Easy All-Natural Strawberry Jam

Strawberries are everywhere right now... cheap and delicious. I've been making this succulent strawberry jam on a weekly basis since moving to Houston. I thought it would be fun to share the recipe I use with anyone interested. It would be a super fun activity to do with the kids in your life! I bet they would love to decorate some labels for the jars too!

I'm particularly in love with this recipe because of it's simplicity. It doesn't call for artificial pectin, but instead uses the natural pectin found in apples to jell the fruit. I think the apple adds a yummy twist to the jam as well.

Also, it uses a very basic method of "processing" the jars which means you don't need to invest in a large canner or many other canning supplies to make this recipe. This recipe comes from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook, so I trust it to be safe. (Note: It is not safe to make changes to canning recipes. Professionals out there test them to make sure they are safe. Always use canning recipes from a trusted source.)

Here are the only "tools" you'll need to make this jam: 

- Kitchen Scale- Weighing ingredients will ensure the success of yours jam.

- Grater 

- 4-5 half-pint canning jars with self-sealing lids that have never been used and metal bands 

 * Make sure to use clean jars. Hand wash them in warm soapy water, or run them through the dish- washer. Do not put lids in the dish-washer. 

- Canning Jar Funnel- This is optional, but makes the job much easier. Find them at Wal-Mart. 

Ingredients: 

two pounds of strawberries 

Weigh berries after they have been washed, hulled, and sliced. 

one and one half  pound of sugar 

1 green apple - Skin and Flesh grated, but no core

One forth cup fresh lemon juice -  free of seeds

Let your kids help you prepare your ingredients! They can pull the leafy parts off the berries and slice them with butter knifes. Let them help you measure. Teach them about cooking, math, and opposite flavors! (Strawberries are sweet, green apples are sour) 

Let them be amazed as they watch the mixture transform! 

Combine all ingredients in a nonreactive 5 qt. heavy bottom sauce pan or pot. 

(I like to use my dutch oven.) Use a wooden spoon as you go on with your jam.

    

Bring it to a heavy boil over medium heat. (A simmer doesn't count!) Stir often and remove pink foam that rises to the top. It takes about 25 minutes for mine to get to a heavy boil. Depends on how fast your stove it! 

    

        

This is a nice heavy boil. It's what your looking for! Listen as the bubbles change from boiling bubbles to plopping bubbles. Let it boil for about 15 minutes. It smells so wonderful! Embrace the strawberry sauna and stir constantly. 

This is looking wonderful. The color is dark and rich and the jam is very thick. 

Test your jam on a chilled plate. If juices run from the jam when the plate is tilted, as shown below... then you need to wait another 5 minutes to test it. 

This is how your jam should be. It will go down when tilted, but it all stays together. It's ready now! 

Ladle the jam into the jars one at a time, leaving about a half inch of space. As soon as you get the jam in the jar, wipe the rim with a damp cloth if needed, top it with the lid, and screw on the band. Turn the jar upside down. The scalding hot jam will seal the lid. 

Repeat until your jars are full. 

 Let your jars sit upside down until they are completely cool. Then turn the jars right side up and press each lid in the middle. If the lid stays depressed (firm and doesn't pop when pressed), then you successfully made a jar of jam! If your lid does pop when pressed, then you need to store it in the fridge and use within two weeks. (This method has never failed me yet.) 

Keep your sealed jars in a dark cook place for up to one year! 

This jam is good for so many things, but my favorite way to eat it is 

on a warm, fresh biscuit! 

From start to finish, it takes me about an hour and a half to make this jam. It's simple and fun, and a great way to use those delicious strawberries we see at the grocery store!

 Enjoy it some time, I think you're gonna love it! 

*Recipe from Maria Helm Sinskey 

Williams-Sonoma Family Meals 

Simple and Comforting Ghoulash

I haven't done a post like this in a while and it's partly because there are so many people out there doing posts such as these and they put a lot more time into it and produce a much better product. But it's just fun... and today as I was cooking I thought to myself, "Why not?!" So anyways... I hope you enjoy!!

