Strawberry freezer jam for the win....

Morning friends! I'm so excited guys. The kids and I made jam this weekend. Strawberry jam with wonderful, delicious chunks of berry.

 

Mmmmm.......I love homemade jam. Put it on top of fresh baked bread and I'm in heaven. The kids and I had it on some biscuits, straight from the oven. It was the perfect treat over the weekend.

On Friday, We went to a local produce store here called City Wide Produce. You can find them on Facebook. One of you sweet readers told me about them. I immediately looked them up and saw they had strawberries for 99 cents. I loaded the kids in the car and we ventured to get some sweet berries for homemade freezer jam.

I ended up spending $8 on strawberries. So far I've only used 3 containers and I was able to get 10 half pint jars of jam. I plan to either freeze the rest of the berries or can some more jam later this week. It depends on how I'm feeling and how Miss Tallia naps. Most of my projects are on a time limit now :)

To make the jam, I followed the directions on the liquid pectin box for freezer jam. I washed and hauled my strawberries. I then mashed them in a huge bowl. I added four cups of sugar and mixed well. I let it sit for ten minutes, while I mixed the lemon juice and pectin in a bowl together. After the ten minutes were up, I combined my pectin mixture with my berries.

The jars I used are freezer safe glass jars. They were gifted to me by a friend. She was no longer into canning, so she gave me a few boxes of jars. Once my jars were clean, it was time to fill them. This is when the kids got interested and wanted to help. They took turns filling jars.

Once they were all filled, I cleaned the rims and screwed on the lids. We let them sit out for 24 hours, then into the freezer they went. We kept one out for the fridge.

Making freezer jam was a perfect project for nap time. Right as we were screwing on the last lid, baby girl woke up.

What's your favorite type of freezer jam?

XO Danielle

Pregnancy Cravings: Yellow Cake with Strawberries and Chocolate Frosting...

Morning lovelies! I hope you are all doing well this Monday morning and that your Easter weekend was filled with love and joy. We had fun with family, celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. It was a good time. I'll be sure to share pictures soon.

A few days before Easter weekend, I had another pregnancy craving hit me hard. This was one that I had been trying to push aside, but after a few days I decided to give in. I was craving something with chocolate frosting. I was feeling pretty adventurous, so I decided to make a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. This cake was quick to whip together and the frosting is one of my favorites! I added some strawberries in for fun.

I made a two layer cake. In between my two layers of cake were a layer of chocolate frosting, sliced strawberries with a light sprinkle of sugar, and then another layer of chocolate frosting. Once I added my top layer of cake, I used the rest of my frosting for the top and sides. I still had some strawberries leftover, so I sliced a few for a fun topping. The kids requested chocolate sprinkles, so that is what is on top of the cake, in the center of the strawberries.

This cake came together rather quickly and was such a fun treat. I definitely had to take some papaya enzyme (for heartburn) for this sweet baby, but it was oh so worth it ;)

Quick Yellow Cake 
(From my Kitchenaid manual)

2 1/4 all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add shortening, vanilla, and milk. Mix well. Scrap sides of bowl. Add eggs and mix well again. Pour batter into two greased 8- or 9- inch round baking pans. Bake at 350' for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of cake. Cool completely on a wired rack.

One Bowl Buttercream Chocolate Frosting

6 tbl shortening or butter
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients in a bowl. Add extra milk to reach desired consistency. Makes about 2 cups of frosting.

Enjoy!

XO Danielle

Pregnancy Cravings: Baked Sweet Potato Fries...

Morning lovelies!! I can't believe it is already Thursday! This week has zoomed by for me. We've been trying to stay busy and healthy. Last week we spent most of the time home with colds, so we are enjoying the fact that stuffy noses have left us and we can actually leave the house. During our quarantine time, we saw the movie Spare Parts. Have you all seen it? It was such a good movie! A perfect family movie, with an amazing message of perseverance and hope. It's also based on a true story. I love when we get to see the real people behind the movie in the credits. It always makes the story more real. I love watching feel good movies with my kiddos. I am always left inspired and encouraged. We all love that right?

After our movie, I had a huge craving for sweet potato fries. I have been craving these pretty consistently the past few weeks. I thought I would share my quick recipe for baked potato fries. These make a great side dish or a yummy late night snack. I make them four to five times a week. Baby Tallia really likes sweet potatoes. Oh and I found bags of sweet potatoes at Costco for cheap, which makes this mama happy :)

Below are the simple instructions. I hope you all get to make them for your family this week. They are delicious!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled
olive oil
seasoning salt and pepper

Slice sweet potatoes into fry shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet. Make sure potatoes are all laying flat. Spray with olive oil. I like to use my Misto. Sprinkle generously with seasoning salt and pepper. Bake at 400' for 20 minutes.

