Jammin

Trish is teaching us to make homemade sourdough rolls, via her blog. It is a ten day process. I wanted to do it. I really wanted to. I thought I would have a hard time keeping up with the whole process, but I figured that now that it was in writing, and had pictures, I could do it at a later day since I did not have the ingredients. Then Trish opened up her pantry to me...I had no excuse now, so I was gonna do it.....then, I fell down the stairs while holding Pudgie and broke two toes at 6 a.m. LAST Monday morning. (I probably actually did some other things that are worse than broken toes but what's one more sore appendage on this body right?) The rolls were a no go at that time but Pudgie was all intact and he learned a new word that day! Not so good!


So, instead..... I decided to try making jam.


Ok, if I have not made it clear as crystal yet... Betty Crocker I am not! I guess it sounds like I would rather break my toes than bake. Probably......Seriously... my sister was the one who took the cooking classes when we were growing up.... I did gymnastics, took wood~shop and played softball all year round. I never had a desire to learn how to cook. NEVER... I can grill things and roast things over an open flame (marshmallows count people... work with me!) but I seriously do not have the patience to really sit down.. ok stand there, and "C O O K." (I fake my Christmas cookies...)


Now, with that being said, Shanen invited me to learn how to make strawberry jam with her this year. At least I hope she invited me and I didn't actually just invite myself to do it and then she felt obligated to really have me come over..... because I do that a lot around here.. ok, anyways...


I will first tell everyone involved that I had no idea what making jam involved. I envisioned boiling things and pressure cookers and some special type of thingy to suck the lids onto the jars. Things that everyone would know I do not have in my kitchen. I was seriously figuring I would have to run to Trish's house at the very last minute and beg to raid her house of all kinds of kitchen equipment I would not know how to use anyway. At least that way, I was gonna look cool! No matter what I needed, I was gonna learn this way of doing it because Shanen's jam is the best we have ever had.


When we moved into our house over Easter weekend in 2006, to welcome us to the neighborhood, Shanen, Josh, Ky, Kobi and Mr. 4 weeks old Kruzi gave us a jar of Shanen's homemade strawberry jam. It was awesome.... and I am usually just good~old~fashioned grape~jelly girl. Even Binky liked it and she hates strawberries. Trust me, I would not even attempt this if we did not love it...and when I like something... look out.


Last Wednesday night I rushed to get all my supplies that I needed for my jammin debut! Ok, a trip that should have taken 15... maybe 20 minutes, with drive time included, turned into me staring at the housewares section of Wal-Mart wondering what the heck I was doing. When it comes to cooking and all the gadgets that go along with the kitchen I just don't get it. I could not tell you the difference between blenders or beaters or types of pots and pans and when you get into gadgets that you plug in... if it is not a Geroge Foreman grill or a blender for protein shakes... it most likely is not going to be used in my kitchen. I may have it because it looks good, but honestly, I most likely don't know how to use it!


As I walked up and down the same three isles, the same man kept asking me if I was ok. Seven times he walked by me as I stood with a blank stare on my face wondering what most of these things actually did.


After walking past the containers I needed 10 times, I finally found just what Shanen had showed me. For being such a visual person... sometimes I just get lost in the moment of things. So I was all prepared.. except for the other thing she showed me that I still could not remember the name of. After another 10 minutes I remembered it was the pectin... and since I had been told it was right next to the containers I needed, I headed back to the housewares section again. (I have no idea how I got into the shoe section...)


So, initially, the plan was to make the jam together on Saturday or whenever we could fit it in. Well, I got antsy on Thursday morning and decided to try my hand at Strawberry jam all by my lonesome. I messed the first batch up! Go figure! I can not multi-task when it comes to cooking. Anything else I can do 50 things at once.. cooking...Not even close. I probably only had 1/2 the amount of required strawberries and way too much sugar. Pudgie drank an entire jar of the first batch. The kid loved it!


As things seem to happen around here, plans changed and I knew Shanen had conferences for church this weekend, so we didn't get a chance to make the jam together but she helped me make it via text messages! I even made sugar free jam and it was really good!


The kids love it and I have to admit, I am pretty proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone to try this Suzy Homemaker stuff out for myself!


And my little taste tester can not get enough of it!