Merry Christmas~ 2012

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Is everyone in the Christmas spirit? I know I am! It has been awhile since my last post, but I got a new job! I am settled in to it now, and things are going great! Now I have more time to blog...:)

Speaking of Christmas and the Holidays...

Have you ever had lefse? Do you even know what Lefse is? If you don't know, or have never made it, you must not be Norwegian! Haha, but really, it is so good I think everyone should try it at least once, and if you like it...make it! Do it! Don't be afraid! But...what is it? Well, it is a Norwegian flat bread, or tortilla, made out of the most wonderful mashed potato mixture ever! Most people like to spread butter  and sprinkle sugar on it before rolling it up, but in my family we just spread butter and roll and eat. Sometimes we will add whatever meat we are having  for dinner and roll that in it too!  My mother has been making it for as long as I can remember, and my Grandmother and Great Grandmother made it also so it really has been passed down through the generations in my family. It was my in-laws though, who bought me all the tools one would need to make it, so I made my first batch of Lefse about 5 years ago, and have made it every year since! It's not that hard, and I will take you through making it step by step.. Here are the tools needed to make perfect lefse:

Griddle, Lefse Stick and Potato Ricer

Dough board and rolling pin with sock




The ingredients are: Potatoes! (not pictured) butter, Sugar, Salt, and Heavy Cream ( You will also later need flour)



Lefse

10 potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Sugar
2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

Cook the potatoes until tender,

 

And then run them through the potato ricer.




This is how your potatoes will look after going through the ricer...like "rice" or noodles!"



Beat butter, cream, sugar, and salt into hot, riced potatoes.


Adding cream, butter, salt and sugar to the riced potatoes.

Let cool in refrigerator. After cooling at least 6 hours (or overnight) you can add your flour to the mixture,

And work the flour in until it's incorporated nicely.

You are now ready to roll and fry your lefse. The first step is to take a golf-ball size piece of the lefse and pat it a bit. Then set it on your well-floured board and roll thin. Do not worry about it being a perfect circle. :) Carefully slide your lefse stick underneath the lefse and lift it off the board and roll it onto the griddle.

Now Fry your lefse on high heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. This doesn't take long! Once it starts to bubble up, lift a corner with your stick and check it. If it is starting to brown nicely, (you will see brown spots) flip the lefse over and fry the other side. Once done, lift lefse off the griddle and roll onto a tea towel and cover to keep moist.

Fry both sides until golden brown spots appear

 



Roll lefse on tea towel and cover to stay moist

And there you have it! Perfect lefse! I have to say I was scared to try this as my mom would have so much trouble every year with making it, due to sticking. The best piece of advice I can give you is to make sure your board is well-floured!! Add some to your rolling pin if need be also! I believe my Grandmother is with me every year I make it. It makes me feel good to know that I am doing something that has passed through the generations of my family! Now I just have to get my daughter (or son!) involved!

 

 

 We bought a real Christmas tree this year. We had a fake one that I actually really liked, but when I opened the bag this year to put it up I smelled something terrible! Yep, our cat peed on the tree. Bye bye tree! Ugh...So like I said we bought this year's tree, and I have to say I like this too! I have to remember that it's real and needs water, but I'm glad we went back to real. Here is a pic of our tree..

 I love ornaments for the story they tell. Every single ornament on our tree has meaning. Whether it's something the kids made, or something a family member or friend gave us, they all have a story...

The first ornament we ever bought...:)

This ornament is from one of our favorite places to get away...The Rittenhouse Inn
 




While we have some really beautiful ornaments, the ones made by the kids are my absolute favorite!

 

I have done very little baking this season. We just don't need all of the added calories. Well, maybe I mean I don't need them. Anyway, I did happen to make my famous Spritz cookies. They are actually not my recipe, but my Friend Kim's recipe. We were neighbors for years when our kids were little and one year she sent home with us a plate of these babies. Oh boy, they were the BEST Spritz cookies I had ever tasted! The best thing about these cookies is they only have 3 ingredients. THREE!! I couldn't believe it since I love long, drawn out recipes that take time and are a challenge. But these are simply the lightest, best-tasting Spritz I have ever eaten. Enjoy! 

 

Spritz Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 package (18.25 ounce) white cake mix
• 2 3/4 cup flour
• 1 pound (4 sticks) butter or margarine, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt two sticks (1/2 pound) butter. Allow the remaining butter to reach room temperature and soften.
In a small bowl combine flour and melted butter. Mix well. You may wish to return this to the microwave so that this mixture is pour able. Pour melted butter mixture into the cake mix, and add remaining softened butter. Mix until all ingredients have been incorporated and this is smooth. If the dough is stiff knead on a cutting board until it has softened. Shape as desired, or put through a cookie press.Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes or until done.


