Tomato Jam

This has been a banner year for tomatoes here in central Indiana.  I did not put up one tomato last summer, but am making up for it this year! After freezing over 20 quarts of fresh tomatoes to be used for chili, soups and sauces, I thought it was time to move on to something new and exciting. I found this great recipe from Eve Fox at The Garden of Eating, for Tomato Jam. I gave it a try, and it received rave revues from the whole family. As I write this, I have my sixth batch simmering on the stove! So if you have an abundance of tomatoes and would love to try something fun, here is the recipe:

You will need 5lbs. of fresh tomatoes, washed and cored.

Next, chop the tomatoes into little pieces, skins and all. After they are all chopped, I would recommend letting them drip out in a strainer in the sink for a bit to drip out the juice. This will cut your cooking time way down.

Place all of your chopped tomatoes into a large stainless steel pot. 

Add:  3 1/2 cups of sugar

          8 tablespoons of lime juice, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar

           2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger

           1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

           1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

           1 tablespoon salt

           1 tablespoon chili flakes

 Stir it all together, and turn the heat on. I cooked my jam higher at first to cook off the liquid quicker. You will want to stir the mixture often at this point. As the jam thickens, reduce the heat to prevent scorching. Continue to stir more frequently as it thickens. If it does stick to the bottom, do NOT scrape the burnt stuff up when you stir it as you will have scorched chunks floating in your jam. You can pour it off into a different pot, or stir very carefully. Continue cooking until it is a nice thick chunky mixture. This will take several hours, so start early in the day! Ladle it into canning jars while it is hot. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. If you have never done this, you can find good directions online. I believe that the jam could also be frozen in freezer containers.

This jam makes a great dipping sauce for chicken, egg rolls, anything you would use a spicy dipping sauce for. We poured some over a block of cream cheese and spread it on crackers for an absolutely delicious treat! This will make 3-5 pints.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we have!

Diana

I love to Paint!!!

I am a woman who loves change! Variety is the spice of life to be sure. There are some things, however, which cannot be changed.  It is these things which sometimes cause us frustration, anxiety and sometimes grief.  I have found in these things that God usually wants to change Me. But, when the mood for change comes,  many times something can safely be done. I have been known to change furniture around in  the middle of a sleepless night, to everyone's surprise!  My favorite tool, however, is that magical formula called...PAINT!!!

Quite a few years ago, my daughters and I began collecting paint chips. I believe it coincided with Martha Stewart paint colors and the lovely chips that were available at the paint stores. On rainy days we would get them out and play with them, dreaming of rooms that we could paint. Paint is an inexpensive means of changing the personality of an entire room.  For instance, our family room has been a constant source of irritation for me as I didn't seem able to achieve the homey feel that I wanted. I had painted the room six times in our nine years of living in this house and it never quite felt right to me.

This photo shows the room on the day that it's big change finally came, with everything pushed to the center for the paint job. It was bland and uninviting.When I made my way to the paint store, I landed on a color that I seem to have picked out several times before...once for a bathroom, a kitchen and a deck.  I guess I just like it! So the paint job began and when it was finished, I knew that I had finally found a color that I could live with and enjoy.

So much better! I bought a few remnants to recover a few throw pillows and purchased a lovely rug on clearance at Home Goods which is one of my favorite stores! The taupe walls definitely set a beautiful background for our furniture and draw us into the room. This paint color is a Walmart paint called Mushroom Taupe. It is a very versatile color and very restful. 

Need a change?? Grab that paint brush and get creative!

Diana

Chickens!!!!!!

 Chickens are so much fun!! We have had our little blended "family" of 14 hens for nine days now, thanks  to some very generous folks.  When the twelve new ladies first joined our two survivors, things were a bit interesting.  Our girls looked a bit startled when the strange big hens filled up their little yard and made themselves at home in their coop.  Having been taken from a big flock, the new hens were a bit skittish for a while, and Violet and Daisy defended their territory. Now, however, they all meander happily around our yard, scratching in the grass and making holes.  They are no longer afraid of us and seem right at home.       

                               

 Our two girls still stick together, but they mix it up with the others now. We have had 26 lovely brown eggs so far!

All of our little grandchildren love chasing the hens around the yard, hoping to catch one to hold.

Our visitors are learning to watch out for chickens crossing the drive.

