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Saturday, September 29, 2012

Three Basic Apple Recipes

This week I sent 7 years old Greta up into our neighbors tree to pick 60 pounds of apples - she threw them to the ground and I loaded up our buckets full of their amazing Macintosh apples.  Apples are listed as the #1 food you need to purchase organic according to the 12 Dirty Dozen food list developed each year.   The peel of an apple is thin and once the apple tree is sprayed you can be sure the chemicals and pesticides overtake your apple.  

Apples from our neighbors


The first thing I did with the apples is make applesauce.  In fact I spent 2 days making and canning applesauce.  By the time I was done I literally felt stir crazy. 


RECIPE 1:    APPLESAUCE

Core 40 pounds of apples (or whichever amount you choose)
Boil apples for 30 minute
Run the apples through a food mill which removes skin and seeds and turned into applesauce. 
Boil the applesauce with about 1/2 cup of honey, 1/2 cup of steevia, and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon (to taste)
Can sauce (water bath canner for 12 minutes) which made about 24 quarts of applesauce or freeze!

 My kids eat a ton of applesauce, and I feel good knowing that I've made a fairly healthy version of something they already love.   My Grandma made the best applesauce ever - we looked forward to it every year BUT, later I found out the reason it was so good because it consisted of half apples and half sugar.  While I'd love to carry on her tradition, I'm choosing a healthier version of her sauce.

Applesauce in my Grandma's bubble dishes
Check out the trees in our backyard - the picture doesn't do it justice



Recipe 2:  Crock Pot Apple Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients
  • 2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped)
  • 1-1/2 cups milk (or substitute non-diary alternative like almond milk)
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or substitute maple syrup or other desired sweetener)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Spray with non-stick cooking spray, mix ingredients, and cook oats and apples on low for 7 to 8 hours and breakfast is served - DELICIOUS!!!

Steel Cut Oats and Apples in the Crockpot - YUM!


I've also made my share of apple pies this week both for the neighbors and for the family.  Seriously, I'm not sure if there's anything better in the whole world than fresh, warm, apple pie.

RECIPE 3:  Basic Apple Pie

Make 2 pie crusts using your favorite recipe
In a bowl combine the following:
6 cups apples
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat oven to 425.  Place 1 pie crust on the bottom of a pie tin, add filling ingredients and cook for 35 to 40 minutes.  Enjoy!

Here's Greta peeling my apples for apple pie
I like to peel the apples outside because it's a bit messy



I'm also proud of my new canning skills (thanks to Kristy Harrison) and I continued to can 24 more pints of salsa.  I'm TOTALLY in love with this salsa, and I knew I needed to increase my stock.  Here's a video of my canned goods:


Keep in mind, if I could get my hands on an iPhone 5 I would have a panoramic picture, but instead I'll need to video until I can can get my hands on one (I have real big problems, don't I?).

Such an AMAZING day and time of year.  Earlier I was able to hike the absolutely stunning Birkie trail with a friend and last night the kids and I walked around our property admiring the trees as the sun was setting.    As the sun was almost down, I was surrounded by those I love most in the world, the trees were magical and I was brought to tears as I realized how blessed I am to feel my heart and soul overflowing with love for my family.  When we got back Greta wrote this poem and glued some leaves onto paper so we could remember the magnificent Fall day:






What are you doing on this fabulous Fall weekend?  We're headed up to Fall Fest in Cable - can't wait!!

Thanks for reading,

Kristin


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Compost Happens

My compost pile is seriously the most redneck thing you've ever seen - but it works and I've been composting consistently for about 13 years.    What is composting?  Well, it's basically taking your vegetable, fruit scraps, and adding them to a pile to decompose into rich, black soil.


Redneck composter
So there's four 2x4's pounded into the soil and a 10 foot fence nailed to the 2x4's which encloses the compost pile.
In the Spring, I open the bottom of the fence and shovel out black dirt.
Seriously, look at all the weird things growing out of my compost pile.
Might be time for a new one soon.
 

Instead of throwing fruit and vegetable scraps in the non-compostable plastic garbage bag, just throw your scrapes in a bowl and bring it out daily.   Now, some serious composters worry about turning their pile, aerating the materials, adding moisture but I just throw everything into our fenced in pile, over a period of time it turns into black dirt and every Spring time the compost can be used in our gardening projects.  Composting is nature's ultimate recycling project.

