Not Always Perfect Peach Pie

Happy Thursday! So last weekend I bought some beautiful peaches from a local stand. Looking at them I thought, wouldn't peach pie be wonderful in the Fall or for a dreary Winter day? I found this great recipe for peach pie filling and started peeling and peeling and peeling 15 lbs of peaches. Since recipes are merely a suggestion to me, I also added cinnamon, the almond extract and some nutmeg. And then it called for something called Clearjel. After stopping at two stores, I found no such thing. Well apparently, it is important. Beings I couldn't find anything that sounded comparable, I decided to use cornstarch and water to substitute this item. It did not work.  I had the right idea. Just the wrong product. In cooking it, I could see it getting  thicker but not enough to hold form in a pie or cobbler. So I either need to use more corn starch to water ratio or add this Clearjel item. But in reading all about it, it appears this product is like a mega corn starch or something like cornstarch on steroids. Don't get me wrong, its still delicious because I had to cook one up to see, of course. It just didn't get very thick. So I am using a lifeline and asking the audience. Do you use Clearjel, other than for acne (which was my original thought)? Or do you have a great substitute that you would like to share.  I'm all ears! Especially since apple fie filling sounds pretty tempting, too!

We Are Facebook Official!

Many of you have asked me how to know when I've posted a blog entry. I thought there would be a subscribe button but I have been unable to locate it. So in thinking about it and wanting a better page for myself and others when what's happening in the world brings us down, I came up with a Facebook page! Shocking, right? So if you are a Facebooker, please like my new Facebook page. You will get notices as to when the blog is updated and fun antidotes to share. I also plan on passing on pages for you of local (and not so local) homesteading events for you to check out. 

I also found a great site called Baking and Eggs.  Cindy is down in flood ravaged Texas and I'm following her story and I love the way she cares for her ladies. Her recipes also look divine. So if you get a chance, send her some love. Tell her I sent you! 

Thank you all for your warm responses. I'm having fun! 

So Cindy....today this is for you. Stay strong down there and thank you for being an inspiration.

Perks of Being Single

Good Sunday Morning to you all...

Every time I make something cool or do something really great for myself, I think of you all. Especially my sisters out there who are enjoying (and some of you are not enjoying) the single life. There are definite perks to being single. Some of them I practice on the daily. For example, I can buy a watermelon, eat the heart out of it with a spoon. No one complains! The chickens get the rest! And cooking for one? It can be heaven! I like to be really good to myself and I try to eat fairly clean and healthy. One of my favorite dishes to make for myself is PASTA! I have switched to whole grain organic pasta and I love it. It's easy to make for just one. I purchase seafood, like shrimp or scallops and freeze them or buy them already frozen. That way it's easy to just grab 3 or 4 scallops, defrost them in the microwave and go right to you pan of olive oil, butter, white wine, garlic, fresh veggies, etc.. Tacos are another thing that can be hard to make for one person and not eat it all or to keep fresh. Here's a tip. When you make your meat (chicken, burger) and you take the amount you need for your meal, freeze the rest! That makes is easy to grab a shell out of the fridge, grab your meat out of the freezer, microwave for a minute or two then add your toppings and you have a taco anytime!

Want to know what I did last night with my hot and steamy Saturday night? I know you do! I watched Pre Season football with a glass of Pinot Gris! And I got hungry. What you need to know about me is that I love potatoes! Chips, fries, tots, baked, mashed....YUM! I can pass up the sweets but give me the potatoes! And last night I wanted fries. So I found baby potatoes in my fridge, heated up olive oil in a pan and sliced them up. I had some unused Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix left over so I sprinkled some of that on. When they were finished I sprinkled freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. It was delicious! And it hit the spot for my snack. What are some of your favorite meals-for-one hacks? I'd love to know! Pass the Parmesan cheese, please!

Peach BBQ Sauce

Peaches are coming on! And who doesn't love a juicy ripe peach? I found this great recipe for Zesty Peach BBQ Sauce and I just couldn't resist giving it a whirl! Of course, as you know, to me, recipes are merely suggestions. So here is the spin I put on it.

Someone gave me a sample to try and though their's was perfectly tasty, my vision was to have it a little chunkier. So I mixed up my ingredients on a pulse setting on my processor. I also used a red onion instead of a white or yellow onion for color purposes only. And as every chef knows, all onions matter. I left it as full bodied as possible knowing it would cook down. I added my fresh peaches very last and left them in half slices or smaller depending on the density and firmness of the peach. If they were a little too chunky once the sauce had cooked down, I cut them a little smaller before putting them in jars. It's up to you! I also omitted the dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce. The idea of those did not set my palette right and I was so pleased with the outcome.

What I ended up with was a sort of sweet and sour onset with a peachy middle ground and nice big kick of heat at the end. I am in love! I can't wait to try this on pork, fish and I really want to slow cook chicken breasts, pull them apart, add the sauce and use as sliders! That will be another blog! If you try this, let me know! I'd love to hear your spins and your results.

Fair Season

Oh my gosh how I've missed you all! I apologize for the long departure but life got crazy for a moment. We had our County Fair. My son moved. My business added another division and life took me on the road often. But here I am. I have Peach Barbecue Sauce simmering on the stove (that will be another blog) and I have a moment. Let's talk about Fair Season!

