Pizza Sauce

Oh thank you, thank you Annika, my blog friend, for posting the pizza sauce recipe, yummy yummy. I adapted the recipe she posted to what I had for tomatoes at home.

When Life gives you APPLES!

A friend of mine deposited 3 large grocery bags full of apples on my front porch the other day and this is what I did with them.....

APPLE PIE FILLING

-Peel core and cut apples and fill 6 quart size jars

-3 1/2 cups white sugar
-1 c brown sugar
-1 cup cornstarch
-1 T 1 t teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1/4 t clove
-1/4 t all spice
-2 teaspoons salt
-10 cups water

Mix all above ingredients and bring them to a boil until thick, add 3 tablespoons lemon juice once removed from heat. Pour sauce over apples in jars and seal with lid and ring. Place with water bath and bring to boil for 20 minutes.

APPLE SAUCE

Well...........peel, core and cut, if you are like me your doing this all by hand. I need one of the peel corers things. Peel, core and cut as many as you wish........Place in large pot add enough water to bottom of pan to prevent sticking, but truly not to much, because this makes the difference between thick and watery applesauce. Cook down until soft and then puree. I guess at this time you can add spices, ect. If you want chunky apple sauce puree some and then smash the other part. Place in jars and seal, process in hot water bath for 20 minutes while at rolling boil.

Farmers Market

Today was filled with attending the local farmers market, bring home the goodies and prepping them for canning, freezing, ect.

I ended up getting enough chopped J-peppers to fill 2 quart jars and just added vinegar and put in the fridge. The best way to chop is to hold onto the stem and chop away, then taking tongs and placing into the jars, this way you do not get the stuff on your hands.

I bought a califlower as big as a basketball, no kidding and then chopping 2/3 and froze, the other will be in the fridge for this weekend cooking.

I picked enough green beans from the garden to can 5 pints today alone.

I have baked 3 loaves of bread, all from the new book of mine, but I have got comfortable enough to tweek a few recipes to satisfy me and my family. I have changed a few ingredients, taken things that were to be free form loaves and placed into a bread pan, and vola sandwich bread. Right now I am baking Granola bread, recipe in book for both granola and the bread, but I made my own granola from a combination of recipes and that is what I am using.

I bought baby new potatoes that I will use this weeked to make ham, beans and potatoes, Yummy. And of course some homemade bread.

Don't Cry Over spilt Milk

Well, where has the time gone since I last posted???? All I can say is that it has been busy, busy and more busy. I have canned, made more jam, preserves, work and wiped the floor numerous times since my last blog post.

Three days ago, my 2 year old reached into the Fridge and out came not only the juice jug but the juice as well, all over my floor, two towels later and no tears at this point I felt like I should just wipe down all the tile, 30 minutes later, I was done.

Two days ago my 4 year was helping himself to some juice but this time while pouring it into a cup, it ended up all over the counter and floor, needless to say, the floor was then again cleaned, this time by all of the kids and myself, 1 hour later. Yes I did say 1 hour.....Lets see, soap, rags, buckets and more soap, rags, buckets and of course bubbles.

Well finally I came to understand fate a little better in life at this time and knew that my daughter would soon spill something tragic on the floor, and of course today it happened, my tea all over the floor, from her coming and going out of the cup cabinet, she did not even know that the hit the tea pot and spilt it all over the ground, soap, rags, bucket... you get the picture.

I made cinnamon rolls from so dough I wiped up the other day from the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day, but this time did a spin on my own. I made the sweet bread and then turned it into cinnamon rolls, made powdered sugar frosting. Well 7 are missing from the photo. No I did not eat all, just 2... The kids had the rest, plus my mom and neighbor.

Some other photos of bread that I have made over the past few days.

Callah Bread

Crusty White Sandwich Loaf

We made the Sandwich Loaf for egg salad sandwiches.

8 Large Hard Boiled Eggs, shredded with cheese grader

1/3 Mayo

1 T. Dijon Mustard

3 T. Pickle Relish

1/4 Cup Celery, chopped small

1 t. pepper

1 t. salt

Oh Yes and the yummy jams and preserves, I have photos of some Kiwi Jam, peach preserves. I did make pear jam, but it did not make it into the photo.

And the pickled beets.........

Baking the Day Away

Oh I am so in love with my new book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I tackled more of the bread shapes today, enjoying one for breakfast and the other with dinner.

