~Strawberry Jam~

Homemade strawberry jam always makes me a little nostalgic.  I grew up helping Supermom make jam every year.  We used to make batch after batch after batch of strawberry jam around this time, since it's strawberry season.  You can't hate getting a box of strawberries for $.99 can you?? Strawberries are my favorite :-) Here is to the first batch of the season!

Now normally, the amount I made calls for 4 cups of sugar.  4 CUPS!! That is a lot of freaking sugar.  So...I changed it up a little to make it a little healthier.  Instead of 4 cups of sugar, I used 1 cup of regular granulated sugar, and 1 cup of agave.  My jam may be runnier than others, but it is healthier too.  Sometimes homemade strawberry jam simply has too much sugar.  Ya, it's not sugarless jam, but it's better than 4 cups of sugar!

 

Makes 3 container's/jar's worth

You'll Need:

about 4 c. diced strawberries
1/3 c. ball fruit pectin
1 c. sugar
1 c. agave

Get Busy:


Mash your strawberries (or I put mine in the Blendtec because I like my jam smoother rather than chunky).  Combine the mashed strawberries and pectin in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Slowly add sugar and agave and constantly stir under high heat for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and pour into the containers or jars.  Keep refrigerated once done.  You can use it immediately or you can freeze this jam up to a year, which makes a great gift.  I mean, honestly, who doesn't love homemade jam?

DIY: Party Poms

Ok, these were so fun and easy to make! My sis-in-law and I made these for the surprise 40th wedding anniversary party I threw for my parents. They took about 5 minutes each---soooooo easy. Anyone can make these; I promise. They make such cute decorations for parties or a baby room, and would look good in a variety of colors. We just chose red and white because ruby red is the color for 40 years of marriage.

First, you start with 8-10 sheets of tissue paper. Fold them accordion style--back and forth.

...Like this.

Then, holding the folds together, cut off the edges and round them off.

...Like this.

Next, cut some thread about 3 feet long (so you have enough thread to tie it to something), and tie a knot in the center of the tissue paper. You may need a buddy's finger to tie the knot.

Spread out the accordion on its side, and start peeling each layer back.

Keep peeling until each layer has been separated.

Once each layer is peeled, fluff the paper until the ball is round-shaped. You may need to tweak the ends of the paper so they don't show.

And you're done! Hang them wherever--I hung them by the front door and over the food served at the party. My sis-in-law made these in pink and they hang in her daughter's bedroom. So cute! 5 minutes per ball.

~Whole Wheat Pizza Dough~

Healthy pizza??? Um...yes please! Besides, it tastes amazing, so why not, right? Half the reason I don't normally like pizza is because I know how unhealthy it is. But there is something special when you know exactly what went into your food. So if you make your own pizza dough, sauce and toppings, you know whether it's healthy or not. This dough is delicious and I got this one from my sis-in-law, Kelli. I just slightly modified it with whole white wheat instead enriched bleached flour.

For those who don't know how to proof yeast, this is how ya do it. You put the yeast and water in a small bowl or measurer with 1/2 tsp. sugar and stir it for a second with a spoon. Let it sit there for 5-10 minutes. It should grow!

After mixing the dough for a few minutes, put it in a big greased bowl and let it rise until the size doubles.

It was cold in my house the day I made this, so I turned on the oven for a few minutes and placed a hand towel over the bowl.

This could probably look prettier, but once the dough has risen, flatten it out onto a cookie sheet or a no-bake air pan (these are my favorite).

you'll need:

4 c. whole white wheat flour

1 pkg. of active rise yeast, or 2 1/4 tsp.

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. honey

1 3/4 c. hot water

2 Tbs. olive oil

get busy:

{This recipe makes two pizzas.} Combine all ingredients in a mixer and mix for 2-3 minutes. Place the dough into a greased bowl and let it rise until it doubles in size. After the dough has risen, cut in half, flatten the dough out and stretch it to the size of pizza you want. {Optional: Brush the crust with olive oil.} I didn't do the olive oil on my pizza and it tasted great. For less oil, do without. Add whatever toppings and fixins' you want! Preheat the oven to 450 and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. You do not need to cook the dough before putting on the toppings. A big thanks to Kelli for this recipe. I can now actually like pizza! This tastes 10 times better than a Papa John's or Pizza Hut type pizza. The best part of this recipe is that if you only want one pizza for dinner, freeze the other half of the dough. The next time you want homemade pizza, simply defrost the dough and you already have it made! Hope you like it.

~Homemade Taco Seasoning~

I can't count how many times I have started a dinner and forgotten to buy taco seasoning. Ugh! However, I had all the ingredients to make this in my cupboard; ergo, yay, no more buying taco seasoning! I also liked making my own taco seasoning because the store bought kind has some processed stuff in it. I like knowing what is in my food. In addition to that, this taco seasoning tastes delicious! I think I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. This taco seasoning also has over 2,000 5 star reviews! It's also cheaper to make your own seasoning than buy it every time. Make this in about 3 minutes, store in a sealed container, and it's all ready for your cookin'. The flavor of this seasoning is much richer than the store bought kind. I have found that two huge heaping tablespoons is about the same amount as one packet.

you'll need:

1 Tbs. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes*

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

get busy: (kind of...)

Mix together ingredients in a small bowl. I stored mine in a Ziploc baggie. This recipe makes 10 servings.

*If you are not a spice person, I suggest cutting this ingredient in half.

DIY: Infinity Scarf

I saw this idea on Pinterest and really wanted to try it! I am obsessed with Pinterest. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a wonderful website with a myriad of ideas of everything from home decor to places to visit, work out routines to do-it-yourself projects...such as making your own scarf. You could buy this same scarf from as low as $20 to as high as I've seen it so far for $55. I made this for much, much less. It was actually really easy, and the full and detailed directions are here.

I went to Joann's with Supermom today and we bought 2 yards of knit fabric. Since their pickins' were very slim, I chose this heathery purple. I'm in love with purple right now anyway. All I did was sew up the ends to make a long tube. Then I realized there was a crapload of fabric around my neck and it was 85 degrees today...So I decided to cut the scarf long ways to make two scarves. So now I have two! Yay! I love projects with Supermom. She's the best. I wore my new scarf to a Halloween party tonight with the hubby. After, I stopped by two grocery stores and was complimented on my scarf in both stores. Totally made my day!