tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9775023367439217382024-03-05T00:13:15.314-08:00Mom/...how many hats do you wear?Stories of food, family, and life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-12515623680302557702014-08-05T15:04:00.002-07:002014-08-05T15:04:34.229-07:00Mom/Gardener...our first big garden.So I guess it's official, I only blog once a year. So much for keeping up with the blogging. Oh well. This spring we decided to dive head first into gardening here in Montana. Our elevation (4000ft) and our zone (4) combine to give us a very short growing season, so we started by only ordering seeds meant for colder climates and shorter seasons. We started most of our seeds indoors and quickly learned how to cat proof our seed starting area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">seedlings enjoying the sunlight </td></tr>
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We had to start from scratch with the garden area, so as soon as the ground was no longer frozen, about mid April, we started tilling up the garden area and building the fence and greenhouse.<br />
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Tim breaking ground.</div>
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We were lucky because our neighbors to the North have cattle, and that means lots of manure, they were happy to let us have two big truck loads of it to help enrich our garden soil.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim building the greenhouse.</td></tr>
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We used old cattle guards that Vernon had lying around to build the fence and Tim attached a dome to a section to form the frame for our greenhouse. In the end we ended up with a 20 x 40 foot garden, with the greenhouse on the north end.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6r3IAWBGLXn9IHGSb5c4fZE4jRkPL0rmbdvBZbgPThokBW4VQa7v-djLsUyhXkNOjXFrjRXg33VFoXKjkhAmbUKxGx51owFcaeCHWnqS7QJt5UlFQI6U2JFPDViYEqTgZHOEMeG1aK1M/s1600/2014-05-21+13.06.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6r3IAWBGLXn9IHGSb5c4fZE4jRkPL0rmbdvBZbgPThokBW4VQa7v-djLsUyhXkNOjXFrjRXg33VFoXKjkhAmbUKxGx51owFcaeCHWnqS7QJt5UlFQI6U2JFPDViYEqTgZHOEMeG1aK1M/s1600/2014-05-21+13.06.16.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">garden rows with greenhouse.</td></tr>
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By the beginning of May we had our garden planted. Our quick summary of plants: red potatoes, yellow potatoes, two types of Swiss chard, Tuscan kale, beets, turnips, bok choi, fennel, Brussels Sprouts, red and green cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, yellow and green zucchini, artichoke, plum tomatoes and slicing tomatoes, green bell peppers, banana peppers, Jalapeño Peppers, cucumbers, fava beans, green and purple green beans, snow peas, English peas, carrots, pumpkins and butternut squash.<br />
Happily, most everything is doing well. We were aware that with full time jobs and two kids we wouldn't be able to spend hours a day in the garden so we put down gardening cloth to suppress weeds and are using a lot of mulch to help keep the weeds down in the paths as well. Both of those things have saved us so much work. One happy lesson I learned is that when you are thinning your plants, those baby plants don't have to go to waste. Especially if you were lazy and let them start to form small carrots, turnips, and beets before you got them thinned out. I made some really delicious sautés with the thinned root vegetables this spring. <br />
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Thinned carrots, tops and all, make a really good pesto.<br />
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To wrap this up I think I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">artichoke</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLv51SyaMhQjOYBIMRgmEw2R90vDSy9t8u__sq_25SA3w_TVAsPELiBfCCE_nZkKQeY6OMxv1y7zf5lxDh_SgjVRRYEZsLplM9lPMikbbZJvEXSR-oegHlj7O_Ksh3yZSbVzoL0PMWlw/s1600/escaped+winter+squash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLv51SyaMhQjOYBIMRgmEw2R90vDSy9t8u__sq_25SA3w_TVAsPELiBfCCE_nZkKQeY6OMxv1y7zf5lxDh_SgjVRRYEZsLplM9lPMikbbZJvEXSR-oegHlj7O_Ksh3yZSbVzoL0PMWlw/s1600/escaped+winter+squash.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">escaped winter squash</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSqWtfEI_gQsaA_weALbiwwV29yv3d3mEEBvhk_J5bpRsbhMUzwc1BmVHhZlcy5fm4_BFV7SfBP5QnjFn11GJAU4SveROCXn1xW5JXXG8ggA6ESuc6FZf_RX49pM60aMGd663xa4eMs0/s1600/fennel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSqWtfEI_gQsaA_weALbiwwV29yv3d3mEEBvhk_J5bpRsbhMUzwc1BmVHhZlcy5fm4_BFV7SfBP5QnjFn11GJAU4SveROCXn1xW5JXXG8ggA6ESuc6FZf_RX49pM60aMGd663xa4eMs0/s1600/fennel.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fennel </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkA4KTDj-HmD4-9chKCqtjIQLAHsrfexYol90e1C5PAI2LdIVQbgjfT6bxpuiA3B7vjrOtnAwk_hf7aI08UUPjp6mVDqnt7cJoDg4mfmGZYDdLnVJQD80YX1rJxTJ3q-P7jYV7Gb7VRA/s1600/fordhook+giant+chard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkA4KTDj-HmD4-9chKCqtjIQLAHsrfexYol90e1C5PAI2LdIVQbgjfT6bxpuiA3B7vjrOtnAwk_hf7aI08UUPjp6mVDqnt7cJoDg4mfmGZYDdLnVJQD80YX1rJxTJ3q-P7jYV7Gb7VRA/s1600/fordhook+giant+chard.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fordhook giant chard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J9jVkuyREBhE1_C08VZnzIcQl9_85VlPC_Mx8KETNBBfl_8lQT-2sTGifUrKiz0QLKkPuOw3Vc5y2-VT2Xu_701CQ60VIL_y5PuqnbcHIQpZpBj-E77ZWJU2BtbTgC2Sg6KrUqobaT4/s1600/garden+in+full+swing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J9jVkuyREBhE1_C08VZnzIcQl9_85VlPC_Mx8KETNBBfl_8lQT-2sTGifUrKiz0QLKkPuOw3Vc5y2-VT2Xu_701CQ60VIL_y5PuqnbcHIQpZpBj-E77ZWJU2BtbTgC2Sg6KrUqobaT4/s1600/garden+in+full+swing.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Connor in the garden after a storm blew off our greenhouse plastic </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">green beans</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVWEmCIPmwGC5gMrwQPoH17gatPeYv8CqxytI490PQYJploiBL2hFb9MT4KvLT5jHKzTKLuXOAKzQM2a_XT9haFiDjZkXQZKDD-HYqn23Gc0-rCZApZWap6ONLJeW-Fcvu6CCx6_D1sE/s1600/harper+in+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVWEmCIPmwGC5gMrwQPoH17gatPeYv8CqxytI490PQYJploiBL2hFb9MT4KvLT5jHKzTKLuXOAKzQM2a_XT9haFiDjZkXQZKDD-HYqn23Gc0-rCZApZWap6ONLJeW-Fcvu6CCx6_D1sE/s1600/harper+in+garden.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harper in the garden and some pea trellis </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTs-Mtjz8KQILzXbCW-4pl4UUXNa_MpZUB1BBQSjrmU-coFh9gLUx7BP17h6DK0NCRB8EF9XSiUSphkNgSP_-nDswBEQY3N1hJ25OrxHEEns7BnV6o6KttoIXJ-fxEXQnhpGDoFzM83tU/s1600/kale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTs-Mtjz8KQILzXbCW-4pl4UUXNa_MpZUB1BBQSjrmU-coFh9gLUx7BP17h6DK0NCRB8EF9XSiUSphkNgSP_-nDswBEQY3N1hJ25OrxHEEns7BnV6o6KttoIXJ-fxEXQnhpGDoFzM83tU/s1600/kale.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kale</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mint</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQsNKK10GSvTs1qQob3P-Erclwz3dir37Ka9q_tEp3lDHAmuWDEWVXub5f46qB-P1OARlRFoMdk6RDD_TxLfonf5LVYVKYCSeET7noaV1GirsHhFHvgAyQT0I3Vrn07jtGuL_P1IK4I8/s1600/peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQsNKK10GSvTs1qQob3P-Erclwz3dir37Ka9q_tEp3lDHAmuWDEWVXub5f46qB-P1OARlRFoMdk6RDD_TxLfonf5LVYVKYCSeET7noaV1GirsHhFHvgAyQT0I3Vrn07jtGuL_P1IK4I8/s1600/peas.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQIr2NyydFsvv9-jo9rz5MRBC59fqy_U8CbNbrR2uSuBVeBmmG5BCGfG6T3mVLoLZ905f6TkPwaza4jUmCJnk8bDosFxjP_heRD6HtKtK2mLr1gY6zWngA7zznj8u2YKWdAwx7U8YymI/s1600/peppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQIr2NyydFsvv9-jo9rz5MRBC59fqy_U8CbNbrR2uSuBVeBmmG5BCGfG6T3mVLoLZ905f6TkPwaza4jUmCJnk8bDosFxjP_heRD6HtKtK2mLr1gY6zWngA7zznj8u2YKWdAwx7U8YymI/s1600/peppers.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peppers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjU0link6lBn1SAagBf3ZlwUwpaB6Wb2vnS1oVvwvzFLIJS2Annsn-Ei9Xs8im0fOApm6RCetWoRuIFpBERTgw-CblilICBujtw3ud_hXch6HFxaCxYXj03Rzm5tf-mttYYdvEMqiLD20/s1600/potato+plants+with+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjU0link6lBn1SAagBf3ZlwUwpaB6Wb2vnS1oVvwvzFLIJS2Annsn-Ei9Xs8im0fOApm6RCetWoRuIFpBERTgw-CblilICBujtw3ud_hXch6HFxaCxYXj03Rzm5tf-mttYYdvEMqiLD20/s1600/potato+plants+with+flowers.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rows of potatoes </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnbodFLSf7gIJ0ipbGsEHyFB_ZOSwLgqc8eHizu3BHq5dTaqKrhA9rA17xdlxSvvdm8RvNLMLs9hCcDzSL5CJ7JaOmXjzeIw1kxiw1KNYZ7U98aNyTRhLpDBGiNPHTivqpBjxj869MMQ/s1600/red+cabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnbodFLSf7gIJ0ipbGsEHyFB_ZOSwLgqc8eHizu3BHq5dTaqKrhA9rA17xdlxSvvdm8RvNLMLs9hCcDzSL5CJ7JaOmXjzeIw1kxiw1KNYZ7U98aNyTRhLpDBGiNPHTivqpBjxj869MMQ/s1600/red+cabbage.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">red cabbage </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgODAGEaH8v1REZmSvC_1Dnzf2F1ku4umY-ZMsrJC9geC9T1NJ8GLh3QNXwtmikUYYxmXnAQ-9PoK0NL3Tmlm9_TVHp3hm7tlXJSOfz7bcfDUI9H3n00kPmwe9C30q7LSt1HroSv2qfMY/s1600/royal+burgandy+bean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgODAGEaH8v1REZmSvC_1Dnzf2F1ku4umY-ZMsrJC9geC9T1NJ8GLh3QNXwtmikUYYxmXnAQ-9PoK0NL3Tmlm9_TVHp3hm7tlXJSOfz7bcfDUI9H3n00kPmwe9C30q7LSt1HroSv2qfMY/s1600/royal+burgandy+bean.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">royal burgundy beans</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IvfUxENenrClODkTo5tj542b2tYOLUbp8ZmnLjJ2RLdK0JWFrdyp8EM8WoL_xwVClXs7Dp-Dmr3X9aS-x4yei3iEFoMS0uy7OXXaUiUoksDq57jTF9I3gIHLcgZhiYXQDH6IcO1FCds/s1600/yellow+zucchini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IvfUxENenrClODkTo5tj542b2tYOLUbp8ZmnLjJ2RLdK0JWFrdyp8EM8WoL_xwVClXs7Dp-Dmr3X9aS-x4yei3iEFoMS0uy7OXXaUiUoksDq57jTF9I3gIHLcgZhiYXQDH6IcO1FCds/s1600/yellow+zucchini.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cube of butter yellow squash</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB0uhXs8GlKRmblj6OyB3Jg_L0LEMQ65swSmSCdmDAGVKqdZhlypJ6NSLwozR8Ri4pevC5oWzghfd6K4aKknNIV9NUtd8f40bKStG0WPcsPKHq8iqsvi3L0XDJlwite3MzANXxwUDIoM/s1600/tomato+jungle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB0uhXs8GlKRmblj6OyB3Jg_L0LEMQ65swSmSCdmDAGVKqdZhlypJ6NSLwozR8Ri4pevC5oWzghfd6K4aKknNIV9NUtd8f40bKStG0WPcsPKHq8iqsvi3L0XDJlwite3MzANXxwUDIoM/s1600/tomato+jungle.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tomato jungle and trellises </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeNd_XAhuERBp4_uVHJde9-cj-A6qCREeT8vW-KTaGU04L5sglxupdZgHdcemhO5yI92M69XtFaxES1QUHPiq5QrN7jqRk3Ie98l58kmeKvKAsGDKpgccTbQOJBTQbcwm1U_sii5Ylf0/s1600/tomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeNd_XAhuERBp4_uVHJde9-cj-A6qCREeT8vW-KTaGU04L5sglxupdZgHdcemhO5yI92M69XtFaxES1QUHPiq5QrN7jqRk3Ie98l58kmeKvKAsGDKpgccTbQOJBTQbcwm1U_sii5Ylf0/s1600/tomatoes.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tomato close up.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-37747661861209428882013-10-06T22:14:00.001-07:002013-10-06T22:15:54.225-07:00Mom/Writer...Notes on a Montana Summer.So fall is here. In another month we will have hit our one year mark in our Montana adventure. And looking back I see that the last time I posted was in April, just after the kids' birthdays. Obviously I've been falling down on the blogging job. Why that is so will hopefully become clear when I tell you about our summer. After April (the month of birthdays) passed, I started booking some catering jobs here in town. Mostly for some women I met through playgroup. One woman's husband runs the electric company here in town and he ended up using me for several company events. It was fun, if a bit hard juggling preparing for the events with kids running around underfoot begging for attention. I've had several events over the summer, though not enough to constitute a full time job. I have taken some steps towards building a catering business here though, including getting a City of Cut Bank business license. In the new year I want to join the City Chamber of Commerce, in hopes of furthering said business.<br />
In June, Tim and I had the stressful realization that if we didn't find a way to increase our income RIGHT NOW, horrible, horrible things would happen. Luckily, a friend of ours is the dietary manager at the local nursing home, and she needed a new cook RIGHT NOW, or horrible, horrible things would happen. So I went back to work. What started out as a temporary job quickly became full time. So most of our summer has subsequently been taken up with our family learning how to balance everything with two working parents instead of one. When and how cleaning gets done, transportation, child care, animal care, everything has had to be renegotiated and reorganized. At first I was working all dinner shifts, which meant Tim and the kids were eating dinner without me five nights a week. But after several staff turnovers, I have managed to rework my schedule so I'm only on dinner shift two nights a week, which makes it a lot easier on all of us.We struggled as well with finding a babysitter, in fact we went through three in the first two months I worked, but that has finally worked out as well. Even though the kids still aren't totally happy with me for going back to work, we have finally started to find our equilibrium and they no longer throw huge tantrums at me the second I get home from work, and instead are like "hey Mom's home!" then go back to playing.<br />
For the most part I really enjoy my new job. It's nice to be in control of a kitchen again, and the residents of the nursing home are all pretty nice, and so are my coworkers. The hours aren't too bad, though getting the kids to the babysitter's at 5:50 am so I can be to work at 6 am has definitely been a struggle. But it means I pick them up at 2 pm and have the rest of the day and evening with them, and we all get to eat dinner and go through the nighttime routine as family, so it is worth the early mornings. Plus getting up so early means they finally go to bed before 10 pm, which has been a huge help for my sanity.<br />
The other bump for my sanity has been that Harper finally sleeps through the night (most nights). Tim and I (mostly Tim) put our feet down and did an intensive week of sleep training with Harper. She was still waking up to nurse once or twice a night, which had to stop. Tim slept in Connor's bed for a whole week (Connor shared with me), so Tim would hear her when she woke up. He would put her back to sleep, and after a week of not getting to nurse in the middle of the night, she finally gave up. It only took me another full week to learn to sleep through the night myself.<br />
Other things that we have done this summer include two trips up to Glacier National Park (only 45 minutes away!),<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkgLgsqWrqmwrqaed8eRyNXAbao8v6oLXA1wT82HU7m7Q_Rmov5kwVcJbrzz7IZQgPW7X9tzCYDqiggplAMZsNskEV1VihjMV96BiMdyXfIGs_CyCizRZcqijy4QTmycR-FEm5kC49YY/s1600/IMG_1714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkgLgsqWrqmwrqaed8eRyNXAbao8v6oLXA1wT82HU7m7Q_Rmov5kwVcJbrzz7IZQgPW7X9tzCYDqiggplAMZsNskEV1VihjMV96BiMdyXfIGs_CyCizRZcqijy4QTmycR-FEm5kC49YY/s320/IMG_1714.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim teaching Connor to fish at Two Medicine Lake.</td></tr>
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visits from Grandma Rhonda, Auntie Jana, Uncle Jack and Aunt Becky, and Auntie Maya.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUsE7GHatFDNuJ8acNaI1UnleGaJvzg9CSAvXVjYd4FAVY40YlnSg81oU9KIMBS7W_b_qeSWUe3X_21QUI533lWs19qIhe4kJdVxqPI2Yx3dY1NzB9tstRloUds3aWPfklR6yYoXd5PQ/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUsE7GHatFDNuJ8acNaI1UnleGaJvzg9CSAvXVjYd4FAVY40YlnSg81oU9KIMBS7W_b_qeSWUe3X_21QUI533lWs19qIhe4kJdVxqPI2Yx3dY1NzB9tstRloUds3aWPfklR6yYoXd5PQ/s320/IMG_1735.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maya at Two Medicine Lake.</td></tr>
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I had lots of panic attacks about rattle snakes, though we only ever saw any while we were driving and they were crossing the road. Thankfully we never found any on the property. Our chickens and guineas got huge, and the chickens finally started laying halfway through August. We have 13 hens and are now averaging 10 eggs a day. The turkey and excess roosters we had have been harvested and are now in our freezer. Our turkey ended up around 18 pounds cleaned weight. Not too bad, we are looking forward to cooking him this Thanksgiving.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidK3Hd9FgGut9rJu573cT4AbQUBUOYRtuOaV32lZwMgpqigAX3958x2l_jAk9iPEVdR2aTNAab_MQbaVv9qD4_hJWmXa7Ti4OvFb61FHBAMElYoDsZnIq90xcYdWC19969uBqVor_YS4s/s1600/IMG_20130822_193437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidK3Hd9FgGut9rJu573cT4AbQUBUOYRtuOaV32lZwMgpqigAX3958x2l_jAk9iPEVdR2aTNAab_MQbaVv9qD4_hJWmXa7Ti4OvFb61FHBAMElYoDsZnIq90xcYdWC19969uBqVor_YS4s/s320/IMG_20130822_193437.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Connor and Harper playing on a hay pile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEUy8BdhEyFYAkDn1cw5c4p1SXvYfTaAEKXcu9EtJOBDPADdKHwFarn-r87PH9Y2W2NYt4XsQuYOYpDDkaYEiQPky3vhS9dgKxIKWwOTwn1J55rvJQfTucaPjrdhG1PV2RydlpXh6Azk/s1600/2013-09-19+16.04.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEUy8BdhEyFYAkDn1cw5c4p1SXvYfTaAEKXcu9EtJOBDPADdKHwFarn-r87PH9Y2W2NYt4XsQuYOYpDDkaYEiQPky3vhS9dgKxIKWwOTwn1J55rvJQfTucaPjrdhG1PV2RydlpXh6Azk/s320/2013-09-19+16.04.48.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harper and Tim on a tractor.</td></tr>
