Pickles on the menu?

Looks like I'm going to be making pickles, as they are on sale at the local produce market.  I love bread and butter pickles, but I feel like the store kind are acceptable, so if I'm going through the effort of making pickles, I'm going to try some different kinds.  I made pickled beets a few weeks ago (hmm, I should pop open a jar and see how they turned out) and I LOVE watermelon rind pickles, but it's pickling cucumbers that are on sale, so I'm off to find some unusual recipes.  I'll share anything good that I find.

Cross and Crown

I've begun another quilt.  This pattern is from a 1931 quilt pattern book.  I thought it might be nice in red and cream, but settled on navy and white.

The finished square is 10" and will be sashed with 4" white strips and navy squares.  I expect to put a hint of pale blue in a border strip.  I love to piece and hate to quilt, so in the past, I would have found a way to tie the quilt with yarn or floss, but I'm going to buckle down and quilt this one.  (but not by hand-eeek!)  As I was chaining the pieces, it made the coolest circle-

So maybe love is too strong of a word, but I certainly get a lot of satisfaction from piecing.  It's such a drastic change from my job - pick up pieces, match seam, sew seam, pick up pieces, match seam, sew seam - you get the idea.  I get interrupted so often at work that I feel I can never get anything really finished.  Piecing is at my own pace, as long as I can keep my eyes open (if only it weren't so HOT tonight!) and there's Star Trek TNG M Squad and Perry Mason on the tube.  Cold iced tea with plenty of lemon...  and dreams of colder days ahead, with cookies baking and a warm quilt on my lap.

Flood July 24, 2010

My condo backs onto a park and creek.  It floods a little every year - this was the deepest year yet.  There is a bridge completely submerged in this photo-proof of the depth of the flood.

It's too warm.  I don't like to sleep in the heat.  I have an air conditioner, but it's so loud that I don't sleep well that way either.  I look forward to fall!!!  I want to bake whenever I feel like it.  Muffins for dinner?  Why not!?!  Right now it's too dang hot, that's why not!  Chocolate Comfort Cookies, oooh, I miss you.  It's supposed to get better by Thursday and I certainly hope so.  The forcast for tonight is 72-UGH!  It seems to be warmer and warmer every summer.  I had a co-worker who wanted to move to Arizona, if you can even imagine.  If I move, it'll only be north.  Wisconsin or Canada - how about Alaska!

Follow the blogger &*%$

So, I'm new to this blogging world (it changed a lot since I last tried it three years ago!) and I have been anonymously following some bloggers.  I'm now incredibly relieved it was anonymous, because I was flabbergasted to find some folks so casually swearing on their blogs.  I watched a television show the other night at 7:00 p.m., where they were very casually using dreadful language, too.  What is this world coming to???  YUCK!  I mean, I've been known to swear from time to time, but this was so un-called-for and...  and... and... casual. No wonder my son thinks I'm nuts for pushing back on the swearing thing.  Between his games and television and movies and the hallways at school, he's surrounded by it.  There is no respect out there, either for the swearers or for those who have to listen to it, I guess.  Actually, I guess that makes me old-fashioned and out-dated and curmudgeon-y, but so be it.  I also think abortion is not a woman's choice (gasp!)  and I expect my son to hold doors open for people, especially women, and there is such thing as objective truth, not just whatever a person believes is true for them is the truth, and sin is Sin and Satan is real, not some cute guy in a red suit who sits on your shoulder trying to get you to eat more cheesecake!

Less Sugar Pectin

Well, I've decided I really prefer the less-sugar-required pectin.  I made two batches of cherry jam, one with one added cup and one with 1-1/2 added cups of sugar.  The second was better.  Now that several weeks have passed, I've discovered that the jam will mold, unlike full-sugar jams.  I actually take this as a good sign, since food should spoil after while.  Since regular jam is liquid candy, it doesn't seem to spoil.  So I'm sticking with the less-sugar pectin, although I will try a little more sugar next time, to see if the spoilage time increases.  You can add up to 3 cups per batch, and that might be just about right.  The cherry jams are VERY chunky at 1 cup of sugar, not too good for things like thumbprint cookies and rugelach and kolacky and jam layer bars and whatnot.  (mmm!)

