Certo and Grape Jelly

One of the pops that I love to hear right now is the popping of a can that is sealing. I have been trying to set food back and also find easier ways to have things that we like to eat that will be ready when we want it. One of the things is chili. I finished 40 pints so far today. Plus 9 pints of dill relish and 4 1/2 pints of grape jelly. I can't wait to try the grape jelly but it is super easy so I am going to share the recipe with you today. It is an old recipe, it called for 1/2 a bottle Certo. They don't even make it in bottles anymore. Just an FYI for you, if you find one that calls for 1/2 bottle of Certo use 1 package of the Certo that is made today, they are equal.

6 cups of sugar
3 cups water
2 pkgs. of Certo liquid pectin
1 can frozen grape juice (keep it frozen and make sure it is 100%juice!!!)

combine the sugar and water in a pan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in Certo and frozen grape juice. Mix well and then skim off the foam or bubbly top. Ladle into jars and process in water bath for 10 minutes.

I hope that you enjoy it! It is simple way to make jelly and would make a great Christmas gift. In 8 ounce jelly jars it looks so pretty!

Anything else that you would like to know how to can????

30 things to do this summer....

30 things I vow to do this summer.... I am enjoying this summer so lets see if I can think of 30 things that I am wanting to do. Head over and see the other topics at Mama Kat's and see if you can find something else that you like as well!

1. Make salsa so that we have enough to last through the winter.
2. Learn how to use a pressure cooker to can green beans and possibly other things. I have heard that chili is good and that would make it super easy for dinner.
3. Get a tan that is from being outside, even if it is a "farmers tan".
4. Make multiple kinds of pickles.
5. Keep my house clean so I am not stressing.
6. Learn how to can tomatoes.
7. Spend some time relaxing outside.
8. Lose weight so that I feel comfortable.
9. Go floating down the creek more than once.
10. Cut down my computer time in the evenings.
11. Read at least 5 books over the summer.
12. Watch the whole first season of Glee in one day (or maybe two).
13. Spend some time with friends around the campfire.
14. Take Roxy to the water and let her play.
15. Go out and eat with Mister at least once a week, just the two of us.
16. Start making Christmas gifts.
17. Start buying Christmas gifts.
18. Clean out, shampoo and wax my car.
19. Finish ripping the guts out of the inside of the bronco and build a roll cage inside it.
20. De-clutter my house.
21. Organize my craft stuff.
22. Keep up with canning so that we have lots of yummy food this winter.
23. Make sure and at least once a week have nothing to do when we get off work.
24. Not wish the summer away, no matter how hot it is.
25. Grill out and eat healthier.
26. Eat more fresh veggies out of my garden.
27. Give away some of the veggies to those around me.
28. Shoot my bow enough to pull 50 lb. draw weight.
29. Take a blanket out in the dark and watch the lightening bugs (fireflies) with Mister.
30. Go target shooting with the husband and father-in-law.

Canadian geese, it's what's for dinner!!!

While I was working and watching the snow, the boys went out goose hunting. As you can see they had a good day and they are back out today. I am going to have to make some goose jerky now! It was snowing these perfect snow flakes and then the sun came out. It made them look like glistening jewels. Then the wind started blowing and it looked like a snow globe out the window. The guys were very cold but prepared and had things to lay on. They said that there were thousands of Canadians and it seemed like they had such a good day. In fact part of the boys went out today again. They came in one shy of their limit. It was a good two days of hunting for them. They enjoyed the "boy" time. Does anyone have any good recipes for goose? That is one of the few wild games that I don't have recipes for.... Hope everyone had as good of a weekend as we have had!!!

Vet time again & Potato Soup in a Jar

My in-laws have that cute schnauzer, Lilly, and it is time for her to get fixed, get her rabies shot and all that good stuff. She has an appointment on January 18th (since I am off work and can watch her). I am so worried about another rabies incident like what Sasha had. It has just made me a bit more cautious about how they react and what we give them.

My poor dogs probably think that they are being abused by all the fresh stuff we give them. They don't even get treats anymore. We give them fresh carrots, avocados, apples, frozen green beans. They will eat just about anything that we give them and it is much healthier for them. They don't get onions or grapes since it is bad for their system. Roxy was weighing almost 85 pounds. We were having issues with ear infections and she was going to the vet every two and a half weeks. I think that we have them under control now (with extra meds at home in case!) but now we started hitting it hard with the weight loss. We cut her food back to one rounded measuring cup in the morning and one at night with carrots and all that yummy stuff in between. She is losing the weight!

