Monday, September 1, 2014

The end of summer...

 ...which means canning is in full force! I made this fantastic peach jalapeno jam. Sweet and heat. Great on a block of cream cheese to eat with crackers, great on a biscuit with dinner, great as a glaze on pork!
Ready to make your own?
I may have mentioned that I like to halve and pit my peaches before blanching...so much easier. So here goes...

8C peeled diced peaches
4 minced jalapenos, seeds removed
1 1/2C honey
juice of 3 limes
powdered pectin of your choice (I use Ball for lower sugar recipes)
If you've made any jam before then you know the drill, bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a wide, heavy bottomed pot. Reduce to a low boil and cook, stirring often, until thick and sticky (220F on  candy thermometer). Stir in one packet pectin, return to boil and then fill your prepared jars and process 10 minutes in a water bath canner.
 Easy peasy!


 Banana pepper rings were a new item to can this year. Lots of recipes out there. I chose a cold pack method and a brine that contained turmeric for that classic yellow color. A second batch of these will be happening this week.

A good friend of mine texted me a photo a few weeks back. It was a canning jar, empty of it's pickles, containing only the leftover brine. I could see it had mustard seed but it also contained a cinnamon stick! It was someone's grandma's secret recipe and she wondered if I'd ever heard of such a thing. Cinnamon Brown Sugar Pickles. I searched the interwebs for such a thing...found an old recipe from the early 1900s and tried it out. I'll let you know what the verdict is when these are tasted!

 And Bread and Butter pickles are a family tradition. It's the first thing I remember canning with my mom.

1 peck med cucumbers sliced
3  chopped white onions
3 chopped green bell peppers
sprinkle with 1/2C pickling salt, mix well and let rest for 4 hours
In large pan on stove combine following brine ingredients:
3C white vinegar and 3C cider vinegar
3C sugar
2T mustard seed
2tsp turmeric
1T whole cloves
Bring to a boil making sure sugar is dissolved. Squeeze liquid from vegetables and add to brine pot. Once all cukes are in brine give a good stir to heat through and pack into prepared pint jars.This recipe makes a bout 12-14 pints. Process for 15 minutes in a water bath canner. Try to wait about a month before eating
 these! Patience, Grasshopper!
And, of course, I have to show off my new tattoo.  Last Wednesday I got this great traditional dagger through an anatomical heart. It's hard to get a good picture of this as it's on my inner thigh. I'm working on covering my legs. this is on my left leg. My tattoo artist said 'You have a lot of shitty spots left on this leg'...meaning my knee cap, ankle, knee ditch, etc. Oh well.


Hope you enjoyed this quick update. Time passes so quickly between posts, I'm so sorry!

Happy canning! I <3 you all.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

I've been a canning machine!

 This year I've decided to try some new recipes along with the 'old standbys'. 0ne of the new recipes I canned today is corncob jelly. It's a beautiful pale yellow with a taste resembling honey. This recipe made much more than I expected so I will definitely have it for sale at the Akron Farm & Flea.



I made a scrumptious batch of vanilla-peach-bourban jam! Just look at that amazing color! The bourbon doesn't make it taste boozy, it just helps enhance the flavor of the vanilla. Yummy!

 

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Did you miss me much?

I'm back!
Thanks to a new (used) Macbook Pro that I picked up this evening, I can finally get back to you gracious readers! I think it's been 3 months since I've updated. It feels like I'm meeting you all over again so.....Nice to meet you! Welcome to my blog about all the things that keep me busy during my days.
I've been a busy bee and I'm deep into the 2014 canning season. This most recent batch was blueberry butter cooked down in my crock pot. The recipe made six half pint jars and as soon as I posted the picture I had three of them sold!

I picked blueberries twice this summer. Twelve pounds both times. That's a lot of blueberries! I made blueberry jam, one batch with sugar and one batch with honey. I made blueberry pie filling too!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Not enough hours in the day!

So, my laptop has taken a crap and I'm trying to blog post from my phone. Wish me luck!

I believe it's finally spring here in Ohio. It's a holiday weekend and I have 4 days of work... like a mini vacation with no plans. Temperatures in the 70s and no rain - I'll take it!

I've done some baking this week. Gluten free vegan chocolate chip cookie bars and vegan rhubarb applesauce bread. I'll share these recipes soon!

I've also been power walking again. I have a neighborhood route that's about 4 miles. My goal is to walk 5 days a week or more, so far I've only managed 2. 😕 But I have gotten my time down to 14:35 per minute!

Time for laundry and dishes. More soon!

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Snow on tax day

I'm not sure which is worse!
But cold weather means soup for me. So tonight's dinner was 'Clean out the Fridge' Ramen soup!


Earlier this month I scored a flat of delicious shiitake mushrooms. After working my way through about half of them, the remaining mushrooms ended up as mushroom stock in the freezer.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Is it spring yet?

I can't believe how quickly 2014 is passing by! And it's still so cold and wintery feeling :( Boo!
Even my Christmas cactus is confused! It bloomed again in February.


 
 
I've been to a couple shows this month. Went to The Kent Stage to see some friends play. The White Pines and Shivering Timbers. Fun times!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Sunday Fun Day!


Aren't you just craving spring? I know I am. It's been a long, very cold, very snowy winter here in Northeastern Ohio. Spring thaw will be welcomed. So to curb that itch I rooted a couple houseplant cuttings. I really do love houseplants! These will be off to a friend who has smokers in his apartment building. Anything to help purify the air.

What girl doesn't love shoes?! This week I became the proud inheritor (is that a real word) of multiple pair of designer vintage shoes and boots. It was like Christmas all over again!

Monday, February 10, 2014

Disappearing Act!

I'm sorry for my absence! It's February already and I don't really know where the time has gone. It's been a cold and snowy winter in Ohio and I feel like a bear. I just want to hibernate. So let's see what I've been up to, shall we?


I'm obsessed with this new CND shellac/Vinylux color! Mint Convertible. I could wear it every day! I also finished up this little crocheted Amigurumi unicorn for a special order. Cutie pie.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

January Blues

One year ago today I lost my grandmother. She was 95 1/2 years old.

The day before, I lost a great talented, creative friend. He was 33.

Nine days later, I lost my grandfather. He was 97.

It was a difficult beginning to a difficult year. I lost 5 loved ones in 2013, including my 26 year old niece and the 26 year old son of an old friend.

Todays January blues are so much different than last year. It's blue sky and sunshine! I have a brighter outlook, a new job, great new friends and a new blog to share with all of you.



Watched Jurassic Park the other day. Love this movie! My favorite line is when Samuel L Jackson flips the electrical breaker back on and says "Hold on to your butts!"

Monday, January 6, 2014

Deep Freeze

The Midwest is under a blanket of frigid air right now. As I write this post the real temperature is -7F and the windchill is -38F! Schools are closed. Even some businesses are closed. My boss texted me this afternoon and said to stay home tomorrow. Snow days as an adult ROCK!

A friend posted this on her Facebook today. I was 11 years old when this blizzard hit. We don't get snows like that anymore!