Doggone

Too much time to think today,  I guess.  I decided to spill my guts about a recent event.  Well, two events, sort of.

About 10 years ago, we adopted a dog from a local shelter.  Her name was Rascal, so we shifted it to Roscoe.  They were vague about her background, suggesting she was collateral damage from a divorce.  She was calmly hanging out in the cages with the cats.  Probably a Rat Terrier, about 16 pounds, black white and tan with a min-pin look to her face.  The vet figured she was a least 5 years old.  Over the years we put quite a few miles behind us.  I think she was actually a cat in a dog suit, as she had that aloof quality - "Hey, I'm glad you're home.  Good to see you, I'm gonna go continue my nap now."  If you threw a ball for her, she thought it was a game you were playing for her to watch.  She was a great pet.

A little over a year ago, something changed with her digestive system.  No gory details, but like clockwork, every third or fourth day, her back end would create a technicolor mess for me to clean up.  Trips to the vet gave us strategies, but barring the REALLY expensive tests, they couldn't find a solution.  I cooked all her meals for 5 months.  We tried every better kind of commercial dog food meant for sensitive stomachs.  She got no treats.  She got only Rice Chex as treats.  She got medicines, both prescription and OTC.  I spent more than I could afford on vet visits and fecal tests and blood tests.  I got really good at cleaning the tile floor with paper towels.  I washed my hands endless times.  My son lost some appetite.  I lost some of my appetite.  She was confined to the kitchen and the hallway where there was no carpeting.  We got used to walking over dog gates.  She spent nearly all her time alone.

So, one day I got tired of the whole thing.  I made some calls and discovered that I could take her to the county animal shelter and they would take her off my hands, evaluate her condition and deal with the results.  For $20.00, if you can imagine.  So we did that.  And now I can't help but feel guilty even though I know I did what I had to do.  You see, she didn't seem to mind the whole thing, the incontinence, I mean.  She never seemed to be in any pain.  She got used to making messes in the house and didn't seem particularly distressed by the whole thing.  But she was, like, fifteen years old.  And clearly had some kind of problem...

Well, that was event number one.  Two days later my mother called to let me know that her mother, my grandma, had died.  My mother was handling it pretty well, considering that just a very few weeks earlier, on the first anniversary of my father's death, she found out that she had breast cancer.  She is in treatement and the prognosis is excellent.

I have a feeling I'm not really handling things all that well.  Stoic.  Impassive.  Strong.  (Depressed, I think.  Maybe overwhelmed.)  Most of the time I keep busy, but other times I feel so...so...adrift?  Bad timing for raising a teenager, too. 

Here Roscoe is was, in her harness, no longer tri-colored, as the brown had faded to black and white.  Hated having her toenails trimmed (she would nip me!) so she was always clicking around the kitchen.  Now there's nobody to lick up the drips and crumbs.

Patience please!

My son has two friends over for the afternoon/evening.  Two girls.  Sixteen.  One of them turned it today.  They were dropped off by their fathers and both fathers insisted on meeting me to make sure I was really there.  I'm here.  Tucked away in my room, giving them space to watch horror movies and eat junk food.  We're in a small condo, so I'm not TOO far away.  The thing is, I'm feeling incredibly claustrophobic.  I have gotten used to running out to wherever my little heart desires (now that my son is old enough to stay home alone) and staying put is driving me nuts.  Especially since I've spent the afternoon looking around at the creativity and projects of folks all over the net.  I WANNA GO TO THE FABRIC STORE!!!  I have no idea how much longer the gathering in my living room is going to go on.  I'll survive.  Somehow.  I should make a list for my trip to the fabric store on my way home from work tomorrow.  Yeah.  That oughta make me feel better.  Hrmph.