XO Danielle

Canning Pineapples...

Tonight I am sitting back and enjoying my view of Mason jars filled with chopped pineapples. Oh how those yellow chunks make this mama so happy.

Canning pineapples is one of the first things I learned to can. My sisinlaw and I learned at the same time. We were very eager to fill our pantry shelves with homemade goods.

That was a few years ago. I canned so much pineapple that first night, I haven't needed it since. Now that we were finally running low, I decided to take advantage of Bountiful Basket's add ons and order a case to can. I went in with a friend, which kept our cost down. I only wanted to add about ten jars to my food storage, since my family does not go through pineapples as quickly as other fruit.

We paid $14.50 for one case of pineapples. It was 22 lbs. My friend and I each paid $7.25 for the case. We were able to get 21 jars from those pineapples, making each pint only cost 69 cents. She took home 10 and I took home 11.

We raw packed our pineapple chunks into hot, sterilized jars. I sterilized my jars in the oven like last time. We then poured hot water over the raw pineapples, added the lids and rings, and processed them in a water bath for 15 minutes.

We did three batches, which gave us plenty of time to chat. That's why I love canning with a friend. You can catch up and it makes it go ten times faster.

You can do your pineapples in a syrup, but we wanted to keep it simple. I also liked not adding extra sugar to my fruit.

We will now use our pineapples in various recipes. The next time Bountiful Baskets has pineapples I might stock up again and purchase some for the freezer. I sure do like having them in smoothies and my freezer fruit is dwindling.

I love being able to stock my pantry with yummy food my family will enjoy. Canning has become a labor of love and a huge blessing in my life.

I have plans to do jam and pancake syrup in the upcoming weeks. I'll be sure to journal it here on the blog when I do.

Have a fantastic day friends!!

XO Danielle

Soft Sugar Cookies...

Morning lovelies! This past week we had a few slow days at home. Miss Priss was under the weather, so we spent a lot of time watching movies and being cozy. During that down time, I got to try out a new sugar cookie recipe. This one makes a lot of cookies. I used a large biscuit cutter and I was able to get 28 cookies. If you use a smaller cookie cutter you'd get a whole lot more. The frosting that accompanied the recipe was super yummy too. I've included both recipes below. Enjoy!

{Soft Sugar Cookies}

1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
7 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp cream of tartar*
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp vanilla
8 tbl milk

Cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix. Dough should not be sticky. Add more flour if needed. Place dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 30 mins or overnight. Roll out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake at 400' for 6-7 minutes. Cool before frosting.

I used a biscuit cutter for larger cookies. I baked them for 10-11 minutes.

* you can substitute baking powder for the cream of tartar called for in this recipe

Fluffy Butter cream Frosting

1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter and shortening together. Add vanilla and milk. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Frosting will be thick. Add extra milk to thin out frosting if desired.

I whipped mine in my mixer for a few minutes to make the frosting extra fluffy.

XO Danielle

Freezer Chicken/Pork Taquitos...

Morning lovelies!! This past week I made cafe rio pork for dinner and we ended up having quite a bit leftover. Normally I would save it for enchiladas, but I forgot to buy some at the store this month. Because of my forgetfulness, I had to come up with a back up plan. I decided to use my leftover pork to make some taquitos to fill my freezer with. I love having these in the freezer because they are a quick meal option. Pair them with some sour cream or cilantro lime ranch for dipping and you are golden!!

I store them in gallon size freezer bags. Don't forget to label and date your bags! I like to store them in groups of 8. That is what my family will usually eat in one sitting. I love the recipe below because you really can tweak it to work with what you have on hand. I have used both chicken or pork. They both taste yummy. I have also made my taquitos with and without the cream cheese. It really just depends on if we want creamy taquitos or not. Either way is a crowd favorite around here. Get creative and make this freezer recipe work for you and what you have in your pantry :)

Freezer Chicken/Pork Taquitos

3 Cups cooked shredded chicken breast (or shredded pork works great too)
8 oz. Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons chopped Cilantro
2 Tablespoons Lime juice
1 (6 oz.) can green chiles
1/4 cup taco seasoning
1 ½ Cups shredded cheddar cheese
small corn or flour tortillas
cooking spray

Combine all ingredients, minus the cooking spray and tortillas, in a large bowl. Mix well. Spoon mixture onto tortillas and then wrap up tightly. I used about one spoonful of mix per tortilla. I usually use whatever tortillas or cheese I have to use up. 

