Frying Pans: Who Knew, Right?

If Flynn Ryder ever tries to break into my tower he's a dead man. Seriously, look at this beast! It's 15 inches of cast iron glory; a birthday present from my mama. It weighs more than Lincoln. I don't even want to know what it cost Amazon to ship it to me. Probably more than my Prime membership. Mua-ha-ha-ha! Say hello to deep dish pizzas, perfectly seared steaks, real southern corn bread, and oh so much more. And it will hold enough to feed the Swan Family Militia (also known as my children).

I broker 'er in easy last night, with a quick Brown Butter and Coconut Dutch Baby recipe. It was very tasty, but in the future I'll double the recipe. The pan is so big the batter had to spread really thin, and didn't puff as much as it normally would. I liked the toasted coconut, pineapple, bananas, and real maple syrup on top though. Sooooo good.

Brown Butter Coconut Dutch Baby with Bananas and Pineapple

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (if doubling the recipe, don't double this amount, it will still grease the pan just fine)
31/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
6 large eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
6 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
A pinch of salt
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 banana, cut into pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small skillet over medium heat, add the shredded coconut.  Toast the coconut, stirring frequently, until light brown.

Put the butter in an 8 or 9-inch cast-iron skillet (you can also use a similarly-sized cake pan or pie plate), and place in the preheated oven.  Let the butter cook and sizzle, swirling occasionally, until the butter is melted and there are brown solids.  Remove from the oven and tilt around, completely covering the sides and bottom with brown butter.

Meanwhile, in a blender, or with a bowl and whisk, mix together the eggs, half-and-half, and sugar.  Add the flour, ginger, salt, and 6 tablespoons of the shredded coconut and blend until smooth.  Pour into the warm skillet, and slide into the oven.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the center looks set and the edges have risen and are golden brown.  It will rise and puff around the pan while in the oven, but will deflate as it cools.

Remove from the oven.  Top with the chopped pineapple, banana slices, and the remaining toasted coconut.  Serve immediately with maple syrup, if desired.

Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bread

One of my goals for the New Year was to branch out away from my usual bread recipes, and try new things. In January I made Focaccia for the first time. I decided to kick off February with this Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bread, mostly because #1 I love steakhouses, and they always have good bread (this recipe is supposed to be a copy-cat of Outback btw), and #2 the ingredients call for cocoa and molasses, and I've never heard of those in bread making before, and had to check it out. The bread turned out really good. I'll probably make it again. This recipe makes 6 mini loafs.

Also, the heart-shaped butter was totally unintentional, but I love it!

Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water (105-110 degrees)
2 tsp. sugar
1 pkg. (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
2 cups bread flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tblsp. cocoa
1 tsp. salt
2 tblsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
2 tblsp. molasses

Instructions

1.Proof the yeast: measure the warm water into a two-cup or larger measure. Add the sugar and yeast. Stir to dissolve. Within 5 minutes the yeast should have begun to bubble and grow.

2. While the yeast proofs, mix the flours, cocoa, and salt in a large bowl. Stir together with a whisk.

3. Using your fingers, mix the softened butter into the flour mixture.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the honey, molasses, and yeast-water mixture. Stir from the middle, bringing the dry ingredients gradually into the wet. You can start out with a wooden spoon but will need to use your hands to finally bring the dough together.

5. Turn the rough dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes adding small amounts of flour to the kneading surface only if needed.

6. Let the dough rest for a few minutes while you wash and dry the bowl that you used to mix it in. Spray the inside of the bowl with cooking spray. Put the dough into the bowl top side down and then turn it over so that the top is coated with a bit of the cooking spray.

7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise. The interior of an oven with the light on is usually warm enough. Let the dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

8. When the dough has doubled, cut it into 6 portions. Form each portion into either a 6-inch log shape or a round mini-boule.

9. Pour a small amount of cornmeal onto your work surface. Moisten each dough portion very lightly by wetting your hands, removing most of the water and rubbing over the dough. Roll the lightly moistened loaves in cornmeal to coat. Gently pat to remove any excess cornmeal.

10. Place the loaves on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for another hour or until doubled in size.

11. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the dough and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

12.Serve with plenty of butter.

My First Attempt at Focaccia

Not bad. A tad less rosemary next time methinks.

Focaccia

2 1/2-3 cups flour
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup very warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large bowl mix 1 cup flour, rosemary, sugar, salt. and yeast.Add 3 Tbsp oil and warm water. Beat with electric mixer on medium for about 3 minutes scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl.

2. Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead 5 to 8 minutes, until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl, place dough in bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

3. Grease 2 cookie sheets or 12-inch pizza pans with small amount of cooking spray.

4. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a flattened 10-inch round. Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Gently make 1/2 inch deep depressions about 2 inches apart in dough with fingers. Carefully brush with 2 Tbsp oil; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Christmas Eve 2014

Today is Christmas Eve. We always do a Bethlehem dinner, and it's probably my favorite tradition of all the holiday traditions ever.

As I was preparing the pita bread for dinner, I got out my wheat grinder, and I started thinking about Christmas presents of the past. Aaron and I were giving this wheat grinder a few years ago, and it's probably been one of the best Christmas presents ever. I use it all the time to grind our flour. And the things I make with the flour make me happy.

Aaron went into work early this morning so that he could come home early and help with the finishing touches of dinner. I had all the food pretty much ready to go when he got home, so all that was left was to clean up. Aaron started spot mopping the floor, and Ollie decided that he would help too. He followed Aaron around and "mopped" where he mopped. It was adorable. I love that little Ollie.  

Aaron's parents came over to celebrate the evening with us. And it was fun to have them. My kids were super excited for it all, even though we keep Christmas Eve relatively simple as we try to keep our focus on the Savior.

Here is the dinner spread:

Olives, almonds, grapes, pita bread, dried apricots, pomegranates, ancient grains crackers, hummus, cheese, tabbouleh salad, smoked salmon and grape juice. We eat by semi-candlelight. Something about this dinner feels different and special. I love it.

After dinner Lincoln played his Christmas songs for us on the piano. I was really happy to add this to our Christmas Eve tradition. Hopefully in the future all the kids will be able to participate and everyone can sing along, and we can create a tradition of music in our home as part of our worship. That would make me a happy mama.

And lastly, we reenacted the Nativity Story. This year Aaron was Joseph, Adelia was Mary, Ruby was our " real-live baby Jesus" as Adelia kept calling her. Oliver was the angel. Ivan was a sheep. Chuck, Debbie and I were inn-keepers, and Lincoln was the narrator.

For dessert we had homemade eggnog, made with our very own chicken eggs, which I did not take a picture of, but which was fantastic. Here is the recipe below, but it doesn't make very much, I tripled it to get a glass pitcher full.

Homemade Eggnog

INGREDIENTS

6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy.
In a saucepan, bring the cream, milk, nutmeg and salt to a bare simmer, stirring often. Slowly ladle in 1/2 cup or so of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking vigorously to avoid little bits of cooked egg. This will temper the eggs so they don't scramble when cooked on the stove-top. Ladle in another 1/2 cup, whisking vigorously the entire time. Do this until all the hot milk has been added to the eggs and the mixture is well combined.
Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan of milk on the stove, whisking quickly, and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it reaches 160 degrees F on a thermometer.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the eggnog into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

And after that the kids got their jammies on and went to bed.

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving went as perfectly as it could have this year, with being 9 months pregnant and unable to go anywhere. I was a little bit worried that the kids would be disappointed that it was just going to be our little (or not so little) family, but Aaron and I made an effort to make it a fun an memorable day, and I think we succeeded. Thanksgiving this year was peaceful, low stress, and wonderful. Everything I had hoped it would be. 

I started preparing 3 days before. I knew that Aaron and I were making an entire dinner by ourselves, and I was up to the challenge, but I also knew we couldn't do it all on Thursday. So, on Tuesday while Adelia was at preschool, the boys and I did the grocery shopping. They were well behaved and actually helpful! Another awesome/funny thing that happened...as I was walking through the store gathering things on my list, random people kept handing me Turkey Vouchers (little coupons the store gives out for so much money off of your turkey) that they said they weren't using. The vouchers come in $0.50 to $1.00 increments. I had a few of my own, and a few that Aaron's mom had given me, probably a couple dollars worth. But by the time I finished grocery shopping I had enough for $10 off my turkey! So our turkey ended up only costing us $11. People probably assumed that the 9 month preggo lady who was crazy enough to grocery shop with 3 boys in tow could use all the help she could get, haha! Either way, I'll take it and be grateful for it! 

