Chocolate Berry Sundae Topper

 Every once in awhile when I'm perusing Facebook (aka: procrastinating from doing something more productive), I come across a link shared by a friend that intrigues me.  Today, Kristen of Dine & Dish shared a link about Family Day.

The idea behind it is to remind families how important it is to sit down to a meal together.A couple of people commented on the link, including myself, that it just seems so strange that a "national day" had to be created to do something that should be a no-brainer.  Yes, your kids do want to have family time at the dinner (or even breakfast table)... even though they may not say it, just the act of sitting down to a meal together builds important family bonds.  Even when we have an evening filled with activities, we manage to find a way to have dinner together.  It may be a bit later than our normal dinner hour, but we do sit down and eat together.

They say that by eating dinner together teaches your children about making healthy choices when it comes to food.  A bonus is that extra time to find out about each others day.  Another chance to build some memories together. 

Now, even though dinner is so very important... some nights, you just need something sweet to top it all off.  One of my fondest memories growing up was an hour or so after dinner, My Dad and I would each enjoy a bowl of ice cream.  My Sister-in-Law still remembers the first bowl of ice cream I served to her when she was dating My Brother... you see, we loved ice cream... and would serve it up appropriately for someone who adores ice cream.  Yes, very large portions!  Of course, now I don't indulge like that anymore, but topping my ice cream with something extra special, well that is what I call a no-brainer!

I found this incredibly decadent sundae topping in a new cookbook on canning that I picked up!  I had to adjust it a bit, because if I had used all raspberries... there would have been a revolt in my house!  My Husband and Oldest adore raspberries and were eyeing them when I bought them, so I opted to do 1/2 raspberries and 1/2 strawberries when I made the topping. 

 My first time actually processing and canning something turned out so perfectly!  I've got 6 jars of this Chocolate Berry Sundae Topper all ready to share during the holidays this year!  I'm so excited, it really was very easy to make and the combination of chocolate and berries made plain vanilla ice cream the perfect way to top off our family meal.

Chocolate Berry Sundae Topper

Adapted from : Ball: The Complete Book of Home Preserving 

Ingredients

1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 package (1.75 oz.) regular powdered fruit pectin
2 cups crushed red raspberries
2 1/2 cups crushed strawberries
4 tablespoons lime juice (recipe says lemon juice, but the substitute worked beautifully)
6 3/4 cups granulated sugar 

Directions 
Prepare canner, jars, and lids. In a medium glass bowl, combine cocoa powder and pectin, stirring until blended.  Set aside.
Using a large stainless steel pan, add crushed berries and lime juice.  Whisk in the cocoa mixture until dissolved.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.  Add sugar all at once and return to a full boil, stirring constantly.  Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and skim off foam.Ladle the hot sundae mixture into prepared glass jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as needed.  Wipe the rims clean, center lid on each jar and screw the band down to finger-tip tightness.
Place jars in the canner, ensuring that they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil, cover and process for 10 minutes.  Remove the lid.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove the jars, cool 24 hours and store.  Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Perfect Lunch: Sweet Grape Tomato & White Bean Pasta

Life has been pretty busy since My Boys went back to school last week.  Between soccer practice, homework, Hebrew school and PTA meetings... let's just say I'm still getting used to being in the routine again.  Not a ton of interesting meals are being made, but I did manage to make something fantastic to take in my lunch last week.   
I picked up the Cooking Light, Fresh Food Fast cookbook awhile back and have a ton of recipes tagged.  I just didn't have time to make anything from it before now.  It helped that I happened to have all the ingredients on hand to make it one evening last week - grape tomatoes, baby spinach, navy beans - just to name a few.The dish goes together pretty quickly, and it's somewhat true to what is listed in the book... about 14 minutes of cook time.  Can't beat the healthy ingredients in this dish either, low in calories and full of protein and fiber.  Makes it a filling lunch!

 I loved that this recipe had simple, fresh ingredients AND went together so fast!  It was delicious when hot, but worked well chilled when I ate it for lunch.  I found it to be very filling and full of flavor so it was also satisfying.  

You can find this recipe HERE at MyRecipes.com .  Give it a try soon, while you can still get grape tomatoes that taste as sweet as they should!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Twice Baked Potatoes

My Oldest loves potatoes.... I mean really loves potatoes.  He's always asking me to make them more often and he likes trying them different ways. 

So, I bought some potatoes and he spied them over the weekend.  I told him about twice baked potatoes and he was all over that idea.

Twice baked potatoes can be made so many different ways.  I made ours 2 ways... with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a couple using gorgonzola cheese.  Still tweaking the recipe so, once I've got it perfected I'll share it here.

I'd love to know what your favorite combinations are for twice baked potatoes... or do you prefer your potatoes prepared another way?

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Steamy Kitchen's Balsamic Teriyaki Sauce

When I first started blogging, I came across a funny food blog written by Jaden Hair - Steamy Kitchen.  I loved her sense of humor and her food photos had my mouth watering from the first moment I laid eyes on them!  She is a huge food blogging success story in that she has a huge following and has written her own cookbook.

The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook is filled with the same mouth-watering photos you find on her blog, well, because she took each and every single one of them!  She is a very talented lady!  Her recipes are all Asian inspired and from the reviews I've seen on other blogs over the past year, making them at home may make your local take-out restaurant wonder what has happened to you!