Place rolled out tortillas onto a greased baking sheet. Spray tortillas with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake Taquitos at 425' for 10-15 minutes.

To freeze: As you roll your Taquitos, place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet without touching. Then place your cookie sheet in freezer.  When your taquitos are frozen, remove them from the cookie sheet and add them all to a freezer safe gallon sized bag. Label and add back to freezer. When you are ready to eat, place on a grease baking sheet. Spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake @ 425 for 15-20 minutes or until crispy.

*I like to label my freezer bags with the cooking instructions. This allows the kids or Hubby to whip up a batch if Mom is busy :)

Enjoy!!

XO Danielle

Freezer Meals: Hawaiian Chicken...

I have to start off by saying two things. One, this recipe makes a lot....like a ridiculous amount. I got this recipe from Don't Panic--Dinner's in the Freezer. This book is pretty darn awesome. It allows you to multiply the recipes up to nine times! Second, I LOVED this recipe, but my family not so much. I think the problem was I wanted to use up these whole wheat egg noodles I had stashed in my pantry...not a good call to serve with this recipe. This recipe is best over rice. Once I served it with rice, they were all smiles:)

Ok now that we have those two things out of the way, we can get onto the recipe. I am sharing the recipe for making a triple batch. I ended up taking this triple batch recipe and fitting it into five freezer bags. Knocking out that many freezer meals in one shot is awesome. Oh and one single recipe of this meal serves 8-10 people.

After I froze his recipe, and thawed a single batch for dinner, I placed it in the crock-pot. This was perfect for a busy Sunday. Dinner was ready for us when we got home. I only had to add the starch. Before serving I placed the chicken in my Kitchenaid mixer and shredded the chicken. Shredding the chicken allows it to go a bit further too.

alright now we are on to the recipe....

for reals this time:)

Hawaiian Chicken 
(triple batch recipe)

18 lbs chicken breasts, boneless skinless
6 - 16 oz, cans pineapple slices, drained
6 - 15 oz cans mandarin oranges, drained
3/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tbl salt
1 tbl ginger
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Freezer Prep:

Place chicken into freezer bags. Mix together fruit, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, ginger, and red pepper. Pour over chicken. Label and date your freezer bags. Lay flat in a freezer for optimal space saving :)

Serving Day Instructions:

Thaw chicken mixture. Place in a crock-pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. To serve, spoon over rice with toasted almonds.

Enjoy lovelies!!

XO Danielle 

Chewy Brownie Mix...

Morning lovelies!! How are you loving the new blog layout and all the goodies I have been adding? I hope you guys are finding it easy to navigate, as I continue to work out the kinks. My goal is to have it all fixed, updated, and ready to go by the end of the month. I am keeping both fingers crossed on that one. At the same time I am working on an Ecookbook for you guys.....think quick meals for everyday cooking. I can't wait to get it finished and ready for you guys to use. I think you are really going to like it. It is chock full of our family's favorite quick meals. Just what all us mamas need right? Yummy and quick is my food language :)

Over the weekend I worked on another yummy ready-made mix. Today we are talking brownies. We all love them right? Chewy, chocolate goodness...oh yeah baby! I can't get enough of them! I love to sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top. Yum! This mix is simple to throw together. I do this one in a very large bowl. My kitchen-aid mixer bowl is not big enough for this mix. I use a wire whisk and mix it by hand. I then store it in an air-tight container. Don't forget to label and date it as well.

I love knowing that I have brownie mix ready to go whenever the need to bake some yummy goodness arises (brownies are totally a need haha). I also like to do a double batch when I make the brownies...it keeps those hungry tummies at bay for a bit longer. A double batch of this recipe will make one 9x13 pan. If you only make one batch, then you will be using an 8x8 pan.

This brownie mix will last 10-12 weeks in your pantry. Don't be afraid to add some goodies to the brownies when you bake them (but not to the mix). You can add chocolate chips, peanut-butter chips, nuts, fruit (in place of eggs), etc. Get creative and have fun!

Brownie Mix

6 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp salt
8 cups sugar
1 (8oz can) unsweetened cocoa powder

In a large bowl, combine ingredients until evenly distributed. Store in a large air-tight container. Don't forget to label and date your container! This mix will last 10-12 weeks on your pantry shelf. Store in a cool, dry place.

Our Favorite Brownies

1/4 cup coconut oil (or butter)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
2 1/4 cups brownie mix
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350'. Grease a 8inch square pan. Combine oil or butter, eggs, vanilla, water, and brownie mix in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Stir in nuts, if using. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, until edges separate from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with my favorite butter cream frosting or my chocolate frosting. Yum!