Then we picked up Adelia and came home and made the cranberry sauce. This is the best cranberry sauce ever, just saying. It puts that pathetic-excuse-for-cranberry-sauce that you buy in the can to shame. Oh, and it's incredibly easy to make, so there really is no reason not to have homemade cranberry sauce on your Thanksgiving table. :) 

Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup apply cider

1/2 cup water

1/8 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 cloves

1/8 orange peel

1-3 TBSP maple syrup

Directions

1. Place cranberries in a colander and rinse them. Pick out and discard any damaged or bruised cranberries. 

2. Put the water, apple cider, and sugar in a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to boil. Stir to dissolve sugar. 

3. Add the cranberries to the pot and return to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.

4. Once the cranberries have burst, add ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel to taste. Add 1-3 TBSP maple syrup to taste. Stir to mix well.

5. Remove pot from heat. Let cool completely at room temperature, then transfer to a bowl to chill in the refrigerator. Note that cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. 

On Wednesday Adelia and I made the Pecan Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie, and the Sweet Potato Souffle. Both dishes are two of my very most favorite Thanksgiving Day recipes. 

Pecan Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice
15 oz can of pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
Dough for 1 pie crust

Directions

1. Mix the cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar using a mixer. Add  1 egg and lemon juice, continue mixing til creamy.
2. Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
4. Beat pumpkin, 1 cup sugar, and spice with a mixer.
5. Add 2 eggs and beat until combined.
6. Add milk and beat until combined.
7. Press pie crust dough into the bottom of a 9 in. pie plate.
8. Spread cream cheese mixture onto the dough.
9. Layer the pumpkin mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture and try not to disturb cream cheese mixture underneath.
10. Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil to keep them from getting too brown and place pie in the oven.
11. Bake for about 20 minutes.
12 While baking, in a small bowl mix pecans, mini chocolate chips, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Stir to combine.
13. After the pie has baked the first 20 minutes, remove foil and layer on the topping.
14. Make for another 25-30 minutes. Remove and cool.
15. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

*Note that sometimes the topping bubbles over, so you may want to place a cookie sheet on the rack underneath the pie to keep from getting it all over the bottom of the oven.


Sweet Potato Souffle

Ingredients

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup canned milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

topping:
1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a mixing bowl mix together sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, canned milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.
3. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan.
4. Mix the topping ingredients together and crumble on top of the potatoes.
5. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve warm.

*Note, I make mine a day ahead of time, and then just reheat them on Thanksgiving. Still good. They are also good cold.

On Thursday, I put Aaron in charge of the turkey. He put the seasonings on it, got it in the roaster oven at the right time, and carved it up to put on the table for dinner. And, he looked good doing it. It was excellent. I think I'll put him in charge every year. ;)

I'm not a fan of mashed potatoes. You could probably say it's my least favorite food. So I'm usually just fine to skip those over on Thanksgiving. But Aaron and Lincoln like them, and since no one else was making any for them, I decided I would...just this once. ;) I tried a cool looking recipe I found online, for making mashed potatoes in the crock pot. And I was impressed. (With the ease of the cooking process, not the taste. I didn't taste them.) Aaron thought they were good, but a little over-seasoned. So, if I ever make them again, I'll just half the seasoning. But I thought it was cool to make them in the crock pot. Between the crock pot for the potatoes, and the turkey roaster for the turkey, I had my oven and stove top free for other delicious concoctions. Score!

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces (you can peel them but I never do)
½ cup sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Add chopped potatoes. Cover and cook 2-3 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.

2. Add sour cream, milk, garlic, salt, and pepper to potatoes. Use a hand mixer to blend together all ingredients. Give them a taste and add more salt if desired. Serve plain, or with any favorite toppings such as gravy, or cheese and bacon.

I also made my mom's roll recipe, which is the best roll recipe on the planet. :) I think I've posted it on here before though, so I'm not going to type it out again today. That recipe calls for all white flour, but lately I've been using about 2/3rds whole wheat flour and 1/3rd white. It's good. And for Thanksgiving I tried a new way to shape them, so they are bigger and puffier looking. I brushed the tops with butter and sprinkled a tiny bit of salt on as well, before I stuck them in the over. They still taste fabulous, no matter how you shape them.

Stuffing isn't really my thing either, so Aaron made that. And he also made a really tasty Green Bean Casserole. Neither of which I took an individual picture of, sorry. And lastly, I made a cherry pie. But I didn't take a picture of it either.

All in all, I think we did pretty good for ourselves. The food was fantastic, the people I love most were at the table with me, and there will be leftovers for dayssssssssss. I couldn't ask for more than that.