To get to the black dirt, I open the bottom of the fence and start digging out AMAZING black dirt.  We live in sand so black dirt is a hot commodity.




Here's what can be composted:
  • Egg shells
  • Veggie scraps
  • Fruit scraps
  • Coffee grounds and coffee filters
  • Tea and tea bags
  • Paper towel
  • Noodles
  • Leaves, pine needles, grass clippings, etc.
Here's what can not be composted:

  • Dairy scraps
  • Grease
  • Meat scraps

You would think that we'd have problems with the smell or with animals - but generally the compost does not have a strong odor and other than the occasional bear, we haven't had issues with animals.

Here's the compost bin I would like someday:



With this composter, you throw in your scraps, add water if it needs to be moistened, and turn daily and in a short time you will have black dirt, cool huh?

So, why not consider composting?  Yes, you can make it complicated, but my SIMPLE method has worked for our family for 13 years, so why not consider recycling your scraps versus sending it to the landfill?

Hey, it's a Saturday night and I'm knee deep in applesauce - quite literally.  I think I bit off more than I can chew.  I remember when my Saturdays were a little more adventurous, but I'm not complaining.  What are you doing this Saturday night?

 
Thanks for reading,
 
Kristin

Friday, September 21, 2012

Canning Is Not For Sissies - Part Deux

Today marked another canning craze for some friends and me - I can not tell you how much I love cooking and canning with these women.  So. Much. Fun!!!  Our master canner, Kristy couldn't make it today and we missed her TERRIBLY, but it also forced us to learn how to can on our own - and that's a good thing.

Sooz, Me and Jeanine in the midst of canning


Today we focused our efforts on canning salsa and whole tomatoes equivalent to about 150 pounds of tomatoes (over 3 bushels).  When I came home with my loot, Graham said to me, "mom, why can't we just be normal and buy our tomato products at the store?"  Ha!    I have faith that some day he'll appreciate the extra effort.


Here's the recipe we used for the awesome tasting picante:

Wanda Severson's Picante Sauce:
30 large or 40 medium tomatoes peeled and quartered
12 hot banana peppers
18 jalapeno peppers
4 cups of vinegar
12 onions
4 green peppers
4 T lemon juice
4 T sugar
2 tsp. cumin
½ cup canning salt
6 tsp. oregano
4 - 12 ounces of tomato paste

Bring ingredients to a boil except for paste. Simmer for 2 hours. Stir in paste after 2 hours stirring continuously until dissolved.  Add to water bath for 10 minutes.
 
To can tomatoes whole, you need to remove the skins (run under hot, hot water then plunge into cold water and remove the skins), add to a quart jar, and either pressure can or use the water bath method. 

Do you think we are set for winter?  Well, for a good part of it at least!

We've had such a wonderful week.  Graham continues to impress us on the football field, my parents AND grandparents came up to visit Thursday night, and Greta was chosen to be on the Homecoming float today!

Greta is in the middle in the yellow with the light brown hair
 
 
My big dilemma of the night, should I run the Birkie 1/2 Marathon or rest my injured calf.  I was scheduled for 2 ultrasounds and they were both rescheduled so I don't have any answers other than my calves hurt and they give me problems especially after about 7 miles.  What to do, what to do.  Truthfully, I want to be scouring the area for the new iPhone 5, but I guess I could live another few days without one (ha!).
 
Have you ever done any canning?  I'm new to it, but I LOVE it - especially hanging with my girl friends.
 
Kristin
 
 And to my friend Sooz - THANK-YOU for being the best hostess in the world.  You rock and I can not thank-you enough for opening your home and for your friendship :)

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Kids Mexican Dance Party

September 15th marks the day the Mexicans declared independence from Spain.  Since we love to celebrate any holiday, we had to plan our very own kids Mexican Dance Party.  

The Menu:

  • Taco's
  • Mexican Jello
  • Chips and Salsa (from the garden)
  • Mexican Fruit (grapes)
  • Mexican Veggies (tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots from the garden)
  • Mexican Lemonade (from scratch, honey for the sweetener)
  • Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here's the 3 Amigo's posing with their Mexican meal
Most everything is being served on my Grandma's dishes
 

Simple menu, yes.  But, in my experience the more simple the meal, the more the kids will eat.

