Canning, Dinners, & the Number 37!

I am 37 Weeks! Plus a few days. That means this baby can come any day now! Oh the waiting – not knowing when the contractions will strike. When he’ll make his appearance. I just want him here with us. To hold him, look at him, and love him. And I’ll be glad to be done with this pregnancy, for sure!

I foolishly started to question our name choice. Why did I have to go and do that? We essentially had two names thought up, and I didn’t really care to look any further. I am not a fan of reading through the lists of a baby name book – with 97.959% of them so far from anything I would ever choose. And I am of the notion that boys names are much harder to come up with than girls names. Add to the fact that I don’t want a name in the top 50, let alone top 10 – it makes it that much more difficult. When one of the names we selected was found to be moving up there on the list, it was cast aside and the remaining name won out. I love the name. I think maybe I just started to wonder if I should have scoured the book of names…just to be sure.

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PHOTOS (A small sampling of some of the food activity we’ve been up to.):

* Blueberries turned into blueberry syrup, and blueberry butter. I can’t wait to drizzle the syrup onto warm pancakes slathered in butter. Mmmmm. The blueberry butter was done in a slow cooker via Food in Jars. She describes it as “blueberry pie in a jar” and I think it reminds me of Christmas. Must be the cinnamon and nutmeg that I kept sprinkling in there in large heaps, adding to taste – apparently I like the way they taste.

* Raspberries were made into what I thought were going to be preserves, but I’m pretty sure they ended up being a jam. My understanding is that preserves have more of the fruit intact, but these raspberries were not going to hold any sort of shape, and were much more content melting into jammy goodness. OK by me.

* Pickles! These were my first pickling experience, and oh what fun. They are Zucchini and Sweet Pepper Refrigerator Pickles. Easy and yummy – so fresh tasting. The zucchini and peppers came from our local college’s Ag Department’s U-Pick located at the Farmers’ Market. We love going “grocery shopping” there! The only bad thing about the pickles is that they made five pints to be eaten up in one month – and well, that wasn’t going to happen. If they were dill, spicy, or garlicky, we could have done it. Good thing they are delicious enough to share!

* Jalapenos, potatoes, and squash from the Farmers’ Market and U-Pick. I just love those fresh, vibrant colors. (See them further down in the meals photo. Yum!)

Good eats…1. “Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies” via Pioneer Woman. These are ever so tasty – spicy pepper, creamy cheese, and salty bacon – you can’t go wrong. I liked that these were made in the oven – a cinch! I did suffer from burning pepper hand though and that was slightly miserable. Nothing like having your hand feel like it’s on fire – can’t rub your eyes or touch your sensitive skinned children. The burn dissipated by the next day, and I’ll be sure to wear gloves in the future! Though this was the first time I ever had that happen from jalapenos.

2. Veggies atop a chicken carcass – boy do I dislike that word – to be made into chicken stock for chicken noodle soup. The stock was frozen for a later date when baby is making it unlikely we’ll get a good, home-cooked meal on the table in any sort of timely manner. This has been the week of freezing meals – and it feels soooo good to have some done! I didn’t do it with the previous two kiddos, but we most certainly would have benefited from it!! And now with Collin starting first grade, we’ll have to be getting him to bed early, so in turn, dinner will need to happen earlier. I’m not going to accomplish the amount I set out to do, but some is better than none! The chicken meat from the, ahem, carcass was made into Chicken Posole from Martha Stewart – also a freezer meal. We roasted another chicken last night, and the same will be happening with it. The Posole recipe makes two batches, and then we get the stock for the soup – so three meals!

3. Long-cooked Beef Ragu from America’s Test Kitchen – to sauce pasta. This is another freezer meal and I’ve made two batches. What a great dish for a cool fall night!

4. The ingredients for pesto from America’s Test Kitchen. I like that they toast both the garlic and the nuts. It is done in a dry skillet. The garlic is done in its skin – like a quick roast. Adds great flavor. I picked basil from the U-Pick, which resulted in two batches for the freezer – enough to sauce two pounds of pasta. I love pesto – and happily, so do Tucker and Collin.