Music-Cello

I may have mentioned that I have been learning to play the cello.  I hate to bring it up, since I'm still so dreadful at it, but I wanted to mention some freeware I found that really helps me.  It's called MuseScore and I use it all the time now.  Since I already know how to read music and (so far) am teaching myself, I've been cobbling together information and exercises and whatnot from various places.  Also, I love to play hymns, but the melodies are in treble clef.  MuseScore helps me set up the music to practice all in one place, as well as helping transpose the hymns from treble clef to bass clef and into first-position key signatures.  Now all I need is time. 

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice, practice, practice.

Quilt Show-Batavia

So I was inspired to start thinking about really pursuing quilting this morning.  I was awakened at 7:30 this morning by my son getting ready for bed.  It was still sort of cool outside, so I made two batches of jam, then headed for the computer.  Poking around in the blogosphere put all kinds of notions into my head, and then I came across some great mid-career advice.  One thing lead to another et voila, a quilt show just around the corner!  Batavia's Quilt and Textile Show  Six bucks later I have some home-grown inspiration in my very own camera.  Click here for flickr images.

I'm always most drawn to the appliqued quilts, probably since I don't do them.

I'm not usually a fan of holiday quilts, but I loved the way this one joined traditional piecing with the images in the middle panel.

This one is a beautiful interpretation of lady's slippers-check out the detail below

I don't think my camera captured the colors as pretty as they were in real life.

The rest of the photos are from two quilts that are related and span 80 years.  The tags tell the story...

Turning Point

I've been having trouble with my life lately.  Depression-maybe.  Confusion-yes.  Determination-definitely.  I must have reached the middle point, because I suddenly have no idea what I'm doing with my life and a serious determination to do something helpful.  I've been canning for the last three week-ends and now have more than enough cans of jam to last for...anything.  By the way, I really like the no-sugar-needed pectin and will stick with that from now on.  I made two batches of cherry, one with 1 cup of sugar, and one with 1-1/2 cups.  I also made a batch of peach with one cup of sugar.  Excellent!  Just follow the directions on the package.  It should also work with those weird sweetneres people like to use (but not me.)

I digress.

I have been doing crafts for my whole life.  When I was a kid, the only way I got new clothes was to make them myself.  Mom showed me how to needlepoint, knit and I've picked up practically everything else.  Latchhooking, scrapbooking, crochet, cross-stitch, photography (the old fashioned chemical-laden kind), acrylic, oil painting; the list goes on.  Quilts.  I really can't think of any more helpful craft than quilting.  Sewing clothes really only works if you have specific people in mind.  I tried doll-making but no-one was interested.  I even tried making mittens a few years ago, but that didn't work.  Quilts are sort of one-size-fits-all (o.k. not precisely, but hang with me a minute) item that can be very beautiful if done well, but even if they are less-than-perfect quilts some (homeless?) people could use them.  I also read some advice early today about pursuing arts/crafts for a living and why a person really shouldn't jump in without testing the water first.  (Am I good enough?  What do I expect to put into it?  What do I expect to get out of it?  Does my plan move me toward my end goal?  What is that end goal?  That sort of thing-very helpful)

Quilts.  I think that is my new end goal.  I have about 2 years before I have an empty nest, and that is a good chunk of time to become a better quilter.

Frustration

It seems as if life has reached an all-time peak level of frustration for me , as well as those around me.  And I don't think it's simply a matter of getting older and more curmudgeon-y, either.  Our newly re-habbed phone system has apparently got some loose wires and the phones intermittently work/not work/work/not work.  I can't seem to get straight answers out of people without going through a lot of effort to explain to them the sorts of things that I think they should already know.  No one seems to want to do anything beyond what they themselves see as their "job".  When I do something to make someone else's job easier, they take the effort for granted and somehow assume that any follow-up work is also my responsibility too.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

I always want to push on ahead in my own strength.  If I can't see the path before me I get frustrated and start casting around for a better/different/self-sufficient light source.  I take things personally and seek glory for myself, when I really need to let go of the frustration and do well those things I know I can, try to do those things I am responsible for and let the rest go.  God made me who I am and I should trust that He has equipped me as He knows I need to be equipped.

