My full time life: A journal

Nonni

2012-01-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

Nonni went into the hospital yesterday. She is staying in for another night tonight. Dehydration, low blood sugar and pain.

For those that read my blog, prayers are appreciated. She is 100 years young and she ate like a trooper for breakfast this morning. I'm thankful for small things, like a good appetite for her!

Here she is last month at her 100th birthday bash!!!

A sorrowful goodbye

2012-01-27T07:00:00.004-05:00

Rest in Peace
Shirley Bailey
You will be missed, but I'm glad your suffering is over.

God bless you on your journey to see your son and The Son. I know that is all you wanted.

Maria, where are you?

2012-01-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't been blogging. No, I haven't been doing anything fun. No, I haven't even spent any time with my husband or kids. Hence, the title of this blog post!

These past two weeks have been spent on work - when you are a bookkeeper and you need to work on END of the YEAR stuff, you don't have a choice. And when a new Zumba session is about to start, you have to dance and work. And when a big project is going on at your real job, you need to work. And when everyone is pulling you from every direction, you still have to work........

And when you schedule a vacation for the end of one of your busiest months - You are a FOOL! (that would be me!)

So, this fool is out of the picture for a little while longer, while I finish all these jobs and take a much needed, well deserved, but ill-timed vacation!

I will catch up with all my blog friends and all my posting and my life when I get back and finish out the month!

WHEW!!!!

Mantra for today......

2012-01-14T04:08:00.003-05:00

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got, and you'll always feel what you always felt.
~Attributed to Henry Ford

Change is a-comin'!!!!! I can feel it!

Recipe variation

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I posted one of my old time favorite recipes. I used to make it all the time. Lately, I haven't been buying a lot of preserves (mostly because I have so many in my cold room), I decided to give this recipe a try, BUT with a twist.

I am not sure what to call it, so I'll continue to call it Apricot Chicken.....

1 Package of Chicken skinless chicken breasts (bone in or out - whichever you prefer)
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of olive oil
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 half pints of corn cob jelly (my last two from last summer) - (I have more corn cobs frozen so guess what I'll be doing soon)
1 Envelope Liption Onion Soup mix dry
Spices: Basil, garlic powder, whatever you like

Method:

Mix wine, oil, vinegar, jelly, spices and soup mix in a bowl.

Pour mixture over chicken in a 9 x 13 pan. Cover tightly with foil for one hour at 350 degrees. After one hour, baste with juices and take off cover for about 15 minutes. Raise temperature to 375 and baste every five minutes.

Delish!

Apricot Chicken

2012-01-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

This used to be a family favorite recipe. When my life changed and I moved back home many years ago, I forgot all about it and I know I haven't made it since I bought my new house, so it has been close to 10 years since I made this recipe. But it's so easy and so good. It is sort of a Sweet/Sour Dish.

Apricot Chicken

1 Package of chicken (I usually use breasts, but use what ever you like - it should be skinless - I used five breasts - bone in)
1 jar of Apricot Preserves
1 bottle of Wish bone Italian Dressing (use whatever brand you like) 8 oz.
1 Lipton Onion Soup Mix Package Dry

Method:

Put Preserves, Dressing and Lipton onion soup mix package in a bowl. Stir it up!

Put Chicken in a 9 x 13 pan, pour dressing mixture over everything.

Cover with foil tightly for one hour at 350 degrees. Uncover, baste the chicken with the dressing mixture and let cook a little longer (15 minutes) until it browns up a little. I raised the oven temp. to 375 for the last 15 minutes.

Serve with rice and salad.

So easy and so good!

Tomorrow, I will post a variation on this recipe - I just made it and it was great also!

Guess what I watched last night?

2012-01-09T03:03:00.007-05:00

Out of respect for my husband, I didn't blog last night....but today is a different story!

So, so, so excited that the Bronco's won!!
Don't get me wrong, I love the Steelers, but I love an underdog MORE!

What a game!

My daughter didn't know which way to turn. The Steelers are HER team, but she has been in love with Tebow for a while now (as in love as a 17 year old can be!) - so funny.......

I know I've talked about him in a few blog posts, so does everyone know who Tebow is today? Hmmm?

Freebies

2012-01-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

The holidays have been busy and my time to look for freebies has been limited. I only got a few things this past month - But at least it is all stuff I can use!

AmLacton Body Lotion (2)
Twining Tea (3)
Dove Hair Conditioning Oil
Dove Hair Conditioning Oil - Not sure how I scored two of these in the same week?

Cyrus - at one year old!

2012-01-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

Our puppy turned one year old on January 2nd!

He still drives me nuts, he sheds more than I can handle, I still am not a dog person, but everyone loves him and he is actually a very good dog!

Here he is when we first got him:

And here he is today!

He weighs about 75 lbs....

New Year's Day

2012-01-02T07:07:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful day! I spent my day cooking and cleaning! But so thankful to be doing something that I really wanted to do!

I put five pieces of pork in the oven and it cooked over night, all night on low. We love pulled pork and I also made homemade cole slaw with the last head of cabbage from the CSA - it was a great supper.

I cleaned out the refrigerator today - OMG, I should be embarrassed - it was SO bad! It didn't have a lot of old food, but it was just dirty and needed to be cleaned top to bottom.....Done!

I put away the Christmas decorations on Saturday and the nativity got put away today!

Before church, I met my mom for coffee and she said she wanted to work in the back yard - it's 50 degrees in CT - ridiculously warm - and she wanted to do some things to get the garden winter ready. So, I got there around 2:40. By that time, her and my sister had already dug out two of the smaller fig trees and put them in the greenhouse for the winter. I was a little late and she said the only thing she had left to do was wrap the fig trees for winter. What? Wrap fig trees? Me? This is my brother's job, but he has just been too busy! So, since I knew that by Tuesday the 3rd of January, it would be 27 degrees, I figured I had better help!

So, I called on the Italian peasant farmer gods of old. I have never even watched anyone wrap a tree, but between my mom and me, we figured it out. My dad's fig trees are more like bushes - one is a white fig and the other, I'm not sure of. So, we got out the twine, the old blankets and the tarps. First, we wrapped up the branches tight to the center. It took a few wraps of twine. Next, we put on the blanket and tied that tightly around the bush with twine. Next, we put tarp around the whole thing and tied that with twine, too. We put a lot of rocks on the ground on top of the tarp so it wouldn't blow away. We did two bushes and it doesn't look too bad. (one is about 6 feet, the other 5 feet tall)

So far, I have had to call on the Gods of my ancestors twice (the farmers) and both times, they have come through for me. Since, I have decided to examine my life this year and figure out which direction I am heading for 2012, maybe more farming is in my future?

Oh no....

2012-01-01T19:56:00.002-05:00

Hubby just walked into the house and said next week, the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the Denver Broncos.....and he is serious!

My daughter wants a plane ticket to see Tim Tebow and Troy Polamalu - her two favorites!

Who to root for?

Happy New Year - 2012!

2011-12-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

2012 - you can't come fast enough - I need you here right now!!!!

Thank you!

Enjoy everyone, don't drink and drive, assign a designated driver, have fun and know that 2012 is going to be so much better.......

It doesn't get easier sometimes....

2011-12-29T18:00:00.002-05:00

R.I.P.
Mr. Ted Estwan

You will be missed.

The holidays...

2011-12-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

I got through Christmas....

That doesn't sound like fun does it. I didn't enjoy it, I didn't participate in it, but I got through it. I figured I had to get through the first two major holidays without my dad and once I did that, it would be better. And it is.

Thanksgiving was extremely tough. Christmas was easier. I just tried not to think about it and kept my mind on other things. Keeping busy seems to work.

So, two holidays down and one to go (Easter). It is getting easier, but it will never be easy.

I'm already thinking about how to make next year's holidays better - I think they have to be different to be better. Not the same old, same old. I love traditions, but I need to change it up......

Maybe somewhere different, maybe something different to eat, maybe new people....

I don't know. I'll figure it out!

So, I guess I just needed to get this out.

Christmas Cappelletti

2011-12-22T22:34:00.001-05:00

We have soup for Christmas Day dinner (before the roast). The soup is called Cappelletti (little hats). I believe it is native to the province of Marche in Italy, from which we can trace our roots. In our family, although one or two people can probably make enough Cappelletti for 37 people, it takes a village (the whole famiglia) to do some part of the process.....Instead of Wednesday night supper, we had Wednesday night "Cappelletti night"!

My three helping with the pasta.

Two of the trips and Damian helping out.

Sam, Mary and Analisa

We made over 500. Damian made the filling, Chris made the pasta, Rick and Andrea put the pasta through the machine, I cut the pasta, everyone else filled them and sealed them. Analisa counted......We assume 15 per person and then extra for later on. Because I only get these once a year, I usually have three bowls of soup and that is my Christmas dinner. I can have roast or ham any other day of the year!

Photo credit

This is what it will look like on Christmas day. I can't wait!!!!!

Where have I been?....and a Funny!