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We had some sad times this summer. Our beloved dog, Winter, passed away.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMWMeYVwA9HCInTbWRQJ1-VUWJc0_iHOWy0PkzzKAwfPTrs5iMbgnN9ItvjQqiepXZeWHZtqmhvRI7khV9xWZoFfmKTKd00ytv1aikoPPWJ9HCNh-r5urdpipAEQU2htp2Z4QMWn5DDY/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMWMeYVwA9HCInTbWRQJ1-VUWJc0_iHOWy0PkzzKAwfPTrs5iMbgnN9ItvjQqiepXZeWHZtqmhvRI7khV9xWZoFfmKTKd00ytv1aikoPPWJ9HCNh-r5urdpipAEQU2htp2Z4QMWn5DDY/s320/IMG_0646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toby and Winter</td></tr>
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That was a hard first week. Toby, our other dog, has had a difficult time adjusting to being a single dog. He is much quieter and clingier than he used to be. He now has a little more company though, since we adopted two kittens.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJi8_YOmS64LSx3XFGZYsfbII44_vlbN6Emqc7Ji4BOlFWtomJtBg5p6fiospwboEp5BprCxliDy16Z7cmt-VbUx-Zb-zZzWi9BhVDC9NMqRz8pxzeGR_nl-cgt-ZjxDXkG_-7Pv6dNU/s1600/2013-09-29+14.57.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJi8_YOmS64LSx3XFGZYsfbII44_vlbN6Emqc7Ji4BOlFWtomJtBg5p6fiospwboEp5BprCxliDy16Z7cmt-VbUx-Zb-zZzWi9BhVDC9NMqRz8pxzeGR_nl-cgt-ZjxDXkG_-7Pv6dNU/s320/2013-09-29+14.57.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bo and Bella</td></tr>
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Bo and Bella are adorable, and totally love Toby. He is still unsure about them however. He tends to growl whenever one of them comes near him. Which is pretty funny, considering the size difference.<br />
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Kittens, by the way, do not respect your blogging time. However they are much easier to type around than kids are. Bo is currently chewing on the cord, while Bella is watching me type this with great interest.<br />
This September we hit a huge milestone, Connor had his first day of school!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sgXijghHmwO3GIFYC4ugW41NQEZ3bVRA4kwEmsAIrR0xBUrCtIMtU_gnMeuroaVvUPR_BXGjg-HnbaxSQCRo_M91Q6q8Azn2oopIQGu6CapywObYumIsNDYlIlaWYHpwDX-FSM_DLSs/s1600/IMG_20130826_114424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sgXijghHmwO3GIFYC4ugW41NQEZ3bVRA4kwEmsAIrR0xBUrCtIMtU_gnMeuroaVvUPR_BXGjg-HnbaxSQCRo_M91Q6q8Azn2oopIQGu6CapywObYumIsNDYlIlaWYHpwDX-FSM_DLSs/s320/IMG_20130826_114424.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Connor's first day of school.</td></tr>
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It's only preschool, but still. He goes twice a week and he LOVES IT! He still goes to speech therapy every week, as well as seeing a speech therapist at school. His language skills are growing by leaps and bounds, he has so many words now, and while a lot of them are just the first syllable of the word, he strings two and three words together without prompting, and tries to have actual conversations with us. I am so proud of him!<br />
Fall comes on fast here in Montana. We are at a pretty high elevation (4,000 ft) and have already had a killing frost (19 degrees F) two nights ago. We had almost a week of 35 degree days, then today it warmed up to 60 and I thought summer had come back. The leaves are falling from the trees almost before I noticed they had changed color. The sunset today was all shades of pink and orange, decorated with wispy white clouds. The Montana slogan, "Big Sky Country" is no misnomer. The sky here truly is huge, it seems to stretch forever and the clouds create some amazing shapes across all that blue.<br />
After almost a year here I can honestly say it is incredibly beautiful. We have had some fun adventures and met some very nice people. However, I don't know if I can call it home yet. We do enjoy it here, but after almost a year, homesickness is setting in hard. We just bought plane tickets to go back to Washington for Christmas, and we are so excited about it.<br />
Well, it's 10:30 pm and I am turning into a pumpkin. Sorry if this rambled a bit, but hopefully it gives you little insight into our busy summer. We love you all and look forward to seeing you for the Holidays.<br />
<br />
Love from Montana,<br />
the Gundersons.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking at Two Medicine.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-64490032904747263312013-04-12T11:04:00.000-07:002013-04-12T11:04:08.684-07:00Mom/Chef…notes on dehydrators.
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This year we spent a little of our tax return money on some
kitchen gadgets, some that were replacements for our badly worn out ones (like
our totally broken food processor) and some that we had coveted for quite a
while. Even though neither Tim nor I cook professionally any more, I guess you
can’t totally shut down the inner chef. One of the most useful gadgets we got
was a dehydrator. I had wanted one for years but always thought of it as more
of a one-trick pony, something that I would use for a few weeks and then put on
a shelf to gather dust. But in the two months that we have had it, I have it
running once or twice a week. It has really helped us keep up on using all of
our <a href="http://momslash.blogspot.com/2013/02/momchefbountiful-baskets.html">Bountiful Baskets</a> produce and has started to change our snacking habits for
the better. <br />
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After a lot of research including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2003-06-01/Choosing-a-Food-Dehydrator.aspx#axzz2QGylc2ZD">this article</a></i> from Mother Earth News, Tim and I chose the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-FD-75A-700-Watt-Food-Dehydrator/dp/B0090WOCN0/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1365789367&sr=1-1&keywords=nesco+food+dehydrator">Nesco 700watt Food Dehydrator</a>. It is reasonably priced, versatile in the different tasks
it can perform, and has plenty of trays and accessories for a reasonable price.
First off, I recommend the higher wattage because it makes the drying time
faster, most things can be dehydrated in an afternoon, instead of two or three
days. This Nesco model has a temperature gage that allows you to fine tune your
heat level, depending on what you are dehydrating. It stacks and stores easily,
doesn’t take up too much space on the counter, and while you can hear the fan
working, it isn’t an intrusive noise level, more a soft background noise. The
criticisms I have of this model is that it doesn’t have an on/off switch, which
means if you want to check your food you need to unplug it. Also it would be
nice if it had a timer on it, we over-dried an otherwise yummy batch of venison
jerky because we got busy with bath and bedtimes and forgot that we left the
dehydrator running. (The jerky is still edible, just a little tougher than we
had wanted.) Tim suggested an outlet timer, you can pick them up at hardware
stores, you plug the timer into the outlet then plug the dehydrator into the
timer, when your set time is up the timer will switch off, thereby shutting the
dehydrator off as well. We haven’t gotten one yet to try, but it should solve
the problem nicely. </div>
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Overall we are really happy with the choice we made. We have
made two different batches of jerky: one where we just thinly sliced the meat
before flavoring it, and one where we used ground meat and put it through the
jerky gun. Honestly, a jerk gun is just like a cookie press, only bigger. The
ground meat/jerky gun version makes a more tender jerky that dehydrates more
quickly than the sliced meat version. </div>
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We have also dried bananas, strawberries, mango, apples,
celery, green peppers, mushrooms, and several different herbs. We used some of
my homemade marmalade that didn’t set up as firmly as I would have liked and
made a fruit roll up. Very yummy. Dried vegetables are great when you are
making soups and sauces, things that they will rehydrate easily in. Being able
to throw herbs in the dehydrator keeps me from having that half bunch turning
to mush in the back of the crisper drawer. Plus drying your own herbs makes for
a fresher tasting product, much more flavorful than what you can buy in stores.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dried fruit of
course, is great in so many applications: as a snack, in granola and trail mix,
and is wonderful in oatmeal. Dehydrating also helps when you have fruit that
isn’t as sweet as you would like. We have been getting lots of strawberries in
our bountiful baskets, but frankly strawberries in winter aren’t that great.
However, once you dehydrate them they become an addictive candy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last but not least, toddlers love helping to
sort the dried fruits and vegetables into jars: helpful, educational, and fun!</div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Berries and Cream Steel Cut Oats</div>
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(Overnight version)</div>
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Makes 4 servings</div>
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This works well if you have two crock pots (one large and
one small), but a large crock pot and a medium sized glass bowl works well too.
You are essentially making a double boiler which will keep the oatmeal from
scorching during the longer cooking time.</div>
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1 Cup steel cut oats</div>
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4 Cups water</div>
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¼ tsp salt</div>
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2/3 cup dried berries (I used blueberries and strawberries) </div>
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1 Tbsp brown sugar, honey or sweetener of your choice
(optional)</div>
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½ Cup heavy cream (optional)</div>
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1) Put several inches of water into the crock of your
largest crock pot. </div>
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2) Place oats, water, salt and berries in the crock of a
smaller crock pot or in a glass mixing bowl that fits suspended inside the
larger crock pot without touching the bottom. </div>
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3) Put the large crock pot on low heat, place the smaller
crock or bowl into the larger one, cover with a lid and a towel to keep the
heat in, and then leave it for at least six hours. In the morning, stir in
cream and sweetener if using and serve. </div>
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Notes: </div>
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-If you can’t make a double boiler out of your crock pot or
don’t want to go to the trouble then just spray the inside of the crock with cooking
spray and place all ingredients in the crock pot on low. Don’t let the oatmeal
cook for longer than six hours and expect some crusty corners.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Feel free to leave
out the cream for a dairy free version. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The long cooking time makes the steel cut oats
creamy without the addition of any dairy. </div>
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- Any dried fruit works great, just use your favorite. I
love dried figs, but the kids aren’t as fond of them. Dried apples and a little
cinnamon would be excellent. So would dried cranberries and pecans, raisins and cinnamon, pureed pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, seriously I don't know what wouldn't be delicious. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-2048545165055337282013-03-13T16:22:00.000-07:002013-03-13T16:22:00.811-07:00Mom/Chef…Comforting soup for the winter doldrums
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We are still having some cold, snowy days here in Northern
Montana, but the majority of the time it is just cold and brown. Mud is
everywhere since it warms up enough for the snow to start to melt, then freezes
again. For the first time in my life I truly understand and appreciate having a
mud room. An entrance to the house where people can take off muddy, wet boots
and coats before it gets tracked all over the kitchen and living room. Our mud
room also includes the laundry room and has an entrance straight into the
bathroom, for those days when Tim comes home covered in hydraulic fluid or
something equally messy. <br />
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It was cold when we moved here in November and it is still
cold, the weather varying between snowy, windy and just cold and wet. Needless
to say, I am ready for spring. When looking through the fridge last week,
wondering aloud what to do with all the potatoes I had lying around, not to
mention a bag of snap peas I’d bought for snacking but hadn’t finished, Tim reminisced
about a soup from his childhood. When I think potato soup, I immediately think
of a thick, hearty puree, smooth and white. Tim’s childhood soup involved
picking new potatoes and peas fresh from the garden, lightly cooking them and
creaming the soup out for a chunky, fresh tasting soup. As soon as he described
it I was sold. Here is my version of Tim’s garden potato and pea soup. It is
quick, easy and very delicious. Potatoes and peas add a little bit of spring to
an otherwise windy, cold and muddy brown March.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdDSkJlUrChQuhEEVq5cmQGXVTq9cNpRhQpEmIJGzemjxV_EHWWzp8tCpEbB9uGmwaf3PqTqOe0a3CqwN7BNkwgb_F2jiVxRC2YcOLfG0JPhevKb7t-bX2An-NxHUekOwQNSaxrBICRE/s1600/potato+leek+soup+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdDSkJlUrChQuhEEVq5cmQGXVTq9cNpRhQpEmIJGzemjxV_EHWWzp8tCpEbB9uGmwaf3PqTqOe0a3CqwN7BNkwgb_F2jiVxRC2YcOLfG0JPhevKb7t-bX2An-NxHUekOwQNSaxrBICRE/s320/potato+leek+soup+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leek, potato and pea soup</td></tr>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Leek, Potato and Pea Soup.<br />
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1 ½ pounds small yellow potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut
into roughly 1/2'’ dice.</div>
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1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly
sliced into half moons.</div>
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1 garlic clove, finely chopped</div>
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1-2 cups snap peas, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces. (Frozen
green peas would work fine too)</div>
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1 quart chicken or vegetable stock or water</div>
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1 cup heavy cream or dairy of your choice</div>
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Butter, salt and Pepper</div>
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Your choice of fresh or dried herbs, good choices are: Thyme,
dill, tarragon. (Optional)</div>
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Slice leek in half, thinly slice into half moons and place in
a large bowl full of cold water. Let the Leeks sit and soak for 10 minutes,
gently swishing them occasionally to get all the grit out of the layers. Scoop
the leeks from the bowl and drain, leaving the gritty water in the bowl.</div>
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Wash and dice potatoes, if you are doing this ahead of time,
you can put the potato pieces in a bowl covered with cold water until ready to
use.</div>
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Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Add drained leeks and add a pinch of salt. Cook the leeks slowly until they get
very soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. When leeks are soft add garlic
and cook 1 minute. Then add the potatoes, herbs if you are using them, and
stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook until the potatoes are cooked through but
not too mushy. 15 or more minutes, depending on the size of your potato chunks.
