Strawberry and Mint Jam

Following on from my strawberry recipe trend, I have yet another recipe to share with you...sorry there's a lot of good strawberries around especially after me and my son went fruit picking :)

Jam making is a lot easier than what you would think and honestly, well worth it, the combinations are never ending and you can adapt a simple recipe to exactly your tastes.

I once went to a restaurant that served strawberries with a lovely mint syrup which worked beautifully and that gave me the inspiration to add some mint to my basic strawberry jam recipe and it worked brilliantly, even my husband who struggles to find any compliment in anything I make, managed to say it was the best flavoured jam that he had ever eaten...quite the compliment! So here it is...enjoy 

Strawberry and Mint Jam

1kg strawberries

700g jam sugar

12 mint leaves (depending on taste add more if needed) chopped

Squeeze of lemon

Knob of butter

If like me, you froze your strawberries, then remove from the freezer and defrost overnight, when they have defrosted they will be very soft and they will have released a lot of juice, this is perfect! 

In a jam pan or a heavy based pan, add half the sugar, all the strawberries and there juices, the mint leaves and then top with the remaining sugar, stir through.

If you haven't frozen the strawberries, then you will need to add the strawberries and sugar together and leave for 24 hours to allow the strawberries to break down into the sugar and release its juices.

Turn on to a medium high heat and allow to heat through until the sugar dissolves, then add the squeeze of lemon, turn the heat up until it boils and bubbles, allow it to bubble like this for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While it bubbles away, add the knob of butter as well

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for around half an hour and then pour into your sterilised jam jars. Allow to cool completely.

The sealed jams will last for a year and once opened pop into the fridge.

Maple and Cinnamon Pancakes

Breakfast this morning was my lovely warming and tasty Maple and Cinnamon Pancakes...yummy :))

Maple and Cinnamon Pancakes

1 cup self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp soft brown sugar 

1 tsp cinnamon 

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1-2 tbsp maple syrup

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl

Add the milk, egg and maple syrup to a jug and whisk together

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until well incorporated

Heat some oil and butter in a pan and when it's heated up pour most of the oil/butter into a small bowl and set aside and then spoon small amounts of the pancake mix into the pan and cook until bubbles appear to pop on the top and is golden underneath and turn over and cook the other side

Remove from the pan and stack on top of each other, this will keep them fairly warm while you continue with the rest of the pancake mix

When ready to serve, drizzle a small amount of maple syrup over the top or caramelised apples

Enjoy 

You can also add 1/2 tsp ginger to make gingerbread pancakes :))

A perfect breakfast :)

This morning we yet again woke up to snow...it's the 24th March, how can this be? I must say I'm getting pretty sick of the cold weather now and really craving some sunshine especially as I have some spring clothes that desperately need to be worn haha!
Anyway we all decided that a yummy warming breakfast was in order so I made my boys some banana and macadamia nut pancakes and they were wonderful...a lovely alternative to your normal pancakes and I'm guessing with the bananas and nuts in them, they must be slightly good for you ;))
(sorry about the picture I only managed to get a very grainy pic from hubby's phone before they got devoured haha)

Banana and Macadamia Nut Pancakes

225g bananas (well ripened)
225g milk
2 eggs
55g butter melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g self raising flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
50g toasted macadamia nuts

Mash the bananas and add to a bowl with the milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract, whisk until thoroughly combined.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk until everything is mixed and combined.

The mixture is thicker than your normal pancake mixture due to the addition of the bananas but this is fine.

Heat a very small amount of oil in a pan.

Pour spoonfuls of the mixture in to the pan and add the macadamia nuts on the top straight away.

Turn over once cooked underneath and starting to firm up on the top. Cook the other side and place on a plate stacked up

Serve with maple syrup or if like me...nice and plain :)) but if your doing these for a pudding, they would be great with a big dollop of mascarpone cream or ice cream :)

This does make a large batch but perfect for a family :)

Recipe from "desserts for breakfast"

The Best Granola you'll ever eat :))

My favourite breakfast is granola (slight understatement haha) especially packed full of nuts, but I do find a decent brand of granola quite expensive when the whole family eat it most mornings therefore I like to make my own and I then get to choose what yummy nuts and seeds I can add

The Best Granola recipe

5 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup flaked almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped brazil
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 (3/4 filled) cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
Combine the oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, pecans, brazils and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes, do keep checking and mixing it up so that it toasts equally. Store in an airtight container
Please feel free to double the recipe if needed, the amount above will happily last a week in a airtight container.