2011-12-19T08:08:00.004-05:00

So, this week has been crazy busy for me as I am sure it has been for everyone else out there in blogville. I got all my baking done, I got all my shopping done and now all I have to do is wrap. I have been to multiple parties with another one tonight!

So all is good in my little world! I'll be back to blogging and hopefully with some pictures tomorrow.

Anyway, just a quick note. As you know, here in the household, we are Steelers/Eagles/Cowboys/Dolphins fans - we are an eclectic bunch! But my daughter got me on the Tim Tebow fan bus about six weeks ago.....We watch him almost faithfully! (if they are on TV here on the East Coast). I know they lost yesterday! Oh well....But here is a funny that I got from my friend Jaqui over the weekend (who is another TT fan:

Tim, Tom, And GOD

Tom Brady, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God

was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded

Patriots flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity Tom, said

God. "This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here." Tom felt

special, indeed, and walked up to his house.

On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just around the

corner. It was a huge 3-story mansion with Orange and Blue sidewalks and

drive ways, a 50 foot tall flagpole with an enormous Broncos logo flag

waving, a swimming pool in shape of a horse, a Broncos logo in every

window, and a Tim Tebow jersey on the front door.

Tom looked at God and said "God, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I

have a question. I was an all-pro QB, I won 3 Super Bowls, and I even

went to the Hall of Fame."

God said "So what's your point Tom?"

"Well, why does Tim Tebow get a better house than me?"

God chuckled, and said "Tom, that's not Tim's house, it's mine."

(Go Steelers - MNF)

The 100th Birthday Party

2011-12-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

What a party!!!

Nonni turned 100 on Thursday - we had the party last night at the local Italian hall and it was wonderful. We had a four piece band, about 90 people, all of her children, grandchildren and all but one great grandchild who was away at college.....People came from as far as Indiana.

Susie, a granddaughter putting on the corsage.

Nonni and her two daughters.

One Beautiful Lady!!!

The family before the guests started to arrive!

All of her great grandchildren!!

The entire family...

With her two daughters and Uncle Louie.

Aunt Jenny's side of the family!

With her children and grandchildren only.

Inez side of the family!

Our family with Nonni!

Thomas and I with Nonni!

Nonni with her god daughter Diana.

Nonni about to cut the cake!

Cutting the cake!

Dancing at her 100th!!

Everyone dancing with her!!!

Everyone enjoyed her dancing. She got up three times to dance, when she liked the music!!!! It was a great party!!! So much food and good times.....

I thought about it a little. How many times in a person's life to they get to attend a 100th birthday party grand celebration? Not many. We are all very lucky!!!

I'm heading over there now to see her and to eat some leftovers!!

Disney

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

We had a great mini vacation....We saw a lot of Florida - we flew into Ft. Lauderdale, drove to Naples, stayed there for one night and then drove up to Orlando for three days.....The best weather I have ever had in December!!

I'm a proud mama today

2011-12-07T20:29:00.000-05:00

The team my daughter coaches came in second place in National Competition in Florida. 2nd in the nation out of 11 teams. But they beat quite a few teams to get down there in the first place.....

She also got into Campbell University (in NC) before we left for vacation and now she just got into Duquesne University (in PA). Woot-Woot!!

Those are the farthest two colleges that she applied to - both about 7-1/2 hours away driving distance.....in totally different directions!

It's a good week, so far!

Disney bound

2011-12-04T12:57:00.000-05:00

On the highway right now, headed to Disney. MICKEY HERE WE COME (:

Freebies

2011-12-03T11:57:00.012-05:00

I've been signing up for a lot of things:

OB Tampons
Playtex Tampons
Dr. Lewinn Dermal wrinkle filler
Dr. Lewinn Anti-wrinkle night cream
Escada perfume sample
Playtex Sport Tampons
Aveeno Shampoo and Conditioner

It's the Trips Birthday!!

2011-12-02T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today, the little darlings are Four Years Old! Time flies! I'll post pictures of the party tonight after it is over. But for now, here they are....

Thanksgiving Candids

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

My nieces and nephew.

Three Granddaughters and one step granddaughter with their Mema (my MIL).

My brothers, and sisters and mom and myself.

My three being silly!

I wish I took more pictures. I just forgot.

And a Very Happy Birthday to my sister today! She got her favorite treats from me....Mallo Cups. They aren't sold around here any more so I order them special for her every year!

The end of the hens....for this year!

2011-11-27T18:07:00.000-05:00

Today was the day!

The chickens have been molting for well over a month. Even though we have had some of the most beautiful November weather on record, I was getting maybe one egg a day. The hens are almost two years old and it was time to say goodbye. I will be getting either four or six new pullets in March next year.

My brother-in-law Joe came over to do the deed.....He and hubby did the killing and Joe and I did the plucking and cleaning, etc.

For those of you who do not want to see this process, please proceed with caution. The pictures aren't grisly but they are a true representation...

First off, Joe cut off their heads and let them bleed out. You can't really see much above.
Next, Joe started plucking feathers.......

I channeled my dad. I asked him for strength and all of a sudden, I started plucking the second one! This one was the Silver Wyandotte and was my dad's favorite!

Here is one almost all done....

Joe is scraping the last of the feathers. The big pot held the boiling water, which we dipped them into to help get rid of the hardest feather quills.

I offered Joe one of the soup chickens. He told me my sister would not want that in the house.....I need to have a discussion with my sister!

So, I froze two chickens for another time and two went into the pot for soup.

I think tomorrow, it will be chicken with rice soup for dinner.....

The Turkey

2011-11-26T06:08:00.000-05:00

I got my turkey from Stone Gardens Farm again this year. I asked Stacia for a 25 lb. turkey. My sister was also making another turkey for our evening meal (or leftovers for everyone to take home).

When I got to Stone Gardens, Stacia said Maria, I had to give you a bigger turkey this year. There were so many that were 30 lbs., so I upped your bird - I hope you don't mind.

Well, I got a 31 lb. turkey. It was huge and heavy!

I should have taken some before and after pictures. But here are the after pictures....I placed organic bacon on mine to give it more flavor!!!

The cover would not fit on my pan. I had to use foil to cover the whole thing. The bird was just too big! It cooked for 10 hours and then I shut off the oven and it sat there for another two hours. It was moist and delicious and it took both myself and my son to get it out of the pan. It sort of fell apart though. It was so perfectly cooked! Next time, I'll need a rack to be able to get it out of the pan....on second thought, next time I'll ask for a 20 lb. bird and maybe get a 25 lb. turkey....so it will fit perfectly!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T00:05:00.002-05:00

Where ever you are, I wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings...

Please eat a lot!!!

Photo credit

Getting ready

2011-11-23T11:30:00.000-05:00

Last night, we had our annual 'getting ready' for Thanksgiving get together. We (the entire family) got together to make the ravioli for Thanksgiving day. It was a great night! Approximately 400 ravioli made for tomorrow's dinner.

Merry Christmas from Heaven

2011-11-22T07:42:00.000-05:00

About three weeks ago, I had received an e-mail from the Catholic Company, an online company selling Catholic/religious articles for confirmations, communions, Christmas, etc........I have purchased from them on occasion. The email was a poem entitled "Merry Christmas from Heaven"

The tears just started flowing and I hadn't even read the poem yet.......

Last night at Zumba, one of my wonderful friends who has been with our Zumba class for almost two years, gave me a gift. She didn't think I should open it right then and there and in my heart, I knew what it was because she has been so good to me during this time after my dad's death.

It was the Merry Christmas From Heaven poem and the Christmas Ornament.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM HEAVEN

I still hear the songs,

I still see the lights

I still feel your love on cold wintry nights

I still share your hopes and all of your cares

I'll even remind you to please say your prayers

I just want to tell you, you still make me proud

You stand head and shoulders above all the crowd

Keep trying each moment, to stay in His Grace

I came here before you to help set your place

You don't have to be perfect all of the time

He Forgives you the slip, if you continue the climb

To my family and friends,

Please be thankful today

I'm still close beside you,

In a new special way

I love you all dearly,

Now don't shed a tear

cause I'm spending my

Christmas with Jesus this year

Thank you, Jenn, from the bottom of my heart. I love it, and I can't stop crying. Thank God I didn't open it last night.

Schedules - like mother, like daughter

2011-11-21T11:50:00.000-05:00

Do any of you recognize the similarities between my daughter and me????

This is what I just received from her:

Schedule for this week..
Monday: Nothing after school, zumba, cheerleading 7-9
Tuesday: Cheerleading @ Spirit 2:30 to 5, cheerleading at city hall 5-7
Wednesday: School till 12, cheerleading 12:30 to 1:30, work 2 till whenever we finish the orders for thanksgiving
Thursday: Game @ 10:30, I have to be there @ 9
Friday: Work sometime.. I think I have to be in at 8 .. then maybe cheerleading at city hall
Saturday: I'M A FREE WOMAN!!
Sunday: Work 9:30 to 2:30
Monday: No school! Work I think 3 to 7 but I'm not sure yet!

