Lazy Sunday

Woke up on Sunday morning to the sound of rain. Not what we want from the weekends. A lazy morning was in store. We drank big cups of steaming cappuccino with croissants & home made strawberry jam, and the Sunday newspapers. I'd love to say I'd made the croissants but they came courtesy of Trader Joe. For anyone reading this who is fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe in their neighbourhood then I would strongly advise you stock up on these. They come in boxes of six, can be found in the freezer section of the store and they are quite delicious. It is as easy as taking them from the freezer before you go to bed, and yes they do appear tiny, but by morning they will have risen quite considerably, and after 15-20mins in a 350f oven they are irresistible. By far the easiest way to serve croissants and the smell in the kitchen as they cook is almost as if you had made them yourself. I love to bake and cook but I am never adverse to a shortcut provided it gives me the taste I am looking for. So get to Trader Joe's and stock up on this item. However I do think it is difficult to beat homemade jam, and it is not as difficult as you may think. Equal proportions of sugar to fruit brought to the boil then simmered for around 45 mins until setting point is reached. To test for setting have a saucer in the freezer chilling and as the time comes to test drop a spoonful of jam onto the cold saucer, give it a minute and then drag your finger through the jam. If it leaves a channel in the jam it is ready to put into hot sterilised jars. Strawberry is difficult to set firmly, low pectin. You can add pectin to the mixture, it will tell you how much on the pack. Personally I quite like the jam running off the croissant and mopping it up from my plate. Maybe wet Sunday mornings are not so bad after all.
Oh I forgot to mention we ate breakfast in bed. Decadent or what?