If you are using snap peas then throw them in halfway through the potato
cooking time, frozen green peas can go in at the very end. Once potatoes and
peas are cooked through, add the dairy and taste for salt and pepper. Potatoes
tend to soak up a lot of salt, so don’t be afraid to add plenty. Let the soup
warm (but don’t let it boil) for about 5 minutes and serve. Eat and think of spring.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-1916802212272632162013-03-11T11:29:00.000-07:002013-03-11T11:29:04.902-07:00Mom/Preservationist….The weekend canning project part 2.<br />
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So in the last post I wrote about how we used up the 25 pounds of tomatoes. Now it’s time for the 20 pounds of citrus. </div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8QnhAl4safoiHc7iMHTOcFJnMtN0bYGB8KjeObZv-CleSJ_sDEO1NJWkHIsszaj0NCBGV10lTEgwj8GLsp4j83TR27tshl7kdHFs5LfsHjxp4dEt5xN3oeVOn7cxKBICoZc1qhbSe4s/s1600/box+of+citrus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8QnhAl4safoiHc7iMHTOcFJnMtN0bYGB8KjeObZv-CleSJ_sDEO1NJWkHIsszaj0NCBGV10lTEgwj8GLsp4j83TR27tshl7kdHFs5LfsHjxp4dEt5xN3oeVOn7cxKBICoZc1qhbSe4s/s320/box+of+citrus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
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Over the first
week we had eaten some of it, maybe 5 pounds. We ate the pomelo and some of the
oranges and mandarins. But there was still plenty left that needed to be used
up. Now when I have extra citrus I think marmalade, because I love marmalade. I
researched several recipes and ended up cobbling together <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/orange-marmalade-recipe/index.html">this one</a> from <a href="http://altonbrown.com/">AltonBrown</a> and <a href="http://www.foodinjars.com/2012/01/small-batch-blood-orange-marmalade/">this one</a> from <a href="http://www.foodinjars.com/">Food in Jars</a>. The Alton Brown method has you boil the
thinly sliced oranges for about 40 minutes until the peel is soft. The Food in
Jars method calls for an overnight soak to soften the peel. I decided on a
several hour soak followed by a 15 minute boil. That way the oranges could soak
while the tomato sauce and ketchup took up the stove, and then go on to cook
for a (hopefully) shorter cooking time while the pressure canners cooled off
from the tomatoes. </div>
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Okay, here’s my process (this is not really a recipe, just
the process I used).</div>
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First I separated the Seville (a.k.a. sour) oranges from the
rest of the citrus. I ended up with about 3 pounds of Seville oranges and about
5 pounds of mixed Navel oranges and tangerines. There were also a good 3 pounds
of mandarins and 4 small blood oranges. The mandarins were set aside and the
blood oranges I put in the fridge for later snacking.</div>
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I washed all the citrus then thinly sliced it, keeping it
separated into two batches, Seville and mixed citrus. The Seville oranges are
super seedy and hard to work with. The best way I found is to cut the oranges
into halves then cut out the center pith. That gets out a good portion of your seeds,
and the rest are easier to pick out as you thinly (1/16”) slice the orange
halves. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdP1w3f4aAkxLB9VUy8Vy2twvvyqisByzPPFFKEP_14ZK_b_QeFca7tGJwULXa2Nv2ubqCX7vMmKUqsPighPCdbli5GqLTvDWGJ_f-y7G7I3Q1Krws7_KJdHhLWiDKYeWZFJNsZrn4zE/s1600/seville+orange+seeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdP1w3f4aAkxLB9VUy8Vy2twvvyqisByzPPFFKEP_14ZK_b_QeFca7tGJwULXa2Nv2ubqCX7vMmKUqsPighPCdbli5GqLTvDWGJ_f-y7G7I3Q1Krws7_KJdHhLWiDKYeWZFJNsZrn4zE/s320/seville+orange+seeds.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so many seeds!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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Don’t throw away the seeds and center pith, those can go into a pile on
a piece of cheesecloth along with the end slices from each orange, they’ll come
in handy later. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8oriGSlnuMfarz-9C7c2xIvZpRmJ16ey6SIRdmY6J45hWiwVGwpCJ6iKltMqftCGlLDD7psTRVFnQ8ZWeY9ZOH7mS1VqxaWXPZZwF2XiPgSRrQZrQtnf1BeKdrzjAE4ldXBW3GouG4w/s1600/orange+seeds+and+trim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8oriGSlnuMfarz-9C7c2xIvZpRmJ16ey6SIRdmY6J45hWiwVGwpCJ6iKltMqftCGlLDD7psTRVFnQ8ZWeY9ZOH7mS1VqxaWXPZZwF2XiPgSRrQZrQtnf1BeKdrzjAE4ldXBW3GouG4w/s320/orange+seeds+and+trim.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">seeds and pith trimings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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The orange slices to into a big bowl and get covered with
water. Since our well water is kind of soft and baking soda-ish tasting, I
always use filtered water for cooking. Gather up the cheesecloth into a bag and
tie it closed with kitchen twine. Place it on top of the submerged oranges and
let sit on the counter at room temp. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap if you
have dogs in the house that shed a lot.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLXXNz5FZRhHYHZrdXQ8v9gZBuK99c_20fO8mEYCU71bkoWscdz1reSF-xVqHkfeneQgFUTQhVIYLxVwM54m0TuGDuNS8zJAzFzzimm74xe0Gm8qhIS6N_xyIgnhoIxol0DwJ28RuhqA/s1600/marmalade+soak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLXXNz5FZRhHYHZrdXQ8v9gZBuK99c_20fO8mEYCU71bkoWscdz1reSF-xVqHkfeneQgFUTQhVIYLxVwM54m0TuGDuNS8zJAzFzzimm74xe0Gm8qhIS6N_xyIgnhoIxol0DwJ28RuhqA/s320/marmalade+soak.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">soaking oranges</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
When you are ready to start cooking your marmalade, dump the
citrus and the cheesecloth bag into a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer,
skimming off any foam, for 20 minutes or until the peel of the fruit has
softened. Remove the cheesecloth bag and stir in the sugar. Seville oranges are
very sour so I used probably 6-7 cups of sugar for 3 pounds of oranges. I
started with 5 cups and then tasted it throughout the process until it was the
sweetness level that I wanted. Stir the sugar in until it dissolves and place a
candy thermometer in the pot. Let the marmalade simmer until it reaches 220
degrees. I think my marmalade didn’t quite make it past 210, but if you put a
small plate in the freezer when you start cooking your marmalade you can use
the plate test. If you think your marmalade is ready, pull the plate out of the
freezer and put a drizzle of the marmalade on the plate. If it jells up pretty
quickly then you are done. If it stays runny then you need to cook it more. <br />
<br />
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Now my naval orange/tangerine marmalade gave me a little bit
of trouble. Seville oranges are chock full of natural pectin so they jell up
just fine. The tangerine mix didn’t seem to have quite as much pectin in it; I
used 5 cups of sugar for the 4 pounds or so of citrus. It tasted sweet enough
to me but didn’t jell very firmly during the plate test. I had taken Alton
Brown’s advice and added a lemon to the marmalade for the extra pectin, but it
still wasn’t firming up. I ended up adding 2 packets of liquid pectin to help
it along, because at that point I didn’t want it any sweeter and I had been
boiling it for over half an hour and didn’t want to overcook it. It eventually
set up, but it isn’t as firm a jell as the Seville orange marmalade is. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the marmalade was processed in the water
bath canner for 20 minutes. (I always add a little extra time to my processing
because of our altitude.)</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_V4CiefQchGa4ek90eDiN6EXBMlQcljjGTjoLlkiB4UM7XOU_YXdfljmrZnA_HGnA5niCTt593JLWQDYY2Xy5yaQ5Dy_-6YSEwaVtA4IUXrLzXkWDUbLXpVw5p5bOKMYK6_Yhkqs1DKQ/s1600/marmalade+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_V4CiefQchGa4ek90eDiN6EXBMlQcljjGTjoLlkiB4UM7XOU_YXdfljmrZnA_HGnA5niCTt593JLWQDYY2Xy5yaQ5Dy_-6YSEwaVtA4IUXrLzXkWDUbLXpVw5p5bOKMYK6_Yhkqs1DKQ/s320/marmalade+close+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">marmalade close up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<br />
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Finally, to end our citrus saga, I peeled all the ‘cutie’
style Mandarin oranges,which, due to their easy to peel-ness, is a great thing for toddlers to help with . Connor had fun getting the peels off.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAywWIwXRip4V6xgNQXiIkhJnCyYq4RoSI_GcuL7m-e5HrxcJbxMZ0k-6BphFmEzZjfoHChdzpSzOYWK-BVAcD9HPqr0XYewMakeYj1_zBmWFAp04-rhhXKI0m9Vyo8rh87CcvNlP_R1E/s1600/mandarin+oranges+being+peeled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAywWIwXRip4V6xgNQXiIkhJnCyYq4RoSI_GcuL7m-e5HrxcJbxMZ0k-6BphFmEzZjfoHChdzpSzOYWK-BVAcD9HPqr0XYewMakeYj1_zBmWFAp04-rhhXKI0m9Vyo8rh87CcvNlP_R1E/s320/mandarin+oranges+being+peeled.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandarin oranges being peeled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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Then I made a simple syrup of 5 ¾ cups water to 1 ½ cups sugar,
placed the orange segments in clean jars, covered them with the hot simple
syrup and processed them in the water bath canner for 15 minutes. Voila,
homemade canned mandarin oranges. For basic, “can it be canned?” questions, I
have found <a href="http://pickyourown.org/canningcitrus.php">this site</a>, "Pick Your Own" to be very helpful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Pick Your Own is actually a farm's website but they have such a comprehensive canning and preserving section that I find myself consulting them regularly.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUOGxO6OXZf8a3Dozxa_KOyxCUpnAxAlk6nI9Lg_YBleTz_Aou_GO-vFZzf2omvBPCzzyloyd9p2W_Bn9tmj7qWywWPdyo2k14Hnn4NWU_sc3KZJcGFka53qEhYZD0nEBOxLlsW0iNX0/s1600/mandarin+orange+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUOGxO6OXZf8a3Dozxa_KOyxCUpnAxAlk6nI9Lg_YBleTz_Aou_GO-vFZzf2omvBPCzzyloyd9p2W_Bn9tmj7qWywWPdyo2k14Hnn4NWU_sc3KZJcGFka53qEhYZD0nEBOxLlsW0iNX0/s320/mandarin+orange+close+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">canned mandarin oranges</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since blogging about this process has taken me four times as
long as the actual canning weekend did, I will very quickly mention that I also
made 4 pints of apple sauce using the recipe from “<a href="http://www.eatingfromthegroundup.com/the-book/">Homemade Pantry”</a> and 2 quart
jars of <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/12/in-a-pickle-lemony-cauliflower-florets.html">lemony cauliflower pickles</a>, recipe originally from the amazing author
of <a href="http://www.foodinjars.com/">Food in Jars</a>. The cauliflower pickles are refrigerator pickles so they didn’t
have to be processed in the canner. They are lemony, salty and amazing as a
side to a snack of cheese and crackers. The kids love the applesauce. <a href="http://www.eatingfromthegroundup.com/about-alana/">Alana</a>
uses a food mill to puree her apple sauce nice and smooth whereas I usually
leave mine chunky. I tried the food mill version and the kids have both been
devouring it. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSx-7Dpq_xhdGcNFCTLuX5VI42JwssQ-HJhGcWodMiHHnpV3iLwtvpZWRsWcfw-hqNb7TzDtLjdSAuqrMw2wEq_W-pL_SvtGOZtOJnsDJdeDpGwjKoHgLwSaxXBN8diEU2lQdXggJEFSc/s1600/all+cans+finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSx-7Dpq_xhdGcNFCTLuX5VI42JwssQ-HJhGcWodMiHHnpV3iLwtvpZWRsWcfw-hqNb7TzDtLjdSAuqrMw2wEq_W-pL_SvtGOZtOJnsDJdeDpGwjKoHgLwSaxXBN8diEU2lQdXggJEFSc/s320/all+cans+finished.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so...much...canning...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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Here ends this month’s canning saga. Sorry it has taken me
so long to update. I find when I have to choose between sleep and blogging,
sleep has been wining out lately. I have several more posts planned, so
hopefully I can get them out in a reasonable time and this site will start to
feel like a real blog again.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-80223175999059157362013-02-23T12:34:00.000-08:002013-03-11T11:30:06.004-07:00<br />
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Mom/Preservationist…The big weekend canning project!</div>
<br />
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I posted the other week about<a href="http://momslash.blogspot.com/2013/02/momchefbountiful-baskets.html"> Bountiful Baskets</a> and how much
fruit and vegetables I have been getting from them. Not only do the baskets
themselves give you lots of produce, but the add-ons are often too good to
resist. 25 pounds of mixed citrus for $15?! 25 pounds of Roma tomatoes for $12?
