When You Have Lemons...

November through March is typically Lemon Season. Bob went with me to our naturtal food store, and of course, I came home with a half case of lemons to process. 

We ran out of our 3 year supply (!) of frozen organic lemon juice this year. We also ran out of store bought, organic lemon zest which goes great on ice creams, in cakes, etc. Liz and I love zest! So...

Today I started to make frozen lemon juice and dried zest from the same organic lemons, but a lot of them were still green when I brought them from the mud room.  So, I brought them inside to warm up and hopefully turn yellow. Liz has a really easy to use juicer on her Bosch so I borrowed that.

A 'zested' lemon before being rolled against the chopping block to be 'plumped up', then cut and juiced.

Leftover lemon skins, with or without zest, can be wiped down chopping blocks and wood surfaces,  with it and some salt or no salt. Let stand for 15 minutes - then wipe. Lemon oils make a good disinfectant, oiler, and smell great!

So really, the entire lemon can be used. We give the leftovers to our chickens.

When zesting, I like to use the zester with little holes - with the black handle. It makes the zest on the right.
The zest/grater makes a finer product - on left -  but is easier to use. I finish up with that one.

Dried zest in painted lid jar. Jars ready for freezing.

Lemon juice ready for the freezer.  When needed, it can defrost in the refrigerator, then stay in there for 6 weeks or so. It's good for marinades, dressings, in many recipes, to stop fruit from browning, and so on. It also has medical properties -  spray lemon water around the house, in the air; or boil, then simmer some to fill the air with natural bactericides; it bleaches hair, and food spots on linens - especially out in the sun.

Just sayin'...

X O X

Apricot & Raspberry Season

It has been Apricot and Raspberry season here lately, and I made the mistake of taking Bob to the local organic produce store and ended up with all of this to 'can' last week! I think he was using my inability to garden as an excuse to load up with homemade jam which he passionately loves!

 All organic, local, ripe and 'just picked' fruit - 12 pounds of Raspberries and 20+ of Apricots. 

So I canned, and dried and froze. I made fruit leathers and also dried leftover organic cherries and grapes. Everything is delicious - even with 1/2 the sugar (organic) or no sugar added.

Fruit Leather Ingredients: 

5-6 chopped and pitted Apricots,  

1 peeled, cored, cooked Apple 

1/4 c lemon juice

 1/4 c honey 

blended together. 

Cook until just boiling, then when cooled but still warm, spread over dehydrator sheets and dehydrate until rollable in plastic wrap, and not wet but still warm. Store in bag or jar, in fridge or pantry. 

You can play with this.

Cream cheese filled for appetizers. Yummm...

RASPBERRIES!

One day I was on my feet for 10 hours, which was really hard on my back, so, I'm not taking Bob shopping for fruit again!

Beside using it for Pesto you can also freeze parsley (and even chopped onions) for winter soups, sauces, etc. Just take fresh clean parsley into a bunch with your fist and cut with clean scissors into a freezer container. Cut the 'squished' bunch close to your fist.

x o x

Fresh Pesto...Yummy

We harvested the parsley and the basil, from our weed ridden garden.

CABBAGE & CAULIFLOWER..AND WEEDS!

WEEDS!

Since I'm allergic to all dairy, I make a basic Pesto recipe then add fresh parmesan cheese, and Pine Nuts, when I put together the pasta dish. 

I add these frozen dollops - below - to a bowl with a couple tablespoons of either olive oil, margarine, or butter. For 'cheese' people I then add fresh grated cheese. 

If you have to heat up the dollops always use a bowl - hot metal pans burn and blacken the Pesto. Sometimes, I also brown some Pine Nuts in an oven and then add those to the pasta. 

You can add part or all of these dollops to sauce or soups too.

PESTO FREEZER RECIPE

Basil stripped of big stems, cleaned and ready for Cuisinart.
They can be a little wet.

Fill Cuisinart with slightly pushed down basil, add a large handful of parsley; two cloves of garlic, roughly chopped; three TBSP of olive oil; about 2 tsp each of salt and pepper.

Pulse, then blend until it looks like this above. Add more olive oil if needed.

Spoon onto parchment paper on cookie sheets and put into the freezer until frozen,  and then transfer into freezer jars or bags.

To use, add a dollop with some margarine, butter or oil top the bottom of the pasta dish. Add hot pasta and toss.
Add cheese and nuts. Adjust if necessary. 

(You can microwave with oil of your choice in a glass dish, if you choose, and then pour over the pasta - about 30 seconds at a time on 'High'.) 

FRESH PARSLEY IN THE SINK!

AND SOME BUTTER LETTUCE...

'Summer food' in the cold winter months!

X O X

Bored Rainy Day

Frank sent me this recipe and I thought you'd enjoy it. While I was researching images of what kind of fruitcake this recipe might produce, I came across these pictures so I interspersed them throughout the recipe.

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE RECIPE

A sober-looking fruitcake. Not what we're making here!

You will need the following; a cup of water, a cup of sugar, flour, 4 large brown eggs, two cups of dried fruit, a teaspoon of salt, a cup of brown sugar, lemon juice, nuts, and a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey.

There's something missing....!

Need we say more?

Sample the whiskey and check the quality.


Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again. To be sure it is the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again.

So, what is free? The fruitcake or the tin?

Make sure the whiskey is still okay. Cry another tup. Turn off the mixer. Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fit. Mix on the turner. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.

This is more like it...

Sample the whiskey and check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Who cares? Check the whiskey. Now sift the lemon uice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar of something. Whatever you find.

Something like this...?

Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the whiskey again and go to bed.

OR...

X O X

Mango Sorbet

I have been eating this up!