Speaking of eggs, I was fixing our dinner this evening and thought this would be a fun recipe to share. This dish has been a family favorite for several decades now, and is easy on the pocketbook as well as very delicious.

Spaghetti a la Carbonara

Cook 1 1-lb package of spaghetti in salted water until tender.

Meanwhile, cook 6-8 slices of bacon in a skillet until crisp.  Crumble the bacon, reserving the drippings.

Beat:  4 eggs

          5 T. cream

          salt  and pepper

Drain the spaghetti, but don't rinse! Return the noodles to the pot.  Add the egg mixture and stir over low heat until the eggs coat the noodles and dry. Stir in the bacon and drippings.  Serve with parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.

Enjoy!

Diana

Chickens at The Shoe

 Please meet Violet (in the background), and her friend Daisy. This is our chicken flock.  My husband has been dreaming and planning for chickens for a couple of years now.  He spent the winter designing a coop that he thought would be a unique and ingenious creation, able to be easily moved throughout our yard!  With  the help of our son-in-law, Jason, the coop was made over a period of several months.  While the coop was being built, little chicks were growing in a box in our garage...23 to be exact. Unfortunately, the chickens got ready to be moved before the coop did, so we installed them outside,  inside of an electric poultry fence.  They did fine the first night, but the second morning brought disaster!!  When I went to check on them, only one chicken was left in the fence! Several were lying dead  outside the fence and the rest were gone! While Allen was burying the victims, we saw a big, red fox come to look for the chickens. We figured out that the fox must have scared the chickens so that they escaped through the small holes in the netting and were electrocuted as a result. We were so sad...all of us. Now we had one lonely chicken whom we promptly named Violet. Violet became very attached to Sophie, following her everywhere! We were sad for her, knowing that she needed a buddy!  Imagine our joy when our neighbors found one more lonely chicken wandering around in their bushes! Daisy and Violet are now inseparable.  They are Survivors, to be sure.

 We are hoping to get some more soon to add to the flock. I will  keep you posted as we grow into this new endeavor!  We hope to have fun with the chickens and perhaps add a few turkeys and ducks to the group. This has been a very hot and dry summer so far, so hopefully we will be able to get the girls through.

Life certainly throws us some unexpected curves, and we learned about being prepared!

Have a happy and thoughtful 4th of July tomorrow, being thankful for the freedoms we have enjoyed in this good country of ours!

Diana

Puff Pancakes and other things

 

It has been an interesting spring this year. We started out the spring with summer. The beginning of March brought a crazy heat wave which left me feeling confused and uncertain of what to do. Should we open the pool or get out summer clothes? Perhaps plant the garden and turn on the air conditioning? It was very strange, but not permanent, and soon we were back to spring. Then everyone was complaining of being cold. Not me...I like it cool.

We added a new little grandson to our family this spring. Little Ezra joined his two sisters and  brother almost six weeks ago now. He is a dear little baby and we are happy he is here safely.

Our family also experienced loss a couple of weeks ago, as our 23 year-old nephew was killed in an automobile accident.  We grieve with Allen's sister and her family as they adjust to life without this well-loved son and brother. His passing has reminded us all once again, of the uncertainty of life and the need to live every day well and for the glory of God.

We will soon have another high school graduate. Our eighth child, Sam is soon to graduate!  He has grown into such a fine young man who makes his mother so happy every day.

And, only one month until our family vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina!!This will be our sixth year and we are really looking forward to the trip! We all love the beach and being there all together is even better!

We have recently become puff pancake addicts,even though it is embarrassing to admit it! We find that they make the perfect dinner or breakfast and I suppose even a hard-to-beat snack! If you have never made one, you will be delighted with how very easy and delicious they are. You do need an oven-proof 10 inch skillet to make this recipe.

• Blend the following ingredients in a blender or with a whisk: 4 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour.
• Let the batter stand at room temperature for one hour if at all possible. The pancake will stay light after it is baked. Otherwise it falls pretty flat as you will notice on the next picture.(I forgot to let it sit!)
• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. While the oven is heating, I put 1/4 cup of butter in the skillet and place it in the oven to heat. The pan is ready when the butter is sizzling, but don't let it burn!!
• Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for 2 minutes. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips over the pancake and return it to the oven to continue baking for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and nicely browned. 
• Top with a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar and fresh strawberries and serve immediately.
• A word of caution: Puff Pancakes are highly addictive! 
• ENJOY!!

