... In a Jam

One of the great things about being married to a teacher is that he has summers off.  Elvis almost always works summer school for a little extra money, and we've taken some pretty awesome trips in summers past.  Last year we had a baby, so we knew that this summer would have be extra-super to top that.  Word came through the grapevine of a giant family reunion in Oregon, and we hoped to take our first family road trip up to meet all our new aunts, uncles and cousins.  Sadly, things did not pan out for us and we were unable to get the trip together.  Who knew that one little baby would make things so complicated?  ;-)  Anyway, since travel and new parenting were not on our agenda this year, we had to think of some way to make this summer awesome.  After much thought, a theme was born: 2012 would be the Summer of Sauces.  We came up with a few specific recipes we wanted to try, and I took the reins.  Elvis and I both enjoy cooking, especially together.  He is a natural whiz in the kitchen, and I usually play the role of sous-chef.  Unless we're baking, and then I get to be Boss of the Kitchen.  But I thought it was high time I brought something to the table other than dessert. 
After lots of discussion (and recipe hunting) I decided strawberry jam would be a great start.  I got some delicious-looking strawberries at the grocery store yesterday, and undertook my first great culinary experiment:

I rinsed and hulled 2 lbs of strawberries (since it was my first attempt I wasn't sure how many to get).

Next, I mixed together 2/3 cup of Splenda and 2 tbsp. of instant Pectin.

Then, I mashed up the strawberries (a few at a time) with a potato masher.  My, that was fun!  I used 1 2/3 cups of this mush for jam, and put the rest aside.

 I added the strawberries to the Splenda-Pectin mixture, and stirred continuously (don't forget to scrape the sides every now and then!) for 3 minutes.

Finally, I poured it all into a jar, and let it set for 30 minutes.  The recipe didn't specify whether to let it set on the counter or in the fridge, so I did the counter.  It didn't set well, so I put it in the refrigerator where it did solidify a little bit better.

Elvis and I enjoyed our delicious jam this morning over homemade waffles.  It was sweeter than I expected (I may experiement with a teensy bit of lemon or lime juice the next time), but oh so delicious.  And the best part, of course, was that I made it all by myself!

The jam was really a success, so stay tuned over the next few weeks for more of my culinary adventures during 2012's Summer of Sauces.  And, once I get a few sauces down, I'm going to tackle canning with the awesome new pressure canner my parents got me for our wedding anniversary.