turkey feathers

Happy Indie Day

Yesterday, just for kicks, we took a ride on the Santa Maria Steam Train.   We sat in the big open car behind the engine with most of the other passengers--my ears are still ringing from the deafening blasts of the whistle.  Babies and small children quickly retreated to the inside cars after the first one!  I admit, it was a bit jarring.  Those whistle blasts can be heard for miles.  The train took us north, just past Cheadle Lake and through open fields bordered with woodlands on one side.  It was a lovely morning excursion under an overcast sky, just clickety-clacking along the old tracks, hair whipping in the wind.  A fun experience. 

Back at the home front, we've been watching LIV Golf and loving it.  It's a new dynamic golf sport (and apparently controversial by PGA standards), with a team concept that had its debut last month in London.  The teams gathered in Portland, Oregon this weekend at Pumpkin Ridge golf course for a 3-day competition that ended yesterday.  It's really great to see folks getting out and participating in all sorts of activities again. 

And speaking of that, it's time to get started on our July 4th BBQ.  

But first, I want to share my delicious VEGAN potato salad dressing recipe.  After trying a bunch of different dressings (made without dairy or eggs) I  discovered Tahini Garlic Sauce works great!  It doesn't soak into the potatoes like other substitutions tend to do.  Tahini  has about the same caloric count as mayo, so it's not necessarily low-fat, but it's delicious and creamy.  I mix in prepared mustard, onion powder, celery salt, garlic powder and about a tablespoon of dill pickle juice (vinegar) from the jar.  A few dollops is all you need, just enough to coat the potatoes.  You can also make your own tahini sauce, there are a number of recipes online--but this is the brand I buy from the store. 

Enjoy! 

Apple Pie in a Jar

If you've ever made homemade applesauce you know how wonderful it tastes.  Especially when eaten warm on a chilly day.  This is my daughter Grace's version of chunky applesauce we call apple pie in a jar.  Today's batch had the addition of pears.  Sometimes she adds cranberries.  Oh my, so good!  Besides eating as-is in a bowl or on the side with a meal, it also makes a quick and easy filling for petite pies and turnovers.  There are dozens of recipes and methods for making applesauce using a crockpot, or baking in a Dutch oven, or using an Insta-pot, etc...but Grace just uses a large stock-pot and cooks it up on the stove.   Filled canning jars are stored in the fridge for up to ten days, although it never seems to last that long!     

 

Pickles Pickles & More Pickles

It's that time again!  This is the third batch of garlic dills so far.  I'm running out of room on my pantry shelves, so this will be the last.   And in the nick of time as we just cracked open the very last jar from last summer. 

I used round 2.5" sticker labels; Avery #22830 with the template download from their website.

More PICKLE LOVE from the blog vault of memories:

Never A Dill Moment - 2008

Crunchy Garlic Dills (Recipe)

In A Pickle - 2010

Pickles & Pies - 2008

Jars of Joy

Golden Days Pesto & Pickles
   

Golden Days Pesto and Pickles

Hello Friends, just popping in for a quick 'howdy-do'.  We are in the middle of summer and for the most part, life is good here at home.  There is a sense of peace that the natural world provides and our garden is alive and vibrant and offering up its goodness.  Some for the senses and some for the soul.

And some for the teapot!  Chamomile is a calming companion.

Currently, we are pulling up the sweet basil.  And that means pesto!  Making many batches and freezing in plastic snack bags.  These bags are easy to store and handy when I need a bit of summer flavor.  I've previously shared my process here and the basic recipe here.  For peeling garlic I still find this very handy. 

When I can find it, I sometimes use elephant garlic.  

Grace's cucumbers are early and quite bountiful this year and that means it's pickle time too.  My Grandma's recipe for Crunchy Garlic Dills is the one I always use.  So I'm off to my "summer kitchen" to find some canning jars. 

Hope you are all doing well and staying safe and enjoying the gifts of nature this season in one form or another.  If you look, you'll see them all around, waiting to be discovered.  

May your summer days be golden!

NEWS FLASH UPDATE:  Grace has been busy at the doll house bakery! Her annual *Christmas in July* sale runs from the 24th through the 29th!  Short but SWEET.

Blue Skies & Blueberry Pies

Summer is the time to enjoy simple country pleasures and picking blueberries is something my daughters and I always look forward to.  Best done in the cool of the morning, preferably under fluffy clouds to shade the hot August sun, we don straw hats, tie on aprons and grab our baskets to fill. 

Look at this.  Filling our baskets did not take long!  In no time, we were headed back home with our bounty of blueberry goodness.  Blueberries generally don't have a lot of flavor until they're cooked or frozen.  So after freezing a bunch I threw together a cobbler.

Because of my past health issues, I'm still experimenting with vegan recipes and this cobbler turned out pretty good.  The ice cream (not vegan) is my husband's addition.  However, he declared the whole thing delicious, and I trust him as my number one official "taster", so here ya go--with or without the ice cream, my recipe for:

Vegan Blueberry Cobbler

Berries:

• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. sugar

Biscuit Topping:

• 1-1/4 cup flour 
• 1 teas. baking powder
• 1/2 teas. sea salt
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• pinch of cinnamon & nutmeg
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
  
• 1/2 teas. vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray non-stick oil into a deep 9-inch baking dish.  Add blueberries, lemon juice, sugar; toss to coat.
• In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, spice; mix well.
• Add the coconut milk and vanilla to the dry mixture; stir gently just until moistened.  Do not over mix or it can become doughy.
  
• Pour the thick batter over the top of the blueberries; use the back of a fork to even it out--leave some blueberries exposed around the edges.  Sprinkle a little granulated sugar over the top. (optional)

• Bake for 35 mins. or until biscuit topping is golden brown and berries are bubbling.
  
• Remove from the oven, let cool about 20 min.  The juices will thicken a little as it cools.  Spoon out into bowls while warm.  YUM!

And over here in my dollhouse kitchen . . .  another basket of blueberries and more pies in the making.  The miniature flour sacks and baking ingredients are NEW items from The Dainty House .  There's a *free sample pattern* on Grace's blog--and a link to her PDF pattern for the entire DELUXE DOLLHOUSE BAKING SET of 22 baking supplies.  Each item is quite realistic and a nice addition to all her tiny baked goods.  Perfect for doll house bakeries, kitchens and diorama displays in 1:12 scale.  Just print, cut and glue.  Good, easy fun!

Now for a picnic!

Berry Good

I do LOVE a good strawberry!

And the more the merrier, I say!  With help from my two lovely daughters yesterday, we already have a dozen jars of jammy strawberry goodness for the pantry shelves, plus a wee bit more for our toast and tea today.  So good.  We made two batches.  This is the recipe we used:

Strawberry Jam

Yields: 6-7 (8 oz. jelly jars)

Directions:

Into a tall stainless-steel stockpot add:

8 cups crushed or sliced strawberries
2 cups granulated sugar

Combine in a small bowl and set aside:

1-1/2 T. agar agar powder
1 T. granulated sugar
1 teas. citric acid powder

Bring strawberries and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Gradually sprinkle in the agar mixture a little at a time,
stirring constantly so it doesn’t lump.

Boil rapidly for 3 minutes--keep stirring!

Remove from heat and pour jam into hot sterilized jars.

Jam will be runny, but will set-up as it cools. 

If you are looking for a natural low-sugar alternative, try my recipe using xylitol.

Happy Summer!

 

 

November Flash

November is off to a busy start!  I'm going in all directions.  Happily so.  But at times, I feel like I can't catch my breath.  I'm reminded of the words spoken by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."  That just about sums it up I guess.  It's that enthusiasm that keeps me up and running and spinning in dizzy circles.  Three cheers for enthusiasm!  Hip hip hurray!  Enthusiasm is key.

And speaking of enthusiasm . . this week, I received a wonderful HUGE box of vintage embroidery patterns.  They were generously donated to the PatternBee archive and online vintage embroidery shop, by a sweet and generous lady from Arizona who just wanted to make sure they got a good home.  And did they ever!  They are all right at home on my desk, in that little room at the back of my house we call 'PatternBee Headquarters'.

I'm taking my time and carefully sorting through all these amazing works of art.  Some are so brittle from age that I'm afraid to open them.  Like really, really old Walker's, before they were Walker's dating them at least 75 years old!  Found some other gems too that I hadn't seen before.  The plan is to repair and reprint some of these after the holidays. 

Actually, I haven't been adding as many new patterns to the site these past months because of all the other projects I've taken on.  But I still try and do at least one "new" pattern each month.  This month, it was Peasant Folk Dancers.

Just look how cute they are!  Kicking up their heels and all.  I can almost hear the lively fiddles and the old kitchen spoons clicking and clacking keeping time. 

Moving into the kitchen . . . I promised to share the recipe for the gingerbread cookies in the last post and here it is.  I'm not surprised.

The girls often make treats from this special cookie edition of Everyday Food and it's where they found the gingerbread cookie recipe they like the best.   This is a few years old now, but they return to it again and again.  You know a recipe book is good when it's dog-eared and spattered with ingredients, right? 

Well, that's what we've got here folks.  A well-worn, tried and true, family favorite.  I hope you can read it to copy down if you need to.  If you click on it, you might be able to print it out.  They made the icing with powdered sugar thinned with water and a few drops of Watkins natural food coloring. 

Enjoy!

September Salutations

 

I'm loving the artwork on this calendar with each turn of the page!  If the months of the year were assigned a color, I would definitely choose red for September.  With baskets of red apples, burnished autumn leaves and brilliant Oriental Poppies, it just seems right somehow. 

