10,000 calories...

Today we are back from a short visit with Sunshine and dad for the Labor Day week-end. It was short but nice and we even squeezed in a short trip to War Eagle Mill.

Upon arriving home all the animals were happy to see us although Big Miss did a great job in taking care of them. My, the birds have grown.

Here are the turkeys now, no longer babies...

And here are the guinees, no longer babies too (although they still stick with mom -she is a real chicken)

I also want to wish Big Miss 

"HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY ! "

This was taken when her friend Jersey from London was staying with us a few days before leaving. Big Miss is planning a 10 day trip there in the Spring if she can get her finances in line.

"HI" to you Jersey!

Peaches 'n' Cream Dessert Pizza

I made this yummy dessert last week and Frontier Man especially liked it. This is how you put it together...

First you seperate the crescent dough into eight triangles. Press onto a greased 12-in. pizza pan; seal seams. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden. (I have a stand alone pizza cooker and so I used that for 8 minutes)

Cool slightly on a wire rack. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and extract until smooth. Spread over crust. Top with pie filling.

In a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over peaches. Top with almonds. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. (again I used the pizza cooker at 12 minutes) Cool.

Cut into wedges. ENJOY!

( Refrigerate leftovers -if you have any!)

Peaches 'n' Cream Dessert Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 can (21 ounces) peach pie filling
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Separate crescent dough into eight triangles. Press onto a greased 12-in. pizza pan; seal seams. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
    In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and extract until smooth. Spread over crust. Top with pie filling. In a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over peaches. Top with almonds. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Cut into wedges. Refrigerate leftovers.

Apple-Maple Jam recipe and pictures

 

I was asked to share the recipe of the Apple-Maple jam and so here it is, along with a few pictures on jam day!

 

Notice the apples stay nice if you add Fruit Fresh to your bowl of water

 

 

A manual chopper works well and gets the pieces just the right size...

 

The mixture boiling up to jel point (I like mine pretty thick so I let it cook longer) and the dark in the apples is from the maple, cin., nutmeg, etc.

 

Ready to eat!

 

 

 

Recipe Ingredients

• 7 cups Apples (Peeled & Cored)
• 6 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Cloves

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pot.
Bring slowly to a boil.
Cook rapidly to jellying point.
As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.
Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
Adjust caps.
Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
Yield: about 8 half pints

Strawberry Jammin Time (in pictures)

I was blessed with 2 flats of organic strawberry's this week and so I have been making strawberry jam. I had enough to make 3 batches or 27 half-pints. I wanted to share with you how easy it is to do and impress on you the utmost importance on safety while canning. If you get into the habit of ALWAYS canning the recommended way then you will never have any worry. Recommended means up to date -not grandma's old canning book.

First you grab a kid.... any old kid will do. If their not willing to work withhold food half a day and ask again. A kid will make the difference in things going faster. (Unless you grab a teen...)

In my case this is the kid I grabbed today.

First you take some strawberries and wash them...

Then you grab that kid and have them hull them....See how happy the kid is now?

And then you mash them (a potato masher works fine here)

I sprinkle on a little fruit fresh to keep' em nice. (man is that stuff great or what?!)

Get your lids and jars sterilizing...

Cook up your jam according to your recipe and fill up your jars...(notice the teen is now happy to work for food too)

Then you start on a new batch...

And when it is all done, grab a glass of diet coke, sit down for a few minutes while contemplating whether or not to pop one of those sweet baby's open. Then go ahead and cut a chunk off that fresh bread you have and slather it on, and enjoy every bite. See how yummy it looks?

Oh... sorry... Gee I guess I didn't get a picture of that -I was too busy stuffing it in my mouth. Then stand back and ADMIRE all those beautiful jars of jam that will taste so good all winter long. Mmm Mmm.

