Carrots!

On a whim we decided to try carrots. We don't have good soil here, it's like planting in rocks. So my husband was convinced they would get stuck  and not grow. We also planted them late in the season when it was HOT, and them some. But as you can see they grew! Some are short and stubby, some are big and rather long, all are sweet and tasty. We will make sure to plant more next year, this experiment was a success and my children have all ready eaten them all.

Drive By

On the way home from Church today I spotted these on the side of the road. Oh the possibilities! There are a total of 5 shutters and the door. It wasn't until I got home and looked them over a bit more that I realized that one pair was arched and they also have most of their hardware. I have no idea what I am going to do with them yet but I'll think of something! Such potential.

Linking to



My front porch

I have always wanted to make my porch pretty for fall. This year I finally took the time to do it. My husband is all ready asking when it's all coming down. He has his eyes on the hay bales for the garden. I still want to make a new wreath or at least beef up the one that is there. I am beginning to think that might be a project for next year. We shall see. I always love an excuse to use the enamelware I have collected. Pumpkins come in so many shapes, colors, and sizes. So much creativity form our Creator. I just love this time of year!

Canning season may be over...

...but there is still housework!

Look what happens when when you don't do laundry for two weeks. I spent two hours last night folding and I'm still not finished. I am afraid this is what I let go when things get busy. I wash it, dry it, and dump it. It's not really a very good system and one of the things I am working of for next canning season. Housework went out the window. Now it's time to catch up, clean up, and put the laundry away.

A Winner!

I wrote everyone's name out on a piece of scrap paper so I could draw one out of the box.

CONGRATULATIONS MOSEY!!!

Please send me your address so I can get it shipped out to you. While it's a bit late for this season, I am sure it will come in handy for next years harvest!

A Giveaway!

This is one of my favorite things during canning season. I use it to puree berries, make salsa, applesauce, jam, tomato sauce, etc. You put the food in the hopper, crank the handle and the good stuff comes down the white chute and the yuck comes out the end. No removing skins or seed it does it all for you. It is so easy to work that my children fight over who is going to turn the crank! So I thought it celebration of the fact I have been blogging for two years I would give one away!

One reader will win a strainer for your own use. It comes with one screen for apples/tomatoes. It will save you so much time in the kitchen, especially if you can in large quantities or want to get started.

To win:

• Leave a comment on this blog post for one entry. Please include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!
• Share this giveaway on your blog for two entries, and be sure to let come back and let me know!
• This giveaway is open to all US residents and will end Tuesday night at 8:00.

Baked Burritos

I pulled these out when my Mom was visiting. My parents don't usually eat ground beef in their cooking, but my Mom loved these burritos. She even asked for the recipe. So here it is. :)

1 pound ground beef

30 ounces refried beans(or 2-15 ounce cans)

1 Tablespoon taco seasoning(or one envelope)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup(you can find the homemade version here).

1 cup sour cream

1 cup yogurt

10 medium whole wheat tortillas

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

FREEZER STEP: brown meat, stir in beans and taco seasoning. Set aside. Mix together soup, yogurt, and sour cream, pour half of mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, save the other half for later. Spread a portion of meat mixture on each tortilla and roll up. Place filled tortillas in baking dish seam side down. Cover with the remaining sauce, carefully so the tortillas don't dry out. Grate cheddar cheese and freeze in a separate bag attached to dish.
TO PREPARE: Thaw and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 15 minutes more.
TIPS:  I make my own refried beans as they are so easy to do and keep some on hand in the freezer. Instead of typing out how I do that you can go here. I usually divide the recipe into 2 8x8 dishes and freeze in smaller portions that are perfect for the size of my family. I have cooked this from frozen before. I just cover the dish with foil and bake until it is warm in the center. Then remove the foil, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for about 15 more minutes, It usually takes about an hour this way.

Fall Mantle

I finished some of the decorating I wanted to do for the season. Well, at least the mantle is done. I still have a wreath I want to do and some things for the front porch. Hopefully I'll get those done later this week to share with you all. I went simple this year and used natural elements. It took me about 15 minutes to put it all together if you don't count the hours it took me to lug everything up from the basement and drive out to the farm stand to purchase everything. :) The little people on the hearth belong to the Fisher Price Mayflower. I pull them out every year and even my 9 year old still plays with them. It's special since they only see it for a short time. I think they will still insist it comes out even when they are 20 for traditions sake. I left the picket fence, star and candlesticks from summer. I only added the two large milk glass vases with the bundles of wheat. I found the vases at two different thrift shops over the summer for 3.00 each. The wheat bundles were from an farm stand out in Amish country. I love the texture they add.Then I put up some pumpkins the children helped me pick out. They love that I used theirs in such a prominent place. So simple and ready for fall, now if only the temperatures would cooperate!

