Feeling like fall

Yep. Its feeling like fall to me. Despite the fact that it was 100 degrees here yesterday, it still feels like fall. Kind of like there is an essence of fall that filters through the air and my being drinks it in in great gulps, exhilarating me. So I am looking to some more "fallish" feeling recipes.

To me, scones are a right proper fall food. They are best eaten warm. You can drench them in butter and scarf them with a hot cuppa on a chilly afternoon. You can grab one and take it with you on an afternoon walk under the changing canopy of leaves. You just can't beat a good scone, hot and crusty and meltingly soft in the middle.

These are one of my favorite scones. They combine 2 favorites - apples and cheese. My neighbor gave me some Granny Smith apples the other day - very nice - and I made these. TOH recipe.

Apple-Cheese Scones

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cold butter or margarine (5-1/3 tablespoons)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup diced peeled apple

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened. Gently fold in the cheese and apples. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Pat into a 9-inch circle.
7Cut into eight wedges. Separate wedges and place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.



These make a good breakfast grab, they are not too sweet. Even my picky DS loves them!

Announcement

I have a big news announcement. I am getting married! Not sure when, but fairly soon, probably sometime in October. Just wanted you all to know.

Keith is a good guy, he is about 10 years older than I am. While I am not crazy madly in love with him, I do love him and I think we will get along fine.

We are looking at a house about 9 miles from where I live, the town is around 10,000 people. Bigger than what I would like, but still small town-feeling. It is the town where we go to church and do the biggest majority of our business (banking, etc.) and shopping, so I know my way around there quite well.

I know this is rather sudden news, but I have been praying and finally feel like God has given me my answer!

Cinnamon . . . Cucumbers?

Pickles. Those sweet or sour or salty cucumbers that you usually either love or hate. I like pickles and last year our 3 cucumber plants produced enough cucumbers that we made around 100 jars of pickles - sour, salty, dilly kosher dills, spicy bread and butter, old-fashioned sweet pickles and I made a batch of these. I can remember my Mom making these, and she did half of them green and half of them red. Oh, so pretty at Christmas time in a sparkling cut glass dish. They are crisp and most people think they are candied apples. They do take some time and some doing to make, but they are worth it, in my opinion.

Cinnamon Pickles

7 pounds peeled, seeded cucumbers in thick rings (I used an apple corer to take the seeds out)
1 cup pickling lime
1 gallon water

1 cup vinegar
1 bottle red food coloring
1 tablespoon alum
Enough water to cover pickles

3 cups vinegar
2 cups water
10 cups granulated sugar
2 to 3 large packages Red Hots cinnamon candies (see NOTE)
8 sticks cinnamon

Soak cucumbers, lime and 1 gallon water for 24 hours.

Wash cucumbers - be sure to wash them thoroughly, at least 3 times to get all of the lime off. Soak in ice water for 3 hours. Mix 1 cup vinegar, food coloring, alum and enough water to cover pickles. Simmer in this mixture 2 hours.

Pour off liquid and throw away. Boil 3 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, sugar, candies and cinnamon. Pour over cucumbers. Let stand 24 hours.

Drain liquid and bring to boil. Put cucumbers into jars with 1 to 2 sticks cinnamon in each jar. Pour hot liquid over jars and seal.

NOTE: This information is from Yvonne in Mississippi.

DO NOT use red hots candy that lists cornstarch as an ingredients. They will not work for this recipes. The brand to use is Farley's which uses sucrose, corn syrup, artificial flavor, red 40 and beeswax. This will work great and the pickles will be free of white matter after processing is done.

These can also be ordered from the Cane & Reed Company in Connecticut. Phone number is 1 860 646-6586



These are good to make at the end of the year, and with fairly large cucumbers. The alum and lime crisps them up nicely, and you take the seeds out anyway. Wonderfully spicy at Christmas time and so pretty red. They go great with turkey sandwiches!

Recipe courtesy of That's My Home recipes.

Andrew over at Very Good Taste, posted a list containing 100 food items (well some I think you can call food if you're very adventurous), that he believes every omnivore should try in their lifetime. He encourages everyone to have a look at the list and see how they're doing with it.

So, without further ado here is the list. The items in bold are the ones I have tried and the ones that are in italics (I couldn't figure out how to do the strike through thingy) are the ones I don't think I could bring myself to try unless I were tied down with my jaws pried open. Even then the chances would still be rather slim.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush - couldn't do this one, I am allergic to eggplant!
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Hmmmm. . . . 53/100, not bad for an ol' hick american! Admittedly, some of the things that I have tried, I have not cared for, but I try to be as open-minded as possible. Rose harissa is one thing I really want to try, kaolin not so much!

Awards, Thank You So Much

I have gotten 2 awards from some lovely people here lately! Sorry that it has taken me so long to get around to posting these.

First:



I was tagged with this from Tasty Meals at Home with H&K, who prepare some of the best looking food around!

The rules are:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag five people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when their entry is up.

Ok, here goes.

