Mother's Day Dinner

It has been so long since I have posted, I am sorry. All I can plead is busyness, after all it is spring and there is a lot to do in the yard, and there happens to be a lot to do in the house, also.

Yesterday my mother and brother came for Mother's Day dinner. It has been a lot of years since that has happened. Since my brother is autistic, he doesn't deal well with lots of people around. A long time ago, Mom decided it was just easier to not do holiday get-togethers. But since my brother went into a group home last June, he has learned to do lots of things he wouldn't have thought about doing in the past. He spent the night at Mom's Saturday night, and they came to my house for dinner before Mom returned him home. I only had my 2 daughters who live with us here for dinner. We celebrated Mother's day and 2 birthdays the week earlier, due to schedules. Mother's Day, one daughter was out of town, a son had to work, and the other son went to his in-laws for dinner. I am perfectly happy to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries on a day other than the actual date we are celebrating.

I served a fairly simple menu: Turkey breast cooked in the crock pot, mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade stuffing, corn, and rolls. Mom brought a fruit bouquet my brother sent her. It was huge, especially for one person, so she shared with us. She also brought strawberry shortcake for dessert, and then my oldest daughter made chocolate mousse, too. The thing that really made this meal a holiday-type meal was the rolls. I have never met anyone who doesn't like homemade rolls, and the picky eaters I know seem to be especially fond of homemade rolls. The nice thing is that the rolls really stretch the meal for just a few pennies cost. I made them more special this time by making Boysenberry Butter to go with them. I took a cup of softened butter and whipped it, then whipped in a cup of seedless boysenberry jam. Very popular with my family.

Here is the roll recipe I used. Not as fancy as the crescent rolls I make for Christmas and Thanksgiving, but easier to make. This is actually the recipe I use most for white bread, too. The vinegar acts as a dough conditioner, and no, you don't taste it.

White Bread or Rolls
2 c. warm water
3 Tbsp. oil
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar or honey
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. vinegar
6-8 cups flour
Mix ingredients well, adding enough flour to make a soft but not too sticky dough. You should be able to handle the dough with floured or greased hands. Let raise 25 minutes. Punch down and shape into 2 large loaves, 5 small loaves, or 24 rolls in a 9" x 13" pan. This also makes good cinnamon rolls, etc. Let raise until doubled. Bake loaves at 350 degrees for 25 min., rolls at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!
Vicki

Spring Cleaning the Root Cellar

I have been busily cleaning out my root cellar. Okay, I don't really have a root cellar. I have a garage where I store vegetables for the winter. My garage keeps things cool all winter, and if I package things properly, they don't freeze. The problem is, I store as much as I can for the winter so we have plenty. Then when spring comes, I nearly always have food that hasn't been used yet. I don't want to waste that food, so I have to find a way to either use it right away, or preserve it for longer term storage. So here is an overview of what I stored for the winter, and what I have done with it this spring.

Pumpkins--I had 4 pumpkins I just stored on a shelf for the winter. They would have stored better if I had wiped the shells with clorox water (1 Tbsp. clorox to a quart of water), but I fully intended to can the pumpkins last fall, so I didn't wipe them off. And then I didn't get them canned, either. They were starting to show a little mold on the bottom, so I cut that part off, and canned pumpkin chunks. (Pumpkin puree is considered not safe for home canning, due to inefficient heat penetration. You can freeze pumpkin puree.) I use the pumpkin as an oil substitute in baking. I dump the chunks in the blender and puree them, adding only enough of the liquid to make the blender puree the chunks well. This is especially nice in cake mixes in place of the oil called for.

Garlic--When I harvested my garlic last fall, I braided it, and humg it in the garage. But my garlic was starting to sprout, so I knew it wouldn't last much longer. So I sliced it and dehydrated it. I will grind it in a coffee grinder I keep for grinding spices and herbs, and make my own garlic powder.

Potatoes--I store my potatoes in a clean garbage can lined with crumpled newspaper, with the top ajar to let moisture out. I way overbought potatoes last fall. I canned 7 quarts of plain potatoes, and 7 quarts of potato soup starter. The soup starter was just potatoes with some onion and celery and chicken bouillon added. I still have more to preserve, but I am low on jars, so I intend to dehydrate the rest. I will stem them until nearlly cooked, then dehydrate. I haven't dried potatoes before, but have read hints on how to keep the potatoes from turning dark. I will report on how they turn out.