My daughters did all the planting and tending the garden again this year.  Grace manages the edibles and Ginger fills the hanging baskets and flower beds.  They make a good team.  The dynamic duo. 

These lovely small Zinnia's tend to bloom in late August/early September (here in Zone 8), signaling that summer is drawing to a close.  And right on schedule, I do sense that familiar fall nip in the air.  Sigh.

Even the bumblebees are slowing down and sleeping on the job.  What a great place for a nap!

I've been visiting the garden a little more frequently, not quite ready to say goodbye to all this yummy goodness. And speaking of yummy goodness...it's about time we harvest this basil.  And make pesto to freeze for the winter.

There's a certain way I like to do this to preserve as much goodness as I can for as long as possible and in 2005, I wrote a little bit about my process on the blog here and here.  That was over ten years ago.  (Ahem).  

However, since then, I've had to make modifications to my diet and to my recipe as I am trying to cut way down on fats and oils.  Anyone who has tried to do this knows the challenge of finding tasty workable substitutions.

How in the world do you make pesto without olive oil? I wondered.   

Well.  I looked around and discovered "elephant garlic".  It (very conveniently) arrives on the scene this time of year, and works rather well for this purpose.  I do like to add a few regular garlic cloves for flavor though, as it is not a true "garlic" and is rather mild, being in the leek family.  But after it's baked, it becomes the consistency of butter and can be used in a variety of ways in place of butter.  Or olive oil in this case.

To prepare, separate the sections leaving the skin on.  Cut off the tip of each clove--this makes the contents easier to remove later.  Put the garlic and leek cloves in a small baking dish lined with parchment paper, add a tablespoon or so of water; cover and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour at 325 degrees.  I use my toaster oven for this and set the timer.  Then, I get ready for my kitchen to smell wonderful! 

Always allow everything to cool completely before handling.  Sometimes I bake the garlic a day or so ahead of time and store it in the fridge until I'm ready for it.  This makes for one less step on pesto-making day.  Use a garlic press or fork to remove the skins.  Add the roasted garlic directly into the food processor bowl with all the other ingredients (basil, lemon juice, pine nuts, sea salt) and blend everything together at the same time, until well combined into a pesto-sauce consistency.  I'm sorry I don't have exact measurements for this, but the oil to (roasted) elephant garlic ratio is about 1T. oil equal to 2T. roasted e.g.  Start there and just add more if needed.  One large head of elephant garlic will yield about 3-4 T. after baking.  More or less depending on its size.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.  Wishing you all a Happy Labor Day from my kitchen!  

 

Strawberry Jam Season

It's that time again...yum! 

Snips & Snaps

Hello friends!

The weather has been the talk of the town this week here in the Pacific Northwest, with wind, sleet, snow and ice and temperatures dropping down into the teens during the night.  Schools have closed.  Roads are treacherous.  The mailbox was frozen shut!  (LOL)

Currently, we are huddled in the kitchen wrapped in the warmth of our Christmas cookie baking, trying not to dwell (or look upon) the carnage that is happening just outside the window, as every so often, we hear a twisting shriek as another tree branch breaks off (somewhere), and falls to the ground with a thud.  Oh dear. 

 

We would much rather hear the snap and crunch of cookies being eaten.  Yes, indeed. These merry men and maidens await their sugarplum finery.  The girls make quick work with their icing bags.

Can you spot Prancer? 

My holiday checklist is nearly complete!  The Tree is up.  Christmas cards and letters have been signed, sealed and delivered.  I have most of my Christmas shopping done; having fun with the wrappings.  Those cute dotty gift bags are from Current.  Adorable sticker labels by petite alma (purchased thru Amazon).

Besides all this loot under-wraps, the knitting needles are clicking, the needle and thread are flying, the glue is drying--and it's all very hush-hush as we hustle and bustle to get everything done. 

I dare say, we must keep up our strength.  Which sometimes requires, Second Breakfast!  (It's a nice Hobbity sort of thing.)  After all, being homebound and hunkering due to bad weather, and shuffling comfortably around all day in one's slippers can easily lead to a wee tea, before noontime.  You know, to keep fortified.     

Fortunately, I have just the thing for that.  My tea of choice:  'Spiced Christmas' from the Family Tea Merchants, Taylors of Harrogate, based in the North Yorkshire Dales (of England), established in 1886.  This tea, I think, has just the right mix of black tea leaves, lemon, orange, and cinnamon without overpowering.  (This is an import available through our local food co-op, so I don't have a link, but there are shops and websites that carry it in the U.S. as well.)  Honestly, I don't get paid to endorse any brand or product, but merely share the things I love. 

As for the munchables...second breakfast may be many things from biscuits (aka: cookies) to mushrooms.  Since the latter are abundant right now, and high in Vitamin D, which is harder to get as the days grow shorter, mushrooms it is!  Here's how I make mine:

And that's all there is to it! 

Sweet Things

Our kitchen has been a bustle of activity the past few days.  The girls have been busy with their holiday baking.  They've had their heads together, pouring over all our many, many  holiday baking books for inspiration and ideas.  They have a long list of yummy things they plan to make.  They do keep it all rather traditional though, so things move along at an even pace.  I just take the list, provide the ingredients, step back and let them have at it.  So far they've made gingerbread cookies and sugar cookie cut-outs.  Banana bread is baking now.  Oh, it all smells sooo good.  I think blueberry scones and snowballs are next on the list.  They have me down for fudge and pan shortbread.  I think I can manage that.  The Mister is our official taste-tester.  And it's also his job to make sure there's a good supply of Christmas music playing in the background.  Got all my gift wrapping done.  Kicking back a little, taking it all in.

Company is coming, so I will take this time to wish everyone a wonderful holiday, a very Merry Christmas full of warmth and cheer, sugar plum dreams, safe travels and lots of sweet things.

  

 

Hungry for Chocolate

I love these Jas.Townsend & Son videos.  Ivy and her Dad, John, make a pretty good baking team, don't they?  Just adorable.  I recently discovered that, authentic period costume patterns are now available on their website; I was perusing them here. 

We too have been in the kitchen a lot these past few days, making soup, and bread, cookies and scones.  The modern way, but just as fun.  I think the "kitchen hearth" is the best place to gather together, and lately, to huddle for warmth.  Especially now, as it's been so very cold here, barely 24 degrees this morning.  Br-r-r-r.  That traditional fire and coal oven (used in the video) looks absolutely wonderful.  If I could figure out how to knock out a wall and install one, I certainly would. 

Thanksgiving is coming up!

But, before we bake that pumpkin pie, we need to bake a birthday cake first. And since chocolate seems to be the order of the day, chocolate it must be.

More Tomato Talk

I can't believe we are still harvesting tomatoes.  Everything else in the garden is pretty much done except for a few beets, and a bit of celery and parsley.  But the tomatoes are going strong.  It will be fun to see how long we can keep them going inside the greenhouse.

After canning many jars of chopped tomatoes, I have been making "sun-dried" tomatoes in my trusty tried-and-true Ronco dehyrator.  I've had this unit since the Mister and I were married over thirty years ago.  It's awesome for drying and preserving all kinds of things.  Dried tomatoes can be kept in jars for up to a year before they begin to lose nutrients and flavor, but they rarely last that long in our house.  We've already been using these in our pasta dishes.  If you want to learn more about drying tomatoes, this site has lots of good information.   

Crockpot marinara sauce was also in the works, with thyme and rosemary picked fresh from the herb garden outside my kitchen door.  So good.    

There's nothing quite like homemade sauce (or soup) simmering in the kettle to turn a cold, gray day cozy.  My modern-day "kettle" is a crockpot.  It does all the work.  I just toss ingredients in and by days end, we have a nice nourshing meal and usually leftovers to reheat for a hot lunch the next day. 

Of course, cold lunch is good too.

Hot and cold--even better!  (Homemade creamy mushroom soup...yum.)

I'll be back soon with an update on the stitching side of things and will show a little more progress I'm making on the Scottie quilt. Me-oh-My, is it really November already?   

A Peck of Pickles

It's that time again, when the garden kicks into high gear and sends forth her bounty.  I'm making small batches of pickles in very large jars, which really makes the most sense, all things considered.  And, I am thinking we must have a big refridgerator "pickle barrel" again this year.  It's one of the easiest ways I know of to make pickles. 

Better get on with it then!  Tying on my apron now and stepping back into the kitchen. 

For my pickle recipes, relish, pickle barrel, and more pickle talk, use the search box (in the side bar) to find them.  Just type in pickle, and they should come up.

With Merry Measure

My it does seem that this year went by fast, and that we were just packing up all this and here we are again.  Our kitchen is bustling with activity.  The Christmas decorating and baking has begun.  The girls and I are making and mixing and wrapping up a storm.  I've shared some of our favorite seasonal recipes on the blog already; here's a quick list if you want to check them out again. 

Cranberry Tarts

Almond Butter Cups

Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

Crunchy Maple Corn

Blackberry Jam Tarts

Quiche Brunch Cups

Pumpkin Cranberry Ring 

 You can also click on the category Someone's In the Kitchen for a bunch more cooking and baking info (and inspiration) as well.  And speaking of inspiration...look who's back with another wonderful dish perfect for the holiday season.  You are going to LOVE this! And I just discovered their blog: Savoring The Past with all the recipes, and baking and cooking videos.  I'm dying to try this recipe for puff pastry.  Here's the website for 18th century supplies.

 

 

18th Century Cooking & Gingerbread

Thanksgiving is early this year and nearly upon us.  We've been busy gathering things for the table, cleaning house, and making lists.  Tomorrow I will venture out to shop for some last minute items.  It's been raining for days on end here.  The wind is whipping up and bringing all the leaves down.  I feel like a captive watching from the kitchen window as lawn chairs go sailing past.  And other four-legged visitors! 

