you the pick-me-up to get through your day.

Although still a light affair, a proper continental breakfast is so much more than the croissant and coffee waiting for you in the motel lobby.

There are 10 automatic bake settings on the bread, which you can use to determine how light and fluffy, or how firm you want your bread to be. This opens up your recipe options, which means you can create croutons for salad, or can prepare a light French bread that can be used for dinner or sandwiches. There is also a viewing window on the Zojirushi bread maker, so you can view the progress of your bread baking at each step. If you want to set the timer ahead so that your bread with bake the next day, there is a 13-hour timer feature that you can leave on overnight, so that you’ll have fresh-baked bread in the morning. You can also choose from two or three hour baking cycles if you want to try out your bread for lunch or dinner. The automatic shut-off also helps to keep your kitchen safe, and saves on electricity.

The Zojirushi bread maker also comes with a demonstration video that you can watch before you start using the machine. Most bread making machines come with instructions, but when you’re able to see how the machine actually operates, you’ll feel more comfortable using it, and may even come up with a few recipes of your own. A free recipe book also comes with the bread making machine, so you’ll have lots of options to choose from, whether you want to make bread for breakfast, dinner, or dessert.

The bread bakes in a non-stick pan that is easy to clean after each use. The dual kneading blades also help the bread to bake evenly, and the machine is even strong enough to handle whole wheat flour.

If you want to find out where you can purchase your Zojirushi bread maker, you can visit the home site, which is www.zojirushi-bread-maker-machine.com. There, you’ll find all the information you need on the bread machine, as well as ordering information. You can also check out www.cooking.com or www.amazon.com to order the Zojirushi bread maker online from a secure site.

Click to buy at Amazon.com

Every cook needs proper equipment. If you enjoy making jams for your family or even sell jams to make a bit of extra income, you know how important the jam pan is. That’s why my favorite is the high-quality Mauviel Copper Jam Pan, a truly top notch piece of equipment. It is made in France from extra thick copper together with brass handles. Copper is ideal for cooking as it conducts the heat quickly and evenly. It works on all cook tops, except induction stoves. It has a capacity of 10.6 qt of scrumptious jam.

I like the fact that it comes with a lifetime guarantee, which shows the pride and high quality workmanship of this product. The Mauviel pan is used by top chefs worldwide, which speaks for its high quality.

The price is high, but you will absolutely enjoy using this pan due to its superb features. Overall, if you strive for professionalism in your cooking, this is certainly worth every cent spent. It not only looks fantastic, but will give you great results. It’s available at Amazon. com at a great price.

Looking for books on preserving food? Check out my review of The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves.

This is one of my favorite books on preserving food. I like the fact that all the recipes in the book are made the old-fashioned way, which means without any artificial ingredients or commercial pectin. It is pure goodness that your whole family will enjoy. If you have never preserved anything or made jam, the book offers lots of tips and information on equipment and techniques and whatever else you might need to know to create delicious jams. For example, you will learn the difference between jams, jellies, butters, marmalades and preserves. This is followed by easy-to-do recipes every beginner can attempt and succeed in.

For more experienced jam-makers, you can find some very unique recipes that you can make. To name a few of these mouth-watering recipes: Red Grapefruit Marmalade, Brandied Cranberry Preserve, Figs Whole in Vanilla Flavored Syrup, Honey in Raw Elderberry Syrup and lots more exciting recipes.

Overall, if you are either keen to get started in jam-making and preserves or want to get some more ideas on how to create stunning and delicious jams and preserves, this book is, in my opinion, worth investing in. It has wonderful recipes using most of the fruits you can find in your backyard, in the woods and even using exotic fruits. The book also covers lots of information on the subject of jams and preserves, pretty much everything you need to know to start making them.

Even if supermarket shelves are full of all kinds of local and exotic jams and preserves, I find that there is nothing nicer than spreading homemade jam on a piece of delicious crusty bread. Not only does homemade jam taste more authentic and better, it is a great way of using up fruit that grows in your backyard. Preserving fresh fruit allows you to have the enjoyment of eating it all year round.

You can find it in hardcover, paperback or Kindle at Amazon.com along with many other great books on preserving food.

Check out my jam and chutney recipes right on this site!

