Home Journal

The last few weeks have been an up and down sort of thing around here; with fighting off a virus of some sort, to trying to clean up garden veggies (which I haven't really made a dent in), to enjoying Luke, to planning a trip to Florida to visit our girls and grandchildren.  I was able to can 9 quarts of tomatoes, and Steve helped freeze 24 quart bags of Chilies, and 5 quarts of corn.  That will probably be it for us for the year in terms of preserving food. I may yet cook up a few things for the freezer, as there is still quite a bit of eggplant, chilies and tomatoes in the garden.

We celebrated Luke's 32nd birthday a little over a week ago and went out to eat at the "Elephant Bar", which is one of our  favorite restaurants.  We had a great time.  September is loaded with birthdays  in our family, and to those of my very precious family members who we were/are not able to celebrate with yet… Happy Birthday… we're looking forward to catching up soon!

Luke and I have been doing some cooking in the kitchen together, and having a great time. I asked him if I could post some of his cooking and recipes; and  I was delighted to get to make some homemade ketchup with him this week, as well as a delicious French Apple Custard cake, all of which I will post about soon.  

We are feeling that Colorado weather at work, with all of its extremes; we had 35 degrees  one day last week, and in the 90's this week, all of which has kept us between sweaters and warm socks, to flip flops and shorts within a very short period of time.  As I mentioned earlier, we have had that crazy virus that has caused us to cough for more than 2 weeks. Perhaps the extreme changes in weather contribute.  So I  have pulled out all of our favorite remedies (and a few more that we have added to our list) and we are taking every last thing in triplicate. I am thinking to be healthy and strong and  have my immune system well defended by the time I go traveling. 

Now for those of you who have read this far, and have been wondering what in the world is  the picture I have on my header?  I will tell you at last.  It is a Pinocchio Eggplant. Well at least that is what Luke and Steve and I have called it.  It grew this way.  Isn't it strange?  Luke bought it at one of the Farm stores this week.  It is indeed a marvel. I would like to make up some sort of headline for it, because it seems to deserve it… but I am too foggy headed today...so it will have to do as is…until another time.

  Hope you all are staying well, and enjoying some lovely Fall days.

Have a great week everyone.

Calabacitas

Calabacitas means little squash or Zucchini.  This dish is really a casserole containing Zucchini or Mexican squash, fresh corn, chilies, onions, tortilla chips and cheese.  It is a wonderful side dish, but is so satisfying, it can be served with tortillas or biscuits as a main dish.  With all these veggies in season right now, and most of them in my garden, I've been craving it all week.  I ended up making 2 batches for the mere fact that the first batch got eaten before I finished my pictures. Ha.  It is named for the squash in the dish, but is probably as much of a corn and chili casserole as it is a squash casserole.  It is topped with cheese, finely crushed tortilla chips and yes, more cheese.  I must confess, cheese and crust; these are the things that make veggies so delicious to me ( I do wish I didn't feel that way).  If you wished to make this Trim Healthy Mama friendly, or low carb, simply leave off the tortilla chips and reduce or leave out the corn.

 

I like making this in a cast iron skillet.  It works out perfectly, because you begin by frying the bacon in the cast iron skillet, and your whole dish ends up there, so there is very little clean up afterwards.

Begin by frying the bacon nice and crisp.  Take the bacon out and cool on a paper towel.  Leave 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease at the bottom of the skillet.

Cut up the squash into chunks (I leave the skins on).

Place them into the pan on top of the bacon grease.

Shuck and prepare corn.

Cut the fresh corn off of the cob.

Add corn to squash.

Clean, core, de-seed and chop fresh chilies.

Sprinkle on top of the corn.

Chop the onion.

 

 Sprinkle onto of the chilies.

 

Chop or crumble the bacon.

Add to onions.

Looks good already doesn't it?

Place on burner and turn to medium high heat.  Stir mixture as it cooks.

Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until veggies are beginning to brown and squash is just beginning to look cooked.

Remove from heat.  Add 2/3 of the cheese. and lightly stir it into the vegetables.

Top with crumbled tortilla chips.

Add remaining cheese evenly over the top of crumbled tortilla chips. Cover with aluminum foil and place in oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

It should be nice and melty.

Top with green onions.

Dish it up and Enjoy.