I started watching these cooking videos from Jas. Townsend & Son about six months ago and love them.  These fine folks have been producing this awesome video series for a few years and this is the first one of  the 3rd season, featuring a standing paste pie crust made from an 18th century recipe, authentically prepared and baked.  Watch and be amazed!     

 And my favorite for making gingerbread. 

The series can also be found on  YouTube HERE.  Enjoy!

Well, that's all I've got time for friends.  Wishing each and every one of you a most wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Seeing RED

 

Sometimes the best days are the days when nothing much happens, allowing us time to just notice, what is.

There's been a nip in the air this past week, but nothing too dramatic, so I was caught by surprise when I saw this little hint of fall foliage today.  And just the one red leaf. Hanging there, quivering in the wind and waving as I passed by. Catching my eye. A small harbinger of autumn, which apparently may be arriving sooner than we think.  It's hard to know. 

The weather just keeps us guessing.  It was mostly misty and mild with a warm day thrown in once in awhile to remind us it was summer.  Which is good for the gardener, but not the garden.  I can only hope my tomatoes follow suit and turn this same bright shade of RED.

I won't hold my breath though.  I know better.  Alas, no ripe-red harvest to crow about here in Zone 8--but basil we do have.  Hurrah!  And that means it's time to make PESTO.

Here's the recipe I always use:

BASIL PESTO

Makes about 1-1/2 cups; enough to freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.   Do all the prep work before you place the following ingredients into a food processor:

1 whole garlic;  crush cloves, peel and coarsely chop 

1 cup of pine nuts; lightly pan roasted with 1 T. olive oil and the garlic.  Set aside to cool.

2 big bunches fresh basil; rinse, pat dry, remove stems and flowers.  You should have about 8 cups of fresh leaves.

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*Add 1 cup grated Parmesan; if you plan to use pesto fresh.  Leave out the cheese if you freeze it and add it to the thawed pesto later.

To prepare:  Put the basil leaves into the food processor bowl and coarse chop.  Add the pine nuts and garlic.  With the processor running, drizzle the olive oil slowly into the feed shoot until you have the consistency desired.  That's it!

To store:  Keep in fridge and use within a week.  For longer storage, I like to make little individual packets.  Spoon  the mixture into Ziploc snack bags (about 2 T. in each one).  Then gently squeeze out the air, close the seal and smooth the pesto out evenly and flat so it fills all the corners.  Place the bags on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Then store them all in a plastic freezer container or a large freezer bag.   It will keep for a year or longer.

To use:  Remove pesto from the bag while it is still frozen so it all comes out in one nice clean piece.  No mess, no waste.  You can  also just break off a piece if you only need a small amount for flavoring vegetables; say mashed potatoes, for instance.  (You will not believe how good that is! )

*Combine the thawed pesto with pasta and any hard fresh grated cheeses, like Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano.

Try this too:  Add a teaspoon of pesto to a basic oil and vinegar salad dressing to give it extra zing.  Mixed with cream cheese or goat cheese it makes a wonderful spread on crackers and bread; easy to throw together when company calls unexpectedly.  

Bygone Days

 

The deck reconstruction continues. Only one broken window so far. (sigh) Nothing is ever easy. The crew arrived bright and early this morning to get a jump on the heat. It's been slowly heating up here, finally a little summer weather. All or nothing so it seems. Weather forecasters say it may reach up to 106 degrees tomorrow. Might even have to get out some bed-sheets again like last time.  Lord, let's hope not.

Unrelated:  I've been watching this awesome Victorian garden and kitchen series that ran on the BBC during the 1980's.  The episodes were released in the UK on DVD in 2006.  Had never seen it before, I'm not even sure it ran in the U.S.  Every detail is utterly fascinating.  I've honestly been staying up late every night for a week now watching these.  I can't stop!  The "old ways" of doing things are so interesting.  Life moves at a much slower pace.  Makes me truly appreciate all our modern conveniences even though cooking on a wood stove seems appealing. In this setting anyway. And on cooler days.   

The authentic Victorian "wall-garden" is another focus and is transformed during the course of the series.  They discovered those high brick walls originally created for aesthetics, created a micro-climate which extended the growing seasons.  Good to know!

Afterglow

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and I can confidently say that we did our best to make some happy and lasting memories.  Everyone had a fine time.  We missed our little love, Lily, curled up under the tree though.  It was quite sad to not see her there.  Or napping in the wrapping.  As she loved to do.  And, I didn't mention this before but Marshy, our dear little hampster pal died two months ago of "old age", which is not very long in people years.  What's funny is, last Christmas, when both pets were still with us, the Mister and I went to a vintage mall in the next town to poke around and we found these two adorable ornaments.  Both handmade, and old.  I immediately thought of Lily, when I saw the white kitty on a cloud.  On closer inspection, I realized she was made out of a painted walnut and a chestnut!  We brought them home, wrapped them up and gave them to the girls to remember their pets by.  Little did we know then that they would lose both pets this year, and how special these little ornaments would become.  To all of us.   

 

 

There was also baking! 

 

All this and more...

. . .went into decorated cookie boxes tied up with peppermint bows for special friends and family.  

These are some of the candies the girls made for their dad. They counted 96 candies when all was said and done.  Enough to last 'til his birthday in April.  But I wouldn't count on it.  They are really GOOD!

There was a lot of crafting and paper rustling going on behind closed doors these past weeks.  These two colorful gifts were for my granddaughters from their Aunties.  Grace knitted sweet little hats for both her neices; Ginger made the cute flower hair clips.  Not only are they wearable, but make pretty package toppers too. 

 Time out for cookies and coffee.

That's it in a nutshell for another year! 

Sweetness & Light

Hello friends, have you had a good week?  It seemed to whiz by, didn't it?  Whoosh.  And here we are on the threshold of the BIG day.  We have been zipping around the house getting everything ready for Christmas. Mostly just checking off all the little details that add up to running a smooth ship.

Right now, the girls are busy in the kitchen whipping up some goodies for their dad. As I've blogged before, he has a sweet tooth.  He's one of those rare and lucky people who can eat whatever he wants and never gains an ounce.  So we indulge him. 

However.  He is very particular about what sweets he will eat.  So every year, the girls go all out and buy only the very best organic ingredients just to please him.  They make assorted chocolates, truffles, nut clusters, bon bons, and peanut butter cups.  These are lovingly and carefully packed into cello candy bags with cute handwritten labels, then hidden inside empty ice cream containers in the freezer until they are ready to spring their surprise.  The candies usually last until spring and are very much enjoyed and appreciated throughout the gray winter months.  A side benefit is, Pops always shares his candy with us!

Today, the sun is shining!  Just look how bright my kitchen is.  Very strange for this time of year.  But I'll take winter sunshine over freezing rain anytime.  Ginger, my youngest daughter, is modeling an apron I made.  I forgot all about it until she pulled it out and slipped it on. 

I'm surprised she has grown to fit into my apron.  "Oh, this is perfect for candy making", I tell her.  "The dark color will surely hide any chocolate splatters, right?" (She giggles.) 

It's made from this pattern, with the addition of a purchased lace collar and with button tabs instead of ties at the sides.  We love big pockets.

But back to the subject of candy.  This darling book just arrived.  The timing could not have been better!  After I reviewed the Christmas Cookie Book, a blog reader (thanks deb h), mentioned The Holiday Candy Book by the same author.  Wasting no time, I found a used copy on-line and snapped it up for a song. It's a little time worn but that just adds to the charm.  How cute is this cover? I love it. The end papers are just as sweet too.  (No pun intended.) 

The very first chapter in the book is titled: Candy is Fun.  Golly, what's not to love here? To paraphrase; "There is no holiday that is not enhanced by candy and if it isn't a holiday, candy will make it one."  This is definitely the case at our house.

Before I slip away with my new book, I want to thank everyone who took the time to stop by and enter the My Memories Give-Away.  My finished photo albums arrived yesterday and I couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out.  Even better than I expected!  So.  Without further ado, I believe it's time to announce a winner.  Are you ready?  OK. Reaching into the bonnet, we have a name.  The  My Memories digital scrap-booking software goes to Lena! Congratulations Sweetie!  (I'll be sending you an email with a coupon code to download the software ASAP.)  I know you are going to LOVE it. 

And to everyone else, thank you for stopping in here and sharing your thoughts and stories when I know you must have lots to do.  I enjoy hearing from you all out there and sincerely hope your holidays are merry & bright and full of good cheer where ever you are. 

Now it's time for me to get back to the cookie baking and merry making.  I'll be back soon with more fun and games.  Until then . . .

  Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! 

Chillin'

It's not yet officially winter, but it seems to have arrived early here.  It's 26 degrees right now and has barely reached above freezing for days now. The natural world outside my window is a misty sugar-sprinkled wonderland.  The field behind my house white with frost.  Just looking out there makes me want to wrap a shawl around my shivering shoulders.  But that's not all that's chillin' round here.  Nope.  We've got our eye on pie.

But anything will do really, just to have the oven on.  The aroma of apples and cinnamon makes it all the nicer. 

The girls and I have been busy with lots of things--and not just pie.  All our various little enterprises keep us bustling about.  Bustling about  is ideal when it's cold outside.  And also if you plan to eat pie.  Often.  As we do. 

As for our little patty pies here, we just used a plain old apple pie recipe and tossed in a handful of fresh cranberries to lend a festive flair.  No top crust here, the pastry will be folded over the filling and left open in the middle.  Makes an easy little pie for breakfast on Christmas morning.  Or anytime!  Like now.