This week, I pulled out this cookbook (which has a dozen or more post-its marking recipes to try), and decided to make the sauce she uses for her Grilled Steak with Balsamic Teriyaki.  She suggests using the sauce as either a marinade or a steak sauce.  Since balsamic is a hit-or-miss in my house, I opted to add it to my sliced London broil after rather than marinate it.

 As you can see from the photos, this is a several step process.  But, don't let that dissuade you from trying it, the flavor is intense and worth the effort!  It's not a complicated list of ingredients, but things you may find in your pantry on any given day.  Putting together garlic, Balsamic vinegar, sugar and a few other items will produce a flavorful steak sauce that you will want to find a way to eat every last drop!  I loved the way the sauce thickened up and it really had a hint of Asian flavor - but that was not overwhelming.  Even My Husband, who doesn't usually like balamic sauces enjoyed this one.  Next time, I will try using it as a marinade and see how the flavor is infused into the meat.

Rather than share the recipe here, I am going to suggest you purchase the cookbook!  Jaden has not shared the recipes on her blog so, I'd rather not step on toes and share it here.  Below is a link to the cookbook on Amazon, in case you are interested.  The cookbook really is filled with fabulous recipes that you won't be able to resist!


Note:  I purchased this cookbook and was not asked to do a review of it by anyone.  I chose to share it here because I really think it's a cookbook worth owning. I receive a small referral fee if you do choose to purchase the book via the amazon link I provided.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Learning How to Can Jam

When I was young, my mom had a garden in the backyard.  I remember her growing various vegetables and for the amount of space we had, she managed to have enough produce to process and can at the end of the season.  Being a kid when she was doing it, all I remember was how hot the kitchen was when the canning process was going.  That being the case, I had absolutely no idea how or why she was doing what she was doing.

Spring forward to the here and now, and I've grown up and want to learn about everything to do with food... so, I seek out opportunities to learn where I can.  A friend from a local MOMS Club I used to be a member of had been posting updates and sharing all the different things she was canning.  I was intrigued by the jam since My Oldest loves simple jam sandwiches on occasion.  So, she was kind enough to invite me over to learn to make jam and can it one evening. 

I purchased the fruit, and ended up with 4 pounds of strawberries because that was the best they had at Costco.  Strawberry jam is simple enough, and a really nice way to start out before diving into the more interesting flavor combinations. 

When I arrived, she had already washed the jars - she recommends Ball canning jars because the quality seems better and she hasn't had any issues with them cracking or sealing properly.  The jars were bubbling away in the canning pot - which looks like a huge stock pot with a metal rack inside.  While the jars continues to bubble away, we began making the jam.  Jam is really fairly simple when it comes to ingredients - mashed up fruit, sugar and pectin... and sometimes some lemon juice depending on the jam you are making. 

My friend had two types of pectin, liquid and powdered.  As you can see, when they are cooking they look considerably different.  While the sequence of adding the ingredients differs between the two, the both set-up nicely.

Once the jam has cooked, you remove the jars from the canning pot and place on a dish towel.  Then you use a wide mouth funnel and begin filling them.  After filling them, you run a knife through them to get rid of air bubbles, then wipe the rims to ensure they are clean - otherwise they may not seal properly.  Next, using a magnetic lid lifter remove the lids from the pot they were in and place on top of each jar.  After the lids have been tightened, they go back into the boiling water.

Once it's time to remove the jars from the boiling water, you place them on the dish towel again. 

The jars need to sit for 24 hours to give them time to seal.  They might seal sooner, but she lets them sit a bit longer - just to be sure.  After they are done, she adds these adorable labels to the top of each jar...

I'm looking forward to doing this on my own now that I've watched the process.  Just need a few more supplies and I'll be getting busy with canning!

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club: Fall Favorites (Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter)

I can hardly believe it is the 1st of September already!  Where did the summer go?  We spent the last week on vacation in Eurekea Springs, Arkansas with my family from Kansas City.  It was a wonderful way to end the summer!

It's also time again to dine with the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club!  This month's theme was chosen by Jamie of Mom's Cooking Club and with fall right around the corner (wouldn't know it by the high temps we are still seeing), she chose Fall Favorites. 

I was going to make Roasted Vegetables with Walnut Pesto, but made a last minute change because I just wasn't craving root veggies just yet.  I ended up going with the Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter.  And, I am so happy I did!  My Youngest FINALLY decided that he likes cauliflower after trying this version of it!  So, for those of you getting frustrated with your kids picky choices, it just goes to show you that it's important to keep trying and even changing recipes to get them to enjoy different veggies.  I always ask that they take a couple of bites of any veggie served... just in case "their taste buds have changed" and suddenly it tastes good.  Well, it worked last night and he had several helpings of cauliflower for the first time EVER! 

From Family, Friends and Food

For the rest of our meal, please visit the other members of the Cooking Light Supper Club to see what they brought to the table.

Jamie of Mom's Cooking Club made Beef Daube Provencal
Val of More Than Burnt Toast made Frisée, Baby Spinach, and Golden Beet
Shelby aka Grumpy's Honeybunch made Squash Blue Cheese Gratin
Sandi of the Whistlestop Cafe made Pecan Pie Ice Cream



Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.