Here are a few laundry tips from our good friend, Mrs. Dunwoody!

• For ring around the collar:  Apply a paste of vinegar and baking soda and let set for a quarter to a half an hour. Then wash as usual.
• For extra dirty work clothes:  Try adding 1/2 cup of ammonia to the wash. Clothes will come out extra clean.

Enjoy the recipe and let me know if you like it!

Diana

Time Sure Flies!

I can hardly believe that it is already the last full week of February! It seemed when I was younger, that January and February dragged by.  Not any longer...they now keeps pace with the rest of the year. This has been a full winter so far. We have had five family birthdays since Christmas and have gutted a bathroom and begun the rebuilding process. I am teaching three bible studies, doing lots of reading,  homeschooling 

Sophie,and trying to keep my house clean and organized!  Sophie and I have taken up making dog treats to sell. Max gets to be the taste-tester which he likes. He hovers around the oven while they are baking. He is so finicky that if he likes them, I guess that other dogs will as well. I like that I can make them small for him, since he eats so many treats a day.  This is a recipe that Max likes pretty well and is inexpensive to make.

SAVORY TREATS

Mix in your mixing bowl:

2 t. yeast

1/2 cup warm water

Add:

2 T. dried parsley

2 T. minced garlic

1 1/2 c. chicken bouillon

1 cup oats

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 egg

Let the mixture sit until the oats are soft and then mix in 5-6 cups of whole wheat flour. I add the last cup or so as needed to make a nice dough which I knead until it is smooth. I divide the dough into 4 parts and roll each one into a rope. then I slice the rope into bits. You can make them any size you want, depending on the size of your dog.You can place them pretty close together on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Turn them over and bake another 15 minutes. I let them stay on a sheet in the oven while the oven cools down so that the treats will be good and hard. After they are totally cool, store them in a sealed container.

We have had some cold and flu in our family this month. Susanna had a lung infection and a cough. We discovered a recipe for cinnamon milk that we tweaked a bit. This milk gave her a bit of relief when she was really sick.  We mixed a cup of milk with 1/2 t. cinnamon,  1/2 t. ginger, 1 t. vanilla and honey to taste. Heat it all up until it is nice and warm and enjoy! It tastes a bit like a chai and was quite soothing for the cough.

Thanks for reading!

Diana

Diana's Homemade Granola

 Here it is, the middle of January already! We are waiting for our "First Big Snow Event" of the season. The first thing I did this morning was to make a fresh batch of granola since we were almost out! Yogurt and granola have become a breakfast staple around here, especially for Susanna who leaves for school before the crack of dawn. 

I thought you would enjoy this recipe as well, since I already gave you the instructions for the wonderful homemade yogurt. By the way, something I have noticed the last few times we have made yogurt:  Dannon gives the best results.  I am not sure why this is, but it seems that the yogurt made from the more expensive Greek yogurts do not have as creamy of a texture

Diana's Granola

Mix together in a large mixing bowl:

3 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup nuts

(you can also add wheat germ. flax seed or whatever you like at this point)

Melt together in a small saucepan:

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 T. water

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

Combine the two mixtures in the bowl until well combined and then spread it all on a large cookie sheet. I bake the granola at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes or until it is a nice golden brown. You need to be careful to set your timer for ten minutes and then stir it every ten minutes or it will burn and not taste good at all. So I stay right in the kitchen so that I don't miss the timer! After it is baked, you may add any dried fruit you like.  Let the granola cool on the sheet and then store it in an airtight container.  I always double the recipe and use two cookie sheets since it is a bit of trouble to make in the first place. I hope you enjoy this recipe and make it your own by adding the kind of nuts and fruits that your family likes.

With spring right around the corner, I made a batch of honeysuckle soap with calendula petals from the herb garden. My house smells so good!! We have not had a bit of Mrs. Dunwoody"s wisdom lately, so here is some for you to enjoy:

Cough suppressant:
Mix apple cider vinegar and honey to taste in a small glass jar. Take a tablespoon as often as needed.

Natural Soother for Coughs:
Infuse honey, cloves and lemon in hot water as a natural remedy for coughs and sore throats.  Sucking a whole clove will quiet tickles in the throat.

Heartburn:
Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water and sip it while eating. Another remedy is to add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to half glass of water and drink.

Thanks for reading!
Diana