 

Jewels of Autumn

 
Leaves are drifting down, and those much anticipated fall colors are slowly starting to appear, along with the wild rosehips that emerge bright red and orange from unexpected places, punctuating these gray, foggy, drippy days.  Oh how lovely they are!

 

All along the backroads, I spy them in fields, intermingled with blackberry bramble and tumbledown fences, or climbing up fir trees like this one.  Not exactly easy pickings, which is why, until recently, I didn't venture far to do anything with them.  But this bush was growing alongside the road to my house.  I've passed it by many times on my walks to and fro up the hill and through the woods. 

 
I decided to pick just a few but ended up with helpers, and a basketfull!  That part was easy enough.  But rosehips have a reputation. For one thing, they are covered with fine prickly hairs that can irritate your skin and make you itch like mad if you aren't careful.  I even read somewhere that the hairs are used to make itching powder.  Itching powder?  That sounds useful.  I wore these rubberized garden gloves to pick and wash them and only had a few twitches of imaginary itching. 

 
In case you don't know...rosehips are the fruit of the rose that emerges after the blossoms drop off, much like any other food plant.  Wild varieties are said to have the best flavor and are less likely to have been sprayed with poison.  (Don't pick and eat any that have been sprayed.) I picked the "dog rose" type with small, tear-drop shaped hips. Rosehips can be used in a variety of ways.  I decided to try two methods of preserving them.

 
Initially, I thought I'd make a jam--but soon realized that was going to require some work because you have to remove the tiny seeds and there's no easy or quick way to do this.  There are many more "itchy hairs" inside the pips as well, making the whole affair a rather tedious, worrisome process.  After about an hour of fiddling and fretting with only a few to show for all the effort, I just chucked them whole into a saucepot, added lemon juice, some sugar mixed with agar, and boiled them for about 20 minutes until the mixture began to thicken.  To strain the jelly, my old-fahioned potato ricer came in handy.  This is actually one of my favorite kitchen tools!  Quite useful for many things. (There is an updated stainless steel version here.) 

 
As for the remaining hips, they went into the foot dehydrator for a few days.  Oh, how easy that was!

 
After all that, we have exactly *one* gorgeous rosy jar of rosehips jelly, and I'm guarding it with my life!  No peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches for you, no sireee.  Rather scones and crumpets seem more in order here.   And maybe a fancy gingham paper hat!  Are these darling or what? 

Sweet Success

My very first experience making sweet pickle relish turned out to be so easy and delicious, that I have to wonder why I never made it before.  After researching a few recipes in my old cookbooks and online, I decided to try a basic relish.  If you've never made it, here's a quick rundown, proving how simple it is.  First, gather about 4 lbs. of large pickling cucumbers, plus two green and one red bell peppers, and a sweet onion.  (Peels are left on cucumbers; core peppers, and peel onion--do a rough chop.)  Add all to food processor and pulse-chop fine--but be careful not to turn it into "mush".  I did this in two batches.  Pour vegetable mixture into a large stainless steel bowl with 1/2 cup of kosher pickling salt ( I use Diamond brand) and  cover with boiling water.  Let mixture soak for 1 to 2 hours.  Later, in a large stainless steel soup pot I added: 2 cups of apple cider vinegar, 5 cups of raw organic sugar, 1 tsp. mustard seeds, 1 T. of  cornstarch, and 1 tsp. tumeric for that lovely golden color.  This is simmered and stirred until the sugar dissolves completely.  Drain cucumber mixture, rinse once and drain again.  Add it to the pot and bring back to a boil.  Cook down for about an hour. Wash and sterilize six 1/2-pint jars during that time.  I just used ordinary jam jars for this in order to process the relish for long-term storage.  (Processing time varies according to your altitude--check with your local food extension service for canning specifics.)  Small batches will keep just fine in the fridge for several weeks without processing though. 

That's it! But I didn't stop there. . .

 

 

 After the success with the sweet relish, and the discovery of many more dainty cucumbers hanging on the vines--I went on to make 'Bread & Butter' pickles the next day.  This was basically the same simple process, with a twist.  The sliced cucumbers and onions soak in an icy salt-water bath for two hours, instead of a hot one.  A sweet and spicy brine is heated up, made with vinegar, sugar, tumeric, mustard seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, celery seeds, whole allspice berries, whole cloves, and a cinnamon stick.  After soaking, the cucumbers and onions are drained, rinsed, and added to the pot.  The mixture is brought back to a boil; then hot sterilized jars are packed with a slotted spoon, and the spicy syrup is poured over the top. Jars are sealed and processed as usual, or may be stored in the fridge for up to a few weeks without processing. 

Marionberries!

 
Under gray northwestern skies yesterday...we found Marionberries at the Red Barn Berry Farm just a few miles up the road.  Oh boy, did we find them, acres and acres of them! 

 
Lovely picking . . .and munching . . .the taste of sweet sunshine on the vine.

 
Back home. . . more munching--with cream and sugar. 

And the jam-making continues. . . 

 

Berry Bliss

I've been out of town, visiting the high desert on the eastern side of the rugged Oregon Cascades.  Just about this same time yesterday, on my travels back home, I was having lunch at the old lodge overlooking Odell Lake and daydreaming in the sunshine.   (I'll try and show a few pictures of our escapades later in the week.)  Back home, I am met with a cold, gray drizzle; perfect strawberry-picking and jam-making weather actually, and I can't wait to get started.  Using this low-sugar recipe:  

 

Low-Sugar Berry Jam

 

4 cups mashed fresh ripe strawberries, blackberries, or Marionberries 

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup xylitol 

2 tablespoons agar agar powder 

 

DIRECTIONS

1.  Wash and hull strawberries; place them in a large heavy-bottom pot.  Crush berries with a potato masher.  Add lemon juice and sugar and mix together.  Heat to dissolve sugar.

2.  Sprinkle agar agar powder into liquid and boil rapidly for 3 full minutes, stirring constantly, to activate the gelling action. 

3.  Remove from heat and ladle jam into hot sterilized jars. (Always follow proper canning procedures.)  Jam will be loose, but will set-up as it cools. 

 

YIELDS: 3 to 4 eight-ounce jelly jars.

 

NOTES:  

Agar Agar is a vegan gelling agent derived from seaweed and is 100% natural.  How to use Agar Agar.  It comes in a powder form that's tasteless and odorless, and is available at various places online and Asian markets.  (Our local food co-op stocks it, that's where I purchase mine.) 

Xylitol is an all natural sweetener derived from trees (think crystallized maple syrup), which I also purchase in bulk.  (It has many excellent health benefits--you can read more about that here.) 

What are Marionberries?

 

 The pantry shelves are filling up again! 

Queen of Tarts

 
By the time these came out of the oven, what little light there was had gone, so pix aren't too good.  But you get the idea:  YUM!  Once in awhile I try and make something unexpected and special, and cranberry tarts were the highlight last night.  I discovered a new way to do the crust which made these super quick to put together.  Instead of rolling out the pastry, just pinch off bits and smoosh them into the tart dishes and up the sides to create the pie shell.  (Of course, you can also use frozen pastry if you like.)  The filling is cooked first, so it only takes about 15-20 minutes to bake these off. 

Cranberry Tarts

Pastry:  Put 1-1/2 cups flour (I use spelt); 1/2 tsp. salt, 2/3 cup vegetable shortening in food processor; pulse a few times until it becomes coarse like cornmeal.   Pulse and dribble in 3 to 4 Tablespoons ice water just until dough gathers and cleans the bowl.   *Don't over process as this will harden the dough.  Fill tart dishes with small bits (about a teaspoonfull at a time) pressing into the dish and smoothing out as you go.  Reserve about 1/4 cup for topping.  Poke holes in the bottom crust with a fork; chill tart shells on a foil-lined cookie sheet while you make the filling. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Pie Filling:  In a medium-size heavy saucepan--whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, 3 T. flour, and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Add 1/2 cup cold water, whisk until smooth.  Stir in 2 cups whole fresh cranberries and bring to a boil.  Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until  mixtures thickens.  Remove from heat; add 1 T. butter and 1 T. of fresh lemon juice.  Cool 5 minutes while you make the topping.

Topping:  Add 1 T. flour + 1 T. sugar + 1/2 tsp. cinnamon to the remaining dough mixture.  Return to food processor and pulse a few times until mixture becomes coarse enough to "sprinkle" evenly.

Fill tart shells with slightly cooled pie filling; add topping.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until crust is golden and pie filling bubbles. 

Serve warm on a winter's eve.

Enjoy!

And then there was PIE

 
Oh mY...this pie!  A lovely contribution to our Thanksgiving table compliments of our youngest daughter (who incidentally just happens to be turning 13 today).  Apparently we have another talent in the kitchen, as well as another teenager in the house.  Older sister is baking one of her fabulous "specialty" cakes today in honor of the occasion, per her request.  And that means more good aromas will fill the house today.  I'm telling ya, this kitchen has been a buzzing with activity all week--happily so, and with more gratitude than you know. 

In fact, our kitchen sink turned out to be one of the things we were most thankful for (besides our family and friends, health, blessings, etc. etc.)  Because...Wednesday morning, we woke up to find the sinks full of disgusting brown water!  The main line clogged (we think) due to a frozen pipe under the house.  A frantic emergency call went out immediately to the plumber, and we prayed that he would show.  Due to the below-freezing temperatures we've had here in the northwest, more problems with plumbing and heating naturally arise--so repairmen are always in high demand.  And being the day before Thanksgiving, I was more than a bit nervous.  But for once he showed up right away, and after sawing through pipes under my sink and crawling under the house for about an hour, he had the problem whipped and we were back in action.   So yes, thankful!

