Suck it Pioneer Woman

I saw The Pioneer Woman on The View this last week. I check her blog on and off. She has good food, nice pics. Not sure I get the hype. I mean, none of those food items on the show were really new or inspired - potato skins, jalapeno poppers? Have folks become so far removed from cooking as a skill that these things are genius? I don't want to hate on her, I really don't. She's a mom to four kids (edited), bless her heart. But I make that stuff all the time and frankly no one really gives a crap. Maybe I need better pictures?

So the only things still producing in the garden are the jalapenos, the okra, and the tomatoes. I blogged about the tomatoes. This was my other project to do today to use up some produce.

I love canning. Some of the stuff ends up as gifts, the rest we use during the winter. The only part that aggravates me is that it can require such precise measurements. This is the reason I dislike baking.


I really didn't have a recipe for this and I was I used 7-8 jalapenos that I seeded. I used 4 big hot red peppers, not sure what kind since they came from my mother-in-law. I added three green bell peppers and whizzed it all in the food processor. I added about 4 cups of sugar, a little vinegar, and some pectin. I think it looks right pretty with all of the green and red. I just hope it sets up.

This is really tasty on a grilled cheese - sharp cheddar, sourdough and a dash of pepper jam and then pressed in the panini press.

Roasted Tomatoes

Had a buttload of tomatoes and I had to use them up. I cleaned off the pokey stems, rinsed them off and tossed them with some olive oil and salt and pepper. I put them on 2 cookie sheets lined with tin foil. I roasted them at 450 for about 25-30 minutes. I left them to cool for a while.

Came back and sauteed some onion in some oil. I added some garlic. I added one sheet of the tomatoes and some chicken stock, basil and marjoram. I let the soup simmer for an hour, then whizzed it with the immersion blender. I added a pint of heavy cream. At this point, I tasted and realized it needed to be strained. I whipped out the chinois and strained it. Smooth and tasty. We'll have it tomorrow with subs.

The rest of the tomatoes got tossed in another pot and simmered with garlic for a while. I added some onions and red and orange peppers and meatballs. We will have spaghetti and meatballs tonight.

Mission accomplished!

Happy Valentime's Day [sic]

Lucy mispronounces it as "Valentime's Day", so that typo is on purpose for a change.

The girls spent last night at my in-laws. Sweet! Scott and I went out for wings-n-beer last night and had fun. Today, we've piddled and enjoyed the quiet.

For dinner, I made good old comfort food but upscale. I made a roasted cherry tomato soup and a grilled cheese using a sun-dried tomato foccacia with asiago, havarti, and Swiss inside. It was so yummy!

The other day, Della was taking a nap and her little hand was smooshing up her face and the light was just right... She looks a lot like her sister at 3 in this picture. She thought it was really funny to see herself sleeping.

Tomatoes and Blueberries

Sometimes, the best meals are the simplest. I used some of the cooked tomatoes, added some half & half and made a delicious tomatoe bisque. A crusty loaf of dense whole grain bread, sliced and topped with melted cheese was perfect dipped into the soup. Simple and wonderful.

We finally made it to the neighbor's house to pick blueberries but no doubt we should have been a week ago. We picked enough to eat but not enough to make into jam. The bushes were being fiercely protected by a large and menacing European hornet. They are the size of a small hummingbird. I watched in horror as this thing DEVOURED a yellow jacket like corn on the cob. My mother-in-law was stung by one a few years ago and it was a nasty, nasty sting. Needless to say, I really didn't want us to hang around too long.

I want to say that the weather is just starting to change. Its been breezy the last two days and it just feels different. Its still hot - in the high 80s, but its tolerable. While we've had a great fun this summer with the kids, I do look forward to fall.

I am gearing up to start stocking the shop for fall. I have lots of new hats, a lot of great funky designs. I am hoping this fall/winter is at least as good as last year.

Father's Day

Well, so much for big plans. Fern felt hot last night and woke up with a pretty high fever of 102.6 under the arm. She threw up once (all over me - hey, at least it wasn't dad). Her fever has sort of come and gone all day, but no more puking and a whole lot of nursing. At least I know she is hydrated.

We gave Scott his gifts: a half-pint of Jim Beam, a bar of Pabst Blue Ribbon Soap, a new rain gauge, and some scratch-off tickets. We had previously given him a hoe. He took Lulu to the pool this afternoon.