It's not very fancy or frilly, but I love ground beef. (Good quality beef I should add... have you seen how some of that stuff is produced?! Watch "Food INC" on Netflix!)  It's so economically friendly and let's face it... it can make a pretty cozy meal. A lot of times 1 pound of ground beef doesn't go very far. Let me re-phrase that. If you like to have a good portion of meat, it seems that 1 pound of ground beef doesn't go very far. Somehow this dish defies all odds and it magically turns into the massive meal that is so incredibly meaty. I don't get it. All I know... is that when we are a few days away from the next pay check and I'm trying to stick to the budget, this is what I turn to. American Ghoulash. 

Here are the basics: 1 lb good quality ground beef, half pound of elbow noodles, onion, garlic, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, parmesan, and red chili flakes (optional)

First get a large pot of boiling water. Add the salt and noodles. Cook al dente because nobody likes soggy noodles! It should only take about 5 minutes. (Be sure to salt the water, because this is how this dish gets it's flavor!) 

Meanwhile, chop up your onion and a couple cloves of garlic. Try not to cry. 

Oh, look! The pasta is cooked! Drain and reserve some of the pasta water. (About one third cup.)

Brown the meat and onion in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. I add salt and pepper to the meat, but that's optional. Sometimes I'm lazy and I don't.  It's important to wait until the pan is hot before adding the meat, other wise the meat doesn't brown good and it'll be gray. You can also brush some olive oil on the bottom of the pan to add some flavor and help it brown well.

Now... don't go waisting a colander. Angle the pan so all the juice runs to one side and dab it up with a couple of paper towels. So much easier that way. 

You could just leave it in there too... that never hurt anyone. 

Add the garlic and tomato paste. It's important when using tomato paste to add it before your liquids. When you stir it around in the hot pan, you release the flavors a lot better. So mix it all up and wait for it to be really fragrant. 

In come the diced tomatoes. 

 And some red chili flakes. I add just shy of a tablespoon because we really like the heat. But you certainly don't have to put it in there if you don't like spice. Or you could put less. Or more if you really want to clear your sinuses. If the onion didn't do it earlier. 

I really LOVE Bragg Organic Sprinkle 24 Herbs and Spices Seasoning. I like to put some of this in when I've got it. Or sometimes I add rosemary. The beauty of this recipe is that you really don't need any of it. But if you want to... go for it... it'll be good! 

At this point it's almost done. I usually just let it simmer as I fix whatever sides we are having. But sometimes we don't have sides. And then I just move on. 

OK. Sides are done. Add the noodles and reserved pasta water. Stir it around. Be amazed at how much food it is for one pound of meat. 

Add some parmesan. Shredded or grated it doesn't matter. Stir it all in. 

Heaven is what this is. 

 

Serve it up with something green and some bread. 

There is just two of us so we never ever finish a loaf of sandwich bread. I usually brush olive oil on leftover sandwich bread and sprinkle it with seasonings and parm cheese and toast it at 400 degrees for 10- 15 min. 

One of our favorite ways to eat this is as leftovers. We put it in a big bowl... top with cheddar cheese.... on the couch... with a good movie. We seriously get like 4 huge meals out of this. This is what we had leftover... it filled a 2.5 qt corning ware dish. 

(And I should add that we were starving because we didn't have lunch today.)

It's so delicious. So easy. So affordable. I always keep the ingredients on hand for a quick solution to being at the end of the grocery budget or being short on time. I've made this in 15 minutes many times.  And it's one of Blake's favorite meals, so that's a huge comfort to know I can make something so simple and please him. 

Make it sometime. I think you're gonna love it. 