I get the mangos at Costco (Champagne Mangos - 6 medium, or 4 large of any kind), peel them with a serrated peeler (messy - or Google how to use a knife), and cut as much mango flesh off the fruit as possible. 

I fill a Cuisinart (about 3/4 full) with the mango fruit as I go. Add 1/4 cup of liquid sweetener (one year I used Coconut Nectar, now I use local honey - both great) and 3 TBSPs of lemon or lime juice.  Blend until smooth.

Here's the valuable information: freeze in *one serving* containers like silicone ones that are muffin size, because it is like ICE if it's frozen in a large container like ice cream - you have to defrost all of it to get some. 

To me it is much more better tasting when it's frozen! A very light dessert.

Gardening in North Idaho

OK - you Californians - today and yesterday we've had sun, hail, rain, and snow - in one day! 

But, here's a picture of my garden (it doesn't show but it was very windy), and of half of my hopeful garden seedlings. Yes, I just planted seeds - and I won't plant them in the ground until around May 10th -  depending on the weather.

Grandma Alta sent this picture of her puzzle - almost done! I sent this to her as a Christmas gift, and I'm glad to see it almost completed because the weather in California is 'Springish' all over the state and soon it'll be too nice outside for puzzles.

I got this picture today of some beautiful budding trees from Bonnie, a friend in San Jose, CA.  But I've also heard from Nevada and Southern CA that there's enough really warm days for winter to be over there.

I go to my back appointments twice a week now but continue to do the exercises and weights 2x day. I ice very infrequently now. Things are getting better - the edge is off most of my symptoms except the area causing the most symptoms! If that bulging disc would pop back in place I could almost live with everything else! 

Grandma Alta sent me her friend Maggie's Corned Beef recipe which she's been using for years and Grandma and Charlie seemed to like it, so here it is:

Maggie’s Corned Beef

1 package of corned beef - cook meat as directed on the package until tender, but first throw away the flavor packet inside the wrapping.

Instead add to the water:

2-3 Tablespoons pickling spice (a must - but to your taste).  

Note – can throw the spice in the pot of water or put it in a pouch and add to the water for easy retrieval.  I’ve done it both ways. 

I also tried cooking cabbage, carrots and potatoes in the same pot with the meat but I thought the spice was too much for the veggies so have cooked ( Sherry here: bake?)) them separately ever since then, so throwing the loose spice in the pot is OK since it is not getting mixed up with the veggies. 

Cook meat as directed on the package until tender. When done, take the meat out of the pot and put it on a broiler rack or on a cake pan.  

Make a sauce by mixing equal parts brown sugar and yellow mustard.  Actually any type of mustard you like is good. Start with around ¼ cup of each and make more if needed to cover the top of the meat. Pour or spoon the sauce over the meat and put it under the broiler for a few minutes until the mixture bubbles on top. 

Take the meat out, plate it or on a wooden cutting board and slice it up thin.   It’s great cold for sandwiches, too! 

I'm going to try it. I love recipes - especially of food I can eat. Sharing recipes, and seeing weather and garden photos from all over is fun - so please send them to me and let me know if they can go on this blog.

XOX

Neck, Back, and Appliance Troubles

I came upon this prayer in my Missal last week: Third Sunday of Lent, Gradual prayer (to the right-scroll up) and thought it was a perfect prayer for me - and this blog. It is funny and uncanny!

As I head into week 5 of treatments/exercises I can say that although I am much better and the decompressions and exercise are less painful, I am not 'cured' completely yet. I am much more flexible - spine/discs and overall. My balance is better and my family says I look straighter and am doing my usual housework more easily. These websites have much more information if you are interested:www.diskandspinenorthwest.com  and
http://pettibonsystem.com/about/how-pettibon-works.

So, I keep plugging away... I am invoking all your prayers when I pray and I also pray for your intentions. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts.

Mom and I are having a puzzle 'challenge' this winter - yes it's still winter here - and here's mine BEFORE I finished it. She sent me this puzzle and I just love the birds. Maybe she'll send me a picture of her puzzle to put on the blog -hint!

I received some positive feedback from several of you about the cookie molds. Here's our pictures of this week's cookie making - cleaned up a little first! (The entire kitchen, myself, the floor and most of my kitchen gadgets were covered with cookie mess or  powdered sugar and flour.) 

The cookies dry for 2 -3 days before baking. This is so the pictures will be dry & solid and make it through the baking process. They puff up during baking from the middle of the cookie leaving the top intact - we hope.

The 'cleaned up' version of our table on cookie making day.

Cookies waiting to dry. These Springerle cookies take most of the day to make and then clean up after.

The really large cookie mold above (13" d) is the Nativity Scene surrounded by animals, and then fruit/plants (Creation). It's from 1654 AD - so it says on the mold. The original carving (very detailed!) was obviously made crooked over time. It's hard to get a proper exact size cookie from it as it is warped. So we use just the center Nativity. That's powdered sugar on the readied molds.

Liz made some colored chocolate candies in our candy molds for the St. Joseph Table -  and our Easter.

Bob and I are replacing our water heater this week - last week it was the fridge - and we're looking at a new washer/dryer soon. Over our married years I've learned that appliances always seem to go at the same time!

Next week I'll show pictures and explain the Anniversaries of the Heart cross stitch project I'm sewing  - when I finish it (in a year maybe) it will be a real keepsake. I'm very proud of it not just because it's a lot of work, but because every family member on both sides of our families is represented and their block is full of the colors and symbolism I've chosen for them. What they have meant as part of my life all these years. While I sew I think about that family member, which is really nice - to spend time with my fondest memories of them.

xox