This evening, its hot wings, cole slaw and homemade ice cream with peaches.

Yesterday, we noticed a few fruit trees near the road on the way to the house. Turns out they are sugar pears and damson plums. Scott and Lulu went and got permission from the folks to pick them. Lulu and I picked a few plums last night but we need to go back with a ladder. Its going to make the BEST jam. The pears aren't quite ready but we will be back when they are!

The shop is going well. I've sold quite a bit lately, even hats and scarves.

Speaking of crochet, I am working on a HUGE AFGHAN. Pics tomorrow.

An Addiction to Handmade Soap

Between my friend who makes goat's milk soap and all of the soapers on etsy, I have become addicted to handmade soap. Commercial soap is really nothing more than a harsh detergent with the glycerin removed. The handmade soaps are so much nicer. Today, I placed an order from http://dennisanderson.etsy.com. He has lovely soaps, and recently quit his real job to pursue his soaping full time!

I purchased tangerine bergamot, peppermint oatmeal, pomegranate olive oil, lavender fields (I love lavender), the poor man's beer soap (for Scott for Father's Day), and some lotion in a Blackberry Amber scent.







Bath and body items are probably my favorite things to purchase on etsy. I have a a few soapers like Dennis and Hiromi (http://soap.etsy.com) that I purchase from regularly, but I also have a long list of shops that I will try in the future eventually. Really, once you use handmade soap, you cannot go back to the store crap.

The girls and I ended up going to IKEA today. All of our kitchen chairs are old and broken so I picked up 4 Herman chairs. I got a few new towels, some potholders, scissors, and a beach tote. I put the girls in the childcare there and they had a blast. I enjoyed a little peace and quiet as I tried every chair IKEA had to offer. I really liked the clear ones but they were $90 each.

I've got to get back into the gym again. I've been lazy of late and I gained back the 12 lbs I lost. I have a raging ear inner infection that makes me dizzy, so hopefully this antibiotic will do the trick. There is no denying that I will have to have surgery eventually to get rid of these chronic ear infections. Ugh.

The garden is coming along. We had our first harvest on Sunday. I harvested the Swiss chard, and sauteed it with some garlic and olive oil. Lulu loves it, Fern not so much. We do have one red tomato and a few green ones. The beans are coming along too. We cut down the size of the garden a little this year so hopefully we can keep up with picking.

Pretty soon, it will be blueberry picking time and we will make jam. When peaches come in, we'll do preserves. They make lovely Christmas gifts and its fun to do together.

Speaking of family time, we are on the lookout for a big tent, like an 8 person tent. Yes, we are only 4 but I am very claustrophobic and need the extra room. We are so looking forward to taking the girls camping at some point this summer.

Fall is here!

I still don't have the hang of pictures on this thing but the Picasa program I downloaded from google makes it so much easier to upload a batch of pictures to my blog. I highly recommend this program!

I've added several pictures of the girls. I cannot believe how fast they are growing up. They are a couple of goofballs.

Scott and I processed the muscadines last night and with the exception of the exploding jelly bag that flung purple pulp all over the kitchen, it went well. We now have 16 cups of juice, which will make 32 small jars of jelly. I found a package of Certo in the box of canning supplies from Nana's house but its dated 1989 so I think I will splurge on some fresh.

Yesterday, I received my order from SugarLips (http://sugarlips.etsy.com). OMG how decadent. The Brown Sugar and Fig vegan deodorant smells good enough to eat. I also got some body butter samples and a couple perfumes. I think the Chinatown perfume is my favorite. It really smells 'right' on me. It has just enough patchouli to remind me of my youth but with some floral and citrus notes to update it. I love the Olive Blossom too. Hilary has the very best customer service and I am already planning my next order since I got a coupon for 10% off. It will probably include a Brown Sugar and Fig perfume and an Olive Blossom perfume for sure. The body butters are to die for and have made my skin sooo soft. I cannot recommend her stuff enough!

The other day I was, ummmm 'shopping' the trash heaps in town and came across 3 awesome pieces of wood from an old bed. I came home and painted them up with a Christmas theme. I hope to post pics this afternoon. They will be on sale at Aunt Faye's Attic - they are too odd to ship easily.