• Sterilize the jars - you can do this in a dishwasher. Place jar lids in a metal bowl or pot and pour boiling water over them. Set aside.
• Start heating the water in the canner.
• Wash and drain the figs, handling very carefully. Remove the stem end from each fig and cut them in half. Mash the figs- I use a potato masher. You will need 4 cups of mashed figs.
• Measure 6 cups of sugar into a large mixing bowl. Wash the lemons and grate the peel from two of the lemons. You need about 2 Tablespoons of zest.
• Squeeze the lemons to get a ¼ cup juice. Remove any lemon seeds.
• Check the expiration date on the pectin, making sure that it is not out of date.
• Place figs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter in a large stainless steel cooking pot. Stir to combine the ingredients.
• Bring this mixture to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring often.
• Add the liquid pectin and return to a boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring often. I count, "one-one thousand, two-one thousand" until I reach sixty. Then remove from heat.
• Ladle the jam into sterilized jars, wipe the tops to remove any jam. Place sterilized lids on the jars. Screw on the jar bands and hand tighten.
• Process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. Remove from the canner and place in a draft-free space. Do not move for 24 hours. Some of the jars will have sealed but others will continue to pop. I love that sound! If you see that a jar is not sealed, store this one in the refrigerator and eat it first.
• After you eat the preserves, be sure to save the jars and rings, they can be reused. The flat lids can only be used once to seal a jar.

• Mix all ingredients and chill.  For parties, I make an ice ring of ginger ale to keep the punch chilled. Float lemon and orange slices in the bowl. Serve with mint sprigs.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 
  Grease a 1½ quart glass baking dish using something like Baker's Secret cooking spray
• 
  Put raisins and Bourbon into small deep Pyrex dish or measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside to steep.
• 
  In medium mixing bowl stir together the egg, molasses, melted butter and buttermilk. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon. Stir to mix. Drain raisins and add drained raisins to the batter mix. Stir to combine.
• 
  Pour batter in to baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a straw inserted into the center of the batter comes out clean.

TO MAKE BOURBON SAUCE

• 
  In a small saucepan on low heat add the butter, Bourbon, brown and white sugars, cream, Bourbon and salt. Heat on low until all is dissolved. Continue to keep warm and add chopped pecans. Pour over each piece of Molasses Pudding.
• 
  This makes 1 cup sauce.
• 
  Serving Suggestions
• 
  Serve warm or hot or else it will be grainy. Do not cook too fast or too long; sauce will become grainy.
• 
  Serve hot with warm Bourbon sauce drizzled over each piece of pudding cake. If wanted you can add dollop of whipped cream.

• Wash the oranges and pat dry.
• Using a citrus twist peeler, make strips of the orange without getting any of the white pith. I use a bartender’s tool called a citrus twist peeler; it is not the same as a zester.
• Place the orange strips into a pretty glass jar and cover with vodka. Shake and let this sit for 4-6 weeks in a dark cabinet. If you put it in the window, the pretty orange color of the strips will begin to fade. You can smell and tell if the extract is ready.
• After about 3-4 months, I strain out the orange "twists." If they remain in the mixture too long, it can become bitter.
• * You can also make lemon extract using lemon "twists." Follow the recipe for Orange Extract, substituting lemons for the oranges.

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Spray a heavy, rimmed cookie sheet with cooking oil spray. Place pecans on cookie sheet in a single layer.
• Bake pecans for 7 minutes. Watch closely - if nuts are older it will take less time. Remove from oven and put nuts in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add 3 Tablespoons honey and stir to coat pecans.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir again.
• Spray cookie sheet again and put nuts on the sheet in single layer. Bake at 220-250 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring one time. I may take less time if nuts are old.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with a wee bit of salt. Separate any nuts that have clumped. Cool and store in air tight container. Nuts will keep fresh for at least a week. Perfect hostess gift or for holiday giving.