I need to break her of the craziness - heck, I didn't get like this until I was in my early 20's.......

A productive day

2011-11-20T20:00:00.000-05:00

The day started out with a great run - the weather was mild - extremely mild - just crazy mild - it is November 20th, people!! 65 degrees today!

Then I had to teach a CCD class. I was the substitute teacher for my sister-in-law's class. I had given up my own fourth grade CCD class this year. It was the first year that I didn't teach a CCD class since my oldest was in 4th grade. That was 14 years ago. And I realized how much I missed it. I also realized how much teaching means to me....how teaching our children about Jesus and our faith is just so important....so important! I will revisit this decision next year.

Then off to Mass!

Then I needed to clean the chicken coop - one of those chores that you put off as long as you can, until you know better!!! :)

So, as I was off to the shed to get fresh bedding for my ladies, I looked at the raspberry bush - and lo and behold, what do I see.....freaking raspberries...Did you remember that it is November 20th people?? And I live in CT!

I picked 16 raspberries! They will be in my smoothy tomorrow morning! (It's November 20th!!!)

Then off to my girlfriend Joanie's Fiftieth Birthday Party! Joanie is one of the friends from a post a few weeks' back. She and I have been friends since I was in 2nd grade and she was in 4th grade. It doesn't get much better than that! All the group friends were there (except Eva - we missed you and Happy Birthday to you too!). I got to see others that I hadn't seen in over 20 years! Good times!

Then off to a parent meeting for the Florida trip. I stayed for an hour and never even got to talk to the person that I wanted to. There was such a line and a lot going on.

Then home to work on some of my bookkeeping accounts.

Then a glass of wine!
Then Amazing Race!

Yes, an extremely productive day!!!

Cheerleading

2011-11-19T23:26:00.000-05:00

The team my daughter helps to coach came in first place today in the New England Region beating out seven other teams - Florida here we come.......

Congrats Pee Wee Cheer (medium, intermediate).

CSA - Fall Week #3

2011-11-18T20:30:00.000-05:00

Fall Share:

3 winter squash - two butternut, one acorn

1 brussel sprout stalk

2 lbs of potatoes

1 lb sweet potatoes - did not get these!

1 bunch of radishes

2 kohlrabi

1 bunch of turnip greens

1 bag of mixed cooking greens = ( kale, baby brussel sprout leaves)

1/2 dozen gourds for holiday decorations

I'm not sure why we didn't get the sweet potatoes, but we got everything else.

Blogging

2011-11-17T19:01:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been blogging much and I think it's just because I have a lot on my plate again. Again!

I'm trying hard to prioritize and blogging always seems to take a back seat to everything else I have to do. What I want to do is stay home and cook and bake and probably clean a little too! This entire week and weekend is already booked...and I'm tired.

I am running in a race next week and my training hasn't been good. I'll have to really get myself motivated to run this last week before the race!

Friday, I pick up my CSA, so I'll post what I'm getting. I know I'm getting gourds for decorations!

Saturday is the last competition before we find out if my daughter's team (cheerleaders) that she coaches, goes to Florida. We will see what happens....Saturday will be interesting. My daughter is also a sponsor for a friend for Confirmation and that is Saturday too!

My good friend's 50th birthday party is this Sunday, though....Something really fun to look forward to!
Happy Birthday Joanie!

So hopefully, once next week is over, I can start blogging some good recipes and some good stuff...Maybe I'll be talking about a trip to Florida?

I've been flocked.....

2011-11-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

Yes, it has happened again! I've been flocked.....by a bunch of pink flamingos!

I LOVE it! They really decorate the mailbox area quite nicely - I wish there were more of them!

Read about my last flocking here......and yes, I have flocked someone else!!!

This guy below has a Christmas Hat on! One of them has a bow tie.....

CSA - Fall Week #2

2011-11-11T06:53:00.000-05:00

Fall Share:

1 butternut squash

1 other type of winter squash

1 brussel sprout stalk

2 lbs of potatoes

1 head of lettuce or bag of leaf lettuce/asian mix

1 bunch of radishes or salad turnips

1 lb of beets

1 bag of mixed cooking greens = (either kale, baby brussel sprout leaves, & collards or swiss chard & turnips)

I'm hoping for another spaghetti squash and the swiss chard and turnip mixture of greens

Last week, I ended up with two heads of cauliflower and two heads of lettuce. Everything is now officially used up from last week as of this morning, with the last of the kale in my green smoothie (which is pink again because I add too many raspberries!) :)

I also received an extra small pumpkin last week which I have on the table with the other gourds as decorations until I have time to cook them!

Good Morning

2011-11-10T07:02:00.000-05:00

I took these pictures early in the morning when I was opening the coop for the day (about two weeks ago), the day before the big snowstorm. I love the sunrise!

I forgot they were on my camera.....

PSA

2011-11-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

Photo credit

(I didn't want to make it look like I was yelling at you, but I think it's important.)

Have a beautiful day!!

150

Busy Weekend

2011-11-07T07:54:00.002-05:00

I had a wedding in Rhode Island, a cheerleading competition in Massachusetts, I worked two part time jobs and went to two masses this weekend .....and I missed out on a 50th birthday party that I wanted to attend - just not enough time. Saturday and Sunday just keep getting busier!

Maybe next week, I can clean.....maybe not!

I made homemade cole slaw too.....it isn't ready yet, but I tried it last night - It's good, but I think it's going to get better, once it sets for a little while longer.......

And no internet service at the house, we aren't sure why, though!

Freebies this month!

2011-11-05T03:00:00.001-04:00

1 dozen eggs from Target (The local Target just opened a grocery store inside)
12 oz. of Montana Coffee Traders coffee
Head and Shoulders Shampoo and Conditioner sample
From Target - a small cosmetic bag, filled with:
   Ponds Wet Cleansing Towelettes
   TRESemme Shampoo and Conditioner Samples
   Garnier Fructis Shampoo and Conditioner Samples
   John Frieda Shampoo and Conditioner Sample
   L'oreal Youth Code Day/Night Cream
   Burt's Bees Radiance SPF 15 Day Lotion
L'oreal Ever Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner
L'oreal Leave-in Creme
Jergens Ultra Healing Moisturizing Lotion
Biore Blemish fighting cleanser
Olay ProXClear for acne
Lined Post-it notes
Kraft Mac & Cheese (Target Freebie)
5 Hour Energy Drink

Fall CSA, Week 1

2011-11-04T01:07:00.000-04:00

Fall Share:

1 butternut squash

1 kabocha or acorn squash

1 brussel sprout stalk

1 kale top

1 head of lettuce

1 head of cabbage

1 head of cauliflower

4 sweet peppers

Molting Hens

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

My ladies have been molting for about 1-1/2 months. Egg production had taken a serious nose dive. I was lucky to get one egg a day. Sometimes NONE! (but on a good day, I would get two.)

However, yesterday, I got three eggs! I'm not sure if it was the beautiful sunshine all day, or the warmer temperatures after the snow filled weekend, but the ladies look like their feathers are growing back and have started to produce again. I hope they can keep it up for a while longer!

Come spring, a new generation of chicks will be heading towards a certain back yard in Derby......The lovely ladies that I have now will then be two years old and depending on their output, they may be headed for soup! Ah, the circle of life!

Friends

2011-11-01T08:10:00.001-04:00

Last week, Eva came home for an overnight visit to her Mom's, (Eva lives in Saratoga and sold me this house) so some of the girls got together. Actually all of our "group" friends (except Christine) made it out for dinner and/or drinks. I had a meeting at the school, so I came a little later for the "drinks". "Group" stands for Mental Health Group...we would get together every week (twenty-something years ago) and have our kids play together. All of us were young, married and didn't have a clue what we were doing with kids and mortgages and/or apartments and marriage. We clung to each other for dear life and support and we all did pretty well in the "children" dept.!!!!!

These are my dearest friends, whom I have known for many, many years. I have been blessed with different groups of friends who have always been there for me through thick and thin....God knew I would always need the "girls" and He delivered.

The picture above is Donna, Joannie and Andrea. Donna is married to my first boyfriend (when I was in grammar school - HA!) She is also Joannie's sister-in-law. Joannie and I have been friends since I moved across the street from her when I was in second grade (40 years)!! Andrea is my sister - I guess I've known her forever!!!

This picture shows Theresa, Eva and Cindy. Theresa is my youngest friend! She and I have only known each other 22 years. I met her through Eva when she came to our "group". We all have a 22 year old!!! Eva is my oldest friend. Our parents have been friends forever, so her and I have known each other since I was four and she was five - that's how we roll in the Valley...friends for ever. Cindy and I met in freshman year of high school (34 years ago). She is my BFF and also my sixth cousin. Yep, that's how we roll...

This the "group" without Christine! She had to work that night...

Happy Halloween.....

