Canning!

Happy Friday friends! 

 Doesn't life sometimes seem to pass like a whirlwind?  It just feels like that's the way it's been the last month or so.  But now that the holidays are over it's starting to slow down a bit.  I'm so glad.  I'm the type that prefers a slower pace.   Oldest daughter has been home from college for almost a month now.  She'll be leaving back to school next week though. 

I'm so behind on my blogging.  I've done so much but haven't had the chance to share it with anyone.  I've been trying my hand at pressure canning.  

My mother in law gave hubby and I this Presto pressure canner/cooker for Christmas.  I asked for it.  She usually gives us something we can both use in our home so she'll ask us what we might like to have.  I chose a pressure canner.

I've never used a pressure cooker before so I was a bit nervous.  I read the instruction booklet a few times and made sure to follow the instructions properly.  Everything went pretty smooth.  

This is 7 quarts of chicken broth.

I also canned a whole case of pinto beans in quart size jars.  I think they turned out nice and I really enjoyed the process.  It's quite satisfying and rewarding I must say.

I can't wait to can again but I'm not sure what it will be.  

Maybe broth again?  Who knows?!

Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly

Being from Texas, I'd heard of jalapeno jelly before.  I just never had the opportunity to try it. 

It sounds like a weird combination.

Jalapeno jelly???? 

Really???

What would it taste like???

Well there is only one way to find out.  

When one of our friends gave us a bag full of chilies and peppers I jumped on the opportunity to make a batch.

I found a recipe online and got started.  

It's looking pretty already.

This is what I wound up with.  12 small jars of the prettiest red raspberry jalapeno jelly.  

So how does it taste?  

Surprisingly it tastes really good.  

I'm not sure how to eat it yet though.   Some people suggest you eat it with a cracker and cream cheese as sort of an appetizer.  

I'm sure with the holidays coming up that there will be plenty of get togethers and willing people to test the jelly on.

The recipe i used is from Just a Pinch.  I adapted it a bit.  I didn't leave the seeds in the jalapenos.  And I also left out the hot pepper flakes.  I left them out because I don't like very hot stuff.

So give it a try.  Be daring!  I think you'll be pleased with the results.  :)

Til next time,

  

Linking to: Look What I Made, Whatever Goes Wednesday, What I Whipped Up, We did it Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Show and Share, Made by Me, Time Travel Thursday, Creative Things Thursday, Power of Pinterest Party, Foodie Friday

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Sometime around two weeks ago I found a recipe for strawberry jam.  I thought it sounded simple enough so I tried it.  It turned out perfect.  It was good but best of all it was easy.  I've made it a couple more times after that in small batches.  

Well last night at the grocery store I was surprised to see they are still carrying strawberries.  I picked some up thinking I'd make more jam.  But my plans were almost ruined when I saw the empty shelves where the canning jars were supposed to be.  There were no canning jars except for one or two cases of the quart size jars.  But I did spot these cute little cups for freezer jam.  I thought, how much different could it be?  

Well, it turns out it is a little different.  Mainly freezer jam is sooo much simpler than cooked processed jam.  It's also quicker too.  Basically you need 2 cups of washed, hulled, and mashed strawberries.  One store bought container was exactly 2 cups for me.  Mix in 4 cups of sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Let this set for 20 minutes.

In a separate pan heat 1 cup of water and mix in 1 package of pectin.  Bring to a boil and let boil 1 minute.  

Add pectin mixture to the strawberries and stir for about 3 minutes.  It will thicken as you stir.  After about 3 minutes you're ready to ladle the jam into your containers. 

Leave your jars on the counter for a couple of hours to let them cool and set before you pop them in the freezer.  You may take this time to stand back and admire your pretty jars and your effort.  

 This is the freezer jam and the cooked jam i made a couple of weeks ago.  The cooked jam is still sitting on the counter waiting to be put away.  My excuse is I need to make space for it in the pantry but really I've left it out because I like looking at it every time I walk through the kitchen.  They jars just look so pretty sitting there filled with deep red goodness.  How could I possibly put them away?  Having both freezer jam and cooked jam side by side you can see a difference in color.  Freezer jam is a brighter red and cooked jam is a deeper jewel tone color.  Both taste good and I know we will enjoy eating this all through the year.

Linking to: Home Sweet Home, Frugal Friday, Flaunt it Friday, Frugalicious Friday, Potpourri Friday,