5. Delicious red and purple potatoes from the Farmers’ Market cooked in a skillet by Tucker. The garlicky, lemony dish is a recipe from one of my Cook’s Country Magazine (from America’s Test Kitchen). Not only did these potatoes look good color-wise, they were some very good eatin’!

6. This is what became of the sqaush, jalapenos, and potatoes from the previous photo. Just love how a meal can be made from the food sourced locally. (And yes, I should have taken the picture BEFORE I put on that embarrassing amount of sour cream!)

7. Onions cooking in red wine for the Long-Cooked Beef Ragu. I just love that burgundy color.

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What are your favorite freezer meals? I just might have time to add them to mine!

Have you been canning/preserving? I’m now on to peaches!

Dental Woes, Summer Kids, & Flowers

 

My teeth hurt. Badly. I have to go back to the dentist tomorrow, and I don’t wanna! Except to be done with this pain of course. It’s not actually the tooth that he thought I might have to go back for, it’s the other. The filling is chipped. I think everything I eat, drink, breathe must be reaching that nerve and causing it to ache. I go from having a cavity that doesn’t even hurt, to having it hurt like crazy AFTER getting it fixed! This seems backwards and I am so not pleased!

Collin had swim lessons this morning and soon we’ll be off to his piano lesson. He did t-ball earlier in the summer as well. Has been our busiest summer yet, and his first participating in any organized activities. I prefer not to create too much chaos by having kids in a million things – especially with Molly’s therapies added to the mix. Also though, because I love home time. It’s good to slow down. To take in everything around you. Collin is very good about going outside and looking for bugs, examining the plants, looking at books, drawing, etc. He is passionate about a lot of things because he has had the chance to find out what he likes, what makes him happy. He doesn’t always have to have a friend over, which allows him to discover his Self. I think that is very important.

Jam Happy – A Muddied Success

Oh dear, oh dear. Yesterday I made my first attempt at hot water bath canning. I have done freezer jams before, and I have assisted my mom some in the canning of applesauce and tomatoes, but that is it. This was my first solo go round – though it ended up my mom had to assist me! The canning was a muddied success – here’s what happened:

We have a lovely apricot tree out back that could use a serious pruning. Tucker eyes it on a regular basis, envisioning which branches are getting the hack treatment. Last year it was so heavy with apricots, that gravity took away a large branch that was aesthetically pleasing, leaving the tree a tad lopsided. This year the harvest was sparse. It seemed the tree only bloomed partially, then several wind storms landed many a juvenile apricot nestled in the grass. Last year I made freezer jam in the middle of August, this year, most everything was ripe by the middle of July. Could it be the heat?

Onto the canning, our first bunch of picked apricots rotted in their plastic bag environment before I could even get to them. Upon opening the bags, the unpleasant smell of fermenting overripe fruit, along with a colony of fruit flies, filled the room. Out to the compost with them.

Luckily, there was another batch waiting on the tree for Tucker to pluck. I made sure to get to them in a more timely manner, as like the last harvest, they were quick to spoil. Rinse. De-pit. Chop. Toss into a bowl with sugar and lemon juice. The recipe said to let those ingredients meld together for two hours. Two hours soon turned into five, then six, then seven, then me resigning at 9 o’ clock to let them macerate for 12 hours, as another recipe suggested. So the next day the jam making would commence!

Twelve hours later is 2:00. Tucker comes home for lunch, then puts Molly to sleep, as this has become almost impossible for me to manage, as she has us bounce her on an exercise ball to get her to sleep. Me on ball, Molly on my pregnant ball of a belly, the four of us (Ball, Baby, Molly, Me) all bouncing – it’s not a very comfortable arrangement. A little after 2:00, Tucker and Collin head to the shop. I turn on the water to boil to sanitize my jars. The sound of Molly babbling in her crib reaches my ears. A five minute nap, that won’t do. At 2:40, I finally am able to lay her down. Back to jamming.