It is hard to look at the amounts but when we take into consideration that Roxy is much less active than Sasha she does need less food but it is still hard when you measure it out. Sasha gets a total of two-thirds of a cup a day at 11 pounds and Roxy gets 2 1/4 cups a day and she is now weighing 78 pounds. She has lost 7 pounds so far and it is showing. She is looking good! She goes into the vet for her normal check up in March and they will do her rabies shot then. My goal is to have her down to the 75 pounds that the vet is recommending!

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Speaking of losing weight the holidays always get to me and I seem to gain. I love the food and atmosphere of Christmas. Loving this causes me to eat more, which causes me to gain weight. Now I am back to my watching my portions again and cutting some carbs out. I am refusing to cut all carbs out just because I love them. We are just going to start eating healthier. My biggest obstacle will be having two nights a week that I will leave the day job, get on the turnpike and drive, start class at 7:20 and then hit the road some time after 10, thus not getting home until almost midnight. I ate at the cafe on campus some last semester but it got me BAD.... I would go in thinking that I was only going to get a burger, then I would see some fries, or I would see the personal pizzas that were actually more the size of a small pizza and I would lose it and over eat. I am trying to start planning now what I can take. I am a huge potato soup fan and found a recipe that is convenient and tastes good.

Potato Soup Mix in a Jar
1 3/4 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups dried milk
2 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Put ingredients in a 1-quart jar. Mix 1/2 cup of mix with 1 cup boiling water and stir until smooth.

This is one of those things that I can keep in the car and mix up a small amount to eat before class or even during class. Any other ideas that could help me with easy to make meals that can be taken to school????

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We have had over 14 inches on snow since Christmas Eve and I am enjoying it, I just hope it doesn't snow like this when I am having to drive my hour and a half to and from school. This has been the first year in a long time that I have just really enjoyed the snow and what it looks like around us.

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AJ went for a two week check up and she weighs 7 pounds 2 ounces now and is 20.75 inches long. She is growing so much!!! I have been taking care of the hubby who has been sick so I haven't gotten to see her since Christmas!!! I am going through withdrawal. I can't wait until Matt is feeling better so that I can go hold her.

This is bound to be wonderful! I depend on my crock pot so much during school and it has so many uses! I save on my cooling bill during the summer by using it and save time during the winter. They are wonderful for any couple and I have given a few as wedding gifts! Run over and check her out on NOVEMBER 17!!!

chicken bundles

This is one of the most amazing recipes that I have ever made. Doesn't it look yummy? I am sure that there are ways to make it lower in fat but measuring out skim milk, using margarine (which will work fine), and using fat free cream cheese but I was wanting the ooey gooey goodness of everything last night! This is an amazingly easy recipe and everything flows. It will take a total of 20 - 25 minutes to make and I was so focused that I forgot to fry squash to put with it last night. Matt doesn't ask for certain things to be made too much but this is one that he asks for. I also figure that you could use tuna or turkey. The turkey would really need to be pulled and moisture added to make it taste right. Here we go with the recipe!!!

Chicken Bundles
1 can of cresent rolls 3 oz cream cheese
3 Tbs butter
1 can chicken breast, drained
2 cups Minute Rice
Slightly less than 2 cups of water
Salt to taste
1 tsp butter
1 can Cream of chicken soup
1 can milk

Roll-ups
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Put cream cheese and the 3 Tbs of butter in the microwave for 15 seconds. (If not soft enough to blend microwave in 1 second increments until they are able to be blended – not melted). Blend together. Add the drained chicken and mix. Unroll the crescent rolls and put 1/8 of mixture on each roll. Bring the corners of roll together. They won’t all come together and there will still be mixture showing. This is fine, it won’t affect the bundle. Put in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake until lightly brown.

Rice
While bundles are cooking, add the salt and the 1 tsp of butter to the water and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the rice. Stir and take off the heat, covering with a lid. Let the rice sit at least five minutes.

Sauce
Mix soup and milk together with a wire whisk. Cook over medium high heat until just starts to boil, stirring constantly.

Put the rice in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Put the cook bundles on top and then cover with sauce.

I always let this sit for approximately 5 minutes to let it mix and "mari" and cool off!

*This is enough that Matt and I eat half and save the other half for the next day. It does heat up well and tastes just as good the next day!

