Sausage - Sweet Potato Bake

I tried a new recipe tonight! I was looking through some of the postings on the Simple Lives Thursday and saw this one....  I was intrigued as the post writer said she found it in one of the cookbooks that I have right here on my bookshelf! Kinda funny how we all see different things when when we are looking at the very same thing!!

 

 

Well, I made the casserole and it was pretty good!! Naturally, there are things I'd change next time... like, I'd probably cook up 1/4-1/2 of a sliced Vidalia onion in with the sausage, and I'd cut down the added sugar even more then I already did!! :)



Actually, I would only add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar to the top... and nothing more! The flavor was quite good and everyone said they liked it! Pete suggested using a more sour apple, it would help to balance the naturally sweet flavors. I may have to do that next time too!

Cold Storage Closet

Last year some of the squash went bad because I just couldn't use them up fast enough. The air wasn't moving around in the basement space, it was damp with a dirt floor and they simply spoiled! We didn't want to have that happen again, so after brainstorming, watching some 'you tube' videos and reading about how other people made their cold storage units we came up with a pretty cool plan!! Pete really is the 'mastermind' to this whole project! I just kept finding more information to show him and gave him some of my ideas, but he's the one who made it all happen!!

Pete had quite a bit of the materials already! Check this out! He bought some plywood and PVC pipe, we had leftover paint from the 'ooops' section of Home Depot from a few years ago, a patio door that would have been taken the dump from an old job, some 1X1 scrap for the shelves, and he found the black tubing at the dump!! (The men that work at the dump love to see him come and swap ideas with him!)

 

Here's the finished cold storage closet!!

It's kind of hard to see the size... but it

is roughly 35 inches deep and about

85 inches wide and tall enough for my

'TALL' family members to stand with extra

space over head so, it's probably 7' tall.

 

The venting system allows for the air exchange!

The long black hose/tubing is bringing in the cold

air from the outside and the PVC pipe allows

for the exchange of warmer air to escape!

(He is also adding a small fan to keep the air moving...

photo to follow when it is installed!)

 

I'm taking pictures from standing in the doorway...

 

Here's a look to the right. The shelving is not totally

finished, but enough for our produce this year.

The back wall is cinder block and we're hoping

this will work to our advantage.

 

There is lots of space to add shelving for

apples, carrots, beets, potatoes etc.

 

Here's a look to the left....

spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes,

butternut squash and potatoes in bins and ready to eat!

 

Now I'm standing outside of the 'closet'. You can see

the black tubing going straight to the right... that

will lead to the outside to draw in the colder air!

The short white tube is the PVC pipe for the warmer

air to rise and escape!

 

And, this is the outside view where the

cold air will enter the PVC/black tubing!!

 

FYI: Yes, there will be some screen added

to the outside of this PVC to prevent

the little furry friends from find the

'banquet hall' that we call our cold storage closet!

 

Next on the docket... 

 

 Doing some research to find out if

certain fresh foods really do cause other foods

to spoil faster! It seems to me, that years ago,

I read 'something' about NOT keeping apples and

squash or apples and potatoes or potatoes and something

in the same area... but, I don't remember the conclusion!

 

I'll keep you posted!

 

I've shared this on Simple Lives Thursday!

Please take some time to look at some of the

other blogger's ideas.

Coughing at Night?

I HATE it when I can't

sleep because of coughing!

 

My good friend Anne told me a few years ago

 to try this. I listened and laughed at the idea

but NEVER did try it

UNTIL this past month! 

She swears by it, and now I

have to admit, SHE WAS RIGHT!!

(Your Welcome!)

 

Ok, here it is:

 

Vick's VapoRub

 

Take a generous amount and rub it onto

your bare feet....

 

Then, put on a pair of socks and

GO TO BED!!

 

You shouldn't cough!!

(at least not 'til morning!)

 

REPEAT each night

until you are feeling better!

Passing this good info. on at
Simple Lives Thursday!
Check out the other
blogs!! It's lots of fun!

It's Only Two Months Away!

Christmas is only two months away!

I need all the help I can get when it

comes to getting organized!

 

This is the 3rd year that I've made

myself an organizer and it really has

been a tremendous help!!

 

 

CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE...

all your lists, receipts,

 

recipes, grocery lists,

and calenders ALL TOGETHER!

 

It's EASY to find in your purse for that

planned or UNPLANNED

trip to the store!

 

 

After Last year I knew I needed to add

a copy of November & December calendar

pages to help keep organized!

 

I decorated the outside of the folded page so

I could tell November's page from December!

 

Check out Printable Calendar Pages to

personalize and print your own calendar pages!

 

 

Before I printed, I added the main events from

our home calendar onto each page. Now, I can

keep track of where I need to be and when I can

plan a shopping trip, craft day or baking day! 

 

 

I added lots of writing pages for my

many lists and a few envelopes for

receipts, coupons, recipe cards and

one for miscellaneous!

 

Check back to  my first year of making these if you want to follow

links back to my original source & measurements!