Yes please! Well the problem with buying all this stuff is that you have to use
it before it goes bad, so this weekend, surrounded by citrus, tomatoes and plenty
of other great stuff over-running our kitchen, Tim and I rolled up our sleeves
and got canning. </div>
<br />
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I used to be a reluctant canner, jam and the occasional
pickle would be all I would can. Fear of botulism kept me from getting too into
canning. However, last winter, realizing we would be moving by spring and
needing to use up the dozen chicken carcasses in our freezer I let Tim talk me
into making and canning chicken stock. 19 quarts of it. Once safely through my
first pressure canning experience I lost my fear of it. This past summer we
expanded our pressure canning repertoire and canned 14 quarts of whole
tomatoes. There is something so reassuring about pulling out big glass jars of
produce you put up. And I know exactly what is in it: tomatoes, lemon juice and
salt. End of story. Except for the jars in which we added some oregano and
rosemary. </div>
<br />
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So back to this weekend wherein we have several flats of
empty jars, two canners and mountains of produce. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOIttaSFg00Rkjd_uE6BR0sH_bHDVKfefWpYuMiwFUZcT-C5VMQATWNL9MxSSfa1oOkPHekQLgMBVVbZOhDclJSbqab0ZJZYH7_6CbMgMvVsIoNcYNnHjK6JTPlzvD_UfNfAEVuPMcRM/s1600/two+canners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOIttaSFg00Rkjd_uE6BR0sH_bHDVKfefWpYuMiwFUZcT-C5VMQATWNL9MxSSfa1oOkPHekQLgMBVVbZOhDclJSbqab0ZJZYH7_6CbMgMvVsIoNcYNnHjK6JTPlzvD_UfNfAEVuPMcRM/s320/two+canners.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
A quick note on my canners. The one on the left is my mother's Presto aluminum canner from the 1970's. Still works great, unless you need to water bath process quart jars, it is a little too shallow for that. The one on the right is my brand new All American heavy cast aluminum pressure canner/cooker that the best Christmas present ever fairy brought me this Christmas. Works great, it is slower to come up to pressure than the smaller Presto, but quicker to cool down, and as anyone who pressure cans know, half the time of the project is spent building up pressure and bringing it back down again. <br />
<br />
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Tim started out working on tomatoes. We got a 25 pound box
of Roma Tomatoes so we decided to make sauce and to try a batch of homemade
ketchup. The recipe for the ketchup comes from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homemade-Pantry-Buying-Making/dp/030788726X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361653154&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homemade+pantry+101+foods+you+can+stop+buying+and+start+making">“The Homemade Pantry: 101 foodsyou can stop buying and start making.” by Alana Chernila.</a> This book was a
recent purchase to go along with the recent direction our cooking and eating is
taking, (but that’s another blog post) and is my new favorite cook book. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b_o7BoVoofwbTC1bwv1MtTn5sOSN7SrviYxR6O7udKlMb38LaD0RdJfMvEQz4Ylc3YThRzA7Dw7DMxN1xPFzUBrMU33yCBwBo-g8Fj4CrJJRaQ9zERiIM21lJ3M0KOwb-3w7kiiXXAM/s1600/tomato+peels+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b_o7BoVoofwbTC1bwv1MtTn5sOSN7SrviYxR6O7udKlMb38LaD0RdJfMvEQz4Ylc3YThRzA7Dw7DMxN1xPFzUBrMU33yCBwBo-g8Fj4CrJJRaQ9zERiIM21lJ3M0KOwb-3w7kiiXXAM/s320/tomato+peels+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
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Tim seeded and cored the tomatoes and cooked them down with
onion, garlic and spices. After a good run through with the immersion blender
and the addition of vinegar, brown sugar and molasses we had ketchup. One
recipe uses 6 pounds of tomatoes (we might have used a little more) and we got 3
quarts of ketchup plus a little left over that went straight into the fridge. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Now for the critique of homemade ketchup. This recipe is
heavily spiced. We ended up adding extra brown sugar and molasses to get a more
‘ketchupy’ taste. Tim really likes the finished product. I think it tastes more
like the base for an Indian sauce then actual ketchup. I could see it as the
start to a good butter chicken sauce. Still, it was a good experiment and hey,
how many people can say they made their own ketchup?</div>
<br />
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Homemade (spiced) Ketchup</div>
<br />
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From “The Homemade Pantry” by Alana Chernila.</div>
<br />
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2 T olive oil, 1 C diced onion, 5 garlic cloves, minced</div>
<br />
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6 pounds ripe tomatoes: peeled, seeded and cored. (We did
not peel and it turned out fine)</div>
<br />
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3 t kosher salt</div>
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1 T paprika, 1 t ground cinnamon, ¼ t ground cloves, 1 T
celery salt (we used celery seed)</div>
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½ t ground cumin, ¼ t dry mustard, 1 ½ T chili powder, ½ t
ground pepper</div>
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¼ C apple cider vinegar & ¼ C white vinegar</div>
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1 T brown sugar, 1 T honey (we also added molasses)</div>
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Canning specific instructions: ½” headspace, water bath
process for 30 minutes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_Zqkke4FLeva62dYw-3C7pxR8fAUkSxxBlOSvSqAAOnSnFYj7XhlYIds117VEK03AL2PNJjSaTD5ywWQSC4mbuTEXbuawZ2Vz-S7XBY7MXfZpGQvzJnD2RUFgyfxbWTXsTeblp8oFwM/s1600/tomatoes+being+peeled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_Zqkke4FLeva62dYw-3C7pxR8fAUkSxxBlOSvSqAAOnSnFYj7XhlYIds117VEK03AL2PNJjSaTD5ywWQSC4mbuTEXbuawZ2Vz-S7XBY7MXfZpGQvzJnD2RUFgyfxbWTXsTeblp8oFwM/s320/tomatoes+being+peeled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now that the ketchup was out of the way we started on tomato
sauce. We saved the insides of the tomatoes we used for ketchup and added those
in with more of the tomatoes, plus onion, garlic, bay leaf and oregano and
cooked it all down. Salt and lemon juice were added to up the acidity and we
ladled the sauce into quart jars. The tomato sauce we pressure canned at 15
pounds of pressure for 45 minutes. I think that was actually a little long, but
we are at a higher elevation here (around 4000 ft) and we added the extra time
just to be safe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQ5yzLCP6yxsX1MiQIC6Or3wVVol_AMm9kKSpQq1KBqXI2yfZiDN3iHm-_BsL2rVSM-FArloEtmgvbJAXqcX2CCwhyUtpYmQg4ERgkFcIf-EUpH1J_ylgn6w7N9CPonK7Zx8glwMl7uw/s1600/tomato+sauce+in+progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQ5yzLCP6yxsX1MiQIC6Or3wVVol_AMm9kKSpQq1KBqXI2yfZiDN3iHm-_BsL2rVSM-FArloEtmgvbJAXqcX2CCwhyUtpYmQg4ERgkFcIf-EUpH1J_ylgn6w7N9CPonK7Zx8glwMl7uw/s320/tomato+sauce+in+progress.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Meak1xVC6ElKPdG3uCfLySM53nf4cnmSsrYyBQoNBhq3_DuC2ONK_jnE0FLv7DVIP4uIqI2Ih8KVy7WtCPMCVu1lKgFHh3xECO3GQdwu-CbisTleYHysfW23gbTDcVX2lZWfFxMHuqk/s1600/jars+in+the+canner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Meak1xVC6ElKPdG3uCfLySM53nf4cnmSsrYyBQoNBhq3_DuC2ONK_jnE0FLv7DVIP4uIqI2Ih8KVy7WtCPMCVu1lKgFHh3xECO3GQdwu-CbisTleYHysfW23gbTDcVX2lZWfFxMHuqk/s320/jars+in+the+canner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0sWDpGLwGc29SO8QGKt9hFd6gJXHxrdnoer9t0HwoVnl4sblcdnq2FLGsGC4X_B4xgLno9ZK8ZF0_gsDurx3hVjSySfIIQvpXhqkUdCDwE3yNT7eOHLBS1kHqPwHpnt3n5aFb8wLwyA/s1600/tomato+sauce+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0sWDpGLwGc29SO8QGKt9hFd6gJXHxrdnoer9t0HwoVnl4sblcdnq2FLGsGC4X_B4xgLno9ZK8ZF0_gsDurx3hVjSySfIIQvpXhqkUdCDwE3yNT7eOHLBS1kHqPwHpnt3n5aFb8wLwyA/s320/tomato+sauce+close+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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<o:p>This weekend project is being split into two posts due to length and my inability to sit at the computer for more than 5 minutes without a child meltdown. More on canning and the marmalade project soon!</o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-61054645663994126302013-02-06T07:43:00.000-08:002013-02-06T07:43:28.220-08:00Mom/Reporter...notes from last week.
<br />
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Do you know the single best thing about unpacking? Unpacking
the kids’ toys is like Christmas all over again. Toys they haven’t played with
for months are suddenly brand new. One box I opened this morning has kept them
busy most of the day. It is a nice bonus in the middle of threading my way
through box mazes and unpacking two boxes only to have to clean the kitchen
make a meal, clean again and then unpack something else. </div>
<br />
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Do you know another fun thing about unpacking? Discovering things
you forgot you had. I just recently unpacked all my cd’s. I had last seen these
in May of 2012, when we left Roslyn for Kelso and Tim starting school. When we
moved to Kelso, since we knew it would only be for six months we decided to
only unpack the essentials. Music and a lot of books didn’t make the essentials
list considering I had Pandora and my Kindle. Plus kids don’t allow me a lot of
time to read anyway, or, you know, do anything for myself. </div>
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So I unpacked my cds and it was like a time capsule.
Remember when I was obsessed with everything British/Celtic as a teenager?
Hello everything Enya ever released. Remember that college roommate who
introduced me to Sky Cries Mary? There’s the cd I bought at their concert.
(They played our college). How about that time an ex and I went to Bumbershoot
to see someone perform and discovered Beth Orton when she opened for the act? I
can’t remember who we were there to see, but here are three of her cds that I
obsessively played for a year or more. And question, why the heck do I have a
Nine Inch Nails cd? I’m definitely not a downward spiral girl, maybe not since
high school. Here are a bunch of compilation cds that my favorite radio station
in Seattle, KEXP releases every year as part of the pledge drive. Remember when
I was a city girl and kept up on things like current music? </div>
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So, amidst the dust and mess and stress of trying to unpack
and set up our house, there have been some fun discovery moments. Just enough
to help make the seemingly endless boxes a little more bearable. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8v498zaxtBTEfdeHNQP8jSftaFYuk1L3Aw9TlBmtVNat5G2Ohq9ZODNHU3pIs738Hiu5JqdSkrRNtqsEfETgDvC25urqVHgfg9_4tb7kFQc4fFlZM8KhvVKMtRWIioRVGX7t955JJAI/s1600/Connor+in+a+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8v498zaxtBTEfdeHNQP8jSftaFYuk1L3Aw9TlBmtVNat5G2Ohq9ZODNHU3pIs738Hiu5JqdSkrRNtqsEfETgDvC25urqVHgfg9_4tb7kFQc4fFlZM8KhvVKMtRWIioRVGX7t955JJAI/s320/Connor+in+a+box.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's okay mom, boxes can be fun. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-62478847668939223842013-02-02T13:44:00.001-08:002013-02-02T13:45:06.027-08:00Mom/Chef...Bountiful BasketsIn my search for healthier, better food for my family, and
frankly for alternatives to the <em>very</em> high prices at the one grocery store in
town, I discovered <a href="http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/">Bountiful Baskets.</a> Several moms in the playgroup I attend
first told me about it. Bountiful Baskets is a food cooperative in the purer
sense of the word. It isn’t a store where you pay a membership to shop at; it
is a group of people who pool together their money to buy fruits and vegetables
each week. They are all over the United States, and luckily we have one here in
Cut Bank. <br />
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It goes like this: on Monday or Tuesday of each week you go
online to their website and purchase your share. I pay $15 for a conventional
basket, which is comprised of 50% fruit and 50% vegetables. You can upgrade to
an organic basket for $10 more. There are add ons each week, several different
types of bread packs (5 loaves for $10, healthy whole grain breads not cheap filler breads), organic granola, in season you can buy big flats of fruit
or vegetables for canning purposes. Once you have purchased your share, that’s
it. Friday or Saturday, depending on the pickup time in your area you show up
and pick up your food. People who want to volunteer show up an hour early to
unload the truck and sort out everyone’s share. I’ve done this two weeks in a
row now, and there are always a ton of volunteers at the site here. </div>
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Now I am not sure where they source everything. I know that
their bananas are sourced from some smaller family farms in Mexico, so they are
more fair trade. But some of their vegetables are of a size and quality Tim and
I have only seen in restaurants, so we suspect that they sometimes source
through Cisco or other food purveyors. Which makes sense, which is why
restaurants use companies like Cisco, you get big amounts of high quality veg
for a very low price. </div>
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The downside of all this is that you don’t know what you get
until you pick up your basket. For instance, I was a little disappointed the
first week as my vegetable portion was: 5 pounds of potatoes, 4 onions, 1 big
head of celery, 3 green peppers and 5 tomatoes. However, this week was different;
here is the list of what I picked up last night.</div>
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1 large (3 pound) yam; 3 pounds of apples; 1 bunch bananas;
7 Asian pears; 1 pint strawberries; 1 big head cauliflower; 1 big head cabbage;
1 pound green beans; 1 bunch radishes; 5 tomatoes; 3 cucumbers.</div>
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Now I don’t know about where you shop, but that much produce
would cost me over $30 at my local store, so already I’m cutting my produce
bill in half. I was happy to see the yam, cabbage and cauliflower this week. I
wish they would be a little more seasonal, I personally would prefer some kale
over strawberries in winter. And I gave them that feedback on the survey they
send you after your first basket pick up. Seasonal produce aside, overall I
think Bountiful Baskets is a good deal, we get lots of fresh produce and it
saves on my grocery bill. For instance, the only extra produce I bought this
week was a head of lettuce and a couple of avocados. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it can be fun trying to think of ways to
use everything. Last week I got 4 lemons in the basket, add that to the 3 I
already had and you get my <a href="http://momslash.blogspot.com/2013/01/mompreservationistpreserved-lemons.html">preserved lemon project</a>. The tomatoes last week were
not very ripe so I stuffed them and baked them. They were delicious as a side dish
for dinner and reheated for lunch the next day. I went to the store after
picking up my basket last night and bought a head of lettuce; since this week’s
box included radishes and 3 cucumbers I think I will be having lots of salads
this week. Maybe we will have Greek Salad one night, I’ve got feta cheese in
the fridge and garbanzo beans in the cabinet.</div>
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This brings me to the special add on this week: a 20 pound
box of mixed citrus! </div>
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There is a big yellow pomello, which is similar to grapefruit but sweeter. Blood oranges and naval oranges, tangerines and the "cutie" style mandarin oranges. The oranges in the bag are Seville oranges, aka Marmalade Oranges, so I will be
making marmalade this week! With all the citrus I hope to get at least two big
batches of marmalade out of this box, also we will be eating citrus for a snack
several times a day. That’s okay though, it is flu season and we could use the
vitamins. </div>
Well friends, it is Saturday morning so I am going to go
make French toast for breakfast (bread pack add on!) and get the family fired
up to finish unpacking this house, I’m getting sick of looking at boxes. Have a
wonderful weekend!<br />
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<strong>Baked stuffed tomatoes:</strong></div>
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Wash and dry your tomatoes. Cut the top ¼ “ off the tomatoes
and scoop out as much of the inside as you can (a grapefruit spoon works
awesome for this) while still leaving the outer walls intact. Chop up the
inside and the top of the tomatoes, removing the core, and set aside. Salt and
pepper the insides of the tomatoes and place in a baking dish. Chop up a little
onion and garlic. Bring some oil or butter up to medium-high heat in a sauté pan.
Add the onion and start to cook, when the onion starts to soften, throw in the
garlic. Let the garlic cook for a minute then throw in the tomato innards. Add
in a few fresh or dried herbs (marjoram and oregano are very good, as is
basil), some salt and pepper. If you have it, add in some frozen chopped
spinach. Or even fresh if you happen to have it. I almost never keep fresh
spinach around but always have some frozen spinach in the freezer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throw in some cubed up bread, any sort will do
(this is a great way to use up those last few slices that are going stale).