THE DANCE PARTY:

As for the dance party, the kids and I had a ton of fun decorating the night before.  Here's a picture of our basement before the dance:

Before the Dance Party


The Dance In 6 Pictures:

After - 30 balloons and 3 rolls of crepe paper - the pic doesn't do it justice


Headstands


Bust a Move


We had to have some old fashioned '80's head banging!
Be careful girls, I once got whip lash that way (true story).


The night ended with Gus' friend performing his made-up serious song about the ridiculousness of girls. 
It was so adorable :)


During the dance party, I served a tray of grapes and a veggie tray and the kids munched on them all night and I never heard, "I'm hungry" which is quite common for second graders. 

PICKLED JALAPENO

It only seemed appropriate on the Mexican Independence Day that I pickle my 50 jalapeno peppers  picked from the garden this week.  Last year, I dried all my peppers but this year I decided to try the pickling method which worked GREAT!

Ingredients
50 Jalapenos
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pickling spice

Boil vinegar, sugar and spice for 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved.  Add pickling spice. Pour over jalapenos and store in a jar for up to 2 months.

Pickled Jalapenos

Happy Grito de Dolores!!   What's your favorite Mexican dish?  I'd have to say the glutenous chocoflan, but I didn't think the kids would appreciate it.

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Friday, September 14, 2012

Book Geek

For some reason, I've been in a non-fiction rut since my last book blog .  Keep reading and you will find my quick and dirty reviews:

  • Eat and Run by Scott Jurek - 2 THUMBS UP - loved this book
             Autobiography - very inspirational book about an ultra marathoner and vegan

Eat and Run, Scott Jurek



  • Born to Run by Christopher McDougall - 1 3/4 THUMBS UP
          True story about a group of runners in the canyons of Mexico - interesting read!


Born to Run




  • The Way I See It by Temple Grandin - 1 THUMBS UP
           Interesting read about Temple's view of the world living with Aspberger's

Me with Temple Grandin this summer

  • Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx - 2 THUMBS WAY UP
          Awesome read about Nikki Sixx's road to recovery. I've read it twice :)



Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx



  • Food Rules, Micheal Pollan - 1 1/2 thumbs up

Food Rules, Micheal Pollan


This line from his book sums it up:  Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants.
Thanks to my cousin Erinn for sending me this great book!

I'm smack dab in the middle of State of Wonder by Ann Patchet and I'm really enjoying it.  Ann wrote Bel Canto which happens to be on my top 10 books of all times.

Just off the top of my head, I would classify these as my top non-fiction books:
  • Bel Canto, Ann Patchet
  • Mudbound, Hillary Jordan
  • Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
  • Roots, Alex Haley
  • Dovekeeper, Alice Hoffman
  • A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith
What's your favorite non-fiction book?

We're having such an awesome week.  Graham scored a couple of touchdowns in his football game, Greta was asked to represent her class in the homecoming float and my little Gus is happy to be back in school.  To celebrate we've been working hard to pull off a little Mexican Dance Party scheduled for Saturday night. 

Check out my harvest - this for sure is the last big harvest.  Check out the purple and gold cauliflower (thanks Kerry!).

Check out Thursdays harvest - wowser!


Have a great weekend,

Kristin

Monday, September 10, 2012

Go Pack Go!

Sunday was the day I've been waiting for - the official kickoff of the NFL season.  Lucky for me a mystery someone dropped off tickets for me on my birthday.  Well, he had no idea it was my birthday and I paid for them, but seriously I thought it was the best gift ever - next to my duct tape flip flops of course.   My cousin Erinn, my son Graham and my cousin's son headed to the game yesterday bright and early and arrived just in time for some tailgate action.


Tailgate:  brats,  green and gold veggies, cheese curds, and Packer jello
I brought a piece of my Grandma with me:  jello and veggies are being served in her dishes.


While I'd love to pretend that I had the perfect tailgate party organized, I'd be lying.  But hey, my Packer jello was a hit and delicious and the green and gold veggies from my garden were actually devoured so it wasn't a total fail.  I just had grilling problems but next time I'll do better - we all learn from our mistakes, right? 

