I Love Canning. For reals.

I have officially learned how to can thanks to my mom.  I've always wanted to do it but have never had a garden or thought to go buy some fresh veggies from the Farmers Market.  This year my mom planted a huge garden so in order to reap the benefits of it this winter we have been canning like crazy.  I am so in love with the whole process.  It will be a new obsession each summer.  It's almost therapeutic.  I'm not going to lie it's hard work though.  As in blood sweat and tears hard work(blood from the mosquito bites from picking the garden, sweat from the heat picking the garden and tears from chopping onions and peppers all day!)  It's very time consuming but so worth it in the end when you look at the final product all nicely canned away in jars.  So far we have canned around 12 jars of Salsa, 8 jars of Jalapeno peppers and 8 jars of tomatoes.  We have also froze several packages of squash, okra and corn.  I'm really looking forward to some fresh veggies this winter.

THE PROCESS:

We used salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 tbsp of Lemon Juice and 1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder for each batch.

 We diced some cilantro and onions. 3 tbsp of onion and 2 tbsp of cilantro.

 Then we chopped some jalapeno's and cayenne peppers.  Boy were these things hot.  My eyes were watering the whole time.  We separated them into batchs.  It came to 2 jalapeno's and a half of a cayenne for each batch.  Not pictured, we also added some can Green Chile's.

 Next we peeled and cored the tomatoes.  We used about 3 tomatoes for each batch.  After peeling them we ate them cut them into fourths and threw them in the blender.

 Everything altogether in the blender.  Just hit blend but we made sure not to blend it to much that way it still has some chunkiness to it.

 After it's blended just put it on the stove and get it boiling then simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Your then ready to put it into your jars.  Make sure your jars are clean.  Have your rings and lids in hot boiling water and after filling a jar, clean the rim of your jar and pop a hot lid and ring onto it.  Seal very tight and turn the jar upside down.  I would say after about an hour or so your jars should seal (you should hear the pop).  They will seal after they have cooled down some.

That's all there is to it.  Very easy.  Just think you will have salsa for those cold winter months.  If you don't have a garden just hit up your local farmer's market or a stand at somebody's house.  Everyone is selling fresh veggies right now.  Trust me, you will thank me later.

I also, made some more fresh baby food for Emma this week.  Instead of putting it in jars to freeze, this time I used ice trays.  After it was frozen I popped the food out and threw it in freezer bags.  It was so much easier and the little food cubes are so cute!  This time I stocked the freezer up with Peas, Apples and Pears.  It really is so much cheaper to make her food.  I got a bag of frozen peas for A DOLLAR and it made six servings.  You can't beat that when jars of baby food are almost a dollar a piece.

I just really love fresh food lately.  Oh, and I love canning it, freezing it, cooking it, eating it...get it? got it? good! Thank you Lord for fresh vegetables and fruit that I can put on my family's table.  That is all, Amen.

Do you have a garden?

If so do you can and freeze your vegetables?

What is your favorite fresh vegetable?

Leave a comment and share!

Baby Food Try Take One

This past week I attempted my first round of baby food makin'.  I was worried it would turn out terrible but I shocked myself.  It was actually SO easy and quite delicious if I must say.  Such a fresh taste compared to the processing of the jar foods in the grocery store.  Emma has really enjoyed it so far.  The only problem I'm found so far is that since I freeze it, it gets a bit watery when I thaw it out.  I just add a little Mixed Grains or Rice Cereal and it's good to go.  So far I've made Carrots, Squash, Green Beans and Zucchini.  This coming week I'm going to make Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Peas and maybe some Beets.  I'm also going to attempt fruits next week.  I'm thinking they may be a little more difficult.  I'm going to try apples and pears for now.  It's really affordable too.  Much cheaper than the almost $1 per jar at the stores.  Just a bit time consuming, but so worth it.

 Nom Nom Nom

 Zucchini anyone? Her favorite so far.

