Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake

Happy 4th of July! (almost!)

To me, this recipe is one of those things that just screams “summer”! Dump cake is so named because you literally just dump everything in a pan, spread out the layers, and bake. Easy, right?? Then you can go back outside and enjoy your summer

Hospitality Made Simple

I think all of us–including me, sometimes–feel inadequate when it comes to having people in our home.

Strawberry Apricot Oat Bars

I don’t know about you, but I tend to live by lists. Even on my days off, my time is filled and defined by the dreaded “to do” list. This morning, I decided to look at my “to do” list differently.

Around the World in 80 Recipes {and More!} – Part 3

Continuing my virtual trip through the countries of the world…In case you need to catch up on my whole series so far, here’s the links:
Part 1
Part 2

Homemade fruit roll ups

I had a friend tell me recently that she makes her own fruit roll-ups with just fruit blended in the blender…as I began to look around at other recipes, I discovered this is actually quite common, especially for moms with kids. I myself had not actually had a fruit roll-up since I was a kid. I think the process of making them is what fascinates me the most! 🙂

Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake

This Memorial Day weekend, my sister and I had some friends over for lunch: Mexican stack and sweet tea 🙂
And dessert? Well, it’s summer…so I was definitely craving dump cake.

How to Make Homemade Jam

This jam recipe is from Simply Gluten Free. In her blog post, she made blueberry jam. So for this tutorial (as something different), I’m going to demonstrate with apricot jam 🙂

This apricot jam was made from the last of the frozen hand-picked apricots that I talked about in this post over the summer. Mmm, there’s nothing better 🙂 For the blueberry jam (which I also had to try!), I just used frozen blueberries from the store. Since it’s winter as I’m writing this, fresh blueberries when they’re not in season are insanely expensive. Frozen fruit gives you more “chunks” of fruit than fresh would, just because the fruit is de-thawing a majority of the time and doesn’t get as mushy. In the summer time, if you have fresh fruit, by all means, use it!

How to Make Homemade Jam (from Simply Gluten Free)
2 pints (4 c.) fresh or frozen fruit
3/4 c. agave nectar
1/4 t. sea salt
juice of 1 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat (while stirring).
Mash the berries with a potato masher or back of a spoon.
Lower the heat so that the mixture continues to boil gently. Continue to cook uncovered (stirring occasionally), for 20 -25 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Cool to room temperature, the jam will jell as it cools. Store in clean containers in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for up to a year.
Makes about 2-3 cups of jam.