1. I don't like people using toothpicks. Drives me nuts. Go chew on a log!

2. My cat kisses me - on the nose of course!

3. I can't drink iced tea after about 4 pm - I will be awake all night. I can drink hot tea any time and it does not affect me the same way - weird!

4. I am partially colorblind - I have trouble distinguishing some colors.

5. I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 16 - So that's what happened!

6. My second toes are longer than my big toes, on both feet.

Ok, I am sure that was more than y'all wanted to know! Anyway, if anyone wants this award, you are welcome to take it! I think everyone's blog I read is brilliant!

The next award is from my dear friend, Marie, over at A Year From Oak Cottage. Marie is a super gal who is loads of fun and I love her dearly.



Again, if you like this one, grab it! I love y'all!

Are you an egg? A carrot? Or a coffe bean?

NOTE: This is not my original story, but I am telling it in my own words. If I infringe on anyone's copyright, I apologize.

A young wife was having troubles at home with finances, feeling overwhelmed with trying to keep up with working a job, housekeeping, etc. She went to her mother with her problems. She was surprised when her mother went to the refrigerator and pulled out an egg, a carrot and some coffee beans.

She took 3 saucepans and put water in each of them. Shen then set them on the stove and put each one to heat, never saying a word to her daughter, who wondered if her mother had really lost her mind or what!

20 minutes later, she turned the stove off. She then took her daughter into the kitchen and showed her the pans. "What can we learn from these 3 things, my dearest daughter?"

Her daughter looked incredulous at her mother - "All I see are a hard-boiled egg, a cooked carrot and some coffee."

The mother smiled.

"Well, in life you can choose your own path. Some people start out like the egg. They are hard on the outside, stiff and unbending, but soft in the middle. But when you put them in hot water, they become stiff and hard on the inside, too."

"Other people are like the carrot, hard all the way through. When they get in hot water, they become mushy all over and fall to pieces."

"But we need to be like the coffee beans. When put in hot water, the beans did not change, they changed the water around them to something good."

When put in hot water, we need to change our circumstances to something good. Be a coffee bean!

Simple Woman's Day Book

FOR TODAY (August 25, 2008)...

Outside My Window... There is brilliant sunshine coming from the east, like a burst of new life!

I am thinking... of what I need to accomplish before I start work in 45 minutes.

I am thankful for... my boyfriend, Keith! He is so good to me!

From the kitchen... Not sure, we will probably grab something in town tonite. Tomorrow, oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh tomatoes. Not a lot of baking going on this week, we are starting fall cleaning.

I am wearing... navy skirt, rosy-pink t-shirt and surprise - I have on socks - white with multi-colored polka dots and my tennies on (we took a lovely early-morning walk).

I am creating... a shopping list for tonite.

I am going...to my best friend's wedding Friday night! I am so excited for her.

I am reading...Still in Joshua, I need to make a trip to the library, maybe tonight!

I am hoping... that I can get things ironed out with the Colt Show today. My prize money check got messed up.

I am hearing... crickets and birds.

Around the house...Everything!

One of my favorite things...is lemonade from the fair! We (Mom and I) convinced the guys (Dad and Keith) to go get us BIG fresh lemonades from the fair stand Saturday night to go with the rice, vegs and steak I made. They were super!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:Organizing. Deep clean bathroom. Start looking for Concord grapes. I am nearly done with my canning for this year, but I want to make some Concord grape conserve.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Locust shell. My brothers used to chase me with these nasty things!

Whoops! Forgot to add - If you enjoyed reading this, why not make your own? Peggy would love to have you! Just head on over to The Simple Woman, click on the instructions in the side bar and go to it!

Saturday

Thank you all kindly for your congratulations! I was really surprised to win anything. There were more entries than I had anticipated, this being a small town.

I have a prayer request today. My mom's youngest sister had shoulder surgery back in May. She has had to have it opened up twice more, and has a staph infection in it. The shoulder itself is healed now, but she has been on high-dose antibiotics all summer long.

Yesterday she got sick and they took her to the University Hospital in Columbia. She has MRSA in her blood stream. If you all could please pray for her, it would be much appreciated. She is already weak from all of the antibiotics. Thanks so much. I will be back in later with a few photos.

The results are in!

Whew! The results are finally in!

I did not do too bad . . .

Whole wheat bread - 2nd place

Lime Jelly - 2nd place

Orange chiffon cake - 2nd place

Pound cake - 2nd place

Brownie cookies - nothing

Sugar cookies - 1st place

Chocolate Chip cookies - 1st place

Tangerine Jelly - 1st place

Potato bread - 1st place

And . . . . Grand Champion Bread for my potato bread!

Mom did quite well also:

Red dahlia single - 1st place
Marigold large - 2nd place
Rose - 1st place
Single bloom arrangement (dahlia) - 2nd place
Mixed arrangement - 1st place

Houseplants:
Philodendron - 1st place
Miscellaneous - desert privet - 1st place

Actually, I suppose I should envy mother, as she got 5 firsts and I only got 4. But I do not, and it would not have bothered me if I had not placed at all (well, maybe just a bit!)

Thank you all for your good wishes!

Wish me luck . . .