Stir and let everything cook together for a few minutes, the bread will soak up
any extra juice in the pan. Pull the pan off the heat and fill the tomatoes
with the stuffing. This would be a good time to throw a little mozzarella or
parmesean cheese in as well. Cover the baking dish and bake for approximately
20 minutes at 350 degrees. Pull the cover off the dish, add a little cheese on
top and cook 5-10 more minutes until they start to brown. </div>
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Serve as a side dish to almost anything. I served them alongside
shrimp and grits. They really will accompany anything. And they reheat well
too.</div>
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Yum!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-66218532543907664412013-01-31T14:02:00.000-08:002013-01-31T14:02:50.349-08:00Mom/Preservationist...preserved lemonsSo the other day I realized that I had seven lemons in my fruit basket. (More on why coming up soon.) I was trying to think of what to do with them all and it hit me, preserved lemons. If you've never had preserved lemons before, they are a staple condiment and flavoring in Moroccan cuisine. They are mellow, lemony, salty and add a certain something that is hard to duplicate. Luckily, the process to make them is very easy. I researched several recipes and settled on one from "The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest." By Carol W. Costenbader. <br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
5 small lemons-organic if possible (I used 3 large ones)<br />
2/3 cups canning salt<br />
1 cup fresh lemon juice<br />
1/2 cup olive oil<br />
<br />
1 air tight glass jar with lid<br />
<br />
Step 1: Scrub the lemons clean and dry them. I had conventional lemons, not organic, so I soaked them in a mix of warm water and white vinegar to help get the wax off of them before scrubbing them.<br />
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Step 2: Juice some of them. You need approximately 1 cup of lemon juice. <br />
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Now if I had been thinking ahead, I would have zested these lemons and frozen the zest for another use, but as I was trying to document this project and wrangle kids, I forgot. Instead I just chose the three ugliest of the lemons and juiced them. Three big lemons gave me exactly one cup of juice.<br />
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Step 3: Cut the remaining lemons into quarters and place the wedges in the jar.<br />
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<br />
I cut the ends off before cutting them into wedges so they look prettier and fit better into the jar. I started with a pint jar but it became quickly clear that I needed a quart jar instead.<br />
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Step 4: Pour the salt into the jar. Now the recipe calls for canning salt but I just used kosher salt that I whizzed in the magic bullet for a few seconds. The only real difference between the two is that canning salt has smaller grains that dissolve quickly in hot or cold liquid. Either is fine, just don't use iodized table salt.<br />
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Put the lid on and give the jar a good shaking. Here you can see the salt coating the lemon wedges.<br />
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Step 5: Pour in the lemon juice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mv6YPP-NI53h1sz43L4iYmVHsmv60f3MSIH2RcvGG2Em9rPRmREFpV1J8hk4IdTOIQQWvi9LxTqOKbRAA1XdyhDtr4Bl3oq9xHHKAUtzmJ9CZypZ2NDuCulDBNScOVS_PJtcSRRORRw/s1600/lemons+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mv6YPP-NI53h1sz43L4iYmVHsmv60f3MSIH2RcvGG2Em9rPRmREFpV1J8hk4IdTOIQQWvi9LxTqOKbRAA1XdyhDtr4Bl3oq9xHHKAUtzmJ9CZypZ2NDuCulDBNScOVS_PJtcSRRORRw/s320/lemons+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Step 6: Put the lid back on and shake it up until a good portion of the salt has dissolved. It won't all dissolve yet and that is ok.<br />
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Now store the jar on the counter at room temperature for 7-10 days. Be sure to give it a good shakeup every day to get brine over all the lemons. At the end of the ten days, pour in the olive oil so everything in the jar is covered and store in the fridge. This isn't a hot processed canning project so you can reuse an old canning lid, just make sure the lid and jar are clean and sanitized before you begin.<br />
As you can see, I just started my lemons yesterday, so I can't report on the success of this recipe yet. I will report back in two weeks with the results and a couple of recipes to use these yummy lemons.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-17323088176724968912013-01-16T08:18:00.000-08:002013-01-16T08:18:06.273-08:00Mom/simplifier...bite 1So in my last post I talked about working through a book as part of my New Years resolutions. The book, <a href="http://52bites.com/">"One Bite at a Time: 52 projects for making life simpler"</a> Now the neat, and very useful thing about this book is that you don't have to work through it in any order. There isn't one<em> right</em> way to read it, you just choose a project and start it. When you feel like you've got that first one down, then start another one. There is a table in the front of the book that list the projects by type: living green, living well, money management, organize your mind, organize your space, etc. So you can use this list to focus on what you want to work on first. Need organization in your home? Great, work on those projects first. Me, I'm working on me first so my first project is #3: Establish a morning routine.<br />
Why is this important for me? Some (most) mornings I feel like I am playing catch up, just reacting to the kids' needs as they come up and trying to fit in my stuff in between. Some days I haven't brushed my teeth or washed my face until after lunch. True story, happens more than I feel comfortable admitting. So by doing this project I hope to make mornings, and therefore the day, more calm and manageable. And also to be washed up before dinner. Seriously. <br />
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The first thing I learned about establishing a morning routine is don't do it when you have little kids. I mean, come on, they change their sleep schedule daily. Some days Harper sleeps in till 9am, some days, when I'm in the middle of a nice relaxing routine she wakes up at 7:30. Connor almost always sleeps till 9am, but then there is the once or twice a week where he still wakes up in the night, meaning I am up with him. Waking up early to have some time to myself is a whole different ball game when the babies don't have a set wake up time yet, or don't always sleep through the night. Still, that is the first task: wake up before the kids. <br />
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The second task is to come up with a list of 5 things to do just for myself, no email checking, cleaning up the kitchen, starting a load of laundry, I need 5 things just for myself. This is actually harder than it sounds. My current list looks like this: <br />
1) Wash up (wash my face, brush teeth, nasal rinse (a necessary thing for me, it really helps my sinuses stay clear and keeps me healthier. This system <a href="http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse_isotonic.php">here</a> is my absolute favorite. I am a firm believer in the nasal rinse.) <br />
2) Drink a glass of water<br />
3) Put tea on to brew <br />
4) Stretch (while tea brews, since I am currently using a pot on the stove this gives me a good 5 minutes of stretching)<br />
5) Not quite sure yet, but I am thinking journaling, which today is me updating my blog, but some days may be just simply writing in a journal. <br />
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It is surprisingly hard not to start cleaning, get something out of the freezer for dinner, get a head start on breakfast, and other things that are technically for the family. I am trying to resist but some days chores win out.<br />
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I have been working on this for two weeks now, and while it hasn't happened every day it is happening more often than not. On the days I get up early and get through my full morning routine I find that I feel better, calmer and happier. While the whole day doesn't always go smoother, it at least starts with me in a happier place.<br />
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The reason I chose this project first is because I am starting out focusing on me. Like a lot of moms out there I swore I'd never fall into the cliche of 'losing myself', losing Jenny and just becoming Mom. But of course, like a lot of moms that is exactly what happened. Three years and two babies later I hardly read anything longer than a magazine article, I don't keep current on any TV shows or news any more, the only hobby I can claim is this blog and you can see how often I get to update. I just moved several states away from any friends I could go have a girls night out with. So really, the start of these projects are going to be about me, finding some balance in my life where I don't feel so overwhelmingly buried under kids. Eventually I will get to the organize and simplify your home projects, but only after I have organized and simplified me. <br />
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If this post interestes you, hop over and check out the book's author: Tsh Oxenreider's site: <a href="http://simplemom.net/">Simple Mom</a>. I am not getting anything to endorse her or anything, I have just found her site to be very helpful and inspiring. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-38969052751601231212013-01-08T13:33:00.000-08:002013-01-08T13:33:45.410-08:00Mom/resolutionist…is that even a word?
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Happy New Year everyone! I woke up this morning to a small
blizzard, super windy and snowing sideways. But a few hours later and it is
sunny and beautiful outside, 22 degrees, but beautiful. Just another winter’s
day on the prairie, I guess. Did anyone make any resolutions last night? Tim
and I talked about it before going to bed (about 10:30pm, party animals!), and we are going to buck the trend and
resolve to have a boring year. No hopes for big adventures or big changes, we
just want a quiet year of normal life. After 2012’s rollercoaster of a new baby,
job changes, 3 moves, back to school and horribly tight finances we just want a
year to breathe, collect ourselves, and work out what our normal life will look
like. <br />
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That doesn’t mean, however, that I didn’t wake up the first
few days of January with that starry eyed optimism and burst of can-do energy
that most of us get at the beginning of a new year. This new beginnings optimism
is ingrained in our culture, even if we pretend it isn’t a big deal, most of us
secretly make little vows and resolutions to ourselves about how this year will
be different. And January 1<sup>st</sup> is so arbitrary too, when you think
about it. It’s the day our culture thinks of as the New Year, because in 1582
Pope Gregory XIII said “we’ve got to get this time sh*t under control.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now we have the <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/gregorian-calendar.html">Gregorian calendar</a>. (Side
note, I can never spell calendar correctly the first time, is it two a’s or two
e’s, thank the gods for spell check) If you’re Chinese you’ll be celebrating
the New Year on <a href="http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/spring-festival/chinese-zodiac-years-of-2011-to-2020.htm">Sunday, February 10<sup>th</sup></a>. (Year of the Snake, people,
that’s my year!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are<a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/festival.htm"> Buddhist</a>,
then you celebrate the New Year in April, or February or January, depending on
what country you live in. And if you ascribe to one of the many religions
lumped under the label Paganism, then you celebrated the <a href="http://www.paganspath.com/magik/samhain-history.htm">New Year on October 31<sup>st</sup>.</a>
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So really, I guess what I’m saying is that the New Year
optimism and making resolutions is all in our head. But did that stop me from
making some ‘be a better me’ resolutions? </div>
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Of course not. </div>
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A blog I read: <a href="http://simplemom.net/">Simple Mom</a> is all about simplifying and
living more intentionally. Something I really feel I need. There is an eBook
written by the blogger, Tsh Oxenreider, called “<a href="http://simplemom.net/books/">One bite at a time: 52 projectsfor making life simpler.”</a> I bought it with some of my gift card money and have
started reading it in the five minutes here and there that I get without a kid
climbing on my lap and grabbing the Kindle out of my hands. So this book is my
resolution. To work through the projects and hopefully make my life and my
family’s life a little simpler and better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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Seems doable, no? </div>
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We’ll see. I’ll post my projects and progress on the blog,
hopefully it will keep me focused and motivated. So, family and friends, I wish
you a happy New Year and good resolutioning. (I know, I know, not a real word.)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-37883600566339689382013-01-01T20:42:00.000-08:002013-01-01T20:42:55.054-08:00Mom/Chef…the holiday food post.
So here is the promised post detailing our holiday food. For
Christmas dinner our menu was: Roasted Venison back strap with mushroom gravy;
rice with cranberries and walnuts, roasted butternut squash, and sautéed green
beans with caramelized onions. <br />
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The venison was a gift and we were really excited about
cooking it, as Tim loves venison and I hadn’t had it before. Turns out the
venison shot in our area is amazing. It is grain fed because we are surrounded
by wheat fields, and if I hadn’t known it was venison I would have thought we
were having beef tenderloin, it was that mild and tender. We got the recipe
from a website that I am now regularly referring to: <a href="http://honest-food.net/2012/03/30/venison-with-morel-mushroom-sauce/">Hunter Angler GardenerCook</a>. He has a lot of amazing recipes and information for using wild game and
foraged foods. </div>
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For the rice I checked out a few recipes and then combined
them into what I wanted. I sautéed the white part of 3 green onions, thinly
sliced, in some oil and butter. I added a little carrots and celery, also
finely sliced. Once the vegetables started to soften I threw in a cup of
basmati rice and let that start to toast. Once the rice was toasty I added 1 ½ cups
of chicken stock, two sprigs of fresh thyme, and ½ cup of fresh cranberries. I
brought that to a simmer, lowered the heat and covered the pan. 15 minutes
later the liquid was absorbed so I took out the thyme sprigs and stirred in ¼ cup
of dried cranberries, ¼ cup of walnuts and the green tops from the green
onions. The rice had a faintly purple hue, it was sweet, tart, nutty and very
delicious. I will definitely be making rice like this again. </div>
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For the green beans, I wanted the flavors of green bean
casserole without a big, gloopy casserole so I caramelized half a yellow onion,
thinly sliced, threw in some thinly sliced mushrooms and some fresh green beans
and sautéed it all together until the vegetables were cooked through. Finish it
with a little butter and it was perfect. Honestly, the squash was mostly to use
up some extra butternut squash I had. I peeled it, cubed it, tossed it with
olive oil and salt and roasted it at 350 degrees until golden brown and
delicious. </div>
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For Christmas day we went a little more traditional. We had
spiral ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, sausage stuffing (or dressing, if you
like, since it wasn’t actually stuffed inside anything), Brussels sprouts with
bacon and cranberry sauce.</div>
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The ham was store bought, but for a glaze we did a riff on
<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/city-ham-recipe/index.html">Alton Brown’s ham crust</a>. We used honey, molasses, brandy, whole grain mustard,
and some crumbled molasses cookies. (Alton’s original crust uses bourbon and
ginger snaps, but I didn’t have either of those.) Cooked down a bit and brushed
on the ham it created a glaze that was sweet and spicy and complemented the ham
really well.</div>
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Even though we were doing a ham, both Tim and I wanted
stuffing, so I cubed up half of a Tuscan style loaf of bread then sautéed some
sausage with mirepoix (onion, carrots, celery) and fresh sage, then tossed it
together with some chicken stock. We packed it into a casserole dish and baked
it alongside the ham. It turned out very good, but next time I will remember to
butter the inside of the casserole dish, the bread stuck pretty badly. </div>
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Brussel sprouts with bacon is easy and so delicious. Just
trim the bottoms off of some sprouts, halve them, then dunk them in some
boiling water for 2 minutes to blanch them. Drain them, then slice up several
slices of good bacon. In a good sized skillet or cast iron pan cook the bacon.
When the bacon pieces start to crisp, remove them with a slotted spoon so most
of the fat remains. Toss in the blanched brussel sprouts and cook over high
heat until the sprouts soften and start to char in spots. Remove, season with
salt and pepper, and top with the bacon pieces. So yummy.</div>
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Finally my cranberry sauces wasn’t too inventive this year
since I’m still missing most of my pantry. Whole fresh cranberries, zest and
juice of an orange, brown sugar, a little cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. </div>
Well, hopefully that gave you a feel for our holiday feasts. Not too shaby for our first Christmas alone, huh? Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-33519220657217361012013-01-01T14:39:00.001-08:002013-01-01T14:39:51.449-08:00Mom/reveler…a little slice of our holiday
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Well, we have survived our first Montana Christmas. We had a
nice time, though at first we were all a little sad about being apart from
family. Despite being two states away from family, we felt very loved. Several Skype
sessions and presents in the mail really helped connect us and made everything
just a little bit more festive. </div>
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Our holiday season started on December 15<sup>th</sup> when
we went up into the mountains to cut our tree. Getting up into thick trees and
deep snow made me very happy, I will always be a forest and mountain girl at
heart. We went up to the family cabin of one of Tim’s co-workers, he invited us
up to visit and cut our tree on his property. So we made a big batch of chili
to bring for lunch and drove an hour up into the mountains. We had a good time
visiting and picking our tree, though trudging through 3 ft deep snow carrying
two kids wasn’t easy. Connor tried his hardest to walk by himself but the snow
was just too deep. I got a great work out though, carrying the kids through all
that snow. We got our tree, then it was home again to decorate. </div>
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The week before Christmas I started baking cookies, though
this year I had to get a little creative since the list of kitchen things that
are still in storage include a stand mixer, rolling pin and cookie cutters.
They turned out pretty well despite the more hands on approach I had to take,
we ended up with frosted sugar cookies, molasses cookies, and peppermint bark.
The peppermint bark recipe was a new one for me, it came from Food Network
Magazines December issue. It was easy and came out really delicious, I just
made it a little too thick. Next year I need to use a bigger pan to spread it
out more. Still, a little goes a long way and a week later we still have some
left over for snacking. </div>
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Now those of you who know Tim well, will know that he can’t
go long without a project, so it will come as no surprise when I say that Saturday
before Christmas he started remodeling the bathroom. The bathroom really needed
it: the tub surround was cracked so the wall behind it was water damaged; the
fixtures were old; and the whole room was an unfortunate neon yellow. Still, it
was maybe a little much to take on to remodel the bathroom two days before
Christmas. </div>
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Christmas eve arrived and we had a lovely meal of some
venison supplied by a friend of ours<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(more on the food of Christmas next post). We opened a present each and
attempted to read “A visit from ST. Nick” though the kids are a little young
yet. </div>
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On Christmas morning we had a nice time opening presents,
then our landlord called and told Tim that the gas lines were frozen and could
he come help unfreeze them? Since helping out around the property is in the
lease, and since the gas lines supply our heat as well, out Tim went into -10
degree temps to help Vernon out. Poor Tim spent most of Christmas day working
outside. The kids played with their new toys and I worked on Christmas dinner.
Tim and our landlord were thankfully finished in time for dinner. We had another
lovely meal and some mellow family time. </div>
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Overall the Gunderson’s had a very nice, quiet Christmas
here in Montana. This post is getting pretty long so I will post about our food
next time.</div>
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Happy Holidays!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-79614503285596127272012-12-10T14:20:00.001-08:002012-12-10T14:20:45.113-08:00Mom/adventuress...a lutefisk interlude
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A lutefisk interlude…</div>
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I had meant to write about this in the archeologist post,
but that post decided to spiral off in a direction that didn’t include
gelatinous fish, so here it is in another post. Last Sunday our landlord invited us to attend his church’s
Lutefisk Feast with him. He’s been alone out here for awhile and I think he
loves having someone to drop in on and to show off the town to. Since we’d
spent the weekend cleaning, we decided a break sounded great and so off we went
to the Cut Bank Lutheran Church’s Lutefisk Feast. Held every year during the holidays,
with proceeds benefiting the churches’ charitable endeavors, the Lutefisk Feast
is a true community event. There are a sizable number of Scandinavian families
that helped to settle this area so the Lutheran Church and their events are
well attended. After we made the rounds and got introduced to half the people
there we sat down to eat. Now, in case you have no idea what we were in store
for, lutefisk is a traditional Scandinavian method of preserving cod or other
whitefish. The fish is soaked in Lye, which preserves it for a long time. It is
then soaked for days to get the lye out and then cooked. The resulting fish has
a distinct gelatinous texture and appearance. I really wish I had taken a
picture of the table, set out family style, but since I’m not fully back into
blogger mode and because I was trying to wrangle two fussy, overwhelmed kids I
give you this picture of a lutefisk feast plate instead, courtesy of madisondining.com.