Spritz

It has been quite the whirlwind for me the last month or so, but things are settling down, and with my new job I have more time at home! I even got my kids to take a couple pics for our Christmas card, and got all the presents wrapped. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families and here's to an even better 2013! I'll leave you with a couple of pics of the season...enjoy!

 

 

 Merry Christmas to you all!

~Kerry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comfort and Peace

I am looking for some comfort and peace this weekend. I had a VERY busy week between work, and taking the kids here and there to their respective after school activities. We also had a stop to the ER when Ethan sprained his ankle at his first basketball practice. Then I find out later in the week that my mom went and had gallbladder surgery without even telling us. Can you believe it? I didn't even know she was having it. She didn't want me or my sister to know, to not stress us out. I am still trying to take this in, as it is my nature to be a care-giver, and it would have been a perfect time for ME to take care of HER for once. But, she is always thinking of her kids first, and I guess that's what mother's do. She is doing well, so I must just be grateful for that. She is such a strong person. On top of it all, I got the cold that everyone at work was passing around, but luckily it's only a slight cold.
  Sounds like a great week, huh? Well, it's life. It's ok. But it sure makes me want some comfort and peace this weekend...so I am going to make my very favorite comfort soup for dinner. It's warm, cheesy, and perfect for a cold winter's night.

Cheeseburger Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground beef ( I used ground turkey)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (8 ounces) process cheese (Velveeta), cubed ( Yes I know, PROCESSED cheese, but it's what's good in this recipe. It's ok. You will be alright. ;)   )
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

• In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same
• saucepan, saute the onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1
• tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add
• the broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover
• and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook
• and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a
• boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper; stir until cheese melts
• Remove from heat, blend in sour cream
• ENJOY!

Cheeseburger Soup

 

I'm having my in-laws and Erik's grandpa over for dinner Sunday night for an early birthday get together for Ethan. His birthday always falls on the week of deer hunting, so this is a good time to have them over to celebrate. The menu is very simple, but Ethan's favorite meal:

 

• BBQ Baby back ribs
• Twice-baked potatoes
• Roasted Asparagus
• Tossed garden salad with Italian dressing

When I'm having a dinner party, I like to do as many things ahead of time as I can. The day before, I prepared my potatoes for the twice-baked potatoes.
The best way to bake a potato, is NOT in the microwave. It's the fastest, but not the best. Here is the best way (in my opinion) to bake a potato:

Baked Potatoes

Potatoes
Kosher Salt
Olive oil

Scrub potatoes and dry. Poke 8-10 holes in potatoes to let out steam when cooking. Rub potatoes with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. If using more than 4 potatoes, bake about 15-20 minutes longer.

Twice-baked potatoes:
Now that we have our potatoes baked, we can 2x bake them! Cut in half and take out the flesh of the potatoes and put into a bowl. Add what you would like! I like to add:

• butter
• salt, pepper
• sour cream
• shredded cheddar cheese
• parmesan cheese
• parsely
• chives

You could also add:

• bacon bits
• cream cheese
• jalapenos
• green onions
• blue cheese

Once I add my butter, parsely, chives, salt pepper and cheeses with a little milk, I whip with my mixer until smooth. Fill each potato with the mixture and add more cheese on top with some toasted panko bread crumbs and a little more parsely, and either bake again at 350 for about 15 minutes, or place in the fridge and bake later or the next day!

Twice-baked potatoes~made ahead

Roasted Asparagus:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Break off the tough ends of the asparagus and, if they're thick, peel them. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp.

Roasted Asparagus

The other thing I like to do ahead is make my rub for the ribs. This rub recipe is my mom's ,and a really great rub. Here is the recipe:

Rib Rub Recipe:

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp celery seed
2 tbsp chili powder
 

Rub on Ribs and let sit overnight in the fridge.

Rib Rub
 

 

Or bake right away. Which ever you choose, bake in the oven for 3-4 hours covered, at 325 degrees, or until meat starts to fall away from the bone. Add your favorite BBQ sauce, and bake uncovered, another 1/2 or so until sauce glazes the ribs nicely.

Ribs are falling away from the bone nicely...time for sauce!

