What's for dinner?

flowerbug

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Strawberry shortcake....:drool

it was good. i took two jars out of the freezer because i suspected that one of them would be spoiled and it turns out my suspicion was correct - but by trying different things is how to learn so we'll keep at it.

right now i'm trying to dial in how much sugar i can add to freshly sliced strawberries to preserve them in the freezer (i also like to add some lemon juice along with the sugar, stirred and let sit for a while to dissolve the sugar then stir again a little and packed into pint jars - leave about an inch of headspace and put a lid on them and there ya go).

without any sugar at all the strawberries end up turning into a spongy mass with liquid which isn't very good to look at or use.

i have the previous batches where i've added lemon juice and so much sugar in varying amounts to see how little i can use that will still work. what i did not write down was if my measurements were by recipe or by cup. i think it is by recipe. so where i have a jar marked as 1/8th i think i'm using 1/8th of the sugar the freezer jam recipe calls for (which is a lot it's like 4 cups of sugar per 2 cups of smashed berries). so 1/8th of that would be a half cup of sugar per 2 cups of sliced berries. i think i may be able to go half on that and have it still work, but this time i'll also write down more exact measurements of everything so i don't have to rely upon my memory of what i did two years ago or last year. things kind blur together when you're busy and doing a lot of things all at once. :)

strawberries are just kicking in with blooms.
 

frustratedearthmother

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I asked DH last night what he wanted with his burger. His answer - french fries. We don't reallly do french fries around here but I had a big ol' zucchini (or 12). I cut it into french fry shape, rolled it in egg and dusted with panko bread crumbs. Baked until started to get golden and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Better than any french fry ever!
 
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flowerbug

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I asked DH last night hat he wanted with his burger. His answer - french fries. We don't reallly do french fries around here but I had a big ol' zucchini (or 12). I cut it into french fry shape, rolled it in egg and dusted with panko bread crumbs. Baded until started to get golden and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Better than any french fry ever!

after reading that i'm ready for breakfast! :) sounds great! :)
 

frustratedearthmother

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DH smoked some spare ribs yesterday. They were good and smoky, but they weren't as tender as I hoped for. I slapped 'em in a shallow pan with some apple juice, covered 'em with foil and stuck 'em in the oven for a couple more hours - low and slow. That worked and they turned out really tender

Also cooked up a big pot of Purple Dove beans with some garlic, bacon and onions. Cooked 'em until beyond tender, as is the southern way, lol. Absolutely delish. DH asked if I was going to plant those beans every year. He// to the yes!

Leftovers tonight!
 

flowerbug

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...
Also cooked up a big pot of Purple Dove beans with some garlic, bacon and onions. Cooked 'em until beyond tender, as is the southern way, lol. Absolutely delish. DH asked if I was going to plant those beans every year. He// to the yes!

Leftovers tonight!

Great to hear! This likely means that @baymule or any other southern located SS or TEG members will also do well with them when she can get a garden going down that ways. Thanks for the update. :) ♥️
 
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