New Tea Pot Asian Beef for Dinner

I made a new dish for dinner. I placed a 2.5 lb pot roast in the crockpot when I was making bread this morning and it cooked all day. At dinner time, I began creating a new dish.

Asian Beef

4 Romaine Hearts, chopped

1 scallion, tiny chops

1 Cup of chopped carrots

Small handful of sesemae seeds

2 cups of shredded and/or chopped beef

Dressing: 3/4 cup chicken broth, 2 T. Peanut Oil, 3 T. Red Wine Vinegar, 1 dash of Soy Sauce and Pepper to taste, if you like more spice, add 1 t of red pepper flakes. Poor dressing over salad and serve with bread.

So the photo of the new Tea Pot is important, because we recently bought one and the bottom cooking portion developed a pin like hole in it. I contacted the company Copco and they gladly replaced the tea pot. I will standby this company from now on, because they stood by their consumer.

I made strawberry jam for the first time and amazingly it turned out well. I hope to make more in the coming days.

Shopping Sale Day

Waking up to a thunderstorm, oh my favorite morning. Seems to be that the kids all enjoy staying in bed these days, so our first visitor to mom and dads bed arrived at 8:30, joy joy. We had breakfast then my daughter, my mother, niece and I made our way to the mall for shopping. Clothes for the coming school year. I can't believe that we are in the middle of July already.

I was able to can 6 more quarts of beans today. Stock piling for winter. I also enjoyed picking snap peas and eating some along the way.

Supper was started right after lunch today. I have a Moroccan Stew for the stove, but inspiration from the Crock Pot Lady, I transferred it to the crock pot.



Moroccan Beef Stew

• -1 pound chuck roast, chopped
• -3 carrots, chopped
• -1 Yellow Squash
• -2 pints of tomatoes
• -2 potatoes, chopped
• -1 can of chickpeas
• -1 zucchini
• -3 cloves garlic, minced
• -1/2 t. pepper
• -salt
• -1 t. red pepper flakes
• -1/2 coriander powder
• -1 t. cumin
• 1/2 cinnamon stick

Place all in crock pot and cook on low 8-9 hours. Serve with couscous, yum.

Summer Summer Day

The day was filled with interesting things. This morning we all packed up and headed to the family doctor for a 2 year old check up and 4 month old checkup and shots. The doctor wanted an updated photo of the kids with him for his desk and so this is why we all went. It is amazing that two adults and four kids can fit in the office room.
Lunch was a quick pasta dish, Chicken Alfredo Pasta, that is. I used the alfredo recipe that I used for one of the party pizza's, microwaved some store bought chicken patties and boiled some pasta, yummy yummy.

This afternoon the big kids and dad went golfing. Evan thinks he is ready for a new golf set and Sidney whom has not used her clubs in over a year, besides the backyard declared that she too needed a new set. I believe Evan will get a new set before Sidney.

Shafer and I tended to the raspberries, blue berries, vegetable gardens, and flower gardens today as the baby slept. I can't believe how the dirt is so dry right now and the grasses are turning nasty brown. I snapped 3 quarts of beans and I am expecting more to be here soon, from my mothers home.

My mother has moved the pressure cooker to my home and hopes that she can preserve her white cook top. I always wondered why she got a white cook top stove???

Sidney had a softball game this evening, and finally I brought the camera. The 8 year old girls softball is slow moving but they have learned so much this summer and I am very excited to see what happens in the years to come. Sidney stated that she might not want to play softball next year, but instead wants to participate in Gymnastic, we'll see.

Canning Day

Well this morning started out with getting more green beans picked off the plants and canning. I have already canned 12 quarts, you can see 4 of them. I took a picture of my canning cabinet for future reference, so I can feel good about all the hard work of summer preserving.

Today is my toddlers official 2nd year of life.
We had pictures taken today of not only him
but of also of Soren for his 4th month of life. For each child I have taken professional pictures of each month for the first year and then they fall off the raidar. We will celebrate his birthday on Sunday with family.


I ventured across the street this morning to pick raspberries at
my mothers home, as she always has raspberries 2-3 weeks before me.
Yogart and berries, yummy.

My oregano is hanging to dry, but will take awhile I think this time.
I was reading though my herb treatment book last night and am constantly amazed by how many natural growing things one can use as a remedy for the common problem.

I have solved the birthday cake design problem, I will make a turtle cake. I figured since we had a painted back turtle as a garden pet for a few weeks that this would be perfect. I am so antsy to have winter parties because of the nasty weather, I have found it hard to get motivated with summer parties.