2011-10-31T09:27:00.003-04:00

Here is my dad from last Halloween - a cowboy! I know he is having a conversation with Louie Lamour up there in heaven!

I have to post my fave picture.....The trips in the pumpkin patch on their first Halloween - my all time favorite

Final Snow Amounts

2011-10-30T11:58:00.000-04:00

From the front of the house.

Some of the branches that came down.

The driveway and the road.

Across the street with the sun coming up.

We got at least 7 inches of snow. My daughter and I shoveled the driveway and front walk this morning. The boys are going to do the rest of the driveway and the patio.

The state got pummeled except for the southeast corner. My brother 20 minutes north got a foot of snow. United Illuminating came at 10:00 pm to cut the limb off of our power lines. Now I just have to get rid of all the limbs (they are my neighbors limbs, but he is in his 80's).

Just crazy!

Snow

2011-10-29T20:08:00.001-04:00

Here in Southern New England, we have gotten our first taste of snow....and I HATE it.....

Seriously, this is CT, five miles from the shore. We don't get snow on October 29th and we sure as heck don't get three inches (that is what we have at 6:00 pm). The pictures below were taken at 3:00 pm. We are supposed to get 6 to 10 inches, but who knows???

I just spent an hour shoveling the patio and the front stairs and part of the driveway. After so much Zumba this past week, my lower back hurts and this heavy wet snow does not help. On top of that, our neighbors tree lost Five big limbs and one of them is hanging on our power line in our driveway. Trying to call United Illuminating (the power co) is fruitless. Over 413,000 without power in the state.

I have the wood in the dining room all set. The fireplace is ready. Candles are lit. Food is made.
The only thing I don't have in this house is a glass of wine.....now who sees the irony in that!???

CSA Week #22 - The Last Week of the Regular Share

2011-10-28T06:53:00.000-04:00

Full Share:

1 brussel sprout stalk
1 head of cabbage
1 acorn squash
1 butternut or spagetti squash
1 bunch of radishes or salad turnips
1 bag of asian mix or leaf lettuce
2 leeks
4 sweet peppers
1/2 lb hot peppers
1 lb bag of green beans
2 ears of popcorn

Next week will start the Fall Share and I bought that one alone, so I will get everything in the share.

Halloween Humor

2011-10-26T16:53:00.000-04:00

Since I have NO time, I am just posting things that I get from regular e-mail - I will be back to blogging after tonight's session of Zumba - I haven't practiced this much in a long time!!!!!!!!!

Here is a funny for you!

A bald man with a wooden leg gets invited to a Halloween Party. He doesn't know what costume to wear to hide his head and his leg, So he writes to a costume company to explain his problem.

A few days later he received a parcel with the following note:

Dear Sir,

Please find enclosed a pirate's outfit. The spotted handkerchief will cover your bald head and, with your wooden leg, you will be just right as a pirate.

Very truly yours,

Acme Costume Co.

The man thinks this is terrible because they have emphasized his wooden leg and so he writes a letter of complaint. A week goes by and he receives another parcel and a note, which says:

Dear Sir,

Please find enclosed a monk's costume. The long robe will cover your Wooden leg and, with your bald head, you should really look the part.

Very truly yours,

Acme Costume Co.

Now the man is really upset since they have gone from emphasizing his wooden leg to emphasizing his bald head, so again he writes the Company another nasty letter of complaint.

The next day he gets a small Parcel and a note, which reads:

Dear Sir,

We have TRIED our very BEST.

Please find enclosed a bottle of molasses and a bag of crushed nuts.

Pour the molasses over your bald head, pat on crushed nuts, stick your Wooden Leg up your ass and go as a caramel apple.

Very truly yours,

Acme Costume Co.

PS - I guess you have to know that I am a caramel apple addict.....This was hysterical to me..........

A good story.....

2011-10-25T09:06:00.002-04:00

I found this story on Gabriel Hummel's website - I had not heard it before and it hit home.....

The Mexican Fisherman

An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor’s orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

“How long did it take you to catch them?” the American asked.

“Only a little while,” the Mexican replied in surprisingly good English.

“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American then asked.

“I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends,” the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket.

“But … What do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican looked up and smiled. “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor.”

The American laughed and stood tall. “Sir, I’m a Harvard M.B.A. and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”

He continued, “Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles, and eventually New York City, where you could run your expanding enterprise with proper management.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, señor, how long will all this take?”

To which the American replied, “15–20 years. 25 tops.”

“But what then, señor?”

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”

“Millions, señor? Then what?”

“Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos …”

Where did the week go?

2011-10-22T17:18:00.000-04:00

It's Saturday, I am cooking dinner and reading a few blogs and I realized that I haven't blogged since Tuesday. Life got in the way this week...well, actually, it was Zumba and a 25th wedding anniversary and a meeting at my daughter's school and meeting my wonderful friends for dinner/drinks and so on and so on.

I have some pictures to blog about and will get the time once the new Zumba session starts...when we do a new session of seven new songs, I practice non stop for at least a week and I'm in the midst of it!

I'll be back....

Wine Goes into the Demijohns

2011-10-18T05:00:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, my brother and hubby put his wine into the demijohns. He also got some more pictures for me. And one more thing - there is no white San Giovese. We have three red wines. The other one is a Barbera.

Above is our wine in the demijohns (moved from the white buckets). My hubby took some new pictures of the wine cellar:

This is my brother's wine.

This is my brother cranking his wine.

This is one of his shelves.

This is another shelf.

This year's wine!
The next scheduled wine visit is between November 13th and November 20th. So, I will have another post about wine at that time.....

Walk/Run for Cancer

2011-10-17T03:46:00.000-04:00

On October 1st, the 3rd Annual 5K Walk/Run (non-competitive) for Cancer sponsored by our local hospital/cancer center was held in our town. I did the run the first year but had to work the 2nd year. This year, I was in Florida. One of the memoriams was for my dad and his cousin who both died of cancer (different types).

The Cancer Center raised $63,000.00.

Making Butter

2011-10-16T07:13:00.002-04:00

Last week, the local Target went and became a Super Target by selling groceries inside. They sent the whole town (I think) a coupon for a free dozen eggs (and to get you in the store). I don't need eggs (for sure), but I had to bring something for Wednesday night dinner, so I decided to make a quiche and use the free eggs. The way I make quiche is with heavy cream. Target also had Organic heavy whipping cream, so I bought those two items and was on my way. (I am getting good at shopping for only things I need!)

So, after the quiche was made I now had about two cups of heavy whipping cream left over and I remembered reading about a few people who made butter in a mason jar using heavy cream....sooooooo.

I poured the heavy cream into a Large Wide Mouth Mason Jar and put the cover on tight and proceeded to shake.

I have begun shaking it here:

And I shook and I shook and I shook! It took about 10 minutes to get to a semi-solid consistency:

Once it is solid and yellow, you pour off the butter milk through a colendar.

This is how much buttermilk I got out of it. I'm not sure how many of you have ever drunk a glass of home made buttermilk but talk about delicious! Sweet and thick and I would have it again!!!!

Unfortunately, my camera is not too good, but the finished product was a beautiful yellow color....

It was a full stick of butter (1/2 cup). So I took another picture of the butter today (after I had used some for garlic bread).

It was really good. I salted it a little. It was fun - sort of a novelty. If I can buy organic butter at the grocery store, I will. But I'm glad I know how to make my own!

The Wine Cellar

2011-10-15T06:57:00.000-04:00

I only got three pictures of the wine cellar (grotta) as my dad always called it (before my camera died). My brother's grotta is pretty large, with shelves for wine everywhere. He has last years' wine in his demijohns, plus he keeps his uncle's wine down there too. He has a lot of wine bottled already on shelves.

This is his wine press. It is hand cranked. He cranks it every day and the juice of the grapes inside filters down to the pan at the bottom where it is then transferred to the barrel.

These are my brother's demijohns. Most are filled. There are bottles everywhere also and he knows which type of wine is in every container.

My husband's wine (to-be) is in the containers on this side - one is Merlot, one is San Giovese (white) and one is Chianti. The other container on the floor is another friends wine and the demijohn on top is my brothers wine. The barrel on the side is full of wine and unfortunately, you only get a partial few of the shelving units where all the previous years wine is. My brother started making wine around 1997/1998 and still has bottles from his first year.

Once my hubby's wine is transferred to the demijohns (I'm not sure when this process happens, but I know they are doing something tomorrow), I will get more pictures and some good pictures of the wine shelves. Did you ever hear that song "Dust on the Bottle"? That is my brother's wine cellar. It is an awesome place to be at this time of year.

CSA Week #20

2011-10-14T05:29:00.001-04:00

Here is what we are getting this week:

Full Share:

2 lbs sweet potatoes
2 lbs potatoes
4 sweet peppers
1/2 lb hot peppers
1 bunch of turnips
1 head of lettuce
1 head of escarole
1 lb beets
2 kohlrabi
3 large tomatoes
1 bunch kale

I made green smoothies last week with the kale. They didn't turn out too green, definitely more pink (because of the raspberries). (By the way - I still five quarts of raspberries left!). :)

I will use the kale for smoothies again this week because each day I made them, my son wanted one to go!