Tell me. Do you all actively participate in your Fair? Growing up if my cousins or I complained about there was nothing at the Fair, my Grandmother would as us, well...what did you contribute. From me teens until my own children entered their drawings and baked goods I always entered something in the Fair. I live in a fairly large rural county and I just don't see people doing it like they used to. Myself included.  Sadly life gets too busy and it feels like one more thing to add to the list. I do enjoy looking at the beautiful things that others craft.  This year for me, it was more about taking it in. And boy did I!

I discovered beautiful poultry breeds that I had not seen before. My young friend and I took in the Pirate Parrot Show, which was highly educational. Who knew! We ate Fair Food and took in the LoCash Concert, which was my third. That was a magical night. The moon was a day past full and singing with the crowd to I Love This Life was beyond cool. The following night we took in the Pro Rodeo and watched the best of the best from the West compete. I also spent a few hours volunteering. Did I mention I've been really tired? I think it's safe to say that Fair signifies harvest and the completion or near completion of Summer. I am glad that even though I didn't enter items, I contributed time and a big smile. Already looking forward to the next one!

Meet Stevie

Yep....there she is in all her glory. My Stevie Girl. Stevie is the best money I have ever spent on myself. By accident, of course. As almost all great purchases are. As a young foal, she was being weaned in the barn of a trainer and friend. I fell in love. I even named her before I left. Her owner made me a deal and, well, she was mine. Stevie is named after, you guessed it, the rock icon Stevie Nicks. Look at that blonde coat and her gorgeous face and how could she be anything else? She had me Spellbound! In this photo is Stevie's second time under saddle. No fuss. No fit. She is the kind of filly that makes you think you are a good trainer. She is smart. She is beautiful and she wants to figure it out and learn. The first day I showed her a tarp, she moved it around with her hoof and walked over it. She let me put it on her, she let me rub her coat with it and she walked around with it on her back. She spoils me. So today I drove an hour to meet with a trainer to discuss "bitting her up". Such great information. She is ready and now the only thing I have to figure out is if I am brave enough to put the first ride on her or if I want to hire the young lady I met with today to do it. I am not going to decide today. Stevie will let me know. As will my heart. Regardless, I will have the trainer on site. And I'm sure it will be with great fan fare and possibly a tear or two. I'll keep you posted. 

I will be away for a couple of days to earn the hay money. Maybe with new adventures to tell! See you Sunday and stay safe out there!

There's a Tear in My Tomato Beer

Not really. I'm having a blast! But 7 pints of canned tomatoes, 6 pints of knock-your-socks-off-salsa and soon to be hopefully 7 pints of pizza sauce later, I'm not even through half of my tomatoes. This will be a marathon...not a sprint. Tomorrow....or with a burst of energy, tonight, I will conquer! I just sat down to write this with a glass of wine and my sweet little dog, Binks who is licking the splatters of tomato off my shirt and several suggestions have come to mind.

First of all, I am a novice canner. I have such fond memories of my mother putting the absolute fear of God into me that we would all die of botulism if everything wasn't just so, that I have always wanted to get back to it. Sighting that I just didn't have the time before, last Fall I bought a pressure canner and a water bath canner this Spring. There is not stopping me now! But that's not all you need. I highly suggest that if you are going to can anything that ends with the word sauce, you invest in a food strainer. My parents used to put up some ridiculous amount of tomato juice when I was a kid. I want to say something like 120 quarts. My dad liked his tomato juice. My job was to run those little bastards through the hand sieve. I took this job very seriously. Those contents were dry in that sieve by the time I was done with them. I found my strainer last fall on local classifieds on Facebook. It was in great shape and it saved the day! So much easier and even fun!  It makes fast work of those tomatoes and I won't need shoulder repair surgery just yet. My other suggestion is get a good food processor! For my salsa today is was the boss! I loved it and made a job of jalapenos and onions much better. Back to my sauce....stay tuned.

PS...
I have had some of you ask about subscribing to this blog and I'm looking to put that option on here. Thank you so much for your kind words! I am just having fun! More soon!

Be Kind to Your Neighbors

Ah....enjoying a well deserved glass of wine while the water bath boils. In it are the contents of 7 pints of whole roma tomatoes. But I digress. There is a story of how all this came to be. Almost every night, my dogs and I take a walk around the irrigation ponds on the adjacent property. On this trail are two camp trailers that I originally thought might one day be my demise since I had no idea who lived there. Then I met Dave. Dave claims to be "three years older than God". A widower who escaped the home, works part time for a local produce farm and feeds his bunnies and squirrels faithfully. During a friendly visit on my walk I asked him if tomatoes were coming on yet. He said yes...and asked if I wanted some. Sure! I said. I was planning on making tomato sauces and pizza sauces this summer. He asked how much. I said about 50 lbs ought to get me started. He said he'd get them and then I could pay him. Deal! Forward to last night. I get a call from my buddy Dave. He has my tomatoes. Could I come get them. Sure! And I was merrily on my way. Well...when I got there...Dave didn't have my 50 lbs of tomatoes. No. Not at all. Dave had 80 lbs of tomatoes, about 40 lbs of tomatillo peppers, roughly 20 lbs of jalepeno peppers, two honey dew melons, two cantelope and one watermelon! After I picked my jaw up he said he had a proposition for me. I said...oh yeah? He said not that kind! My sugar daddy hopes dashed he said there was no charge for the produce if I would do a canner full of tomatoes for him. DONE! Easiest request ever! Well there was some squabbling about who would pay for the jars but I won that one. Then with a wave of his hand and a friendly "get out of my hair", I was off. To panic. And buy jars. So the first batch of anything is Dave's tomatoes. I am proud of them already. And the friend I have made along the bunny trail.