Usually on this jamming day, Molly would have physical therapy at 3:30 then occupational therapy after that. But PT was canceled, so she just had OT. This means I had until around 4:00 to get this jam done, seems feasible.

Jars sanitizing in canner. Apricot mixture bubbling away in pot. Stirring here and there. Skimming off copious amounts of foam. Feeling exhilarated – eyes big, lips drawn up into a smile.

Do a plate test, and jam is not yet set. Cook a little longer. Good on time. Jam-making high still coursing through me. Then a certain odor reaches my nose – the smell of burnt sugar. The beautiful bright orange color takes on a shade of brown. Black flecks begin to surface. I pull the pot from the burner and do another jam test. It passes. A quick taste tells me that the flavor is still bright and sweet – no hint of burnt.

I spend some time researching if I am able to can burnt jam. And then looking up why when I pulled my jars out of the water, they quickly transformed from crystal clear to filmy white upon drying. Hard water encrusted inside and out. Nice. Now I was cutting it close for time.

Fill jars. De-bubble. Wipe rims. Put on lids and rings. The time is 4:10. Molly’s OT starts in five minutes. I call my mom to come over and supervise the hot water bath. She arrives. A rude awakening for Molly and in the car we go.

When we get home, my mom has the jars sitting on the counter, dishes done, and a load of laundry folded. She informs me that I missed out on hearing the jars pop as they made their victorious seal. Sigh.

But there they are, four half-pint jars filled with lovely jam from fruit growing in our backyard. I inspect them. A few black flecks, in an amber colored jam. But I feel proud, and once again exhilarated. I’ve a lot of jam making ahead of me, and that is an exciting thought!

(Blueberry syrup is next on my list!)

*Note 1: Eat your foam! We enjoyed it on vanilla ice cream last night, and I had it on a piece of buttered toast this morning. Mmmmm.

*Note 2: I read on Local Kitchen that if you add a tablespoon or two of vinegar to your water, it will keep the hard water film from forming.

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Do you can? What are you putting up?

HodgePodge

Dentist yesterday and the day before. Filled two cavities. I have dental anxiety (and needle anxiety), but I was pretty proud with how well I handled it. My teeth chattered only a little (do yours when you’re anxious?) and my heart pounded for a bit, but overall, it was an improvement. (I’m having a baby soon after all! The comparison was useful.)

He did have to go deeper than he thought, and said if I get throbbing pain, then I’ll need to come in for a root canal. Now that makes me nervous!

I hate that it’s been so long since I’ve posted. There’s soooooooo much I meant to share. So many pictures waiting to be flourished by words. There was a wedding, two family visitors, a surprise birthday party for Tucker, food, garden, cute kids (Collin & Molly), a hike, a boat ride, a baby shower, and MORE!

My computer has been acting weird, which has been a big hindrance. It doesn’t like to wake up from sleep/hibernate mode. I have to turn it off and on many times, then wait forever for it to come back to life – but more often than not, it doesn’t and I give up. So now I have computer anxiety because I’m afraid it’s going to give up on me. It’s already on life support – a laptop tied down by its need for electricity since its battery quit working some time ago. The poor thing just isn’t like it used to be.

And unfortunately for me, I mistakenly looked at Mac’s on the Apple website. This was totally prompted by Tucker and just as I had built my more than amazing desktop iMac, he quickly reminded me that this was out of the question due to the large sum of money we’d have to fork over for such a beautiful happy-inducing piece of modern technology. Sigh. I was quickly plummeted into a minor state of depression (i.e. poutiness), but by the morning, practicality had set in, and I decided that a plan to one day get my dream computer could actually happen. Fingers crossed!

Pregnancy-wise I am 33 weeks and 5 days along. I am ready to be done. It’s true. I’m hoping this baby is a 37 weeker. That would mean he could safely arrive starting on August 11th. I have baby anxiety as well, you know, the whole having a baby part, yeah that.

