Fruit Jam

Do I really need to blog about fruit jam? Seriously though. What's to talk about? Well, for one thing, what comes in a jar is not always just fruits. So here I go again. Talking about citric acid in the added pre-packaged food. What to do? Make my own, of course.

My dad luvs jams, especially blueberries. When he visited two years ago, he asked me to teach him how to make it. You know, the only ingredients in the jam should just be fruits and sugar. That's it. Just simmer the fruits of choice until they cook down. Then into the blender. Then let the fruit jam becomes nice and cold in the fridge (unless you like it warm). And there you have it... fruit jam.

Some recipes may ask for sliced apples as pectin. From my experience, fruits jams don't need anything. Once the sugar is cooked down, it will firm up enough to spread. So skip the apples. Something less to worry about, right?

Fruit Jam
make as much as you like

1 - 2 cups fruits of choice (berries, peaches)
1/4 cups granulated sugar (more or less to taste, you decide)

1. Wash fruits or berries. Take out stones and roughly chop if needed.
2. In a heavy bottom pot, add the fruits of choice with sugar.
3. Simmer until fruits are cooked down, about 15 minutes or more.
4. Set aside to cool down.
5. Add the fruits into the blender and blend until no chucks are visible.
6. Transfer the fruits into a mason jar.
7. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or add pretty label if it is for gifting. Remember to add expiration date too. Enjoy!!!

Allergy Info: This fruit jam is free from dairy, egg, corn, legumes (peanuts and soy), wheat, nuts, and fish. If possible, use organic berries and fruits.

Banana Fritters

I've been thinking about breakfast recipes a lot lately. So sick and tired of pancakes, waffles, and French toasts. Want something different.

Then I came across Bobby Flay's Banana Foster Beignets recipe in his brunch cookbook. Since I had 2 ready to bake bananas, I decided to make banana fritters for breakfast.

When I reread Bobby's recipe, I was wondering why he didn't add an egg. I mean beignets are usually yeast dough. But without eggs, I don't think they will turn out fluffy. Kinda strange.

So I modified his recipe by adding an egg. I ran out of large eggs or I went with extra large. I'll try large eggs next time and see if the texture makes a difference. I also added less sugar because I knew my kids would sprinkle a lot of powdered sugar until their fritters look like they are covered in snow.

When I think of beignets, I'd think of deep-fried yeast dough. You know the New Orleans beignets. I renamed this dish to a fritter because it has that doughnut taste to them. Well, whatever its name, my kids enjoyed them with cold glasses of goat milk. I had mine with morning coffee. Good life!!!

Banana Fritters
serve 3-4
adapted from Brunch at Bobby's Banana Foster Beignets

2 ripe bananas (7 oz.)
1/4 cup (3 oz.) granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons (1 oz.) coarse sugar
2 Tablespoons (1 oz.) coconut cream
1 extra large egg (2.1 oz.)
1 cup (4 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
cooking oil for deep frying
powdered sugar for serving

1. Place a cooling rack over a baking pan. Set aside.
2. Pour cooking oil (about 2 inches deep) into a heavy bottom pot.
3. Heat the oil until the candy thermometer registers at 350F.
4. In a large bowl, mix together bananas, sugars, coconut cream, and egg.
5. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
6. Whisk the flour ingredients into the banana ingredients until there are no lumps.
7. Using a small scoop, drop about 4-6 scoops into the oil.
8. Deep fried until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
9. Take the fritters out of the oil and on to a cooling rack to let them drain.
10. Serve warm with a lot of powdered sugar. Enjoy!!!

Allergy Info: These banana fritters are free from dairy, egg, corn, legumes (peanuts and soy), nuts (not coconut) and fish. 

Strawberry Banana Spinach Smootie

It's one of those days when goat milk is about to expire. Why do I always have this "about to expire" dilemma? With frozen strawberries and bananas, I asked my kids, "You guys want strawberry banana smoothie?" SURE!!!

My friend, Krissy, told me many times to add spinach to smoothie since they don't have any taste while they are healthy. So I added a few leaves into their smoothie. I asked my kids if they could guess the secret ingredients.

My kids couldn't tell. Camden drank half of his smoothie then sauntered into the kitchen to ask me what the secret ingredient was. After I told him it was spinach, he said he felt sick from the smoothie and could not finish it because of the spinach. I pointed out that he already drank half of it.

The point is... some kids (even grown ups) have some sort of psychological issue when it comes to food. I bet Camden would finish his smoothie if he didn't realize spinach leaves were added in. But I honestly tell my kids what they are eating. Why not. They need to know what they eat. If they like or dislike what they eat, then they can decide if they want them again next time.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
serve 2-3

1 cups organic strawberries, frozen
1 medium banana, frozen
5-7 organic baby spinach leaves, stemmed
goat milk
agave to taste

1. Add strawberries and banana into blender.
2. Turn the blender on low while adding milk to the preference consistency.
3. Add agave to taste.
4. Serve with more frozen sliced strawberries. Enjoy!!!

Allergy Info: This smoothie is free from dairy (not goat), egg, corn, wheat, legumes (peanuts and soy), and fish. Look for frozen fruits without added additives like citric acid. For bananas, peel and cut into big chunks and free them for future smoothie.