20 Jam Recipes to Up your Jam Plan!

June 20, 2015 by girlinspired 1 Comment

Making jam in the summer just makes me happy. All that homegrown fruit, the beautiful glass jars, and a well-stocked pantry to last the whole year – it’s a summer-must project. I didn’t think I was going to be making jam this year between packing and trying to keep the kitchen sparkly clean for the new owners. But, my mom called to announce that she had picked all the apricots off her tree since they go from ripe and ready to rotten and ruined within a week. She asked if I wanted to make jam over at her house and I was there with my jars and pectin within the hour! Today I’m sharing a yummy apricot jam recipe along with 20 jam recipes from around the web!

Apricot Jam has got to be one of my absolute favorites – what’s your favorite jam? In the tail end of the batch, I stirred in some almond extract and it might be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. The two flavors compliment each other so well. You can definitely taste the almond extract, though, so if straight apricot jam is what you’re going for, maybe just add a smidge of almond extract to your last couple jars like I did.

My basic apricot recipe was taken right from my pectin package instructions and it turned out great! I’ll include it here below with my recommended almond extract addition:

Apricot Jam

Add a smidge of almond extract to some or all of your apricot jam recipe for an intense burst of flavor.

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Course: Condiments

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: tbsp

Calories: 40kcal

Ingredients

5 cups fresh apricots chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 envelope premium fruit Pectin
7 cups granulated sugar if you want to use less sugar, be sure to use the pectin specified for low-sugar recipes
1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Stir fruit, lemon juice, and Pectin in a large saucepan.
Bring to a boil.
Add sugar all at once and stir.
Return mixture to a boil and boil for a full minute.
Remove from heat, add almond extract.
Ladle into sterilized jam jars, cap with lids and hand-tightened screw bands.
Process jars in large pot of boiling water (water should come 1-2 inches above tops of jars) for 15 minutes.
Remove from canner, allow to cool for 24 hours on countertop.
Check to make sure jars have sealed completely.
Store sealed jars up to 1 year.
Place any unsealed jars in refrigerator for immediate use.

Tried this recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @girlinspired!

Nutrition

If you’ve never made jam before, you’re missing out! It’s not a difficult task – basically, you chop up a bunch of fresh fruit (homegrown or farmstand so it’s nice and ripe, please!) Cook it in a big pot with sugar (or not, depending on the recipe) and pectin (to thicken it, or not, depending on the recipe). Then ladle it into sterilized jars, add lids, and boil the jars in a big pot of water for 15 minutes or so. Done! You can find instructions and recipes right inside the boxes of pectin you buy at the grocery store. The internet is full of every kind of recipe. I’ve rounded up twenty jam recipes that looked a little different from the norm for you to try if you’re ready to up your jam game and stock your pantry with some new flavors.

TWENTY INSPIRING JAM RECIPES

Balsamic Peppercorn Fig Jam from Girl. Inspired.
Strawberry-Vanilla Jam from Love & Olive Oil
Simple Lemon Jam
Blueberry Jam from Use Real Butter
Caramel Cardamom Pear Jam from Heartbeet Kitchen
Orange Marmalade from One Hundred Dollars a Month
Tomato Jam from A Family Feast
Apricot Jam with printable labels from The Idea Room
Blackberry Maple Chia Seed Jam from Going Home to Roost
Sour Cherry Jam from Honey & Jam
No-Cook Strawberry Peach Jam from Chef in Training
Apricot Pineapple Jam from a Thrifty Mom
Carrot Jam from Veggie Desserts
Vanilla Bourbon Peach Jam from Blondie’s Cakes & Things
Pomegranate Jelly from Hungry Foodies Pharmacy
Homemade Mango Jam from Masala Herb
Apple Pie Jam from Tasty Kitchen
Peach and Jalapeno Pepper Jam from Foodista
Slow Cooker Bacon Jam from Martha Stewart
Meyer Lemon and Vanilla Jelly from Brooklyn Homesteader

I’m looking forward to trying so many of these recipes when I get settled in my new house. Jam is fun to keep on the shelves, but it also makes such a GREAT gift for friends, hostesses, teachers, and houseguests. Be sure to visit my tips on making decorative jam jars that are perfect for your pantry OR that gift giving.

Lip Gloss DIY and Printable Labels

February 11, 2013 by girlinspired 25 Comments

I came across a multitude of DIY lip gloss recipes on Pinterest and dedicated an afternoon to make some of my own. I was intrigued by the idea that I could make lip gloss with just petroleum jelly and a single additive, things I had on hand. But, after experimenting for a bit, I found myself curious about other additives and ingredients, and ultimately, I ran out to purchase just a couple ingredients to make some awesome all-natural lip balm. Today, I’m sharing some of the lip gloss variations that I tried!

In the suppy list above, you’ll see a variety of supplies and ingredients you can use to make a VARIETY of recipes. So, let’s talk about some of the recipes.

Using Petroleum Jelly (or Vaseline) as lip gloss base: I loved how quick and easy it was to use Vaseline right out of my cabinet. And the finished lip gloss is shiny and looks beautiful in the little pots. I actually do not love how Vaseline feels on my lips, though, so this was a drawback. The texture doesn’t change when making lip gloss – you basically end up with Vaseline that looks pretty in the containers. Instructions: Heat a dollop of Vaseline in a heatproof bowl (I used a tea cup) in the microwave in 30 second increments. Stir after each 30-second interval until the Vaseline is completely liquified. Stir in additives (see below), pour into lip balm pots and allow to cool.