Busy Busy Busy

I Haven't been able to get the time to do much visitin' on here, sometimes homestead life really gets in the way. Yesterday, I took advantage of the cool snap we are having and did a breadmaking day. I accomplished 4 loaves of whole wheat, a batch of butterhorn rolls and 3 loaves of Pumpkin Spice Bread. Those girls of mine, I tell ya. I turn my back and then theres this big gaping whole in the center of one of the Pumpkin Breads. huh?

"Who did this"?....

"Not me"....

"Not me"....

"Well, I guess that hole there just sunk in by itself"

The diet is going well, I am starting to feel a little more looseness in my clothes which is how I measure any weight loss anyhow because we threw out the bathroom scales many years ago. I did however splurge this week-end when we went out to dinner. I had blackened sirloin added to my salad which alone was not too bad but then I made this awesome desert for Frontier Man and the kids and of course I had to have a sliver (and mmmmm was it ever good! ) The desert I will share with you soon.... the name: Peaches 'n' Cream Desert Pizza -doesn't the name alone send a shiver of delight down your spine!?

But all in all I am hanging in there and feeling some head way on the diet thing although I am learning not to call TJAF and ask whats on their menu because I am seeing they can have way more exciting things on their diet than I ........like cheese, and butter ..... but, I can have whole wheat bread...and rolls...Mwa ha hah aha ha ha. I know, I know, that was really childish. But when you are food deprived you can't imagine the levels you will sink to.

We had a nice visit with Police Son's friend who came all the way from Californ-i-a. Where the weather is nice I am sure. Came here to us, in Oklaho-m-a. Where we were melting in a heat wave. I visioned that Police Son would show Faraway Friend all neat places that Oklahoma'ns take pride in. He could take her to the museums.... our delightful restaurants.... some sightseeing and take in some memorable Oklahoma curiosities. After all, Police Son took a week off work for the visit so of course he would use that time wisely. And this is what I conclude:

They are good at Guitar Hero....

Thats all they did.....

The whole time....

I could have pushed, pulled, cajoled or otherwise strong-armed them out the door, but I wouldn't want to get in the way of them being rock stars.

Big Miss starts college tommorrow and is ready. Well, she thinks she is but that may change when her alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. Little Miss is also about ready to start but is not ready to give up her Summer fun yet. She has been swimming all Summer and I can't believe how well she is doing. Early in the Summer I had to watch her closely as she could not swim over her head but now, not only can she swim in deep water but she is diving as well. Not to worry though, I still watch her close. Last week we went to visit Pianomanjess and family and took the kids to the park where they had a splashpad. Boy, did they have fun! Little Miss and Grand-Doll was doing some serious splashing and even the big boy there in the yellow swim trunks ran around doing the funky chicken.

Isn't Grand-Doll a sweetie?

This is complete..

and utter...

heaven.

And since Saturday was my boy Pianomanjess' birthday, I want to wish him a Happy Birthday.

This was him a month a go...

this was him last week -what handsomeness was under all that hair!

I love you son!

On reading

Yellow Squash Casserole

2 lbs yellow squash (4-5 medium)
1 large onion
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup coarsely-crushed butter crackers (Ritz)
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Trim and slice squash. Slice onion and separate rings. Saute both in the 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan or skillet, until they are mostly soft (6-8 minutes).

Stir flour, dill, salt and pepper into squash and onions. Transfer mixture to a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Whisk eggs and milk together and pour over the vegetables. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Combine the crushed crackers and 2 Tbsp butter and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake an additional 10 minutes.

Let casserole set for 10 minutes before serving.

Boy is it HOT!

Rules For Your Garden

1ST: Plant five rows of P’s,

Presence

Promptness

Preparation

Perseverance

Politeness

2ND: Plant three rows of squash,

Squash indifference

Squash criticism

Squash gossip

3RD: Then plant five rows of lettuce,

Let us be faithful to duty

Let us be unselfish and loyal

Let us obey the rules and regulations

Let us be true to our obligations

Let us respect one another

4TH: No garden is complete without turnips,

Turn up for meetings

Turn up with a smile

Turn up with the determination to

make Everything count for something good and worthwhile.

This Weeks Menu