Foodie Friday

I forgot to post this, but I had a really good TJ Maxx and Marshall's run yesterday! I picked up a sushi recipe book for 75 cents and an Italian stovetop espresso maker for $6. And its pink so it matches my other coffee appliances. I am pretty proud of myself!

I had a busy and wonderfully productive Friday! I woke up and made some really, really easy freezer strawberry jam with my U-Pick strawberries. Couldn't have been simpler :) I haven't tried it yet, but it looks fantastic!

Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam (from a Swap-Bot swap)

Ingredients:

4 cups strawberries, crushed and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 pouch freezer pectin *very important that it is freezer specific*

Mix fruit, sugar, and pectin by hand, gently, for 3 minutes. Let stand for 30 minutes to thicken.

Ladle into 5 8oz  freezer jars (I used plastic Bell ones)

Place in freezer. The jam will last for 1 year frozen or refrigerated for 3 weeks. If it lasts that long... It works the same for a lot of fruit.

I also whipped up some homemade marshmallows yesterday and we made s'mores with them tonight. They didn't brown up really well because they melted really quickly. But the vanilla tasted wonderful with the chocolate and made some pretty tasty s'mores!

I even finished up making my blackberry sorbet. It was tasty and highlighted the freshness of the blackberry perfectly!

Blackberry Sorbet from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients:

4 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup water

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Puree the blackberries in a blender or food processor with the water and sugar.  Press the mixture through a strainer to remove the seeds.  Stir in the lemon juice. 

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

It was a wonderful, food-filled day! Enjoy the recipes!

Strawberry Lemonade

I made some delicious strawberry lemonade with part of my U-Pick haul :) It is wonderful and even Jonathan who doesn't really like strawberries, enjoyed it. It has a unique taste but is so worth making! And I love lemons... like a lot

I used this recipe (reprinted here for ease!)

Strawberry Lemonade (pg. 85)
Source: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

3/4 c sugar
1 c very hot water
1 c fresh lemon juice
4-1/2 c cold water
1 recipe Fresh Strawberry Sauce (pg. 210)
Confectioners’ Sugar, for the glasses
Fresh strawberries for garnish

In a pitcher, combine the sugar and hot water and stir until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup. Stir in the lemon juice and cold water. Add the strawberry sauce and stir to combine. Pour over ice into tall glasses rimmed with confectioners’ sugar. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if using. Strawberry lemonade keeps at least 3 days in the refrigerator.

Fresh Strawberry Sauce (pg. 210)
1 dry pint fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp cold water

In a food processor or blender, puree the berries, sugar, lemon juice and water until smooth. Strain the berry mixture into a clean bowl and discard the seeds. Stir in additional sugar, if needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Go try it!

Strawberry Pickin'

Well, I am kind of ashamed to admit this, but until today, I had never been strawberry pickin'. Probably because as a child, my summers were devoted to swimming on the swim team and playing in the pool in our backyard. But we made up for lost time! We picked a whole gallon bucket full in about 15 minutes because we went a little bit further out than the little kids and moms. And, boy, these strawberries are sweet and perfect! I already made some strawberry lemonade and am planning to make some jam tomorrow. But I just wanted to share the pictures from the actual picking!

Final Product = A TON of strawberries

My boyfriend came too and was a great sport- he doesn't even like strawberries that much!

I will be sharing some wonderful strawberry recipes soon! Pick up some for yourself and share the results with me!