Love, Jelly, and Friendship

Last summer, my dear friend, Kenn, canned raspberries from his garden and sent a jar all the way from Michigan to me. His package arrived when I was going through the saddest time in my life and I didn't feel much like smiling. 

But, when I saw the jar of raspberry jelly with his own special label, I couldn't help but feel his love and it touched me and made me smile. I put the jar of jelly on the kitchen counter so that every time I looked at it I would smile. And over the months my husband would periodically ask if I was going to open the jelly and I would say, "No, not yet." 

Well, much to my husband's delight I decided that this weekend it was time to open the jar. I was worried that perhaps I had waited too long to open it and that the jelly had gone bad, but I scooped some up with a spoon and there was a wonderful burst of raspberry flavor that took me back to warm, sunny summer days. So delicious!

I decided that the perfect recipe to showcase Kenn's raspberry jelly would be the Lemon-Raspberry Sandwiches that I saw John Barricelli make with Martha. The recipe calls for almond flour, but I looked at all the grocery stores, including Whole Foods and no almond flour was to be found. I did finally find almond meal at Trader Joe's and used that instead and it gave the cookies a nice texture that they probably wouldn't have with the almond flour.

The raspberry and lemon are a perfect flavor combination and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar (Yes, I overdid it a little bit on the sugar!) I think make these sandwiches the perfect sandwich cookie. 

And what does my husband say? "Mmmm...Mmmmm." He's just tickled that the jar is finally open and he can eat Kenn's jelly with his peanut butter sandwiches. Finally.