After dinner and before pie we played a new game called Spot It! So fun. The kids loved it, and it was great for all age ranges because it didn't require you to be able to read. :)

After pie, we put Ollie to bed and watched Night at the Museum with the older kids. It was a good night, and fun family time. I love my family, and I am so grateful for them.

Thee Best Homemade Tomato Soup

I had a giant bowl full of different varieties and sizes of tomatoes that we picked from the garden this weekend that needed to be used asap. I thought I'd make some more salsa, but when I sat down at the computer to look up recipes, I came across one for tomato soup. The rain was beating down on the windows, and the thought of warm, delicious soup was too tempting to pass up. It is fall after all. So let soup season begin! And what a way to ring it in. This is thee BEST tomato soup I have ever tasted in my life.

Thee Best Homemade Tomato Soup

Ingredients

8 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp minced garlic
2 medium chopped onions
8 whole cloves
4 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper, or to taste
2 tsp white sugar, or to taste
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. In a large stock pot saute garlic in olive oil.
2. Add onions and saute until tender.
3. Add chopped tomatoes (with skins and seeds) and bring to a boil.
4. Add chicken broth, basil, and cloves and cook for about 20 minutes.
5. Run everything through a blender, then place in a large bowl and set aside.
6. In the now empty stock pot, melt butter over medium heat.
7. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest, a bit at a time.
8. Stir in sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, balsamic vinegar, and cream. Heat through, and serve.

*makes about 12 servings

My Last Post About Peaches (this year) I Swear!

I finished canning the last of my peaches. There are 3 or 4 still ripening on the tree, but I think we'll just eat those. :)

I've had a lot of fun with my peaches this year. I wasn't quite ready to quit. It's been really fun trying a bunch of new things.

My favorite peach concoction this year was the Pickled Peaches, but coming in a very close second is this Peach Rosemary Lemonade Concentrate. OH. MY. It is sooooo good. I canned 14 quarts of it. It'll be perfect to whip up quick for a party. I already have big plans so serve it at Baby #5's baby blessing dinner. It pretty much tastes like summer in a glass.






Peach Rosemary Lemonade Concentrate

*Makes 6-8 pints or 3 quarts of canned concentrate

Ingredients

6 cups peaches, frozen then thawed or fresh
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 cups sugar
6 stems rosemary

Directions
In a food processor, blender or bullet puree peaches.  
Transfer peach puree to a stainless steel saucepan over medium-high heat. DO NOT BOIL. Add lemon juice, sugar, and  rosemary and stir to combine. 
Using a thermometer heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Because this recipe has sugar it will get to temperature rather quickly so keep your eye on the thermometer. Remove from heat. Remove rosemary before filling jars.
Ladle mixture into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim, add hot lids and tighten rings just finger tight. Process in water bath canner at a boil for 15 minutes.
To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic water or ginger ale. Adjust concentrate to suit your taste.

My sister-in-law Esther gave me some vanilla beans, so I made a few batches of Vanilla Peach Butter. It turned out good. It's really yummy on pancakes. I don't like it as much as I like the Apple Butter though. I think prefer making fruit butter, as opposed to fruit jam, because there is a lot less sugar in the butter, and you don't have to buy any pectin.

Crockpot Vanilla Peach Butter

Ingredients
8 Peaches
2 Vanilla Beans
1/4 Cup Sugar

Instructions
1. Peel peaches, remove pit and cut into chunks or slices and place in crock-pot.
2. Cut each vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrap out the vanilla bean seeds with a spoon and put seeds and the pods into the crock-pot with the peaches.
3. Add the sugar and stir to combine.
4. Cover and cook on low 4 hours.
5. Remove the vanilla bean pods.
6. Pour cooked peaches into the jar of a blender and cover.
7. Carefully (the mixtures will be hot!) blend the peaches until smooth.
8. Pour pureed peaches back into crock-pot and cover, but prop up the lid of the crock-pot with a chopstick or other heat proof utensil to allow moisture to escape.
9. Continue cooking on low for 1-2 hours, stirring every now and then to prevent peach butter from burning.
10. Pour into jars or containers and refrigerate for up to 2 months, freeze for up to 6 months or process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.


