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We went blueberry picking a couple of weeks ago & used some of them in this delicious jam... You will need the following: clean jars (I used 1 pint & 7 half-pints) rings & lids 4 cups of crushed blueberries 7 cups of sugar 2 Tbs. lemon juice 1 package of sure gel Get your ingredients ready
Before you really get started put on some great music. I always enjoy cooking & cleaning with some great tunes on. On this day we chose "Today's Country."
Now, rinse your berries & let them drain. Be sure to pick out any stems, leaves, etc.
Put your lids on to boil while you do the following steps. Crush the berries (I did it by hand) and measure out 4 cups. Now put your crushed berries, lemon juice & pectin in the pot. Turn on low & bring to a boil.
Now add the sugar all at one time & stir. Bring to a rolling boil. (where it stays boiling even when stirred). Boil like this for 1 minute. It will look runny but it's ok.
Then pour into jars. Leaving 1/4 in headspace. Wipe with a cloth to remove any jam from the rim. Put on lids & rings. Carefully put into a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove & set on a towel to rest for about 24 hours.
The lids should seal within the hour. --If they pop up & down they did NOT seal. You can still use the jam, but it needs to go in the fridge & not the pantry if unsealed. If sealed set in the pantry for later use. This jam is really good & it will "gel" up after a day or two. |
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Sunday: Fish, fries, hushpuppies, cucumber salad Monday: Hamburger rice casserole, squash, salad Tuesday: Soft tacos, beans Wednesday: Quiche, tomato salad, cantaloupe Thursday: Crockpot chicken, baked potatoes, peas Friday: Chicken salad sandwiches, chips, fruit Saturday: Pinto casserole & salad Hamburger rice casserole 1 cup rice 2 cups water 1/2 onion OR about 3 green onions 1lb (could use 1/2 if in a pinch) hamburger 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 cup hot water w/2 tsp beef bullion dissolved. Cook rice in 2 cups water until done. While that is cooking, in a separate skillet cook burger, onion, garlic & salt & pepper until browned. Drain fat, if needed. Combine this & the bullion water with the rice. Pour into a casserole dish (greased) and cover with cheese if desired. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350. Simple & yummy. |
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Our banty hen hatched 3 little ones & our white leghorn hatched out 2 yellow & 1 black. Our big rooster is a game type so he's pretty with lots of different colors so I guess that is why the color difference in babies. Contrary to popular belief, game roosters are actually really nice...at least all of the ones we have ever had. The hens are outstanding mothers (although we do not have any of the hens anymore). They do not have the "sitting" instinct bred out of them like alot of the more common varities. Tomorrow we are going to drive about 45 minutes away to buy some turkeys!!! We are all looking forward to this. We have a goffer killing off my cucumber plants in the garden! Our tomatoes & corn are coming along nicely. Big & bright green. We also have lots of green tomatoes on the plants. I have been trying to think about recipes to make with the tomatoes to can, & I decided that I probably will just can them chopped. That way whatever I want to make I can just add the spices, meat, or whatever at that time. One of our favorite fresh summer treats is our version of pico-de-galo. Fresh Pico 6 tomatoes 1 onion 2 jalepenos 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup cilantro juice of 1 lime (a couple of tablespoons) 1 tsp salt Chop/dice everything up small. Mix together in a bowl. Sprinkle salt & lime juice & mix lightly. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve with chips. --I like to put a little of this over scrambled eggs too! |
I am determined to get that bugger! I'm flooding his trail tonight with the hose & setting out a trap.Posted in Recipes