</div>
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</o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype></span>The lutefisk is the pale, gelatinous blob in the front left
hand side of the plate. Also included on our plates were mashed rutabagas
(orange shown above) a delicious cabbage slaw (above), lefse: a potato
flatbread that deserves its own blog post because it is so yummy (also shown
above), boiled potatoes, Swedish meatballs, and pickled herring. Everything was
delicious, yes, even the lutefisk. You pour melted butter over the top and add
plenty of salt and pepper. If you can get past the texture, which is very soft
and mildly jello-ish then the flavor is pure cod and very good. The thing about
lutefisk is, though, that you are eating it and thinking to yourself, “this isn’t
bad, in fact it’s pretty good.” Then all of a sudden the texture hits you and
you are done. Tim and I ate everything; Harper loved the rutabagas and the
potatoes. Connor ate a roll and a bunch of cookies, but he’s 2 ½ so what are
you going to do? At least he wasn’t having a complete tantrum melt down in
front of everyone. You’ve got to pick your battles. </div>
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I should mention that the other fish featured, the pickled
herring, was firm, not fishy, just lightly vinegary and Tim and I both ate a
bunch. I kick myself for not getting the recipe because it was totally
homemade. Just a nod also to the delicious cookies, anyone who has been lucky
enough to experience Scandinavian cookies, specifically the rosettes (made by
dipping a hot flower shaped iron in thin batter and frying it in oil so they
come out as these light, crispy shells that are covered in powdered sugar) and
the krumkake (like a tuille cookie cooked on a special waffle iron and then
bent around a cone, often filled with something else, like a Swedish cannoli)
knows what I am talking about, so good!</div>
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So far we are really enjoying it here in Montana; we have
met lovely people and enjoyed some unique events. I look forward to what else
this community has to offer. And next year I’m totally getting the recipe for
that pickled herring. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0Cut Bank, Mt 59427, USA48.6347222 -112.331111148.6137352 -112.37059310000001 48.6557092 -112.2916291tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-38360108722185349502012-12-09T08:15:00.000-08:002012-12-09T08:15:54.048-08:00Mom/Archeologist…sifting through other peoples’ lives…
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So we spent last weekend deep cleaning and clearing out the
house. As I said before, this house is chock full of other people’s lives. Our
landlord’s parents and then brother lived in this house and most of their
belongings remain. Drawers, cabinets and shelves are full of remainders of
those other lives and must be sorted through and cleaned out if we are going to
start this next phase of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our</i> life
here. Among the dust, cobwebs and detritus we are clearing out are hidden gems
that give us a picture of what life was like as mostly self-sufficient grain
farmers on the prairies of Montana. From the bathroom cabinets: a large metal
first aid kit full of tinctures and swabs I don’t recognize, a poison control
pamphlet taped to the cabinet door that gives remedies for ingesting anything
from fertilizers to cleaners to medicines. For instance, if Lye is ingested
give the victim 2 Tablespoons of vinegar in a glass of water or 2 raw egg
whites in olive oil and do not induce vomiting. I’m not sure how this jives
with today’s poison control guidelines, but it is fascinating. <br />
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In the kitchen are more hidden gems: an old and well loved
cast iron skillet; colorful Pyrex casserole bowls from the 40’s; and a drawer
full of cookbooks, most of them hand bound, self published fund raiser recipe
collections from local churches and women’s groups in the area. These I am
keeping in the house, to enjoy leafing through recipes for salads, baked goods,
local game, and drinks such as the local version of the hot toddy: the Tom
& Jerry.</div>
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While I treasure some of these things for their uniqueness
or as a link to the rich past of an area I now call home, what they really are,
are memories of lives that I won’t ever be able to know. I can admire the
colorful threads and half finished cross stitch in an old sewing box, but I’ll
never know the woman who sat in this living room sewing. Did she smile as
children roamed noisily around her or sit quietly chatting with her husband
about the events of the day? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did she
love living so far away from town, seeing only her family day in and day out? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or did she feel isolated and cut off from the
world? </div>
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Maybe I ask these questions because they now concern me as
well. Will I like living a 15 minute drive from stores and people? Will being
alone out here gel us as a family or cause tension and friction? Can we be more
self-sufficient, can I learn to rely on myself and my instincts and creativity
rather than drive into town every time I get bored or I realize I’m missing
just one little ingredient for that dish I want to make? All questions that I
don’t yet know the answer to. As they say, time will tell. Meanwhile I will sit
here, sifting through drawers, imagining what memories we will build here, in
our new lives, here in this house.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0Cut Bank, Mt 59427, USA48.6347222 -112.331111148.6137352 -112.37059310000001 48.6557092 -112.2916291tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-50191135084242100142012-12-01T07:52:00.000-08:002012-12-01T07:52:24.096-08:00Mom/adventuress...a new post from our new outpost
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Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. For
years Tim and I talked about moving somewhere out of the way, I imagined a
little farmhouse away from everything where the kids and the dogs could run and
play and we weren’t bothered by neighbors who were too loud, sold drugs,
partied, hated our dogs, etc. (We’ve had a string of bad neighbors, and only
one or two really good ones) For some reason we had settled on Montana, and we
had even tried to get a job in Montana before, when we were still in the
culinary field. Fast forward several years, a career change and one excruciatingly
long drive and here we are, Montana.</div>
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When I look out my windows, all I see is blue sky and
rolling hills, sunlight glinting off the frosted grass. Windmills dot the horizon.
The thermometer outside said 15 degrees this morning and it is only November.
The air is so dry I am constantly putting on lotion and always feel thirsty. It
is a far cry from the dense forests and mild dampness I grew up in.</div>
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The house is exactly like visiting your grandparent’s
farmhouse, complete with 70’s décor and shag carpet. When they said it was
fully furnished they weren’t kidding, the house is full of books, knick knacks,
linens, and it is overwhelming. I have to pack up someone else’s belongings
just to move mine in. Still, the kitchen is huge, with a beautiful old linoleum
floor. Our landlord said we can use what we want and he’ll store the rest, we
can paint if we want, he is just happy to have the company, I think. He is our
only neighbor, an elderly farmer whose family worked this land for several generations.
The road is named after his family. We like him and so does our dog Toby.
Wherever we have lived, Toby has found an old man to befriend. Good thing Toby
likes our neighbor; he is the only one for five miles. </div>
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There is so much to do. The amount of cleaning and packing
and unpacking feels overwhelming. As I unloaded the car that first day I had a
panicked litany running through my head, “what did we do, what did we do, oh
gods all our friends and family are so far away, what did we do????” A few
nights of sleep have helped erased the litany but doubt still remains. We are
alone in another state, another world, really. Did we do the right thing?
Suddenly there’s no back up, no safety net for those days when I just can’t
take one more tantrum. Still, Montana is beautiful. The moon last night was
almost otherworldly as it sailed, full and shining, over the plains, turning
everything silver and lovely. If I look west I can see the Rockies, snow
covered and brushing the sky. This is not just a move for a new job, it is a
trial. A test to see if we can walk the walk, after years of nothing but talk. It
is a trial we are undertaking with open eyes and open arms but only time will
tell if getting what we wanted is a good thing.</div>
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a view of the full moon from our front door.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com1Cut Bank, Mt 59427, USA48.6347222 -112.331111148.6137352 -112.37059310000001 48.6557092 -112.2916291tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-84856273428670362182011-07-01T15:08:00.000-07:002011-07-01T15:08:48.205-07:00Mom/Gardener: Rhubarb extravaganzaSo, since I haven't posted in a few weeks, here is a rundown of my spring/early summer project: using up the several tons of rhubarb that grows in my yard each spring. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZhV0ibmLzxD6d0gXL9j4pMiucIT2ZjVCJ7sAVJthOF4_-jKqAJANKpQ7oOBHuJkL2acIR3HozCUoH00XSKQ5SLpjA8-NnGYJsyT5ZgvU6I54XZklsss8Zgf7zF797V6DsS6G5IoWb-s/s1600/rhubarb+2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZhV0ibmLzxD6d0gXL9j4pMiucIT2ZjVCJ7sAVJthOF4_-jKqAJANKpQ7oOBHuJkL2acIR3HozCUoH00XSKQ5SLpjA8-NnGYJsyT5ZgvU6I54XZklsss8Zgf7zF797V6DsS6G5IoWb-s/s320/rhubarb+2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rhubarb plants</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
First off, luckily for me, rhubarb stalks will keep a week or two in the crisper drawer. That said, once I got a few strawberry rhubarb pies out of the way here's what else I did.<br />
<br />
Orange-Rhubarb Compote<br />
I decided to try out a sweet-tart-savory compote since I've read several recipes/articles about them. I just made up my own recipe though.<br />
Start with a bunch of cut up rhubarb<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9Hh5X0SRc4RoWKPgijp9TF3IE16t1Ae6q8zeR1T1xH7P2OJVf335dhiX57IImlWQKGqCLca04slcVU_rl9pSNEkTq6VEcr2jmxG5p_kUSXOqH8vU8M_io2Z5NlCTlgxjNYRn0ejULAo/s1600/sliced+rhubarb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9Hh5X0SRc4RoWKPgijp9TF3IE16t1Ae6q8zeR1T1xH7P2OJVf335dhiX57IImlWQKGqCLca04slcVU_rl9pSNEkTq6VEcr2jmxG5p_kUSXOqH8vU8M_io2Z5NlCTlgxjNYRn0ejULAo/s320/sliced+rhubarb.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here is 8 cups of it. <br />
Chuck it into a pan, add the juice and zest of two oranges, about 1/2 cup sugar, a tsp of salt and two or three star anise pods. Cook it until it is golden and jamy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDd3Zb2DJTL7IxxXAGHyuAmT0slp6Plndw5qV5shCDmugmzsIhV6LvQgm6sNdTyidcFwZg8YBUKaBivLih9cstjhpvK-mL3GwAnr2mmGa5NAo6L5utPNG-qEf57I0fTerG75t5ptR7mE/s1600/rhubarb+compote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDd3Zb2DJTL7IxxXAGHyuAmT0slp6Plndw5qV5shCDmugmzsIhV6LvQgm6sNdTyidcFwZg8YBUKaBivLih9cstjhpvK-mL3GwAnr2mmGa5NAo6L5utPNG-qEf57I0fTerG75t5ptR7mE/s320/rhubarb+compote.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then cool slightly and ladel into jars. The chutney is sweet/tart/spicy and very very yummy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJlQRW3AmB7cpgEGsLCQW5WEwCL56QHyZm9upREEcO4Clp5oeIu0BG0MM6L156aC6JVdL809ce5OD51Xj3VV6L9XMok1LOzgiaSaoMoiHEztP8zDQAGRj4ofWbsJCdq4-rgd2IO7XqHg/s1600/compote+in+jars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJlQRW3AmB7cpgEGsLCQW5WEwCL56QHyZm9upREEcO4Clp5oeIu0BG0MM6L156aC6JVdL809ce5OD51Xj3VV6L9XMok1LOzgiaSaoMoiHEztP8zDQAGRj4ofWbsJCdq4-rgd2IO7XqHg/s320/compote+in+jars.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Stop for a minute and admire the beautiful rhubarb. Isn't it pretty? I love the red-green speckled stalks, so crisp and colorful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxfk5MQW_BPsY8SdkubHx4rSuVCIMkTEaMkZvpjD8_8SGoqncTHLx6vFXpXb7VFWEFstR48nEJYjgydh-xe_Ima3SYk_dxhE4AILBFmSy55kiV8j6DBdTqpRziKrt03cX0BqQsCcYifs/s1600/pretty+rhubarb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxfk5MQW_BPsY8SdkubHx4rSuVCIMkTEaMkZvpjD8_8SGoqncTHLx6vFXpXb7VFWEFstR48nEJYjgydh-xe_Ima3SYk_dxhE4AILBFmSy55kiV8j6DBdTqpRziKrt03cX0BqQsCcYifs/s320/pretty+rhubarb.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Okay. So, still tons of rhubarb. Good news, rhubarb freezes and thaws really well. So chop a bunch of it up and freeze in single layers on baking sheets, then place in freezer bags. Yay, rhubarb desserts for the rest of the year! (I have 3 gallon ziplock bags of it in my freezer as we speak)<br />
Finally, try out a new recipe.<br />
Sunken Rhubarb Cake<br />
This is the recipe I used <a href="http://www.culinate.com/recipes/collections/Culinate+Kitchen/Desserts/cakes_muffins/sunken_rhubarb_cake">right here.</a>You roast the rhubarb, then place the rhubarb pieces on top of the cake batter and bake.<br />
The rhubarb, orange and almond all compliment each other really well, the cake is crumbly, moist and not too sweet. Definitely a winner.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YiNuIFP3w1Ts806JrPwgLNjpR8N13lTDInjeNoTEdncjSaaXwpYHqx0GohvN3_z4FvFXqojLAvlYGsZztUIBhyphenhyphenCUjvVpcIlvx5a9Am93JyZn78ZbXDtRFpSjfFkHzQJ1L77meg8WGUk/s1600/sunken+rhubarb+cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YiNuIFP3w1Ts806JrPwgLNjpR8N13lTDInjeNoTEdncjSaaXwpYHqx0GohvN3_z4FvFXqojLAvlYGsZztUIBhyphenhyphenCUjvVpcIlvx5a9Am93JyZn78ZbXDtRFpSjfFkHzQJ1L77meg8WGUk/s320/sunken+rhubarb+cake.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunken rhubarb cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyyt9ZXX-Gs7WRFGRHuQsrV_I5ytiNxZCHI_dYpMvB76rH8b60lMQXtauBHSyp4xu-IGR3ArM8ZLbtlLkzR2Bl3BwSpLf0h7VoBO30GIv2bZVs9rkozCy-yfYWt5s2khCUrPyLsTI5lc/s1600/sunken+rhubarb+cake+slice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyyt9ZXX-Gs7WRFGRHuQsrV_I5ytiNxZCHI_dYpMvB76rH8b60lMQXtauBHSyp4xu-IGR3ArM8ZLbtlLkzR2Bl3BwSpLf0h7VoBO30GIv2bZVs9rkozCy-yfYWt5s2khCUrPyLsTI5lc/s320/sunken+rhubarb+cake+slice.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunken rhubarb cake slice, tempting, no?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So there, that should keep me in rhubarb for awhile. Also, of course, I should mention the large amount of strawberry rhubarb jam I have made and will still make.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-56243378162617635992011-05-06T17:15:00.000-07:002011-05-06T17:15:57.752-07:00Mom/Gardener: Think SpringSo it's official, according to the news April 2011 was the coldest April on record for our state. When you live at roughly 2200 ft elevation, that translates to a lot of 20 degree nights and barely 40 degree days. Needless to say I have been feeling like Spring is some far off, unreachable thing that will never, ever happen. Just like when you're a kid waiting for Christmas, only I've had enough of snow, thank you very much. Last week we had the miracle of a beautiful, sunny 52 degree day and I said "enough is enough" and I went to the garden store. One bag of potting soil later and I have officially started my herbs and lettuces in pots on the porch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMnaILHbmyML-dMRj3J8gOlF0kW0egNZeAo-Jt3PHgwK_o4W6qtslAO2bSh-i2vxrT_gaeAyfmp2UmmMlE_5tXJdWsZCJYrzBq3LYyPkXU2GHVNu5fmZ7em0crn3Sribs_pfeeIicde4/s1600/spring+2011+porch+garden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMnaILHbmyML-dMRj3J8gOlF0kW0egNZeAo-Jt3PHgwK_o4W6qtslAO2bSh-i2vxrT_gaeAyfmp2UmmMlE_5tXJdWsZCJYrzBq3LYyPkXU2GHVNu5fmZ7em0crn3Sribs_pfeeIicde4/s320/spring+2011+porch+garden.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">porch garden<br />
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</tbody></table>It doesn't look like much now, but give it a couple of weeks, it will soon be beautiful and edible. Which is pretty much my criteria for growing anything. If I have to choose between edible and ornimental, I choose edible, which totally explains why the only flowers growing around my house are day lillies that some previous owner planted, they keep coming back no matter how much I ignore them. <br />
Anyway, it felt so good to be out in the sunshine, the dogs sunning themselves on the porch, the baby playing in the grass, me filling pots with rich dark soil and sprinkling on seeds. It gave me the spring fix I needed.<br />