So huzzah for peaches. We have really enjoyed them (if you hadn't noticed). So much so, that I've even convinced Aaron (and it wasn't very hard) that we want to plant a second peach tree next year. Maybe one that ripens a little earlier. That way we can enjoy the peach love all summer and fall long. I can can them to my little heart's content, and then when I'm sick of it, we can always give the rest away, or feed them to the chickens, or let Lincoln try his hand at setting up a fruit stand and selling them to the neighbors at an exorbitant rate. ;) (Remember when he wanted to sell gallon bags of spinach to the neighbors for $10 a bag? Ya, that's what I'm referring to.)

Just Peachy

Two thirds of my peaches ripened up this week. I think sliced peaches in canning jars are one of the prettiest things. I almost just want to line the top of my cupboards with them and use them for decoration. I did 15 quarts of sliced peaches. And I still have some quarts left over from last year, so I decided to branch out a little in the peach department.

Last year I canned this Peach BBQ Sauce as an experiment. And we loved it so much, that this year I decided to make twice as much. It's fabulous. I usually use it over a pork roast in the crock pot, to make pulled pork sandwiches. But I think it would be good on any meat.

Zesty Peach BBQ Sauce

6 cups pitted, peeled peaches (about 3 lbs, or 9 medium) 
1 cup seeded red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 cup purple onion (about 1 large)
3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic (about 14 cloves)
1 1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot pepper flakes
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
8 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions

1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set aside.

2. Put peaches, bell pepper, and onion, in a blender or food processors and blend 'til smooth.

3. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens to the consistency of a thin commercial BBQ sauce, about 25 minutes.

4. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is finger tight.

5. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed. 

And after that, I still had some peaches left (and some more still on the tree). And I was in the mood to experiment with the exotic. :) I found this Sweet Hot Pickled Peach recipe that spoke directly to my little pregnant taste buds. And I'm glad, these are by far the best tasting thing I've ever canned in my life. They will be a future staple at my house from now on.

 Sweet Hot Pickled Peaches

Ingredients

6 pound small fresh peaches or apricots (about 18 peaches)

2 ½ cups water

2 ½ cups cider vinegar

4 cups granulated sugar

3 cups packed brown sugar

4 sticks cinnamon

2 piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and cut in strips

1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon mustard seed

8 whole cloves

1 small sweet onion, cut in wedges

1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and cut in strips

Directions

1. To peel peaches (apricots may be used unpeeled), fill Dutch oven with water; bring to boiling. Carefully lower peaches, a few at a time, into boiling water; let stand 30 to 60 seconds. With slotted spoon transfer peaches to large bowl of ice water. When cool enough to handle, gently rub skin off peaches. Halve and pit any large peaches; set aside.
2. Drain water from Dutch oven. For pickling mixture, in same Dutch oven combine the 2-12 cups water, vinegar, sugars ,cinnamon, gingerroot, red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, mustard seeds, and cloves. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugars. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
3. Add peaches, onion, and sweet pepper to pickling mixture; return to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 5 minutes or just until tender, gently stirring once or twice. With slotted spoon divide peaches, onion, sweet pepper, and cinnamon evenly among four clean, hot 1-quart jars. (See Safe Storage, below.) Pour pickling mixture into jars; cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours or up to 3 weeks. Serve peaches with a slotted spoon and drizzle with a little of the juices.

From the Test Kitchen

Safe Storage:

Before filling the jars, wash them in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Pour boiling water in and over the jars and let them stand in the hot water until ready to fill. The pickled peaches are stored in canning jars, but are not processed as canned. Therefore, keep refrigerated and eat within 3 weeks. If giving as a gift, include storage instructions. Makes 18 servings.

Hot:

Hot: 2-inch piece fresh gingerroot

Hotter: 3-inch piece fresh gingerroot

Hottest: 4-inch piece fresh gingerroot

This recipe says to store them in the fridge, but I wanted to can them, so I searched online until I found a similar recipe with most all of the same ingredients, and it said to process for 25 minutes. So that's what I did.

This used up all my ripe peaches. I'm still waiting for the ones left on the tree to be ready...but don't worry, I have big plans for them too!

Old McKrystal Had a Farm E-I, E-I, O!

Could August have been any more lovely? I doubt it. I have been loving the mild temperatures and the rainstorms. Sunny days are beautiful too, but something about the texture in these clouds contrasted with the greens and yellows of the cornfield speaks to my soul. This is where I live. I see these mountains and this corn field, and even the barbed wire fence, every single day...and it never gets old.

