The Best Ever Strawberry Jam

Since I've been home with Andrew, I've really been enjoying the time I get to spend at home. From just spending time with him, to baking, cooking, and sometimes catching up with my PVR, one thing I never get tired of is making jam (and that usually happens when jam goes on sale!). I'm so happy to share this recipe with you!
Seriously, this stuff is so amazing! 
It makes 8 jars; but trust me - they won't last long!
Here's the tools that you'll need:
- 8 x 250 ml jam jars with lids
- Tongs
- Sm. pot
- Lg. Pot
- Measuring cup
- Potato masher
- Knife - Oven Mitts - Large Bowl - Funnel (optional)
Ingredients:

4          1 lb containers of fresh strawberries

¼         cup of lemon juice

7          cups of sugar

1          package of liquid pectin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees, and while waiting for the oven to heat, wash and core the strawberries.

2. Place the jars (without lids) in the oven for 10 minutes and then turn off, leaving the jars in the oven until needed. This will sterilize them and help keep them warm for the canning process.

3. Place the jar lids into a small pot of boiling water and boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Leave the lids in the pot until needed.

4. Put the strawberries in a large pot, several at a time, and use the potato masher to mash them all up. You want to ensure there are no large chunks and have the consistency and look of strawberry salsa.

5. Once you have crushed all the strawberries, measure out 3 ¾ cups. Be sure to be as accurate as possible here, or you may throw off the recipe! I used the bowl I put the cut strawberries in for the amount needed, and saved any extra of later use (they make a good ice cream topping!), and just poured the correct amount back into the pot.

6. Turn on high heat and add in the lemon juice and sugar, then stir, sir, stir! You'll want to bring the strawberries to a rolling boil. Once at a rolling boil, continue to boil for one more minute.

7. Remove the pot from the heat and add the liquid pectin, stirring continuously for five minutes. Once you're done stirring, skim off the foamy part of the jam.

8. Pour the jam directly in the warmed jars (be sure to use gloves, the jam is super hot!). You can pour directly in the jar or use a funnel like I do (it's so much easier with one). Be sure to leave ¼ inch room at the top of the jars to allow for sealing.

9. Place the lids on and screw tight! 

10. Allow the jam to cool for 20 - 30 minutes on a cooling rack, then poke the top-middle part of the lid. You'll hear a 'pop', which is a sign that the sealing worked.

After a couple of hours, you'll start to notice the thickening of the jam which is when it's good to eat! The jam will store in the pantry for up to a year, but like I said before, they won't last that long.

These also make great gifts for friends and family, and you can even make pretty labels like I did.

I'd love to hear how your jam turned out. Let me know in the comments below.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Original recipe can be found here. Reposted with permission.

Healthy Chickpea Salad

Spring is finally here so I thought I'd share one of my favourite salad recipes. It's healthy, delicious, and it just screams Spring (and Summer!). The original recipe is from allrecipes.ca but I have modified it and made it my own. 

The best part? It only takes 15 minutes to make!

Servings: 6

2          (19 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1          pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1          cucumber, cut into small chunks
2          tbsp. of basil
2          tbsp. of honey
3          gloves of garlic, minced
3          tbsp. of red wine vinegar
3          tbsp. of olive oil
½         tbsp. of pepper
¼         tbsp. of salt
Other fresh vegetables of your choice

Directions:

1.     In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, and basil. If you are adding any other vegetables you can add them here as well.

2.     Put honey in a small glass bowl; heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, black pepper, and salt with the honey to make a dressing; pour over the chickpea salad and toss to coat. 

Be careful when removing the honey from the microwave; it’s hot!

3.     Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for later use. This salad will keep for up to three days.

It's oh-so-delicious - I hope you enjoy!

