Mother’s Day has always been a bit of a push and pull for me on so many levels. Broad family dynamics aside (that’s a whole other post, by another writer!), the stay-at-home-cook-versus-out-of-home conundrum comes up every year. Cooking Mom a delicious meal at home (along with the cleanup that follows, and maybe a little stress)? Definitely personalized and thoughtful. But maybe not for everyone. Taking mom out for a lavish celebration? That’s great if you can swing it, but there are some downsides (cost, competition for bookings, etc.).
If you’re looking for something simple and doable, consider breakfast. Sure, it could even be called brunch, but I can assure you that as a mom, and a mom’s daughter, the best part of Mother’s Day is keeping it happy and simple. What could be happier and simpler than breakfast? Scrambled eggs. Homemade pancakes. Buttered toast. Fruit salad or a bowl of mixed berries. Maybe some muffins. And homemade strawberry jam. Jam from scratch is one of life’s best simple pleasures. Fresh and sweet, it’s the kind of red that makes people feel happy. No one knew how easy it was to make – seriously, just three ingredients!
All you have to do is place the chopped strawberries and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the berries begin to collapse. Add the lemon juice and continue cooking for about half an hour, stirring frequently, until the mixture looks like loose jam. You are looking for a temperature of 220 degrees Fahrenheit measured with a candy or instant read thermometer (Thermoworks is a great brand). If you don’t have a candy thermometer, that’s okay. You can cook it until it looks like loose jam. It will thicken as it cools and become even firmer when refrigerated.
Crush the berries while stirring and cooking. When ready, spoon the jam into clean jars and allow to cool to room temperature. Then seal the jar and refrigerate. Now mom can enjoy a delicious breakfast for weeks to come. She can spread jam on toast, English muffins, muffins, croissants, scones, any kind of muffin, bagels. But she also wants to stir some into plain yogurt and spread some on warm pancakes or waffles. It makes a cute addition to a grazing or cheese board (and then she can also tell her friends her kids made it, and trust me when I say that’s probably the best part).
This jam can of course be canned in a water bath and will then be stable for about a year. But for those of us who don’t know how to can, you can scoop the strawberry jam into clean jars and store it in the refrigerator for about a month. Be sure to use only clean utensils to scoop out jam. Food will spoil more quickly if mixed with other foods – so avoid sticking a knife with bread crumbs or butter on it into the jar. Your jam will last longer!
If you’re throwing away the jam instead of serving it, you can also look for a particularly cute vintage jelly jar and spoon to make as a jam gift. There are some really cute towels and/or dishcloths in there too. You can also bake a batch of homemade scones, cookies or muffins to go with it. Back to breakfast. Even if you keep it simple, it can be special. Bought European butter. Place some tulips in a vase. Use cloth napkins. A secret I learned from my mom and stick with: no packages or containers on the table. Everything is scooped into a small bowl, no yogurt tubs or cream cheese wrappers allowed.
In addition to your homemade jam, it can be served directly in jars.
Strawberry jam
Serves: 16
raw material:
2 pounds strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Thoroughly clean two 2-cup canning jars or other jars with tight-fitting lids and allow to dry completely.
route:
Combine strawberries and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and the berries begin to break down. Add the lemon juice, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture resembles loose jam and reaches a temperature of 220 degrees Fahrenheit as measured with a candy bar or an instant-read thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, simply cook the strawberry mixture until it starts to look like loose jam. It will thicken as it cools.
While the jam cooks, you can crush the berries with a wooden spoon against the side of the pan, or use a potato masher. Leave some berry chunks in there for added texture. Spoon jam into clean jars and let cool to room temperature.
Seal jar and refrigerate.