Fall is upon us. I can feel the change starting slowly. The rain hasn't been all that great for my garden, I feel like it's more of a wild, green jungle than anything else. But it has produced some ripe things. Mostly tomatoes. The cherry sized tomatoes are doing best. And the other day I made this delicious Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad. (blurry picture, sorry)

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO SALAD

Prep time: 12 mins

Total time: 12 mins

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups of chopped tomatoes - I used cherry tomatoes

1 cucumber - peeled and seeded then diced

1 avocado - diced

4 oz feta cheese - cubed

2 tbs minced red onion

1 handful parsley - minced - about 2 tbs

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs red wine vinegar

8 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop tomatoes into a medium dice. If using cherry tomatoes, cut in half. Add to a bowl.

Peel and seed one cucumber and dice. Add to bowl.

Remove pit, dice avocado and using a spoon scoop out the avocado from the peel. Add to bowl.

Cube feta and add to bowl.

Add minced red onion and minced parsley to bowl.

Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar and black pepper - pour over salad.

Toss gently so the feta and avocado don't break up. Serve immediately.

If refrigerating - keep the avocado aside and add before severing.

I also canned salsa this morning. I sort of combined 2 recipes and made up the rest. :) So I won't post a recipe here. But I used a bunch of tomatoes and peppers and tomatillos from our garden. A few of the early ripe peaches off of our tree, onions, garlic, cilantro and spices. I think it turned out pretty good. I got 10 pints worth. 

Speaking of our peach tree, in a couple more days I'll be swamped. :) I'll have so many off my tree this year, that I won't need to buy from Brigham City at all. Yay! I made sure to point out to Aaron the figures, just for fun. Our peach tree cost us around $12 at Costco two years ago. To buy a bushel of peaches from Brigham City costs me about $36 every year. So in this year alone, our tree has paid for itself twice over. I knew fruit trees were a good idea! 

And our garden and trees aren't the only thing producing around here. Our chickens have started laying eggs! Yippy! We've had six eggs so far. I don't think all of them are laying yet, I think just maybe the two black ones. But with the eggs and fruit and produce I feel like I live on a freaking farm, and I love it!! 

I told Aaron today that I think gardening and canning what you grow is more satisfying than raising children. At least so far, because you can see the results of your efforts a whole lot faster. ;) 

Can When You Can

We had a really strong wind storm last night. When I went out in the backyard this morning, I noticed that one of the branches of our apple tree had snapped. I was sad. I've had my eye on our apples all week, they've been so close to being ripe. I went over to survey the damage. Bad news: the branch wasn't fixable, I had to cut it off. Good news: many of the apples were ripe. I picked a whole grocery sack full.

I decided to make Crock Pot Apple Butter. It's so easy. And SOOOOO good. And when you're done you can either freeze the apple butter, or can it. With the apples I picked, I got about 11 half-pint jars, so I decided to throw them in the steam canner, since i don't have room for that many jars in my freezer. The apple butter made my house smell like fall. And I was happy all day while it simmered in the crock pot.

I've also collected quite a few jalapeno peppers from the garden the last couple of days. I found a tasty looking recipe on Pinterest for Strawberry Jalapeno Jelly and wanted to try it out. I figured since I was canning today anyway, that now was as good a time as any. And set to work seeding and chopping jalapenos and mashing strawberries.


I'm happy to say that both recipes exceeded my expectations. They were divine. My goal this year, when I planted my pepper plants in my garden, was to grow enough jalapenos to make plenty of half pint jars of jam, that I'd be able to give jam away to my neighbors as Christmas gifts. That way all the work would be done in September or so, and I wouldn't have to stress about what to do for neighbor gifts right after having a new baby. So far my plan has started off splendidly. I did 11 half-pint jars of Apple Butter, and 14 half-pint jars of jelly. With more jalapenos growing every day! (I'm secretly hoping to make enough jam that I won't have to give away any of the apple butter, I've become addicted to it!)

Crock Pot Apple Butter

Approximately 3 lb. apples
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
Dash of salt
3/4 cup water or fresh apple cider

Directions:
Fill Crock-pot 3/4 full with peeled, cored and sliced apples. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover and cook on low setting overnight or until the butter is of a thick, spreadable consistency.
If apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until thickened. Stir often as butter thickens to prevent scorching.

Store in refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Freeze for longer storage.

Variation: For a less sweet apple butter, substitute 1 cup honey for the sugar.

To can the apple butter, pack into hot jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.