 

Making this possible.  More thankfullness.  Who wouldn't be grateful for PIE, right? But enough pie talk for now, because . . . 

         
 . . . for my readers here, we have a *PatternBee Special* starting NOW through Sunday:  I'll be including a FREE PDF Christmas Assortment #2006  pattern with any order.  Please do not add it to your cart.  ALL orders will automatically receive the free download. 

NOTE:  This is a PDF pattern that will be emailed to you, that you print out at home.  You need a PDF reader (like this) to open the document so it can be printed. 

Now, go tell a friend!                                                     

Sweet Tooth

I've been making "Almond Butter Cups" for the man of the house.  He has a sweet tooth, but avoids eating anything that contains artificial ingredients.  As the saying goes...Necessity is the Mother of Invention, so here's my take on the traditional peanut butter cup, using all organic ingredients and almonds instead.  I start by s-l-o-w-l-y melting 3/4 cup chocolate chips + 2 T. vegetable shortening over a double-boiler.  While chocolate is melting, combine in a small bowl:  1/3 cup almond butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  Set aside.

I like to use the foil paper-lined candy cups.  Mini muffin tins work great for this too and help these keep their shape while setting-up in the fridge.  To assemble, use the tip of a regular teaspoon, and put about a half a teaspoon or so of melted chocolate in each of the candy cups, filling about 1/3.  Add a tiny dollop of the sweetened almond butter, filling to 2/3.  Top off with more chocolate, and a nut.  (I use sprouted almonds.)  Makes about 2 dozen.  These little candy morsels are best when devoured at room temperature the next day after the flavors mingle.  The hardest part of all this, of course, is the waiting.

Backyard Bounty

 
Little by little, the days are growing cooler and the "frost is on the pumpkin" again.  Time to gather up the remaining spoils from the garden. 

 

Over the weekend, the girls and I had an assembly line going as we canned the last of the Roma's.  The pantry shelves are really bulging now!

 

My kitchen windowsill is a busy place.  A prime location for soaking up some sunshine.

 
There was a beautiful rainbow over this scene late in the day, but by the time I stopped gazing from the backdoor and went for my camera it had faded.  This particular family of deer visit regularly and keep the dandelions (and other weeds) in check.  They are getting their dark brown winter coats now, a sign that cold weather isn't far off . . . 

Jars of Joy

In the lull between blog posts the canning continues with . . . 
Last week, I put up the last of the pickles.  I'm sure some of you are only too glad to hear this, as I ramble on way too much about pickles!  What can I say?  I love them!  Here they are ready to go into their steam bath.  I hope and pray the pantry shelves hold up under the weight of so many jars.  Having eaten all the pickles from last year's garden it shouldn't be a problem for too long though.  We are already counting the days when these will be ready.  Think: Thanksgiving!  I'm fairly sure our Thanksgiving prayers will include...pickles.  :o)

 
And here's the result of what began as a tiny seed under a gro-lite back in February.  We were standing around in the kitchen marveling over that very fact yesterday.  With my hair up and my apron on, and with both daughters helping, we managed to pack and process six pint jars in under two hours.  If you've ever done this, you know there are many steps in the process, each one important and necessary, and as we worked through each one our appreciation grew for our great-grandmothers who had none of the conveniences and many more challenges.  The one thing we have in common though, is the satisfaction of seeing the end result. 

It is certainly easier with three pairs of hands and I'm always grateful to have such cheerful participation.  If the weather holds another week, we may have one more batch of tomato goodness before it's time to put the garden to bed and pick up where I left off on a few other projects. 

Cute labels from Cath Kidston found here.   

Updated 10/4 to add:  I just got word that Cath Kidston has a new US online store!  That means everything is calculated in dollars and shipping rates are localized.  Check it out over here.

 

Good Grips

 
Yes, so the French cooking continues here and that means lots of GARLIC.  I love garlic, but peeling it is such a chore sometimes, which is why I am SO excited about this garlic peeler.  

Maybe some of you have already discovered this little gem, but it was new to me and I'm still reeling over how ingenious it is.  You just roll a clove of garlic inside this rubber tube a few times, and it removes the skin completely---in about three seconds.  That's right.  It completely peels the clove in seconds.  The first time I did this, I actually jumped back and gasped!  I couldn't believe it.  It worked so well, that I decided to peel two whole heads of garlic while I was at it for convenience sake.  My hand was tired after all that rolling, but I had weeks worth of garlic ready and waiting, which I stored in this covered glass dish inside the fridge.  So worth it in the end; as a huge time saver.   You do need to rinse the skins out of the plastic tube every so often otherwise it loses its friction power, but other than that, I couldn't find anything wrong with it.  Oh, and it comes in a cute little case for storing too. Found it on-line here. 

And thanks everybody for the cookbook suggestions, I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for them.  (no pun intended!)

Dainty Food

Although I haven't made much noise on ye olde blog lately, I have been getting tons of stuff accomplished on the other side of it.  Mostly projects and things I'd put aside during the holidays.  The current book I'm writing/creating is already over 150 pages!  So, a little editing is in order I think.  In between, I've been doing some "fancy" cooking and baking.  I made these cute "Brunch Cups" again recently.  They're fun for small gatherings and tea time.  I blogged about them way back here.  They can be made ahead and frozen too--for impromptu moments.  Can you tell I've been engrossed in cookbooks?  I love reading cookbooks.  They are the most homey cozy companions--especially on dark winter days.  And there are so many good ones.  Do you have a favorite?  These are nearby at the moment:  French Farmhouse Cookbook, Chez Nous, The French Cuisine of Your Choice, and a new copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a present from the Mister, which I'm finding inspiring all over again.  (My Mom had the original copy long ago that she used in conjunction with the PBS series starring Julia Child herself.)  So.  Emphasis on French cooking here! 

Cookie Time

I think these are my new favorite cookies.  Yes, I'm almost sure they are.  Actually, any version of a shortbread cookie is high on my list.  These are mildly sweet with a light crumbly texture.  For this batch Sarah and I substituted walnuts and almonds (1/4 cup each), because that's what we had on hand--so if you can't get hazelnuts (or filberts as we call them here), other nuts suitable for baking will do fine.  Time-Saver Tip:  We used the coffee grinder for a fine chop on the nuts.  Short bursts.  The nuts should be close to the consistency of coarse cornmeal, but don't over due it or you'll end up with nut butter.   Another yummy variation we did was to add a teaspoon of instant coffee granules to the heated cream before adding the chocolate morsels.  Just don't use brewed coffee--water will cause melting chocolate to seize and turn into an impossible grainy mass.  A most dreadful situation.  OK.  So here's the recipe::

.....

 Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped fine

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.  Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg; mix well. 

2.  Sift flour and salt together; add to creamed mixture slowly until just combined.

3.  Stir in chopped hazelnuts.  Place dough in a covered glass bowl (or wrap dough in plastic wrap), and chill for at least an hour or overnight.

 4.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place them on baking sheets one-inch apart.  We use a small ice-cream scoop to get a uniform size.

5.  Gently press dough balls flat (about 1/4" thick), with the bottom of a measuring cup or small drinking glass; we use a waxed paper square to keep dough from sticking.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are lightly browned.  Cool 5 minutes before transferring cookies to racks to cool completely.

6.  In a small saucepan, bring cream to a scald; pour over chocolate morsels and stir gently until glossy.  Assemble cookies.  Return them to cookie sheets; chill to set chocolate (about 10 minutes) if desired.  Store in cookie tins up to 2 weeks.  Makes about 18 sandwich cookies.

Bon appetit!

Crunchy Maple Corn

 
Since we make most of our snacks, I'm always thrilled when I find a new way to make them even more healthy.  We LOVE caramel corn, but traditional recipes call for sugar + corn syrup, so I decided to experiment a bit and found a quick alternative made from real (organic) maple syrup instead.  And, it's super easy.  The hardest part---not eating it all at once after you make it! 

NOTES::  Be sure and use a large sauce pot when you make the caramel, because the boiling syrup will foam up and increase in volume more than double when you add the baking soda.   It's a bit startling--however, kids may find this weird chemistry interesting and will be convinced you're a genius.  Another tip:  I use a hot-air popper positioned next to a large stainless steel roasting pan so that the popcorn falls into it as it pops.  I call this my, "one-step, one-less-bowl-to-clean method".  (smile)

This recipe is for the "light" version, you can double the amount of maple syrup without changing any of the other ingredients for a more caramelized result. 

Crunchy Maple Corn

8 cups popped corn (1 cup un-popped)
1 stick of butter (1/4 lb.)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda (reserve)
1/2 cup Spanish peanuts (optional)

Directions:  Pop or place corn into a large 11 x 15" baking pan; shake pan to sift "old maids" to the bottom and remove them.  Sprinkle nuts on top if desired.  In a large sauce pot, melt butter; add syrup, salt, and cream of tartar and whisk together until well blended.  Bring to a boil and whisk in baking soda.  Remove from heat and continue whisking for about 30 seconds.  Mixture will foam up.  Pour evenly over popped corn and fold lightly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to coat.  Don't worry if you can't coat all the popcorn at once, eventually it all gets distributed.  Bake in a low 200 degree oven for 30 minutes; removing the pan at 10 minute intervals to stir and re-coat.  Remove from heat and let cool before storing in tins or food-grade cello bags.  Avoid storing it in plastic bags or containors, popcorn will get sticky.  If you live in a damp climate, as I do, I find packing it up within 5 minutes of taking it out of the oven keeps it nice and crunchy. 

 
Or you can just eat it---immediately. Yum!

