Pickles!!

We have this BEAUTIFUL garden this year!!  It is producing so far beyond our expectations that we are starting to freeze/preserve vegetables now.  This weekend we decided to make pickles out of all the cucumbers.  I have made jams & jellies but never pickles before so I started researching the internet for options.  I found this great site that breaks all the different methods down for people like me. http://www.pickyourown.org/makingpickles.htm

So I found out that you can't just use any cucumbers. The younger, bumpier ones do not have many seeds and make the best pickles.  I had a lot of those and I did mix some larger ones in w/ the spears and they did fine.  I learned that even when you think your jars are packed, pack more.  I had about an inch of brine in each jar once everything was processed.

I thought that since cucumbers were just coming in (for most people) that the ingredients to make pickles would be plentiful, NO.  I went to 4 stores- bought jars @ WalMart and Kmart but neither of them had the packets mentioned on the website, nor did they have pickling salt.  My Walgreens didn't have any canning supplies.  I finally found most of what I needed to get started @ Tractor Supply but even they were out of the dill supplies.  I decided to make bread & butter and go "old school" on the dills. 

I learned that you can make the dill by using pickling salt, dill, garlic, vinegar & water.  There is a great recipe on the back of the Mrs. Wages pickling salt bag.  My advise, cut the salt back on it, they were REALLY salty! I like the recipe on the "pick your own" website better for the dill pickles.   When I made jellies before, the jars came w/ labels, mine didn't this time.  I decided to make Bread & Butter chips and Dill Spears so that I could tell the difference until I printed labels for my jars. 

This was so much easier than I thought!  Jelly is more time consuming and much messier.  All of our jars sealed within a couple of hours and we used the dills in potato salad today. Yum! 

I love that this is an all natural method! My boys will be eating these!

Finished product!! Dill spears & Bread/Butter chips. Notice the large amount of liquid on the chips - really pack them down in there before the brine.

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So, Don't be afraid! Go to your Farmer's Market, buy some cucumbers, make some pickles it's easy.  Just make sure you have all the supplies and ingredients the day before so you're not running around shopping and then making pickles.

Food

yellow crookneck squash



vidalia onion

  I have been blessed to be born into a family of women who can cook.  I mean REALLY cook.  My grandmother and mother have always cooked huge meals for our family. 

  My mother still cooks all the time for groups of people.   My grandmother (who turns 89 tomorrow) doesn't cook anymore and in her later years would try "new" recipes, like putting a jar of salsa in her spaghetti to jazz it up. :)  I didn't eat it but I heard it was not good.

    I have been fortunate to inherit several family recipes that I still crave and have to cook regularly.  One of them is my grandmother's squash casserole.  As soon as the squash in our garden starts blooming, I start craving squash casserole.   So I thought I'd share my Nana's Squash casserole recipe on my blog.  We have had so much squash that I've sauteed it w/ the onions and froze it for future casseroles.  Alway cook onion w/ squash b/c it brings out the flavor in the squash. 




Squash Casserole

6 medium squash sliced in 1/4 inch circles

1/2 vidalia onion, diced

vegetable oil

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 lg eggs

1/4 cup mayonaisse (I know, right?)

1 1/2 cups crumbled ritz crackers

2 tbl butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Saute' squash and onion is vegetable oil (not sure how much, we never really measure it)  until tender.  Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.  Add 3/4 cup of cheese to mixture, followed by mayo and mix well.  The mayo keeps it moist, you could probably substitute sour cream and extra salt and it would probably taste close to the same. I use the Olive Oil Mayo and it works well.  Now add eggs and mix well. Pour into a buttered 8 x 8 casserole dish and bake @ 350.  I'd like to say how long but I cook it until it's firm and starting to brown.  My grandmother never has times on any of her recipes.  When the casserole is almost finished top w/ crumbled crackers and drizzle w/ melted butter, toast for around 10 minutes (golden brown).   Remove and cool. 

*squash can be sauteed w/ onion and frozen for future casseroles (especially in the winter months). 

I  had planned to post a picture of the finished casserole but I left it covered, on the stove and went to a swim meet. I came back and David had finished it :)  

School's out for summer.....

School is out!!  I countdown the days worse than my boys!  I love summer and the things that summer brings.   It's been less than a week and I feel like I am stressing myself out w/ a mental list of ALL the things we "need" to do this summer.  
 There is the responsible list:
 A. Paint the exterior of the house.
 B. build a deck
 C. Clean out the chicken pen and dog kennel
 D. redo flower beds and spread mulch...
 E. finish upholstering Mrs. McReynold's chairs that you've had for a month!
 F. put a new floor in the kitchen, bathroom and shop.
 G. add on a new laundry room.

 You get the idea. 