Ghoulash

Half pound of elbow noodles

Drizzle of Olive Oil (optional) 

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TB tomato paste

1, 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tsp red chili flakes (I use a tablespoon)

3 TB Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook pasta according to directions, reserving about 1/3 cup of the pasta water. 

2. Heat a large pot or dutch oven and add oil if using. Brown beef and onion together. (Add Salt and Pepper to taste.) Dab fat out with paper towels if desired. 

3. Add tomato paste and garlic. Stir around until well mixed and fragrant. 

4. Add chili flakes and any other spices you wish. 

5. Add noodles and cheese and mix well. 

Serve with something green and crusty bread or toast. Or serve as a one dish meal in a big bowl and hearty appetite. 

What's next?

I suppose it was last fall when my dear friend Doris introduced me to Karen Kingsbury's Redemption Series. I'm not exactly an avid reader so it took me some time to actually get started, but once I did I had those 5 books read within no time. (I've yet to start the next part of that series! But I WILL read them!)

Anyways, there is pretty common verse shared throughout those books.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

If you've read the Redemption Series then you were thinking about that verse in your sleep when you were reading those books, because I'm pretty sure it's on every other page! But I love it. I loved reading about the whispers from God to the sweet Baxter family.

I've said this many times, but this is such an interesting time of life. All parts of life are interesting, of course, but this phase just feels so new. When you're in those first fews years after college, and you're watching how life if turning out for you and your friends. There are people who changed paths completely, others faced some bumps in the road that caused things to be pushed back, some are exactly where you'd always expected them to be. (Most) Everyone has grown and matured and have a different air to them than when you first met them.

The thing that I think almost all of us are facing is, "What's next?" Some have a career but have yet to find a soul to spend the rest of their life with. Some have found that soul but have yet to find a career that fills them with joy. (That would be ME!) Some have found neither. Some might be thinking about where they want to move, who and when they want to marry, when they want to buy a house, when they want to have kids, where they want to travel before they do any of that.

If these people I know are anything like me... they think, "What am I going to accomplish?"

Amidst all of these questions I find it so comforting when (thanks to the Baxter family) my mind is often silenced with the words of Jeremiah 29:11. I know I've blogged about this verse at other times, but it's just been such a comfort to me, as it's been for many others.

So we're here in Houston. Blake's got going on his new job, things are all unpacked, and it feels like home. What's next?

I've got no clue.  And that's OK, because someone has that all figured out for me. And that someone has plans that can only be good.

Wishing you many blessings ~

Our God is alive!

I've had a feeling for a while now that Yukon, Oklahoma wouldn't be home for long. We love our family that's here and our jobs were such a blessing, but we really did have a strong desire to move on.

It is so trivial, but it really was a struggle for me. I depend on stability- without it I feel stressed and irritable. Because we were not "settling down", I really felt unstable. I didn't know enough about my future to feel secure.

I wondered if it would ever happen... if God would ever pave a path for us to move on. And if he was going to pave a path... where would it lead to... and when would it happen??? My "5 year plan" from high school graduation had run out.. and so far the plan hadn't even played out according to plan! Where was my life headed? (Oh, the mid-20's crises!)

I'm not sure if you've ever seen the movie THE KID. It is seriously one of the sweetest movies ever created. And I kept picturing the scene where little Bruce Willis meets up with big Bruce Willis and can't believe that he doesn't fly jets, isn't married, and doesn't have a dog! In his eyes- he becomes a big loser!

We gets these goals in our mind and when none of it happens we wonder where God is and why he isn't helping us accomplish these things! I'd set out to do some pretty good things! Why wasn't God letting me do them!?

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
~ Jeremiah 29:11

My favorite part of this verse is "plans I have for you". It tells me that God has plans for me. I don't need to make a 5 year plan for my life, because God's got my life time plan already figured out! 

So without a plan, what can I do?

"Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!" 
~ Psalm 34:8

I can focus on God and embrace His presence. He is constantly there. His will for me is good. If I focus on Him he WILL guide me along his "pre-paved" path. 