Strawberry Jam

* 2 qts. strawberries
* 1 package pectin
* 7 cups sugar

Wash and take the tops off the berries. Crush the berries, one layer at a time. Measure 4 1/2 cups berries and put them in a pan. Add pectin and place over high heat. Stir until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Add the sugar and return to the boil. Boil hard one more minute, stirring constantly. Let set for 5 minutes and remove foam from top.

Ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield: 4 pints

Banana Nut Bread Jam

* 10 ripe bananas, pureed (you need 3 cups)
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 4 cups granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts, minced
* 1 box pectin
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, optional

Mix bananas, walnuts, lemon juice and powdered pectin in large kettle. Stir while bringing to a full rolling boil. All at once add sugars. Stirring continuously, heat until full rolling boil. Continue to heat 1 minute. Fill jars to 1/4 inch of top seat with two-part lid and ring. Put in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes about 3 pints.

Mango Chutney

* 6 large mangoes
* 6 garlic cloves chopped
* 2 cups sugar
* 2 apples peeled and chopped
* 12 oz. golden raisins
* 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
* 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely chopped
* 2 cups wine vinegar
* 6 red chillies finely chopped

Add everything but the mangoes to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Peel and take the seed out of the mangoes. Slice the mangoes. Add the sliced mangoes to the pan and cook for about 30 minutes or until thick.

Ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

Apple Chutney

* 3 lbs. apples finely chopped
* 1 lb. onions finely chopped
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 3 red chillies
* 1 1/2 cups vinegar

Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer until mixture thickens, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove chillies. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Spicy Blueberry Jam

* 2 pints blueberries
* 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
* 3 cups sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon and mace
* 1/8 teaspoon cloves

Wash and stem the berries. Place with the vinegar in a four-quart saucepan over medium heat. When juice starts to form, increase heat slightly, and stir often until mixture boils. Boil steadily about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Remove from heat and measure. You should have about 3 3/4 cups. If necessary, add water to fill to 4-cup mark. Return mixture to pan.

Combine sugar and spices in a bowl. Bring fruit mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add sugar and spices all at once, and stir until jam boils again. Adjust heat so jam boils steadily for 5 to 15 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. When it’s done, remove from heat and ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Label and store a week or so for flavors to mellow.

Makes about 5 cups.

Making jams and chutneys at home is a simple process. This article provides you with five recipes to start off with. Each of these recipes came from various websites and there are many more free recipes to be found. These recipes can be doubled or cut in half, depending upon your preference. All of these recipes and almost all of the jam and chutney recipes out there instruct you to can them for future use. Enjoy the recipes and let your creativity flow in creating your own.

You might also be interested in my guide to freezing vegetables and fruit for an easier way to deal with your summer harvest.

Freezing Vegetables

To freeze vegetables, it is a good idea to blanch them first. You can blanch the vegetables by immersing them in boiling water for up to five minutes. By blanching them, you are killing any bacteria that may be present. Some bacteria will be killed by the freezing, but many can tolerate very cold temperatures and flare up when you defrost the vegetables.

As well as killing bacteria, blanching also helps to kill any little bugs that you might not be able to see. Once you have finished blanching your vegetables, move them to ice water and keep them in the water, adding more ice as necessary for as long as you blanched them. If you blanched your beans for five minutes, cool them off in ice water for five minutes as well.

To prepare your vegetables for freezing, cut them up into small pieces. This will only apply to items such as sugar peas, green beans and other similar items. Beans can be frozen as is after they are blanched. Be sure to store your foods in freezer bags as the bags are designed to keep your fruits and vegetables from developing freezer burn.

Freezing Fruit

Freezing fruit is a little different as it does not require blanching. Blanching fruit may actually destroy it before you get the chance to use it. To freeze your fruit, after you pick it let it sit in a colander for up to 30 minutes. This will drain any water off of the fruit, even water that you can’t see.

After you have let the fruit sit and drain, place the fruit on a cookie sheet with some wax paper and place it in the freezer overnight. Be sure not too many of the individual fruits are touching each other; this will cause them to stick together. The fruit will completely freeze overnight. You can bag the fruit the next day in individual bags and rest assured that when you go to use the fruit, they will not all be stuck together in one huge ice cube.

