Strawberry Freezer Jam

I found a good deal on Strawberries at our commissary last week and then ended up getting a container of strawberries in our weekly produce box which meant I was being overrun by strawberries.  My boys eat a lot but we  had a lot of fruits and vegetables in our house and I did not want these wonderful treats to go to waste.  I decided to make some freezer jam.  It's so simple and you end up with a delightful, fresh tasting treat.  I had enough strawberries to make this recipe twice.

My boys think the jam is a bit sweet (they said it tastes like strawberry soda).  I guess it would be sweet given it has 4 cups of sugar!  This jam takes about 30 minutes to make and then you let it sit for 24 hours.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

 

4 cups strawberries, washed and cut in half

4 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

1 package (1 3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin 

 

• Mash strawberries with potato masher or in food processor until slightly chunky (not pureed) to make 2 cups crushed strawberries. Mix strawberries and sugar in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Mix water and pectin in 1-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour hot pectin mixture over strawberry mixture; stir constantly 3 minutes.
• Immediately spoon mixture into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Wipe rims of containers; seal. Let stand at room temperature about 24 hours or until set.
• Store in freezer up to 6 months or in refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Thaw frozen jam and stir before serving.

 

Snack Tip: Strawberries & Sour Cream

I know that sounds crazy. I don't even like Sour Cream in most cases but everyone else in my family LOVES it. While I was back in Idaho visiting my parents, we went out paint-balling. One of the girls brought out this snack. I thought she was a little crazy but I tried it and it was AMAZING!

Take a strawberry, dip it in sour cream and then sprinkle brown sugar on it. YUUUUUUUUUUMMMY!

Spinach Strawberry Salad

I am addicted to this salad lately. My mom called me yesterday and told me that her friend had seen my picture of this salad in my album on Facebook and wanted the recipe.

There are two ways to make this salad, both are yummy. One is the easy peasy way and the other requires a little more time though not much more effort.

The first is a recipe I've had for a while that I printed from Allrecipes.com (my friend Matt reminded me of it not too long ago).

Strawberry Spinach Salad (oh, and I always switch it around, I never say it the same way)

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

The easy peasy way of doing it and the way I've been eating it lately and it's so yummy is as follows.

• 2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• Brianna's Homestyle Poppyseed Dressing (you can purchase at any grocery store)

Mix spinach, strawberries, almonds together. Pour as much dressing as you would like (it's sweet so start off slow).

One of the things I love about this is that if we don't eat it all (haha, rarely are there leftovers, but IF there are) it holds well and it just as yummy the next day!