I have no idea what I am keeping this week. I will have to see what my sister needs.....

Inventory and Meal Planning

2011-10-13T06:58:00.004-04:00

As many of you know, I read the Dave Ramsey forums as often as I can. I try to follow his way of paying off bills and saving for college, paying off the house and being debt free (Baby Steps 1-7).

Anyway, in the forums, they say in order to save some money on grocery shopping, you should do a pantry/freezer inventory. See what you have and what you can use and meal plan so as not to spend as much at the grocery store. I took up the challenge for one month (at least). I did this because our grocery bills are sort of out of control. With five people in the house (three of them being men) and myself eating only organic foods and a very fussy daughter, I have been watching the grocery bill climb higher and higher each week/month. (Please realize that hubby does most of the shopping and he tends to bulk shop and accumulate things and then he forgets what he bought - however I do appreciate the fact that he does the shopping!).

I made the inventory last night! It took quite a while. (five notebook pages) You honestly don't know what you have until you write it all down. I have an upstairs freezer, a downstairs freezer, a cold room, a closet in the cold room for health and beauty aides and then cupboards in the kitchen full of food. And I didn't even inventory the refrigerator.

How many of you have 20 lbs. of all different types of pasta? I do! How many of you have seven boxes of unopened cold cereal, three boxes of opened cold cereal, two boxes of hot oatmeal cereal and three canisters of regular oatmeal? I do! Needless to say, we don't need pasta and cereal for quite some time!! :) (I would be embarassed if I told you how much of other things I have....Think coffee) OMG!

So, the next part of this procedure is to meal plan using what I have in stock (by the way, 7 quarts of chicken stock and 1 beef stock frozen). I have the meal plan for this whole week all set.

I think we can get away with buying just milk, fruit, some veggies for salad, dish detergent and some cheese this week. We do NOT need meat!

I'm hoping to use everything I have in the house by the end of the year. And then we can restock fresh beef (another 1/6th of a cow) and more chickens in January. Then we will also re-stock the cold room and pantry shelves.

Wish me luck!

Wine Making

2011-10-11T05:30:00.010-04:00

My hubby has started a new venture....Wine Making.

He is learning from my brother and will start his first year making it the easy way - Making wine from the juice of the grapes. My brothers use the grapes. Anyway, last week, they bought the juice and the yeast and whatever else you need to make wine (enzymes). Unfortunately, I had to work all day, so I didn't get to participate and go to the Wine/Beer making store - I was really bummed about it too!. Hubby is using my dad's demijohns (they are quite large) for his wine. He is making three kinds - Merlot, Chianti and San Giovese. I will post pictures and updates as this process progresses.

Salute!

Photo credit

These are demijohns below:

Photo credit

Blue Fish

2011-10-10T05:00:00.004-04:00

My hubby's friend called at 8:15 pm last night to tell him that he had four freshly caught blue fish for him!

So we immediately got out the knives, papers, garbage bags and began the cleaning process. I don't clean and neither does my hubby - Thank GOD for my two boys and and two great you tube videos! Unfortunately, we didn't have the correct fish cleaning knives, but they did their best.

We lit candles all over the kitchen and I brought the bag of garbage to my moms house because she has pick up this morning! The smell was a little much...

I froze enough fish for about three meals for four of us (My daughter wouldn't touch fish with a ten foot pole)!

Thank you Sal!

And Cyrus slept through it all - he had a playdate yesterday!

Freebies This Month

2011-10-08T05:30:00.002-04:00

Here is what I have received for the month:

John Frieda Shampoo and Conditioner Sample
Maple Peanut Butter (full jar from my sister)
Scope Mouthwash
Crest complete toothpaste
POISE pads (for Nonni)
Eucerin Body Lotion
Splenda with B Vitamins samples
Strivectin Neck Cream
Dove body wash
Frizz Ease Shampoo and Conditioner
Frizz Ease Serum

Not a huge list, but fun nonetheless!

CSA Week #19

2011-10-07T05:00:00.001-04:00

Where did the time go? CSA Week 19? How did the summer go by so fast?

I didn't get anything last week because I was away and my sister was able to use it all, but here is what we are getting this week:

Full Share:

2 bunches of edamame
2 lbs potatoes
1 leek
3 large eggplant
2 sweet peppers
1/2 lb hot peppers
6 large tomatoes
1 lb beans
2 large sweet potatoes
1 bunch kale

Green smoothies this week with the kale and the raspberries that I still have!
I'll be frying more eggplant too! I need to make some marinara sauce and freeze a couple of trays of eggplant parm again. The kids used it while we were gone.
Since the potato/leek soup was such a hit, I may try that again this weekend. (Although the weather here in CT is supposed to be lovely this weekend!)
Oktoberfest party tomorrow night - I need to find a fun recipe!
My son brought me home a huge spaghetti squash that he got from a farm where he went apple picking. I think I'll keep it in the cold cellar for a while!

PS - I posted pictures on my last post........

Best of Everything!

2011-10-06T07:56:00.001-04:00

Have any of you been to the store 'Best of Everything'? It is the cutest jewelry store in Naples (and other Florida cities) and has the BEST prices. This year, I bought two rings (the big ones that are in style) and three pairs of silver hoops (I wear silver hoops for Zumba and tend to lose them). The total - $38.12. How can you go wrong for those prices?

And they sell Eliza B flip flops at good prices too! Pocketbooks and cheap watches and if you have a special occasion, you can get almost anything to match!

Anyway, if you have the opportunity to visit one of their stores....GO!

I'm home......and so happy to be!

2011-10-05T07:02:00.000-04:00

I got home this afternoon. And the first thing I did was check on my hens....I found something that I wasn't thrilled about (the hens had no food and no water), but I fixed them up quick and collected eight eggs. The dog was thrilled to see us and I think the kids were happy too.

I realize that being gone for six days is pretty long....I don't like being away that long. I like my kids, I like my house, I like my hens, I like my kitchen, I like my life. Homemade pizza, homemade quiche, and salad for dinner. I had to make a pot of pizza sauce because I had none....I love being home and being able to cook what I want! Don't get me wrong, I like going out to dinner sometimes, but I LOVE being home and being able to cook. I love sitting at the table with the kids hearing about what they are doing or what they want to do or which car they want, or what a certain teacher did.

I need to be home more often....I need to be here...I need to get rid of some of my part time jobs....

With my family in FL

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

At our condo pool with my mom, aunt and uncle....

Some Pics

2011-10-03T12:52:00.000-04:00

At the Beach: Lowdermilk

Naples

2011-09-30T08:53:00.001-04:00

The weather is beautiful. The pool has been great! I'm reading and relaxing.

Bonefish Grill last night for dinner with neighbors from home (we come all the way to FL to have dinner with neighbors who live six houses away! Thank you Vinny and Cindy for a fantastic evening). We had a great time and then ice cream on 5th Avenue! So much fun!

Today is a our beach day! I'll take pictures - I haven't remembered to bring my camera yet this time, so this is last years' sunset!

I can almost feel it....

2011-09-28T06:38:00.002-04:00

....the hot Naples, FL sun!

We are taking my mom down to Florida for some R & R. We all seem to need it after the craziness that life has thrown at us this past year. We will be visiting friends and relatives and relaxing and eating and swimming and reading and that is about it!!!

There will be no recipe blogs or CSA blogs this week....But there will be pictures of sunsets and beaches and pools and fun!

My goal.....to sleep ONE morning until 9:30 am. (10:00 just sounds TOO decadent!)

Have a good one!

Beef Jerky

2011-09-26T07:36:00.000-04:00

My son and I have found we love making beef jerky! I really had no idea how simple it actually was and I'm so glad a co-worker suggested it.

We have made it twice in the last two weeks. The first batch, obviously, was our test batch. We figured out what we did wrong and right, so the second batch was very good! We made two kinds. One was a marinade, the other was more of a rub (this was Dominic's version and it was spicy).

Ingredients for my version:

Beef (the first batch, we used a roast beef from the cow share. The second batch, we used two london broils from the cow share. Honestly, I don't think it mattered on the cut).
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup soy sauce (Home made version, which I will post next week)
1 Tablespoon Honey
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons garlic powder

(the original recipe called for onion powder instead of garlic powder and also 1 teaspoon liquid smoke - I didn't have either of these).

Cut the steak very thin - you need either a very sharp knife and pounding mallet (or else a meat slicer). Or slice it when it is still almost frozen. (Our first batch was WAY too thick, but it was trial and error). It doesn't matter the size of the pieces they can be one inch long or seven inches long.

Place all ingredients into a 1-gallon zip-loc bag and marinate. Our first batch only marinated over night. The second batch marinated for a little over 48 hours - that is the key!!!

