Pancakes with Preserves

It’s National Canning Day! In honor, the makers of Ball® home canning products asked me to turn some of the preserves I’ve made using their recipes into a meal. Given that my sons are my best culinary audience these days, I sharing our regular Sunday morning meal of pancakes with preserves.

This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.*

Canning is an act that always gives pleasure twice. The first fun happens in choosing the recipe, getting the ingredients, and making the product. Later, comes the joy of opening the jar and enjoying the contents. I love the summer preserving season but I experience such cozy satisfaction once the days cool and it’s time to start using up what I’ve put up.

Now that my twins are a little older (they turned two in July), I’ve learned that the enjoyment that accompanies opening those jars has increased, because now I get to share it with them. Most Sunday mornings, the boys and I let Scott sleep in and we head to the kitchen to make pancakes. They aren’t much help with the cooking yet (but oh, how much they want to be!), but they are very able and enthusiastic eaters.

I make a point of always having pancake mix around, because if you have that, making pancakes is easy. When I have the time, I stir up a big batch using my dad’s recipe, portion it into Ball® Freezer Jars, and stash them in the freezer. If I can’t manage that, I buy a box from the grocery store. Both make perfectly good pancakes and that’s all I’m after.

Sammy and Declan get the first batch of pancakes that come off the griddle each time (toddlers have no patience). I spread them with low sugar jam or fruit butter (right now, we’re working our way through a jar of the Salted Caramel Pear Butter from @ballcanning that I made in late August), cut them into squares and scoot them off the cutting board and onto their high chair trays.

While they eat, I head back to the stove to make pancakes for Scott and me. I like to tuck bits of broken walnuts into mine, as they add texture and protein. Right now, the preserve I use to sweeten my stack is the Mixed Berry Jam I made in May. It’s sweet, tart, and is just so good on the pancakes. Scott skips the assorted jams and goes straight for the maple syrup jug (there’s a reason it’s a classic choice!).

It’s a meal that everyone loves and much like with canning, it brings me pleasure both in the making and the having. I hope that all my guys look forward to our Sunday morning pancakes and preserves for many years to come!

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.

* This article was originally published here