kitchen Tips – Grit Cooking- A Southern Girls Taste

My College student son is home for the summer and we had a challenge to each other to jump on the health train and do a summer workout challenge. Part of the challenge was giving up sugars and carbs and eating more healthy protein and whole grains. I have found with his appetite I need to have easy healthy proteins to throw on a salad or heat up with wild rice was the best. I love grilling a mess of chicken breast and then having them in the fridge for recipes. Here is my easy grilled herb chicken breast.

I like to get a the jumbo package of organic chicken breast and fillet each breast into two portions. It cooks faster and seems to come out more juicy.

The big packs of chicken I will cook up half and then single wrap the other Breasts to put in the freezer for future use,

I marinade in olive oil, herb de Provence seasoning, garlic seasoning and lemon pepper. allow it to marinate at room temp for 30 minutes.

then grille to 165 degrees. approximately 10 minutes each side on a hot med high heat gas grille.

Then store in a airtight container in the fridge. we seem to go thru these in less than a couple of days. so good cold, or chopped in a salad. Makes taco night a breeze when getting home from a long day at work. Enjoy the shortcut.

Fresh Oregon Strawberries can you smell them? Delicious

Have you noticed the produce and fruit has been sweeter than ever this year? Is it the change in the environment or us all finding more appreciation of the tasty simple things? Well I probably squealed at the produce stand to smell and see such beauties. Quadruple the normal size and so red and sweet. Yes my yearly jam time for holiday gifts. Nothing taste better than Oregon Strawberry jam in the middle of a December snow. A sweet reminder of summer beauty to hug your memory and taste buds. If you ever visit my home in the winter you will always leave with a jar in hand. Making jam/ preserves is easy and so long term rewarding. Enjoy!

Most important is having all the right tools needed for success.

The right tools make Preserve making simple

I found this cool old funnel in an estate sale years ago. I think it gives my jam happy mojo.

You also want to be sure your jars are washed and dried. Have new lids with seals and lid rings. The sealed lids can be bought in small packs to assure you have a clean product.

Heated clean jars make process flawless. Ne sure to use thongs to hold they get hot. 225 degree oven.

I use sur-gel pectin to make the process simple and well sure to set up right. Follow the simple directions in package for what fruit your jarring. for strawberry as Im showing its as follows.

5 cups cleaned sliced smashed berried. (about 7 pints whole)
7 cups sugar
1 pac sur-gel pectin
Tsp lemon
Tsp butter

Stock pot
Canning pot of boiling water
Canning funnel
Canning jar tongs
Ladle
Masher
Jars- lids- rings
High temp spatula
Tongs to grab hot empty jars and lids

Prep wash jars and lids. Place jars on cookie sheet in 225 degree oven to heat. Place seal lids in small pan of water simmering til use. Fill canning pot with water to height will just cover jars. Get water heating to a slow boil.

Prep fruit. Clean and slice strawberries. Mash in bowl to desired consistency. I like big strawberry chunks in my jam.

Measure 5 cups mashed into your stock pot with pectin and butter and heat to a full boil. Butter will keep from foaming.

Add sugar. Bring back to a full rolling boil. Allow to roll boil for one solid minute at this point.

Its jarring time!

I like to work over a kitchen towel on my colder countertops. Take a hot jar from oven with tongs and ladle jame i. Thru funnel just below the rim. You can see the line on the funnel when just at bottom edge. Carefully placed lid on clean jar top and ring seal tight. Jars are hot. Be careful.