Onions--I usually buy a 25 lb. bag of onions in the fall, and store them hanging in pantyhose. I cut the legs of the pantyhose off, and drop an onion into the toe, and tie a knot, then drop in the next onion, and so on. This year I used nearly the whole 25 lbs. of onions, using almost the last ones for the potato soup starter. Other years, I have dried extra onions, but they also freeze well.

Carrots--I stored carrots 2 ways for the winter. The best results came from the ones I picked and put in a bucket, then covered them with clean, damp sand. This is the first year I have tried this, and I was very happy with the quality of the carrots. The rest of the carrots I overwintered right in the garden. My daughter dug them up for me last week, which was maybe a little late in the spring, but we kept hving rain and snow storms, so I hadn't gotten it done earlier. I am not much of a fan of canned carrots, so I decided to dehydrate them. I washed and sorted all the carrots I had left, and saved out the very best, un-blemished ones, and put them in the refrigerator crisper. I peeled the rest, and half I cubed and then blanched, then dehydrated. The other half I blanched whole, then shredded and dehydrated. The cubed carrots will work nicely in soups and stews, and the grated ones will be good for carrot cakes and in certain salads. They won't be as crisp as fresh, but rehydrated, they will be nice in pasta salads, etc.

By preserving these foods, I have eliminated waste, and thus saved money. I decided a long time ago, that even if I had to throw away half the potatoes I stored, I would come out ahead moneywise, over buying higher priced potatoes in the winter season. By preserving the potatoes I otherwise would have had to throw away, I have saved their cost. And it is so convenient to have canned potatoes to use in making quick meals. The dehydrated veggies will store for years when packed properly. I love salvaging foods that would have otherwise been wasted. That, my friends, is called provident living. And my goal is to live providently.
Vicki

BBQ Ham

My friend, Kim Tibbetts, gave me this recipe for BBQ Ham. This has been popular for church group dinners, it is something a little different, but it is good, and cheap, and serves a crowd. I have 2 comments about the recipe. First of all, it turned out really runny for me, so I would wait and only add the cup of water if the sauce seems too thick and seems to need it. The second comment is that it seemed a little salty to me. I may just be over-sensitive to the salt, I find that some things taste salty to me when others think it tastes fine. I am considering giving the ham a quick rinse next time, to reduce some of the salt. But the real test of this recipe is how well the family eats it. My 2 adult daughters who live with us have gotten into the fridge to eat leftovers. (They seldom want leftovers of our meals.) In other words, this is a winner. I am thinking leftovers of this will do well in the freezer, also, if you are not trying to feed a crowd. Or you can cut the recipe in half. I didn't, because I thought the half a can of tomato soup would likely go to waste, but you could have tomato soup for lunch with that half a can if you want to try that. The sauce has a really good flavor, and I think it would go well with other meats as well.
Vicki

BBQ Ham
5 lbs. shaved boneless ham (have the butcher shave it for you)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 c. water (I would only add this if it seems too thick without it)
1 c. ketchup
1 can tomato soup
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Sautee onion and celery in butter in a large pot. Add remaining ingredients except ham and mix well. Add ham, cover and simmer for an hour. (Or simmer in crockpot on high for an hour, or on low for 2-4 hours.) Stir occasionally. Serve on hard rolls. Good recipe for a crowd. Serves 20-25.

Easter Dessert

We had a lovely Easter, with most of our children, my mother, and my brother visiting. My brother is autistic, and we moved him to a group home last summer. He had an overnight visit with Mom for Easter. He can be a little funny about food, but dinner was a success. My brother approved of the ham, and he REALLY loved the homemade rolls. When dessert time came, he at first refused any, then changed his mind and took half a piece. He finished it all, which I took for high praise, after all the food he had already eaten.

Dessert was Soda Cracker Pie. It sounds a little wierd, but it turns out almost like a chewy meringue. It is very elegant looking and tasting, but it is a frugal dessert to make, and very easy.

Soda Cracker Pie
Mix:
18 soda cracker squares, crushed finely (in blender, food processor, or in a ziplock bag and crushed with a rolling pin)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts, optional (I always skip the nuts, because youngest DD is allergic)

Beat 2 egg whites until stiff. Slowly add:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Fold soda cracker mixture into egg white mixture. Put in a greased pie pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes til light golden brown. Cool.