Baked Avocado & Egg Breakfast

You might have seen this recipe all over Pinterest, but it looked so delicious that I had to try it for myself. And while I was worried it would be one of the grossest things I've had had, it was pleasantly delicious!
For one serving, all you need is one avocado, two eggs, and the spices of your choice (I used salt, pepper, and a little basil). For one half I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on top. So good!
Simply cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, scoop out excess avocado to make a little 'bowl', and and crack an egg in each piece and add the spices of your choice. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (cooking times may vary, but long enough for the egg to fully cook).
I would suggest using a larger avocado or the egg will spill over.

If you haven't tried this yet, I would highly encourage you to. It's super healthy and delicious (especially when you add a little tomato on the side)! 
Enjoy!

Homemade Peanut Brittle Cookies

This is one of the recipes I used when I did my holiday baking and I have used this particular recipe since I started doing holiday baking with my sister years ago. It always gets rave reviews. The recipe itself comes from a small recipe book called 'The Love of Baking' from www.robinhood.ca. Actually, most of my holiday baking recipes come from this book. I can't recall exactly where I picked up the book from, but I'm sure you can find this recipe and more on their website. But let's get things started.

Prep Time: 10 mins I Bake Time: 12 minutes per sheet I Makes: 44 Cookies 

½       cup (125 mL) Crisco Golden All-Vegetable Shortening

½       cup (125 mL) light brown sugar, packed

¼       cup (50 mL) granulated suger

1        tbsp (15 mL) vanilla extract

1        egg

1 ¼    cup (300 mL) Robin Hood All Purpose Flour

½       tsp ( 2mL) each; baking soda and salt

1        pkg (300 g) Chipits REESE Peanut Butter Chips, divided

1        cup (125 mL) Chipits SKOR Toffee Bits

¾       cup (175 mL) unsalted peanuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF (180^oC). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat shortening with sugars and vanilla until creamy. Beat in egg. Add flour, baking soda and salt, mixing until incorporated. Stir in 1 cup (250 mL) peanut butter chips, all toffee bits and all peanuts.

3. Drop mixture by rounded tablespoons (15 mL) onto prepared baking sheets, about 2" apart.

4. Bake each sheet in preheated oven 10 - 12 minutes or until deep golden brown and just set. Cool on sheet for 3 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely. Melt remaining peanut butter chips in microwave on High for about 45 seconds. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

These really are delicious, however, I do not drizzle the remaining peanut butter chips on the cookies as I skip this step. I just don't think it's necessary because the cookies are already so good without it, not to mention that it was very messy the first time I did it.

These cookies also freeze really well so you can bake early and freeze until you really need them. Just remember to label that freezer bag.

Happy baking!

Chicken and Cauliflower Chili

Do you need an alternate to your regular chili? Well, then I found a recipe for you!

I'm a big ole' chili fan myself, but just the name of this chili was very intriguing to me so I decided to give it a try. Let me tell you - it did not disappoint! It is so good and has a nice little kick to it. I also found it to be a much lighter meal then regular chili, which is also a plus for me.

The recipe itself comes from Foodland Ontario. Foodland Ontario helps Ontarians (and others!) chose fresh, local grown produce, all while supporting local farmers and businesses. There website provides recipes, tips, food facts, and more.

The recipe itself was found in a small recipe booklet that I picked up in the produce section of my local grocery store. Free recipe books are the best, aren't they?

Let's get started.

Prep Time: 15 Mins, Cooking Time: 40 Minutes, Serves: 4 - 5

Ingredients:

2 tbsp	Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 lb	Boneless Skinless Chicken, cut in 1-inch cubes
2	Onions, chopped
3	Gloves Garlic, minced
1	Sweet Green Pepper, coarsely chopped
3 cups	Cauliflower Flourets
4 tsp	Chili Powder (or to taste) - I used 3
1 tsp	each ground cumin, dried oregano leaves and salt
1	can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
1	can (19 oz/540 mL) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook chicken, onions and garlic until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add green pepper, cauliflower, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt; cook, stirring for 1 minute.

2. Add tomatoes and beans; bring to a boil. reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. I actually made this later in the evening, so I packed a lunch for Doug and I, and then freezed the rest (I will post about freezer cooking a bit later).

Bon appetite!