Strawberry Jalapeno Jelly

4 cups crushed strawberries (discard stems and leaves)
1 cup jalapeno pepper (processed in food processer)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 (1 3/4 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin (Sure-Jell Premium yellow box I prefer using 1 1/2 packages because strawberries are runnier)
7 cups granulated sugar (yes this is the right amount...it's jelly!)

Directions:
1 Sterilize eight half pint canning jars with lids and rings, boiling for at least 5 minutes and kept hot.

2 Place the crushed strawberries (do not chop in a food processer; the texture will be too fine and choppy), processed jalapeno pepper, lemon juice and pectin into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan; stir in the sugar to dissolve. Rapidly bring to a boil over high heat (long, slow boiling destroys the pectin). Once at a full rolling boil, cook for 1 full minute. One half teaspoon butter may be added to keep down the foam, if desired. Letting this mixture sit for about 5 minutes discourages the fruit from separating.

3 Pack the jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.

4 Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. Remove the jars and place onto a cloth-covered or heat-resistance surface. (While cooling, I shake frequently to redistribute content.) Allow to cool overnight. Store in a cool, dark area

June is Jolly

There is a time and season for everything, and June is not the season for my blog, obviously. I feel like I've been really hit-and-miss with it lately. And I haven't felt as inclined to photograph our daily goings-on, as I usually am. I don't know. Maybe I've been satisfied to just be, instead of frantically trying to record everything. There are pluses and minuses to this, because I know in the future, my memory will fail, and I'll wish I'd written down that cute thing someone said, or snapped another picture of Ollie's mischievous grin.

But here is what I do have of our June. We tried to be outside and much as humanly possible and still give Ollie his nap.

We recently discovered Salem Pond. And it could easily be our new summer hangout spot. Forget the crowded splash pad; this place has a playground, shade, water to play in, AND a sandy beach strip. It's like a naturally made sand/water table for my kids, with shade for me. We love it.

Ivan has been working hard and completed Level 1 of All About Reading. He is doing so well, and I think he read well enough now, that he's starting to enjoy doing it. I have really like this program, and will continue on with Level 2.

We have voles in our garden, and they've been knocking out an average of one spinach plant per day. Time to send Aaron to the store for some rodent poison. This seriously chaps my hide. If they get a tomato plant I'll be fuming.

As it turns out, Carrots is a rooster. So he will be finding a new home asap. And in the meantime, we can't only have 5 laying hens when the limit is 6, so we got 2 new chicks. Yes, 2. We couldn't buy just one and have it be lonely until it gets big enough to be with the others. I'd like you to meet Ariel and Merida, both Rhode Island Reds. I forgot how cute they were when they are little fuzz balls.

And here's Ivan kicking my trash at Battleship....

Adelia has become quite the sandbox chief. Her specialty is "Cake Muck Soup".

We are right at the beginning of Tball season. We've played 3 games so far. I am coaching, which is an adventure to say the least. Luckily, my friend at the rec office allowed Ivan to play up a league (by age he should be playing kickball instead of tball) so that we only had to attend 2 games a week instead of 4. I'm forever grateful for that. Our team is the Mets! Anyways, the kids are doing well. Aaron took these pictures, I have enough to do during the games, without getting my camera out. :)

 Lincoln batting while I coach him.

Ivan running in to home, while I try to explain that he needs to touch the base with his foot, not his hand. 

And of course, I can't forget Father's Day. 9 o'clock church kind of puts a damper on the festivities, but we made due. I tried to let Aaron have a Sunday afternoon nap, but instead he took turns playing one on one with each of the kids. (That tells you who is the better parent at this house. All I want on Mother's Day is chocolate and the day off.) I did make him haystacks for dinner at his request. And we had an amazing Peach Kuchen for dessert.

What is Peach Kuchen you ask? Well, it's deliciousness personified. If you have to go with a chocolate free dessert, look no further than this. You'll never want Apple Crisp again, it's not even in the same league.

Peach Kuchen

1 package white cake mix
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 stick butter
large can of peaches (I use my home canned peaches, yum!)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sour cream
1 beaten egg

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine cake mix and coconut, cut in butter
3. Lightly press mixture to bottom and 1/4 inch up the sides of a 9x13 pan.
4. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
5. Arrange peaches on hot crust. Combine sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over peaches.
6. Mix egg and sour cream. Pour over peaches as evenly as possible.
7. Bake again at 350 for 10 minutes or until set.
8. Let cool one hour before serving. (Or eat it hot!)