If you've talked to me much, you've heard me tell of the awesome way God led us to Houston! If you haven't heard about it, I would love to share it with you sometime! 

God is ALIVE and dwelling in us! As you approach this Easter weekend, reflect on his presence in your life. And remember, not for a moment will he forsake us. 

Click here to listen to an encouraging song I picked out. ~ Kristin

the gift of hope

I'm generally not a very skeptical person. I quickly and easily trust people. It only takes a tiny thought to get me completely enthusiastic. And I typically jump to good conclusions and hope for the best with all of my heart.

Is this immature? Maybe.

I just love the feeling of hope.

Now, like everyone else on this earth, I have days where I'm not feeling the hope. I have LOTS of days when I might feel down and negative... but I just love it when I listen to the Spirit and receive hope.

I love it when God brings about opportunities to have hope. Not just in my eternal life, but for my life on earth. (Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I want to place my hope in my life on earth, no no no... that's not good. But I mean in having hope that God will bless on earth.)

Anyways... even though the things we feel hope for don't always happen... there is so much joy that comes along with hope... I feel like just the gift of a little hope is such a blessing.

I think of the movie "Life is Beautiful"... the one with the little Jewish boy and his father who go off to the death camp. The father does everything he can to give his son hope. Up to his very death march... he gives his son hope. Hope that the whole awful experience is just a game they are playing to win a war tank. Hope that everything is OK. Hope, so that he didn't have to live in fear. Hear is a clip from the movie...

 Clip from Life Is Beautiful

I'd much rather have innocent hope than live in fear and anxiety for my future.

Hope is a blessing from the Lord! It is a means of making life more bearable. A way of finding joy! A way of embracing His presence.

The next time you feel anxious, listen for the whispers of hope from the Spirit. Let Him turn your day around!

Here is a sweet song I'm reminded of as I reflect on hope! If you've got some time... enjoy it for a moment! "Hold Me" ~ Jamie Grace

to the end of the age

I've been asked on several occasions in life to share my testimony, be it for a job or for a class, and I always find this a difficult thing to do. For starters, it's always changing! As I move on in life I look back and realize the impact that certain events had on my faith. Also... I want my testimony to have a clean cut happy ending, but my life isn't over yet! God is still adding to my testimony!

One of my favorite scriptures came to mind tonight- The Great Commission. And I absolutely love the wording from The Voice:

"Go out and make disciples in all the nations. Ceremonially wash them through baptism in the name of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then disciple them. Form them in the practices and postures that I have taught you, and show them how to follow the commands I have laid down for you. And I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age." 

      ~ Matthew 28:19-20

This passage, essentially speaks my testimony. I was discipled by my parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, and other leaders at my home congregation. I confessed Christ was Lord and that he died for me, and I wanted an eternal life with him. I knew that without Christ, I'd be bound to sin... so I repented with assurance that His grace had been and would continue to be shown to me. I was baptized on a hot Oklahoma evening in a swimming pool by one of my most respected elders, surrounded by singing peers. I've had a lot to learn about how to follow the Lord. I'm still learning. But the wonderful truth (and ending to my story) is this: God will be with me always... day after day.

I was baptized young, just going into the 6th grade. I hadn't messed up much, hadn't turned into an awful teenager just yet. But I still had a desire to serve the Lord and live for Him. Looking back, I feel like God has helped me through so much. I've been learning the whole time. Growing the whole time. Learning how to accept Christ and truly allowing Him to dwell in your heart isn't an easy task. It takes a lot of growing pains!

I've learned (and not just head knowledge learned... but truly been convicted) that hardship doesn't mean God is far. He is near through the good and the bad. I don't ever want to go back to the past. I want to only go forward, growing closer to the Lord with each passing year.