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Today we have stayed around home. We did our school work, got a load of laundry on the line, fed animals, cleaned up & swam! My attempt at going sugar-free is going pretty well so far. The main thing is cutting out breads. I have made a switch to eating the "bible" bread. It is a flourless bread you can get at most health food stores. There is a raisin one & a Genesis one that we like. --By we I mean Abigail & I. Tyler will tollerate a piece or two, but he & Tim think a loaf of bread is a "must have." I guess that's ok as long as I don't eat it! On Monday I made a crockpot of lentil stew. It was pretty good. We ate the left-overs for last night's dinner. The recipe is very easy & this is another that is easy on the budget. Lentil Stew 1 bag lentils (1lb) 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped carrot 1/2 cup chopped celery 2-3 cloves garlic (I was out so I used garlic powder, about 1 tsp) 1 T. salt 1 tsp. pepper 1 stick real butter Soak lentils overnight in water & 1 T. lemon juice. In the morn, drain & rinse. Put all ingredients in the crockpot & cover with water. Cook on low all day. You could add some chopped ham or chicken to this if your family really needs some meat, but it was good just like that. When we ate the left-overs on yesterday I added a bit of homemade chunky salsa & that made it REALLY good. So next time I make this I may try to add a can of ro-tel or salsa. |
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Yeah, it's Monday! My fellows will be back tonight with a big load of fish & shrimp! I did not want to mention it while they were gone, but they've been down on the gulf around Buras fishing since Saturday. My mom & her husband invited them to go along & they have had a great time. Hubby says it is so nice at the lodge that maybe we'll have to save up and all of us go next time!--Sounds good to me! I did get some of the things on my list done. However my niece came over to play yesterday & while her and Abigail played, the cleaning bug bit me! That was pretty much needed though. I got my bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room & hall scrubbed down & it looks really nice in here. That always puts me in good spirits! Today I'm letting Abigail sleep in. She said she wasn't feeling too good last night. I let both of us get tv dinners to eat for the past couple days(thinking it would be a fun treat & easier for me) Last night she asked me if I could make some "real food." So I made us a small tuna casserole & homemade bread. I am hoping getting some healthier food will make her feel better. I didn't get the cheapo tv dinners, but I know they are still not as good as home-cooked. Anyway, here is what I made last night. It was pretty good & Ab loved it. Tuna Noodle Casserole About 1-1/2 cups whole wheat penne 1 can cream celery soup 1 can tuna 1 small can english peas (we used the ones I home canned) 1/2 cup milk A dash or two of: garlic powder chicken bullion salt & pepper Cook noodles. Then mix all other ingredients together. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until bubbly. Add a tossed salad & bread & you have a yummy meal! |
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Garden: ~Canned 3 more pints of english peas ~Peas will be torn down today ~The spot will be tilled up & pole beans planted in their place--Today ~The rest of the garden tilled & hoed (for weeds)--Today Animals: ~Baby ducks & chicks have their feathers Cooking: ~Made sugar-free strawberry freezer jam ~Stocked up the freezer with meat (great sale this past week) Sugar-free strawberry jam 1 pkg sugar free strawberry jello 1 cup water 2 cups crushed strawberries Put all in saucepan & bring to a boil. Boil for about 3 minutes or until all jello is dissolved. Put in small containers for freezing or refrigerating. 1 batch made about 1 pint. I made 2 batches. (I made them separately) I put 1 in fridge & 1 in freezer. The one in the fridge was a tad runny but still tasted great on homemade biscuits. --It would be great on waffles too! I think you could also interchange the fruit. Like peaches w/peach jello, etc. |
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Monday- Baked chicken w/gravy, mashed potatoes, corn Tuesday- Crockpot roast, potatoes, carrots, rolls Wednesday- Pinto bean soup, cornbread Thursday- Chicken fajitas, spanish rice Friday- Bean & cheese nachos, applecrisp Saturday- Backstrap, sweet potatoes, broccoli Easy chicken w/gravy 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 can cream of chicken soup 1/4 cup water 1/2 tsp tony's cajun seasoning Place all in baking dish. Cover & bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done. --Yummy This mother's day will be spent at home. If the weather is nice we hope to swim & bbq. I get to choose the menu, it is suppose to be my day afterall. Grilled burgers w/cheese, lettuce & tomato Potato salad Boston baked beans |