Strawberry Preserves, Part II

You may remember my "back in the day" post from last year making strawberry preserves. This recipe is very similar, except this time, it was done in the Smoky Mountains... at Nany's Cabin!... and the combination of those two factors alone make these the best strawberry preserves you'll ever put in your mouth!

Let me apologize for the lighting in some of this pictures. Most were shot at night! We made two different batches with two different methods:

The first method was with this bad boy! This is a grinder... an old timey grinder to be exact. Nany said this was her mother's who had given it to her, and her grandfather had given it to her mother before that, so we're estimating this grinder has been in the family since the early 1900's. Information like that amazes me... especially in a world where nothing lasts, and we're always looking for the next best thing. And let me tell you, this thing still gets the job done!

This grinder was solid iron... no repair needed... even after almost a century.

I wish you could smell this bowl right now.

The other method was the smashing method. Dice your strawberries, and in a pot, coat them with sugar, and as they begin to soften and liquify, begin to smash them until you reach the desired consistency thats right for you. Either way you go, bring to a boil, and as white foam comes to the top, scrape the surface with a spoon to remove the foam.

Also, the amount of sugar you use also depends on how sweet your strawberries are. If they're very sweet, use a little less sugar.

These are delicious. I've been fighting back the urge to eat them on everything. I hope you like it!

Strawberry Preserves

10 cups strawberries, diced or ground
10 cups of sugar

Hull, and dice (or grind) your strawberries
In a pot, mix in equal amounts of sugar and bring to a boil.

If you diced your strawberries, smash them as they soften by the heat.

Continue to boil until you reach the desired thickness you want, skimming the white foam off of the surface as you go.

Spoon into sterilized jars, seal, and let rest overnight.

Strawberry Banana Bread Budding

It's getting that time. Time for soups, stews, breads, cakes, and pies. FALL. My favorite time of the year! Cool air, corn mazes, and FOOTBALL. Warm comfort food that not only fills your stomach, but fills your soul.

This bread pudding is incredibly rich, yet... INCREDIBLY HEALTHY. It's true. And please take my word for it. It's a new favorite dessert around our house. It resembles a version of banana nut bread, but without the nuts. And it's so easy to make.

Dice your bananas, hull your strawberries and slice then in halves.

Then, throw them into a bowl with skim milk, sugar, and some ground cinnamon. With a potato smasher, smash the mixture slightly, just to let some of the flavor explode into the milk. Then, let it come to room temperature.

While that's going on, let's start on the rolls. Go to your supermarket, and buy whole wheat dinner rolls, or if you want this dish to really be amazing, follow this recipe for warm whole wheat dinner rolls:

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
*From Whole Foods Kitchen

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm (105 to 115°F) milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour


To get started, make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature. Put whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a large bowl and stir well. Add milk, butter and egg and beat with a spoon until smooth. Add all-purpose flour and mix until fully incorporated and batter is smooth. Cover bowl and set aside in a warm spot to let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, lightly grease a 12-muffin tin with olive oil and set aside.

Stir the batter gently to deflate it. Spoon even amounts of the dough into each cup of the prepared muffin tin and set aside in a warm spot until the dough has risen just over the top of the muffin tins, about 1 hour more.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake rolls until golden brown and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes

Either way, the dish comes out good, but I've found the homemade rolls absorb the fruit mixture so much better. I usually will makes these with dinner one night, and then use left overs to make the bread pudding.

So... Cut your rolls into cubes, and then cover the bottom of an oven safe dish with the bread. After that, pour your mixture on top, and let it cook!

I hope you like it!

Strawberry Banana Bread Pudding

nonstick cooking spray
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into halves
2 bananas, sliced
1 3/4 cup skim milk (almond milk works great too)
1/2 sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*, and lightly spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the bananas strawberry, milk, sugar, and cinnamon, and slightly mash. Then, stir to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.

Cube your rolls, and place in your casserole dish. Then, pour your mixture on top, and then bake for one hour.

Potato Pancakes

Guys... I have to tell you about this book! It doesn't matter who you are, if you love food, you'll love it! Jenna Weber, author of the blog Eat Live Run, and has just released this book as her first novel. It follows her throughout culinary school, the ups and downs, the pitfalls... the possibilities.... wait... I'm quoting Back to the Future.

Anyway,

get this book. Take it from me, you'll love it! It's heartfelt, sincere, and will stir something inside of you that can't be explained. Get it here!

One of my favorite recipes so far in the book is "Potato Pancake for the Blues." It's an incredibly easy recipe, and is so satisfying after a long, hard day... wherever you are. I may or may not have fixed these twice yesterday.

Start by grating a russet potato. Then, in a bowl, add an egg, salt, and pepper, and then fry it in a cast iron skillet until golden.

Amazing. The recipe calls for one jumbo pancake, but I split mine in half, and made my wife and I two smaller pancakes.

I hope you like it!

Potato Pancakes for the Blues
from White Jacket Required by Jenna Weber

1 large russet potato
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil for light frying.
Applesauce or sour cream for topping (I used ketchup)

Peel the potato and grate using a box grater. Season with sea salt and pepper and add the beaten egg, mixing everything until well combined.

Heat the canola oil in a large cast-iron skilled over medium-high heat. When oil is sizzling, gently drop in the potato batter and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.

Remove and serve immediately with applesauce or sour cream, alongside pork and eggs!

This Summer...

Guys... this summer was a whirlwind! From Tennessee, to Georgia, to South Carolina, through Alabama, and into Mississippi... it's been one crazy fun summer!

At the end of June, we went to Tybee Island, Georgia for a mini-vacation. It was a lot of fun! The highlight of our trip was climbing this lighthouse. The view from the top was amazing... too bad for some reason, that picture got deleted. Oops. I have no idea how that happened. Just take my word for it!

Then, we spent one day in Savannah, Georgia. We'd never been before, but we definitely want to go back! Especially when it's not so hot!

Look at these temperatures! It's definitely one of those towns you want to visit when you can walk around, and not almost pass out from the heat. We see a fall trip in our future.

We (obviously) visited The Lady and Sons while we were there. For those who might not know, this is Paula Deen's restaurant. Let me tell you. IT. WAS. GOOD.

We opted for the buffet.. Just the usual fried Chicken, Mac 'n cheese, mashed potatoes, and lima beans... you know, the major food groups. That's why I love vacation. Guilt free indulgence.

For dessert, we had Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake. Bring your insulin shot. You'll need it.

After that, we drove up the coast to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Beaufort, South Carolina. Beaufort reminded us of a smaller, less busy Savannah. We definitely want to come back there also!

When we got back to reality, I began an internship with EMI Christian Music Group. EMI CMG is an amazing company to work for, and I would love to work there again. It's awesome to be part of such a caring community of individuals. I've seen so much jealousy, and competitiveness in the workplace. It was truly a breathe of fresh air to see individuals come together as a team.

Then, literally the last day of my internship, we started moving to a new place, for the second time this summer...

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate moving?? My wife and I figured it up... We've moved an average of 3 times per year, since we've been married. That's incredible.

After we barely got moved, we headed to Mississippi to visit family for a few weeks. During that time, we took a family trip to Destin, Florida. We had a GREAT time. The beach is always a relaxing place for us.

Have I ever told you about my wife's heart of gold? I'm serious. My wife is so generous and caring, and the perfect example of this is when we rescued this little dude off the side of the road, and found him a home.

yep... I'm blessed.

I leave you with this... A friendly reminder that I probably should print out and tape to my forehead. Everything we do is part of what God has in store for us... even when we can't see it.