Apricot Preserves

To make my Rainbow Cupcakes I needed some apricot preserves so I decided to make some.
I used the SFGate Recipe from about 4 years ago. Here is a scaled down version of the recipe for those of us who don't plan on canning and want to use our preserves in a more immediate fashion.

Makes about 8-12 ounces of preserves.

Ingredients:
1 pound apricots [the weight is AFTER removing the pits]
1 pound sugar (or an amount equal to the weight of the apricots without their pits).
Kernels from 2 or 3 apricot pits [wrap some pits in a tea towel, and take a hammer to them to get out the little almond-like kernal in the center]* (Optional)
Juice of half a lemon

*Note on Kernels: Don't eat them. They contain trace amounts of cyanide (not really enough to kill you but I wouldn't take this chance!).

1. Heat the sugar in a 250 degree oven in a oven-safe container or cast iron dutch oven.
2. Next, place sugar, apricots, and lemon on stove on medium/high heat and stir frequently. Add the kernels to flavor the mixture (you can do this by placing the kernels in a small tea ball and letting it 'steep' or by just putting them in directly and fishing them out later).
3. Continue to stir frequently to avoid scorching.
4. In the meantime, place a few saucers in the freezer for the 'gel' test.
5. When the apricots start to break up (after 25-30 minutes), place a small dollop on one of the 'frozen' saucers. Place back in freezer for two minutes, if it comes out of the freezer runny, keep cooking. If it sets up nicely, you are done. Place your apricot preserves (fish out those kernels!) in the freezer and store for about a month.

What to do with preserves?
-Make my rainbow cupcakes!
-Use as a topping on greek yogurt.
-Use as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or french toast.
-Make a vinaigrette out of it by mixing it with balsamic vinegar (and some olive oil if you like).
-Use it to make a meat marinade (if that's your thing...).