Well, I have made my entries into the fair. (Actually ours is called a Colt Show, they show a lot of horses). This is the 99th year for our fair.

I entered:

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brownie Cookies
Sugar Cookies

Whole Wheat Bread
Potato Bread

Orange Chiffon Cake
Pound Cake

Tangerine Jelly
Lime Jelly

Actually, Mom had to enter the tangerine jelly, as they will only let you enter one entry into each category and those went into the miscellaneous jelly category.

My pound cake I doubt will win anything, I guess my pan was too small? anyway, it rose up above the pan and then got all crusty and brown and then when I turned it out of the pan, that part fell off around the edges. It is okay, as long as you don't look too close at the bottom. The orange chiffon was fine tho!

The cookies I had no problems with, so okay there.

My bread is a different story. Bread dough is very sensitive to humidity and it has been drizzle/raining/super humid here for the past 2 days. My first loaf of potato bread looked like something out of Frankenstein's laboratory. I am sure it will taste fine, but looks pretty sad. So I went ahead and made my whole wheat, it turned out okay, if a little heavy. Then this morning, I had to get up and make another loaf, this one looked gorgeous, someone must be praying for me!

Mom entered some Dahlias, zinnias and roses and some mixed flowers and houseplants.

Tonight we will go up and get all manner of junk food, lemonade and buffalo burgers, corn dogs, cotton candy and funnel cakes. Yay, funnel cakes!

No recipe today dear readers, I am exhausted!

Minty fresh

No, I am not selling toothpaste! But I do like the taste of mint. So cool and refreshing, like a cool ocean breeze on a hot summer's day, it is invigorating!

So this year we bought some peppermint. We had some for a while previously, but it got out of hand. Mint is a very hardy, aggressive plant. It is best to plant it in a container. But do not do as we did and just set the container on the grass. For if you do, it will drop seeds in the grass and then the central command (mint in the container) will send its troops (mint seedlings) marching across the yard to declare war on the zinnias, the tomatoes and the cucumbers. Really, it just goes wild.

We do have some chocolate mint, but it seems to be a little tamer than regular mint. If you have never tried it, please consider doing so. It smells just like a York Peppermint Pattie when you crush the leaves. Yum!

So I had to wait until the mint was big enough to use, we bought just a small plant. I had been intrigued by the idea of making my own mint jelly (ok, so I am a weirdo). It is delish!

Mint Jelly
I got 5 half-pints

1 1/2 cups fresh mint, washed and packed (I used a combination of chocolate mint and peppermint)
3 1/4 cups water
2-3 drops green food coloring
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (1 3/4 ounce) box pectin
4 cups granulated sugar

Crush mint leaves (I did a rough chop). Add water. Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Strain and measure 3 cups of mint infusion. Take a big sniff to clear your sinuses - works waaaaaaay better than Vicks VapoRub!

Add food coloring and lemon juice. Add Sure-Jell, dissolve and bring to a rapid boil.

Add sugar. Cook fast, stirring occasionally until it comes to a rapid boil that cannot be stirred down, then cook 1 minute more.

Skim foam off.

Pour into sterilized jelly jars and seal. I processed in the hot water bath canner for 10 minutes to insure a good seal.




Mine turned out a bit darker than I thought it should, but a lot of my mint leaves were rather dark, kind of purply.

Great with lamb, but I am thinking to use it in some baking . . . hmmmmmm!

Corny

Some things in this life are just . . . corny. My son loves to come and tell me corny jokes, always has. One of those little things that I treasure down in my heart of hearts.



We live in corn country. Well, sorta. Actually I think they grow more soybeans around here. But we live in the heartland, the bread basket of America. Fields of corn that go on forever! While on vacation in Nebraska, that was practically all we saw. Corn. The corn grown there is soooooooooo good! While we were there, we had corn on the cob at my brothers. Ohh, steamy hot, dripping in butter, crunchy and delicious!


As you can guess, we like corn just about anyway you can fix it. (I don't particularly care for creamed corn, but I fix it once in a while anyway) While at our Eatin' Meetin', our pastor's wife made this salad. Ohhh, yummy! And Soooooo easy! Sorry, no pics again!

Mary's Corn Salad

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup green and red bell peppers, minced
1/2 cup onion, minced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (I never said low fat!)
1 bag Chili-Cheese Fritos, crushed

Mix first 5 ingredients together in bowl. Chill. Just before serving, stir in Fritos. Done! This is best eaten the day it is made, as it does not keep well. If you have problems eating it all that day, see me!

It's feeling like fall . . .

Yesterday was a beautiful day here. We had the windows open all day long, fresh air, and best of all the day had a feeling of fall.

To me, there is a particular feeling when fall comes around. Like I can feel it in my soul, in my heart, down deep inside. A feeling of peace and comfort, of hotdog roasts and bonfires, of autumn leaves frisking in the wind while the warm sun smiles down upon the fields laden with harvest. There is an uplift that makes your heart sing, swell to near bursting, a feeling of love. A mellow feeling that you are ready for hot apple cider and popcorn balls.

