Home-grown food!!!!!

                                              FRIED GREEN TOMATOES!!!!

It's NOT just a movie!!!!!

It's a staple on southern tables-and mmmmmm! soooo good!!!

Its really easy too-just slice a green tomato,sprinkle with salt and pepper and dredge in cornmeal.
Plop the slices into hot bacon grease and fry about 1.5 minutes turn over and fry the other side till brown.
Don't fry em up till just before the rest of supper's done-these need to come out of the fryin pan and onto your plate!!!!
NOW you've tasted southern fare!!!!!!

But wait-how bout a little fresh catfish(also from the our place)-just pan fry the fillets in butter and baste with lemon juice butter and salt and pepper until flaky-5-8 minutes,depending on the thickness of the fish.

And FINALLY some fresh from the garden green beans!!!

It's good to pick,catch and cook food from your own place!!

It just tastes better!!!

Another great recipe!!!

I’m telling you- if you haven’t tried Pioneer Woman Cooks  cookbook- you are missing out!!!
Yesterday I made her chicken pot pie and it was simply perfect!!!The crust was wonderful(her recipe too!) and the filling was easy and delicious!!!

Another delicious treat- these two sweet babies- lovin’ each other!!!

And FINALLY~ my soap adventure for last week included a new scent-Citrus Circus!!! It is simply the coolest scent.
Lemon-lime,grapefruit,blackberry – a hint of cucumber & Jasmine and finally champagne!!!
It smells “bubbly” fresh and FUN!!!!!!

Evidence of a sheltered life…..

I’m certain I have been far too sheltered….because  I have never tasted Crème’ Brule’!

My favorite candle scent for the last 3 or 4 years has been Crème Brule, but I really didn’t even know exactly what Crème Brule’ was.

As many of you already know I have been trying recipes from Ree Drummonds cookbook, PIONEER WOMAN COOKS~Today’s recipe was Creme’Brulee’ and I’m certain I will never be the same after tasting it!

The only warning in the recipe was to cook only until set- but not browned…a little tricky, but I managed to get it right.

After chilling the dessert cups of this tasty goodness,then comes the FUN!

Of course Luke was happy to oblige with this step- browning the sugar on top forming a crisp ,brown top.

I was short a few ramekins,(small,shallow,oven-safe dishes) so I used a pie plate once all the small dishes were filled.

There is no way I can describe to you how delectable this treat is…I simply cannot think of the words- let’s see-      smooth~ velvety~rich~light~ exquisite~

It is so simple to whip up and only calls for a few ingredients-heavy cream,egg yolks(10 of em!) and a tiny bit of sugar & vanilla.

Since I can’t bear to throw out good food (remember those 10 egg whites?)I used the egg whites to whip up a quick Angel food cake!

BON APETITE!

Update on the cookbook adventure!

I don't do many book reviews- especially since I'm not a big reader.

Shocking,no?

I'm a really good reader but I'm afraid I don't enjoy it.

ANYWAY.................................................

I recently bought a copy of a fantastic cookbook- and the author is a hoot to read!

She fits my  writing specs- short-sweet- and full of reality!!!!

I have tried recipe after recipe and to my great surprise and delight my hubby likes every one of them!!!!

I think you will too!

One of my readers asked me to let her know which recipes I'd tried so here goes Kimberly-

Meatballs,Choc cake,sweet rolls, Olive Cheese bread,Enchiladas,Marlboro mans sandwich,Sour cream pancakes,Maple scones...(I told ya I've been busy!!!)-

Migas,Breakfast Puffs,Prune cake(yes- he even liked this one!!!)Potato skins(my fave)

and Pico deGallo

                                                                          The Book
                                 If you need a great kick start to some new recipes try this book!!!
                                                       Let me know if you try some of them!

An accidental find....a real treasure~!!!

I stumbled onto this fantastic cookbook just before the holidays- quite by accident!

Oh my- what a happy accident!!!

I have tried several recipes and each one is better that the last!!!

She is a hoot to read-both her cookbook and her blog http://thepioneerwoman.com/

are full of great photography and lots of great country living tips- not to mention great inspiration for those of us who don't truly love cooking!!!!

I treated my hubby and I to scones this morning and Pioneer Woman came through again!!!!

I bought the book on AMAZON and it was quite reasonable-

The migas....Pico deGallo...sour cream pancakes......

and mmmmmmmmm........ each is wonderful!!!

Treat yourself!!!!

Pan Sausage.....

Recently I was shopping for pan sausage and was surprised to find that it was $4.99 for a ONE POUND roll!!!

It's been a while since I  have purchased any but I know it wasn't that high last time.

I almost just tossed it in the basket but something made me stop and think, "Hey I know how to make that and I could make twice that amount for the same price or less!"

