I have to tell you that since I have started this whole thing of having to be on bed rest so much lately that I have gotten a lot of time to watch my favorite shows that I have recorded.   My favorites include 30 Minute Meals, Barefoot Contessa, Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade, and of course the Queen of the South Paula Deen!  I have to admit that I love Paula Deen but Tony doesn't because she just uses way too much BUTTER!

So today after mopping the floors a few squares at a time (taking me forever to get through my kitchen) I took a breather and watched 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray.  Okay, she is funny sometimes you have to admit.  But she made this Stoup (Soup that is almost as thick as a stew) that just looked great and I had to try it out.

Now before I give you this recipe I have to for warn you that I have changed this recipe a bit to meet my needs.  I have been all over the internet for years and I do know that you do not have any copyright infringements on a recipe if you do not word it completely the same as the original.  So, since I always play with the recipes that I find then I guess I am pretty safe in that regards.

You can get her version here! It has Clams and a few extra ingredients in it.

So here goes the recipe (my version):

1-2 Tbls vegetable oil

3/4 lbs kielbasa (I used all beef but the turkey or chicken ones would work great too!)

1 32 oz bag frozen hash browns (I use the plain cubed style)

1 large onion

8 ribs celery

3 fresh basil leaves

6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme

Pinch Salt

Dash Pepper

2 lbs large shrimp, deveined and preferably peeled

1 16 oz bag of frozen corn

1 (15 oz) can of fire-roasted tomatoes (chopped finner for the kids)

1 quart chicken stock

4 jumbo English Muffins

3 Tbls softened butter 

1 clove garlic

2 Tbls chopped chives

Okay, this is pretty simple.  If your kielbasa has a thick covering remove it first.  Then chop it into medium sized pieces.  Heat a large pot on the stove with the vegetable oil in it.  Place the kielbasa in it and brown for about 2 minutes.  Now add the onions, celery, basil, thyme, salt and pepper.  Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook another 8-10 minutes or until the veggies soften up and the potatoes unthaw.

Rinse then pat shrimp dry.  If you need to peel your shrimp, do so at this time and place in a small bowl.

Add the tomatoes and the stock to the pot.  Cover and bring it to a boil.  Cook for about 5 minutes then add the shrimp and replace the cover.  Cook until the shrimp are pink and firm, about 5 to 6 minutes.  And this is how it turns out:

Oh, it is so delicious.  Now to finish the recipe you need to make these most delicious "croutons" to top the stoup with.  Take the English muffins and toast them until firm and crispy.  While toasting make a creamed mixture with the butter (soften in the microwave if necessary), garlic and chives.  Spread the butter mixture over the English muffins after they are well toasted.  Now chop the muffins into the size of dice.

Serve stoup in shallow bowls with the muffin croutons.

I had so much left over that we are having it for lunch tomorrow with my sister even though Tony and I had seconds.  I am regretting it now because I am TOO full now.  Haha!

My version is very mild but what great flavors.  If you want more flavor, spices or variety try out Rachel Rays.  But oh, you will miss out if you don't try at least one of these.  It would taste oh, so good even if you omit the shrimp.  I might just have to make it again next week and share it with someone!

Strawberry Jam

I thought I would share with you what I did last week.

I made some homemade Strawberry Jam!  

Oh, yummy! It turned out so delicious 

so I thought I would share it with all of you!

Here is the recipe. I hope you all enjoy it!

5 cups crushed strawberries

1 Pkg Sure Jell pectin

7 cups sugar

First I would like to let you know that I got

a double pack of Sure-Jell at Wal-mart for only

$2.88 I believe. That is a pretty good price. A

single one there is $1.50 which is still really good.

The first thing to do is to make sure you have

everything you need.

You also need to have your bottles sterilized and hot.

Here in this picture above I have put them in the oven

at 250° for at least 10-15 minutes.

Also make sure you have your lids on the stove on

a constant heat to soften the lids. I also keep the

rings in hot water too but that is not necessary.

Make sure you have nice clean and ripe strawberries.

I had gone up the 126 to the stand right past Fillmore.

Oh, they look so delicious! So I rinsed them and placed

them in my Quick Chef.

After just a few turns of the arm the strawberries

are perfect and not liquidified.

If you do not have a Quick Chef then a potato

masher will work fine.  You will need 5 cups crushed

strawberries. Place your crushed fruit in a 6 or 8

quart saucepan. Stir pectin into fruit. You may add

1/2 teaspoon butter to reduce foaming.

Bring mixture to a full rolling boil on high heat

while you are stirring constantly.

Some recipes call for lemon juice. I personally

prefer fresh lemon juice so I just squeezed my own

with the Citrus Press (no longer available on the site

but I have some if anyone wants one just call me). 

Sure-Jell does not call for lemon juice but the

second batch I made with Ball did. Make sure you

place the lemon juice in before you put in the pectin.

Measure your 7 cups of sugar out and have it ready

in a bowl set to the side. On high heat, bring the

fruit to the rolling boil state (which means the

bubbles don't stop when you stir), then you need

to pour the whole amount of sugar in all at once. 

Stir in the sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil

and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.  

Remove from the heat and remove any foam.

(I personally don't worry about the foam myself

but if you have a lot I would remove it due to

impurities in the foam.)

Now it is time to ladle in the jars. Do not forget to

use a large opening funnel but if you don't have one

just make sure you are extra careful not to get it on

your jar or especially the rim. The consistency of

the jam will be thick in just minutes so get this

done quickly. Fill your jars within 1/8 inch of the top.

Now this is something anyone doing jam should

know. Use a little bit of white vinegar on a clean

cloth or paper towel to wipe down the rim of the

jar before you place the lid on. This will make sure

there is no foreign debris or jam on the rim

and will help secure the lid properly. The next step

is fairly easy. Just place the lid on the rim and

secure with your ring.

Remember safety first. Please use the proper tools

for this part so you don't get hurt. I do remember

while growing up and canning my mother would

use a towel to transfer the jam from one place to

another but using these utensils will save

hands and dropped bottles of jam.

Now days, everyone advises to use a water canner

to can anything. Well, I am a little old fashioned

I guess because I use the inverted method. For

this method you take the hot jar and immediately

turn it over on a clean towel. Let it sit there for

about 10-15 minutes (at least that is how long

I did it) then turn it right side up. If you leave

it too long, like a few I did, the jam will set and

your air will be on the bottom of the jar instead

of the top. You can actually see what I mean at

the bottom right picture above. I have about a

half inch of space under the small jar there.  

Funny!

Now with inverted method you do have to make

sure that it has sealed and to do that just make

sure that you push on the top of the jar and

make sure it does not makea bobbling sound.  

You should not be able to push down on the lid

and it moves.

So here is my final picture of all the jam I made

in one day. I did do mostly pints, which is

quite bigger than a normal size jam size but

I didn't have many jam jars around the house.

If you have any questions just call me if you

know my number or leave a comment and

I will get back to you ASAP.