Blackberry Freezer Jam

Meijer had a sale on blackberries- $.50 per half pint!!

So, after we ate ourselves silly with them, I still had plenty leftover and decided to try making blackberry freezer jam.

Why freezer jam?

1.) I'm a city girl with neither canning skills nor canning equipment

2.) Freezer jam uses much less sugar than traditional jam and since it is frozen, tastes more like fresh fruit.

It turned out DELICIOUS! A little looser in texture than a traditional jam, but sooo good it didn't make a bit of difference!  I am definitely not stopping at blackberries- you can do this with just about any fruit!

Wanna try? Here's what you need: 

Fresh ripe fruit (I used blackberries)-
be sure it's NOT overripe

Mash 'em up real good.

If you dislike the seeds, you can put this through a sieve, but don't go buckwild, or it will be really runny. You need a little chunkiness to it for best results.

Every 2 cups made about 2 half pints of jam.

Instant pectin (I made 2 batches)

Sugar (2/3 Cup per batch)

Stir the pectin in well, then add the mashed blackberries and stir for at least 3 minutes, until the sugar/pectin mix is incorporated/dissolved. (You don't want sugar granules in your jam!)

8oz freezable containers
(2 batches made 5 half pints for me)

These are Ball brand freezer jam containers- they have screw on lids and worked awesome.

Me + Resolution = FAIL

So, I haven't been doing so well with my resolution to make at least one extra meal each week to freeze and use a frozen meal for one week each night to save on $$$, sanity and dishes...

But hey, I've got excuses! The holidays were, of course, super busy with a baby and multiple parties in multiple states, we traveled with two infants to Alabama (in the car!) and I've been up to my EYEBALLS in cootie catcher orders (thank you, REAL SIMPLE magazine. :)

There's always tomorrow...

But seriously, I am going to try to get back on the horse next week. In the meantime, here's a really good recipe for a delicious meal that doesn't work well for freezing, but is simple, and that's almost as good!

Asian Chicken and Rice Bake
(courtesy of Campbell's with a little tweaking by moi)

1 C uncooked long grain rice
4 chicken breasts
1 can Campbell's golden mushroom soup
1 Cup water
1/4 C soy sauce
2 TBSP cider vinegar
(I used red wine vinegar in a pinch & it worked fine)
3 TBSP honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
dash salt
dash pepper
paprika
1 can diced water chestnuts, optional

Spray 2 qt. baking dish with Pam. Spread rice in the bottom of dish and place chicken breasts on top. Mix soup, water, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and add water chestnuts if desired. Pour over chicken and sprinkle with paprika. Cover.
Bake @ 400 for 45-60 min, or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is tender. Serve with additional soy sauce, if desired.
I think this pairs great with snow or sugar snap peas.
Enjoy!

I'm Making My Life Simpler By...

...making one extra meal to freeze each week, and using a frozen meal once a week!

I started loading up a deep freeze with meals when I was pregnant (nesting, anyone?), in order to make my life easier when Caden arrived. Boy, am I ever glad I did- we actually ate a meatloaf last night that I froze in May! Well, the stockpile has thinned and I am pledging to build it back up.

It's actually pretty simple-
Once a week, I make a dish that freezes well. I just double the recipe (or make the whole recipe, since I usually just halve it for the two of us), bake one, and freeze the other one in a foil baking dish covered with saran wrap and foil. (Bo-nus! No pots/pans on frozen meal nights!) I label a piece of paper with the dish's name and cooking instructions and place it in a freezer bag for extra freshness.

My goal is to work up to two and then three meals like this a week. This will cut the nights I cook dinner from scratch to only 3-4! And, I think it saves money.

Anyone else game to try it with me? I'd love to share recipes/ideas/tips. If so, here's a delicious one to get you started (don't let the name fool you, it's barely spicy)

Jalapeno Chicken Enchiladas
(this recipe makes two 8x8" dishes- one to bake, one to freeze. Double the recipe if you have a larger family and use two 9x13" pans)

-15 oz can tomato sauce
-2 cans cream of chicken soup (can use low fat)
-2 cups sour cream (can use light, not sure about fat free)
-2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
-2 cups cubed chicken breast
-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
-12-14 flour tortillas
-Spices: salt, pepper, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder

In skillet, cook the chicken breast in a little oil and season with the spices to taste. Meanwhile, grease or spray with Pam two 8x8" pans. Spread 1/4 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of each. In a large bowl, combine the soup (undiluted), sour cream, jalapenos and 1-1/4 cup of the cheese. Stir in the cooked chicken. Spread about 1/2 cup mixture in each tortilla (I microwave them first to make them a little more pliable to prevent tearing) and place seam side down in the pans (about 6-7 in each pan). If you have any leftover filling, just spread it on top of the folded tortillas. Top with remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake one dish @ 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until edges are bubbly. Let stand to thicken a few minutes. Cover and freeze remaining dish.