Firecrackers - Spicy Pickled Carrots

I like the hot giardiniera served on sandwiches, but the pepper skins don't agree with my stomach, so I wanted to make my own.  My favorite part are the carrots, so I started with Alton Brown's recipe.  I first dropped some of those incredibly hot little Thai peppers in there, but they didn't release their heat through the skins very much, so I added 8-10 that had been slit - WOW!  The next batch will get the same peppers, slit, but not nearly as many, or else I will get more of a less-hot variety - it just depends on what's available and look fresh at the produce market.
Firecrackers from here
1 c water
1 c sugar
1-1/2 c cider vinegar
1 t onion powder
1/2 t mustard seeds
1-1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 lb mini carrots
peppers to taste

Bring the ingredients (except the carrots and peppers) to boil in a saucepan and simmer 4 minutes.  Put the carrots and peppers in a large jar, pour brine over.  Store in the fridge.

Cantaloupe Jam

Well, turns out that the Cantaloupe Jam was a HUGE hit with those folks who love cantaloupe.  I also discovered that the Can Jam ingredient of the month of July includes melons.
 
While I am not a participant of said Can Jam, I have been inspired by the whole canvolution.  I now have far more jams than I could eat in several years, so I'm expecting to give some to folks at work, and perhaps even raffle a few off to support my favorite charity.  The problem is, that the more I make and the more I read, the more other things I want to try.  For example, someone recommended a book that focused primarily on jamming with liquid pectin, something I had been sort-of avoiding, and now want to try.  Then I got to thinking about the fact that "traditional" jam is really liquid candy in a jar, so I've starting wondering about trying the no-sugar-needed pectin, so I can cut the sugar content down to something I can be happy about (perhaps nothing?) depending on the main ingredient.  And we're entering the pickles and then apples seasons, so maybe the jam tinkering will have to wait a year???  We'll see what the next ad brings at the fruit market.

Cantaloupe Jam from here
Cantaloupe
3/4 lb sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamon
1/2 t apple pie spice
     all ingredients are per pound of chopped cantaloupe
Measure all in large pot, with a touch of water.  Cook slowly until the cantaoupe is soft and the desired consistency is reached.

Strawberry Jalapeno Jam

This is a nice strawberry jam, with not too much jalapeno heat.  I would actually like a little more heat, as the peppers I used were quite large and very mild.  I'm also considering peeling the peppers next time to make them less chewy and also easier on my digestive system.

Strawberry Jalapeno Jam adapted from here
1/3 c minced jalapenos
1-1/2 c chopped strawberries
3 c sugar
3/4 c cider vinegar
3 oz liquid pectin

Place all but pectin in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, stirring, and boil one full minute.  Cool 5 minutes, then stir in pectin.  Ladle into approximately 3 half-pint jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Fig Jam

I've never used figs before, but I was very impressed with the jam from these.  They were black figs, about 2 pints, and made the best pink delicate jam!

Fig Jam from here
1-1/2 lb (2 pints) ripe, black figs, roughly chopped
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 t lemon rind
1/4 c H2O
1/2 box Sure-Jell (powdered pectin)
3-1/2 c sugar

Stir everything except the sugar together and heat to a hard boil, stirring.  Add the sugar, stirring, to a rolling boil.  Boil hard one minute while stirring.  Cool 5 minutes, skimming as necessary.  Fill approximately 6 half-pint jars with jam leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Blueberry Curd

I'm not sure why I tried this recipe, as I'm not that much of a blueberry fan, but WOW!  Every night, on a toasted english muffin.  My scale isn't happy, but I just concentrate on the anti-oxidant boost instead.  I keep finding good berries at low prices, so I keep making more and stashing them in the freezer in one-cup containers.  I cook the whole lemon in there because I like that flavor including the bitter undertones from the pith.  If you don't want that, you can just do the juice and the zest, and skip the cheesecloth part (although I would probably put in an extra half lemon just 'cause I'm like that!)

