Hot outside? Want a refreshing, almost milkshake-like frozen lemonade? You need to try this out!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Add the ingredients into a high-speed blender, process until smooth, tamping as needed.
Pour into two pint glasses, top with whipped cream. Add a wide straw and enjoy.
Serves 2.
~Sarah
It had been years since I had used Sure Jell pectin, and I found something disturbing. The packs no longer have the folded-up paper directions for making jam. Instead, the box tells you to go to the website for directions; that URL just takes you to a landing page on Kraft’s website. I had to search externally for a “lower sugar strawberry jam” recipe on the Kraft website, and the one I found was the weirdest. Their search parameters are not working great.
That two-sided paper contained the basic recipes for jam, for both canning and freezer jam. What does it save? A penny per box? Yet, that page was invaluable! It had the ratios; you could use that to make any berry jam or jelly. Searching again externally, I found they DO have the paperwork online. But you’d think it should be easy to find, no? For the lower sugar Sure Jell, here is the paperwork. If one has to use Google to find something that should be hyperlinked, it is a major fail!
I chose to use the Sure-Jell Lower Sugar pectin with this jam to use less sugar. Walmart is one of the most affordable places to buy it, at under $3.50 a box. Amazon is far pricier. Normally, I would use Pomona Pectin and have an ultra-low-sugar jam, but I was taking an existing recipe and working with it, so it is best not to change the pectin brand (because the lower-sugar pectin is far different from Pomona Pectin).
It’s an easy jam to make, and quite tasty, though still a bit sugary. The kids will like it!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Place seven jam canning jars, or the size you prefer, into a canning kettle. Fill the jars with water, and up to the neck of the jars.
Place on the stove and cover.
Put rings and new lids in a small saucepot, cover with water. Place on the stove.
Bring the jars to a boil, and the rings to a simmer.
Wash the berries, then trim the tops. Dice up and add to a heavy pot.
Add in the balsamic vinegar.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Mash a bit with a potato masher.
Once boiling, stir in the sugar and pectin till dissolved. Bring back to a boil, cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
Take off the stove.
Drain the jars into the canning kettle and transfer them to a clean kitchen towel. Then, sterilize your ladle, canning funnel, and bubble wand in the canning kettle.
Pour the hot jam into the jars, leaving a ¼” rim. Run the bubble wand through the jam.
Wet a new paper towel, wipe the rims.
Place a lid on each jar, then a ring, tightening with your hand (use the towel to hold the jar).
Place the jars in the canner rack and lower them into the water. Add hot water from the rings/lids saucepan, if the jars are not entirely covered. Bring to a boil, and let simmer gently, covered, for 10 minutes for half-pints, 15 for pints.
Lay a clean kitchen towel on a cooling rack. Transfer the jars to it. Let cool, then remove the rings and wipe the jars.
Mark the lids with the date made, use within a year for best taste/quality.
Makes about 56 ounces, or 7 cups, of jam. I used 8-ounce canning jars.
~Sarah
Moving is hard for cooking. A new kitchen, and it’s nowhere near where it was. Even the stove is different. I spent 7 years on a propane stove, able to do nearly anything I wanted. Until we have it plumbed, this house is electric—and worse, it came with a glass top stove. If you can, you know how awful glass top stoves are for preserving food. I have to be careful and only use my pint jar-sized canner, which is lightweight. Know that with glass top stoves, you are not supposed to use enamel canning pots – if you care about your warranty. Since this stove isn’t new, I will proceed as I have done at other homes – and use it, but do it with care – make sure your pot isn’t wet when you put it on the burner underneath, for example. Can I say I miss a gas stove? It’s enough I might can outside on my propane ring…..
Still, it’s that feeling of accomplishment after the first batch of preserves. I did it. I learned a new stove. And then you find yourself producing more and more. It gets one back into cooking and creating. It can take me 6 months to feel at home again in a different kitchen. And I am only 2 months in. I try to remember to give myself grace.
This is not a lower-sugar jam. You don’t want to mess with the recipe with the carrots—they are low in acid, so they need the sugar and lemon juice to be preserved safely.
