Peach-Strawberry Jam

This was my first time making jam and it turned out so well! This recipe doesn't call for any gelatin base products: just fruit and sugar!

You will need:
A small saucepan
2 large peaches
5-6 ripe strawberries
2/3 cup brown sugar
Juice from one lemon

To start:
1. Peel, pit, and cut the peaches into small chunks.
2. Cut the tops of the strawberries off. Cut the strawberries into smaller bits as well.
NOTE: The smaller you cut the fruit, the better. This will help you avoid overly chunky jam.
3. Put the cut up fruit and lemon juice in the sauce pan and stir so the juice is evenly distributed.
4. Turn the stove up to high heat and place the pan on the burner.
5. Add 1/3 cup of brown sugar to the pan and stir as it melts. Use your spoon to slightly mash the fruit. I used a potato masher to make the fruit a bit softer.
6. Add the remaining brown sugar and let it melt in the pan. Once it's melted and no longer grainy, let the mixture sit on the heat and simmer. Stir the pan occasionally to keep it from burning.
7. Once the jam has taken on a thick consistency, pour it into a jar and let it cool completely before adding the lid.  Refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.

This jam is simple to make and so delicious! It's great for gifts or to keep for yourself.  You can try it on toast, pancakes, crepes, or as cake filling. Not a strawberry or peach fan? This works with blueberries, plums, raspberries, or blackberries as well!  I hope you have fun with this recipe and enjoy the jam!

Happy cooking!

Crepes, ooh la la!

I absolutely love making crepes! They're basically just French pancakes. They're very simple to make and delicious to eat! This recipe makes 12-14 crepes, depending on the size of your pan and how thick you make them:)

You will need:
1 cup flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1  1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3 tbsp. of melted butter
Additional sugar for sprinkling.

To start:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Pour the milk into a medium sized measuring bowl. You'll want to let the milk sit out for about 10-15 minutes before adding butter. Add the vanilla, eggs, and butter and whisk with a fork. When hot butter comes into contact with cold milk, the butter thickens and ruins the consistency of the mixture.
3. Pour the dry ingredients in with the wet and whisk until there are no lumps.
4. Grease a small frying pan and turn your stove to medium heat.
5. Once the pan is heated, pour about a 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Tilt the pan until the batter is spread over the whole pan.
6. Let it cook until you can see it solidifying and the edges are slightly brown. Sprinkle some sugar over the surface of crepe then, using a spatula, flip the crepe. Sprinkle more sugar on the other side.
7. Once the crepe is fully cooked on both sides, flip it once more to make sure the sugar melts on both sides.

You can eat these plain or with toppings! Some like jam or chocolate sauce, but I drizzle honey over them and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over that. You can serve them with fruit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! They're simple to make and so tasty! I hope you found this recipe helpful and easy to understand.

Happy cooking!