THEN there is THE LIST!:
A. Go to DC for the 4th to watch the BEST fireworks and see Smithsonian again.
B. Paint the rain barrel something crazy
C. make that table out of all the bottle caps we've been saving
D. Hang the lights on the patio ( I got them for Christmas :)
E. Go to the BEACH. ALOT
F. Take Cooper to SeaWorld and Oliver to Legoland.
G. Go Camping on the Beach (primitive, next to the water kind of beach camping)
H. Spend lots of time @ the River taking pictures of my boys.
I.  EAT lots of watermelon -them, not me. I'm allergic.  BUT I love the smell of them eating.
J. Fill my beverage server w/ bubble mix and let them blow and spill bubbles all over the 
     yard
K. GRill, Grill, Grill.  and eat veggies from the garden. 
L. Let the boys make the 8x20 visquine slip & slide in the backyard and not worry about the dead grass landing strip it leaves when they take it up.  It'll grow back.

Again, you get the idea.   I could go on w/ both lists.  I may get a few completed off of both lists too.  My lists do not include the schedules of summer football workouts, swim team practice /meets or play practice @ BLT.  These are also important lists b/c are also part of our summer and determines how much time we can spend on List #2.  

Basically list #1 is stay @ home and work.  List#2 is run away from home and all of it's work!  Where's it gonna go anyway? It'll be there when we get back. 
 There's always the Fall.   No wait, that's football season and soccer......  

We'll see @ the end of the summer if I get anything accomplished.   Thanks for reading.facebook

End of the school year

Wow! It's been a quick month!  The boys have 1 day of school left and we are ready!! Oliver graduated from kindergarten last night.   Baseball has ended and swim team is starting. Parker leaves for Youth camp next Tuesday and has football all summer.  So much for summer break :)   Cooper received 2 awards today, 1 was for all A honor roll for the whole year. The other was voted by the class and he was named Top Mathmatician.  He was so proud!

 Our garden is beautiful in spite of a hail storm that destroyed most of the new plants.  They looked like they had been hit by a weed eater.  But almost everything bounced back and is blooming.  The only thing that didn't come back after the hail was the spinach. I'll post a pic tomorrow of what is left, it looks like a deer got to it.  I was really looking forward to fresh spinach and feta omelets this summer.  I'll have to settle for store bought spinach for now.  We should have squash to eat in about a week, it looks beautiful.  We used barn compost from my friend Melinda's horse barn to turn into the soil for fertilizer and it is awesome!!

I hope to have more information to blog over the summer.  Due to baseball 3 nights a week for the past several months I haven't cooked much.  We've been eating a lot of Grilled Chicken Salads and sandwiches before ballgames.   I've been making coaster sets out of ceramic tiles to sell in my booth and I sold 30 sets between Mother's day and the end of school ( w/ the help of my PR Rep, Dawn).  Now I'm working on Father's Day designs for "the Man Caves".  So far I have vintage beer labels that are really cool and look great.  I want to do some w/ Golf designs and fishing motifs.  The coasters sell better than anything else in my booth right now so I'll keep making them and doing new designs. 
 I guess that is all for tonight. Everyone around me is snoring- The little boys fell asleep downstairs, one in the chair and the other on the dog bed :\  The dog, Shorty is snoring b/c he's not on his bed and can't get comfortable. I'm glad I washed the dog bed before my washing machine died.  Oh yeah, that happened too. Fortunately it's under warranty but the part won't be here until next Friday! We'll be out of clothes by then.  I'm going to the laundry mat tomorrow afternoon and do all of it!  Speaking of things breaking I am reminded that we had to have a fuel pump replaced in the Yukon and the transmission went out in the Cargo Van in the last 2 weeks.  Hopefully we are finished w/ repairs for now. 


#13 Parker's Spring Jamboree 5/16/12

Rain barrels and chickens

During Earth Day weekend Oliver & I attended an Earth Day Festival and made a rain barrel.  I've been wanting a rain barrel for years!  I think it's an awesome way to collect the pure & clean rain as it falls from the sky.  Of course, it has only rained one very small shower since we installed our barrel. It is about 1/2 full or empty (depending on your personality type).   After attending the workshop I am now ready to make more!!  I had been over thinking the whole process of making a rain barrel, it was so simple.  I have my eye on 2 barrels, I just have to verify that they are food grade barrels, not chemical and make an offer to trade for something they may need.  I plan to water the chickens w/ the rain barrel that we installed first since it's next to their pen.  They go through at least 5 gallons of water every few days, especially when it gets as hot as it was today (90*).    I feel better giving them fresh water instead of water that has been treated w/ chemicals.  After all, my boys eat their eggs!