Here's the recipe for my Packer jello:

INGREDIENTS
Green Jello
Yellow Jello
Plain Gelatin
1 cup of water
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces whipping cream
4 tablespoons of sugar

Make green jello and let sit for 2 hours.   Add packet of plain / clear gelatin to 1 cup of water and let sit for 1 minutes.  Add whipping cream and sugar and heat on low until sugar is dissolved.  Once cool, add sour cream and add on to the next layer.  Let cool for 2 hours and make the yellow jello and add to the top.


Look who came to visit us during tailgating:  Willie Buchanon from the 77-81 Packers and Micheal Butler from the '82 Packers.   


Me, Willie Buchanon, Owen (in front), Graham and my cousin Erinn





Me, Micheal Butler (82 Packer) and Graham



Whew!  What a L-O-N-G day.  But, we were able to see the '49er's make a record setting field goal (boo!) AND we had a great time bonding with family.  Now, I'm praying the Packers can pull it off this Thursday against the Bears.  No tailgating party this Thursday because I'm pretty sure I might still be tired (ha!).

The question of the day though: why didn't Donald Driver play?  Rumor has it he may be on the trading block but I HOPE NOT!!
 
Oh Donald, I hope you can stick around!
 
 

I've been dying to share with you this fabulous 4 ingredient quinoa recipe:

Zucchini Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cup broth
1 zucchini
1 cup cheddar

Make 1 cup of quinoa per directions only replace water with chicken or vegetable broth.  When quinoa is done, add shredded zucchini and 1 cup of cheddar.  Use salt and pepper to taste.

This took me 15 minutes and I LOVED it :)


Zucchini Quinoa - I placed this on top of my daily harvest



What's your favorite tailgate food?

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Canning Is Not For Sissies

Friday marked the first day of canning for me and a couple of friends.  We started with tomato sauce from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which tastes fantastically delicious. 

The first step in canning is to boil down the tomatoes until they are soft and then run them through the squeezo to remove all the seeds and the skin.  Believe it or not, this is not as easy as you would think and Sooz and I almost broke out into a sweat while processing the tomatoes into juice.

Canning is not for sissies - we broke out in an almost sweat


Next we made the sauce (delicious):

10 quarts tomato puree
(about 30 lbs. tomatoes)
4 large onions
1 cup dried basil
½ cup honey
4 tbs. dried oregano
3 tbs. salt
2 tbsp ground lemon peel
2 tbsp. thyme
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs. dried parsley
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
Soften onions and garlic in a heavy 3-gallon kettle – add a small amount of water if necessary but no oil if you are canning (very important!). Add pureed tomatoes and all seasonings, bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for two to three hours until sauce has thickened to your liking. Stir frequently, especially toward the end, to avoid burning. Meanwhile, heat water in canner bath, sterilize jars in boiling water or dishwasher, and pour boiling water over jar lids.
Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice per jar.  This is ensures that the sauce will be safely acidic. When the sauce is ready, ladle it into the jars leaving ½ inch headspace. Put jars into canner and boil for 35 minutes. Remove, cool, check all seals, label and store for winter.

Pouring the sauce into jars



After the sauce boiled down, we poured them into jars and added to a water bath canner and pressure canner to preserve the sauce and after about 40 minutes - done!     Kristy Harrison is the master canner who helps guide us through the process and this year Meghan Droessler and Jeanine Connell joined in on the fun. What a great day!

Yes, making tomato sauce is a lot work but if you buy tomato sauce in the store and it's not organic, you are buying a product FULL of pesticides and the tomato sauce cans (if not organic) still contain BPA.   I do believe it's worth the extra effort and what a great excuse to spend 8 hours with some amazing women friends.

I'm drying parsley today.  To preserve parsley, lay on the counter until completely dry (up to 24 hours).  Once dry, add parsley to a paper bag and tape the bag in the fridge so the parsley hangs upright.  Parsley is a moist herb and the flavor does not hold if you simply hang it upside down.  I've been storing my dried herbs in glass jars and they look so beautiful.

Parsley


Tomorrow is the big Packer game which means tailgating so I'm trying to prepare as best as I can since Green Bay is not exactly next door (4 1/2 hours).    Regardless, it should be a FANTASTIC day.  Go Packers.

Do you have any tailgating ideas?