Correction to What's the big dill

I just wanted to make a big note that I forgot left off the measurement for the vinegar on the dill pickles!!! It is 2 1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar. I know it doesn't sound like much big it does the trick!!!

What's the big dill????

I am learning to cook with fresh herbs it has been fun to do. I am going to plant a herb garden next year. A friend of mine was talking about foods we like and she mentioned pickles and we were talking about how much we both loved pickles. She found a recipe for sun cooked pickles. I am going to share it with you today and hopefully you will love it!!! Here is my contraption that I am using to keep raccoons out of mine while it is cooking. I am going to give you other tips to help too! This is a kennel for pets and it is keeping them pickles safe while they cook!!!

Sun Cooked Pickles

(measurements are for 1 quart jar)

1 tsp of sugar

1 1/2 Tbls salt

2 1/2 Tbls vinegar

1 dill head with seeds

cucumbers that are between 6-9 inches long

(this is one of the hints) Combine the sugar, salt and vinegar with boiling water. My first batch I followed the directions and put the cucumbers first and then everything else but it didn't mix well so do it backwards. After you have added the boiling water and made sure that it has basically dissolved start adding the cucumbers. This is your brine. The recipe that I had said to split the cumbers in half but I split mine in quarters to make spears. add the dill at the end and put the lid on. I used canning jars and it needs to be tightened one turn. I have it tight enough that I could have the lid "holding" but not totally screwed on. It needs to be loose for the brine to be able to bubble out a bit. Sit the jar outside in the sun and let it "cook". It takes 3 to 4 days to cook. The brine will start to get cloudy and the cucumbers will look more like pickles. After they are done bring them in and refrigerate them.

Hints

-Like I said before combining the ingredients put the sugar, salt and vinegar in and let them dissolve makes it easier.

-If you can't put the jars in something to keep the animals out of them they need to be taken in at night. I found that the cage works great.

-The pickles will not be bright green like you see in the store. They will be a nice green color.

-The sun may bleach the cucumbers. This is okay and doesn't effect the taste.

-Be careful carrying the jars, the brine makes them slippery.

-Make sure and have tons of cucumbers because everyone is going to love them!!!!

This is my 3 quart jar that will be done tomorrow (Wednesday). We have already gone through 3 quarts!!! This is a new favorite of ours!

That time of year!!!!

I have been getting cucumbers like crazy out of the garden. Family members have been benefiting from the quick growth since I am the only one in our house who likes them. Matt is very picky and doesn't eat very many vegetables but he has been having fun with the garden. I think that he is out there as much as I am! I have tons of tomatoes on the vine but only one is starting to turn. My peppers don't look like they are going to do anything but that is okay. Next year I am going to plant a few different things and organize a bit better. I am going to use cattle panels to let the cucumbers grow up and since I am being told that I am going to plant squash too, I will do the same thing for the squash. I am also being told that I need to plant watermelons too!

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September 1st is the opening day for dove season in Oklahoma so I am counting the days - 6 weeks and 6 days. I am thinking that I am going to have to make some dove and dumplins this week. It has been sounding soooooo good!

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My friend Brandy expecting in December. She is 18 weeks along and doesn't know what it is yet but I think she has basically decided to use yellow as a base color and then accent once they find out what it is in a couple of weeks. The are trying to start a men's ministry at their church so they had a guys night and watched the UFC fights Saturday night. So us girls got to have a night together. We ran across the border to the "show me state" and ate at a sushi and steak house place in the mall. We had this noodley stuff and rolls. She had chicken noodley stuff with cucumber rolls and I had a seafood noodley stuff with spicy crab rolls. Yummy! We ran to Babies R Us, not realizing that they closed at 9 so we got to shop for 7 whole minutes I think. But we hit the clearance rack first and I got to buy the baby its first gift! I found a set of two yellow silkies that were on clearance and they are smaller so if the baby does get very attached it can drag it all over and not worry about it dragging on the ground. She bought an adorable set of footy pajamas with yellow ducks all over it. I just keep thinking two more weeks and we will know what it is!

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I had to find something quick for dinner tonight so before I left I threw a pork roast in with some potatoes. I will let Matt choose between corn on the cob or green beans ( I am sure he will choose corn on the cob) and then I am sure that I will have a little bit of ice cream for dessert!

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I am hoping that everyone else is having a great week (It's humpday!!!!) and staying cool!