 

SUPPLIES:

one sheet of card stock tri-folded,

decorative paper

bell punch

maple leaf & oak leaf punch

snowman & snowflake punch

10-12 pages from a writingtablet (cut down)

a few envelopes

scissors

double sided tape

ribbon

and my imagination

Shared on Simply Lives Thursday!
 



Bananas

How long to your bananas last before they start to turn brown? For years I've had bananas turn brown within just a few days. I always look for the green ones, but it never fails, I buy bananas over the weekend for that week of lunchboxes... but before we even get to midweek, they are starting to turn! I read somewhere... not to store the bananas still all attached in a bunch. No, I don't remember where I read this, but I thought I'd try it, I mean, why not?!

 

The last 3 times I bought bananas, I took them all apart. I kepr them in a bowl on the hutch, and sure enough, all three times... THEY STAYED YELLOW and each one made it into the lunch boxes!! YIPPIE!!! I wish I discovered this little piece of information YEARS AGO!

Check out Simply Lives Thursdays for more awesome ideas & recipes!!

Dehydrating Pan Drippings

Here's a new one for you...

(Or rather, it's a new idea to me!)

 

Pan drippings and what to do with them!

 

After the pot roast was finished cooking

and I used as much of the dripping as I needed

for making gravy, I continued cooking

down the extra juices/dripping in my crockpot.

(I left an air vent when putting the cover on)

 

After refridgerating, I scooped off the

fat and those left behind carrots.

It is LOTS easier to 

remove at this point... 

 



 

 and then I poured

it onto the solid plastic 'fruit roll sheet'.

This has a lip so nothing will spill out and

nothing will leak through!

 

 

 Here's the chicken broth left over from

roasting a chicken ...  I did not cook

this down. I put it into the fridge so that

I could remove the fat easily.

 

 

One minute in the microwave and

then poured out onto another

solid sheet for the dehydrator!

 

(I did them differently to see which

way works the best for me!)

 

It's suppose to take about 6 hours...

but, I'll let you know!

 

STORAGE:

This is suppose to look kinda like

jerky when it is done. After it's dry,

it will be cut up into roughly, 1 1/2 X 2 inch

strips and stored in Mason jars in the freezer.

 

USE:

These pieces become like bouillon

cubes only better!! NO SODIUM or

CHEMICALS!! Add a piece to

soup for wonderful flavoring or

add to a bit of boiling water

and thicken for gravy!!

 

UPDATE:

I re-hydrated the chicken pieces

to use in gravy...  very tasty!

One thing I would do differently

is to make sure that the pieces

are totally dried! Mine weren't

dried to the point of crispness... I think

there was still some fat in the drippings

so it didn't dry as well as it should.

Maybe I didn't have the temp. high

enough, maybe I just didn't wait long

enough. I will try this again!

 

 

This post is shared on

Simple Lives Thursday

Please go check out all

the awesome ideas!

Grape Jelly

  My mom called the other day....  she had LOTS of

grapes on her vines and would I like some!?

OH YEAH....  we're in business now!

First of all I needed to get the majority of

the vines & twigs out of the grapes!

 I added just a little bit of water...  maybe 1 to 1 1/2 cups

so they would begin to boil and smoosh easily!

Handy old potato masher mashes them down

really easily and within the hour the grapes are

simmering and the juices are smelling sooo good!

Using one of my favorite kitchen tools.... the

'Foley Food Mill'  the seeds, skins random twigs

all get separated on top and the juices and 'meat'

press through the mill into a pot or bowl below!

Voila! In no time at all the juice is ready

for

JELLY MAKING!

32 Cups of grape juice.....

Grape Jelly

5 Cups grape juice

1 Box of Sure-Jell

Bring this to a boil and then add

7 Cups of sugar and bring back

to a roaring boil (stirring continuously!)

 Boil for a full minute (or two). Skim the foam

from off the top and then carefully

pour into canning jars. Seal with lids and rings.

Each batch makes approx. 8 cups of jelly!

NOTE:

DO NOT DOUBLE THE RECIPE!
JELLIES & JAMES NEED TO BE MADE IN

SINGLE BATCHES...  ALWAYS!

They all must be put into a boiling bath for 5 minutes.

Remove from the water and allow to cool!

Store in a cool dark area!

Here are two of the 5 batches I made today!!

I always put the little bit of leftover jelly

in a mug for immediate use!

I'd like to figure out a recipe to make

BBQ sauce with grapes.

I did do a search and found the

grape jelly and add stuff to it, but I

wonder if there is a way to just

make and can the BBQ sauce ahead of time?!

Hmmm, gonna have to think on that one ...

I know more grapes are on the way next week!

I shared this on Simple Lives Thursday!

Go check out what other fun ideas have

been shared this week....

Corn

My hands are tired from all the picking,

husking & cutting of corn! BUT... thinking

about the rewards of eating yummy fresh-tasting

corn during the cold winter months

make it all worth it!

I picked three rows of corn and blanched the ears about

8 at a time (roughly 6-8 minutes in boiling water,

followed by immersing the ears in ICE COLD

water to end the cooking). The ears fit into a

medium sized laundry basket and the cut

off kernels fit into two large bowls

 and a 9X13 baking pan!