Have you tried my other mixes yet? Let me know :)

XO Danielle

Whole-Grain Pancake & Waffle Mix...

Last week you guys gave your requests for ready-made mixes you wanted to see here on the blog. One of the most requested mixes was for a simple pancake mix that could be whipped up in minutes. I thought about this one for a while and searched throughout my cookbooks, looking for a recipe to convert to a healthier one. After much trial I was able to come up with one that my whole family loves and is chock full of yummy goodness!

This is a whole-grain mix, that can be used for making both pancakes or waffles. I use this recipe for both. I love pancakes because they are an easy fall back when your dinner plans go wonky. At least one night a week we have pancakes. The kids love them, I love them, and so does that cute hubby of mine. We always serve ours with homemade maple syrup too!

I whipped up this mix in my Kitchen-aid mixer, with the whisk attachment. You could also use a large bowl and a wire whisk. Be sure to store your mix in an air-tight container. This mix will last up to 6 months in your pantry.

Make this at the beginning of the month and have a quick meal ready to go.  You can also add chocolate chips, fruit, or nuts to your pancake mix (before you cook them) to give your pancakes an added kick.

Each recipe for pancakes or waffles makes a ton! I like to freeze the leftovers for quick meals in the morning. Place cooled pancakes/waffles in freezer bags and label and date them. Heat them up quickly in the toaster or microwave.

Whole-Grain Pancake Mix

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/4 cups white flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbl flax seed
1 tbl baking soda
1 tbl salt

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir with a wire whisk until evenly combined. Pour into a 10-cup container with a tight-fitted lid. Seal container. Label and date as well. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Makes about 7 1/2 cups of mix.

Whole-Grain Pancakes/Waffles

3 cups whole-grain pancake mix
3 cups buttermilk*
3 egg
1/4 cup melted butter or oil

Put whole-grain pancake mix into a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl combine buttermilk, egg, and melted butter or oil. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Blend well. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Cook on a hot griddle for 3-4 minutes, until browned on both sides.

*use buttermilk powder or 1 tbl vinegar to 1 cup of milk to make buttermilk.

Enjoy!!

XO Danielle

Curried Lentil Soup

Hello Blissfully and Domestic readers.  I'm Libby and I'm happy to have this opportunity to guest post for Danielle.

Today, I'd like to share with you a quick and easy and super flavorful lentil soup recipe that's perfect for fall, but before I do that, let me properly introduce myself.  :-)

I'm Elisabeth, but pretty much everyone calls me by my nickname - Libby.  I blog at Artistic Expressions by Elisabeth.  Basically, I love so many different creative outlets that I can't choose just one.  My expressions may come in the form of crochet, photography, cooking, crafting, sewing, knitting, and DIY home projects.  Let's also throw in there that I change my hairstyles quite frequently - another expression!

Now, let's get started.  Shall we?

---

When I'm in a rush, the crock pot becomes my best friend.  I love the versatility of the meals that can be prepared in there and I love the smell that lingers throughout my home when something yummy is simmering away.

I found a recipe for Curried Lentil Soup that I'd love to share with you today.  This is a vegetarian dish.

Curried Lentil Soup 
from Better Homes and Gardens' 365 Vegetarian Meals
Ingredients:
1 pound of sweet potatoes (2-3), peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 14-oz cans of vegetable broth*
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained (no-salt added)
1 tablespoon curry powder (I used Madras curry powder)
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
salt**

Directions:
In a 4-5 qt slow cooker, combine all ingredients.  Stir well.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.  Voila!

* All the vegetable broths I've ever seen are loaded (I mean loaded) with sodium.  Yuck!  I like to use  Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low-Sodium vegetable broth (when it's on sale), but for this recipe I used unsalted vegetable stock.

** Because I used unsalted stock and no-salt added tomatoes, I had to add a little salt to the dish before the cooking time was up.  Honestly, I'd rather add my own.

This dish is flavorful with a little kick to it.  This has easily become a fall favorite.  I hope you enjoy!

Thank you again, Danielle, for allowing me to guest post on your blog.

Feel free to stop by or join My Blog, Facebook Page, Etsy, Pinterest, or my Website.

Buen Provecho,

 

Oh goodness I know what I am making next time I get Sweet Potatoes! This is perfect for Fall, when all you want to do is cozy up and eat something comforting. Thank you Libby for sharing this delicious recipe. I can't wait to make it!

XO Danielle

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