I have not been enjoying this third trimester very much. My grand plans are now being pushed aside until next year. All sorts of baking, canning, pickling, gardening – all falling to the wayside. Sad. I’ve been getting some done here and there, but since I’m prone to pre-term labor symptoms, I have to take it easy, as too much activity provokes a slew of contractions. Plus, added to this pregnancy has been some varicose veins in my legs (blek and uncomfortable) as well as something called SPD – not cool. So essentially my legs, pelvis, and hips, hate me. I am certain that pregnancy gets worse the more kids you have. Has this been your experience?

Well, I had better get going with my plan of freezing a whole lotta meals for when the baby boy comes. I think I’ll start with cookies…and there’s some apricot jam to make. Me taking it easy.

Food Pictures: No one loved the upside-down apricot cake which was disappointing. The best part was the apricot infused buttery, sugary topping (or bottom?). The cake part was just not interesting enough. I’ll try another recipe next time.

The Dutch baby (from ATK’s Cook’s Country) was tasty and fun to watch puff up in the oven. It’s like a mix of a popover and French toast. We ate it with lemon juice and powdered sugar (there’s lemon zest in the batter). Next time I would add berries and whipped cream. This morning Tucker and I finished it off topped with maple syrup. Collin wasn’t a fan as it was too eggy for him, and well, he doesn’t like eggs, but he did help make it – and he’s a good and eager helper.

 

Strawberries, Strawberries, and More Strawberries

Been swimming in strawberries, and it’s been splendid! Freezer Jam, Strawberry Cordial, Strawberry Cream Biscuits (Amazing!!), and 5 pounds in the freezer to be turned into Strawberry Wine at a later date. I’ll be sharing the recipes in a later post. (As well as a recipe for hamburger buns I made last week!)

The delicious, local berries came from Tubbs’ Berry Farm – a lovely Family farm that offers up all sorts of goodies. We get amazing honey from there and got lots of excellent pumpkins last fall. This summer, we’ll be getting our fill of raspberries for more berry fun!

We ended up getting the berries at the same time as a particularly busy week, so I was squeezing in berry time at all hours between all the other obligations. One very wonderful event that occurred, was the wedding of our friends Brett and Jenny. It was a delightful and joyful occasion, and we are so happy for them and their kids!!

I am now into my third trimester, and am starting to feel the homestretch coming on. In some ways I can’t quite believe we’ll have three kids very, very soon! But in other ways (aches, an in-the-way belly, and near heatstroke – our air conditioner hasn’t worked all year) I am very aware!

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In what ways have you been savoring strawberry season?

Strawberries (2), Baking Extravaganza, and an Operation (of Sorts)

Please tell me it is not just the nesting instinct that has me cooking and baking up a storm. I so want it to stick! Of course I have always loved to do both, but I’ve never been this overzealous – and the pictures only reveal a smidgen of the goods.

Our garden has seen the same treatment. Vegetables started from seed inside under lamps for the first time. Several new garden beds. Accomplishing so much and it’s still only May! Makes time slow down to the speed of plant growth. Really forces you to take the days one at a time. Even the chilly ones like today, with windy gusts up to 40 mph.

Summer has lots of garden goodness in store as well. I’m so ready to put  my tomatoes in the ground, but I hear it’s better to wait with the night temps still in the 40′s. I can wait…cuz I have to.

I realize that the bounty I have set ourselves up for will be all crazy productive (I hope!) and ready for preserving right at the time that we’ll be welcoming our sweet little boy to our home. I’m sure I’ll be relying on Tucker and my mom heavily at this time…and I’ll be ever so grateful!!! Can’t let it go to waste!!!

Monday night we had game night. Operation, homemade pizza, and strawberry cobbler. Mmmmm. We heard our fair share of buzzing coming from the game. It was a good night.

Strawberry Summer Cake - This was oh-so-tasty. The house smelled absolutely divine, like strawberries warming in the sun. It’s a simple – and delightful – way to use up your strawberry harvest. Serve with homemade whipped cream (it only takes like 5 minutes and is infinitely better!). Recipe from Smitten Kitchen. (She has a cookbook coming out!!)

