Month: July 2013

Christmas Pickles

I have made these pickles for about 30 years.  They are definitely a favorite at our house.  These are made from the large overgrown cucumbers.  We intentionally let these get large for the purposes of making these pickles.  The fat, yellow ones are the best but the large green ones will work as well.

7 lb cucumbers (after cutting),  1 cup lime, 1 cup vinegar, 1 sm. bottle red food coloring, 1 tbsp. alum, 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 8 cinnamon sticks, 10 cups sugar, 2 packages cinnamon red hot candy or 8-10 drops cinnamon extract.

Peel cucumbers.  Cut in half long ways.  Using a spoon remove seeds.  Slice into thick slices.  Soak in one cup lime and enough water to cover cucumbers for 24 hours. Remove from lime water and wash well.  Soak in ice water 3 hrs or overnight in the fridge.  Drain.  Mix one cup vinegar, food coloring and alum in enough water to cover cucumbers.  Simmer 2 hrs.  Drain.  Put back into ice water.  In another kettle bring to boil 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cinnamon red hots.  After boiling, pour over drained cucumbers.  Let stand 24 hrs.  Drain reserving juice.  Pack cucumbers into jars.  Bring juice to boil.  Pour hot juice over cucumbers.  Process in a water bath canner 5 min. for pts, 10 min. for qts.  Makes approx. 14 pts.

These taste like spiced apple rings.  Very delicious!

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Yeast Rolls

Easy  Yeast Rolls
I’ve had lots of compliments on these over the years, and many people now have this recipe and it’s the only one they use!

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tbls softend butter
1 egg, beaten
3 1/2-4 cups flour

Method
Put water and yeast in large mixing bowl and add next 4 ingredients. Beat with dough hook until well blended. Add 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour and mix until soft dough forms (should not be sticky). Put out onto floured board and knead a few times until smooth. Place in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place approx. 45 minutes. Punch down and turn out onto floured board. Shape into 12 rolls and place in greased 13×9 in. baking pan. Let rise again about 30 minutes. Bake 350 for 20 minutes. Brush tops of rolls with butter. Recipe is easily doubled.

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Pound Cake

Old-Fashioned Pound Cake

3 ½ cups cake flour (sifted)

3 cups sugar

2 sticks butter

1 cup Crisco

1 cup milk

5 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon extract

Blend sugar, butter and Crisco together with mixer. Add flour and milk alternately blending mixture well. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla and lemon extract and mix again.

Grease and flour 9 inch tube pan, add batter and bake at 325 degrees for 1 ½ hours. DO NOT OPEN OVEN.

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Thursday

Wow, look at me!  Two posts in one week!  Maybe I am getting back on track.  I am learning how to use Hubby’s computer.  Now to relearn how to put pictures on using his computer.  Well, maybe next post will have a picture!!

Tuesday, the girls and I canned a bushel of green beans.  We had 24 qts.  Yesterday, we had friends over for supper.  We had beef roast, green beans fresh from the garden, and a stir fry of garden veggies.  It was a good evening.  We enjoyed good food and good fellowship.  Today, we are eating lunch with the Horn’s.  We are looking forward to some time with them.  From there, we are going to help Mrs. Retia with some of her beans.

Last Saturday was our church’s annual horseshoe picnic.  We usually have it at a little picnic area down at the river but we have had so much rain that the road was washed out and we couldn’t get there.  So we had it at the same place we have our Sportsman Banquet-the Coon Hunters Club.  What can I say-we are a church full of hunters and shooters.  Any way, we had a great time, good food and good music.

Well, I guess that’s about it.  Enjoy your day and God bless.

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Spaghetti with Shrimp

I copied this recipe from a blogger friend -http://theblessedhearth.blogspot.com/2013/07/beach-thyme.html.  That’s for sharing, Faye.
Put your pasta water on with lots of salt until it tastes like the sea or so the chefs all tell you.. grin..
I just buy one of those cheaper shrimp rings that are already cooked..
Anyway..
In a frying pan I put in a few Tablespoons of olive or canola oil, a bit of hot pepper flakes, a bay leaf and some
chopped up green or red or even white onion, a chopped up fresh tomato or two, a clove or two of garlic, kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper..
There was no pepper on ours that night as I mislaid my pepper grinder.. daaaaa..
Anyway, let that cook very slowly while the pasta is cooking and take the tails off of the shrimp..
Halfway through I add some chicken stock.. Probably 1/2 cup..
Drain your pasta and at the last minute add your shrimp with a bit of squeezed lemon.. The heat from the pasta will heat them up and they are lovely and fresh..
Lots of chopped basil and Terry loves fresh grated parmesan cheese

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Tuesday

Hello everyone!  I hope all is well with you all.  We have been busy with canning and other misc. things.  Seems to me time surely does go by quickly.  Yesterday we canned pickles.  We did 8 pts of bread and butter pickles.  These are Hubby’s favorite.  Then we did 12 pts of dill pickles.  Today we are canning green beans.

I wanted to let you all know I made the refrigerator pickled beets last week and they are really  good.  I also made the Dutch oven bread.  It was very good as well.  We thought the bottom crust was a little tough.  I think I may reduce the temperature in my oven next time and see if that makes a difference.

Jess had a spell with veritgo last week.  It sure was rough on her.  The girls and I went down Thursday and Friday to help out with the kids.  They sure are a lot of fun.  Daniel’s first day of school was yesterday.  He was SO excited!  He called me when he got home and told me all about it.  Now, how sweet is that!!

We were pretty warm here last week but seem to have cooled down some this week.  At least yesterday was cooler.  Hopefully, today will be as well.  Well, I guess those beans won’t can themselves.  Enjoy your day and God bless.

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Update

Hello everyone!  I hope all is well in your life.  I still do not have my computer back but I thought I would post a little update while I had access to a computer.   The keyboard Dave ordered for Grace’s computer did not work so she is still using mine.  Oh well, the things we do for our children!

We have been busy here.  The garden is doing fairly well.  We have had tons of rain though.   We have been harvesting beets, cucumbers, carrots and such.  We planted a new type of beet this year.  They are called Chioggia beets or candy striped beets.  They look like this http://www.rareseeds.com/chioggia-bassano-beet.  They are really pretty.  I will definitely be planted them again.  I want to try out a new pickled beet recipe refrigerator pickled beets.

We picked blueberries last week.  We made blueberry freezer jam using the pomona pectin.  I really like using it.  Thanks, Cheryl, for telling me about it.   We also made homemade blueberry ice cream.   So good!!!

I’m sure there is lots more going on around here but I just can’t seem to remember it all.  That’s what happens I guess when I don’t do a post for a long time.  I hope you all have a great Sunday and God bless.

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