Almost like I can feel the world changing, feel the colors. The sky turns a vibrant shade of blue that replaces summer's washed-out denim blue. The brilliant orange of pumpkins, the dusty yellows of corn. The reds of maple leaves. The deep green of squash and gourds. The brilliant gold of new bales of straw.

There is a feeling of meloncholy, of nostalgia. I am ready for fireplaces crackling, pumpkins, candy corn, all of the trappings of fall. I am ready for long golden buses trundling children to and from school again. Ready for longer nights and shorter days, evenings spent in quiet study, perhaps with a book, perhaps with some sewing, sitting quietly, yet basking in one another's company.

I am ready for warmish days, when you still might need a sweater and cool nights. I am ready for frost that nips at your nose. I am ready for fall.

Which is why it is so strange that I am giving you of all things, a spring recipe today! At our church dinner, I try to take a somewhat different dessert each time. This time, straight from my good friend Denise, who works as a coder at the hospital where I used to work, comes this recipe for Rhubarb Cake. So easy and so wonderful!

Denise's Rhubarb Cake

1 quart rhubarb, cut in chunks (I used frozen)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 box red Jello powder (I used strawberry)

Grease a 9 x 13 pan and place rhubarb in pan. Sprinkle sugar and Jello powder over and shake it around good.

Yellow cake mix and ingredients for fixing

Then mix up your cake mix with your eggs, water and oil. Pour this batter over top of the rhubarb.

1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons butter

Cut this together with a pastry cutter and sprinkle over top of cake batter. Bake in 350F oven for at least 30 minutes, I think I baked mine more like 45 minutes.

I really apologize for not having a picture, but just as I was going to take a picture of the last piece that was left, dad came in with an empty plate - he had eaten it! Anyway, this is a very pretty cake, the top is crunchy-crackly, the cake is golden yellow and the bottom is a very pretty red.

To make up for that, today I will share a couple of flower pictures with you!


African Daisies


Dahlia

Tomorrow I will share with you a recipe that my pastor's wife gave me for a corn salad.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY (August 18, 2008)...

Outside My Window... There is bright sunshine streaming in. Cool air is flowing in, it is about 58 degrees here in MO, this is unheard of for August! There is heavy dew on the grass.

I am thinking... of how wonderful my God is, and what a beautiful world he made for us to live in.

I am thankful for...my good health. I am rarely sick, outside of allergies, and I am so thankful for that.

From the kitchen... I might barbecue some steak later on, but basically we have tons of leftovers from our church dinner yesterday. Coleslaw, potato salad, 7-layer salad, broccoli and cauliflower, fried chicken, rhubarb cake!

I am wearing...my pjs! Old white t-shirt and red capri pj pants with little white hearts on them.

I am creating... a journal. Not only this one on-line, but I am going to start keeping a paper journal as well.

I am going... to be busy, busy, busy this week. The fair starts Thursday!

I am reading...the book of Joshua.

I am hoping... that I win first prize in at least one thing!!

I am hearing...birds twittering, crickets chirping and my mother watering her flowers.

Around the house... much cleaning to be done. We let things go this weekend to get the cooking done. Laundry, floors mopped, vacuuming, dusting . . . .

One of my favorite things...is early morning sunshine. There is just something about getting up and seeing the sun's rays hitting the earth for the first time that day.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Oh my. Today - laundry and cleaning. Then baking bread, cakes, cookies . . . then the Fair will be here, must go to that!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Thistles. National symbol of Scotland. They are prickly as all get out, but so beautiful.

Wasn't that fun? Peggy hosts this every week, over at The Simple Woman. Lots of people participate, you can too!

Come and Dine

There is a hymn that says:

Jesus has a table spread, where the saints of God are fed, he invites his chosen people come and dine . . .

Well, this sunday we are having a church dinner on the grounds. Or, what we call an Eatin' Meetin'. You see, our pastor's last name is Eaton. TeeHee!

I love to have church dinners, they are such fun. We have a lot of single people in our church, and most of them don't cook. So they get to enjoy some good, old-fashioned country cooking.

So, I am taking . . .

Salisbury Steak in Onion Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
7-Layer Salad
Cheesy Broccoli and Cauliflower (done in the crockpot)
Homemade Brioche Rolls
Rhubarb Cake
Chocolate Torte

Normally, I would not take quite as much, but my 2 neices and their mother and their children are supposed to come, so I want to be sure there is enough to go around.

Mom is bringing Fried Chicken, potato salad and coleslaw.

I will be sharing some of these recipes with you - you already have the recipe for the rolls and the Salisbury Steak and the potato salad.

Hope everyone has a fantabulous weekend, I will post some pictures later. DS has the camera and he is gone for the day.

Spread It Around

I like spreads. Dips. Schmears. Whatever you like to call them. With crackers or chips or vegs. Hot or cold. They are great to have on hand for unexpected company, or just when you want a nosh. But what I don't like is paying big money for them. Especially if I can re-create them at home.