Additives:

Kool-Aid method – stir in packaged Kool-Aid powder – I had NO success with this method. The Kool-Aid would not dissolve no matter how I tried it and I didn’t think it smelled very good either.
Powdered Makeup method – stir in a little powdered makeup, I made a lot of these! They looked beautiful and the color blended easily. I used a couple shades of blush and bronzer of my bare Minerals makeup. It didn’t take very much.
Glitter – cosmetic grade – yes!! very pretty in those pots, so fine that you can’t feel it on your lips.
Coconut Oil – I found that you can add a very small amount of coconut oil (let’s say no more than 1/4 tsp. per 2 Tbs. Vaseline) to the petroleum jelly base without changing the consistency too much. More than a few drops though, and the coconut oil separates from the petroleum jelly and changes the texture to more of a liquid. Adds a nice scent!
Cocoa powder – this adds color, scent, and not really enough flavor to notice. I added a little coconut oil to this batch, too, and it came out pretty fun!
Peppermint extract – similar to the coconut oil, you can add just a touch of extract to scent your lip gloss – one of my favorites is a peppermint extract, coconut oil, petroleum jelly, glitter combo!

In the above picture, you can see a good variety of the finished lip gloss/lip balms. I wanted to point out the two glosses at the bottom right of the picture. These glosses were the result of mixing powdered makeup and glitter with room temperature petroleum jelly – I “piped” the gloss into the jars with a plastic bag. You can definitely see the difference in the finished presentation between these and the glosses that were melted, mixed, and poured (“pink lemonade,” “peppermint sparkle,” “shimmer and shine,” “foxy kisses”).

Next, let’s talk about making lip balm without using petroleum jelly as a base.

Beeswax lip balm!! There are endless recipes for all-natural lip balms and lip glosses out there. So, I just barely grazed the surface here. I had to purchase two ingredients to make this beeswax lip balm: beeswax and sweet almond oil. Both ingredients were really inexpensive and just a little goes a long way. Many of the other natural recipes out there call for ingredients that are harder to find and/or are pretty expensive (e.g., shea butter, cocoa butter). What I love about the beeswax lip balm: it feels amazing on my lips! it stays soft and nourishing for hours, even with eating and drinking. it cools quickly and nice and thick – great for little pots and it also worked great in chapstick tubes (not shown). it’s actually good for your skin!! This balm doesn’t produce a nice gloss like the petroleum-based glosses, as you can see in the pictures. The color is substantially muted.

Recipe

I started with this recipe from Brambleberry. And modified as follows:

1 part olive oil

2 parts beeswax

2 parts coconut oil

2 parts sweet almond oil

In a double boiler (I use a ceramic bowl over a simmering pot of water), stir beeswax and coconut oil until completely melted (for each batch, I used 1 part = 1 teaspoon). Remove from heat. Immediately whisk in olive oil and then sweet almond oil. Whisk in additives and quickly pour into pots or tubes – mixture cools quickly, but can be reheated over the simmering water if needed.

I made just a couple batches of the beeswax balm – some of the additives I used included: peppermint extract, powdered makeup for color, honey (just a drop), and beet juice. The extract smelled great, the powdered makeup worked fine, the honey smelled bad and I couldn’t actually taste it. The beet juice was an attempt for a completely all-natural balm – I pressed chunks of beet and added the juice into the olive oil before mixing with the balm mixture. You can see the slight color variation this produced in the “can’t be beet lip balm.”

Okay!! So are you ready to make a couple batches of your own? I have a set of lip gloss/lip balm labels that you can print out on sticker paper if you don’t want to make your own labels- I used some nice, cheesy names that ought to cover just about anything you decide to make! hee hee!

Other information and supplies:

cosmetic sample jars/lip balm pots – 3 grams – I got mine on etsy at Beauty Makeup Supply

Lots of natural lip balm/gloss recipes: Brambleberry

Easiest DIY lip gloss (adding powdered makeup to petroleum jelly)

Kool-aid lip gloss

More Fun Handmade Gift Ideas

Surprise DIY Bath Bombs

Frozen Party Favor Necklaces

DIY Personalized Gift Bags

Succulent Teacup

Cute, Little Hair Bows

DIY Snow Globe Ornaments

Princess Crowns Tutorial

Moustache Mirrors – Easy Gift Pizazz

December 20, 2012 by girlinspired 8 Comments

Are you ready for a super quick way to jazz up some of your Christmas gifts this year? I love the whole moustache trend, don’t you? I came across these stickers recently and thought they’d be great to add just a little fun to some Christmas gifts.

Are you stuffing stockings with makeup or mirrored compacts? Someone need a hand held mirror? Giving your sweetie a jewelry box? Pop a little moustache sticker on that gift and suddenly you have a quirky little surprise to make someone giggle! Easy as that!

Not so easy is taking a timed picture from behind while lining my upper lip at the right angle with the mirror in front of the camera – but you get the gist, right? Okay, great! Now, go jazz up some gifts!!