Making Butter

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!

Wine Making

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

Dandelion Jelly

After last week's success with the Violet Jelly , I decided to try dandelion jelly too.  I don't have a lot of dandelion's in my yard (like I did with violets), but my brother and my dad did, so me and my daughter and my niece picked a ton of them!  We just popped the yellow heads off and then used a scissors to cut off the green part in the back of the flower.  All you use is the yellow head.  You make this jelly the same way as the violet jelly....stuffing the heads into a mason jar, pouring boiling water over it and letting it sit overnight.  Strain the yellow infused water in the morning and make the jelly with pectin, lemon juice and sugar.

The dandelion jelly came out good, (the right color, the right texture (after two tries)) but the Violet jelly was definitely a winner in the spring time jelly category! 

If you would like a sample of either, please let me know.

Next up.....summer jams!  I think strawberry will be first!  Catie, are you ready?

Clipping Wings

The new fenced in area for the chickens has been completed by my son.  However, even though it keeps the dog out, the chickens decided that they can fly over and bother the dog!  The dog is bigger than them, though, so our yard was a cacophony of barking and screeching chickens...Not fun at 6:00 in the morning!!

So, I went on You-Tube and Google and learned how to clip chicken wings, so that the hens will stay on their side of the fence.  It was easy (once I caught the dang hens!), and all of the tutorials basically showed the exact same thing, so I couldn't go wrong (could I?).

As of 7:30 this morning, wings are now clipped and I'll let you know if it keeps the hens in their new area......it better!!!!!

 This is the new area - it is about 25 x 20 for four hens......and they have two coops as of right now!

 I think they were pretty P.O.'d at me this morning for clipping their wings, so they didn't come out of the coop to have their pictures taken! HAH!

A blog link

I am linking to one of the blogs that I read everyday.
Click on the link below to see my deoderant recipe from Abbi in Minnesota. 

http://proverbs31living.blogspot.com/2011/04/making-my-own-deodorant.html

As many of you know, I make my own deodorant and it works like a charm.  I've been doing this for about 1-1/2 years now and I recommend it wholeheartedly!  It works just as well (if not better) as over the counter deodorants/antiperspirants with NO aluminum, nothing artificial, nothing clogging your pores. 

I teach Zumba four times a week and I can vouch for it! 

Soap Making

My sister and I started our first annual tradition of soap making for gifts for the holidays......We followed a "recipe" and we think (we won't know for about a week), that we did it right and that it will come out good.  I will post pictures, once we know!!

I had purchased a set of essential oils in all different smells, so we "experimented".  I made a bigger batch of peppermint soap (for Christmas gift giving).  I hope it comes out well.  We also tried rosemary, citrus, eucalyptus, tea tree oil (which was the first batch that I made that came out really good!).

I will let you know how it comes out.

PS - working with lye was very scary.  That is the part that I really, really don't like!

PPS - it took us a little over two hours and we made about 22 bars????  (I will know definitely how many bars once we cut it - right now it is still in the molds).

Houston......We have eggs!!!!

After almost three months (and many thoughts of having roast chicken for Sunday dinner), my very beautiful hens are laying again.  When we got the hens in September, they were young and wouldn't start laying until about November, but it got so cold so fast, they never started laying.....so, they have begun now.  Let's hope it continues.  Homemade Biscuits (left over from Yesterday's strawberry shortcakes) with scrambled eggs for morning.......Delicious!

Home Made...

I made another batch of detergent last night, using a slightly different recipe. I am going to keep trying recipes, until I love the recipe (sounds like the Walton's, but I mean a totally different recipe :) )

This one was with Ivory Soap and the last batch was with Fels Naptha. This batch had a little less Borax. We will see how it works. The last batch worked great, but I think I like the smell of the Ivory better......It gelled (sp?) up beautifully. I'll add a picture later!


It was a snowy, cold day. I took Nonni to church and then home for dinner. My mother-in-law came over too. We had a nice Sunday afternoon, but they left early, because the weather was just iffy all day.

I started another afghan yesterday. I am going to make this one for Bruno (one of the trips) for next year's Christmas gift. I figure if I start now, I'll finish by then...........

Cold and snow??

Well, we are supposed to get some snow tomorrow, not sure how much yet. I made a few decisions, though.

I can't go shopping, because I just don't have enough time this week, so the nieces and nephews and God children are getting money. Tomorrow, I will finish my last two hand made gifts. Start wrapping and start my cookies. If there is snow on Sunday, I'll stay home and bake more and clean (something that is long overdue!).

I'll know more in the morning........

Cold.... and miscellaneous....

It is still very cold out there. The chickens are back in the garage again. It is way too cold to leave them out there overnight. I just brought them back out for the day. Thomas brought them in for me last night (good guy!), and he brought in the water pail, so that it wouldn't be frozen solid.

We had our Christmas party last night, and we had a great time. There were only 10 of us this year, but it worked out fine. We had our Yankee swap....Sh...don't tell my son...but I got him a whole Armour All kit for his new car. Hopefully, he will like the gift.

After the party, I went to Joann's Fabric. Can I make two more Aprons before Christmas???? I'll give it the old college try. I still have to finish one more pair of pj's too!

I just balanced two months of my checking account on line, even though I balance it every morning. The online is for the taxes, so I only have one month to go and I'll be ready by Feb. 1 to hand everything off to the accountant.

Hubby had to work a very strange shift last night, so he got in at 2:00 am this morning.

By 10:30 last night, I was shot, exhausted, and couldn't keep my eyes open. I'm overdoing it, I know....but it is only for another two weeks....then I can rest somewhat.

Oh and a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, DAMIAN!!

Busy Sunday

Slept in (a little). I love when we get the extra hour of sleep!!

Taught CCD, went to pick up Nonni and took her to church, then the cemetary. Came home and cooked the eggplant that I made last night for dinner today (Nonni folded my laundry - love her for that!) Relaxed for a little while, took my daughter to her Confirmation practice, went to a wake, came home and blogged and now I'm off to work on a sewing project.. Oh and I made two loaves of bread......

And no eggs, yet again......

Busy Saturday

Made two aprons so far, cut the fabric cut for one pair of pj pants for my niece. Babysat Bruno who loves to play outside, made pizza for Halloween dinner, gave out a LOT of candy (even in the rain), fried up two eggplant for eggplant parm and watched the Yankees win. Very good Day!

Sewing

Okay, I'll admit it....I haven't sewn in 31 years! It's time to start again. I've taken the handmade challenge for Christmas and this morning, I am heading to Joanne's for fabric. I have the patterns and the thread, I have borrowed my sister's sewing machine, I know for whom and what I have to make. I just need time and fabric. And a lot of luck!

Guess what I'll be doing on the weekends???

HAPPY HALLOWEEN