 

  

Calabacitas
Ingredients:
2 medium small Calabacita squashes or Zucchinis
4 medium cobs of corn/corn cut off of cob (you could also use 2-3 cups of frozen corn).
2 medium sized fresh green chills,  cored, seeded and diced (you could also use roasted or canned green chilies).
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 pieces of bacon, fried and crumbled (I use an uncured organic bacon)
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or montery jack cheese
1 1/2 cups finely crushed tortilla chips
2 green onions, chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook bacon in skillet until nicely crispy.  
3. Drain bacon on paper towel.
4. Leave about 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease in skillet.
5. Add vegetables one after the other and top with bacon. 
6. Place skillet on stove top.  Stir and saute 5-10 minutes, or until squash and corn are just beginning to look cooked.  I don't like it to be over cooked, it tastes best when it is slightly crunchy.
7. Now top with 3/4 of the cheese, stirring into the vegetables as you add.
8. Top with crushed corn chips and more cheese. 
9. Place into preheated oven and bake 15- 20 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with green onions.
11. Serve and Enjoy.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Blessings, Pam

25 Tips for an Organized Kitchen

When my children were growing up, I  loved reading all of Emilie Barne's books.  I would read them every year; adding new habits and inspiration to my homemaking routine as the years went by. She inspired in me a desire to be organized.  I wouldn't say that I am an ultra organized person, but since those days I have implemented many tips, ideas and habits that have helped me become more efficient as a homemaker. Some of those tips I learned from the older women in my life, some of those tips I learned from books such as Emily's and some just the common sense that works its way into your life the more you put on a desire to learn.  I have been working on a little series that I will be sharing with you about Organizing and Home Management, which will include: kitchen tips, household cleaning and organizing tips.  I would love to hear from all of you about the things that you do that makes your life and your homes run smoothly and how you keep things in order.

Efficiency in the kitchen doesn't come naturally to most of us.   Even if you love to cook and turn out lovely meals, you can have disaster all around you, and chaos running rampant through the house.  Believe me, I have had those moments.   My Mom  was my best example in that department.  She was a wonderful cook, but not a great housekeeper.  She had the gourmet touch, and taught me to have great enthusiasm to try all kinds of food, and all kinds of cooking, but the kitchen that was left behind in the aftermath, was not a pretty sight. 

Lets face it, mess happens.  To try to pretend that mess only belongs to some people and not to others, is silly; but some people have better instinct for cleaning than others.  Some people have a better love for tidiness and order than others.  For me, clear thinking and peace are found in an orderly home and an orderly kitchen.  I feel at ease, cozy and content when everything is clean and in order, then nothing is nagging me at the back of my mind.  When I was a teenager and would come home from school to the messy kitchen, it made me annoyed and uncomfortable.  I felt unable to settle into my homework. So I became the one who cleaned the kitchen, because it was my way of establishing a cozy and  inspiring atmosphere. I have heard stories from other friends of mine, whose mother's were clean fanatics, and made life miserable for their families by their excessive perfectionism.  One of those friends raised six kids and has determined to be more lax in her idea of keeping the house clean, and yet, she still maintains a nice house.

Wisdom has taught me that as homemakers, we need to find a balanced way to run our homes and teach our children  how to take care of what they have. It is important to teach them to pitch in to help clean so that they can be responsible adults.  We need to guard against both the perfectionist extreme and the "Anything goes" extreme.  A well balanced approach to home making, will establish good habits and routines, but not to the point producing a feeling of intolerant  perfectionism.  There is a time to leave the mess alone, and sit down to read a book with the children you treasure; then there is a time to get up, roll up your sleeves and get to work.  Perhaps these tips will help.