Place strips on to a dehydrator. We borrowed my dads/sisters old dehydrator (This picture shows the type). It is an old one and the dehydration process took 12 hours. You only just plug it in. There is no switch or temp. gauge. If you have a newer/better one, the process may only take 4 or 5 hours. We had to move the trays around a few times (top to bottom, etc).

Prepare to eat. I have no idea how to keep them as they went so fast, there was no savings them!

I will post Dominic's recipe for the rub tomorrow. I couldn't eat Dominic's version, but I don't eat anything too spicy. But the men in the family loved Dominic's version!

CSA Week #17

2011-09-23T10:03:00.000-04:00

I can't believe we are only five weeks away from the end of the summer CSA.

Here is what we are getting:

Full Share:

1 dozen sweet corn
3 lbs potatoes
2 large leeks
2 sweet peppers
1 lb beans (green, yellow, or flat Italian)
1 bunch of green soybeans (edamame)
2 large eggplant
1 lb of cucumbers
4 large tomatoes
1/2 bag of leaf lettuce or asian salad mix

We are splitting the corn. I'm giving Andrea the potatoes, as my mother in law gave me a five pound bag last night. I'm keeping the leeks though as I'm going to try leek and potato soup on Sunday! We will probably split the rest, but I'll take the lettuce!

A birthday surprise

2011-09-22T15:46:00.002-04:00

My phone at work had a red light and that usually means I have a message. I listened to it and it was my daughter asking me to call her back. I did and we chitchatted for a few minutes about her bio tech test (I don't understand all that!) :)

About 1/2 hour later, there was another red light on my phone. Now, please understand that most of the time, I am the only one answering phones, so I'm not sure who this is. It was a hang up....which is fine. But I decided to listen to my old voice messages as there were many, and to get rid of them!

I think I got rid of about 12 old messages from literally months/years ago. The next one was from my mom. It started out, "Hey Maria, sorry we didn't call you back last night, but we were tired as we had dinner with Uncle Paul". I listened to this message, because my mom was talking about her and my dad and their trip in March/April when they went to Florida. My mom continued to tell me about my other aunt flying in and that they were tired because they were up talking late with my aunt and uncle, etc, etc.....(my mom can go on and on). All of a sudden she says, Here Dick, say hello to your daughter.....And I burst into tears.....His voice was very weak. He couldn't talk much towards the end....and all he said, was "Hi Ri, We are doing fine and I'll talk to you soon". I hadn't heard his voice in almost four months and it was very difficult emotionally for me. It really isn't cool to cry at work, so I ran to the ladies room. I have no idea why I saved that message...nor did I know it was there.....But I will never erase it now, at least while I work here.

Today is my birthday and my dad got to say hello to me.....I don't need any other presents.

Happy Autumn, Happy Fall

2011-09-22T09:31:00.000-04:00

My favorite season.....

Although it is warm here and drizzly and humid, you can tell that fall is here. Apple picking and mornings that range in temperature from the 40's to the 60's and today, I think it must have been almost 70 (at 6:30 am).

I ran this morning and the humidity really got to me! It is much easier to run (breathing-wise) in 40 and 50 degree temperatures than 70 and humid - at least for me!

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the day and I'm looking forward to seeing my first leave change over....Here the trees are still pretty green!

This is my all time favorite picture of the trips taken when they were 10 months old!

Fall CSA

2011-09-20T07:47:00.000-04:00

I just signed up for the Fall CSA at Stone Gardens Farm. It is for five weeks from the beginning of November to mid December. I'll be getting my pumpkins and gourds, plus root veggies, fall lettuces, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. Last year, I also did it and it was so worth it!

Autumn in two days!

Apple picking with the trips

2011-09-20T07:13:00.002-04:00

This was our third year of apple picking with the trips. I love traditions! I thought I could handle the trips by myself but at the last minute, I asked my daughter to come. Thank goodness I did that!

We only picked honeycrisp apples again. That is our favorite and if I hadn't gone on opening day of the orchard PYO, I wouldn't have gotten them! There weren't many and I think Hurricane Irene did a job on the ones that would have been great!

But anyway, it was a fun outing, the trips enjoyed it and I'm hoping they remember that this is Tia's activity to do with them every year!! Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead, so these were from my phone....

Bruno & Cassidy

The trips and Hope!

Brody

Sunday

2011-09-18T06:10:00.002-04:00

This Sunday, I really had no plans except to stay in the kitchen. I had a lot of stuff to accomplish. I was up at seven taking care of the animals and having my first cup of coffee. I didn't have to take Nonni to church because we went Saturday night and then we went to the church supper which I will blog about later in the week.

Saturday night, after supper, was my prep time. I cut and marinated the beef jerky. Beef jerky is totally new to me, so I'll post about it once I know if it is a success or fail! I also cleaned the counters, got down the crockpot, straightened up the kitchen, brought up the canning jars from the cold cellar and just mentally prepared for Sunday!

First up on Sunday morning, is a little cleaning. Seriously, sometimes, I don't know if I should be embarrassed by my hatred of cleaning or mad at the fact that I have no time to clean. Either way, I never do it until I have to and that either makes me sad or angry. With five people in six little rooms and two bathrooms (and I don't even touch the boys bathroom downstairs), the house is always a disaster. *sigh* Moving on......

After cleaning, crockpot applesauce with the apples I picked, was first on the agenda. I didn't get as many apples as I had hoped, but I did end up with four quarts of applesauce (two batches) and enough apples to eat for the week. My son is going picking again in a few weeks and he will get me more for apple pie filling!

I had a ton of beets from the CSA, so I roasted those and then peeled them and added salt and olive oil and it made a nice little salad.

I still had raspberries in the freezer from my mother in law. I canned fourteen MORE pints AND I still have more raspberries in the freezer! HAH! I think I'm done with raspberry jam and the rest of them that I have, I'll use for different desserts!

I had a recipe from a friend for home made soy sauce. It's not as good as usual, but in a pinch it worked for chicken stir fry for dinner last night.

I was totally out of detergent, so I had to make five gallons of that, too.

My biggest project for Sunday was the chicken coop. Not only was the inside pretty gross, but the outside was never cleaned up from Hurricane Irene. The cleaning took about 1-1/2 hours with five wheelbarrows full of hay and sticks and s%#t! The coop looks and smells wonderful now. Those hens better appreciate it!

FYI - Beef Jerky is good, but too thick. Will do a blog this week about it!

CSA #16

2011-09-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

Here is the scheduled Full Share for this week:

Full Share:

1 dozen sweet corn
2 lbs potatoes
2 sweet peppers
1 lb anaheim peppers
1 lb beans (green, yellow, or flat Italian)
2 large eggplant
1 lb small eggplant
3 lbs of cucumbers
1 bag small tomatoes
1 bunch of beets
4 large tomatoes

They added on a cantaloupe this week, too!! I love extras!

I am also getting five chickens cut up into pieces. There was a CSA special on chicken this week, so I usually fill the freezer when they run the special! - It came to about 37 lbs. of chicken.

I canned another jar of eggplant for the refrigerator this week, plus three more pints of salsa. I am going to attempt something with the beets from this week and last week, maybe a beet salad! I'll also be doing more pico di gallo or salsa. I have a lot of the hot peppers!

I am taking the trips to pick apples on tomorrow. This will be the third year in a row that I've taken all three and I'm really looking forward to it! I hope to get all honey crisp (with a few others thrown in for good measure) to make applesauce. Canning is my plan for Sunday all day!

Fall Weather

2011-09-16T07:21:00.002-04:00

We have gone from 88 degrees and humid to 44 degrees and chilly in 48 hours here in CT!

Two nights ago, at Zumba, it was disgustingly hot and it was probably as worse as any summer session we held. This morning, on my run, I had to wear a hoodie, gloves and sweatpants (I hadn't taken them out since April).

God has given us a touch of fall without the leaves changing colors!
This is my favorite time of year!

Apple picking on Saturday with the trips (pictures to follow on Sunday) and of course canning applesauce and apple pie filling on Sunday!

Have a great weekend!

Bobcats, one town over

2011-09-15T06:41:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures, taken from my friend's backyard. That is a bobcat - one town away from us. He (or she) comes to visit them. They live on a beautiful dead end street with untouched land behind them. I thought these pictures were pretty incredible considering we live in such a suburban/urban area!

Marinated Eggplant

2011-09-12T04:23:00.002-04:00

I have been looking for a good recipe to mimic the way my dad made his marinated eggplant. Unfortunately, this is one of the things I forgot to ask about before he passed. I remember him in the kitchen with the huge colandar full of eggplant with a plate on top and bricks on the plates. But that is basically the only part of the operation that I ever witnessed.