Amazon has the canning accessory set I have been using for years back in stock, and it is under $20.
The hardest part was finding the pectin. I am not used to where some of the grocery stores hide it on the East Coast. Typically, on the West Coast, canning supplies such as pectin are tucked next to the sugar. But Food Lion hides it back above the charcoal briquets. Okay, and being short, I didn’t see it on the top shelf. I had to laugh—a tiny bit. Walmart carries pectin, and you can get it delivered with groceries as well.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Place 4 pint canning jars or the size you prefer into a canning kettle. Fill the jars with water up to the neck.
Place on the stove and cover.
Put rings and new lids in a small saucepot, cover with water. Place on the stove.
Peel and trim the carrots. Grate them using a box grater, on the smallest side. Measure 1½ cups.
Peel and core the pears, dice them up, and measure 1½ cups.
Add the carrots, pears, pineapple, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a tall, heavy pot (preferably stainless steel).
Cover and boil, then lower to medium-low and cook covered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid scorching.
Meanwhile, bring the pot with the canning jars to a boil and then bring the lids to a simmer over medium heat.
Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Increase the temperature to high and bring to a boil, stirring often.
Add in the dry pectin, stirring well. Set a timer for one minute, stirring constantly.
Take off the heat.
Drain the jars into the canning kettle and transfer them to a clean kitchen towel. Then, sterilize your ladle, canning funnel, and bubble wand in the canning kettle.
Pour the hot jam into the jars, leaving a ¼” rim. Run the bubble wand through the jam.
Wet a new paper towel, wipe the rims.
Place a lid on each jar, then a ring, tightening with your hand (use the towel to hold the jar).
Place the jars in the canner rack, lower down. If they are not entirely covered, add the hot water in the rings/lids. Bring to a boil, and let simmer gently, covered, for 10 minutes for half-pints, 15 for pints.
Lay a clean kitchen towel on a cooling rack. Transfer the jars to it. Let cool, then remove the rings and wipe the jars.
Mark the lids with the date made, use within a year for best taste/quality.
Makes about 4 pints, or 8 cups, of jam.
~Sarah
Not growing up in the south, fried apples were not a thing until I had them at Cracker Barrel in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 2010. I was hooked on them, not because they are healthy or anything. But I only made them several times after that, because I knew I’d sit and eat the whole pan if left unattended.
I made them at home in 2012, using this recipe I came up with. In that recipe, I used far less butter and sugar, but had to use corn starch to thicken the sauce around the apples.
I saw this recipe on the back of a box of Dolly Parton Mac and Cheese (yes, that is a thing, just like the big Stoffer party trays), and I liked how simple it was. There was nothing fancy, just four ingredients. And no corn starch.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Add in the apples and stir to coat them.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, lowering the heat if it bubbles too hard.
Notes:
Use a crisp apple for best results; Gala is a good choice. This is very cinnamon-y. You might want to start at one teaspoon and work up. I liked it, but it might be too overwhelming for some, with the full amount.
The apples are delicious if chilled as well.
~Sarah
It has all the flavor of pizza without the dough. It’s easy to pull it together before one serving or multiply it to make more servings. Mix each serving for best results. In a few minutes, you can have lunch or a snack with plenty of protein and low calories.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix the cottage cheese, pizza sauce, and seasoning in a small bowl.
Spoon into an oven-safe baking dish.
Top with the cheese and the pepperoni.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Serves one.
Nutritional Stats:
20 grams of protein / 262 calories
Notes:
I used Lactaid brand cottage cheese to avoid “dairy issues” that sometimes happen to me. I am somewhat lactose intolerant, and while it doesn’t stop me from eating it, having gentler options helps a lot. Otherwise, stick to a simple brand. Avoid ones with thickeners and binders. Daisy is usually a solid choice.
For best results, find a brand of pizza sauce that doesn’t contain sugar or is very low in sugar. It’s worth seeking out the higher-end brands, like Rao’s, in grocery stores. It lasts in the refrigerator, so enjoy it.
I used custard bowls, which were big enough; a bigger single-serving bowl would be handier.
~Sarah