There are other signs of spring around here too. For instance, in our back yard, six big green leafy mounds of rhubarb are getting bigger day by day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErp2BpV9FLbHqc1qDZfNpkN5kPSaCF2f46DuzlOw8TwyEdOCMffC1rS2QHY0nGQg7sbFJ6om9sY9OwKInceOR-dcnpn4E5aI90WXPEKJ10aPC9r-h1MZMYUT6Bz4anDEKOYh-tfUk_7s/s1600/rhubarb+2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErp2BpV9FLbHqc1qDZfNpkN5kPSaCF2f46DuzlOw8TwyEdOCMffC1rS2QHY0nGQg7sbFJ6om9sY9OwKInceOR-dcnpn4E5aI90WXPEKJ10aPC9r-h1MZMYUT6Bz4anDEKOYh-tfUk_7s/s320/rhubarb+2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rhubarb!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I did not plant these, these giant rhubarbs were a very happy surprise the first spring we lived in this house. Some previous owner planted them and they come back strong, year after year. Last year I canned some awesome strawberry-rhubarb jam, not nearly enough of it though. I am looking forward to getting a big batch or three of it going in a couple of weeks. Not only is it delicious, but no one I have met gets sad if presented with homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam as a present.<br />
One of my husband's favorite signs of Spring poked their little heads up this week too. While walking along a trail near our house my son and I came upon a big patch of morels. We live in good mushroom country up here, and even though I tend to be a little unadventurous of a mushroom hunter, there are a few obvious ones I enjoy hunting for, morels and chanterells mostly, both of which grow really well in the forests up here and more importantly are really hard to mistake for anything else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcTMLaHCqyDa1xP30Fvpyv_0P0bUtak_j7ThjOeYVp37zzxSSGGrHiyJWlFRvOJl0OfvdGaZncDmucfmWKaRnoLnpWpu3G_1Sq9lhfGj5bGeEtSglLikO8OQUR7FdDjU1EAYDR9dRrGM/s1600/morels.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcTMLaHCqyDa1xP30Fvpyv_0P0bUtak_j7ThjOeYVp37zzxSSGGrHiyJWlFRvOJl0OfvdGaZncDmucfmWKaRnoLnpWpu3G_1Sq9lhfGj5bGeEtSglLikO8OQUR7FdDjU1EAYDR9dRrGM/s320/morels.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mushroomy goodness<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This particular patch, this early in the season, was of small mushrooms, but I think they are better the smaller they are. They are less likely to be buggy or too wet, and they are easy to cook, nice little two bite morsels. When cooking morels you need to forget the conventional wisdom of grocery store mushrooms that says "don't get them wet." you want to soak morels in several inches of water to get all the dirt and things out of all those little crags and furrows. After a nice long soak, drain them in a colander then place them on a towel to soak up the last of the water. Then you can dredge them in seasoned flour and give them a quick fry, or saute them with asparagus and peas for an all-things-spring vegetable medly. <br />
The final, for now, important Spring development is that the chickens finally have their new home. My industrious husband spent two days converting an old outbuilding into a chicken coop.They love it in there, there is space to move around, some of the Rhode Island Reds are already checking out the nesting boxes, now all they need is their outdoor run. We have to transplant a few of the aforementioned rhubarb plants in order to build their run, but hopefully the rhubarb will survive the move, I have lots of family members who will be dissapointed come the holidays if I run out of strawberry-rhubarb jam. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzJtWXPGcROhlCHfxZKa-TZtgv1UCfVD1vbrqwa_emWSbw01qvdvQQUMtXncSZC_2d39tG78ZeSw4VW6kB5vQDW16_XDC1S3RLr-OhER3SCFaFo_ac6aMqYVBJ8uwZDVkWOxtDNtfTLs/s1600/IMG_3617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzJtWXPGcROhlCHfxZKa-TZtgv1UCfVD1vbrqwa_emWSbw01qvdvQQUMtXncSZC_2d39tG78ZeSw4VW6kB5vQDW16_XDC1S3RLr-OhER3SCFaFo_ac6aMqYVBJ8uwZDVkWOxtDNtfTLs/s320/IMG_3617.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey Mom, its sunny outside!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-21588180438907330312011-04-25T15:38:00.000-07:002011-04-25T15:38:24.390-07:00Mom/Chef: Pineapple love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ck5B_k9Dpmq64O3u8EnOE1deTx_bKjwGxKPj0zDsbNSBfjGhRA72IEgnHiLQ6ria_DyT_ZLS6Qic5s9VnR1W2sCtc86EkZAwy7w_08vRh6BCdhgqt7m0tuICCU6pSAHp1JLq9kXr5rA/s1600/pineapple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ck5B_k9Dpmq64O3u8EnOE1deTx_bKjwGxKPj0zDsbNSBfjGhRA72IEgnHiLQ6ria_DyT_ZLS6Qic5s9VnR1W2sCtc86EkZAwy7w_08vRh6BCdhgqt7m0tuICCU6pSAHp1JLq9kXr5rA/s320/pineapple.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>This is a pineapple. <br />
According to Wikipedia (which everyone knows is totally true all the time) it is an herbaceous perennial originally from South America named for its resemblance to a pine cone. If you put it next to a baby in the shopping cart they will stare at it as if the pineapple were from outer space, tentatively reach out to touch it then pull back just before they do, several times, then they will try to knock it out of the cart. <br />
I know this because my local grocery store had piles of these herbaceous perennials on sale for 99 cents each just this weekend. Not being one to turn up my nose at such a deal I naturally bought one. Once home, there are many things you can do with a pineapple, other than chasing the baby around the house with it. For instance, you could cut it down into quarters, trimming it up and getting it into a much more usable state, then say, slice up half of it and use it to make a pineapple upside down cake.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje47Ir3URHG9Ro6U8YJJJlYL6E3V6z0yasTYjAoQanVTcXnP7X7KnVsT8idAd4b_FYwZiKL-Xu6ZKI2f2cIMz8SYVb-jlPenA4oDrn2U0sKKSm-8-QxXbavQvmeORKLsGwsJ-68-wxlBI/s1600/IMG_0803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje47Ir3URHG9Ro6U8YJJJlYL6E3V6z0yasTYjAoQanVTcXnP7X7KnVsT8idAd4b_FYwZiKL-Xu6ZKI2f2cIMz8SYVb-jlPenA4oDrn2U0sKKSm-8-QxXbavQvmeORKLsGwsJ-68-wxlBI/s320/IMG_0803.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Like this. <br />
Though you may want to remember to take a picture of it before you and your family eat most of it, a picture of a half eaten cake like this doesn't really inspire your audience, now does it?<br />
Anyway, I used <a href="http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=20278">this recipe here</a> which I borrowed from America's Test Kitchen. Only I didn't cook the pineapple first, just layered it in the bottom of cake pan and then cooked the butter and brown sugar for a few minutes until it was all melted together then poured it over the pineapple, then I went on with the cake part of the recipe as written. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>You could also take on of those pineapple quarters and use it to make Sweet and Sour Chicken. Just chunk up the pineapple and set it aside. Cut up a few chicken breasts or thighs into bite sized chunks and place in a bowl. Put some salt, pepper, cornstarch and Chinese 5 spice into the bowl and toss it all together, then place the coated chicken pieces into a hot wok, after of course, you've put in about half an inch of oil in the wok. Cook the chicken until cooked through and crispy, then scoop it out of the wok and place it on a plate to the side. Pour most of the oil out of the wok, and dump some diced onion and diced red or orange or yellow bell pepper into the wok and cook until it all starts to soften. While the vegetables cook, get out a bowl or measuring cup and throw in some ketchup, sweet chili sauce, white vinegar, pineapple juice (or orange juice if you don't have pineapple juice) salt and cornstarch. Mix it all together and taste it to make sure it is properly sweet and sour. Now pour the sauce into the wok with the vegetables, add the pineapple chunks, and the chicken pieces and let it simmer until the sauce thickens and everything looks awesome. Serve it over rice. It might look a little something like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOgccrOGeN7D6YTJBa784Xjhz50LRvLhv-22ZNFJhjUEwo7EiUHwGs93JhA0EW9DGQYAM6vzrXUYjCmjbjeNVGsrLIoulXu0ylm1BmirbdosHNsKFxjkYUMEQhZzzTbypjxwx9FILVDY/s1600/sweet+and+sour+chicken.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOgccrOGeN7D6YTJBa784Xjhz50LRvLhv-22ZNFJhjUEwo7EiUHwGs93JhA0EW9DGQYAM6vzrXUYjCmjbjeNVGsrLIoulXu0ylm1BmirbdosHNsKFxjkYUMEQhZzzTbypjxwx9FILVDY/s320/sweet+and+sour+chicken.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>You know what would also be good in there? Cashews, but maybe that's just me.<br />
What, you still have one quarter of that pineapple left, you say? Well, it's breakfast time, how about a smoothie? In a blender, place a handful or two of ice, the diced up pineapple quarter, one banana, and 1/3 of a can of coconut milk. Also a little more pineapple juice, or just water. Blend blend blend, and ta-daa, pina colada breakfast smoothie!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3XOroikOhAto73_9OhxjfDfbDZlJL4LyUmwtJd0Fripqsv33v-7ahy1_1fwe51wPYth0CJKvM825m2Bvyj3ri1hTGBelD_GktMJT67Q1IZt8NxYRbNGV9Uy2jL8dXpI5GDdXL65zKlg/s1600/IMG_0800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3XOroikOhAto73_9OhxjfDfbDZlJL4LyUmwtJd0Fripqsv33v-7ahy1_1fwe51wPYth0CJKvM825m2Bvyj3ri1hTGBelD_GktMJT67Q1IZt8NxYRbNGV9Uy2jL8dXpI5GDdXL65zKlg/s320/IMG_0800.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Or, you know, if it isn't breakfast, dump some rum in there and call it tiki time! It's all good with pineapples.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-62750127552260128182011-04-23T16:36:00.000-07:002011-04-23T16:36:09.261-07:00Mom/Chicken Farmer: teenage mutant ninja chickensOkay, not really. But at four weeks old, our chickens are officially teenagers, and like teenagers everywhere they are noisy, eat a lot, and they stink. We have to go down three times a day to give them new food, which may have to do with the fact that half of them are Cornish Crosses, meaning they are genetically engineered to eat and gain weight fast, but still, they eat a lot. <br />
They are big now, and starting to lose their down and grow in their big chicken feathers, which makes them look weird and patchy. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga__K93yvxCIGwlOY12tgzaPfG0nh1AoVKhzEj8dv2go_hsC7zzRQmUCDRt0N9FqwFpoqpNNS6HRmiiH8TuxqTR2H_xk0fDPFIHIsZv2qeSLK78zK3VMUGI-TOewSe5agM7M1Zkv0I-t4/s1600/teenage+chickens+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga__K93yvxCIGwlOY12tgzaPfG0nh1AoVKhzEj8dv2go_hsC7zzRQmUCDRt0N9FqwFpoqpNNS6HRmiiH8TuxqTR2H_xk0fDPFIHIsZv2qeSLK78zK3VMUGI-TOewSe5agM7M1Zkv0I-t4/s320/teenage+chickens+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you think you're looking at?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Also, something I was not prepared for since I didn't grow up around chickens or anyone who had them, was how strongly they smell. Their first day with us we had them in a large side closet in our house, this lasted exactly 24 hours. By that time we were all sneezing, had itchy, watery eyes, and were begining to second guess this whole chicken thing.<br />
So down to the basement they went. This has worked out better, though after two weeks they started smelling strongly enough that you could smell it in the house. Now it is bad enough that I am keeping windows open as much as possible during the day to air out the house. This is after we already change out the litter and clean their cage every other day. Needless to say we are getting tired of this. On my husbands next days off we are going to run electricity out the the shed cum chicken coop and get those smelly birds out of the house. Sadly it is still getting down into the 20's and 30's at night here so they have to have heat lamps out there. Also, another reason they have to get out to thier coop is that they are getting too big for their cage. Our large breed dog kennel was once plenty big for 15 chickens, but no more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXACvNCEB0Z_s51jDtrVEjY7idA727e15XJm0cvxHakyvxrWkDbpMtazGeBBNaVP9bcDD5qJI2PkBPr8C2s0xS_DQgYu4dg2xt7ktcxYJupoHcBepv3WcgpctfR_13truxGegj5CDY-U/s1600/teenage+chickens+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXACvNCEB0Z_s51jDtrVEjY7idA727e15XJm0cvxHakyvxrWkDbpMtazGeBBNaVP9bcDD5qJI2PkBPr8C2s0xS_DQgYu4dg2xt7ktcxYJupoHcBepv3WcgpctfR_13truxGegj5CDY-U/s320/teenage+chickens+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crowded chicken jail<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, chicken raising has its downsides, but I am still optimistically looking forward to our very first freshly laid egg and our first home grown chicken dinner.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-2543571831162590822011-04-18T03:05:00.000-07:002011-04-18T03:06:38.432-07:00Mom/Pensive: 2 am reflectionsSo I can’t sleep. This is not new but is worse this week than normal. We had a very successful 1<sup>st</sup> birthday party for my son; here he is eating his birthday cupcake. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarKlJ0En-3X8ilSvp8i1g3K9fiFJRwOriljMYu2CBFdMpUh961VtBVPnqwijRvwwqnM3-h7F36rGzzxzT1i1c2yWrwB5n2AzAQcJIwUVgC6t2hkG3ZKJgn1OtbTiHg-Ri2wcp7VzG2r8/s1600/IMG_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarKlJ0En-3X8ilSvp8i1g3K9fiFJRwOriljMYu2CBFdMpUh961VtBVPnqwijRvwwqnM3-h7F36rGzzxzT1i1c2yWrwB5n2AzAQcJIwUVgC6t2hkG3ZKJgn1OtbTiHg-Ri2wcp7VzG2r8/s320/IMG_0704.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">As fun as it was, it was also overwhelming and exhausting. 25 people crammed into our house, a baby not used to so much action and attention, we all came out the other side of the weekend sick. I started out last week up and down all night with a feverish baby, and ended the week with me up two nights in a row with a baby who had a cough and a nose too stuffed up to breathe out of. Thank goodness for baby Vick’s Vapor Rub, it got us through the worst of it. Now, tonight the baby is sleeping quite peacefully but I am here at 2 am because I have been up all night coughing. Not just an occasional cough, but huge, body wracking, have to run into the bathroom and cough a lung up cough. I haven’t been able to do more than doze fitfully because I am up once or twice an hour coughing. If my town had a 24 hour anything I would be there right now buying cough syrup. I know that there are one or two plain cough syrups without decongestants or anything that are fine for nursing moms, though one more night of this and I might say, ‘sorry kid, no breast milk for you’ and down some Nyquil. Ahhh, Nyquil, such fond memories… For now I am trying out peppermint herbal tea with LOTS of honey and lemon: honey to soothe a very sore throat and peppermint and lemon to (hopefully) strip the mucus out so the coughing eases up enough for me to sleep. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, color me miserable. Now, it is not as dire as you might think, I actually got two solid, blissful hours of baby free sleep this morning when my mom, who was visiting for the weekend, and my husband took the baby and let me go back to bed. But two hours doesn’t make up for two weeks of too little sleep, because the baby was sick the week before the party too. I have found that I have reached a point where I have gone past stressfully tired, cranky tired, tearfully tired, and have come out the other side into a sort of Zen exhaustion. I am just accepting it and moving on. What I am not so accepting of is the unfairness of how the baby and the husband are both over the worst of this cold and I am still in the thick of it because my body literally cannot get the sleep it needs to heal. Between being up and down all night with a sick baby and up all day alone with him I am finding it impossible to get any rest. This is not just indicative of this last week; it is becoming kind of a theme. Is this parenthood? Do I get to be literally sick and exhausted for the next several years? Is this why 90% of the victims on “What Not to Wear” are moms? Is it because we aren’t allowed to sleep and become mom-zombies who are too tired to dress themselves in anything other than yesterday’s sweats or ripped jeans? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Now don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom. I wouldn’t give my son up for anything; you can pry him from my cold, dead, mom-zombie hands because you are not taking him from me while I am alive. But is there any room for any kind of balance? I’m beginning to fear that the urban stereotype of the suburban mom who doesn’t have a single hobby, interest or thought in her head other than the kids is not so much a stereotype as much as a truth. That scares me a bit. Not enough to never have another kid, mind you. I still think the baby needs a sibling, probably within the next two years. But still, if I don’t find the balance before then, I may very well end up a mom-zombie, constantly sick from lack of sleep, so tired that when I do get a night of blissfully sleeping baby I still can’t shut down and take advantage of it. Worrisome stuff. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Well, on a happier note, this tea thing seems to be helping a little, I haven’t had a coughing fit in half an hour, so I’m going to go make another mug and head back to bed. Maybe I can still catch a few zzzz’s.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7b_op1McmG9bOnVpQ7j6DF9bDDTdfzhRzr22-rPrpqhi14AoycKXTEsjJhzKyhSAIOOk6guIpMHB3ra1EtbbdwWC4BPU-nis303K86l1gjp3NdSRkw9CPeC7AXP8GVO3_ug3b9p41Io/s1600/IMG_3556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7b_op1McmG9bOnVpQ7j6DF9bDDTdfzhRzr22-rPrpqhi14AoycKXTEsjJhzKyhSAIOOk6guIpMHB3ra1EtbbdwWC4BPU-nis303K86l1gjp3NdSRkw9CPeC7AXP8GVO3_ug3b9p41Io/s320/IMG_3556.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mom-zombie and the birthday boy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-87965600350921760292011-04-02T21:26:00.000-07:002011-04-02T21:26:47.376-07:00Mom/Chicken Farmer: Chicken Day!!!Today is the day! This morning, bright and early, we took the half hour drive into the nearby 'big' town to pick up our chickens. We are now the proud parents of 10 Cornish Cross and 7 Rhode Island Reds. I am naming the Cornish Crosses 'Dinner #1, Dinner #2, etc. to remind myself not to get too attached. The Rhode Island Reds I will name as they grow and become distinct personalities, since they are sticking around. We have a shed all picked out to be converted into a coop, and a nice warm brooder for them tucked into the closet. We were going to put them out into the shed, but we haven't run electricity out there yet and it started to snow again today! Apparently the 50 degree sunny weather yesterday was nature's April's Fools joke on us, because suddenly there is a fluffy white blanket covering what only yesterday was my muddy, early spring yard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeg7bn2XAYMr5D_UdesLdYXcDVvUlApRqEidEQCiXx3UcHI1LW_PHPGMSwnwfbRgjYToWpiTCZHs-vZUB8AFr5Iy98982Zg51wdDxbyCuNarIhZ_9DU-79Rm_3WDo5BRi3IhQUk-iSyE/s1600/chickens+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeg7bn2XAYMr5D_UdesLdYXcDVvUlApRqEidEQCiXx3UcHI1LW_PHPGMSwnwfbRgjYToWpiTCZHs-vZUB8AFr5Iy98982Zg51wdDxbyCuNarIhZ_9DU-79Rm_3WDo5BRi3IhQUk-iSyE/s320/chickens+1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicks explore their brooder.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Everyone loves the chicks. I'm sure the dogs just want to eat them, but they are being pretty good about not hovering over the brooder, they only check on the chicks once or twice an hour, when they've forgotten what that cheeping noise is and have to find out. The baby, okay not baby, almost-one-year-old, finds them fascinating. He likes to stand at the cage, hang onto the bars and squeal at the chicks, which thankfully doesn't seem to bother them.<br />