When freezing vegetables and fruit, make sure you label them with the date they were packed. Most vegetables are good for up to nine months to a year. Fruit can be frozen for up to a year as well, in freezer bags. If you choose to vacuum seal your bags then freeze them, the fruits and vegetables may last up to 18 months. After you have frozen your fruit and vegetables, reward yourself for a job well done and money saved.

If you’re looking for other methods of making preserves, check out my article on how to preserve fruit.

Freezing

The easiest way to preserve your fruit is to freeze it and store it for later use. How to freeze your fruit depends on the type of fruit. For berries, drain the berries in a colander for about 30 minutes then lay them on a cookie sheet and stick in the freezer overnight. You can take the berries out the next day and bag them when they are completely frozen.

Melons should be cut out of the rinds and sprinkled with sugar before freezing. The sugar helps to preserve the flavor of the melons. All fruit needs to be placed in a freezer bag or freezer safe container and marked with the date of freeze. Frozen fruit can be kept in the freezer for up to one year.

Canning

Canning is another great way to preserve your fruit. Pick the fruit when it is at its ripest for canning methods. Cut the fruit up and place into canning jars. You do not have to use sugar to sweeten the fruit, but similar to freezing melons, the use of a simple syrup will help keep your canned fruit’s flavor and color.

To make a simple syrup, all you have to do is melt some sugar in water and pour it over the fruit in the jar. You then need to give your canned fruit a hot water bath in order to seal the jars.

To give a hot water bath, place your jars in a pan filled halfway with hot water. Once the jars are in place, pour more boiling water over the tops of the jars (with lids on) until they are submerged. Turn on the burner and boil the jars for about 10 minutes or so. Remove the jars and place them on a cooling rack or on a towel on the counter. As the jars cool you will hear a popping sound. This will be the jars sealing. It will take approximately 12 – 24 hours for the jars to complete the sealing process.

Drying

Drying your fruit is another way to preserve it for the winter months. Drying your fruit is a bit more involved than freezing or canning. To dry your fruit, pick ripe fruit as immature fruit will not have any flavor and overripe fruit will dry in a mushy state.

Once you have picked your fruit, cut it into strips to prepare for the drying process. In order to dry fruit, you first need to pre-treat the slices. You can do this by dipping in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid or lemon juice. Once the slices have been pre-treated, you can use your oven to dry the fruit. This will take between 3 – 36 hours depending upon the size of the slices. Dried fruit should be leathery and pliable to be considered done and a deterrent to microbial growth.

Once you learn how to preserve fruit, you’ll discover that it’s a great way to prevent spoilage and waste from your labors in the garden. Pick fruit when it is ripe and, depending upon your tastes and the amount of effort you’re prepared to put in, you can preserve your fruit in several different ways.

A jam pan can make the job of preserving fruit a lot easier. Check out a review of my favorite copper jam pan.

If you’re interested in baking more, and want to know how you can prepare more chocolate desserts, you may want to try white chocolate. This sweet dessert treat will add more flavor to your dishes, and you can even use it for flavoring your favorite drinks.

White chocolate is actually not chocolate at all; the substance has cocoa butter, which is made from the cocoa bean. The cocoa bean is also used to make chocolate, and the bean is combined with milk and sugar, as well as other flavorings like vanilla to make white chocolate. The reason why the dessert ingredient is officially labeled ‘chocolate’ according to the FDA is because it contains cocoa solids from chocolate liquor. White chocolate also does not contain caffeine, since the caffeine that is in darker chocolate is in the cocoa solids and not the cocoa butter.

White chocolate can be used just like regular chocolate, and can be melted and baked in order to accent desserts and create boxed candies and truffles. And since white chocolate is made from cocoa butter, it has a long shelf life, and is filled with antioxidants that have some health benefits. You can also pair white chocolate with darker varieties for a great taste that will compliment things like brownies and cakes. You can even find white chocolate chips for cookies and creative breakfast meals like pancakes; the chips have a milder flavor than other chocolate, and will give your dishes a subtle sweetness that the whole family will enjoy.