Thanks for reading,

Kristin





 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Easy Squash Recipes: Appetizers, Main Course and Dessert

This first recipe is DYNAMITE.   I consider a meal a success if 4 out of the 5 in my family like what I make but with this meal I received a perfect 5 out 5 with everyone asking for more.    And, it's gluten free, totally healthy and completely delicious.  Don't pass this one up - squash is in season so now is the time to try it.


Spaghetti Squash Ratatouille


1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
1/4 cup white wine
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 zucchini, sliced
2 cans stewed tomatoes (or make your own!)
1 cup spaghetti sauce
Oregano, basil, and pepper to taste

Prepare and cook squash as you would any other type of
winter squash (halve, remove seeds, place face-down in a
pan of water and bake in the oven @ 350 degrees for 45
minutes to an hour, until fork tender). Heat wine in a
skillet. Sauté onions and garlic in the wine for a few
minutes. Add both kinds of peppers and cook until tender.
Add zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes, cooking until
the mixture begins to thicken. Add spaghetti sauce
and stir together. Add oregano, basil, and pepper to
taste. Separate spaghetti squash strands with a fork and
place in a large bowl. Spoon sauce over the spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti Squash Rattatouie


 Here's an interesting but super good squash appetizer. 

SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALSA

1 spaghetti squash
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
2 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno minced
1/4 cup lime juice
1 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. parsley
1 T. marjoram
pinch of sugar
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the spaghetti squash.  Cool and mix with all ingredients.  Chill for an hour before serving.

Squash Salsa


Last but not least - DESSERT!  Who knew that making a pumpkin pie from a pie pumpkin could be so easy.  Seriously - and so delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1 pie pumpkin cooked (cut pumpkin in half and bake upside down in water for one hour)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 salt
1 pie crust

In a blender combine top ingredients.  Add to a crust and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Delicious!!



Pumpkin Pie




Here's a picture of my day's harvest.  I'm REALLY looking forward to canning tomatoes with some friends tomorrow!  Woohoo!  More to come on that, I'm sure.

One day's harvest - gotta' love the early days of September


Anyone have any other good squash recipes?  I've suddenly very fond of spaghetti squash - yum.

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Birthday Eats

My birthday morning began with a 14 mile hilly run that was quite interesting.  I got slightly lost, ran into a bear, my calf muscles were screaming - but hey it was unforgettable (thanks for the help Colleen).  If you told me at age 32 I'd run 14 miles at the age of 42 for fun I'd never, ever believe you.  Anything is possible.

After the run, my friends the Brousard's organized a potluck and it FAR exceeded my expectations.  Now these people understand good quality food - I was VERY impressed. 

My present today?  Duct tape flip flops from my kids.  Seriously, I love their creativity. 

Check out my new duct tape flip flops made by my kids - so sweet!


My birthday meal consisted of nothing but TOMATOES.  Wow, I'm over-run with them and I'm not complaining.  Here's a picture of one days harvest - WOW!

Greta hugging the daily harvest


First I made gazpacho soup which I love.  BTW, this tastes so much better the next day.  The recipe looks complicated, but it's actually very quick, simple and delicious.  I've been looking for a good gazpacho recipe and this is fantastic - here's the link:  Awesome Gazpacho Soup



Awesome Gazpacho Soup
 

And, I made my favorite salsa:

5 tomatoes
1/2 cup cilantro
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
Salsa Seasoning (sold at all of our local stores)

Chop veggies, mix with seasoning and let sit for one hour.


Salsa


I'm breathing a sigh of relief since we FINISHED up our Summer 2012 Bucket List
We've had a super busy week trying to squeeze it all in and I'm very happy to be home.   Greta said Mall of America was her favorite trip, Gus picked the Packer game, and Graham LOVED Skyzone Trampoline.   I personally loved my trip to the MN State Fair and the Motley Crue / Kiss concert.  At the State Fair I consumed deep fried green beans, sweet potato tater tots, and jalapeno cheese deep fried on a stick.  Hey, you only live once! 

I went to Redbery Books tonight in Cable to buy myself a new book for my birthday.  When I was 22 I never imagined that 20 years later I'd be happy to be home on my birthday with a good book.   Sounds lame I'm sure, but it's been one heck of a week.

What are you reading?

Kristin