*To use frozen: thaw overnight in fridge the day before use. Bake covered @ 400 for 35-45min, or until edges are bubbly.

ICED TEA or WATER? You decide!

Do you drink enough water?

If you haven't heard (and really, who hasn't?), you are supposed to drink 64 oz of water each and every day!
Now, everyone who knows me knows that I do drink my water. My Nalgene bottle is always at my side (in fact, I just took a chug right now!)

However, a person can get really SICK of drinking so much water.
I've tried crystal light, but it's too sickly sweet for me.
I've tried lemons in the water and that's decent, but still not enough of a change.
I love a recipe from my friend Tina called "Spa Water" (just add sliced lemon, orange and cucumber to a pitcher of water)
But still, people, it's water!

If you have this problem, too- then I've got a super solution for you- ICED TEA!
"What?" you say? "Everyone knows there is caffeine in tea and any drink that is caffeinated cannot count towards your water intake!"

Ha- I thought of that- that's why I use decaffeinated tea bags!

So, if you want to drink something else for a change, stay healthy, and feel a little closer to summer in this bleak midwinter, then follow this (my Alabama grandma's) recipe for perfect iced tea!

QUICK AND EASY ICED TEA

Get yourself a 4 quart pitcher
('cause you know just 2 quarts isn't going to be enough)
10 decaffeinated tea bags
(store brand works just fine)

*Fill your pitcher 1/2 way up with cold water
*Pour that water into a pot and turn the heat on!
*Take out 10 tea bags and remove the tabs at the end.
*Tie all the strings together in a big knot (this will help remove them easier later)
*When water comes to a boil, add the tea bags and remove from heat
*Let tea steep for 15-20 min
*Pour tea (remove bags if you want, but I just leave 'em in) into your pitcher
*Fill rest of pitcher with cold tap water (or, if you're in a real big hurry, empty a few ice cube trays)
*Slice some lemon and enjoy!

P.S. If you add sugar, this does not count towards your daily water goal- try splenda instead.
P.P.S. Okay, if you don't want to buy a new pitcher, just use 5 tea bags instead for 2 quarts.

AMAZING AVGOLEMONO!!! (Greek Lemon Rice Soup)

So... up until this point(16 weeks preggo), I haven't gotten TOO many cravings. The ones I did have were easy to get (popsicles, coleslaw, mint chocolate ship ice cream).

UNTIL... I craved Avgolemono.
If you've never heard of this, it's a Greek soup, with a creamy lemony broth and rice, and sometimes chicken. It is so delicious!

However, here in West Michigan, we do not have Greek restaurants (just one little gyro shack, which is decent, I'll admit, but no soup!) If you are unaware, I grew up outside of Chicago and now since I live in Michigan have had to deal with intense pizza withdrawls, but that's another story.

My favorite Lemon Rice soup comes from The Commander, a Greek mom and pop restaurant back home. Their avgolemono does not have any chicken in it, and yet, EVERY recipe I looked up, included chicken. I was afraid that if I tried it, I would be disappointed that it wasn't the real thing, and I knew I didn't want to disappoint a craving pregnant woman (especially myself).

So... I held out until this past weekend, when we were coming into town for my cousin's high school graduation party. On our way back, my hero, the hubby, ordered 2 QUARTS of the stuff and we picked it up on our way home (as well as a pizza- I will make a heartburn exception for Chicago pizza)! That was Saturday. It is now Monday and I am down to the last drop of the first quart container. 2 quarts may seem like a whole lot of soup to you, but in actuality, it's really only about 6 bowls.

So, now, with the end in sight, my fabulous grandfather has saved the day! He just sent me an email with the chicken-less recipe from Epicurious.com. Thanks, Gramps!!!

And now... in case there is anyone out there, pregnant or not, who cannot get lemon-rice soup... here is the recipe!

• 4 cups basic chicken stock
• 6 tablespoons (90 g) Carolina or other long-grain white rice
• 8 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup (65 ml) fresh lemon juice
• coarse salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Stir in the rice and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a large bowl.

When the rice is tender, slowly ladle half of the hot broth into the yolks to temper them, whisking constantly. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the broth and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, just long enough to thicken the soup. Do not boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!