I strolled over to the meat counter and found ground pork for 2.29 a pound.

I already had the other ingredients- sage, salt and pepper!

The quantities are a littly tricky. Everyone likes a particular balance so just add small amounts of each to one pound of ground pork- beginning with a tablespoon of sage and 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Mix well with your hands and make a mini patty to fry for taste. It may take several tries to get it like you like it  so just keep writing down the amounts and work with a single pound of meat until you get the taste your family likes.

I figure it cost about half as much as the roll with a fancy wrapper and name!

Once you get a  recipe for a single pound of meat it's easy to increase for larger portions.

Another way to cut cost is to buy pork steaks on sale and grind them yourself- it usually runs about $.99  lb.

Enjoy some farm fresh eggs, homemade bread and fresh pan sausage for breakfast!!!

Change comes hard...and sometimes not at all!!!

In the past few years our family has tried to adopt a healthier approach to food- more clean eating. You know fresh vegetables,whole grains and more real food as opposed to processed and packaged foods.
My older kids will tell you that we have tried time and time again to get off all the white stuff- you know white sugar, and white flour- but it slips back in, ever so quietly.
Yesterday as I was preparing dinner I made a pitcher of iced tea-best tea on the planet. I'm not bragging- my kids will tell you- it's good every time.It's one of those things that just have become a part of "us"- white sugar and all!!!!! As I dumped the 1 full cup of the white "poison" in I wondered why it tastes so good.
I don't have the answer but I do know that after being in the heat all day we ALL want a glass of iced tea with supper.
I don't know if that'll ever change.
This last week I tried a project that I thought was just too cute for words- eggshell candles. Aren't they adorable??? The scent is called "sweet milk".
The only problem is- I don't really enjoy making candles and as cute as they are they don't work well. The wick singes the shells and then they STINK!!!
Moral of the story: I don't care for doing candles!!!! I'll just keep buying them from Pierre at "81" or online at http://jillsuzanne.com/products/index.php?category=2 I was also treated to some really nice crocheted lace!!! Angela brought a huge bag full of this yummy stuff for Liz and I to fight over! We both had some great ideas and looks like I'll get to the sewing room next week to start on some of them!! Thanks Angela, for supporting our obsession!!! :)

Canning Pears.....

My good friend Heather shared some local pears with me a couple of weeks ago and I am just now getting around to putting them up!!! They are soooo easy and when Fall arrives they will find their way into bread,cakes,muffins and likely a biscuit or two!!!The process is really simple and you only need a few tools~ First peel and core your pears, slicing into halves and quarters.

(To keep them from browning dissolve 3 TBSP. of Fruit Fresh into a quart of water and drop each slice into this mixture) 

 

 



Be sure to prepare your jars and lids by sterilizing in boiling water.Toss your funnel into the sterilizing pot too!!!



While the jars sterilize gather your tools:

jar lifter

wooden spoon

cup towel

After jars have been sterilized left them out one at a time filling to within 1/4" of top with pears. Wipe off the rim of the jar so that it will seal properly and twist the jar ring on just finger tight.

Once all jars are filled and sealed return them to the boiling water(with water covering them at least 1" over the top of the jars) and allow them to boil in the water bath for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the jars carefully and allow to cool before labeling and storing in the pantry and planning all the good things you're gonna cook with them!!!!

Another easy recipe...... MAYO!!!

Once you make your own and see how fast and easy it is to do, you won't mind  knowing this little trick!!!

In about 5-7 minutes with just a few ingredients you can have a jar of mayo !

Here's the recipe:

MAYO

2 eggs

1cup-1   1/2 cup of oil(safflower,corn or olive oil) Safflower is flavorless and the olive oil has a significant flavor - use whichever suits you.

1-2 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar(again this will lend flavor-either will do )

1/2-1 teaspoon of salt



 

Start by beating the eggs until thick with an electric mixer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once thick start adding the oil a teaspoon at a time-if you rush this step your mayo will be runny (kinda like mine this time:0   )



Keep beating the entire time you are adding the oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once stiff you can stir or whisk in the lemon juice/vinegar and salt.



Now just spoon (or pour,if you rushed the oil like me!!!) into a jar and label and cover. Store in the fridge. Mine did get firmer after it was refrigerated for a couple of hours. ***

Just don't rush the OIL!!!!!!!!!

CHAI Tea by Ashleigh

Not only did I get to see my kids while on vacation, I got to meet some of their friends. One of Lacey's friends,Ashleigh made a wonderful treat for us and I wanted to pass along the recipe!

This was a completely new thing for me and I loved it!!!!