25 Tips For A Clean and Organized Kitchen

1. On Monday mornings, get your cup of coffee, your Calendar, and write down your plans for the week.  To me a small Calendar that I can write on is handier than using my computer, because it is handy at a moments notice, and I can pick it up without having to refer to my computer. Once this habit is established, you can do the same thing once a month for the months plans, and for some people once a year… which I have sometimes done in a very loosely planned sense.
2. Learn to think ahead. Plan your meals a day, a week, or even month ahead.  This will help you sort out the things that can be done ahead of time and not put too much of a burden on you all at once.
3. Write down your menu and your grocery list at the same time.
4. Make meals ahead.  A day ahead can be put in the refrigerator, a week or a month ahead can be put in the freezer.
5. Prepare ingredients ahead of time, for example:  Shred Cheese the day before. Chop surplus peppers and onions and store in ziplocks or glass jars, or freeze them first on cookie sheets and then when frozen, break apart and put in storage containers.  This will make them easy to retrieve  from the freezer without clumping. Make hashbrowns ahead for the freezer by  boiling  potatoes until slightly under done.  Cool, peel and shred.  Spray a cookie sheet with Pam spray and spread potato shreds out evenly and  then freeze.  Once frozen,  put into ziplock bags. Fry hamburger the day before, or the week before and freeze it.  Cook and de-bone a chicken a day before; use the meat to make up a couple of meals, or just to have on hand for sandwiches; then put the bones back in the pot with fresh veggies and cook some more to make stock.
6. When making a casserole, make a double or triple and put the extras in the freezer for a ready made meal.
7. Keep a well stocked pantry full of grains, beans, flours, sugars, nuts,  dried herbs and spices etc.
8. Store your dried goods (beans, rice, flour, sugars etc. ) in glass jars such as canning jars and old pickle jars.  They look pretty in the pantry, they keep your ingredients fresh, and make it easy to see what  is inside of them. I have gradually worked to get all the plastic containers out of my house and exchanged for glass.  Plastics are full of synthetic phytoestrogens that are creating problems with our hormonal balance.
9. Decorate your counter top with bowls of fresh fruit and veggies.  This keeps them handy and in your mind for menu and snack ideas and it makes a pretty "still life" type decoration for your kitchen at the same time.
10. Have the children help, and allow them the pleasure of planning and fixing a weekly meal for the family. As time goes on they will become wonderful help in the kitchen, and will develop a love for cooking.
11. When peeling fruits or vegetables, put newspaper, paper bag down, then when finished, you can roll everything up put right into the compost when finished.
12. Tidy the refrigerator once a week. It is easier to keep track of what you have or what your need when you do this and helps you feel as if you know "what is what" in your fridge. If you need to use up some veggies or yogurt, you will know, and not find something green and slimy to surprise you on another day.
13. Set aside certain days of the week for cleaning days; for example: On Mondays: Clean the refrigerator, and vacuum the floors, On Fridays: Clean bathrooms or do laundry; whatever works with your family and lifestyle.  Develop a routine, and you will find it becomes a habit that keeps you on top.
14. Keep  white vinegar under your sink to clean the coffee pot and other items  and add to the dishwasher for extra shine (I never wash my dishes in the dishwasher without vinegar any more, otherwise they come out spotted and filmy; even if I use a rinsing agent I get spots and film.  This is probably due to our hard water.
15. Remove hard waterspots with vinegar.  Leave a vinegar soaked washcloth on spots 5 or more minutes and then scrub or soak an item (such as the faucet head if pull it out of its base) in a cup or pot of vinegar to remove hard water blockages or buildups.
16. Keep a glass jar of Baking soda under your sink or with your dish cleaning supplies to scrub rings from coffee or tea cups, or to scrub sink, and freshen garbage disposal. Baking soda is wonderful deodorizer, and can be used in a variety of ways to clean and deodorize.
17. Cover the top of your refrigerator with a towel for easy periodic cleaning; simply remove the towel when you decide to clean, and place a new one down to replace it.
18. Clean up as you go... it really helps.  Form the habit of "just do it now". It is amazing how how little time you expend dealing with something right off the bat as opposed to having to deal with it later once it has built up.
19. Teach your family to always grab something in the coming and going from table to kitchen or vice versa and then the clearing is done quickly.  It is good that everyone in the family helps clear.  This makes dinner clean up so much easier. This is a great strategy for the car as well.. I never come into the house empty handed. Teach the kids to bring things in as well.
20. Make your kitchen a cozy and pretty place... there is something in this little act that causes you to love to be there more; and causes you to want to take care of it.  I always think to myself "if someone were to come by, how would my kitchen look to them. " Then I go ahead and put it in order just as if they were coming by; then even if no one comes by, I have the enjoyment of a pretty kitchen.
21. Paint an old mirror or picture frame with chalkboard paint, and hang it in the kitchen for lists, notes, scriptures or phone numbers.
22. Think outside the box for storage ideas. Use a rack to add another shelf to your dish cabinet to double your storage space and create an easier access to the dishes.  Baskets are in constant use in my kitchen and are a pretty way to store vitamins, breads, utensils, wash cloths and towels, hot pads, dry goods and more, Think of creative ways to add shelves, such as redoing an old bookcase or armoire.  Odds and end furniture made over with paint, add pantry room and personality to your kitchen.
23. Assign chores to your children, such as unloading/loading the dishwasher, taking out the trash, feeding the animals, setting the table, peeling the potatoes, or making a salad.  All of these little jobs add up to big jobs for one person, but reduce the load in a big way if everyone does a little.
24. Make it a passion to keep the dishwasher unloaded.  Nothing slows the flow of clean up in the kitchen more than a full dish washer.  If you don't have a dish washer, than keep the dishes from your dish drainer put away.  Squeeze it in between cooking or brewing a pot of coffee and you'll always be glad you did.
25. Pray to maintain a kind and gentle heart in all that you do.  It helps establish peace and good attitudes for work.  Honor establishes honor.  If you try to motivate your family's help by nagging, self pity, harsh words or sarcasm, you will reap the same attitudes from your family.  Learn to be direct with your requests, learn to be kind and gracious.  I've tried to never nag or degrade my hubby or kids; But I will be direct when I need something.  I am appreciative of their help, no matter the circumstances, and feel it is important to show that appreciation. My hubby is a great help, and even now when the children are gone, he will shoo me out of the kitchen and clean up.  He's a blessing.  Not every husband is handy or happy in the kitchen, but no doubt, with the proper communication of need, and with honor and kindness, we all learn to help each other in those places that we need each other.

