Freezer Jam

I'm supposed to be doing a boatload of cooking this week to fill up my brand new freezer, and, hopefully, still have enough energy to blog about.  Unfortunately there is a problem with the new freezer, and I am holding off cooking until it's taken care of.  Instead I decided to make freezer jam, which can go in the small freezer on top of my fridge.

My grandma used to make freezer jam when I was a kid.  I loved the stuff.  Later as an adult I decided to try my hand at making it.  I was delighted to find that it is super easy to do and soon had delicious freezer jam of my own.  I was less delighted to discover that the two main pectin brands, Ball and Sure Jell, did not yield a consistent product.  Sometimes I would end up with delicious, set jam, but just as often my jam would not set at all.  Instead I would have many jars of fruit syrup.  It was still delicious but not what I wanted.  In talking to other jam makers I learned that others also had problems with inconsistent set.

Planning Part 2: What to Make

Planning, Part 1: How Much Food to Make

I don't know if there is a meal planning equivalent to writer's block, but there should be because I definitely get it.  I suspect it is a common problem.  I don't know why, but when I sit down to meal plan I suddenly can't think of anything to make.  I know how to make many delicious meals and yet, nothing.  There are some ways to combat this.  I keep a list of ideas. When I'm going about my life and think of something I'd like to eat I put it on a list on my phone.  When it's time to plan I consult the list to help me with ideas.

I also come up with categories.  It's a lot easier to think of things when you narrow it down to specific categories.  This helps me to have a variety of things, so I don't end up with chicken everyday.  When I did meal planning before I started doing freezer cooking I would do categories like: chicken, soup, pasta, vegetarian,....  With freezer cooking my categories are different, which I will elaborate on more in a bit.

Planning, Part 1: How much food to make

Well, I finally have a freezer being delivered.  Tomorrow!  I haven't had a freezer since we moved in January and we left our very old freezer behind.  That means I have been cooking just about every day for a few months now.  In some ways it has been nice.  I got to make some things that I haven't for a while because they don't freeze well, but I am ready to get back to my freezer meals again.  I have missed having meals ready to go or simplified and it is way harder to stay on top of keeping the kitchen clean when dinner needs to be made every day.