For white chocolate cookie recipe ideas that you can make easily at home, you may want to get regular frozen cookie dough and add white chocolate chips, as well as macadamia nuts for a savory flavor that doesn’t add much additional sugar to the cookies. You can also melt white chocolate and mix it in with yellow or white cake mixes for a cake that is moist and tastes homemade. For parties and social gatherings, try melting white chocolate, adding seasonings like cinnamon and nutmeg, and dipping your favorite fruits and nuts into the chocolate. This is a welcome change from regular chocolate fondue, and will not compete with the sweetness of the fruit. If you’re looking for a healthy snack that you can make with your kids, you may want to try yogurt covered pretzels or raisins as well.

There are a number of companies you can contact to purchase treats that are made from white chocolate as well. You can order a gift basket with fruits covered in white chocolate from companies like Edible Arrangements, or you can visit www.chocolate.com for dessert varieties that you won’t want to pass up. Enjoy!

One chocolate dessert that everyone loves is truffles. While these may be intimidating to some cooks, there are plenty of chocolate candy recipes you can find that will show you how to make chocolate truffles quickly and easily. All you’ll need is chocolate shavings and whipping cream; you can pick the variety of chocolate you want depending on how sweet or bitter you want your truffles to be, and you will have to scoop the chocolate with an ice cream scoop to create the truffles, then let them chill in the refrigerator so they can keep their shape. Then, you can add the toppings that you want. Some people roll their truffles in cinnamon, others choose to use chopped nuts or cocoa powder for presentation and a rich taste. You can make this recipe the day of the party, and it’s sure to be a big hit.

If you like toffee, you can share your favorite treat with your guests as well. Chocolate candy recipes include toffee, and you can find varieties of the recipe that will include things like dried fruit, caramel, or different varieties of nuts. You’ll also need butter and brown sugar to make the recipe complete. You can make the toffee on the stove, and then transfer it to the oven to help solidify the sugar. Most toffee recipes take about 20 minutes, so you can try the recipe a few times, even if you have guests arriving the next day. Chances are, the more you make the recipe, the better it will taste, so by the time your guests have dessert, you’ll completely confident.

You may also want to try fudge, which can be similar to toffee but tends to be richer. You can add fruit pieces and nuts to the recipe you choose as well, and you should be sure that you have a quality baking pan so that your fudge won’t stick to the edges. In order to give your fudge a dense, rich flavor, you can use marshmallow cream, and/or evaporated milk. This makes the fudge creamy and sweet, and you can add peanut butter, caramel, or any type of flavor extract that you choose.

For more great chocolate candy recipes that you’ll want to try–even when you’re not expecting guests–you can check out www.thatsmyhouse.com or www.recipezaar.com for chocolate candy recipes that are easy to follow.

Malt loaf, which uses malt flavoring and wheat or barley flour, is great for the bread machine, because the device will ensure that all the ingredients are mixed evenly, giving the bread a sweet taste a great texture. You can find a great malt loaf recipe at www.allrecipes.com, as well as www.recipezaar.com. The ingredients are also affordable and easy to find, so you can make the bread the same day you find the recipe.

Banana bread recipes will also turn out great when you prepare them in your bread maker. These yeast bread recipes not only combine the sweet taste of banana, but you can add walnuts or pecans, as well as savory ingredients like cinnamon or nutmeg for a taste your whole family will love. You may have a recipe for banana bread in the recipe booklet you received with your bread machine, but if not, you can check out www.ivillage.com for recipe ideas that are simple and fun.

Yeast bread recipes are not limited to sweet breads, however; you can make French style bread to use as an accompaniment to pasta or salad, or you can make rolls and biscuits for breakfast or dinner. Russian black bread may also be a welcome change from the traditional loaf for your family, and these are all yeast bread recipes you can make often.

When you’re making a bread with yeast, you’ll want to make sure that your bread machine will allow for the dough to rise enough for the bread to be light and fluffy. You also want to make sure that your bread will bake evenly when you’re trying out yeast bread recipes, so trying the recipe a few times before you bake it for guests is probably the best option.

If you want to know more about where to find the best yeast bread recipes, you can also visit sites like www.glutenfree.org, which has a number of bread recipes for those who may be on a special gluten-free diet. Ladies’ Home Journal also has a great database of yeast bread recipes that you may be able to create without a bread maker. If you’re looking for great compliments to your bread, as well as complete meal ideas, you can also check out www.eatingwell.com.