 

Vintage item of the week:

 

My vintage item this week, is my Grandfather's (dad's side) tool chest. My mom had it in her basement for years, and I brought it home about 4 years ago. I keep it in my living room between two chairs, and we store board games in it. I love it and it is one of my most treasured things. I never met my Grandfather, but he was a very smart man. He worked for the railroad, as an arbitrator. He wrote  a book for the railroad union that was published and even taught school in Canada.

Grandpa George S. Henderson's tool chest~ Circa 1900

Since November is the month to be thankful, I thought each week this month I would mention something I am thankful for. This week I have been incredibly thankful for my friend Rebecca. We hired her to tutor Ethan in Algebra, and she has been such a great help to him. Like me, math is not his strong suit, and he needed some extra help. She comes to our house two times a week, along with her two precious girls and needless to say it has been wonderful. Not only is Ethan doing much better, we are enjoying having her girls around. They are smart, lively and great girls. We are so thankful to have such great people in our lives!! Thank you Rebecca!



Ethan and his Algebra tutor, Rebecca

I can't forget something else I am thankful for. Our Veterans. My dad was a vet and he served his country in the Army, got wounded in WWII, was discharged and received the Purple Heart. He joined the National Guard and loved every minute of it. We might just add another to our family, as Ethan has wanted to be in the service since he could talk. He has decided on the Marines, and I am so proud of him. Here is a picture of my Dad and Mom at the Military ball so many years ago. One of the only pictures I have of him in uniform. Thank you Veterans. Thank you Dad!



Dad and Mom at the Military Ball~thank you dad for your service.

Thank you again for reading! I appreciate all the kind words regarding my blog. It means a lot.

Hope you all find comfort and peace this week....

Love to you all~

Kerry  :)

 

Turkey...already? ;)

I have a turkey breast in the freezer, just calling my name...I keep telling it it's not time yet, but it's not listening...:/

So, this weekend, I've decided to make Turkey and all the fixins!! Well, not all the fixins, just a few. I will leave the big, traditional meal to my mom, who is a much better cook than I am. Here is my menu for this meal:

• Brined Turkey Breast
• Mashed potatoes and Gravy
• Cornbread and Sausage stuffing (my mom makes traditional stuffing, which is my favorite, but I wanted to "mix it up" a little with some Southern style)
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses
• Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese filling

The first step in making my "mock" Thanksgiving dinner is to brine my turkey. Granted, I have only a breast, not a whole turkey, but I'm still brining it. If you have never brined your turkey, I highly recommend it. It truly will be a whole new turkey eating experience. It will be the juiciest turkey ever.  Really, it will! Have faith...:)

Here is what you need to brine your turkey:

1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
6 sprigs thyme
6 sprigs rosemary
2 gallons water

*I halved this recipe since I was using only a breast.



Ingredients for brine



Dissolve sugar and salt in water, then add rest of ingredients and let brine for 4-24 hours. Take out bird and rinse, roast as desired




Turkey in brine-I leave mine for 24 hours







Turkey Breast

I have one more small bunch of Brussels sprouts left from my garden, so I decided to make my mom's awesome recipe for them. Here it is:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses:

 

For the Brussels Sprouts:

 

1 1/2 lbs Brussels Sprouts

3 Tbps. Good Olive Oil

3/4 Tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts-home grown! They are SO GOOD!

Pomegranate Molasses:

4 Cups Pomegranate Juice (for this recipe, I used Pomegranate-Cranberry)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp. Fresh lemon Juice

Put ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce heat to med-low and cook until syrup is reduced to 1/2 cups, about one hour or so. It should be a thick syrup, like molasses. Allow to cool in saucepan for 30 min. Transfer to a jar or container and store in fridge.

Now, normally if I were making a cornbread/sausage stuffing, I would add some craisins for sweetness, however I already have the sweetness in the pomegranate/cranberry molasses for my Brussels sprouts, so I will leave that out. You can also add pecans which would be wonderful in this stuffing:

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing:

2 hot Italian sausages

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 bunch fresh sage, leaves chopped

4 large corn muffins 

3 large eggs

1/2 cup, chicken stock, plus more if needed ( I added a full cup + a little more)

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the casings from the sausages. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sausage meat. Cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside to cool while you cook the vegetables. Wipe out any excess fat from the pan with paper towels.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Season with salt and pepper and add the sage. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit.
Crumble the corn muffins into a large bowl. Put in the cooled sausage and vegetables. Add the eggs and 1/4 cup chicken stock. Using your hands, mix well adding more stock if the stuffing is too dry. Spray a 2-quart oven-proof baking dish with cooking spray. Put the stuffing into the dish and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the top is browned and crispy.

