I added a couple more things to the freezer! I have been loosely following Money Saving Mom’s Four Weeks to Fill Your Freezer series. I’ve been enjoying reading her posts and it has helped motivate me to put food in the freezer, which I had been wanting to do anyway! I posted this recipe and linked up on one of MSM’s other posts. I am linking up at MSM again!
I put a Pasta Lasagna Casserole in the freezer a couple of days ago and I made some strawberry freezer jam this evening. I tried a little different recipe for the jam. I usually make a recipe using Sure-Jell. This time I tried one using Ball Real Fruit Pectin. I bought the pectin marked down as a manager’s special at Dillons at the end of the season last year. Plus I had a coupon for it! Yay! I love deals!
I got the idea for the Pasta Lasagna Casserole here, but I used my own recipe and just used pasta instead of lasagna noodles.
My recipe:
Pasta Lasagna Casserole 2 pounds hamburger, browned 2 T. minced dry onion 32 oz. spaghetti/pasta sauce 14 oz. whole grain pasta 24 oz cottage cheeze 16 oz mozzarella cheese Brown hamburger with minced onion. Drain if needed. (I have my own hamburger in the freezer and it is very lean). Add sauce and mix well. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a 9×13 baking dish, layer meat sauce, pasta, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese in two layers. Cover with foil and bake approximately 45 minutes or till heated through and bubbling. I use whatever cheese I have on hand or sometimes mix colby jack with the mozzarella. You can also use whatever pasta you have on hand or use uncooked lasagna noodles. If you use uncooked lasagna noodles, you will need to bake it 50 min covered and 20 min uncovered.Very simple and yummy! Now if I could just get my husband convinced to like Italian as well as I do!
For the strawberry jam I did the following from directions on the pectin label:
I chopped enough strawberries in my food chopper to make 1 2/3 cups I mixed together 2/3 cup of sugar and 2 T. Pectin I stirred the strawberries into the sugar and pectin. Stirred for 3 minutes. I tasted it and decided to add another 1/3 cup sugar. Then I poured it into jars. Easy-peasy!This recipe didn’t have as much sugar per strawberries as the one I usually do. Which is probably good in one way, but my family really likes the Sure-jell recipe for strawberry jam. So, we will see how it turns out. It looked very pretty and a lot like my jam usually looks. It was super easy, since it didn’t even require cooking. I’m hoping my family likes it since it was so easy!
UPDATE: We did like this jam really well! I almost like it better~it has a very fresh taste! I will be making it again.
A friend was just telling me tonight she switched to the Ball brand because it used significantly less sugar. I’m anxious to hear how you like it. I only made freezer jam once and I didn’t like it as well as canned.
I’ve never tried canning jam. My aunt made freezer jam with the Sure-Jell and we always really liked it. She always froze it in canning jars and that’s what I do too. I don’t know if the jars really make any difference compared to freezer boxes, but it seems better in the jars! 🙂
The recipe Aunt Donna used was actually supposed to be canned. you were supposed to turn the jars upside down for 5 to 10 minutes after filling them, then turn the right side up and they were supposed to seal. But she froze them anyway. I think that is why we like this frozen jam so well – it is really a canned jam recipe only we freeze it – in the jars. it’s THE BEST I’ve ever had!
This that I just made is really good! I think I like it better. It has a really fresh strawberry taste. However, I haven’t tried it from the freezer. We’ve just been eating one of the jars I made.
I have wanted to try freezer jam for years and never gotten around to it. It has always intimidated me, looking at your post, it looks simple enough, perhaps i will give it a try finally.
It really is very simple! Just follow the recipe from the Sure-Jell or whatever pectin you use. I’ve never tried lots of different recipes or anything, but this is simple. I like to put the jam in jars and freeze versus plastic freezer containers. My aunt did this and we always liked her jam so well!
Yummmm…if I bring over the bread then….? oh yeah, that would be begging! 🙂
Bring the bread! We don’t turn down fresh bread…especially if you’re making it! 🙂 And the jam is pretty yummy!
On the Lasagna do you freeze it before or after cooking it? May be silly question but I don’t know 🙂
Not a silly question! I freeze it before I bake it. You will need to thaw it for the bake time to be right or bake it longer if it isn’t completely thawed. I’m terrible at remembering to get a casserole out of the freezer in enough time to thaw. 🙂
Thanks for sharing at MM at http://www.callmepmc.com. Love the jam and Pinned to my Sat. Dishes board ~ Paula
Thank-you for the party! And thanks for stopping by here and for pinning. 🙂 I appreciate it and it is fun to connect with other bloggers.
This jam looks delicious!
I think it is! And it’s easy! 🙂