All things pointed to jam

This wasn't what I was planning on doing today. Not at all. But one thing led to another, and before I knew it, jam was the agenda for the day. When I opened the kitchen shade this morning, there were bright red and yellow balloons flying in the sky, right over King Soopers. The Grand Opening! (Really, they should call it the "reopening," it's been there for years). So after breakfast, the boys and I headed over to see what amazing deals awaited us. Well, free Hawaiian sweet rolls for one. The nice man at the entrance handed a pack to me, and a pack to Ethan. And, strawberries! Lots of strawberries, ones that were actually ripe, unlike many of the sales. So we picked up a few pounds, browsed a bit, had a few samples, rode the horse, and headed home. Meanwhile, Ethan had eaten his entire pack of rolls, minus the little bite I had torn off for Jack. I had been wanting to make jam for the last month or so, since my supply from the time I made it with Deb was just about gone, but everytime I tried to plan a day for it, nothing would seem to go right. But today, today everything just lined up. The strawberries were the cheapest they'd been in months, the boys were heading toward their Plan B nap schedule, virtually guaranteeing me a full afternoon free, Todd would be at a Nuggets game tonight, so I wouldn't have to worry about having dinner on the table at any certain time, and the clincher- I'd been handed free rolls and a free baguette at the store- I think they were definitely asking for some fresh jam. Yes, definitely. So a few phone calls to Debbie later, I was on my way!

When the boys woke up, they had fresh strawberry jam and bread waiting for them. Oh how they loved it-yes, they loved it so much that Ethan asked for his next piece of bread with no jam, just plain please, Mama. Ha! Well, at least I liked it.

All of this jam making resulted in an unexpected, impromptu seasoning taste test. I had moved the spice rack to the table to clear some counter space, where Ethan found it, and asked to taste the spices. We made a little experiment of it, and recorded his thoughts in my notebook. I am clearly raising kids with exceptional palettes. Here are the results:

Chili Powder- It tastes (pronounced taste-ez) like a hot cookie.

Caraway Seeds- It tasted like a doggy.

Cinnamon- It tastes like a menu.

Marjoram- That tastes like...do you know what that tastes like?

What?

A doggy

Meanwhile, Jack starts getting in on the action- more, more, more

Dill- It tastes like a dump

No, really taste it- see what it really tastes like.

It really tastes like a dump

Nutmeg- That tastes like a dump

Do you know what a dump is?

No! What is a dump?

It's where you put your garbage.

Celery Seed- A dump TRUCK. I know what a dump truck looks like. It has strong wheels and a dump.

Basil- A dump truck

Cumin- That tastes like another menu.

So, there you have it. If you have ever felt confused about which spices complement which dishes best, this should clear things up for you.

Recipe for Dump Truck Doggy Hot Cookie Menu to follow.