Friendship is based on so many aspects in life.  We meet friends through school, through work, through other friends, and naturally through family.  But what about through social networking?  I discovered Instagram from a childhood friend.  She takes great scenic pictures and post her pictorial journal on Instagram.  Not long after visiting her page daily, I became quite enthralled with this social ‘photo sharing’ phenomena.  Sharing ‘photos’ and making friends with complete strangers!  I thought to myself…hmm.  This could work for me.I started with a personal account, sharing a pictorial point-of-view of my day-to-day routine.  Shortly after,  I started a new Instagram account showcasing food.  Food to me is an international language.  A picturesque description of a dish you made or stumbled upon speaks volume to anyone.  It’s been about a year since I have been sharing my daily food adventures with family, friends, and friends I’ve made on Instagram.  I am blessed to have gained quite a few followers, most of which have stuck around for my #foodadventures.  One in particular recently sent me a bunch of calamansi from her tree.  I received them yesterday…and since then my mind is going a mile a minute for recipe ideas.

So on this note, I leave you with the first of my many calamansi recipe adventures–many more to follow.

Calamansi (Calamondin) Jelly

Ingredients

• 30 Calamansi (Calamondin), rinsed in hot water

• 1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar

• 1/2 cup water

Makes approximately 1 pint of jelly.

Directions

1. Trim the very top off each calamansi (calamondin) and then slice in half across the “equator” of each fruit.  Then slice in quarters (see photo).
2. Remove any seeds using the tip of the knife.
3. Put the chopped calamansi (calamondin) into a medium sauce pan along with the sugar and the water.
4. Bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
5. Continue stirring, removing any seeds which may have been missed.
6. Heat the mixture for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until it thickens, darkens, and most of the peel becomes translucent.
7. Stir and adjust the heat as necessary to prevent boiling.
8. Turn of the heat and remove the sauce pan from the burner.
9. Strain the jelly mixture into an airtight container and discard the remaining calamansi skin and seeds.
10. After the jelly is cooled, store in the fridge until ready to consume.