So, when I found this recipe, I was elated. Usually this cheese spread is imported from France, and you end up paying at least a couple of fingers for it, if not an arm! Besides that, it keeps in the fridge like forever and I don't think I have come across one person that does not like it, except picky DS, and I am not counting him as he doesn't like anything with cream cheese in it except cheesecake.

Smooth, creamy, bursting with flavor, buttery . . . what more could you ask for?

Homemade Boursin

2 garlic cloves
1 stick butter, softened
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff, and freshly-grated)
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon chives
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Crush garlic. Mix cheeses, butter and garlic. Add remaining ingredients, mix well.
Pack into a container just large enough to hold the boursin and store in refrigerator. To serve, bring to room temperature.




Ok, I admit, I shamelessly lifted this one from Recipezaar. Evelyn in Athens originally posted it and Wow, it is fantastic!

Almonds

I love almonds. And almond flavored-things.

I am not a big nut lover, but there is just something about the flavor of an almond. Here is what I found out about almonds:

Apparently, botanically speaking, an almond is not a nut, but a drupe! Wild almonds originated somewhere in the Middle East, where they grow in abundance. Wild almonds are toxic - they contain prussic acid or cyanide (apparently if you roast them they are ok). But the domestic ones do not. Some argue that it is a genetic mutantion that causes them to be non-toxic. They were first grown unintentionally. Almonds were one of the earliest domesticated trees.

Almonds are grown in the USA, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Iran, Morocco, Syria, Algeria, Tuninsia, Greece, Lebanon, China.

There are 2 forms of the plant - one (usually with white flowers) producing sweet almonds and the other (usually with pink flowers) producing bitter almonds. The bitter almonds are the ones which contain cyanaide, sometimes as much as 9 mg per almond!

Almonds are great, almost no carbs at all. 1 cup of almond flour contains 20 grams of carbs, but 10 grams of fiber for a net of 10 carbs.

Sweet almond oil is high in Omega-3 and is used in many skin-softening agents. Jaffra has a line of almond products that are W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!

The Hebrew name for almond means industrious or vigilant and they bloom sometimes as early as February in Israel. In the Bible the almond is mentioned ten times, beginning with Book of Genesis 43:11, where it is described as "among the best of fruits". In Numbers 17 Levi is chosen from the other tribes of Israel by Aaron's rod, which brought forth almond flowers. According to tradition, the rod of Aaron bore sweet almonds on one side and bitter on the other; if the Israelites followed the Lord, the sweet almonds would be ripe and edible, but if they were to forsake the path of the Lord, the bitter almonds would predominate.

Wow! Almonds are the way to go! At least, I think so! So, without further ado . . .

Almond Syrup
About 3 cups

Ok, strictly speaking, this is not exactly a canning recipe, as you do not hot-water-bath it. But work with me here . . .

1-1/2 cups whole almonds, blanched and skinned (I used blanched, slivered almonds)
2 Tablespoons almond extract
2-1/2 cups cold water
1-3/4 cups sugar

Grind almonds roughly in a food processor. Place in a pan with the almond extract and stir in the water. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes, then strain through a linen bag. Pour into hot, sterilized bottles and cork immediately. Store in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Now, it being early morning when I made this, I just dumped my slivered almonds in and did not bother grinding them. I strained it thru cheesecloth and I put the syrup in hot 1/4 pint jars and put lids and rings on them.




Then . . . . I had 5 jars of almond syrup, but what to do with my left over syrup and the almonds . . . the wheels started turning, so I put some foil on a pan and sprayed it with cooking spray. Then I dumped the almonds on the foil and ladled the remaining syrup on top and stuck it in the oven for a while on about 300F. The almonds got nice and glazed. Then I dumped them out onto waxed paper and left them to dry. Now, I have nice almond-glazed almonds to top off my baked goods.

Be Ye Not Weary in Well Doing

II Thessalonians 3:13 "But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing." Galatians 6:9 admonishes us: "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

That is soooooo hard sometimes. I usually try to have a good disposition. Happy-go-lucky and all. But sometimes I would just like to tell some people to get a life. No, I don't love my job. But I do it because it pays my bills. No, I can't just do what I want to every day. There are things that have to be done. Housework, job, yard work, laundry . . . the list goes on. And yes, it is a pain that they charge you so much for everything and you have to pay taxes EVERY year - get over it, so do the rest of us!

Sometimes it seems as if we are ALWAYS doing something for someone else and they never do anything for us!

But, in order to be Christ-like, we must be tolerant of these people. That is one area that I sometimes have a very hard time with! So I keep the above scripture in mind. Be not weary in well doing. Keep on giving, even if it should make you so mad you turn blue. Keep on keeping on doing things for others. Never get tired of it. Just think . . . God never gives up on us, never gets tired of us coming to him with all of our problems. So if we are to be like him, we should never give up on others.

Speaking of making things for others . . .

Last night I made a ham loaf for supper. There was way more than enough for the 3 of us (DS was out), so instead of one big one, I made 2 small ones and froze one. I try to do this frequently, and then if there is someone in dire need or sick, etc. I can go to my freezer and pull out a few things and give them. Saves scrambling at the last moment, takes about 5 minutes longer than normal and I can be calmer about not being weary in well doing!

