Homemade Raspberry Jam

I enjoy making my own jams for 2 reasons.  #1 I know what goes into it and I can decide how much sugar (if any) is in it.  #2 I save money.  A jar of jam at the store can cost $4-8 for 12 oz.  When I make my own I end up with 6-9 jars of jam for that price.

My basic recipe is not really my own but a little bit from a few different recipes/instructions.

Ingredients

• raspberries (about 8 cups whole berries)
• pectin
• sugar

Instructions

• Wash and sterilize your jars.  Since I water bath my jams I have to wash then boil my jars to make sure they are clean and bacteria free before filling with my jam.  If you have a dishwasher (I don't) you can run them through a wash and sterilizing cycle.  Washing your jars includes the lids.
• Wash berries in cool water.  Remove any mushy berries and non edibles (leaves and stems etc)
• Measure out your berries making sure you stay under 8 cups of whole berries (6 cups mashed).  Pectin will not gel in large batches so if you want lots of jam make it in smaller batches.
• Mash the berries.  You can use a Foley Food Mill, food processor, potato masher or a blender.  I have tried all of these and find that it makes no difference in the taste.
• Measure the sugar.  Depending on the type of pectin you are using the amount of sugar will vary.  I use low-sugar pectin so I follow the measurements on the box for how much sugar is needed.
•  Bring to a boil the berries and pectin.  Just to the point you can't stir away the boil.
• Add sugar and heat again.  A low boil to help melt the sugar and mix it well with the berries and pectin.  Boil for about a minute or two more.
• Fill your jars with the berry mixture.
• Seal jars.  Wipe the threads and rim of your jars before putting on the lids and bands.
• Put the sealed jars in the water bath canner so there is a few inches of water covering them.  Bring the canner to a boil for 10 minutes.
• Take canner off the heat and remove the lid.  Let it sit for 5 minutes before removing the jars.
• Set the hot jars on a towel on the counter or table to cool.
• Put the jars away for later use.
• Enjoy. Yum.

A Real Patriotic Smoothie...

Another smoothie recipe for you.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced and frozen
• 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen
• 1 medium banana, sliced and frozen
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 cup fat free milk

Blend until smooth.

Drink and enjoy.

Strawberry Carrot Smoothie

I love love LOVE smoothies.  Not the juice shop kind but ones I make at home.  I have my standard Berry Banana Smoothie but today I thought I'd try something different.  Since I am eating more of a farmer's paleo diet I had to find ingredients that fit this.  Here is my recipe...

Strawberry Carrot Smoothie

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 2 whole carrots (I sliced them for easy blending)
• 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter (you can use protein powder instead)
• orange juice to cover the strawberries and carrots (1/2-1 cup for me)

Blend til smooth.
Drink.

YUM!

A healthy change

Because Roo's grandfather passed away from  two heart attacks I am having a change of heart (pun intended) about my own health and eating habits.  Her grandfather was the kind of man that put mayonnaise on everything and covered his food in table salt!  I was told I had high blood pressure when I was pregnant but I have been watching it like a hawk now.  I do notice when I bake and eat processed foods my sodium levels are very high.  For this reason I am trying a salt substitute.

Salt-substitute herb blend 

• 3 tablespoons dried basil 

• 3 tablespoons dried marjoram 

• 3 tablespoons dried parsley 

• 3 tablespoons dried thyme 

• 4 1/2 teaspoons dried chives 

• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried paprika 

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary 

• 2 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 

Grind all ingredients together.

Fall off the bone tasty ribs

Friends are coming this weekend to visit us here on the mountain.  I want to be a good hostess and offer some yummy food.  So I have opted for some fall off the bone delicious ribs and some tri tip.  Of course with guests here I'll be chasing Roo around and will not have time to 'man' the barbeque myself.  I am having one of the menfolk take over grill duties but not before I prep the meat!

For the past few days I have had the ribs soaking in a pot of citrus juice and spices.  Once they are ready I will rinse them and rub them down with my fab rib rub that makes them soooooo yummy!

Rub Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons cumin powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Hey Grill, you rub me the right way!

I love barbeque.

Let me correct myself.

I love GOOD barbeque.

For this reason I am always looking for good recipes for rubs and trying them out.  Here is my most recent experiment...


I got a good deal on tri tip and wanted to grill it.  I am sick of bottled sauces so I wanted to try my hand at a rub.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried chipotle chile powder
• 2 tablespoons peppercorns (fresh ground pepper should be fine)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin 
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder 
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro 

Preparation

Grind peppercorns in the spice mill; transfer to bowl with chiles. Stir in brown sugar, cumin salt, and mustard powder.

Spread on tri tip to coat and let the meat rest in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Grill to your taste.

I know tri tip is suppose to be pink in the middle but while I was grilling we had a "visitor" come up to the house and we had to go inside til he left.

 

I used the leftover rub with a little olive oil to coat the veggies and grilled those too.  Everything was spicy and yummy! 

Freezer Meals- Just thaw cook and serve!

I hate cooking.

That's not quite right.  I hate the mess prep makes when I cook.  All the cutting boards and utensils you use to get your food to the point of cooking it.  Ugh!  I hate those heat and serve meals they sell at Costco but they seem to find their way into my freezer.  They don't create the same amount of mess as cooking from scratch.  The other common fix is to run for take out or fast food.  YUCK!

Here is how I combat the urge for an easy meal.   I figured that if I am making the mess when cooking from scratch I might as well double the recipe and freeze half for another night.  Makes great sense to me.  It creates less mess for 2 meals!

Now, I don't just throw it all in a container in the freezer to get frost bitten.  I use my Food Saver to seal it all nice and tight before tossing in the freezer.  This way if it gets forgotten for a month or more (read year) it is still edible!  When cooked of course.

I want to try my hand at a few of our other favorite meals.  If I did this every time I cooked I could have a freezer stocked with meals.  Think of all the money and time saved!

Some of my favorite Freezer Meals are chicken fajitas and calzones.  Here is the recipe for the fajitas...

Chicken Fajitas

1 tsp. minced garlic (fresh or dried)
1 tsp. minced onions (fresh or dried)
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cilantro (finely minced if fresh)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice (substitute lemon juice if you prefer)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken (breast or thighs), cut into strips
1-2 sweet bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 red onion, thinly sliced
8 or so tortillas

Mix the juices, oil and spices.  Add chicken.  (if you are making this to eat now, marinade the chicken in the mixture for one hour in the refrigerator.)  Place chicken and mixture in a freezer bag and seal.  Also place the peppers and onion in a freezer bag.  Freeze for later use.

To cook, place chicken and mixture in a skillet and brown.  Add the peppers and onion till tender.

Spoon chicken and veggies onto a tortilla.  Serve.  Eat.