You should give it away for Christmas. Just tie a ribbon around the lid, attach a little gift tag. Instant gift!

This is a yummy sandwich that uses Apricot Jam
http://www.atthefarmersmarket.com/2010/07/apricot-walnut-camembert-sandwiches.html

Hi -- this is the "Kim" who asked the question.

I realized that I should have mentioned that I have ALREADY been giving away jam to people, for quite some time. In fact, that's what most of my gifts last year were -- jam and other foodstuffs. I still have a stockpile.

When I say I go nuts, I mean I go nuts.

I mix my peach jam from last year with my brother's homemade barbecue sauce and use it as a glaze (and dip) on grilled salmon, shrimp, chicken and pork. Or mix mustard and honey and maybe a bit of hot sauce with it and use it as a dip for pretzels.

Pour it over ice cream, stir it into yogurt, whatever. I don't eat baked goods, so that would not even occur to me!

What about donating to a local food shelter?

It's also nice in crepes.

-Baked brie with jam
-Grilled cheese with jam (yesterday I came across Deborah Madison's suggestion of sharp cheddar on rye with strawberry jam).
-Simple muffins (use any basic recipe) baked with a dallop of jam in the center.
-Jam poured over cream cheese and served with crackers as an app
-Apricot jam mixed with fresh herbs and garlic on top of roasted pork or as a basting sauce for chicken

You can always mix a bit into plain yogurt, put on oatmeal, dip in bread sticks for a snack...

I like to coat pork chops in salt, pepper, and apricot jam, then cook it on the stove top. The jam works well in place of oil or butter, and infuses the pork with a fruity flavor that complements it well.

Apricot or Peach jam is good in homemade BBQ sauce...

Jam is great for spreading between the layers of a layer cake instead of ice cream. Think raspberry jam between layers of a chocolate cake, with a dark chocolate ganache icing. Or strawberry jam between layers of lemon cake with a cream cheese frosting.

You can also heat it up and use it over ice cream. Yummy.

Kim, btw I have no idea why my first comment says "instead of ice cream". It should read "instead of icing". Stupid spell checker. ;)

There are a lot of marinades that'll incorporate jam, especially more citric ones. In particular, this chipotle marmalade marinade is delicious and could easily be repurposed for something like this.

Also - smoothies, yogurt/cottage cheese, smoothie popsicles, oatmeal, on crackers w/ cream cheese, with a cheese plate, etc...

If you've made apricot jam, it can be the basis for tons of desserts. Jacques Pépin's fast-n-easy recipes tend to call for it a lot -- mixed with Grand Marnier as a sauce over chocolate cakelets, spread between pistachio cookies, even between two layers of a cake!

I also use jam in between cake layers. It also works great as a trifle base, sweet/savoury sauce base with a bit of vermouth or chicken stock, great as an appy condiment with crackers and chevre...

Most jams taste fantastic on a turkey sandwich. Sounds gross, tastes divine. My fav is smoked turkey, bibb lettuce, cream cheese, & seedless red raspberry on a baguette!

I was a little desperate a few weeks ago when I was cooking some chops, so I mixed some apricot/pineapple jam (not good quality though) with some water to deglaze the pan.

i second @1790_house on the turkey sandwich thing. it's great!

i also mix homemade (sugar free) jam in with plain yogurt or with oatmeal to make it less plain

I love throwing in a little apricot jam in stir fries.

This isn't exactly cooking, but I like to mix in some jam with plain Greek yogurt for a snack, maybe topped with some granola. It's better than already-fruited yogurt because it's less sweet. Also, my dad likes to do this with plain vanilla ice cream.

Both David Lebovitz and Deb of Smitten Kitchen use jam in a number of their baked goods... here are a few of them:

*Walnut Jam Cake

*Almond Raspberry Layer Cake

*Easy Jam Tart (David Lebovitz's recipe)

*Bakewell Tart

*and many more...

I just dump it right on top of a pork shoudler in the crock pot, yum!

@cbgal - Food banks and shelters rarely take home-canned goods unless they are canned in a commercial kitchen by trained cooks. Even then, they get wary about it.

As for jam? Dessert is the way to go, in my mind - use it to top cheesecake or swirl it into quickbreads or glaze fresh fruit with it or to top a shortbread crust with. Sandwich it between cookies, too. The possibilities are endless.

Jam is also fabulous with roasted chicken. Many jams (but especially rhubarb) are great with garlic in savory dishes.

But I still think the "give it away" suggestion is the best. How could your friends not love you?

I love it in my plain yogurt.

Also, when the meal isn't quite ready yet, we snack on ritz crackers topped with either cream cheese or greek yogurt and top that off with a spoonful of jam (our favorite is green pepper).