Strength and dignity are her clothing,

And she smiles at the future.

 She opens her mouth in wisdom,

And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

 She looks well to the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 31:25-28

Have a Great Week Everyone and may your home be cozy, tidy and peaceful.

Blessings,

Pam

Drying and Preserving Herbs

I find fresh herbs  irresistible don't you? Every spring, I love to plant them here and there between flowers and vegetables, every summer I love to snip them and use them in recipes and teas, and every fall I like to preserve whats left of them. They are well worth any effort to  grow them to have them fresh at hand or preserved for recipes, teas and potpourri.  Many times I have bought fresh parsley for a recipe, only to end up with way more than I could use up, so I would dry that as well, and add it to my parsley jar. The two main ways I have preserved herbs, is by drying, and freezing.  I did a little post a while back about blending them in Olive oil, and freezing them in ice cubes.  That is a really nice way to keep that fresh flavor and aroma intact… particularly with basil. The flavor and aroma is much better in your own homegrown herbs than you will ever get from the spice section in the grocery store, and cost only the price of the seed, which is almost nothing, especially when you see the prices of herbs and spices in the store.  Another thing that is nice, is to make  gifts of them for Christmas, birthdays or house warming.  Put them in vinegar or oil, potpourri or just dried in jars.  I have a couple of spice recipe mixes that are yummy, and you can invent any of your own. 

Drying them takes just a few steps and a little waiting; you don't need any special tools; and for most herbs, you don't even need a dehydrator.  Here's how:

Drying Herbs:

1. According to Mother Earth News, it is best to harvest  your herbs in early to mid-morning before the newly developed essential oils have been burned off by the sun, but after any dew has dried.
2. Its nice to take a basket and a pair of scissors and snip all that you want at one time.
3. If you harvest herbs for their seeds, its best to wait until the seeds are turning brown and hardening; some seeds can be harvested before they are fully brown and used fresh, such as I have sometimes done with coriander.
4. If you are using organic well composted soil, you won't need to worry about washing them, unless you want to; just dry them well on a paper towel and begin.
5. Snip all stems from leaves or flowers with a pair of scissors.
6. Lay them out on and clean screen (I used a well scrubbed old window screen this time around) or a cookie sheet lined with paper towel or parchment paper… I have used all three of these methods, and they all work fine.
7. Spread them out so that the air can get over and under them.
8. Allow to airdry 2 - 6 days (each herb has a different amount of water in their leaves, so drying time will vary), or when dry to the touch.
9. Label jars, and put your herbs in and you are ready.
10. If you are drying seeds, such as dill, coriander, etc.  place the plant head with the seeds into a paper bag, tie the top of the paper bag and place or hang where it can dry thoroughly. Once dry, the seeds will fall off of the flower or plant heads and collect nicely in the bottom of the paper bag.

Sage

Pineapple Sage

Coriander (these are the seeds of the Cilantro plant).

Cat Mint (Cat Nip)

Snip the stems off of the herb leaves and flowers.

Oregano

Pineapple Sage

Italian Parsley

Basil

Sage

Spread the leaves or flower heads out onto a screen or dry surface where air can circulate.

Allow to dry for two - six days.

Label jars and place dry herbs into jar and seal.

I store the herbs as whole leaves, and crush them when I need them either with a pestle and mortar or

between my fingers.  It seems to me the more whole they remain in storage, the more their flavor will remain intact.

Have a great week everyone