Easy Strawberry Jam from Ina Garten

The Barefoot Contessa does not steer us wrong, as evidenced by the 5-star rating reviewers gave her recipe for Easy Strawberry Jam.  It is strawberry season now in upstate New York, and Hand Melon Farm in Greenwich, New York (about a 15 minute ride east of Saratoga Springs) has an abundance of pick-your-own rows.  I love strawberry jam, but I don't want to deal with pectin or canning, though this recipe can be canned if you think it will last that long (link for canning instructions provided below).

Anyway, everything Ina Garten touches turns to culinary gold, and her recipe from the Food Network Web site is no different.  With just three ingredients (sugar, strawberries, lemon) it really can't be any simpler. 

INA GARTEN'S EASY STRAWBERRY JAM

Ingredients

    * 2 cups sugar
    * 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
    * 1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions

Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until the strawberries release some of their juices and the mixture boils slowly. Cook until a small amount of the juice gels on a very cold plate. (I keep one in the freezer.) Pour carefully into 2 pint canning jars and either seal or keep refrigerated. Use immediately, or follow proper canning guidelines linked here.

Photo image: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-strawberry-jam-recipe/index.htm

Home-made Fudgesicles

As a kid, nothing was quite so good on a hot summer day as an icy-cold Fudgesicle.  Well, maybe one of Ralph's lemon ices, but next to that, the Fudgesicle was about the best treat.  My daughter Katie makes her own version of Popsicles for Henry.  She uses real fruit juice straight up, nothing added.  I was thinking it'd be nice to have a home-made Fudgesicle without the additives.  This recipe, from Recipezaar.com,  is by no means health food, but it is free of chemicals and other mysterious ingredients, and it would make a great treat once in a while.  If you have molds for Popsicles, give this a try.

HOME-MADE FUDGESICLES

Ingredients:


2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

In a sauce pan combine, cocoa, cornstarch, sugar. Blend well. Now add milk, cream . Cook over medium heat till thick. Remove from heat, add the chocolate chips butter and vanilla. Mix till all chocolate chips are melted and blended well. 

Pour into molds and freeze.

Photo credit: http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/object3/948/97/n93225551837_3993.jpg
Recipe from Recipezaar.com

Shrimp and Pineapple Kabobs

Except for my last night in Long Beach, we ate "in" but actually ate out -- under the stars on the terrace.  The first day I was there Meghan and I went to Vons, a local grocery store.  They had a nice selection of fish which was great because Meghan doesn't eat meat and we all love seafood.  So I bought twelve of the largest shrimp they had, raw but cleaned with shells on, and then picked up a yellow pepper, some grape tomatoes, half a fresh pineapple, and baby red onions.  Combined with fresh broccoli, a home-made sweet and sour sauce, and some confetti rice, these grilled shrimp kabobs made a beautiful meal.  We sat outdoors at a patio table, with candle light, and were all very happy with the delicious dinner before us.

SHRIMP and PINAPPLE KABOBS (makes 6)
Serves 3 (2 kabobs per person)

12 large shrimp, raw, cleaned, shells removed, tails on
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 yellow pepper, cut in chunks
Half a fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into large chunks
grape tomatoes
peeled baby red onions or wedges of red onion
Sweet and sour sauce for garnish (recipe below)

Soak wooden skewers in water for half an hour before grilling.

Toss shrimp in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Let it hang out for a few minutes until you are ready to assemble the skewers.

Assemble skewers:  In whatever order you like, alternate red onion, yellow pepper, tomato, pineapple, shrimp (like a "C" on the skewer), and repeat so you have two sets of each item on each skewer.

Confetti rice:  Cook as much rice as you intend to serve -- for this recipe, enough for 4 people.  Set aside.  Grate 1 carrot and saute with 2 tablespoons chopped onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil until softened.  Add a couple tablespoons each of chopped yellow pepper, chopped pineapple.  Add salt and pepper.  Stir into cooked rice and let it heat up together for a few minutes.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup orange or pineapple juice

Stir together.  Bring to a bubbling boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Place in bowl and serve alongside rice and skewers.

Grill kabobs:  Grill 3 minutes per side until shrimp is opaque and turns pink.  Turn off heat and close cover and cook one minute longer with residual heat.

That's it!

Photo credit: http://www.lawrys.com/~/media/Images/Sites/Lawrys/RecipeDetail/Main-Dish/Chipotle-Shrimp-Pineapple-Kabobs.ashx?w=240

Images of a Lovely Trip

Last night I returned from a too-quick trip to visit my daughter Meghan and her boyfriend Mark (and their dogs Apple and Calvin, and cat Chief) in Long Beach, California, as I've written about in the past few blogs.  I hadn't seen them since the very end of December when they packed all they owned in a mini-van (including their pets) and left for the west coast.  They arrived in Long Beach after just four days, in time for New Year's Eve.  It's been over five months since so I was very happy to see them. 

Rather than write more about the trip, in this posting I'm sharing our visit in pictures.  It was a wonderful time, and I miss my kid, so much, already.  She and Mark were such great hosts, showing me their new city and the beautiful beaches nearby.   I can't wait to go back again.  Rather than go on and on about how much I loved the whole thing, here are photos to tell the story:

Long Beach at Night

 Meghan's North Star

The Courtyard

Calvin and Apple, Fetching at Huntington Beach

 Mark and the Queen Mary

 Lunch at the Board Walk

Cute Little Tug Boat

The Aquarium of the Pacific

 Mark and Meghan

 "This was no boating accident!"