Ham Loaf

1-1/2 pounds ground pork
1-1/2 pounds ground ham (I had some leftover from a baked ham)
2 eggs
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup or so of evaporated milk
onion powder, garlic powder and fresh ground pepper to taste

Topping:

Approximately 1/3 cup ketchup
About 3 Tablespoons prepared mustard
About 3 Tablespoons brown sugar

Mix all ingredients for loaf by hand. You can use a spoon if you want, but to get the right texture, use your hands. Shape into a loaf shape and place on shallow pan. Mix topping ingredients together. Spread over top of loaf. Bake at 350F until done. Remember, I halved this, so I baked about 1/2 hour, maybe 45 minutes.

If you want to freeze, put waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Place prepared loaf on that and cover with topping. Put in freezer and leave overnight. The next morning, take out, leave on waxed paper and cover with foil, place in freezer.



Sorry for the dark picture, but this is what is looks like after being frozen.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY (August 11, 2008)...

Outside My Window...The locusts are singing their late summer song. There is a gentle breeze playfully ruffling the leaves on the maple tree.

I am thinking... of going grocery shopping this evening.

I am thankful for... Good parents that raised me, taught me right from wrong and loved us no matter what.

From the kitchen... Sloppy Joes, Fresh pineapple, rice pudding, maybe some cucumbers, fresh tomatoes.

I am wearing... Red tee-shirt, navy skirt and - Oh, no, not again . . . my slippers!

I am creating... a meal plan for this Sunday - we are having a church dinner.

I am going... to enter some things in our little "Fair" later this month. Some cakes, breads, cookies and jelly.

I am reading... Historical Whodunnits!

I am hoping... that my mother will accept my decision I made recently.

I am hearing... the locusts singing in the trees. It always makes me nostalgic, for some reason. I really like it, because it usually heralds the end of our very hottest weather!

Around the house... Oh me oh my, lots to be done. Must organize and clean the freezers and refrigerators. Also must deep clean my room and finish organizing my recipes. On the plus side, I did get some pizza sauce made and canned and some chili tomatoes frozen. Also, must get almond syrup done today and think of making my mint jelly later this week . . . had to wait until the mint plants got big enough!

One of my favorite things... Jergen's cherry-almond lotion. I have loved the scent since I was little - it is comfort to me!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Organize and clean freezers/refrigerators. Deep clean my room and organize. Help DS sort and wash his laundry. Help mother mulch the front flower beds. Get car inspected and renew license. Clean off my desk!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


You know you wanna . . . go on over to Peggy's and take a look! The Simple Woman. It is refreshing! It is fun! It is . . . Simple!

Tagged by Jan

I have been tagged by Jan at What Do I Want 2 Cook Today. Jan is a sweetheart of a gal who lives with her husband, Paul in England. She cooks the most delicious-sounding food and takes nice, long vacations in Greece (which I secretly envy her for!).

This is the Six Quirky Things About Me meme.

1. I don't like watermelon. I love cantaloupe and honeydew melon, and I love watermelon jello, kool-aid and candy, but I don't like watermelon itself. Go figure!

2. When I am cooking, it is best that I do not have anyone talking to me. I can mess up a recipe so easily that way! (and have, countless times)

3. I get cold very easily. Almost all of the time in the summer, with the air conditioning on, I will be in a sweater. and I will have socks on my feet. Brr!

4. I am not really a people person. As far as visiting with you all here on the blog, I like it, because I can do it at my pace and on my terms. Face-to-face, tho? Nope, not for me. I could be a hermit without a problem, live way back in the sticks and go to town once or twice a month - I would love it!

5. My right foot is just a bit bigger/longer than my left foot. I think this is because I have broken this foot in the past. Anyway, when I am shoe shopping, what size I can wear all depends on how the shoe is made. In sneakers I can wear a 7 and they tend to be a bit big. Most heels I have to have 7-1/2, but again, depends on how they are made, some I need an 8 and some I can wear a 7.

6. If someone buys me flowers, I am very picky. I like pink roses, but not red ones. White or peach or even yellow will do, but Just not red! Mixed flowers are ok, but they usually make me sneeze my head off.

I am supposed to tag 6 other people, but I am being lazy today, so if you feel like doing this, be my guest!

Red Onion . . . Marmelade?

Yes, Red Onion Marmelade! I have been intrigued with making some red onion jam/marmelade ever since I read about it in a book by Diane Mott Davidson - Sticks and Scones. It is a murder mystery involving Goldy Schultz, a caterer. Takes place in a castle, very intriguing book!

Last year, I made some and froze it - I do not recommend that way of preserving it, the onions go very mushy. Although, it works wonders for French Onion Soup!

So this year, I came across a brilliant recipe, very easy and I made it.

Red Onion Marmelade

I believe I got 5 half-pints out of this.

1 orange
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onions
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (85 ml) envelope liquid pectin

With vegetable peeler, peel rind from orange in long strips. Scrape off white pith from rind; slice rind lengthwise into paper-thin strips. Set aside. In large saucepan, bring orange strips, sugar, onion, vinegar and salt to boil; boil for 1 minute. Stir in liquid pectin, mixing well. Remove from heat.