UPDATE:  Hello everyone....for some reason I am not able to reply in the comment box, so the recipe has been clarified per your requests.  That is; one stick of butter, not a whole pound. Happy munching....

 

Look Who's Lurking

There's so much bounty from the garden right now.  My dining room table is taken over with canning jars ready to be filled.  More pickles, some tomatoes, and soon, applesauce.  I love this time of year.  Sweet September, with autumn beckoning and sumac turning red along the creek, always one of the first signs of fall.  And it's my birthday month!  But Indian Summer, where did you go?  The skies are gray and there's a nip in the air.  I'm not quite ready to slip back into socks and sweaters and close my bedroom windows at night. 

 

I love this little vintage cutting tool.  The serrated edge makes perfect pickle chips...

 

...and another yummy addition to the pantry.

Sometimes I find this time a year a bit overwhelming with all that needs to get done before the weather lowers the boom on us, and I'm definitely feeling that urgency right now.  Like a crazed squirrel gathering nuts.  Making lists and checking them twice.  I'm often working on so many things at once around here.  However, I do remind myself to appreciate what I have accomplished this summer, and I'm so hugging myself right now for finally sewing up some new curtains for the kitchen.  Sixteen panels in all.  Yes, I did have a bit of a production line going.  But I spent one afternoon cutting, and a couple of weeks sewing in my spare time.  I'm thrilled they're done because it was a project that's been on hold for such a long time...mainly because I just couldn't find the right fabric.  Then last month, just by chance, I ran across a whopping big bolt of lovely off-white cotton lawn (at a thrift shop of all places), and I couldn't believe my luck.  Plus—it was "on sale" for half-price that one day.  So double-woot! Not bad for covering eight large windows for $15. 

 

Turkey Talk:: Thought some of you might like to hear an update on Turkey Lurkey and her flock of chicks, that I blogged about a few weeks ago.  They have been making frequent visits to our house, although sadly mother turkey is hopping on one leg, apparently the victim of a predatory attack. I've been sitting here watching her hop along with her crumpled leg drawn up, still diligently herding her chicks, and standing guard over the remaining five left (out of a dozen). They often nap in my flower bed.  It makes me a little sad to witness their struggle to survive, but how I admire their fortitude.  I know that wild turkeys can create problems when left unchecked, and we often hear such stories about that from a nearby town that is over-run with them.   But I like watching them pass through, and do appreciate their foraging and feasting on those pesky summer bugs.  They do seem to enjoy the cracked corn and raisins I (ahem) "accidently" toss out on occasion too.

Just Jamming

It's good to be back amongst friends.  I missed you guys too!  Thank you for the nice welcome back.

It's nice to know, that there are many of you still out there making jam and that I'm not a dying breed.  I hope I didn't imply that there was anything wrong with freezer jam.  Heavens no.  If you are making any kind of jam:  kudos!  In praise of FJ; I do like that you don't need to use as much sugar to make it and that it tastes more like fresh fruit.  But for those reasons I mentioned, canned jars still work best for me.  I'm often asked how I make my jam, so I thought I'd share a little bit about that for beginners or anyone else interested in reducing the amounts of sugar called for in traditional recipes. 

Basically, the amount of sugar needed to set up fruit depends on pectin.  Some fruits are naturally high in pectin, but determining that is difficult because pectin breaks down considerably as fruits ripen.  Without sufficient amounts of pectin you have to add nearly double the amount of sugar-to-fruit ratio, and then boil to the "soft-ball stage" for jam to thicken properly.  It's a bit of a guessing game, even with a candy thermometer for guidance.  Additionally, the cooking time can seem endless because you need to stand over a hot spattering pot and stir at intervals to keep the jam from scorching. 

When I began making jam years ago, I didn't like adding gelatin (because of its animal origins), so that is the way I did it.  Then I discovered natural pectin made from citrus peel and it was transforming.  I use Pomona's Universal Pectin (available at most health-food stores), which allows you to use low amounts of sweetener.  Even honey.  It's power is activated by calcium (included in a packet you mix with water), not by sugar content--so you retain more of the fruit flavor.  Recipes for making jam are included in the box. 

More recently, I chanced to try Mary Jane's ChillOver Powder and was not disappointed.  Her product is marketed as a gelatin substitute, but also works great for jam.  It's made from Kanten (agar agar) a sea vegetable used primarily in Japan. I must say the flavor, color and texture of this jam was excellent.  The sugar to fruit ratio was half—4 cups fruit + 2 cups sugar, not as low as citrus pectin, but still very good, and again, short cooking time.  It was a little watery when I was spooning into jars, and boy was I nervous, but it set up beautifully.  The only downside is the price.  One box contains four packets which is enough for 8 cups of fruit.  So if you have a lot of jamming to do, it might not be economical unless you are getting your fruit and berries free from your backyard.  But worth it (I think) if you are entering your jam at the county fair.  Or, inviting friends for tea and scones. 

Sweet & Sour

 

It happens sometimes.   I just sort of back out of here slowly, hoping no one will notice the stagnant blog void.  But, you do, and I get the sweetest emails from concerned peeps who wonder.  So I just want to say, thank you for caring, and for the blogaversary wishes too. Those years went by so fast!  I'm always so grateful for those of you who still stop by here to visit my little corner of the blogasphere, even when I'm off on a ramble.  These past few weeks have been incredibly busy as summer winds down and the garden output ramps up. 

 

Where have I been?  I've been canning pickles!  With the cucumbers from our garden this time (recipe here).  And turning wild blackberries into jam,.  And generally filling pantry shelves.  Because it is a tragic heartbreak to run out of homemade pickles and sweet jammy goodness in the middle of winter. (As we sadly discovered one time, and it wasn't pretty.) 

 

The other day, as I was standing in line at the store someone observed me buying more jam jars and suggested I make freezer jam instead of, “going to all the trouble”.  I smiled politely, not bothering to differ as this seems to be the mainstream hurry-up attitude about life in general.  But in my mind, I was thinking, Of course I know freezer jam is a no-brainer; if you don’t mind using plastic containers for long-term food storage (something I worry about); and convenient if you have extra space in your freezer (which I don't), and additionally, own a back-up power generator when the electricity goes out during stormy weather (as it inevitably does here.)  Oh, we do have our reasons for going to all the trouble. 

 

And something else wonderful happens.  When I allow myself to relax during these long tasks--everything slows down.  Time actually seems to expand.  My daughters are usually gathered around and helping.  They open up, share things.  I listen.  We take turns stirring the pot and filling jars.  There’s a rhythm to the day that develops and bonds are made.  A sticky sweet bond!  Not just jam, but memories in the making.   

 

 

The pantry got a make-over too, with the addition of cute wallpaper (from Waverly), that I bought a few years back and never got around to putting up.  Well, I finally did and I love it, just as I knew I would.  It's quaint and homey with little images scattered about bringing to mind 'peace and plenty'.  Perfect! 

Blackberries!

It's blackberry time again!  A bit early, but no one's complaining.  These grow on the other side of our backyard fence.  We went running back to the house for containers as soon as we saw them today.  There's a skunk that lives somewhere underneath all the bramble.  We've never actually seen it, being a creature of the night, but he's hard to miss if you know what I mean.  We step lightly so as not to disturb him -- just in case, humming softly (and nervously) to convey, "we mean no harm--just passing through".  Nope.  Not even a skunk, poison oak, or those wicked thorns discourage us.

 

I found out the basket on my salad spinner is a great container to use for picking.  When it's half full I can rinse and spin the berries very efficiently.  And we are all about efficiency in the kitchen, are we not?

 

The first few bowls get gobbled up pretty fast. I like mine with a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt. I'll pick more later to make jam when it cools down again.  There will also be a blackberry cobbler or two.  And hopefully, more of these.  And some of these.  Yum.

 

Looking on the Bright Side

Yesterday we had to have an old tree taken down.  A honey locust, planted too close to the house, when it was first built.  My lament about this tree has always been; if only it had been planted 20-feet further out.   I've lost count of how many times we've had it pruned back to keep it off the roof, out of the bedroom windows and the rain gutters, only to have it grow back in the exact same place the following season.  Hardier than ever.  Unfortunately, woodpeckers and insects feasted on it a little too much, which only added to the never-ending fallout of pollen, pods, leaves, twigs, and a host of creepy-crawly things that got sprinkled daily (and liberally) over the deck, chairs, tables and anyone who sat under it.   This year seemed worse than ever.  Looking closer we noticed stress-cracks in the bark and began to worry about the integrity of the branches (perhaps one falling), and the overall health of the tree.  So, taking everything into consideration; a hard decision was reached.  We'd been discussing it casually for years though.  I suppose, getting used to the idea.  Knowing eventually, this day would come.  There were a few tears and a bit of angst during the final showdown.  To be expected.  We could hear and feel the thumps of tree parts falling heavily to the ground.  No one could bear to watch. 

 

I bravely opened the back door, snapped this one picture, then ran away and hid during the rest of it.  (I'm sure the tree men thought I was bonkers.)  Gosh.  This picture makes me sad.  It's hard to look at.  Change is hard sometimes.  We'll surely miss the song birds perched at the windows in the morning and the dappled shade under its feathery branches.   That's the sad part.  But looking on the bright side, we most certainly have more light in the house.  A new view of the mountains.  And there's the ease of sitting under an open sky. 

Which has been quite lovely under big patio umbrellas.  (Sarah and I have been reading Bread & Butter Journey by Ann Colver c. 1970.  About pioneer families crossing the Alleghenies to find a new homestead.)  The strawberries...we picked early Tuesday morning.  Both the girls and I visited a local farm and picked 15 lbs. of strawberries in 30 minutes.  Those professional berry pickers have nothing on us!  Already made 8 small jars of jam; making more today.  

