Blueberry Freezer Jam

I love the fresh taste of this jam, and it is easy to put together. The finished product can be refrigerated for 1 month or frozen for up to a year. 

Here it is stored in Ball Freezer Jars, which are plastic. You can find them at Wal-Mart, alongside the pectin. The neat thing about these jars is that you can store one on top of the other by pressing the bottom of one onto the lid of the other, and it will not come apart until you separate them. Also, the lids screw on rather than snap on. 

Ingredients you will need: Blueberries, Sugar, Lemon Juice, and Instant Pectin. I used Nellie & Joe's Key West Lemon Juice, which I purchased from Publix, but I believe can be obtained from Wal-Mart, too.

Rinse berries in colander and drain.


 

 Mash berries with potato masher until they pop and are juicy.

Add berries to saucepan along with the sugar.

Add lemon juice to the berry mixture and heat until sugar dissolves...approximately 5 minutes. 

Place berry mixture in bowl and mash until desired chunkiness. This is how I like it, but if you prefer a smoother consistency just blend in blender. 

Add the instant pectin.

Instant pectin is for freezer jam. This is what I used. 

Thoroughly stir the pectin into the berry mixture.

Ladle the jam into the freezer jars being careful not to splash it, as it will stain.

Pictured above is a double batch. (I doubled all ingredients in recipe below except sugar, which I used a total of 2 cups).

Let cool in jars before storing in fridge or freezer. Jam will firm up after several hours. 
Besides using on bread/toast, try a spoonful or two stirred into vanilla ice cream or yogurt. Looks great in center of cheese ring and served with crackers. Enjoy! 

I made a double batch, but here is the recipe for 1 batch:

Blueberry Freezer Jam 
www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yields 16 ounce freezer jar of jam)

Ingredients:
12 ounces (1 dry pint) fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups (3/2 cups) sugar 
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice (I use Nellie & Joe's Key West Lemon Juice)
2 Tablespoons Instant Pectin (I use Ball Brand)

Directions:
Wash berries and drain in colander. Mash berries with potato masher until juicy.
To a saucepan add: mashed berries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from stove and place mixture in bowl and mash berries again until desired chunkiness.
Add instant pectin; stir mixture for 3 minutes.
Place mixture in freezer jars (leave an inch of room at top of jar for expansion) and cool completely before storing in fridge or freezer. 
Jam will congeal after several hours.
Store in fridge for up to 1 month. Store in freezer for up to 1 year.

 

French Onion Soup

For the love of onions, make this soup!

Here's what you'll need:

You might like it topped with cheese. This is my favorite.

Melt butter and olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.

Slice onions...lots of onions!

Place onion slices in pot and cook on medium heat.

Saute' the onions until softened. I cooked mine for approximately 20 minutes.

Boil one cup water, then add two beef bouillon cubes to water and let cubes dissolve.

 Add bouillon mixture to onions.

Add beef broth.

Add garlic.

Add thyme.

Add salt.

 Add pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir and simmer for 30 minutes.

Served mine topped with cheese and fresh cracked black pepper. Delicious with garlic toast.

 

French Onion Soup

www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com

 

Ingredients:

5 or 6 large sweet onions, sliced

48 ounces beef broth

2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1 cup hot water (optional)

6 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions:

Slice onions. Place butter and oil in large pot or dutch oven and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Add sliced onions and saute' until onions are soft and translucent..about 15 to 20 minutes, all the while stirring the onions frequently. Add beef broth (and dissolved beef bouillon, if using). Add garlic, thyme, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, then serve. May top with cheese, if desired.

Recipe Review - Easy No Knead Bread

Deep South Dish

           I enjoyed making this bread. It tastes incredible as toast! 

Ingredients: Milk, Water, Oil, Sugar, Bread Flour, Salt, Rapid Rise Yeast

Heat milk and water, then set aside to cool.

Sift flour into large bowl.

Add part of the sugar and all of salt 
(resembles the sand on our beach!)

In a small bowl, combine yeast and reserved sugar.

Heat water to between 110 and 115 degrees F. and add warm water to yeast and sugar.

Stir yeast mixture. Let stand for 10 minutes.

This is what is will look like after 10 minutes...puffy. If not puffy, the yeast is dead (or your water was too warm or too cold).

Add cooled milk mixture to flour mixture.

Add yeast mixture to flour and milk mixture.

Add oil to this mixture.

Stir until sticky dough forms.

Cover with plastic wrap.

Cover with clean dishtowel, then place in oven to rise.

Here is the risen dough.

Once dough has doubled in size (approximately 1 hour), gently deflate.

Grease a dutch oven. Isn't she pretty?

Place dough in greased dutch oven.

Let rise again (approximately 30 minutes) until doubled in size (the dough...not the picture!)

Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes. 

Cool on wire rack, then slice.

Here it is...begging for butter and jam!


The Recipe: Easy No Knead Bread