Do you make your baby's food?

What are your favorites to make?

Leave a comment and share! 

Adventures in Painting

Who decided to paint their house with a newborn baby at home?

These people!

Yes, we are crazy.  I think we were just going a little stir crazy.  We have been wanting to paint several rooms in our house for quite some time now but have just never taken the time to do it.  The other day out of the blue we decided it was time to just go buy paint and get it done.  With the help of my sister and my mom helping out with Emma we were able to knock out our bedroom, living room, foyer and hallway in just two days! Talk about being exhausted though! We have had a very busy week and there won't be much rest this weekend since Dustin will be working.  We still eventually will need to paint our bathroom, the sunroom and the kitchen.  It just really feels nice that after owning this home for a year and a half now we are finally making it our home.  It felt like we were living in the previous owners house and now it fits our personality.  I am so proud of the work we have put into it and cant' wait to continue with it.  We have so many projects to do and as it gets warmer it will be much easier to start most of them.  I'm so ready for Spring.  Planting flowers, mowing our yard, opening up the pool (oh man I really can't wait to relax on a float!), purchasing a swing set for Miss Emma, cleaning out the gutters, painting the shutters, corn hole, sunshine, walks with Emma, zoo trips, picnics, drive in movies, patio sitting...oh I could just go on and on! Can ya tell I'm ready!?

We took some pictures of the painting process so I suppose I'll share.  Let me know what you think.  I'm not an interior designer by any means so I was a little worried how it would turn out but I think it's beautiful!

 

[caption id="attachment_276" align="alignleft" width="453" caption="OUR BEDROOM WHEN WE FIRST MOVED IN. BEST DESCRIPTION WOULD BE BLAND, EMPTY AND DARK."][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_277" align="alignleft" width="483" caption="A FEW MONTHS AFTER MOVING IN WE BOUGHT THIS COMFORTER SET AND LOVED IT AT FIRST BUT IT ENDED UP PRETTY MUCH RUINED BY THE DOGS AND WAS STILL TOO DARK AND DEPRESSING FOR US."][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_278" align="alignleft" width="512" caption="WELCOME TO OUR NEW OASIS! I COULD STAY IN THIS ROOM ALL DAY. I'M EVEN SLEEPING BETTER AT NIGHT."][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_279" align="alignleft" width="512" caption="I FEEL LIKE OUR ROOM IS VERY BEACHY NOW. ALMOST LIKE I CAN STEP OUT OUR SIDE DOOR INTO SAND, WITH THE WAVES CRASHING...OHHH ONLY IN MY DREAMS!"][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_280" align="alignleft" width="512" caption="THE NEW BEDDING (AND IF OUR DOGS EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING IT THEY WILL LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME!)."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_283" align="alignleft" width="512" caption="LIVING ROOM WALLS WENT FROM BABY POOP GREEN TO A NICE CALM GREY. (WE SEE ENOUGH BABY POOP GREEN THANKS TO EMMA, WE DIDN'T NEED IT ON OUR WALLS.)"][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know my posts have been few and far between lately but it's hard enough to find time to shower during the day yet alone sign in here and update everyone on what's going on in my my crazy new mommy life.  However, thanks to this little baby I will have more hands free time:

 

[caption id="attachment_281" align="alignleft" width="512" caption="SHE WAS NOT SO SURE ABOUT THIS CONTRAPTION YET."][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_282" align="alignleft" width="483" caption="THE NEXT DAY I PUT HER IN IT AND SHE LIKE IT. SHE STAYED NICE AND COZY AND I WAS ABLE TO SWEEP AND DUST FURNITURE!"][/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the use of this wonderful invention hopefully you will be seeing posts more often :)

Chicken Noodle Soup

Nothing beats a warm delicious bowl of soup on a cold winters day.  I decided to try a chicken noodle soup recipe and I'm so proud of its turn out.  I had never made it before (pretty sure opening a can of Campbell's doesn't count!) and was a little nervous but it was amazing! I just used a simple recipe I found with Google.  Here's what you will need:

• 3-4 stalks of chopped celery


• 3-4 chopped carrots


• Half of onion chopped


• 1/4 cup of butter


• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped


• 12 cups water


• 9 chicken bouillon cubes (yes NINE, seems like a lot but just do it, trust me!)