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Instead of the usual Pumpkin pie, I made a Pumpkin Roll. I got this recipe from one of my very best friends in the world, and the best boss I have ever had, Cindy Karas. It is a wonderful dessert, and a nice change from tradition.

Spiced Pumpkin Roll-delicious!

Spiced Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese filling ~

 For the cake:

3eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

 

For the filling:

 

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan and line the bottom with wax paper.

2. To prepare the cake, place the eggs in large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs for 5 minutes with a mixer a medium speed. Add the granulated sugar, pumpkin, and lemon juice; beat until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices; add to the egg mixture; mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched and a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.

4. Unroll a clean dish towel on the counter and put a piece of wax paper on top. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Immediately loosen the edges of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the wax paper-lined towel. Starting at the long edge, roll up into a small roll. Place in the refrigerator until cool.

5. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, butter, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; beat until smooth.

6. To assemble, gently unroll the cake and spread the filling on the cake. Roll again, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until serving time.

Serves 12 to 16.

You can't forget a beautifully set table; It's inviting and sets the tone for the meal..:)

Table Setting

Vintage Item of the week:
 
My Vintage item of the week, is my Grandma's sifter. I salvaged this treasure out of my mom's basement this summer, and I will never use another one. I love it. The blue bowl next to it is also vintage, a gift from my co-worker, Julie. She has given me this set of beautiful bowls, as well as some vintage Pyrex! :)



Vintage bowl from my co-worker, Julie, and Vintage Sifter from my Grandma

 
Well, just a few recipes for you to try this week. Hope you enjoy them. November makes us think about what we are thankful for. I'll start with a couple of things: I am so thankful for my health and the health of my family, my mom still in my life, and for my husband and kids who keep me going and for who I do all that I do!
 
 
It's amazing how the list can go on and on...
 
 
Thanks for reading!
 
 
Love to you all...Kerry :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to start somewhere...

Hi again!

Thanks again for the wonderful comments regarding my blog! Why do a blog?  I have a few friends that are doing blogs, and I follow many blogs online. I get a lot of inspiration from them and I think of the blog community as a group of friends sharing their ideas and making them their own! It's wonderful! Who knows what will come of it, or how many things I can talk about, or how long it will last? But for now, It's fun, I'm enjoying it and I hope you are too!!!

Ok, so...on to business!

This week has been pretty low-key for us, but I still found some time for cooking and baking. I had some apples
left, but not enough to make the chutney that I wanted to make, so I made an apple tart from my absolute FAVORITE cook, Ina Garten. It was incredibly good, and it's beautiful to boot!


French Apple Tart

French Apple Tart

For the pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 Tbsp. Sugar
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water

For the apples:
4 Granny Smith apples ( I used Cortland)
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) cold, unsalted butter, small diced
1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
2 Tbsp. rum or water

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter, and pulse 10-12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas.

 

With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball.

  

 Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Roll the dough slightly larger than 10x14 in. using a ruler and a small knife, and trim edges. Place dough on prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut, core, and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup sugar and dot with the butter.

 

 Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will brown in the pan, but the tart will be fine! When the tart is done, heat the apricot jelly together with the rum or water and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.  ENJOY!! :)

 

 

Every Fall, I make these wonderfully delicious cookies from Paula Deen. I highly recommend you try them! They are so delish that it's probably a good thing I only make them once a year, but my family sure does look forward to them! Here is the recipe:

 

Paula's Loaded Oatmeal Cookies~

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Brown Butter Icing, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease 1 or more cookie sheets. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until mixture is light in color. Add buttermilk. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, and vanilla, blending well. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with Brown Butter Icing.

Brown Butter Icing:

 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water

In a small saucepan heat the butter over medium heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in 3 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in enough water (3 to 4 tablespoons) to make an icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle on warm cookies.

Yield: enough to ice 5 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

 

Paula's Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

 

Tip of the week:

 

If you are like me and use buttermilk for baking, get frustrated when you have a recipe you want to make, but don't have the buttermilk...never fear!!!  Freeze it!!

 

Just pour your buttermilk into ice cube trays...(they will be anywhere from 1 1/2 Tbsp to 2 Tbsp) and Freeze!!

When your trays are frozen, take them out. Put them in a freezer bag. label, and return to the freezer.