Using slotted spoon, divide onion and orange rind among three 1-cup (250 mL) hot canning jars. Pour in liquid, leaving 1/4-inch (5 mm) headspace. Cover with prepared lids; screw on bands fingertip tight. Boil in boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Let jars stand on rack until cool. Store in cool dark place for up to 1 year.

Variation: Pepper and Red Onion Marmalade: Add 1/2 tsp (2 mL) coarsely ground black pepper or hot red pepper flakes.




It is a very lovely color, so pretty, this picture does not do it justice! This is great on sandwiches, over top of cream cheese with crackers, or try it when making chicken salad, mix with a little mayo . . .

Next week will be almond syrup - can be used a myriad of ways - try making an italian soda with it!

Teriyaki Chicken

Whew! with this heat, we have been fixing quite a few crockpot meals. I can throw them in either on my lunch hour or before work and it sure saves on heating up the house!

We try to be pretty economical, too. Now, I love boneless, skinless chicken breasts. There are SOOOOOO many things you can do with them! But for teriyaki, the dark meat of the chicken to me tastes better, richer somehow.

We had a large package of chicken thighs that we got on sale, so I took half of them and made this recipe. Quick to fix, easy, moist beyond belief and very flavorful!




Teriyaki Crockpot Chicken
Serves 4-6

6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skinned
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Grease a crockpot. I had 5 thighs and I used my small 1-1/2 quart and it worked fine. Place chicken in crockpot. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook for 1 hour on high, then 6-8 hours on low. Enjoy!



I am thinking this would be really good for sandwiches, just take it off the bone when done, shred it and add enough of the juice to moisten it good, bung it back in the crockpot and heat. With some Grilled pineapple rings and maybe a little Thai Sweet Chili sauce mixed with some sour cream?? With fresh jicama for crunch, maybe? Or soft asian tacos? A lot of possibilities!

Get ready for red onion marmelade tomorrow!

Cheese Please!

I love cheese. Except limburger, can't handle that one! But I do like most cheeses. Here in America, it can be hard to get good cheese. However, I have a secret weapon!

Osceola Cheese is about 60 miles or so south of us. They sell about 120 varieties of cheese and they are good! (Albiet very different from what you would find in Great Britain, sorry!) They have samples of everything out that you can try. Their cheeses run the gamut from blueberry white cheddar to habanero montery Jack. They also sell a wide variety of salsas, dips, mustards and jams and jellies. I like their party rye chips! They also have soda and candy, trinkets and sell T-shirts, etc.

We were down south last weekend and stopped in. We didn't buy a lot, but what we did buy is very good. I got some Edam, some green onion cheese and some cherry white cheddar. The green onion is a processed cheese, so it is very soft and mellow. The Edam is always good. The cherry white cheddar is very good. We did try a blueberry white cheddar that was lightly smoked and I thought it was fantastic! However, no one else shared my enthusiasm.

Usually around Christmas, we make a trip down and get some of our favorite cheeses to have on hand for snacking during the holiday season.

Today I am going to share not a recipe with you, but more of an idea.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Everyone likes grilled cheese, right? Well here is how I make my grilled cheese.

First pick your cheeses - cheddar, parmesan, edam, gouda, swiss, muenster, mozzarella, provolone, blue, gorgonzola, whatever you have handy, but try to get a good mix. You don't need a lot of each, just a bit. Mozzarella is always good for the melty-stretchy-stringie factor!

Then get out some bacon - how much is up to you. Fry it slowly on top of the stove, but first snip it into little pieces with a pair of kitchen shears. Drain well on paper towels.

Onions - or shallots, spring onions, whatever you like. Saute them in a bit of the bacon drippings until they caramelize a bit.

While your bacon or onions are cooking, shred your cheeses, large shred. For some reason, shredded cheese seems to melt better than slabs.

Then get out your bread. Mix this up too - rye, pumpernickle, sourdough, whole wheat, oat, whatever you like.

Mayonnaise. Not butter, mayonnaise. For some reason, it browns better and you absolutely cannot taste it. DS hates mayo and I always use it on grilled cheese - he loves my grilled cheese. But use real mayo, not miracle whip.

Keep your heat low. Spread one piece of bread with mayo and put in your preheated skillet. Now pile on the shredded cheese, bacon bits and onions. Top with the other piece of bread, mayo up. Stick your head in the fridge and find the pickles. Pour you a glass of whatever tickles your fancy. Flip your sandwich. Oooh, it is nice and toasty! Try to control the drool as you wait for the other side to brown.

There, all done. Devour your sandwich while waiting for the next one to cook.

New look

Tell me what'cha think! Thanks to my friends Marie, Sue and Susan for putting me onto this site! Lovin' it! I am looking to take the blog in a little more spiritual direction, too!

The Big Read

The Big Read The Big Read is an initiative of the NEA designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. This meme isn't part of that, or at least I don't think so, but it is interesting to read the "meme list" and see which ones you have read. I admit that some of them I've never heard of and that there are several I think should have made the list and didn't.