• Dash of dry Marjoram


• Dash of dry bay leaves (you can use fresh if you prefer, I only had dry and it worked just fine)


• 1 teaspoon of black pepper


• 2-3 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts


• 8 oz of Egg Noodles

To start, boil your chicken until done.  Drain and cut into big chunks or shred (whichever you prefer).  In another large stock pot saute' your celery and onion in 1/4 cup of butter.  Then add the 12 cups of water, bouillon cubes, carrots, bay leaves, parsley, marjoram, black pepper and chicken.  Bring to a boil for a few minutes and then simmer for about 30 minutes.  After soup has simmered add egg noodles and simmer another 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Then ENJOY! Just try not to burn your tongue like me and Dustin did because we were impatient and couldn't take the time to blow it! It's so very simple.  It's pretty much just a little bit of chopping and adding stuff to a pot.  Just so you want to make it even more, here's a picture of what it looks like!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right after this picture I crunched up some crackers in mine, talk about heaven!

Girls Weekend

So, I am really looking forward to a weekend with the girls.  Dustin had to go out-of-town for work this weekend so I will be spending my time with my friend Jayme (who so sweetly drove up from Tennessee to spend time with me) and Erin.  Perhaps even my baby sister if she's able to come up from Tennessee.  I always miss Dustin when he goes out-of-town and look forward to his return but this weekend I get to have a little girl time.  I'm looking forward to a trip to the movies, dinner, playing lots of board games, laughs, sleeping in, junk food and just some good ol fun! After the somewhat depressing week I had it is much needed.  Something also snapped in me yesterday.  I believe it has something to do with the prenatal massage I got.  I have had so much energy ever since I had it done.  We did about 4 hours of Christmas shopping yesterday and I still had energy left afterwards.  We attended our breastfeeding class last night and it has made me a "wee" bit more hopeful.  I'm not going to lie, I'm still terrified but I CAN DO THIS! It's such a huge dedication but I am going to give it 110 percent! Today I got up and started in on our filthy house.  I've sort of let it go this week due to the whole depressed attitude.  I probably shouldn't have vacuumed the house and bathed the DOGS, but I did and I felt good doing it.  I haven't given the dogs a bath since I found out I was pregnant.  They are big and heavy and just a pain to bathe and bending over the bathtub is not fun for a pregnant lady, but I pushed through and did it today and am so proud of myself! I finished getting the house straightened up because I'm hosting a Lia Sophia jewelry party tomorrow afternoon and didn't want people walking in to a dirty dog smelling house.  I feel so good today...maybe the nesting is slowly finding me :)

I'm so ready for a wonderful weekend, fun times with friends, meeting the 8th month mark in pregnancy and getting ready for Thanksgiving...MMM TURKEY oh and deviled eggs.  I'm craving my mother-in-law's deviled eggs so bad I can't stand it! I hope everyone has a happy weekend! Enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

Third Trimester here I come!