Top with 1 cup whipped cream (1/2 cup cream whipped with 2 Tbsp. sugar) or whipped topping (I have used both, and both work well) Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight, up to 5 days. Serve as is, or topped with sweetened fruit, pie filling, or chocolate sauce. Our favorite is strawberries. Serves 6

Uncle Jack

My husband has done my aunt and uncle's taxes for several years. Ever since their house fell into the river. When he heard about the tragedy, my DH kept saying, "tell them to make sure they get the tax benefits from that." They finally asked what he was talking about. Their tax preparation firm didn't know what to do for them, so DH finally just did their taxes for them, getting them substantial benefit from the loss of their house. DH has done their taxes ever since then.

Uncle Jack was extra generous this year. He paid about twice the amount DH normally charges them (to help us out because DH lost his job), and then invited DH and I to lunch. We went to a nice seafood restaraunt and had fresh halibut. We had a lovely visit.

I bring this up because Uncle Jack once told me his motto for life, which he lives so well.

Be Frugal
Work Hard
Be Generous

I hope I can learn to follow this motto as well as Uncle Jack has.
Vicki

Snow--Again! Time for Soup

I am trying hard not to complain about the snow that has been coming down all day. At least it isn't sticking. . . much. . . yet. hahaha I try to remind myself that every snowstorm we get puts more water in the mountains, to supply our needs in the summer. So I am making my home cosy, warm, and inviting by baking bread and making homemade soup. I had part of a leftover roasted chicken, so I simmered the carcass with water, a little salt, and chunks of carrot, onion, and celery. I added just a dash of vinegar. It helps leach a little calcium out of the bones for added nutrition, and you don't taste it in the final soup. After simmering for a couple of hours, I strain the solids out of the broth. I add fresh, chopped carrots, onion, and celery, and cook until tender (the veggies simmered with the bones don't have much flavor left). When the veggies are tender, I add seasonings, leftover cooked veggies I have stuck in the freezer for just such an occasion, and the bits of meat I have pulled off the bones. Then I add a few fine noodles. The result is a big pot of soup for just pennies, and making use of a few things that might otherwise been thrown away.

I am remembering a conversation with another young mother years ago. We had similar sized families, and seemed to eat similar type meals. She spent considerably more money on groceries than I did. As we compared our habits, the main difference I could see is that when a meal was over at her house, she put any leftover food straight in the trash can. I tried to make the best use of leftovers as I could. I was amazed at the difference it made in the compared food budgets. All these years later, it is still a motivating story to me. I find it takes very little effort to make use of many of my leftovers to stretch my food budget, and I happily make the effort.

My latest project aimed at stretching our food budget has been making pots of soup to use for lunches. About once a week I take leftovers and maybe a bit of meat, and make a nice pot of soup. Since my DH is home most days now, I needed to provide a lunch for him. He was used to taking those microwavable pop-top can/bowls of soup to work for his lunches. (His idea, not mine, lol He refused to take anything to work that needed to be returned home, and liked that the soup could just sit there until he decided he wanted it.) I decided that if I made soup once a week, we could have soup or leftovers from dinner for our lunches, and it would be much cheaper than trying to keep a lot of sandwich meats on hand. It has worked out extremely well. If I happen to run out of leftover bits of veggies for our soups, I also have diced veggies from the garden that I dried last summer, and the garden will be producing in a couple of months. This is a habit I intend to keep.
Vicki

Garden Time

I have been waiting to start planting my garden. First of all, the weather has not been too wonderful. What can I say, I am a wimp! Rain, snow, and cold will keep me in the house where it is dry and warm. Secondly, my DH grew up on a small farm. He has a farmer's mentality. He wants to do things the way his father did them. So he wants my garden beds tilled every spring. There are just a few complications, however. Such as, where we live now has a small yard, so we put in raised garden beds. They are tricky to till with our big tiller. And, he hasn't actually gotten outside to do any tilling yet this year. Between looking for a job, and doing people's taxes, he is busy. We are grateful for the taxes, because it is income for us. But I learned years ago not to expect him to do a thing in the garden before April 15th. When we moved to this house 6 1/2 years ago, he declared his independence, he wanted to be done with gardening forever! I, however, love having fresh, sun-warmed veggies all summer long. So we agreed, he would build me some raised garden beds, and I would take care of them. The farmer in him kicks in and he insists you have to till before you plant. I tried to wait for him to till, I really did. But the end of March was coming up, and it would soon be too late to plant peas. So I went out yesterday, while it was nice enough weather for a wimp, and I stirred up the dirt with my handy little weed hound gadget. And I planted my peas. And a bag of onion sets. And they will taste every bit as wonderful as they would have if he had actually tilled the garden beds for me. We will both enjoy them thoroughly. . . once he forgets that they weren't tilled first.
Vicki