I packaged the corn in quart and gallon sized

freezer bags... the larger bags will be perfect for

corn chowder or shepard's pie and

 other yummy recipes!

 Roughly, 58 cups of corn all neatly packaged

and ready for the freezer!

Corn stalks cut down and ready to go

feed the pigs!

This has been shared on Healthy 2Day Wednesdays
and Simple Lives Thursday!

Applesauce

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

I love the smells, the cooler night air,

the beauty and bounty of the garden in full growth,

the leaves just starting to turn, ahhhh... 

don't you just LOVE IT TOO!

My husband brought in a 4 1/2 gallon pail of field apples!

(My definition: apples picked from a tree that was not

sprayed or cared for like those in an orchard!)

It's applesauce time!

Applesauce is SOOOO EASY to make and store!

Simply cut up the apples.

No need to peel or seed them.

 Add a little bit of water to the pot and start

cooking over low to medium heat. The apples

will soften enough to mash with a potato masher

and stir around with a big spoon.

 Next, I use my FAVORITE TOOL...  the Foley Food Mill

to take out the seeds, stems & peels and into the bowl

goes smooth and delicious sauce! (It is wonderful to use

when making spaghetti sauce too!)

Back into the pot and add a little sugar (personal taste here)

add some cinnamon if you want to (I don't) and heat it back

up to boiling. Put into pints or quarts and water bath

the jars for 20 minutes!!

Aren't these beautiful!!

4 1/2 gallon bucket = 15 pints of sauce!

I love the way the skins make the

sauce pretty in pink!
(Applesauce is also EASY to freeze!
If you don't want to can it, simle put the finished
sauce into freezer bags or containers after it
has cooled down, seal and freeze!)

IT IS YUMMY EITHER WAY!

PS. If you want to make apple jelly too, you can

peel the apples before cooking. THEN after the

sauce is made, boil down the peelings and hang

them up in cheese cloth or in a NEW white pillowcase.

Use the juices to make jelly!

The jelly has an awesome flavor too!

This post was shared on Healthy 2Day Wednesdays
and Simple Lives Thursday !

Purple Plus Green Equals... Green!

If you've ever taken an art class... you know this

is just NOT going to work out on a palette..

but, in the garden & canning world,

it's a different story!

We planted green & purple bush beans and no,

I don't remember the specific names... but they

are fun & pretty to watch grow!

(FYI: Green beans have white flowers &

purple beans have a light purple flower!)

We've picked & canned quite a few already, but

Sunday afternoon they were ready to pick again!

I don't know how many this is... maybe

1/2 to 3/4 of a bushel or so.

 Toby LOVES veggies from the garden!

He is intently watching Pete's hands

just waiting for him to toss a tail or two his way!

He's such a funny dog...  lucky for him, there

were some beans that were just too big!

Here they are

 all cut up and in the jars!

Aren't they pretty!

Now, off to the canner they go.... 

 25 minutes in the canner at

10 pounds of pressure for quarts!

(20 minutes at 10 pounds for pints)

The cool thing about the purple beans...

when they are cooked, they turn green!

They are tasty & tender and hard to

tell the difference once they are cooked!

ENJOY!

From this pile of beans we canned

12 quarts & 9 pints!

This post shared on Healthy 2day Wednesdays
and Simple Lives Thursday!

Sending Chickens To Freezer Camp

FOR MY SQUEAMISH FRIENDS...  PLEASE STOP HERE! 

DO NOT CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS POST!

I PROMISE THERE ARE NO GROSS PICTURES!

OK, you've been forewarned! Proceed with caution...

We got 30 day old chicks 9 weeks ago...

It is amazing how fast they grow!
(We lost 3 over the nine weeks)

This isn't our first time raising meat birds... 

but each year we learn a little something new

or something to do differently next time!

We belong to a group called

Small & Beginner Farmers of NH

where we share experiences and equipment.

Our family oversees the MPU (Mobile Processing

Unit) for our county. We teach others how to use

it and rent it out to members.

Above, you see the trailer that everything is

housed in... the removable 'cones' are attached to

the doors. We have portable pens that can be

set up (behind the door area) for the "poultry in waiting".

After the head is removed and blood drained,

the carcass is dipped in HOT water (about 150*)

in the scald tank for a few minutes, just until the
feathers can be pulled out by hand.

The Featherman Plucker works really well!

In just a few minutes the birds

are all ready for the next step!

Evisceration...  a fancy word which 

means 'to gut out'.

The chill tank... is kept filled with ice so that

the core temperature is brought down FAST

and they are ready for the freezer!

Sitting pretty.... awaiting bagging and

weighing and then off to 'freezer camp'!
(Average weight... 5.65 pounds)

All in all... the process is not bad or hard.

My husband and I finished up all

27 birds in just a few hours.

(Not including the clean up!)

As to cost effectiveness.... you decide.

I kept track of EVERYTHING this time around!

Our total price per pound is $1.29

We are happy!!

Sharing this post on

 Healthy 2day Wednesdays and

 Simple Lives Thursday!