Dessert last night; a spruced-up "hot milk sponge cake" with strawberry jam filling.   

 

Served up with more berries and a dollup of whipped cream on the side.  Truly a sweet comfort after a rough day.  Like a wake for the sad poorly tree.

Hey! Thank you for the garden love; it's day 5 and the roses are still with us!  I appreciate the great suggestions for improving the weed situation too.  I'm just cringing at the sight of them all at the moment. We seem to have every variety under the sun.  BUT I think I'd much rather save any back-bending efforts for...picking more strawberries.  

We do have our priorities. 

 

 

Cream Puffs to the Rescue

 

We had such big plans for the weekend--with another birthday and an anniversary to celebrate, but I was down for the count through most of it with a crude stomach flu.  I'm 90% over it today, but the head-banging headache still lingers, along with a renewed appreciation for pepto bismal.  Oh-boy.  If I'm lucky, I'll squeeze a nap in later today.  Preferably outside in the warm sun, if it happens to come out.  Anyway...we've moved the festivities out to mid-week, which actually works better for everyone's schedule and will give me more time to rebound.

I must say though, the weekend wasn't a total loss:  I'm talking cream puffs here.  Something special for the birthday girl.  I haven't made them in a long time, and I've never made them using spelt flour, so that was a first.  They surprised me by turning out extremely light and delicate.  (The no-fail recipe I use can be found in, The Fannie Farmer Baking Book, by Marion Cunningham--page 181, I think.)  These are filled with freshly whipped cream:  1-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream + 2 T. sugar.  And the perfect chocolate drizzle, in my opinion, is a warm ganoche:  1/2 c. heavy cream + 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits; heat the cream to a scald over a double-boiler, remove from heat and add the chocolate.  Let it "temper" a few minutes, then whisk gently until it becomes dark and shiny.  Let it cool a little before spooning over the puffs.  (for extra yum--stir any remaining chocolate sauce into your coffee!)  These are best eaten right away, but, if you have more will power than we do, keep them cold in a covered container--up to 24 hours. 

Ours, however,  never seem to last that long.

 

Camping In the Kitchen

I love this image, especially that cute apron from the March 2009 issue of marie claire idees; it speaks perfectly, in a way, to the mode we were operating in all weekend and not just because of a spring storm, but because Friday, we realized the compressor had gone out on the refrigerator;  just past its 5-year warranty naturally, amounting to a brain freezing $600 repair.  Is anything made to last anymore?  Growing up, it seemed like my parents had the same refrigerator for 20 years.  They were built like tanks; albeit not as energy-efficient or nearly as convenient (remember "defrosting days?"), but at least you could count on them to run.  Even pass them onto your grown kids when they moved out.   I'm frustrated because we've already had a number of newer appliances quit working recently--and this is just another one that will be added to the scrap-heap in a land-fill if it can't be fixed and donated.  Not to mention the strain on my pocket book. 

More mci eye candy for distraction:: pretty applique flowers on dishtowel. Note to self: bookmark for later.

Anyway, back to the camp-out in the kitchen with our food packed in ice chests scattered about and the cat on the prowl; fortunately, and trying to look on the *bright side*, we hadn't done our weekly shopping yet, so food loss wasn't monumental.  And I say 'monumental' with all sincerity as food prices are insane.  So are new refrigerators--we found out.  (Wow!)  I asked the salesman, "Can we drive it home? "  Reply: "No.  But we can guarantee Monday morning delivery."   Me (snickering):  "Deal!"  (Monday can't come fast enough.)

 

These aren't from the magazine, they're from my oven...the last of the blackberry tarts.  I was relieved to have them on hand (one of the things we were able to save from the freezer), to take to a special gathering of friends and neighbors up the street yesterday.  The recipe for the blackberry filling was blogged last summer and can be found somewhere in the archives.  The "cookie dough" is basically a pie-crust.  No time right now to find and link to it though. Sorry.  If anyone needs me, I'll be in the kitchen--roasting marshmallows, and singing kumbaya.

It's a Keeper

  

So, I got around to making "Neighbor Dorothy's Heavenly Carmel Cake" yesterday (recipe from book), and I'm happy to report that it was pretty good. 

 

The directions were a bit sketchy--no pan size was given for instance--although my heart-shape one worked fine.  By far one of the oddest ways of combining ingredients though.  For instance, the cake required sifting brown sugar and flour together (huh?), and cooking a flour and milk paste to beat into the icing.  OK.  Slightly dubious, I held my breath and kept up the faith as I methodically went through all the steps, wondering how in the world it was going to come together right, and be carmel flavored as promised. 

But in the end, a magic thing happened.  And it really was heavenly!

Sprinkled with Sugar

Winter!  It arrived here in the northwest in a BIG way, with epic snow and ice.  We were lucky to miss most of it though and just by the skin of our teeth it seems, being on the outskirt of the storm as it swept through.  Still, we had our share of snow earlier in the week (above), and were bracing for the worst.  But by Sunday, it was back to this.  We actually had our kitchen door open for the first time in weeks.  The fresh air a welcome friend.  Especially so, with non-stop baking and midlife moments of, "Is it hot in here--or is it just me?" 

Chilly = Chili

Br-r-r-r. . .

It was 11 degrees outside when I came downstairs this morning.  I don't think it got warmer than 25 degrees all day.  And the sun was shining!  The bone-chilling cold didn't stop the girls from rushing outside to have some fun.  But even with all the layers they didn't last long.  Soon they were back inside wrapped in blankets and sipping hot cocoa. 

We haven't gone anywhere for days, not since the last storm dumped about half a foot of snow on us.  No worries though.  We have our little diversions; our winter Scrabble tournament has begun.  Is "woot" a word?

The pantry is stocked and the crock-pot is back in full rotation.  My homemade chili is so good and especially warming on cold wintry days.  I usually start right after lunch so it's ready by dinnertime.  Here's the recipe if you need warming up too:

Crock-Pot Chili

1.  Rinse: 2 cups of dried red beans, put them in the crock-pot and cover them with boiling water.  Cook on high for about 2 hours until they are tender.  (Watch that the beans don't cook dry, add a little hot water when necessary.) 

2.  In a skillet: brown 1 pound of ground turkey in olive oil, (sausage is good too), with 1 cup chopped onion, and 3 chopped garlic cloves.  Season with dried herbs; oregano, thyme & sage.  Add 1/2 teas. fennel seeds, 1/2 teas. cayenne pepper flakes, (adjust to your own taste, this is medium-hot);  2 teas. (mild) curry powder, and 1 T. soy sauce.   Cook it all together until well blended, then add it to the pot. 

3.  Then add: one 8 oz. can chopped peeled tomatoes, one 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, and 2 T. of brown sugar.  Mix everything together and cover.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours; reduce to low an hour before serving.  Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese. 

I like to make cornbread to go with this, and I like to make it in a large old-fashioned cast-iron skillet the way my great-grandma always did, to get that delicious golden-brown crust on the sides.  It's easy.  Just use any cornbread recipe that makes enough to fill an 8 x 8 baking dish.  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F and place the empty skillet inside for 5 minutes.  Take it out, and carefully brush the hot skillet with oil, coating the sides and bottom so the cornbread won't stick.   (I use Nutiva organic extra virgin coconut oil for this).  Pour the cornbread mixture into the heated skillet, leaving an inch or more from the top for rising.   Bake at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Let cool 10 minutes before cutting it into pie shaped wedges. 

Enjoy!

Not Just For Squirrels

Moving right along, we have ACORN cookies!  These are too cute and dangerously good.  Here's the recipe:

Acorn Cookies

Cream together 2/3 cup butter, 6 T. powdered sugar, 1 teas. vanilla extract, 1/2 teas. almond extract, and add 2 cups sifted flour and 1/4 teas. salt.  Save time by throwing it all in the food processor and pulse until dough forms.  Take a spoonful of dough at a time and shape it to resemble an acorn (oblong with a pointed end).   Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  When cookies have cooled, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips + 1 T. vegan shortening.  Dip one end of cookie in chocolate and again in finely chopped almonds.  Place back on the cookie sheet to set up.  Makes about 2 dozen or so.  Quite apropos for fall don't ya think?

Nicer still, with a cup of hot cocoa and fresh whipped cream.   

Gotta run, but I'll be back on Friday with a little Halloween craft to share and a ghastly true-life tale to go with it. 

Incidently, I just noticed this is  my 500th post! 

WOOT!

Pies & Companions

Oh dear me, I need to get out my feather duster for this blog.  The days keep getting away from me.  Yep, it's been a very busy few months and it looks like things will stay that way for awhile.  I'm happy to report, that despite all the activities around here, I've donned my apron and honest-to-goodness apple pie production is back in full swing.  And rightly so!  Tis the season, after all.  Two of my favorites this past week included a Dutch Apple pie (recipe here) and a Swedish Apple pie, recipe compliments of Kate.  (Thanks again for sharing this!)  I love both these pies so much, not only because they are nourishingly good, but because they're both really easy and relatively quick  to throw together.  If you are intimidated by making or working with pastry crust or just want to cut back on your starches, give them a whirl if you haven't already.  The Dutch Apple has a bottom crust, (think frozen ready-made if you must), however, the topping is a crumbly mixture of flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, that is sprinkled over the apples instead of a top crust.  The Swedish Apple pie is similar, but has no bottom pastry at all, so it's a snap to make.  Kind of like a traditional apple crisp, but with a nutty dough "crust" that is spread over the apples and that bakes up like a sweet crunchy cookie.  I used my food processor to chop nuts and combine the dough.  Actually, any apple pie is, in my opinion, perfect fall food.  Anywho...besides enjoying pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (just kidding--but not really!), I'm getting back into a stitchy mood again, enjoying old movies in the evening when the day is done, and listening to Prairie Home Companion, which celebrates it's 35th year on the air.  Quite an accomplishment.  I think I've been a listener from the start, which is kind of scary.  Didn't realize it had been that long.   I do know, that I've missed some shows now and then and love that there's access to all of  them thanks to modern technology.  Go to the archives here for a little comfort and comic relief. 