Blueberry Curd from here
1-1/2 pint blueberries, washed
2 lemons, chopped (zest, pith, seeds and all), tied in cheesecloth
1-3/4 c sugar
6T unsalted butter, cubed
3 eggs, beaten

Cook the berries a few minutes until they get soft, then add in the lemons in cheesecloth.  Cook them for another 10-15 minutes (the longer you cook, the stronger the lemon flavor).  Cool the mixture (perhaps overnight in the fridge?) and then squeeze the juice and pulp out of the cheesecloth- the longer and harder you squeeze, the stronger the lemon flavor.  This goes into the top of a double-boiler, with the sugar.  Heat them together until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the butter and stir until it is melted.  Add the beaten eggs while stirring, and cook for about 20 minutes, until thick and completely cooked through.  Let it cool slightly and strain through a sieve.  This curd will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 6 months (and is not suitable for boiling water canning).

CANNING!

I was feeling at loose ends last week, and so I thought I'd can some stuff.  I thought (briefly) about going to pick-my-own, but realized that was just too expensive and time-consuming.  Since I am short on both time and money, I decided to can whatever was on-sale at the local produce market. 

Just to get this off my chest;
1) by buying not-specifically organic produce, I realize that I am probably upping our ingestion of pesticides and whatnot this way, but I can barely afford groceries un-organically, so...
2) I am also willing to use Sure-Jell/Certo pectin - which I'm sure has the canning purists shaking their heads and tsk-ing- but I don't have the time to make three-day jam, nor do I have access to crab apples, etc. etc. etc. (rant over)

I made so many things!  Not all turned out as I would have hoped, but I'm feeling very tired and very proud of myself.  Fig Jam was not at all like I expected - I never used them before, but the black figs were on sale and turned into the prettiest, yummy pink jam.  Cantaloupe Jam, on the other hand, didn't even go into jars because I don't really like cantaloupes (I know, I know-why did I make it? Cantaloupes were on sale! and with all the spices in the jam, I thought it might taste better than it did.).  I have a few interested people at work who will get 1-cup versions of it in disposable containers.  I was iffy about the Peach-Papaya Jam (the papaya smelled very unusual to me) but once it was cooked, it was great.  Strawberry-Jalapeno Jam on cottage cheese was fabulous.

I have an overall complaint about recipes that call for a "package" of pectin.  "Dry" or "liquid" are very key words to just leave out, as they are NOT interchangeable!  I also had a recipe that called for 8 cups of washed, hulled strawberries, but never mentioned cutting/crushing/slicing them and boy, they sure should have been - I guess she assumed readers would magically know that?!?  I've learned that blogs, like people, can't all be trusted at face value.  Some folks only post things they've actually made, and are careful about copying the recipe accurately.  Other people - not so much, I guess.

Once I've inventories the contents of the jars, I'll post (CAREFULLY, I promise!) the recipes for the ones that worked best.

Reading on a Reader

I have a Sony Reader, and I really like it.  It was a special gift from a friend, and it saves my sanity while I'm waiting for one thing or another (a grumpy teenager, mostly).  I have no extra money for books, and the local library leaves something to be desired.  I am particular about what I put inside my head, and so I prefer older books.  The Reader is perfect for this, since I can download more free books than I can ever read from either Project Gutenberg or Google Books (public domain books).  I am currently reading Robinson Crusoe because of a comment I heard on Moody Radio.  I've even managed to get some John Piper books and Classic Christian Books Online and Christian PDF Books etc.  I also found that Calibre was a very helpful tool for getting stuff from .pdf to the ePub format that makes for better reading.  I already have a little over 800 books lurking in the shadows of my hard drive, just waiting for the miraculous day when I have time to really read.  That's another reason I prefer the Reader, because I don't like the constant contact of the Kindle with the internet, and I don't like the idea of storing my stuff on their server.  (This is the same reason I prefer my MP3 player over an I-pod; which my son heartily disagrees with!)