Hello everyone!

I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything much and I will do better. We have been crazy busy around our house. Matt's grandfather was put in a nursing home on one side of the family and his great-grandmother that he/we have taken care of for around 10 years fell about three weeks ago and lay in the floor overnight. It has been a big mess, but long story short she is in a nursing home so we are going to see her quite often so I will ask forgiveness once again! I will do better.

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I planted 5 cucumber seeds this year thinking that I would be lucky to have 2 come up. Guess how many came up????? ALL FIVE!!! I will have tons of cucumbers this year but that is okay! I am excited about having some fresh veggies to eat. I also have corn, sweet peppers, bell peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and some carrots thrown into the mix. I am thinking that I won't be doing the carrots next year or the lettuce or corn but some squash sure sounds good. I have gotten Matt to try it for the first time last year and now he loves it! So I guess that is something that I will have to plant next year. I am trying to figure out what to plant so any ideas would be wonderful!

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It is hot around here. It is about 100 degrees!!!! This is way earlier than normal for it to get hot. We have been watering the garden constantly. It will pay off in the end.

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I know that you probably get tired of hearing about my girls but Sasha the miniature schnauzer is such a doll. We have been having a mouse problem. The more that I talk to people I realize that it isn't just us, that it is everyone around this area. So a week and a half ago I decided to shampoo the carpets. Sasha had been going crazy over the couch and I soon found out why..... The mice had a trail that they ran and it was right under the couch. I flipped out and finally got Matt to tweak and set the traps that we had bought. We caught two within the first couple of hours and then one a day for the next few days. We are now up to 13 on our war against mice. But we have only caught 8, Sasha has caught the other five. Matt saw one had ran behind the cd case stand. He moved it and she ran in for the kill. Later that night Matt got up and Sasha had left a present for us in the middle of the kitchen floor..... A dead mouse. The last four that we have caught are babies, no longer than a inch and a half. I believe that everything is here for a reason but I don't like mice living in my house..... It is MY HOUSE!!!! I share it with my husband and two dogs, not mice. So we will get this problem taken care of!

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I have been cooking with the crock pot quite a bit and I am thinking about taking a deer roast and slow cooking it all day and then pulling it apart and putting barbecue sauce and some liquid smoke, among other things, in it for sandwiches. Anyone else tried this? We try to find different ways to cook everything. Last night Matt made some steaks that he battered and fried but my stomach was in knots the last couple of days and was getting better last night but I didn't want to risk it so I will have them tonight. One of the girls here is talking about potato soup and I know it is summer but it sounds soooo good!

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I just got a phone call from the hospital where my mom was at during her fight with breast cancer and I have found out a few promising things. My dad isn't signing the release of information so I can have the records.... I am very very hurt and irritated but this. It is nothing that will hurt him and something that will only help me. he has had the paperwork for almost 6 weeks and still has done nothing. I am about to scream. He says that I should have it by the end of the week. If this doesn't go through then I will have to sign an affidavit and the records can be sent to the doctors office who is doing the testing but the issue with that is that I will see him one time and one time only. I am just hoping that my dad will send the stuff to me so I don't have to go the other route.

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To end on the upside I am getting off early today so I am going home to start moving things and rearranging how they are in the bedrooms. I may have to try and take some before and after pictures. We don't have closets, but we have shelves and places to hang things so it is interesting! I am betting that in the extra room I will find some little mice who have made a home in there! Hope your day is great!!

Country life and why I love it!!!