Actually, you can use jam to flavor homemade ice cream. I did this last night, making use of some Bird's custard powder and my plum/cinnamon jam in place of sugar.

I did 4 Tbsp. custard powder mixed with 4 Tbsp. half and half (from 1 quart). Pour the rest of the quart into a pot with 8 Tbsp. jam. Simmer, strain into the powder mix, then return to the pot and bring to a boil. Chill overnight, then churn out some really tasty ice cream.

I have some really nice apricot pepper jelly. I melt it on fish and meat when I don't want to put effort into making real seasoning. Delicious.

I use jam as the sweet in my sweet and sour sause. I usually use strawberry or raspberry, but I`m sure other kinds would work well too.

One of my favorite sandwiches is thinly-sliced ham on raisin bread with a cream cheese/jam mixture. It sounds bizarre,m but it's delicious!

I've made both of these easy jam chicken recipes - my boyfriend is "meh" on them, but that's because he doesn't like the idea of eating jam on chicken. I think they're both tasty.

Cooking Light - Caramelized Onion Chicken

Rachael Ray - Herb Apricot Chicken

Shortbread jam squares!! My family also tends to make ridiculous amounts of jam every year, so we bake these squares for all larger events between summers:)
They're super easy to make, require a minimal amount of ingredients, and are always a major success. I think they turn out best with a sour jam, such as plum, cranberry, currants, etc.

7 cups flour
3 cups sugar
350g baking margarine (with salt), softened at room temperature
3 medium eggs
big jar of jam

Combine flour and sugar, add soft margarine, mix until you've got even crumbs. Add 2 eggs, mix. Spread half of the mixture evenly on an oven tray, cover with a generous amount of jam on top (at least 0.5cm layer), cover with the remaining crumbs. Bake at 170C for apx. 50min, until you see the edges have started to brown.
Cut the cake into squares when the it's cooled down a bit, but still warm, otherwise it'll become rock hard and break later.

Makes a large tray-full.
You could sprinkle cinnamon or crushed nuts on top, if you like.
Outcome should resemble this: http://j.mp/arOFzg

Swirl it into ice cream! I know the local ice cream place I go to has a sweet corn blackberry swirl flavor they use jam for..I'm sure it would work for others!

This won't use up much of your jam, but several times I've used it to add a bit of sweetness and flavor to my vinaigrettes when I feel like changing up the flavor (or when I've added a tad too much vinegar!)

One last reminder from the original poster:

I'm seeing a lot of people recommending cakes or other big baked goods. PLEASE DON'T. The problem here is that it's just my roommate and me, and she's not a "baked good" person as a rule -- so any cakes, brownies, shortbread, cookies, etc. all end up going bad before I finish them, and it's a waste.

Honestly, I just eat it out of the jar with a spoon. Embarrassing, I know. But I find it just perfect. Homemade jam is one of life's little pleasures and I have been caught many times with my spoon in the jam jar in my pj's.

But I haven't met a jam yet that isn't perfect with balsamic and reduced to a sticky-sweet glaze perfect over any protein imaginable.

Make rolled cookies with a jam swirl.

I also lovelovelove turkey sandwiches with jam. Not much for cream cheese on sandwiches but Turkey/Provolone/Strawberry jam toasted with just a little bit of dijon is perfection. It's like a grown up grilled cheese and grape jelly...but so much more delicious.

Mix some jam in with some homemade whipped cream and it's like a non-creepy version of that marshmallow jello crap we all see at picnics.

Lastly, Mix a sweet jam with a spice (I like red pepper flakes or minced datils), thin out with apple/orange/lemon/lime juice/vinegar and tweak as necessary. Consider this the nectar of the gods and use accordingly.

This is my problem as someone who wants to can--I don't eat much jam! I am considering pickling instead and seeking out recipes I'll use.

um, I just realized that Rachael Ray recipe I recommended does not have jam - I was conflating it with this Rachael Ray recipe that involves marmelade. oops!

I like to heat up a bit of jam so it thins a bit and then use it as a sauce/galze for bitter or peppery greens or green vegetables. Just steam your greens while heating up the jam (sometimes I add some red pepper flakes for kick), then just stir together. I especially like blackcurrant jam with broccoli rabe, but other combinations would do.

Obviously, meant to type "glaze" in the first line.

I think unless you do some baked goods (I bring them to class w/ me, which my professors and classmates always seem to enjoy), you probably won't go through the jam very quickly.

However, for little bits of it, I like to whisk a little jam or jelly into a vinaigrette. I just match the jam to go well w/ whatever is being dressed.

I came across a chicken lettuce wraps recipe that uses apricot preserves and is an awesome summertime dish.

I love tofu- pressed and marinated in apricot jam, soy sauce and fresh grated ginger- then stir fried or grilled- cook down the marinade with a little bit of arrowroot for a nice dipping sauce.