Speaking of the almost-one-year-old, he is going through a super clingy, only wants to be in mom's arms or playing with mom, scared of almost everyone else phase. This does not bode well for his birthday party next week. Also it means I have been writing this post in two minute incriments over the course of several hours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRVm-tC23RoGtcBKD59cCbU_OqUZokWglON4001t6Yfb4mH8cECM19G5WBizWX62zLRWSsiK_AviMhYzUg0y3UJPiMKK2MpZ1Vz2fcM-9KSaqB-cB-aGmfDHKlr1mJ2eJGqHIpdJWjis/s1600/chickens+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijRVm-tC23RoGtcBKD59cCbU_OqUZokWglON4001t6Yfb4mH8cECM19G5WBizWX62zLRWSsiK_AviMhYzUg0y3UJPiMKK2MpZ1Vz2fcM-9KSaqB-cB-aGmfDHKlr1mJ2eJGqHIpdJWjis/s320/chickens+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more of the cute chickens.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anyway, it has taken me so long to write this post that I have forgotten where I was going with it. To sum up: yay chickens! Here is a cute picture to wrap it all up.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXayoWfKTgJEVECrHaHgX6MXtqI9Z3WOJkTQbUa5FxDIDnm8LN8w_VVaEUORrXI-KTeO3u4OX2gP02h3xc8FsXh0ETFvrIx8uSCpRwFpm1pxHePeMmKegdEer0sCDostUma62ydPf-s8/s1600/look+mom+chickens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUXayoWfKTgJEVECrHaHgX6MXtqI9Z3WOJkTQbUa5FxDIDnm8LN8w_VVaEUORrXI-KTeO3u4OX2gP02h3xc8FsXh0ETFvrIx8uSCpRwFpm1pxHePeMmKegdEer0sCDostUma62ydPf-s8/s320/look+mom+chickens.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look Mom, Chickens!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-79237213365083290242011-03-23T18:10:00.000-07:002011-03-23T18:10:50.765-07:00Mom/baby chef: finger food findsSo I'm just going to ignore how long it's been since my last blog and jump right into it. My son has decided this last month that he doesn't want his pureed baby food, he only wants what his dad and I are eating, and he wants to feed himself, thank you very much! So I have been struggling to find baby friendly finger foods that will give him a healthy variety of the stuff he needs. Pasta, rice and bread are big hits, as is cheese. Also avocado (he is his mother's son, after all) and one morning he ate 3/4 of an entire banana by himself. He found the act of getting to take bites off of it really fun, unfortunately the resulting constipation reminded me that bananas are occasional treats, not for every day. <br />
Last night I was struggling to figure out what to make for dinner that would allow me to use what I had at home and not run to the grocery store for one or two items, a bad habit I am trying to break. I ended up throwing together a pasta with lemon, capers, canned salmon (something that I have way too much of thanks to WIC) frozen peas and cherry tomatoes. It turned out surprisingly good, the bright flavors of the lemon and capers covered up the dull canned flavor that the salmon had. Imagine my surprise when the baby loved it too. I don't know why I didn't think of frozen peas before for him, but I guess I thought they would be a choking hazard, always the first thing I consider before introducing him to a new food. But peas are the thing now, and I'm happy because they are inexpensive and healthy, not to mention easy. Here is the rough recipe for the pasta I threw together, it is yummy, easy and inexpensive all good things for busy, tired mommies. Not being in blogging mode lately I didn't get any pictures of the dish, but here is Connor enjoying leftovers for lunch today showing you how he feels about the dish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjEPk4XJX-63qo64wtNU6Lm77H2S39-xsJcXhmVJt9m0Ksxup3kH_zseFPACEGf05qJTg66Y31Q5Fdua2bDzf0c8PA8RYQSdc7D9eo8HH3R_UuUj5veR62-ON-XWYZrMwu7vLQhR8qqc/s1600/yummy+salmon+and+peas+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjEPk4XJX-63qo64wtNU6Lm77H2S39-xsJcXhmVJt9m0Ksxup3kH_zseFPACEGf05qJTg66Y31Q5Fdua2bDzf0c8PA8RYQSdc7D9eo8HH3R_UuUj5veR62-ON-XWYZrMwu7vLQhR8qqc/s320/yummy+salmon+and+peas+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peas, salmon and pasta are yummy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Easy lemon salmon pasta toss<br />
<br />
1/2 - 1 pound pasta depending on how much you want to make<br />
2 cans salmon, drained<br />
1/4 onion, diced<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1/2 cup frozen peas<br />
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed<br />
1 lemon, zested and juiced<br />
1 cup cherry tomatoes<br />
fresh herb of your choice, I had tarragon. Basil and dill would be great as well.<br />
<br />
Boil pasta according to package directions, save 1 cup of pasta water before draining.<br />
In large skillet, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion until it begins to soften, add garlic and capers. Saute for a few minutes until garlic softens, then add canned salmon, cherry tomatoes and zest of lemon. Cook until salmon heats through and tomatoes begin to burst. Stir in pasta, pasta water, lemon juice and peas. Stir until most of moisture is absorbed, season with salt, pepper and herbs to taste. <br />
<br />
Coming up in April, baby's first birthday and our first ever chickens!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-24444359083992256552010-12-10T14:24:00.000-08:002010-12-10T14:24:34.426-08:00Mom/Contrite Blogger: November updateSo here it is, one full month after I last entered a blog post. Between a sick baby, busy husband, my birthday, Thanksgiving and life in general November just flew by and I barely had a chance to check my email, let alone blog. So now, while the dogs are milling around begging for their walk, I am sitting down to ACTUALLY BLOG because the baby is asleep! Not asleep in my arms and fussing if I so much as shift position, but asleep in the bed in another room and I actually have a few moments of free time. Sorry dogs, you've got to wait.<br />
So, November. November is a great month because 1) I love Thanksgiving, it's such a Chefy holiday, and 2) my birthday. Which was actually on Thanksgiving this year. First off thanks to all my wonderful family who braved the weather and gathered for my birthday celebration (held the weekend before the actual date) and thank you for all the wonderful presents. Also thank you to my husband for the Kindle, yet another reason I haven't made time to blog lately. : )<br />
For Thanksgiving this year my husband and I decided to be at home, since he worked almost all day anyway and since we saw a lot of family the weekend before. Now this may sound shocking for a couple of Chefs, but I've never cooked Thanksgiving dinner before. (At home at least, I've helped cook it at work tons of times) When we aren't working for the holiday we always go to family's and only help with the cooking. This is the first time I've done it all myself. Surprisingly it was really fun. <br />
Now, normally I'm all for traditional dishes, but since it was just the husband and I, plus a baby who wasn't interested in our food anyway, I decided to experiment a little.<br />
Turkey: We had bought a fresh 20 pound turkey which we then split in half. Half went into the freezer for another use and half was for the big day. Rather than simply roasting the turkey in the oven I decided on a glazed turkey recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It called for a butterflied turkey, but half a turkey worked just as well. One hour before cooking (can be done up to a day ahead) I dried the turkey skin, poked some holes in it where there were big fat deposits, then rubbed the skin with a mixture of 1 T each kosher salt, pepper and baking soda. The turkey then sat at room temp for an hour before baking (store in the fridge overnight if doing a day ahead). I baked the turkey low and slow at 275 until it temped as done (165-175 degrees) then took it out and let it rest for half an hour while I made the glaze. <br />
Glaze: 1 cup cranberries, 3 cups apple cider, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1 T Dijon, 1 T grated fresh ginger, 2 T butter. Cook everything but the butter in a saucepan until bubbly and reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, approx 30 min. Strain through a sieve, pressing on solids to get all the liquid. Discard solids. Transfer 1/2 cup of remaining glaze to saucepan, brush turkey skin with 1/3 of the glaze, place into 450 degree oven for 7 - 10 minutes to set the glaze. Remove turkey and brush with more glaze, repeat for three glaze applications total. Mix reserved glaze with butter and simmer with drippings from turkey to make a 'gravy'.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4tM15WFLyFRwXx_QWHoHO24c-Gucoohkj5CjzppabaQc4_9SeKDarGFZy7x_lhan3Tbkuu9zSXQWaaEoRRJsz2asJYgTRq7Eh95SOaTHnA-SM-ithyIoxQpv7ZI8lDuhUwxaRCkhIgI/s1600/turkey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4tM15WFLyFRwXx_QWHoHO24c-Gucoohkj5CjzppabaQc4_9SeKDarGFZy7x_lhan3Tbkuu9zSXQWaaEoRRJsz2asJYgTRq7Eh95SOaTHnA-SM-ithyIoxQpv7ZI8lDuhUwxaRCkhIgI/s320/turkey.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beautiful glazed turkey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The turkey came out delicious, very moist and with crispy skin. The glaze was yummy as well, but I think I might be more of a turkey purist when it comes to glazed skin vs. regular. I think next year I will use the same method to cook the turkey, but skip the glaze. <br />
Stuffing: my stuffing wasn't so much a recipe as a technique. This technique, also from Cook's Illustrated, is for getting as close as possible to stuffing cooked in the bird without actually cooking it in the turkey. It involves browning off some segmented turkey wings and placing them on top of the stuffing, then tightly wrapping the pan with foil before baking. You get the moist, turkey flavored stuffing without having to bother stuffing the bird. My stuffing involved both corn bread and sandwich bread, sausage, and sage. It was very good. <br />
Sides included the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy and some oven roasted chantrell and crimini mushrooms that I tossed with oil, sage, salt and pepper and then roasted on a sheet tray in the oven at 450 for twenty minutes. Also, cranberry sauce that I made with cranberries and orange juice and spices.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7gMyjNcqczAOJyZ2GkjLQ1kjJzF7cfjSpqGp5mbGIg_h_x_uzm2H6g5QhCoT8_pI79IWEhkfrxbFXCV43NxQ499TxzmLjzHumBD1EoueEOi8L-wf-oEMq5SI0HBBIwAoe82mT8I22k8/s1600/thanksgiving+2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7gMyjNcqczAOJyZ2GkjLQ1kjJzF7cfjSpqGp5mbGIg_h_x_uzm2H6g5QhCoT8_pI79IWEhkfrxbFXCV43NxQ499TxzmLjzHumBD1EoueEOi8L-wf-oEMq5SI0HBBIwAoe82mT8I22k8/s320/thanksgiving+2010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Thanksgiving table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It was more than enough food for two of us, could easily have fed five. And best of all it was easy to get done between baby playtime and baby naps. I had a lot of fun doing my first ever Thanksgiving dinner all by myself and it was a nice 1st family Thanksgiving, since it was the baby's first Thanksgiving as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQplzumo3XWVm3MAKmiV263pjD0FA7hWwtns6oJdqP3u7mYIrr1hIL2rVO3_vgE-1cHJvVv7i7FFQvdS81gMZdxr5Y_0o8ng-J_gwCo6b5DeKq0KUTmj6rDDKo1P1vO2N-K_Ohyphenhyphen4_WPZs/s1600/thanksgiving+plate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQplzumo3XWVm3MAKmiV263pjD0FA7hWwtns6oJdqP3u7mYIrr1hIL2rVO3_vgE-1cHJvVv7i7FFQvdS81gMZdxr5Y_0o8ng-J_gwCo6b5DeKq0KUTmj6rDDKo1P1vO2N-K_Ohyphenhyphen4_WPZs/s320/thanksgiving+plate.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The full Thanksgiving plate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, there you go, my November in a nutshell. More to come on using Thanksgiving leftovers, budget friendly meals and holiday baking. As the baby allows...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-977502336743921738.post-19362628915152044072010-11-09T20:00:00.000-08:002010-11-09T20:00:28.779-08:00Mom/Weather Girl: Snow Day!Here in the mountains of Washington State, at an elevation of 2,247 ft we have officially had our first day of snow. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOkBdSep7Fx9p3Yu8Jc_McHhzWnN8kJaWeRLtTl063__CQGN4pCFM4EqnPDoZ0z_gPg8PpiuPDXI2mixCnpLAxxAoC8CLxOBc2X54Z2yiWomMPvRXe5UVLf_IOKQANrlRJ4BQF40DTw4/s1600/first+snow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOkBdSep7Fx9p3Yu8Jc_McHhzWnN8kJaWeRLtTl063__CQGN4pCFM4EqnPDoZ0z_gPg8PpiuPDXI2mixCnpLAxxAoC8CLxOBc2X54Z2yiWomMPvRXe5UVLf_IOKQANrlRJ4BQF40DTw4/s320/first+snow.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out the back door at the beginning of the snow.<br />
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</tbody></table> Luckily I had nowhere in particular to be, so I got to spend the day watching the snow fall. Unluckily the baby woke up sick today and has spent the day fussy and feverish so I didn't exactly get a relaxing snow day, but when he was sleeping I made something that helped make the day better and even more cozy. <br />
Apple Oatmeal Muffins. <br />
My husband had made oatmeal this morning, our favorite way, with diced apples and cinnamon mixed in. We had some leftover and I got inspired to make muffins with it. I borrowed Alton Brown's basic Old-Fashioned Muffin recipe (have I mentioned my total geek-girl crush on him?) and added my own stir-ins. Here's what I did.<br />
2 1/4 cups A.P. Flour, 2 tsp. Baking Powder, 1 tsp. Baking Soda, pinch of salt and 1 tsp Cinnamon sifted together. <br />
1/2 cup Sugar, 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil, 1 Egg, 1 Egg Yolk, 1 Cup Plain Yogurt whisked together until combined. <br />
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, then stir in 1 cup of cooked oatmeal (with apples and cinnamon) and 1/2 cup diced fresh apples. Spoon into muffin cups, top with an oatmeal struessell crumb (oats, butter, brown sugar and spices) and bake at 375F for 18-20 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6InT3FgoZ2UcBZpETASF7hhWo5as8zTt5zKz9d2upgBvXFnQ8FjLWEXu2ZLU6J5DVYu_9pGwXRN21XQhJW9Mn-rxYCU9LyDXZJf0Dp4Np8gsgR8d1Y3Li_ftrx1AEgmsdtmyy3twuVjo/s1600/oatmeal+apple+muffins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6InT3FgoZ2UcBZpETASF7hhWo5as8zTt5zKz9d2upgBvXFnQ8FjLWEXu2ZLU6J5DVYu_9pGwXRN21XQhJW9Mn-rxYCU9LyDXZJf0Dp4Np8gsgR8d1Y3Li_ftrx1AEgmsdtmyy3twuVjo/s320/oatmeal+apple+muffins.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">apple oatmeal muffins<br />
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</tbody></table>They turned out great, good flavor and texture, not too sweet. And the aroma of cinnamon and apples baking totally made up for the continuously fussy baby.<br />
Here's to more snow!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17379227623220477415noreply@blogger.com0