I'm 27 weeks today and still feeling pretty good.  Woo Who! I've been longing for the third trimester to get here.  It's so close! However, I am definitely starting to lose all the energy I have had in this second trimester.  I'm desperately holding on to it for dear life.  I still have three months left, so if I can hang on to my energy I'm going to.  I feel healthy though.  Still no complications so far.  Everything has gone so smoothly and I'm so grateful.  I do think my mood is starting to shift back into the grumpy, I'm pregnant, don't make me mad attitude.  I'm really trying to watch it and make sure it stays in check but it's tough.  With pregnancy comes crazy emotions so it's definitely hard to keep them under control but I'm working on it.  Still trying to be more active.  I wouldn't consider using the elliptical twice a week very active for a non pregnant person but if I'm getting in two times a week I'm happy with that.  I'm also still trying to eat better.  During the week I'm pretty strict on what I eat and I give myself a few treats on the weekend.  Still, it's not easy but I'm working on it and feel like I'm doing better.  I'm trying to stay positive and look forward to all the great things coming up.  We have a wedding next weekend, the baby shower in three weeks, Thanksgiving, Christmas and then baby.  My previous post had mentioned wanting a babymoon but I'm almost positive that isn't going to happen.  We are just running out of time for a trip and really don't need to spend any extra money on a mini vacation right before we add a third member to our family.  I suppose we will just take a trip as a family of three after Emma arrives.  Maybe in the Spring.

How Emma is changing:

• She is around two pounds now and plumping up by the day!


• Her lungs are capable of working outside the womb with the help of doctors and medicine (finally starting to get out of the scary stages!)


• She is around 15 inches long.


• She can hear and recognize voices.  Mainly mine I'm sure, since she hears me talk all day long!


• She's opening and closing her eyes and sucking her fingers.


• Hiccups are a daily occurrence and TOO CUTE!

We are most definitely ready to meet her.  Everyone says not to rush it and I even tell myself this but it's impossible.  I can only hope that these next three months don't drag by and January will be here before I know it.  I told Dustin the other day that I'm ready to decorate for Christmas.  It's not even Halloween yet!

Speaking of decorating, we are almost finished with the nursery! All we have left to purchase is the rocking chair! We got the mattress for the crib, so bed is ready and over the weekend I made the letters to hang behind her bed (because I'm so crafty like that!).

Pictures anyone?

27 weeks!





Nursery







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to say, I'm very proud of myself.  I was NEVER crafty before this baby, but as soon as I found out it was a girl something came over me.  I love that I put the time into her room and am hand making most of her decorations.  Instead of spending $50.00 on letters I only spent half that.  I think they turned out pretty good :)

Birthday Weekend, Labor Day and Nursery Time!

Thursday I turned 24! I look back and wonder where 16 went.  Time seems to be flying by and I can only imagine how fast it will go when we add kids into the mix.  I had a wonderful birthday.  It was spent playing lots and lots of games and cards, eating a yummy dinner at a hibatchi grill, getting Emma's room ready, spending time with all my family and friends and a home cooked meal and carrot cake from my momma.  Even though being pregnant limits my activities, I had the most amazing birthday/Labor Day weekend ever.  Oh it also doesn't hurt that the Wildcats won their first game against Louisville! :)

As for the nursery...In the beginning of all of this we decided to hold off on decorating the nursery until at least October or later, that is until my husband changed his mind this weekend.  Crazy enough, he was the one who got the idea to move the office furniture into the sun room and start painting.  I was shocked because he was the one telling me that I was going to be chomping to get everything done.  Looks like he was wrong.  It was him instead.  It's so crazy to see how anxious he is to meet this little girl.  Somehow I think he is more excited than me if that is even possible! We spent the weekend cleaning rooms, emptying the nursery closet, moving furniture and painting walls.  I even got crafty and made two decorations for Emma's room (I loooove Hobby Lobby!).  I think it's also another hobby I have found.  Arts and crafts and anything that looks interesting at Hobby Lobby.  It feels great to know that I personally made decorations for her room instead of just purchasing them.  I think it's special.  Thanks to my sister for all her help and the hard work my husband put into the nursery this weekend.  Now, pictures anyone?

This is the new office.  We moved it into our sun room and it turned out great.  Well except for the fact that it isn't heated or cooled.  We will have to get a heater in there so Dustin doesn't freeze his tush off this winter!



The walls were grey before we painted.  So here is a before shot.



A work in progress!



Finished paint job!