So here is my recipe:

Marinated Eggplant
(makes 1 quart Mason Jar)

Eggplant, peeled and sliced thinly, like french fries, (1 Medium purple and six long white) or whatever you have!)
White Wine Vinegar, 1/2 cup
Salt, 1-1/2 tablespoons
Capers, 2 Tablespoons or more if you prefer
Roasted Red Bell Peppers, a few tablespoons, cut into small strips
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped but NOT minced
Celery, one stalk, cut into small pieces, boiled with the onion.
6 Black Olives (or green if you prefer that flavor) cut in half
EV Olive Oil

Peel and cut the eggplant into strips. I cut mine a little two thick I think. (Think McDonald's French Fry Size) I used one medium purple eggplant and six thin white eggplant. (This makes about one quart).
Put the eggplant in a colandar and salt it. (Here is where I went wrong - I used a little too much salt). 1-1/2 Tablespoons should be enough. Mix it up with your hands until covered. Put a flat dish on the eggplant in the colandar and then put two large cans of tomatoes (or a brick) on top of the plate. (This will squeeze the water out of the eggplant) Let that sit for a minimum of two hours in the sink. A lot of water will escape.

Put 1/2 cup of vinegar and two cups of water in a small pot and boil. Put the strips of eggplant in for about 5 minutes. You do not want it to become mushy.

Take out the eggplant, run it under cold water and return to the colandar, with the plate on top and the brick! Set this aside for a minimum of four hours or overnight. I did it overnight. More water will come out.

In the morning, squeeze out any additional water and put the eggplant in a bowl. Add two tablespoons of capers (more or less to your taste), cut up strips of red bell peppers - I used about Three Tablespoons, but I should have used more. Add in one half of a boiled onion. (I actually fried mine to get it translucent, but then it browned up a little bit and I didn't like the way it looked so you should cut up the onion and then boil it for a few minutes.) (My dad also added boiled celery pieces) (He also added black olives chopped in half right out of the can. I didn't have celery or olives, so I didn't add them in, but I realize now that you need that flavor!) Mix up all the ingredients with your hands in the bowl and then stuff into a quart canning jar. Add EVOO to cover the mixture. Add the lids to the mason jar and refrigerate and it is ready to use on sandwiches.

I am not sure if my dad actually water canned his eggplant. I just don't remember it. I read a few recipes where people did this. I only remember there being about 20 jars each fall in the cold room and that it lasted until the next fall. I'm thinking he must have water canned them. Since I am only doing one jar at a time, I am not going to worry about it.

We will never forget

2011-09-11T07:21:00.001-04:00

September 11, 2001

Are you ready...

2011-09-10T21:09:00.001-04:00

...for some Football?

Tomorrow is opening day!! (at least for the Steelers and the Eagles!)

CSA #15

2011-09-08T05:17:00.000-04:00

This week, we are getting the following:

Full Share:
6 ears of corn
4 large tomatoes
2 sweet peppers
1/2 lb hot peppers
2 lbs potatoes
1 lb carrots
1 bunch of beets
3 lbs of cucumbers
1 lb small eggplant
2 large eggplant
Small bag of ground cherries or small tomatoes

I am hoping for the small tomatoes, as I already have ground cherries in my garden. My sister gets the corn this week and we will split the rest!

My marinated/pickled eggplant came out good, but a little salty. I know now how much salt to use when I am pressing it. I will provide the recipe this week.

I won't be blogging much this weekend as I have to attend a wedding. Have a great weekend!

Race Times

2011-09-07T07:19:00.000-04:00

These are my race times for the race on Monday morning. I came in right where I wanted to.

2011 - 919th out of a field of 3210 Runners - Race Time: 27:48 NET: 27:10

These are for the last few years - I can go back to 2003 to check my times in this race and I guess the best you can say is that I'm consistent... I did better than I did five years ago, but not better than last year.

2010 - 1092 out of 3183 Race Time: 27:53 NET: 26:41
2009 - 952 out of 2697 Race Time: 27:11 NET: 26.29
2008 - 1371 out of 2536 Race Time: 29:52 NET: 28:31
2007 - 987 out 0f 2223 Race Time: 28:23 NET: 27:43

2004 was my best NET with 25:34.

I was very happy with my times. I plan on continuing to run, so maybe I'll get better by Thanksgiving.

Weekend canning

2011-09-07T06:21:00.000-04:00

On Monday, I canned two more quarts of pears and one quart of marinated eggplant. I got the eggplant recipe on line but totally doctored it up. It looks great, BUT, once I taste it, I'll let you know.

I plan on making bread tonight, so I'll be taking a sandwich for lunch tomorrow. The proof will be in the taste. And if this recipe didn't work, I have another recipe coming this week from a friend. So much eggplant, so little time!

Next up in the canning department....more pears. I should be able to can two or three more quarts for pies. I need to finish them up before Sunday which is apple picking day!

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T11:06:00.000-04:00

I wish you a beautiful day with warm sunny weather and no work. (yea, right!)

Son #1 had to work, Hubby had to work, daughter is going to the mall, son #2 is still asleep, I just ran a 5K and now have veggies in the fridge to attend to....sounds like a great day to me!!!!

No Goshen fair this year, I can't do it.

More pears

2011-09-05T06:50:00.000-04:00

My pear tree finally produced this year. We didn't have beautiful eating pears, but they are canning pears. My hubby thought we should pick them though and let them ripen a little in the cold cellar like we did with my mom's pears.

I have about 1/2 bushel for myself so I will be canning more pears this coming week.

This is one of the baskets we picked!

New Concoction/Recipe

2011-09-04T11:49:00.001-04:00

I was reading on one my favorite blogs about how good beet greens are for you. As it just so happens, I got a bunch of beet greens with my CSA with the greens still attached....so, I looked up a couple of recipes with beet greens and pasta.

I found quite a few but didn't have all the ingredients (I don't keep pine nuts on hand), so it was time to use what I had in the fridge and improvise.

Pasta with Beet Greens

Beet Greens from about 10 beets (washed, chopped and par boiled)
1/2 medium onion
2 Tablespoons of Garlic, minced
Olive oil

1/2 very ripe tomato
sun dried tomatoes
1/2 can of ceci (garbanzo beans)
Ricotta and parmesan

1 lb. pasta (I used rotelle)

Saute garlic and onion in the olive oil in a large Frying pan.
Add the beet greens and cook for about five minutes.
Add tomato and sun dried tomato and continue cooking down.
Add the ceci at the end and cook for about 10 minutes more.

While you are cooking this, you can be boiling the water for the pasta.

Once you cook/drain the pasta, you can add it directly to the frying pan and stir.

I put it in a bowl and added a couple of dollaps of ricotta and parmesan. The picture below was taken before I stirred it all in.

It was a great lunch and can be used with anything you happen to have in the refrigerator!

ETA: Hubby had two bowls, son #1 had two bowls, son #2 had one bowl and I had a bowl and a half and no leftovers - I guess it was a hit!!!!

Four years ago today...

2011-09-03T14:35:00.003-04:00

Rest In Peace
Rich

10/4/62 - 9/3/07

Pears

2011-09-02T19:02:00.001-04:00

My dad had pear trees (and apple trees and mulberry trees and olive trees, etc). But the pears were abundant this year. Right before Irene hit (Can we use the word 'Irene' the way we use the word 'Katrina'? - to some extent, maybe), my mom picked all the pears because she knew they would all get ruined. There was a full bushel - probably more. I took some, my sisters both took some and my mom had some. I put mine in the cold cellar to ripen. They took five days.

I cut them up and added lemon juice, made a 'light'syrup and canned two quarts for pies. The rest we are eating.

The cellar canning area is getting larger!

Honeycrisp apples in two weeks.......I can't wait!!!!

CSA #14

2011-09-02T09:13:00.002-04:00

Although it is Friday, I cannot post my CSA list for the week....

Hurricane Irene took out the power on the farm. Stacia was able to e-mail us to tell us that the farm was up and running and that we could pick up our share, but without electricity, she had no internet, so no list....

So, today, I will be surprised! I can tell you what I am hoping for....tomatoes, corn, melon (again), green beans, eggplant and cucumbers. I'll let you know what I get tomorrow!

ETA: I just picked up my box:

I get:
6 ears of corn
7 cucumbers
2 purple bell peppers
2 Large eggplant
some small white eggplant
4 tomatoes
1 bunch of beets

Sister gets:
1 cantaloupe
1 lb of carrots
7 cucumbers
2 green bell peppers
1 large eggplant
5 tomatoes
1 bunch of beets

The box seemed smaller this week.......

It's September

2011-09-01T14:40:00.000-04:00

This is my favorite month! The fall leaves start to change, the days are still beautiful, but the nights are cooler, school starts, the fun fairs begin, the Labor Day race, my b-day, apple picking, more canning, etc.

And this year, we are going on a vacation in September - something I've never done before.

Here's hoping for no more hurricanes and no more craziness and a happy, beautiful autumn.

Freebies...