Bread - I recently got a cookbook out from the library called River Cottage Everyday. I had never heard of River Cottage or Hugh Fearneley-Whittingstall, but the pages appealed to me, so I checked it out. I very much enjoyed, the food, his manner, and the philosophies behind his take on food and meals. It is definitely a cookbook I will be adding to my shelf.

My most recent trip to the library procured another book of his (along with a collaboration with Fizz Carr – what a spunky name, eh? Check out the fun names she gave her girls!). This one is The River Cottage Family Cookbook. I love how it is divided, the feel of it, the recipes, the family-oriented theme. It’s a fun cookbook and will also one day be mine.

This simple and easily varied white bread recipe was a pleasure to make. The kneading, the rising, the smell of warm yeast – all good for the soul, I swear. Oh, and the eating! Yum! The first warm slices slathered thick with butter. Later additions of jam. Cinnamon sugar toast. Lightly toasted cheese sandwiches (buttered slices with cold extra sharp white cheddar). Oh homemade bread…I love you, truly I do.

The loaf disappeared in just a couple of days. The second is going the same. I am sure this will now be a weekly ritual.

(I found out recently that the River Cottage television show is on You Tube. Can’t wait to give it a watch!)

Pizza - The pizza is a very easy crust and sauce that we have been using for sometime now. Both recipes come from America’s Test Kitchen. It’s their Basic Pizza Dough and Quick Pizza Sauce. The recipe makes enough for two 14-inch pizzas. We just eat one and freeze the second ball of dough. I’m going to get ahead of the game, and freeze several – pizza every week! The dough lasts for a month in the freezer.

With a little amount of preparation, you can forgo the store bought frozen pizza and make your very own far superior creation!

Strawberry Fruit Cobbler - This scrumptious desert also came from America’s Test Kitchen. Another simple, tasty strawberry baked good. I had never made a cobbler before (there’s always so many firsts!). The biscuit topping, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, was my favorite part, especially with the bottoms soaked in strawberry juices. Oh, and of course each bite was accompanied by an equal sized portion of vanilla ice cream.

The cobbler went fast, largely devoured by me. (Collin doesn’t like strawberries! And Tucker is so so with fruit, but making large strides in the right direction – the right direction being FRUIT IS AMAZING, of course.) Many a breakfast, snack and dessert ended up being cobbler.

Questions: Did you have a spike in baking/cooking while pregnant? Do you have family or friends who don’t particularly like fruit? (?!) What’s your favorite way to eat up strawberries?

Cute Kids, Headlocks, and Entomology.

I just LOVE these kids of mine.

We’ve been going over to my mom’s house everyday after we pick up Collin from school. My mom has been in Oklahoma visiting my brother Jess and his family, so we’ve taken up the task of watering her vegetable seedlings.

My mom has a lovely garden. It is full of beautiful flowers and greenery, and feels like an oasis – shady, colorful, sheltered. Collin loves it most especially for the first rate bug hunting.

His favorite insect is the roly poly – which, as it just so happens – ARE NOT actually insects at all. They are related, as insects and roly polies both come from the phylum Arthropoda, but their subphylum is Crustacea – that’s right, as in crustaceans. So they’re more closely related to lobsters and shrimp. Tell your kids.

Sometimes I think it’s hard for a kid to be “enlightened” about such knowledge. For instance, when Collin was 4 years old, and learned that daddy long legs are not actually spiders (though they’re still arachnids), but something called harvestmen he got very upset when someone didn’t believe him. In fact, he once put a poor girl at daycare in a headlock over such an incident – and Collin is a very peaceful child, albeit passionate. So don’t squish a spider in front of him…

I encouraged Collin to share his love of the small critter world with Molly and show her the roly polies he had found. He was hesitant, and rightly so. Not only did she smack feverishly at his approaching hand laden with the little dark grey specks on it, but she’d have no qualms about eating said specks. Mercifully, she spared them.

Share with us an awesome bug/insect/critter/what-have-you fact.