“The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed.” Where do you fall on this list?

1) Bold: I have read.

2) Underline: Books I love. (I could not figure out how to underline, so I italiced!)

3) Reprint this list in your own blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve read only 6 and force books upon them!!

4) I'm adding this one! What books do you think are missing from this list?

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7 . Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials – Phillip Pullman
10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 . The Complete works of Shakespeare (Almost, but not quite. Have seen many of them performed.)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit --J.R.R. Tolkien
17. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 . The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 . Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies – William Golding (we studied this to boredom in sophomore English)
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune- Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince – Antoine de St. Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town like Alice- Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet- William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

I found this list at StitchinBy TheLake!

I think some that should be added are:

James Herriott's books.
The Nancy Drew original series by Carolyn Keene.
The Hardy Boys original series by Franklin Dixon.
Nero Wolfe - Fer-De-Lance by Rex Stout.
The Lord Peter Wimsey books by Dorothy Sayers.
The Maltese Falcon.
All of Agatha Christie's books.

Simple Woman's Day Book

FOR TODAY August 04, 2008...

Outside My Window... There is a heat haze. The grass is wilting. Bright sunshine. Yep - its summer! We had 108 Saturday, supposed to get 110 today. With about 90% humidity, I might add!

I am thinking... about entering some things in our little city fair later this month. Cakes, cookies, bread and some jelly!

I am thankful for... a good pastor and his wife. They are just good folks and we appreciate them so much.

From the kitchen... Smoked sausage, potatoes and vegs with cheese from the crockpot. Fresh sliced tomatoes. Making some cherry-chocolate scones later this evening. Blueberry cream puffs some day this week.

I am wearing... Navy skirt, turquoise tee with flowers and of course, my slippers!

I am creating... A teapot quilt! I sent off for the patterns just the other day!

I am going... to my niece's wedding reception on Saturday. I am so happy for her! They were married by Justice of the Peace in late June, but waited to have the reception.

I am reading... some Emily Bronte.

I am hoping... that I will get some of my fabric today in the mail!

I am hearing... The city man driving by in his big truck, the dryer is humming and DS is clonking around getting breakfast.

Around the house... Laundry! Lots of laundry. I have some organizing that needs to be done.

One of my favorite things... is E-bay! I am assembling my fabrics for my quilts and boy is it fun!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Hmmm . . . stay cool! Make some mint jelly and almond syrup. Bake lemon bars for my niece's reception.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

If this sounds like fun to you, go over to Peggy's site at The Simple Woman and make your own daybook. The instructions are pretty simple and it is addictive once you get started!

Happy Monday!

Well, it is definitely Summer here! We had 108F on Saturday and are expecting 110 today. With about 90% humidity. Ugh!

As for myself, I would prefer to live up north, where it gets 85-90 for a high and then cools down at night. I like cooler temperatures. Heat just makes me cranky!

We have been doing some crockpot cooking, which is nice, but every once in a while . . . I like to make something on top of the stove. We had ham the other night and I was looking for a different side dish . . .

Here is what I came up with:

Corn Fritters
Serves 4

Note: These are a savory corn fritter, you can make sweeter ones, I will post about that in the winter! Those will be out of my Nero Wolfe Cookbook - that man knew all about eating!

11 ounce can of corn, drained
1 small onion, minced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt (I used hickory smoked)
1 egg
Fresh ground black pepper
4 Tablespoons cooking oil

Buzz corn in the blender a few seconds. Stir everything together except oil. Heat oil and drop mixture by a heaping spoonfull. Spread it out a bit. Fry about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.



You could add some jalapeno to these . . . or maybe some cheese . . .some ground coriander or cumin . . . Maybe use some zucchini . . . there are a lot of possibilities here.

I served these with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce - Wow, what a taste-a-pooloza!

Pizza Tot Casserole

Ok, yet another quick-n-easy! But kids of all ages LOVE this and it is indeed quick, freezes well also. We took a pan to my sick auntie.

It is a not-so-traditional spin on a hamburger-tator tot casserole.

Hope everyone is doing well with the heat, we are back to normal here. We did get some nice rain, about 1-1/2 inches.

This is a TOH recipe.

Pizza Tot Casserole
Serves 4-6

1 pound hamburger (can use sausage here)
1/2 of green bell pepper, chopped small
1/2 medium onion, chopped small
1 can tomato soup, not diluted
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 fat clove garlic, minced
Italian seasoning to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 bag frozen tator tots
Snipped pepperoni - optional

Grease a 9 x 11 pan. Preheat oven to 350F. Brown hamburger with garlic, pepper and onion in skillet. Drain well (I usually rinse with boiling water after draining). Stir in tomato soup and season to taste. Mix in mushrooms. Spread in pan. Top with cheese and finally with tator tots. Top that with the snipped pepperoni. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with crusty breadsticks and a nice green salad.



You can mix and match this however you like, according to what you usually put on your pizza. Throw some canadian bacon in, or olives.