Simple Strawberry Jam

This is an extremely easy way to make a flavorful strawberry jam for a nice brunch or breakfast. 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Juice and zest of 1 large lemon

2 pounds of ripe strawberries

 1. Zest and juice one large lemon and add to sugar in a deep pot. Cook over very low heat (I use setting 2 or 3 on a 10 setting dial) until the sugar has dissolved. Stir as needed.

 2. Here's what the sugar will look like after it's dissolved.

3. Remove stems from strawberries (hulling is a good approach). I like to leave about half of them whole and cut the others into quarters. This leaves nice berry chunks after the mixture has cooked down. Carefully place berries in sugar and lemon liquid, and coat them thoroughly. 

4. Cook for about 30 minutes on low heat until it looks like the above picture. One way to check the consistency is to drizzle a small amount of the liquid on a cool plate. Turn the plate on its side to see if it has reached desired thickness. 

5. Pour hot mixture into a jelly jar or serving dish and cool. 

Portobello "Pot Pie"

This is a variation of a stuffed portobello "pot pie" recipe a friend told me about. You will get all the flavor and richness of a more traditional pot pie, but the phyllo dough is much lower in fat and calories than most other crusts. 

Ingredients

Several large portobello caps

1 large onion

2 medium sized carrots

4 small red potatoes

1 cup shredded chicken (optional)

1 carton of condensed portobello mushroom soup

1 package of phyllo dough sheets (thawed)

Olive oil

1. First, clean several large portobello mushroom caps. 

2. Chop onion, potatoes, and carrots into bite size pieces. Saute in one tablespoon of olive oil until onions are transparent. 

 3. Add condensed soup and half of the recommended amount of water to the veggies. Season as desire. I usually add garlic, salt, pepper, and basil.

 4. If you forget to thaw your phyllo dough the night before baking, you can put the roll in the microwave for 30 - 60 seconds. (Tip courtesy of Alton Brown on the Food Network).

 5. Place portobello cap on the phyllo dough. Sometimes larger portobellos are a little bland, so adding a little spice before you add the filling improves the flavor. Top with veggie filling and shredded chicken.

 6. Wrap portobello and filling with a phyllo sheet. Brush with olive oil so the corners will stick to each other. I used four sheets on this one, but you can add more or less based on how flaky and how many layers you prefer. Brush each layer lightly to increase flakiness and ensure that the dough stays wrapped around the veggies.

 7. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes at 375 degrees depending on the number of pies and their size. Once the dough becomes golden brown, it's done.

8. Here's what it will look like after it's been cut.