 M&M

 Star Fish!

 Sea Lions

 At Parker's Lighthouse

The Queen Mary from our Table at Parker's Light House

 Parker's Key Lime Pie (or is it a tower?)...Delicious!

(This IS a food blog, after all!)

 View from the Plane, Headed Home

Photos by Jeannie, Mark, and Meghan
Post card image: http://www.learncalifornia.org/GoDocUserFiles/2048.97-10-01.jpg

Long Beach Royalty

Yesterday afternoon, while Meghan was at work, Mark and I visited the Queen Mary, now a luxury hotel permanently docked in Long Beach.  It's a beautiful ship with art-deco decor and elegant woodwork throughout.  One of the attractions on the ship is a Ghosts and Legends show (very Disney-esque in a Haunted Mansion kind of way) that revisits past tragedies that occurred on the ship. Special effects mimicked psychic phenomena and scared some of the spectators, though Mark and I were more amused than frightened by the dramatics.  The view of Long Beach from the deck of the Queen Mary is spectacular and Mark and I were both snapping photos from many vantage points.

Later Mark and I stopped by to see Meghan at the restaurant, and then we walked down the boardwalk and stopped for a slice of pizza.  We sat outside under an umbrella. and talked for a long time.  I so enjoyed the conversation, taking in the view of the marina and the city from our table.

We decided to eat in again last night, saving dinner out for tonight, my last night here (frown).   We grilled chicken and salmon fillets to top our big salads of romaine, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and sliced red onion.  Along side our salad we had home-made croutons of grilled slices of sourdough bread that had been brushed with olive oil on both sides and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. 

It's been such a great visit so far.  This afternoon we're taking the dogs to the beach.  For dinner tonight, we'll sit outside on the deck of Parker's Lighthouse, overlooking the lights of the Queen Mary across the harbor.  There's something about dinner outside, twinkling white lights, and a beautiful view that makes for a memorable evening.  Add great seafood and time with Meghan and Mark, and this will be a dinner that I'll remember for a long time.

Dog Day at the Beach

Yesterday Meghan and I took a 20-minute ride south of Long Beach to Huntington Beach where there's a special stretch devoted just to dogs and their owners.  It was amazing, really.  I've never seen so many dogs in one place, and they all got along beautifully.  There were dogs of every breed and many mixes, and all were so well-behaved!  Calvin (Chocolate Lab) and Apple (little Black Lab mix) were so happy to be there.

We had stopped at Whole Foods to pick up a couple of sandwiches and root beers to go, and were ready for our ocean-side picnic on a quilt that was once Meghan's blanket as a child.  To see it completely worn and battered made me smile.  It has been well-loved and now it is her beach blanket.  Its nautical stars on a navy-blue background somehow seemed fitting as we had lunch on the sandy beach.

Sunday proved to be a very popular day at the dog beach, and Calvin and Apple knew we were near before we even arrived.  We had to wait in line to park, and once out of the car, Calvin pulled Meghan in energetic enthusiasm to get down to the water.  We climbed down a rocky path and settled ourselves in a cove where the rising tide made it obvious we had to move or we'd be stuck in there on the rocks!  Further down the beach we found a wide-open space with lots of people and dogs.  Meghan had a "Chuck It," one of those tennis-ball-flinging wands that send the ball a good distance out into the ocean.  Calvin spent the entire two hours there retrieving his ball, often flipping over in the waves and searching in the foam for his ball.  Apple was happy to play defense but never actually went into the waves to get the ball.  She's nine now and is happy with a little less exertion. 

We had a really great day.  Before the beach excursion, Meghan and I walked all around downtown Long Beach, going in and out of shops and just having fun seeing the sights.  She said she hadn't yet discovered so much of Long Beach, and it was good to take a walking tour of her new town.  She and Mark moved here just before the new year.

We ended the day with a barbeque of grilled shimp kabobs (with red peppers, fresh pineapple, baby red onions, and grape tomatoes), a confetti rice and broccoli.  We had dinner out on the courtyard.  Love it.

Mark and I are off to see the Queen Mary while Meghan is working the lunch shift at Parker's Lighthouse.  It's going to be another beautiful day in Long Beach.

Long Beachin' It

After two long flights yesterday, I arrived at LAX where Mark picked me up.  The immediate presence of palm trees along the drive back to their condo filled me with happiness! 

I have to say, I enjoy traveling.  Not just visiting, but traveling.  I met two lovely older ladies on the flight from Detroit to L.A.  I had the unfortunate assignment of seat 15B, right in the middle.  Luckily, they were friendly and we chatted for most of the trip.  It could have been much worse if my seat-mates were less friendly.

I love Meghan and Mark's condo!  It's located in a building of condos with a center courtyard with colorful flowering plants.  It's just beautiful. 

Mark just left for work.  Meghan has the day off.  We're headed to Huntington Beach or Newport.  Don't know where exactly, but I'm going to love every minute.

I'll write more about my little va-ca later!  Have a great day!

Photo Credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAlmX5g3sI6Jv5QrDnmcWKx6KPVVv3mdBtz7edXd2p09TRqhGWqU7ejc_5SaH_Yj8_oeS9YeZ4vgrxOPcUkRAzTEgZ2mhfSs8xmOdXME1PfwSZTVcCT4L09B6xLGIKXRXvHQAeWatPGx_/s400/scenic+boardwalks+3