Cheap Steaks made to taste spendy

Cheap Steaks Revsed
http://steamykitchen.com/163-how-to-turn-cheap-choice-steaks-into-gucci-prime-steaks.html

Preserving the Harvest

So fall has entered the area and we have been harvesting from the garden.  I have canned 6 quarts of tomato juice and probably have another 7 to do yet.  Last week I made this huge pot of spaghetti sauce, saved about a third of it for James' birthday dinner of ravioli. (Very good!)  So I thought I was going to get at least 4 quarts out of the rest,  I only got 2.  They looked fabulous but I was disappointed that the batch did not make more.  This was the first time I ever made a spaghetti sauce to can and just winged it. I plan to use it for our homemade pizzas!  Of course, due to the wet, cold spring, the tomatoes were very small and not plentiful.  I did not get a huge return, but since we are not making huge meals as we used to, we are just fine.  We still have enough for tomato noodle soup when the snow is blowing outside!

About the last week in September, Joe was in the Yakima area, so he was able to stop at a fruit stand.  He brought home a box of peaches, a box of cucumbers and 7 pounds of jalapeno peppers.  They were huge!  I wanted to make Jalapeno Pepper Jelly for teacher's Christmas gifts.  Well they were so big that they did not have a very hot flavor. So I ended up almost doubling the amount of peppers, but still had a lot left to do something with.  Katie & Chaz came out on a Sunday afternoon, Chaz made pickled Jalapenos, I tried dill pickles for the first time ever and Katie made a salsa recipe from a free mix I got from the Ball Canning facebook page.  This was all new territory for all of us.  This is the recipe that I used.   http://woodridge.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/crispy-dill-pickles-just-like-klaussens/   It has a lot of red peppers in it and it is a little too hot, but the kids and I like them.  Joe cannot eat them.  Joe & I later tried making whole pickles in a quart jar, they turned out relly mushy.  Chaz liked how this recipe turned out for the pckled jalapenos, but they were a little soft. http://www.examiner.com/farmers-market-in-seattle/easy-pickled-jalapeno-recipe-adaptable-to-other-hot-peppers

We thoroughly enjoy the peaches and since then got another box and ate the whole box of peaches with ice cream.  So good.  With the first box, I used my recipe that I have had for about 22 years, it uses frozen orange juice concentrate and sugar and you toss freshly peeled and sliced peaches.  Then freeze them in freezer bags.  Here is the recipe.
 

LIKE FRESH FROZEN PEACHES            

6 oz. can of orange juice, thawed       2 c. sugar    peaches
Into a large (7-quart) bowl, put in thawed orange juice and sugar.  Mix well.  Blanch peaches in boiling water, just until skins remove easily, pit, and slice directly in the bowl.  When bowl is full, mix well.  Fill quart bags and freeze.  They will not turn dark unless when thawed they are left sitting for more than 4 hours.  So once thawed-make a peach pie or crisp.         

Joe & I are really enjoying trying different recipes, not having to can for survivial and being frugal.  It has been fun.

This year's flower photos

Garden Update

The garden finally got itself started as it slowly warmed up.  It has issues though.  Since we are using railroad ties, we are going to have take each one apart and line them due to the creosote treatment in the ties.  The good news- we had a great strawberry crop this year!  We had enough to freeze 2 batches of Strawberry jam!  The strawberries liked the cold weather! The basil did not grow after 2 plantings and the tomatoes are okay, nothing stellar. Thess photos were taken 2 weeks ago, now the sunflower and dahlias on the edge of the planters are in full bloom.  I planted pickling cucumbers, only one planted grew and I have gotten 2 cukes from it.  So to sum it all up, we have a lot of work to do with revamping the planters, and adding 2 more where the pumpkin patch area. We defiantly hope next year will bring better soil and better weather.

Chicken canned and ready for casserole, salads or sandwiches recipe

http://www.thriftyandthriving.com/2011/06/step-by-step-instructions-for-canning-chicken/

Garden Planted- Check

Gotta try this recipe



http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2010/09/our-version-of-white-castle-sliders.html

I'm gonna try these for the next Sunday family get together. They look fun and easy.  Keep you posted.

Goals for the garden-2011

I want to plant peppercini pepper plants and can them.
I want to plant pickling cucumbers and make dill pickles -Planted 5-21
I want to have successfull tomatoes to can. Planted 16 12' high plants 5-21
I want to have lots of basil to freeze into cube of pesto
I want a fricking pumpkin patch

New thing that I am going to try -
Put the poinsetta plant out today.  Not looking very good 5-21
Plant zinnias-to see if Katie likes them for the wedding and for a splash of color in the front "B" triangle
Work on the living wall.
Rooting willow trees for the privacy line

Spring prep and planting

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  Went to church and had a good breakfast, just the 3 of us.   Joe, Jake & I went and gathered poop to amend the box gardens along with lime.  Last year- 2010- we made 6 8x4 railroad ties garden boxes.  We filled them with dirt that we took away from the previous owner's weird ass landscaping around the house.  So the dirt was probably "dead" dirt as our garden were terrile last year.  Hopefully warmer spring weather and this will help produce some plentiful gardens.  Never in a million years, I would of thought that I would be out in the pasture on a little garden tractor with Joe following behind and me yelling "Poop" for Joe to scoop up. We actually did have fun, laughed alot.  The kids came over later on and it was a very nice Mother's Day all around.

Today -
Just planted basil, spinach,  peas, radish and romain lettuce.  I also planted some dahilias on the edge of the boxes to give a border of flowers on each side of the boxes.  We will see how they will turn out.  It is 62 degrees out right now

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I want to try this!
http://lifeofperks.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-dishwashing-detergent.html