Family

We usually don't get to take a summer vacation b/c business picks up and David is gone most of the summer.  We always try to go to the beach on Spring Break b/c we know we probably won't get back. Plus, we had the Colorado trip in February.  So it's not a big deal except the boys keep asking if we were going to go somewhere while school was out. 

We thought about going to Washington DC for the 4th holiday but couldn't set aside enough time to do everything we would want to do (Smithsonian Museums, Capital, Memorials....) So I came up w/ our old standby 4th - Pops in the Park in Chattanooga.  Then I found out that The Chattanooga Lookouts were @ home on the 3rd w/ a fireworks display.  So everyone thought that sounded like a good plan.  David suggested we spend the night downtown so the boys could swim after the game. I researched the Downtown Hotels then it hit me-- The Choo Choo!! So I booked a Victorian train car to sleep in. 

The boys were excited about the Train Car.  It was really neat.  We have promised Parker since he was about 4 yr old that we would stay in a train car someday.  I hope the boys will remember it.  They love to stay in different hotels. They talk about The Gaylord Opryland Hotel all the time. 


    
We had a great dinner @ Big River then off to the Lookouts/Smokies Baseball game.  Man! It was hot!!  I honestly thought that I was going to be sick during the first 3 innings of the game.  Not to mention that those innings were incredible slow! I kept myself occupied by watching people pass out.  Why were they drinking Beer in that heat?  Dropping like flies!!   Finally the sun started going down and it felt much better.  The game picked up and got really good! Chatt. won it in the last inning so it was not boring. 


Back to the Choo Choo to swim.








  Our "Staycation" was a good one.

Peach Bellini Jam

I have fallen in love with canning and preserving. Weird, right?  Seriously, who wants to stand in a hot kitchen when it's 105 outside and preserve food? Well...Me, that's who!  We've canned well over 60 jars this summer, mostly of the garden veggies we've grown.   LOTS of pickles. We may have over planted :).   We've also made homemade Pasta sauce and canned it. Salsa too. 




David was working in South Alabama last weekend and brought back a 25# box of the most beautiful peaches I have ever seen!! So, of course, I had to preserve them!!  But first we had fresh peach smoothies for breakfast.  They were the best smoothies I have ever made.  

I had purchased the BHG Canning publication @ Lowe's a few days earlier and several things caught my eye that I'd like to make later.  Spiced Peaches and Peach Bellini Jam were just a few of them. 
We made both.  The Peach Bellini Jam is delicious!! I think I like it better than my old favorite homemade plum jam.  Oliver & I put it on everything, PB & J to breakfast toast. I look forward to trying the Peach Bellini Soda next!

Peach Bellini Jam 

7 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups finely chopped, peeled ripe peaches
1 cup Prosecco or other sparkling white wine
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 of a 6-ounce package (1 foil pouch) liquid fruit pectin
In a 6-to-8-quart stainless-steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy pot, combine sugar, peaches, Prosecco, and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Quickly stir in liquid pectin. Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon, avoiding peaches.
Ladle hot jam into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.
Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. To distribute fruit, cool for about 20 minutes, then gently turn and tilt jars without inverting them; repeat as needed. Makes 8 half-pints.
Per Tablespoon: 49 cal, 0 g fat, 0 mg chol, 0 mg sodium, 12 g carbo, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

Bubba Gump of squash :)

I feel like I am the Bubba (Forrest Gump) of Squash lately.  Squash Casserole, Sauteed Squash, Squash Alfredo, Fried Squash, Steamed Squash.....   Since I have allergic reactions to the best summer vegetables, watermelons and cucumbers, squash and okra are my summer vegetables of choice.  Only one of my boys will actually eat squash and he likes it raw!   

I recently discovered that I can steam and puree squash then mix it into an Alfredo sauce. Everyone eats the pasta and sauce and never notices the squash!!  The boys have even commented on how yummy the "alfredo" tastes.  So here is the recipe for Squash Alfredo:

      1/4 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup steamed and pureed squash (puree steamed squash in a blender until smooth)

salt & pepper                

Directions

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat, add garlic and saute. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and  pureed squash and stir constantly til warm. Season w/ salt & pepper.  Serve over pasta.

 

I have to steam and puree the squash several hours before dinner b/c if my guys saw me put it into the Alfredo sauce they would never eat it.  The thickness of the squash puree makes the pasta sauce thicker than my usual alfredo sauce so I have learned to make it a little thinner than normally would.