Give it a try! I'm gonna make some as soon as I get Lacy to do some WORLD MARKET shopping for me!!! :)

CHAI TEA

1/2 cup water 1 bag black tea

cinnamon stick 2 cups milk

2 Tbsp raw sugar 1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp cardamom

In small saucepan combine water,tea bag and cinnamon.

Bring to boil- remove from heat and cover.

Let stand for 5 minutes

Discard tea bag and cinnamon stick

Stir in milk,sugar,vanilla'ginger and cardamom into tea.Cook, stirring over medium heat until heated through. DO NOT BOIL.

Serve in warm mugs- preferrably with good friends and quiet conversation. :)

It would be great with some of Lexi's dipped animal crackers, don't ya think???

Thanks so much for sharing this fantastic treat with us Ashleigh!!!!

Lexi's FUN snack crackers...

While I was in Lubbock Lexi shared one of her "special creations" with me.

It was so yummy and easy I just had to pass it along.



With just a few simple ingredients you'll have a scrumptious snack in minutes!

























1 bag of animal crackers

1 bag of peppermints, crushed

chocolate/vanilla almond bark

Melt the chocolate  in a small bowl- dip each animal cracker half way into the chocolate and then roll or sprinkle crushed peppermint over the chocolate .

Allow to firm on wax paper and enjoy!!!



Good job Lexi! Keep creating in the kitchen!!!!

More than just pickled cucumbers....

It may not sound good but if you like boiled eggs and you like pickles you will love this recipe!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my husbands special mix-

Hard boiled eggs(whatever amount fits your container)we used a half  gallon jar

1-8oz bottle of Season All

1 bell pepper,sliced

1/2 onion sliced

 1 jalepeno(optional)

50% vinegar

50%water

Boil all the ingredients(except the eggs) together and pour over the peeled boiled eggs.

That's it! It may take a couple of days for the seasoning to fully penetrate the eggs but MMMMM! when it does! It's a great summer snack!!! Store in the fridge.

Sourdough Bread!

After a few mess-ups I finally got it right!!!!!

I had to slow down and pay attention to the details and wait a bit for each step along the way-something I should be better at!

Well, it paid off this time and I got 3 beautiful and tasty loaves for my effort!!!!

I have been trying different recipes using sourdough and have been pleased with each of them so far.

About my only concern is the fact that we eat far less bread than most of the recipes yield so I will be working on downsizing the quantities. Also I'd like to try whole grains.

I even added the sourdough starter to Banana muffins on Friday and they were wonderful!!!!

Sourdough English Muffins-(step by step)

A couple of weeks ago a good friend,Ronna, from Nevada sent me a wonderful sourdough starter.
Along with the starter she added,by way of email, some great information from her years of successful bread-making! As if that wasn't enough, she added a healthy dose of encouragement along the way~ and now I am doubly excited!!!
I made English muffins that are just delicious!!!
I wanted to share with all of you since Ronna was soooo sweet to share with me.
Here's the recipe I used for the English Muffins and the link to the instructions from the original author of the recipe-

http://webpages.charter.net/rhamley/index.htm

This is the recipe(as follows)
http://webpages.charter.net/rhamley/bread/engmuffins.htm


*****************Of course you have to have a starter first!!!****************


Sourdough English Muffins~

At night, mix fresh active starter with flour and water: Let it sponge overnight (8-12 hours)
(1/2 cup starter 2 cups white flour 1 cup water) (This is how it looks in the morning)

In the morning add the following:1/4 tsp. baking soda~1 tsp salt~2 Tbsp. white sugar~1 cup flour. Mix and knead the dough adding just enough flour to keep the dough workable.

Try to maintain a very moist and soft dough. Cover the dough and allow it to rest 10-15 minutesCover a cookie sheet with wax paper or a non-stick silicone sheet then sprinkle it with cornmeal Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch on a lightly floured surface. Cut out circles (about 3 inches across). Place the circles on the cornmeal covered cookie sheet. Keep them separate because they will expand. Sprinkle them with more corn meal.
Cover and allow the English muffins to rise for about 1 hour. Don't be too disappointed if you don't see much action, the English muffins will rise as they bake.

Preheat a griddle to low-medium heat (a non-stick fry pan works well). Brush the griddle lightly with butter. With a quick sure hand, use a pancake turner (spatula) to lift the English muffins, one at a time, and place them on the griddle. Don’t allow them to touch each other.

Cook about 5-6 minutes on the first side. After 3 minutes, lift the edges to see if they are browning too fast or not at all. Adjust the heat if necessary. Turn to the other side and cook 5-6 minutes. (Total cooking time is about 10-12 minutes). Fork split the muffins to enjoy the best texture with lots of buttery holes inside.

Makes about 10-12 English muffins

Don't forget to check out this link for the recipe original location~http://webpages.charter.net/rhamley/bread/engmuffins.htm