2011-08-31T06:38:00.001-04:00

This past month I have received:

Crest Toothpaste
Dental floss
Mouth Rinse
Garnier Moisture Rescue Face Cream
Loreal Youth Code Face Cream
Garnier Shampoo
Two Samples of Splenda
One Kashi Bar
Coupons for free Mott's Apple Juice
Two Free tickets to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum

Canning

2011-08-30T07:38:00.007-04:00

My brother in law has been wanting to learn how to can and he got it in his head to make hot pepper relish. Since I neither eat hot peppers nor any kind of relish, I wasn't sure if I was up to the task. But I got a few recipes on line and set up the date for this past week. I got the jars ready and he brought the ingredients. Joe was definitely prepared. He even brought his own recipe!

Joe didn't realize how truly easy this whole water bath canning process actually is!! The prep time takes the longest. But he did all the chopping of the ingredients for the relish. We ended up with (5) 1/2 quarts of hot pepper relish. He said it is so good that he wants to enter it into the fair. (I didn't taste it)

I had gone to my CSA farm and got a box of tomatoes because we were also going to make some salsa - two kinds. One with cilantro and one without (for my sister). He will take home 7 1/2 quarts of salsa and I kept one. I already made a bunch for myself and I will probably make more this week too. I still have about 45 tomatoes left (plus Joe took home about 40) from the box, so I plan on making some marinara sauce this weekend. I think I canned sauce a very long time ago. Most of the time, I just freeze it, so I'm going to look up a recipe to see what I need to do to can sauce.

Power

2011-08-29T08:45:00.000-04:00

I got to work early this morning, not knowing what to expect. The building has no power (and neither does this whole area of town where I work). However, we have a generator for our little offices and we have full power including internet and phones. I am here and will work as long as I can, but the building has no a/c and it is extremely humid right now. No elevators, but I'm only on the second floor.

I have a lot to be grateful for.

Thank you, Jesus.

The evening after...

2011-08-28T18:53:00.000-04:00

It is 6:30 pm....we never lost power. We had a ton of stick clean up to do, but I don't think I can complain one bit. There are towns near by without power and not expected to have power for a few days....

There is a slight breeze now. It is cool and I think we can sleep with the windows open tonight.

I got a lot of cooking accomplished this weekend. Kale Bean Soup, Eggplant Parm., Chicken and Potatoes, Stew, Chicken broth for the freezer, lots of other things.

I have to go back to work tomorrow, but I won't have to shop for groceries for two weeks (at least). God is good. But I feel sorry for my brother who is without power and those on the shoreline who were devastated.

Momentous Moment (for Mom)

2011-08-28T16:32:00.000-04:00

My youngest heading off to Senior year in high school this past week.....

Where does the time go? So sad, yet so happy. Totally mixed emotions.......

There is so much I can say about her....sure she is a 17 year old girl who drives her mother nuts with mood swings monthly...she has a mouth that talks back when it shouldn't, she lets drama rule her life with friends (until I have to explain that it isn't worth it)...BUT, she is friendly and kind to the elderly and children, a very hard worker at all her jobs, if I leave a list of chores, she will do it all, she LOVES to cheer and she is just a good kid. And to think, that I had no plans to have a third child! Thank you God for speaking to me!

Morning of the storm

2011-08-28T08:24:00.002-04:00

It is 8:15 am. We still have power, but the winds are pretty strong. 340,000 are without power in the state, but we have it as of now. We have had quite a bit of rain (around 4 inches per the news).

The small chicken coop was stored in the garage yesterday and the chickens are in there today. They will have to tough it out, but they have food and water and plenty of hay....just not a lot of scratch area or light. I extended the coop with boxes and more hay.

If the weathermen are correct, I should be able to put them back outside around 6:00 pm tonight.

The poor puppy did not want to go out into the storm to go to the bathroom.....he was frightened!

Two of the kids are sleeping. My other son was called in and is working at least a double today. They allowed him to sleep at work last night so that he could be at work first thing this morning as the roads were closed by the state.

Stay Safe!!

I think we are all set....

2011-08-27T20:26:00.006-04:00

8:30 pm on Saturday 8/27/11.

Bathtub is full....check
Three tubs (large containers) of water in the bathroom full....check
Two very large pots of water on the stove full of water...check
Teapot full of water....check.
An old Percolater for coffee to be made on the stove or on the grill....check
Gas grill filled with propane....check
Bag of charcoal, just in case....check
cars filled with gas....check
Chickens in the house (and it's not even winter)....check
Food in the freezer.....check
All backyard furniture put away....check
Food made for next two days....check
Candles all set...check
Flashlights all set.....check
Batteries for radios (2 sets)....check
Generator......UMMMM...no
Cases of water for drinking....check
Attended church tonight instead of tomorrow....check
Nice glass of my brother's homemade wine sitting next to me...check
Raining outside...check

At this point, my town is getting a direct hit with a Category 1 Hurricane. I'll let you know how it goes after all is said and done. (Blogs have been pre-done for the next four days but hopefully I will be able to give you an update. If you don't see an update, you know I don't have power still).

C'mon Irene!

Monday Night

2011-08-27T04:47:00.001-04:00

On Monday night, after dinner outside on the patio (we could eat outside almost every night until Irene), I began weeding.

I know I have mentioned on this blog the weeds are prolific this year. So, at 7:00 I started. At about 7:40, I looked at my wrist, because I thought I got scratched and there was this little fellow (or one just like him!):

Photo credit

The sting hurt like hell! I put some medication on it, and it did ease the pain.

About an hour later, my arm felt so weird...almost like it was drunk....(my daughter got a kick out of that description). It felt lethargic and weak and slow. The rest of me was fine, though!

Tuesday afternoon, it still felt pretty odd and the bite area was red and sore, but otherwise fine.

This is only the third time I have ever been bit by a bee in my life. I don't recommend it!

Preparedness

2011-08-26T12:25:00.011-04:00

Hurricane Irene.

We haven't had to prepare for something like this in a while....sure we have had our share of blizzards, but hurricanes are few and far between, especially direct hits!

People who had parties scheduled for Sunday have cancelled. I waited in gas lines three and four deep at 6:50 this morning for gas (usually at that time of the morning, it's me and the attendent!). All five cars will be filled with gas by the end of the day today (yes, we have five cars for five drivers in this family...) Hubby is getting an extra propane tank today and more water. Then we will fill up all vessels with water....just in case. Irene is NOT Katrina. But we are battening down the hatches just in case.

Saturday will be spent putting away lawn furniture and umbrellas and anything that isn't tied down. We are about ten miles inland, I would guess, and live on top of a hill. Extra batteries for the radio have been bought and I already had batteries for the flashlights and a ton of candles. I have been told as long as the door stays shut, the food in the freezer will last three days! We have a full cold cellar already, so food is not an issue.

Here's hoping that I don't need ANY of these things!

I'm mostly worried about wind damage and extended power outages.

C'mon Irene.....

CSA #13 for 2011

2011-08-26T04:53:00.004-04:00

Full Share:

6 ears of corn
3 lbs of cucumbers
3 large eggplants
1 lb small eggplant
2 fennel bulbs
2 lbs potatoes
1 lb beans
4 sweet peppers
4 hot peppers
2 bunches of kale
4 large tomatoes
1 lb squash and zucchini

This is a good week! I will use everything up quickly.........
My sister is getting the corn and I think we will split the rest.
My mom gave me more eggplant, so I need to fry those up this weekend. I should have enough for 2-1/2 trays of eggplant parm. I think I'll give the kale to my niece this week - she's on a kale kick.

I also bought an extra box of tomatoes from my CSA farm. BIL and I are making Salsa and hot pepper relish. Pictures will be forthcoming!

My dad used to make marinated eggplant - I loved it, but unfortunately, he passed and we don't have the recipe. I looked for a recipe on line, but if anyone has a recipe that is made with capers, olives, onions and eggplant (that is cut into strips and pressed with salt) and maybe some roasted red peppers and gets put into canning jars, let me know, please!!! I found one recipe, but all it has is the eggplant (no other veggies), so I will improvise.....

Blogging Vacation

2011-08-22T07:12:00.002-04:00

I have been extremely busy this weekend and life can get a little hectic....A birthday party, a graduation party and a wedding this weekend....not to mention, more canned salsa, a chocolate zucchini cake (that my daughter took out of the oven too early and I couldn't serve), Zumba, work at the church, etc....

So since I don't think I've ever taken a blogging vacation, I'm taking one this week.

I'll be back on Friday with the CSA update and pictures and a canning night that I am having on Thursday....

Have a beautiful week and I hope your weather is as good as ours is supposed to be!

CSA Week #12

2011-08-19T07:21:00.004-04:00

Full Share:

2 lbs of cucumbers (slicing and kirby)

8 large tomatoes
1 pint yellow grape tomatoes

3 large eggplant & 6 asian eggplant

4 sweet peppers & 4 hot peppers

1 lb purslane

1 small cabbage

1 lb beets without tops

1 bunch of swiss chard or kale

I think we will end up splitting this box right down the middle. The only thing I want is the beets, because it is time to make a cake! I will probably can a little more salsa if I can find some time this weekend.

Updated to add: I found some time....Hubby was supposed to have the day off with me, but he got called in, so I have the whole day to cook.,,,What's first???