When you are ready to use, just take out what you need and let thaw. Whisk or shake in a jar to incorporate, and it's ready to use! These "cubes" should last about 3-5 months.

Vintage treasure of the week:

My second vintage treasure is this beautiful enamel bowl that belonged to my Grandmother on my Mom's side. Her name was Margaret Heinkel and she was a wonderful cook!!! My mom says I'm just like her. I take that as a HUGE compliment as she is almost Saint- like in my book. She had 4 children. Two had Muscular Dystrophy and were in wheel chairs. She took care of them all by herself along with the other kids, while my Grandpa worked. She cooked and baked, canned and stored everything she could from my Grandpa's garden. It is very interesting that I work with adults with special abilites, and do many of things she did...I hope I make her proud. Whenever I use this bowl, I think of, and feel incredibly close to her.

This week has had many ups and downs for me, but I feel so grateful for my family and friends who continue to uplift and love me for me...Thank you.

What do you own that brings back memories of a loved one?

Love to you all...
Kerry  :)

What do Chickens, Smoked Paprika, and Timeless Treasures have in Common? They all ROCK! :)

Our coop and chickens

CHICKENS ARE COOL!!

Hey! Have you ever thought about having chickens? If you haven't I will have you talked into getting some in no time. I know at least 5 people that have gotten chickens from talking to me, or coming out to see my coop! My best friend Janet met me for lunch one day to ask me about the care and keeping of chickens. Well, that was over 2 years ago, and she now has over 80,(yes 80!) chickens! She is even thinking of breeding certain breeds to sell their eggs for hatching! Why do I like chickens so much? Well, the obvious reason: Eggs. The eggs from farm-raised, and free range chickens are the absolute best eggs you will ever have! Why? Because they have access to bugs and weeds. They get to roam free, or in a fenced in area or yard. They are not stuck in a cage and fed only engineered food. If you put a farm-raised free-range egg next to a store bought egg, you will see a clear difference. The farm-raised egg will be almost orange, compared to the store-bought pale yellow. The other difference is how the yolk stands up...see how the store-bought egg is almost flat, and my chickens egg has a nice sturdy, round shape? That's because the store-bought egg is old, How old? Well, who knows?

One of my chicken's eggs on left...store bought on right!

  A Saturday to myself...

Today started out simple enough. I decided to make Apple Butter . Oh how it made the house smell wonderful as it was cooking! (More on that later..:) )

While the wonderful apple butter was cooking...
I went out and gave the chickens some scraps and decided to finally pull all of our remaining carrots in the garden

Our last remaining carrots...

 

 

I am storing the carrots in a root vegetable basket my mom got me. You add damp sand in between the layers of carrots, and they should stay crisp and fresh all winter, as long as they are in a cool, dry and dark place!

I just love decorating outside(and inside!) with things found in nature...I even have very tall, large birch branches in a vase in my living room,and they look awesome! It does help to have 13 foot ceilings, however! So today I decided to decorate my front porch, front of the garage, chicken coop flowerbox and deck with leaves, weeds, and other treasures that I found in the yard!

Front of garage~urns with birch branches and leaves

 

 

Weeds and leaves make a wonderful display! ( do

you happen to see the little cutie in the window?)

 

                                                            Chicken Coop Flower Box

 

Finally about 11:00 pm, my Apple Butter was ready to can! It looked and smelled heavenly. I got them all done around midnight..

I am not even kidding when I tell you, you HAVE to try this wonderfully thick and rich recipe! It's the best Apple Butter I have ever tasted.

Here is the recipe: Apple Butter~

6  1/2 lbs. apples-peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup Sugar
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract ( I did not use this, as I felt it was great as is, and didn't need it)

1. Place apples in slow cooker. In medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Pour mixture over apples and mix well.
2. Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
3. Uncover, stir in vanilla, and continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 more hours.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth.
5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, freeze, or can in water bath canner for 10 minutes.
6. Enjoy on breads, muffins, pork chops or whatever! :)

I love English muffins, and decided to make homemade English Muffin bread to toast with this wonderful apple butter...

English Muffin Bread

This bread is fantastic! Crunchy crust with a very chewy inside...YUM! If you would like this recipe, please let me know!

This has been a really great weekend! Hannah went to a fun Birthday Party, and Ethan went 4-wheeling and to Buck-O-Rama with his friends...Erik is still (literally) working his fingers to the bone, so I make sure I have LOTS of wonderful food for him to come home to!
What did you do this weekend?
Until next time...

Kerry :)