Sharing with Beth at the Stories of A to Z!

Shopping List Printable

Finally here is a printable for you! If you are cooking, or planning to cook this will help you in the planning of your shopping and how much you need to buy.

First pick out the recipes you are using and number them. To use this shopping list write down the ingredients, then how much you need of each item under the corresponding recipe number. Once you have it all filled out you can count up you totals and know what you need to purchase.Then you can transfer it to a list divided by sections of the grocery store.

Shopping List

I have never linked a printable before so I am not sure that this will work. If it doesn't let me know and I'll work on fixing it. You should be able to right click on the underlined words above and open the file to print it. You will probably need 3 to 4 sheets for 20 recipes. It all depends on what you are cooking. As always if you have any questions just leave them in the comments or e-mail me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Crazy

Well it seems like the summer finally caught up with me. I am am tired! Unfortunately there is no rest for the weary when the weather still thinks its summer and the tomatoes won't stop growin'. Seriously I am DONE with tomatoes, but I can't bring myself to give them away or even ignore them glowing on the vine out my kitchen window. The sad fact is I still don't have enough put up for winter. So I continue to plug away at them and pray for a killing frost. The 80 degree temperatures are not helping! I also did three more bushels of apples last week, all of my children had a 24 hour virus, my husband was out of town for a few days, and my parents came up this weekend for my brother's wedding reception. It's no wonder I couldn't find time to update this little blog of mine!   I do have SO much I want to share. Lots of yummy recipes', my fall decorating I am trying to finish up, and a little give away at the end of the week. So stay tuned for that. I promise it will be good. I want to celebrate the fact I have been blogging for two years and thank all of you for coming along on this journey with me.  It seems like I just started time goes so fast.

And because I don't like posts without pictures, here are a few pictures from the reception. We had lots of fun and my children loved staying in a hotel for the night. It was nice to get away and celebrate with my family. Me, my brother, my children, parents.

Diced Tomatoes

On Tuesday I took my brood out to Lancaster for the day. We needed to get some things from the grocery out there and of course take a scenic drive through some Amish country. We stopped at a couple of farm stands and picked up some fall decor. I was also on the hunt for some cheap tomatoes. Everything I have canned so far with tomatoes has been from my own garden. The season is winding down and I know we don't have enough for everything we needed this year. I spotted a bushel of seconds at a stand for 8 dollars. Score! They were in pretty good shape, just covered in stink bug bites and really ripe!So first thing Wednesday morning I started turning them into diced tomatoes for our winter soups and stews. Here's how to do it.

First remove the skins by blanching for 60 seconds. The skins should start to split.Take them out and place them in ice water to cool them quickly. I keep old peanut butter containers and freeze big ice blocks that take longer to melt than small pieces of ice. Core and peel the skins. I also had to cut out a few worm spots, I was working with seconds so I expected that.Dice them up. Now you are ready to can them. Wash and sterilize the jars so they are hot.  I keep mine in the oven at about 170 degrees, I have broken so many jars while canning over the years from not having hot jars. I do have a lot of old jars and jars from yard sales but I find that it's the new ones that break the most. They just don't make them like they used too! Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart, and fill with the tomatoes. Wipe off rims, and tighten lids and rings.Place in water bath canner, making sure jars are covered with one to two inches of water. If not add more. Bring up to a boil and time for 45 minutes.Remove from canner and place on a cookie sheet, towel, or cutting board. This way if they leak a bit it won't be a huge mess. Then listen for the pop of the jar sealing. It has to be one of the best sounds of summer. If it doesn't seal you can store those jars in the fridge. If you are careful it won't happen very often. After they have set about 24 hours remove rings, rinse off jars, and store in a cool dark, place. From one bushel of tomatoes I got 16 quarts of diced tomatoes. I think that should last most of the winter. Still trying to figure out my totals on some things.