Pinterest Experiment: Freezer Jam!

About once a month, my friend and I get together for a lady date. It usually consists of one of us going to the other's house for dinner, and then we knit and talk for a couple of hours. I LOVE it.

But this time around, I wanted to do something different. And this something I wanted to do I just knew my husband wouldn't really be in to, so I suggested it and my friend was all on board. We invited another cute girl to join us and had a blast. As we were doing it, we found out that everyone's husband was relieved to be 'off the hook' for that particular activity.

We went berry picking at the Fruit and Berry Patch. I've always wanted to do berry picking and was super happy that the other ladies were on board. We have plans to go back when it's blackberry and peach picking time, too. But this post is not about berry picking.

Its about what I did with the berries.

It was strawberry picking time when we went. For quite a few years, I've been wanting to be a 'better' homemaker, but really just want to be more self-reliant and frugal. I pinned stuff on Pinterest to help me out.

One of the earliest things I pinned was a Freezer Jam recipe. And that is what I had in mind for these strawberries from the get-go.

I followed the directions, that I understood. The first step was to cut the tops off the strawberries:

Then I was supposed to put them one layer at a time in a bowl and mash them. This is the direction I didn't understand, so I just dumped them all in at once and mashed away. I later realized that this direction meant I needed to put just a few strawberries at a time in the bowl, so none were on top of each other. My brain hasn't been functioning much lately.

I boiled the apple juice and pectin on the stove, while repeatedly telling my husband in my teacher voice that if he got in the way when I removed it that I was not responsible for any injury or death. (We have a very small kitchen and he followed me around in there!) I added some sugar as well, and made sure that it all boiled for a minute or so.

And added it to the mashed strawberries. After stirring vigorously for a minute or two, I poured the mix into the containers I had bought for this sole purpose. I bought the amount the recipe said I would need and that would fit all the jam.


The recipe was wrong. Not only did it fill those four cute containers, there was a TON left over. It filled a ziploc reusable and half of a clam chowder container. I would say there was at least double what the recipe claimed it would make. And yes, other than adding sugar and not mashing the strawberries one layer at a time, I made the recipe with exact measurements.

I actually waited a couple days before being brave enough to try the jam, and once I did I was pleasantly surprised that it actually was edible. I have never made jam of any sort before and wasn't sure I was doing it right, or that it wouldn't be sweet enough since some of the strawberries were a little past being ripe and some were not quite ripe yet.

I would count this one a Pinterest success.

Crockpot Recipe from Pinterest: Buffalo Chicken Dip

This crockpot recipe was from Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. I can't really tell you much about this blog because I've only looked at the recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip. Sorry. 

So, I really dislike it when recipes are for crockpots, but they require you to pre-cook something. That totally undermines the appeal and purpose of crockpot cooking. In my mind, a crockpot recipe means you toss everything in it and go.

This recipe called for pre-cooked, shredded chicken. Instead of precooking the chicken, I just put it in the crockpot first, then when I got home I shredded the chicken, still in the crockpot. Also, I didn't mix the cheeses and hot sauce together. I also didn't use bleu cheese, just ranch, because I like it better. I didn't soften the cream cheese, I just put it all in the crockpot, turned it on low, and left for work. I was gone about 7 hours in total. After shredding the chicken,  I stirred everything together really well, and put the remaining cheese on top. Then I did some chores: starting laundry, getting the mail, checking Facebook... the normal stuff.

It turned out really well. It's no KK Buffalo Chicken Dip, but it's still a great recipe and easily adaptable to your needs and preferences.

BUffalo Chicken Dip

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups finely shredded chicken, 
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup dressing (Mix and match Ranch/Bleu Cheese)
• 3/4 cup pepper sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Your favorite – Cheddar, Bleu, Mozzarella, Mexican blend etc.)
• 1 (8 ounce) box crackers, pita chips, Frito Scoops (your favorite)
• 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces (for a light serving option)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix softened cream cheese until smooth.
2. Stir in dressing, and hot sauce, then add chicken to combine.
3. Heat in a skillet or microwave, until well blended and warm.
4.  Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a mini slow cooker.
5. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. If you do not have a crock pot, just melt cheese in oven or microwave.
6. Serve with your choice of crackers and/or celery sticks, if going light.

For oven only variation, Mix all ingredients,except reserve half of the shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for  15 minutes, then sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for five additional minutes.

Preparation time: 5 – 10 (Goes very quickly with cooked chicken)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12

Crockpot Success! Chicken Fajitas

I love my crockpot. Actually, I have two... but our family is small right now so I only use one to cook. I'm sure I'd love the other one too, once we have room to use it, and people to feed with it.

I'm slightly obsessed with finding recipes to use in the crockpot. My husband and I like eating, and we're not too great at eating healthy, so I decided to try to reverse that. We'll still love eating, but we'll eat healthier. Part of this is that I'm going to do all I can to sit down and plan meals, get the shopping done, and it will be ready to go. No desperately hoping I have ingredients to make something as I drive home in rush hour traffic. No last minute ditch to go get Cook Out because it's cheap and delicious (and fried).

This weeks crockpot success is Chicken Fajitas from Stacymakescents online. I found the recipe via a 100 days of no processed foods pin on Pinterest. Here's the deal though, I have a bad memory and could have sworn I had cumin. No cumin. However, my husband had a spice container labeled "Fajita Seasonings" so I put a bunch of that in. (I'm a fan of eyeballing when it comes to cooking some things). The other substitution I did was I put a squirt of Tabasco instead of lime juice. (I hate citrus, unless you are eating an orange straight up. Don't use it to flavor anything.)

I am declaring it a success. I put mine on a tortilla with just a bit of sour cream and nothing else. I was surprised at how good they tasted! Go ahead and try it out. It's a keeper!