
Getting ready to hunker down and hibernate? Take on these recipes and settle in! You can totally hold on to the tastes of warm weather in any season by making some preserves. Save practically anything you want for anytime you want. There’s even a strong possibility you can use an adorable mason jar to do it. What are you waiting for? Throw on some tunes and get ready to jam, dry and pickle.
1. Dried Orange Slices: Keep dried oranges handy and add to tea, cocoa or cake anytime you want. This recipes from Anula’s Kitchen makes drying super simple. Plus, your house will smell amazing while they’re in the oven. (via Anula’s Kitchen)
2. Strawberry Jalapeño Jam: Bagels and toast become very exciting with the sweet and spicy combo of strawberries and jalapeños. Consider it a surefire way to wake yourself up in the morning. (via Yea Yea Pueblo)
3. Applesauce: Applesauce is and always will be a pantry staple. It makes a great snack and is also clutch when you want to save some calories while baking. Save yourself a few bucks by making your own at home. (via Happy Money Saver)
4. Pickled Chard Stems: You may sauté or blanch your rainbow chard on the regular, but what else can be done with those beautifully hued stems? Caraway seeds, shallots and brown mustard brine the stems for a snack you’ll be stoked to much on. (via Bon Appetit)
5. Peach, Pear, Apple + Ginger Jam: The official name for this jarred delight is “Heavenly Jam.” So you can trust that it tastes pretty, pretty, pretty good. (via Port and Fin)
6. Strawberry Peach Jam: Here’s a sweet treat that’ll liven up biscuits, English muffins and anything else you’d want to slather up. Two summertime staples get together to make this vibrant jam. Save it for when you need a warming pick-me-up. (via Something Swanky)
7. Orange Thyme Jam: Add some depth to jam by combining citrus with the herbal notes of thyme. The subtle savory essence of thyme will complement the orange nicely. (via Minimalist Baker)
8. Roasted Red Peppers: Red peppers make a fab topping for sandwiches, but they’re also great on pizza, in pasta and pretty much anywhere you’d like a touch of sweetness. Make your own with this recipe from A Spicy Perspective and have them on hand for any meal needing an accessory. (via A Spicy Perspective)
9. Mixed Berry Preserves: If you love berries and can’t single out one you like best, this might be the jar of your dreams. Blackberries, raspberries and strawberries all come together for a super-fruity mix of preserves that will no doubt be delightful. No need to pick favorites here, especially when they’re all so good together. (via Centsational Girl)
10. Refrigerator Pickles: Pickles are truly an anytime snack. Make some for yourself with this simple take on the crunchy classic. (via Live Simply)
11. Southern Fig Preserves: Get figgy with it and whip up these preserves. If you’re a baker, consider this a jumping off point for homemade Fig Newtons. (via Simple Plate)
12. Salted Cantaloupe Jam: Bring mellow melon flavor into breakfast and baked goods with this salted cantaloupe jam. The unique flavor makes it a great gift option. (via Back to Her Roots)
13. Pickled Jalapeños: Spicy, slightly sour and addicting — these pickled jalapeños will be your go-to garnish or topping when you’re looking to add a kick to your lunch. (via Peanut Butter and Peppers)
14. Boozy Bacon Jam: Bacon lovers, rejoice. There is a jam for you. If you can’t handle missing out on a dose of carnivore candy, try this recipe that boasts the use of bacon, brown sugar and bourbon — a beautiful combination if we ever did taste one. (via Spoon Fork Bacon)
15. Roasted Peppers in Olive Oil: Bottle up a rainbow of peppers by roasting any bells on hand and preserving them in olive oil. Use them for antipasto salads, panini sandwiches or wrapped around a ball of mozzarella. (via Foodie With Family)
16. Watermelon Rind Pickles: If you always tossed your watermelon rinds after cutting out the juicy fruit, stop that. Save your rinds and pickle them for a sweet and sour treat. (via Food 52)
17. Orange Grand Marnier Skillet Jam: Toast this skillet jam featuring Grand Marnier and bright citrus flavors. This is a great choice for a boozy weekend brunch with friends or breakfast in bed. (via Savory Simple)
18. Apricot Lavender Jam: Take a trip to France with mild apricot coupled with floral notes from calming lavender. This recipe has a romantic feel to it; consider packing up a picnic basket and bringing this along for an outdoor date. (via Lavender and Lovage)
19. Herbs Frozen in Olive Oil: Preserve your herbs and save on cooking prep time by freezing fresh herbs + olive oil in ice cube trays. When you’re ready to fire up the pan, drop in your oil cube and enjoy the aroma of those herbs waking back up. (via The Kitchn)
20. Blueberry Jam: We love a classic, and we only love them more when two ingredients are all you need. Blueberries + sugar = all you need, friends. Side note: We’re betting this would be delicious as a mix-in with Greek yogurt. (via A Pretty Life in the Suburbs)
21. Bread and Butter Pickles: Make slightly sweet pickle chips with this recipe. They’re a kid-pleaser, and they’re great on sandwiches and burgers. Fun fact: The trick to getting them extra crunchy is letting the sliced cucumbers rest with a smattering of salt. (via White on Rice Couple)
22. Country Peach Preserves: The color of these peach preserves alone makes us feel peachy keen. Try these on corn muffins for a morning wrought with Southern comfort. (via Natasha’s Kitchen)
23. Cranberry Pineapple Mango Preserves: Add some tropical tastes to the inherent tartness in cranberry preserves. Bring this one to Thanksgiving, and get everyone excited about a new tradition. (via Averie Cooks)
Did we leave a good taste in your mouth with these picks? What’s your favorite take on preserves? Drop us a line in the comments!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
You X Ventures for Unsplash
Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
Kobu Agency for Unsplash
You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures