How to Make Super Easy Strawberry Jam

To contact us Click HERE

How to Make Your Own Strawberry Jam - Really Easy Method
It's strawberry time which is one of my favorite times of the year. Although jam is not a traditional barbecue dish, it is good topped on pork loin or pork chops. Also my son and buddies were wanting this recipe, so I wanted to share one of our family favorites today.

After we’ve had our fill of raw berries, berries over ice cream, and pies, we usually have a few berries left over. I suppose we could freeze berries, but they don’t freeze as well as some fruits. A better option for our family has been to make jam.

I really hate all-day kitchen jobs and big hot canners, so I go with a quick and easy microwave jam recipe. In less than a half hour, I whip up a few small jars of jam that taste like heaven. If you’ve only used store jams, then you’ll be surprised at how much better homemade tastes. Just thinking about that strawberry jam in our refrigerator makes me want to toast a couple of slices of bread.

If you have some extra berries going begging, then try out this tasty strawberry jam recipe.

Super Easy Strawberry Jam

• 2 cups of strawberries capped and cut up
• 1 ½ cups of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of pectin

How to Make Easy Strawberry Jam

Pour the sugar over the berries and let sit for 10 minutes. Mash well. Stir in pectin. Microwave high for 4 minutes. Then, microwave medium for 6 minutes. Pour in hot glasses or cups. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Keeps for 2-3 months in fridge.

Tips for the Kitchen Challenged (So You Will Be Sure to Rock Your Homemade Jam)

If you’ve never bought pectin, it’s what makes the jam set up or jell. It comes in boxes like pudding or jello. Around here, it’s with canning supplies on the isle with baggies and tin foil. The brand name that is most common is Sure-Jell.

Use a big glass or microwave safe bowl to mix this up. If you’re familiar with the Tupperware three bowl set or the standard glass bowls with three bowls, you’ll need to biggest size. The bowl looks too big, but this stuff bubbles up really high when microwaved.

The sugared berries want to slide around, so it’s hard to mash with a fork or whatever you usually use to mash. A biscuit cutter works really well. Again, the big bowl helps. The mix is shallow so that you can use the biscuit cutter.

To heat the glasses, take a metal cake pan (8 x 8 or 9 x 9) and put that on top of a stove eye with about a quarter inch of water. Lay your glasses in that with the water heated to where it has lots of little bubbles on top but not boiling up. Roll the glasses around so all sides are heated and sterilized. With the small amount of water, you can use a oven mitt to roll and then to pull the glasses out.

The glasses I use are the little ones that hold the dried beef. They are like little juice glasses. The recipe makes 5 of these filled to about a ½ inch from the top.

To pour into these small holes, you may want to pour the hot jam into a pitcher. It’s a little hard to hit the holes without making a mess with a spoon.

Let the jam cool in the jars for 20 minutes or so before putting plastic wrap over the top of the jars. It sticks close and keeps the jam fresh.

This is a fast and really easy recipe. The jam is delicious. It’s also very pretty. You could use fancier jars or cups and come up with a nicer lid solution and give these away as gifts.

Cyndi's Southern Serenity Prayer

To contact us Click HERE

God grant me the serenity to stop cussing about the things I can't change, the courage to raise cain on the stuff where I can make a difference, and enough common sense to not get arrested sorting that junk out. Amen ~ Cyndi Allison

I made this up and posted it on Facebook. Thought some of my barbecue friends might need this one when you burn your steaks up or your shoulders come out dry.

Daddy Joe's Beach House BBQ & Grill in Gaffney, SC - Review

To contact us Click HERE
Daddy Joe's Beach House BBQ and Grill
My son and I were headed to the Brenau University BBQ festival when we saw the road signs for Daddy Joe's Beach House BBQ & Grill in Gaffney, South Carolina. What should you eat on the way to a barbecue bash? Well . . . barbecue of course.

Daddy Joe's is right off I85 (about a mile off the exit). You'll see the billboards, and it's close the big peach shaped and painted water tower which is darn hard to miss.

The name is kind of confusing, because trust me, you are not near the beach in Gaffney, although you kind of get that feel at Daddy Joe's sans the ocean.


Ceiling at Daddy Joe's BBQ Restaurant
Daddy Joe's has that cool factor but not over the top so that it feels fake. We ate inside below this fan you see in the photo above (plus AC - so I was almost chilly). They had outdoor seating too. But, it was in the 90s, so we decided not to melt on the porch, although it did look like a fun place to have a meal.

They had a pretty meaty menu. In fact, I could not find the sides. The waitress showed me the single line with sides. I would not be sending my vegetarian friends to Daddy Joe's, but I don't have many veggie buddies. I live in a real small Southern town, and I suspect the vegetarians just give up and move to cities.


Guys Having a Meat Mosh at Daddy Joe's Gaffney, SC
We went for the pork, since that's the big deal meat here in the piedmont of North Carolina (and since I write about BBQ). That puts some pressure on a BBQ joint outside the area, since we have top notch chopped pork all around us here. I don't mention that I blog though, so that's neither here nor there. I'm just the odd woman that pulls out her camera and shoots her food before diving in.


Chopped Pork Platter at Daddy Joe's BBQ & Grill
First, I'll speak to the pork. Oink. It was excellent. Nice smoke flavor. It was lightly sauced with a western North Carolina style barbecue sauce (vinegar with a little red and body). South Carolina is kind of all over the place on sauces. You might get vinegar or mustard or thick Kansas style. Good thing to ask if you have a preference. The kitchen sauce and table sauce were both NC vinegar with some tomato, so I felt right at home.

The hush puppies were the sweet kind I like. Some people will tell you that real Southern cornbread products don't have any sugar. Well, shut my mouth. That just ain't true. My Grandma put sugar in hers, and she's now gone, but no one can tell me she wasn't a darn fine Southern cook. My family does about 1 tablespoon of sugar to a 12 inch pone of cornbread in cast iron. Not very sweet - but a tickle of it. These hushpuppies were a little north of that but not like those box mixes where you get corn cake or some sort that tastes nothing of corn or anything else known to man or woman. So, to cut to the chase, those were some rocking hush puppies.

They put my slaw on the side by request as I'm just not a slaw fan. I know my Southern card may get revoked for telling that. Raw cabbage in gunk just doesn't do it for me. I did taste the slaw which was red which made me think it was a vinegar BBQ sauce based slaw which I can tolerate better than mayo based ones. Wrong on that. This slaw was rather dry. I think I could jam it in a red Solo cup and make sandcastles. Also, it was very sweet. All I can think of to describe the slaw is finely chopped cabbage with a Kraft sauce like honey style stirred in lightly. Sweet sand comes to mind. Remember though that I'm not a slaw fan. I'm sure lots of people love the slaw at Daddy Joe's. Me? Just pass the vinegar sauce, and I'm good.

I was surprised to find really good chopped pork barbecue outside of North Carolina, but Daddy Joe's was excellent. The ribs and kielbalsa looked good too. Yes. I peaked at the table next to us. I'd certainly stop here again. Great food and service and an easy stop on a road trip off I85.

Schwan's Grill Pack - Excellent Quality and Yummy

To contact us Click HERE

Two Grill Wok Night with Schwan's BBQ Foods
Brandi contacted me on behalf of Schwan's Foods to see if I'd do a honest taste test and review. What she didn't know was that I graduated with a guy who drove a Schwan's truck and remebered that the company had some great foods. Of course, that was a LONG time back, so you just never know how a company fares over the years. In any case, I was game to try out Schwan's again to see.

First, I was surprised at how many foods Schwan's has geared toward grillers now. They even include the directions for grilling. Before, you could, of course, put their foods on the grill, but you'd have to figure out frozen/unfrozen on the grill and times and things like that.

Schwan's sent a big box which came by UPS, so I don't think we have a truck out on our route now. I know I've not seen one here in years - since my high school friend opened up a landscaping business.

I called the boys in to see what they'd like to try out. The beefs tips caught their eyes, and the youngest loves asparagus (though usually the mushy canned type - go figure).


Schwan's Beef Tips for Kabobs
The Schwan's beef sirloin steak tips came boxed for kabobs including the kabob sticks and directions. I could have made some beautiful kabobs, but I must confess to finding it tedious to string kabobs and turn them all the time to ensure even grilling. My solution to that is what I call deconstructed kabobs. You can call me a genius or lazy - either works.

What I did was season the kabobs with some Steak Splash out of Canada (can use Italian dressing or any favorite marinade) and with lemon pepper as you can see below.


Schwan's Beef Tips - Seasoned Up
The meat looked beautiful. It was bright red and had some marbling but not any fat blobs. No trim up needed. These are just right out of the Schwan's box.

I sprayed a little non-stick spray in my wok grilling basket and poured in the beef tips. They made a nice sizzle and colored up well. After around 8 minutes, I added the onions and green peppers. Beef really needs more grill time than those vegetables, so I start the meat and then add when the meat is about 1/4 to 1/2 done (depending on the heat on my grill).


Beef Tips Sizzling Away on the Grill with Green Peppers and Onions
Then, it was time for the Schwan's asparagus spears, but again they are easier to handle in a grill wok. I got a second wok for Christmas, so I woked the asparagus right beside the meat and covered the entire PK grill.

The aspargus went in frozen (and my Facebook friends thought I had fresh asparagus - should I tell them it's frozen?). I brushed it with some Garlic Gold (olive oil - my favorite) and just grilled until it had some grilled color. This took around 10 minutes - a little less than on the box directions (but my fire was pretty hot by this time).



It All Comes Down to the Taste - How Did Schwan's Do?
I was very impressed with the Schwan's grilling foods (and we still have some to test out and share).

First, the food was packed well and looked good. Brownie points for that. But, I've had some products sent that did look great but did not taste that great.

The meat (and our fresh veggies) which I ate with a knife and fork and the boys made into wraps with burrito wraps was moist and very flavorful. Some tips are kind of tough and fatty. Not these. In fact, I'd say the Schwan's are as good of beef tips as I've grilled out. Tasted like good restaurant quality. No leftovers though. Bummer on that. The boys put a hurting on the beef. Thumbs up - for sure on the kabob pack (even if I did not kabob them).

As far as the asparagus, I lived on a farm with a fresh bed. So, I spent a couple of summers eating tons of asparagus but not anytime recently. It's kind of hard to find around here. I'd never thought to get frozen asparagus and wasn't sure what I'd think of that.

If I'd not grilled the asparagus myself, someone could have pulled these off on me as fresh. The color was perfect, and the flavor was spot on. As I said, my grilling friends on FB thought I'd picked up fresh asparagus. It's grilled the same, so either one is fine (as I found with this pack). I'd not hesitate to buy Schwan's asparagus again. It really was excellent.

If you live in a Schwan's area, ask your Schwan's guy or girl about the grilling products. They really are high quality, and the directions for success are right on the box if you need them, or you can think outside the box as I did here.

Great dinner and Schwan's goes on my recommend list.

A. Thomas Steaks Now Sold Through Sperry's of Nashville

To contact us Click HERE

A. Thomas Steaks - Now Available for Home Grillers
Natalie emailed to let me know that Sperry's of Nashville now offers their signature steaks from A. Thomas for delivery. We were down through Nashville this summer, and I wish I'd known about Sperry's then. It looks like a wonderful place to eat, and I have them on my list when I get back down that way. In the meantime, Natalie said that she could send out one of the new home packs if I'd like to try them and and let readers know honestly what I think.

Some people think all meat is created equal. This is not true and especially for cuts like steak. Of course, you've got a difference with round versus rib eye. But, there are quality differences in the same cut as well.

Sperry's used A. Thomas black Angus meats and partnered with the meat company and Mattingly Foods to offer these steaks for delivery purchase.

The gift pack I received was the A. Thomas Favorite which includes 6 center cut fillets and 4 center cut strips. The fillets run 4 ounces and the strips 6 ounces. No bones. Hardly any fat. Well marbled.

I had those steaks on my mind when they came in and I saw how pretty they were. The guys were out and about, so I had to wait a couple of days to fire up the barbecue grill - the PK grill in this case.


A. Thomas Steaks from Sperry's on the Portable Kitchen Grill
When everyone made it back home, I fired up the grill and put the strips on. They looked beautiful and smelled great.

 
It did not take long to grill the steaks off to a medium rare to medium. That's good, because the guys were starving as usual.


It was also getting dark, and I don't have good outside lights. So the sun was setting just as I pulled the strip steaks off the grill.

We sat down to enjoy our strip steaks, and WOW . . . this meat just melted. I can't say that I've ever had a better steak. It was obvious that this was premium meat. It just had that umph of flavor as well as being super tender.

Sperry's A. Thomas gift pack steaks are expensive, but they are a cut above. If you want a really special meal at home or want to treat your favorite home griller, this is certainly meat to remember.



 

Diet Meals Delivered

To contact us Click HERE

Wouldn't having your diet food delivered right to your home help you stick to your diet? Get ready to put away the large, oversized clothes and dig out your skinny jeans, because there is now a tried and true way to assist you in losing weight. We understand how hard it is to stick to a diet and lose weight.

For a person attempting to diet without using the services of a diet delivery program, the road that lies ahead is often very bleak, and almost always filled with a multitude of unknowns. Will you lose weight? Are you going to be able to stick to your diet long enough to lose any weight at all? These are questions that most new dieters encounter on a near-daily basis. Add in the planning, shopping, cooking and chopping that it takes to prepare healthy diet meals, and the prospect of dieting in the traditional manner suddenly becomes less and less likely to succeed.

\"Diet Meals\"

But it doesn't have to be like this. You CAN eat great tasting food AND lose weight, without ever turning on your stove. Diet meals delivered to your home are the ultimate in convenience, and give your diet a fighting chance for success.

Diet Meals Delivered

Imagine for a moment that you hear a knock at your front door. You open the door to find a delivery man standing there with a shipment of prepared diet meals. When you open the box and peer inside you find a variety of gourmet meals. You sift though and discover fluffy omelets, delicious beef stir fry, tender teriyaki chicken, and flavorful cuts of salmon and cod.

You aren't dreaming. You've just opened your weekly shipment of diet meals delivered right to your front door. The best part - in a mere matter of minutes you can have a gourmet meal prepared and ready to enjoy.

Choosing from the plethora of diet delivery programs on the market can be difficult. Counting calories, measuring ingredients, and all of the cutting and cooking make dieting hard work. But not anymore! With home delivered diet meals, dieting becomes easy by having chef-prepared, healthy meals delivered right to your door!

Having meals delivered to your home or office isn't a figment of your imagination. Services offering home delivered diet meals have made this one time dream a reality. You too can enjoy three gourmet meals, each day, just like the ones mentioned above. Successful dieting should be easy, something that everyone can attain. Now you can.

When you're on a home delivery diet plan, all you have to lose is extra weight!

Diet Meals Delivered

Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D. is a board certified Family Physician and a board certified Bariatric Physician (the medical specialty of weight management). Dr. Cederquist is the founder of Bistro MD, a home diet delivery program that specializes in low calorie gourmet food delivered to your home or office. Bistro MD serves as culmination of Dr. Cederquist's expertise in the world of medical weight loss.

Diet Lunch Meals For Weight Loss

To contact us Click HERE

Here are a couple diet lunch meals for weight loss that will help you out if you're having trouble thinking up healthy things to eat. Look, if you're reading this now, then you want to do something about your weight. That's a great 1st step. Take the next 2 minutes to read this article and I think I'll help you to expand your ability to lose weight. Go ahead, read this now.

Diet Lunch Meals

\"Diet Meals\"

1. Black bean and chicken soup... from scratch

Diet Lunch Meals For Weight Loss

Come on, I know you know how to make soups. They're not hard. This is all I want you to do. Cut up 4 ounces of chicken, add 1/2 can of black beans, add some vegetables, some broth, water, voila... a good healthy lunch. Don't worry if you can't eat it all. Save the leftovers and eat them BEFORE your dinner.

2. Protein shake

This is by far the quickest thing you can eat for lunch that is healthy. This is perfect for "light" eaters. Use some water and maybe a little milk if you like. Add 1.5 scoops of protein powder, mash up a banana in there, blend it up. If that's not enough for you, eat an apple while drinking the protein shake.

3. Tuna and black bean salad

Get a can of tuna, 1/2 can of black beans, mix them up with perhaps a little Miracle Whip, throw in some mustard or a tinge of bbq sauce... boom. A quick protein-rich lunch.

I'm just trying to give you some diet lunch meals for weight loss... use these as is or use them as a guide to making your own meals.

Diet Lunch Meals For Weight Loss

If you're SICK and TIRED of getting the same old boring weight loss advice... you know, like "Eat more fruits and vegetables, drink 8 glasses of water, jog, and Blah Blah Blah", then...

Click http://www.weightlossguide4women.com to get your FREE EBOOK "How SPINNING Around Like a Child TRIPLES your Weight Loss". A strange, but true, way to LOSE 10 Pounds in 2 Weeks. I'm giving away this ebook today and tomorrow ONLY to anyone who visits my website! So get it before tomorrow night.

If you're truly serious about losing weight, then go to the link below to get your free ebook now. If you don't Lose 10 Pounds... I'd be QUITE surprised! http://www.weightlossguide4women.com

Jennifer Jolan