I love Matt Redmond's song, "You Never Let Go". God is with us- and he isn't letting go of us! He loves us! Someday, our life will have no problems and we will praise our Father in Heaven. But until then, we still will praise Him because He has bestowed His grace on us and offered us salvation- and that salvation means He will NEVER let go of us! It all starts on the day you allow Him to embrace you and it continues day after day.

If you've got some more internet browsing to do, listen to this song! You all know it, but take a moment to bask in the wonderful news that God will never let go of us! It'll make your day a little more hopeful!

Click here to listen to Never Let Go!

"who can laugh at the days to come"

It is with great joy that I write tonight! There is something about Monday night bible study that fires me up with the passion to write about everything that's been on my heart that past week. In this case, the last few weeks.

I've been thinking about the "Proverbs 31 Wife" ~ "She can laugh at the days to come." (vs. 25)

Girls, that has NOT been me. I want to get real with you and tell you that anxiety has been ALIVE and PRESENT in my life. It's been such a huge part of me recently, that it's caused me to wallow, complain, cry, get angry, get lazy, spend money.... everything. If anything is a threat to a joyful Christian spirit, it's anxiety. 

A sweet Sister-in-Christ said something very eye-opening to me. "There is pain when you choose to think about a problem, but there is also pain when you try to let it go."

So I began to think about that. Why is there pain when you try to let something go? How come I can't just put it aside and be happy? (If you are a black and white person like my husband, you might not understand what I'm talking about. You either choose to be happy or choose to be sad.... right? Well I'm sincerely happy that it's easy for you! For those of us who can only see gray... this can be a huge battle!)

Here is what I read: "Give up the illusion that you deserve a problem-free life. Part of you is still hungering for the resolution of all difficulties. This is a false hope!... Link your hope not to problem solving in this life but to the promise of an eternity of problem-free life in Heaven."
~ Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

Hmm... maybe the pain comes from putting our hope in solutions. We want to fix everything, you know? Maybe we're putting our hope in the American spirit that inspires us to chase our dreams and pursue a better life. Maybe we're putting our hope in being able to help a loved one. Maybe we are putting our hope in our abilities to fight and stay strong through a battle.

Jesus said in John 16:33: "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Another reading in Jesus Calling said this: "Trust is a golden pathway to Heaven. When you walk on this path, you live above your circumstances."

Trust the Lord. OK? I've heard that all my life. We need to trust in God... He will take care of us. Sisters, those words can be SO powerful, if we can just find it in us to really do what we are saying.

Beth Moore says that thanks is not the same thing as trust. Sometimes after something amazing happens we go to God out of gratitude and say that we trust Him, or feel that we trust Him. But that is NOT the same thing as trusting God before the work happens... or when the work doesn't happen.

Isaiah 30: 18 reads: Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him." 

Putting our hope in God means to trust God. To trust God means to wait for Him.

God has promised us that this world will be full of troubles, but when we learn to depend on Him and not solutions, we can see that God offers us peace through the storms. Peace doesn't come from our problems being solved. Peace doesn't come through miracles. Peace comes from trusting in Him all along- through waiting on Him. Trusting that His will and His timing are perfect. Even when things don't turn out as we hope, even when things seem awful- we must let the hope of Heaven give us strength. Trusting that life in Heaven will be problem-free regardless of what we face on earth. 

I want to leave you with one of my favorite songs. We sang it on Sunday and the words couldn't have come to me at a better time. The big line is, "My hope is in you Lord all the day long. I won't be shaken by drought or storm. The peace the passes understanding is my song, and I sing, I trust in you alone."

Even if you know the song and have heard it 100 times, watch the music video. It's such an inspiring story. It really captures the idea of putting our trust in eternity, where life will be perfect... because life on earth is everything but.
My Hope is in You by Aaron Shust VIDEO

I hope with all of my heart that this encourages you. Take a leap of hope my friends! Let's be that "Proverbs 31 Lady" who can laugh at the days to come!

~ Wishing you many many blessings ~
K. Marie