We woke up this morning and I let the girls out and they barked, which is normal. I looked out when a truck honked and I saw calves in our yard, our hay pasture and in the road. We don't have calves but I am wanting a couple. I keep telling him if we would buy a couple little calves in the spring, bottle feed them and raise them during the summer, sell one and butcher the other. We could have some wonderful beef in the freezer!!! But back to the actual story! Our neighbors calves had gotten out and were wrecking havoc on our trees. Thankfully they left the new trees that we planted alone and we worked to keep them out of the garden. We have a tree line that divides our yard from the hay pasture and they we eating the leaves off of the trees in the tree line. I got to counting and we had about 35 calves everywhere on our 5 acres and out in the road. I walked out into the road and got all but 4 (I thought) out of the road and we pushed them into the hay field. I then went back out to get the other four and they ran down the road to our next door neighbors and as they were running into their driveway another calf poked its head around from their drive way. I fussed and ran and tried to get them back down towards our hay field and they didn't want to go. So I left them in there and went back to our hay field. In the mean time Matt went and got the truck and parked it in one of the gate openings and we got out to move the 30 that were in the hay field. In the meantime there were about 5 who decided that they wanted back into our yard. It tasted so much better ya know. So we got those 5 back into the hay field and ran them through the gate, back into the pasture where they were supposed to be. So now we had to get the five that were left. Matt started to shut the gate in between our pasture and their pasture. I told him not to and took off towards the 5 calves. they got fidgety again so Matt drove the truck around them and pushed them back towards our gate. I had ran around and was on the outside of the gate to push them through it. We danced and ran and finally got them into the hay pasture. I started pushing them through and as we get closer to the gate. It was shut..... He had gone ahead and shut it when my back was turned.... I threw my hands up and was saying all sorts of words in my head. He ran up to open up the gate as they ran back towards the open gate. I stood there and looked at Matt irritated. Luckily the calves just ran around the fence line and then towards the gate. I had one of them who left me get a foot away from him before he turned and ran. He was a brave "little" guy! We had a couple that were trying to see how far they could push us but I won! As we were running the last group of the calves Matt was yelling at me "And who is wanting to have cows?????" I was yelling back "Just two and a good fence to keep them in...." I was raised doing all this stuff and it is normal but Matt never really got to do any of it. So this is a learning experience for him but he is loving every minute of it.

We ran out about 6:15 to start getting them in and ran back inside at around 7:15. I got ready and was ready to leave in 15 minutes. I actually made it to work on time!! I am now tired and can feel the soreness settling in. I will work outside tonight and I KNOW that I will be sore! I am going to go get a chain for the gate and put a new one on it. That is how they got out. The gate was standing wide open. It looks like they had bedded down in our hay field. The gate is ours but we have left a 30 foot ease way for them to stack their hay and we fenced it in so the cows couldn't get it. I think that the cows got tired of looking at the hay just sitting there and worked on the gate until they pushed it open. So I will go and get a new chain so hopefully we won't have calves in the yard, hay pasture and road again. We have been finding hoof prints in the yard two different times, the last time being Monday and we had walked the fence line last night and found that a post had been removed. So tonight we will put a post up, a new chain on the gate and start cleaning up some other stuff. It will be a good night to do all this. It hasn't rained in about a week now... I still want a couple calves to bottle feed, one to sell and one to butcher. Matt thinks that I will get too attached and won't want to butcher one of them. The truth is that I probably won't, but I want to have good meat so bad, so whatever it takes!

I..... NEED......HELP......

Matt and I have decided to get back into shape before fishing and lose some weight. I have a higher goal than he does (of course!) but I am also getting some help. I am taking a appetite suppresant and we are going somewhat low-carb. The first couple weeks I am wanting to cut out all carbs and then reintroduce them slowly.

This is where I need the help. I am needing some new recipes that are relatively low-carb. There are days that we will eat carbs but I am trying to do everything in moderation right now.

So Please Help Me!!!!

And for your info the appetite suppresant is working out wonderful, I am not hungry at all. I have lost 2 pounds and Matt has lost 5. Those men always lose faster and easier!!! But if you could help me at all I would appreciate it!!!

oklahoma snow storm

So Oklahoma has been under a "winter weather watch". I knew that tonight was going to get bad, I just didn't think it would happen so quick. It started misting around 1:30 and by 3:30 it was icy, icy, icy. The bank closed at 4 so we got to go home an hour early. We are now cooking hamburgers and french fries (I have been craving them for a week) and are going to play Wii. There is ice already and they are calling for 1/2 inch of freezing rain and 3 inches of sleet. Everyone has been saying that we have had a nice winter but when we cut a persimmon seed in half it was a spoon. Which means lots of snow!!!! So now Old Man Winter is just now realizing and trying to catch up on his "snow"!!! So we are going to huddle in for a night of food and fun!!!!

The other nice thing is that I was supposed to have my first Monday night class tonight and I was stressed about driving. My father in law is in law enforcement and normally tells me that it is fine to drive but tonight he was telling my husband that their was no way that I could drive on the turnpike. By 3 today there had already been multiple wrecks on bridges and side roads. I was keeping in touch with my instructor and she told me that if it was too icy not to come. As I was typing my response back she sent and email that NSU canceled classes!!! I don't have to use one of my absences tonight!!! Yay!!!!!