 Like vanilla ice cream, I find it goes very well with apple pie.

Take Tea & Blackberry Tarts

“I don’t take art too seriously.  The nice thing about drawing is if you get tired, you can always bake a pie, or finish the dishes.  I don’t have a studio, I work on the kitchen table.  When you get tired of housework, you can stop and draw.  Anything I enjoy, I don’t consider work. They say art is the reflection of an age and I think it certainly is true, but I’m behind the times.  Time was invented by man, so it doesn’t really matter.  I’ve done just as I pleased all my life and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of it.” ~Tasha Tudor

We’re in celebration mode here with several family birthdays falling within days of each other, and adding to our festivities we’re taking part in Tasha Tudor Day!  (August 28th was her birthday.)  If you want to tag along, start here and weave your way through blogville to find more birthday tributes, recipes, and plain old-fashioned sweetness.   I’ll be sharing my recipe for blackberry filling today. So grap a cuppa and join us!

 I must say, summer seems to be coming to an early end here.  Most of our garden tomatoes are still green on the vines, and what little else we managed to salvage from the voles and varmints has suddenly gone to seed.  Oh well.  It was, however, a grand year for blackberries.  There are still so many.  We've picked bucketfuls almost daily and had to figure out what to do with them.  Once we had our fill of cobbler, I made freezer pies and jam for the winter stores.   This week, I made a big pot of blackberry fruit filling for tarts and turn-overs.  If you have a lot of fruit from your backyard trees or berry bushes, this filling is the answer.  It can be adapted for most fruit and berries quite easily by adjusting the amount of cornstarch used, this depending on how much water is in the fruit you’re using.  Blackberries, in particular, have a lot of water and tend to get runny when you cook them, where as apples do not, so my recipe is heavy on the thickening and this works especially well for blackberries. 

 First, let me assure you that none of this is hard.  A little time management is a good idea though.  In other words, this isn't something that can be whipped up at the very last moment or even in the same day if you’re like me and don’t like to stand in the kitchen for more than an hour at a time.  I manage this best in small steps, while carrying on with other things to keep it all from feeling like a huge production.  The filling can be made the day before, which is all for the best, because it allows the fruit mixture to cool and gel up completely before you work with it.  Ditto with any pastry you make since it needs to be chilled as well.  Both can stay in the fridge for a couple of days until you’re ready to assemble and bake (or freeze), as you prefer.  I like to do both at the same time.  Here's my recipe . . .

Heat everything gradually to a gentle boil, stirring frequently and adjusting heat to avoid scorching.  Mixture will thicken up between 10-20 minutes.  Remove from heat; let cool for half an hour.  Cover pot with the lid and refrigerate overnight. 

 

 

OK, so now that you have all that yummy filling, you can make all kinds of things with it, like jam tarts, turn-overs, and scrumptious cookies for tea parties.  You can use a basic cookie crust for the heart tarts (shown), or this one for instance.  I buy pre-made frozen puff-pastry sheets for the turn-overs.   Cut the sheets in thirds along the fold lines, then into thirds again to make a total of nine squares per sheet.  Brush the edges with cold water, put about a teaspoon of filling in the middle and pinch them closed forming triangles; use a fork to seal the edges and to poke "blow holes" in the center of each.  Bake them on parchment paper for 10-12 minutes until golden brown, OR freeze them (unbaked) on cookie sheets and pack them in storage containors with wax paper between the layers.  Some empty ice cream boxes work well if you want to avoid using plasic, and it's a nice way to re-use them.  These will keep up to six months in the freezer.  I love having things like this on hand and ready to bake when guests drop by unexpectedly and for special occasions, when there's no time to fuss in the kitchen. The heart tarts can be made the same way and kept frozen too. Please help yourself to one. 

 

 

Or perhaps you'd care to try a blackberry turn-over.

I made plenty for our little 'remembering tasha' tea party here today.  I'm so happy you stopped by.  Cheers!

Crunchy Garlic Dills

 
Here it is . . the pickle recipe many of you asked for. It’s the one my grandma always used.  I only had enough cucumbers for a small batch, filling three pint-sized (16 oz.) jars, so these were the amounts I used for that, but you can easily increase the ingredients to suit your needs.

 

Crunchy Garlic Dills 

2 lbs. pickling cucumbers, rinsed & sliced or left whole

3 large cloves garlic, peeled & cut in half

6 sprigs dill leaves

6 dill flower heads (closed)

 

Brine 

3 cups water

1 cup distilled white vinegar

¼ cup pickling salt

 

• In a large bowl or the kitchen sink; soak cukes in icy cold water for about two hours. Add ice cubes as needed—this will insure a crisp pickle.  In the meantime, sterilize 3 pint-sized jars in boiling water, or in the dishwasher if you have a sterilize setting.  (I use the boiling water method because you will process these in the same pot later, and it's faster than waiting for the dishwasher to cycle through.) 

• Turn off heat and remove jars from hot water.  Put in the rims and lids to soak along with a butter knife.  You don’t need to boil them.  Divide the garlic and dill (by the number of jars), and place half of it in the sterilized jars, followed by the cucumbers.  Pack them tight.  Add the rest of the garlic and dill.

• Combine the water, vinegar, and salt in a large pot and bring to a rapid boil.  Fill jars with enough hot brine to cover cucumbers (about ¼” from the top).  Use the sterilized butter knife to poke into the jars to release any bubbles. Wipe jar rims with a paper towel or fresh dishtowel.  Remove lids and rims from hot water, dry them, and place on jars immediately.  Screw lids down tight.

• Carefully place the sealed jars back in the pot of hot water, and bring it back to a boil.  Process pint jars for 10 minutes in boiling water.  Remove them; cool at room temperature.  The lids will invert and “pop” after about 15-20 minutes if you have done this successfully.  If the lids fail to seal, you will have to store them in the refrigerator.  (Always use new lids, don’t re-use them.)

Store pickles for at least 8 weeks before eating so the flavors can develop.  Keep in the fridge after opening as you would any canned food.  Pickles will keep up to two years in a cool dry place. 

Now go make pickles!

Never a Dill Moment

Summer weekends...they seem to go by too fast around here.  There’s always so much to do. Gardening, canning and baking.  Fairs and festivals, family picnics and backyard BBQ’s.  Grace and her friends gather at the local Farmer’s Market and play folk music together.  They donate their tips to the animal shelter. 

 

Well, it took us three days, but we finally finished watching the amazing opening ceremony for the Olympics, hosted by China that left us awestruck.    Such creativity and remarkable precision and all on such a grand scale. Wow! What a wonderful way to welcome the world. 

 

Anyway, back in my kitchen, on a much smaller scale we have. . .   

Pickles!

Instead of sticky labels I made these cute jar toppers, printed out on cardstock.  They'll keep the lids free from dust while they sit in the pantry, at least 8 weeks before the pickles are ready to eat; up to two years for storage purposes. (But I don't think they'll last that long.)

And on the other side of the kitchen...

Grace's spelt cupcakes are making me crazy.  Sweet perfection in assorted sizes.  Some are just a mouthful so you can't eat just one.  I'm talking from experience here.

Speaking of cute cupcakes, she's updated her dollhouse bakery shop today and added a few more little treats of the miniature variety. 

 

Take a peek if you dare. 

Pickles & Pies

It’s been a bumper crop year for wild blackberries.  At least, in my neck of the woods.  I’ve been out picking almost every morning this week, and putting the bounty into cobblers and pies for freezing.  It’s a peaceful activity I really enjoy first thing in the morning, although I surprised a skunk and think I may have gotten into some poison oak which grows abundantly in and among the thorny brambles.  My hands and feet have been thoroughly doused with Tecnu and other suds, so only time will tell.   But now I’m getting that crawly feeling, like when you think a bug might be hitching a ride on ya somewhere.

The blackberry situation is in sharp contrast to the vegetable garden this year though.  We had a hard time getting it going.  Birds swooped in and either ate or replanted our seeds in novel places. 

And we had a vole that terrorized the peas and beans (chewing off the base of the stalks) just as they started to produce.  He (or she?) absolutely had no shame, coming and going in broad daylight as we toiled nearby.  Humane traps were set, but didn’t work. 

Finally, Grace got so fed up after discovering more carnage in the garden one day, that she waited quietly with a bucket and slammed it over the thing as it scurried through the fence.  

It was a cute little creature, we had to admit, but it was promptly re-located to a vacant grass field several miles away. 

No sign of trouble from that one now, but another one crawled inside the Mister’s auto and clogged up the mechanics!  We had to take his car into the dealership this morning for some dismantling and a clean-out, again, after just having had it serviced about a week ago.  On the way back home, we stopped by a friends place and picked up a bunch of pickling cucumbers (they had too many) in their garden.  I wasn’t planning on making pickles this week, but now that I have them.  I might. 

I’m still thinking about what I’m going to make to put inside the little bird bag too—thank you for all the great suggestions btw!  You’ve given me some good ideas to ponder while I'm filling pickle jars.

OK, it's time to do something with this bucket of berries. 

Think we can we stand one more blackberry cobbler? 

No problem.