Time to stencil the walls.  I was going to do it but it hurt to stretch that much so my sweet husband got pulled into doing it.  He's the best! I sat in the room the whole time he did it and it wasn't easy so props to him.



Ain't it so pretty!?



Decorations for Emma's room!





It is really starting to come together.  I'm so glad we got the hard part of the room out of the way early.  Now we just need to finish getting all the furniture and things on the walls, but there is PLENTY of time for that.  19 weeks to be exact.  It seems like forever until we will be able to meet our baby but she will be here before we know it.  I'm really trying hard not to rush it.  I want to take the time to enjoy this pregnancy and the last little bit of it just being me and Dustin but it's hard because we both want her here so much! Soon enough though.  January isn't all that far away.

Apple Fritter

If you are looking for a yummy dessert for yourself or your family, this is the one.  I'm not a huge fan of apples myself but this recipe is melt in your mouth delicious.  I didn't create the recipe myself of course, I can't take credit for that.  I got it from Barefoot Contessa.  The recipe calls for homemade dough and my first reaction was YEAH RIGHT.  I am pretty good at following directions but actually preparing a dough is a different story.  However, it turned out amazing! I didn't have a food processor like the recipe called for so I used a mixer instead and it worked just fine.  Just follow the easy steps below and you will have a yummy dessert for any event (plus you can tell yourself it's healthy because it has apples!).

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour


• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


• 1 tablespoon sugar


• 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced


• 1/2 cup ice water

For the apples:

• 4 Granny Smith apples


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced


• 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam


• 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Directions

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

This is how my dough turned out and I was so proud.  It was perfect after it rested in the fridge.  It may seem somewhat difficult to make it but I promise it is so easy.  If I can do it, you can!



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

After dough has rested, roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.



I did not want my fritter to tart so I chose two Granny Smith and Two Gala which turned out perfect.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.



Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine!

When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the water and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Besides a few dark brown edges from the apple juices it was amazing.  I added a little bit of vanilla ice cream to my piece and it was the cherry on top of the cake :)

As my nephew would quote from Yo Gabba Gabba: Try It, You'll Like it!

I think I've found a hobby!

After a very long weekend visiting family and realizing that when you are pregnant, life gets kind of boring.  I knew I needed to come home and really start the search for a hobby.  After getting caught up on my sleep, this overwhelming urge came over me to want to cook and bake.  I have really been obsessed with Food Network for about six months now and as I was sitting here watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa, I realized that I wanted to try cooking.  Since getting married I have really learned a lot about food and seasoning and cooking, but I never really enjoyed doing it, until now! I started my cooking journey out with something easy but fresh and delicious.  Let's see it step by step shall we?

Yummy Steak Fajitas

First step is to cut your steak (I prefer to use Sirloin steak rather than the pre-cut meat, it's more tender that way) into long strips and brown it until it's cooked to your prefered temperature.  I prefer Medium to Medium Well.  When the meat is done add your fajita sauce pack.  Next time we are going to try our own sauce because the packs are way too salty.  *Please regard my messy stove top, I usually clean as I go, but Dustin was actually the one browning the meat*



Next, cut your veggies.  You can use whatever suits your fancy, but we chose a Green Bell Pepper, a Red Bell Pepper and an Onion.  Heat some Olive Oil in a skillet and add your veggies with a little salt and pepper.  Cook those until they are still a little crunchy.



While your veggies and meat are still cooking go ahead and chop your sides.  We like lettuce, tomato and cheese.  It can't be a yummy fajita without sides!



Next, mix together your veggies and meat so that your sauce soaks into those veggies.



A good side option for fajitas is some Mexican rice.  You can find it in any grocery store in the Ethnic food or rice isle.  I haven't quite gotten to everything being homemade but I'm working on it!



And for the finished product...



Dinner time! I promise if you make this super easy yet delicious meal your family will love you forever! Stay tuned for dessert.  I should be posting my Apple Fritter recipe soon!