I saw several pics of rain barrels that had been painted. I plan to paint ours this summer, that blue is sooo bright!  But even in bright blue I am pleased w/ the process and the outcome.  I may have to fill it w/ the hose and let it sit for a couple of days (lose the chemicals) so I can try it out!  Impatience is taking over.....

My chickens were acting crazy every time my camera would flash as I took a pic of the rain barrel so I had to take their pic too! I cracked up b/c our white hen "Betty White" kept walking if front of me like "take my pic!"  My hens are a funny bunch of girls.  They fight over specific boxes and fuss so loud that you'd think a raccoon was in the pen. But no, nothing there, they are just fussing.  I love to watch chickens, they are calming and interesting.  If you've never done it, do it sometime.  But don't wear red nail polish on your toes b/c chickens are drawn to the color red and will peck anything red REPEATEDLY.  Yes, I know this from experience. I don't wear flip flops to the pen anymore w/o checking my polish color first.

REclaim, REvive and REuse those big blue plastic syrup barrels!!! Mine was a Dr.Pepper syrup barrel :)

the girls were curious about the camera flash

Our Rainbarrel!!!

Betty White "striking a pose"

The rest of the gang waiting for their moment

Random Musings

I have been awake most of the night due to a gross sinus infection.  Pollen and I have a love/hate relationship.  I know it's great and important but it really makes me miserable.  When it reaches extreme levels, my Zyrtec just can't keep up.  I finally gave up on sleep and wandered downstairs to make coffee.

 My lack of sleep may be attributed to baseball too! Last night was horrible.  After the game  David tried to talk to our "juvenile" coach about moving Cooper to the infield and the coach acted like a 5 yr old.   I must be really crazy (well I am usually but this is different :) ).   Why is it that when you coach a TEAM it's about putting your child first?  There are 12 players on our TEAM!  Cooper was one of a few players to get 2 hits last night and the ONLY outfielder to make a play.   Our 3rd baseman let 4 balls go right past him and gave up 4 runs and the coach left him there b/c he's a coach's son.  Why not give someone else a shot @ stopping the ball?   If not my kid, one of the other older kids that you have stuck in the outfield so that your 1st year kids can play the infield.  My husband travels for work and can't coach or he would (the coach yelled the remark @  David as he walked away "There's a sign-up sheet for coaching, feel free to sign up next year").   We've had this same coach in t-ball and had the same issues.    This will not happen to my boys again.   I just think @ this level (machine pitch) that coaches should be working on the skills of the whole team, not just 2 or 3 kids that are coach's sons.   I don't think the other coaches are this way, I've observed the other teams that we play....

Whew! I feel better. Now maybe I can sleep.

Parker isn't going to be attending The Lowell Whiteman School in Colorado.  The scholarship money wasn't enough to cover more than 6 weeks of school.  Apparently, 3.75 GPA doesn't mean a lot unless you are a snowboarder @ LWS.  That's okay.  I was having a hard time letting go anyway... He's good w/ the decision. He's looking forward to summer football workouts and working w/ Blackberry Little Theater and lighting/sound manager this summer.  FPHS is getting i-pads for all the students next year, textbooks will ALL be digital. Park has an i-pad but it will be different b/c it will only have school programs.   So there are a lot of positive things about staying here for school. 

Ok, I'm finished for now.  It's time to get the boys up for school and get some more coffee :)  I'll post pics and a link about my rainbarrel I made @ The Earth Day festival later.  It is awesome. Again, it's the little things.....

Busy, Busy...

   I really thought that I would be better at blogging than I have been lately.  Since Cooper's birthday things have been crazy.  Baseball has started. We have 4 games on 4 different nights this week. Wednesday is our only night off and we promised to take the boys fishing @ a friend's farm. 

  We went to the beach last week for Spring Break!!  We went to Seagrove Beach, relaxed and had a great time. 

   The upstairs bathroom is finished!! Finally finished.  The boys are actually using it too.  I love it, it's very bright and relaxing.

  My free time is about to get even shorter-our garden is tilled and ready for planting.  The boys are out of school Friday so we hope to get everything in the ground then.

  I have moved booths @ Myrtle Jane's. (www.myrtlejanes.com) Karmen and I both have so much we want to sell so we both needed larger spaces.  I moved to the middle room and I'm really happy with my space.  I have added some handpainted signs and some more map furniture.  I repurposed a vintage radio that had been in our house for several years.  It used to be our homeschool books storage cabinet but since we do not homeschool anymore it was empty.  I love the new color and fabric insert. 

Thanks for stopping by. I've included some pics of the radio & booth.
Stacey
 

RePurposed Radio

Map School desk

new booth (still staging)

Behind Cooper is the radio cabinet when it was in our home

handpainted sign w/ silver

  
 



ReClaimed Chair turned into a stool