Strawberry Freezer Jam

Strawberries were on sale today, which made me happy. I've been wanting to make freezer jam but had not been able to find the instant pectin. When I finally found it at Target, the strawberries were not on sale any longer. I took the chance and waited to see if they would go back on sale, they did. 

I made five pints tonight, still have enough berries to make another 10 pints tomorrow - after I make a trip to the store and get more sugar. This is so easy to make, it is no big deal to make up the rest tomorrow. 

Freezer jam is so much better than cooked, in my opinion. I like the way it taste like fresh strawberries. Freezer jam is also much easier to make than the cooked. 

I used the recipe that came with the Ball Instant Pectin:

1 2/3 cup prepared fruit (washed, hulled and mashed. )
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbls. instant pectin
1 tbls. bottled lemon juice if using peaches (I don't know why you could not use juice from a lemon, but it does specify "bottled".

Mix sugar and pectin together, stir in prepared fruit and stir for three minutes. Pour into sterilized jars. Let set 30 minutes before putting in freezer.

Note: leave 1/2" space at top of jar to allow for expansion.

This stuff is good on just about anything. So yummy on angel food cake and ice cream.

week in review

I'm so happy, finally there are vines growing on my old bike. I've tried getting this magic to happen for a couple of years, no such luck. Well, this year my luck has changed and there are morning glories growing on the bike. Not convinced they are going to bloom, not sure they are getting enough sun...always hopeful, though.

photo by spbm

Had my kids home last week! YES!!!! It's very rare for them to be home at the same time, all of them. It felt like heaven having them all here. The kids are growing up too fast to suit me, but what can you do to stop it.?. They tend to grow faster when you see them only once a year, if you are lucky. The ones living in Denver come home more often than the ones in North Carolina, but just thankful that I got to see them this summer.

 

                            photo by spbm

 

My awesome guys!

 

                            photo by spbm

Little A watering the plants.

                            photo by spbm

 

Little A feeding the fish.

photo by spbm

 

Talk about a creative mind, this girl has one...she painted rocks and the steps for hours with water, in every color "imaginable".

 

                            photo by spbm

My beautiful little B is going through the "don't point the camera at me" phase. :(  I tell her she is too  beautiful not to let me take pictures of her.

 

   photo by spbm

Little Marelli having an easy day. Lately, he wants to lay on top of the glass table???

  photo by spbm

summer asian pasta salad

It's been a busy summer, working in the yard, and getting ready for two of my favorite little people to come for a visit this month.

I made this outstanding and delicious, easy salad from Damn Delicious. It has so many wonderful flavors in it that I love, and is healthy. Can't beat that.

photos by spbm

Note: I doubled the dressing recipe, just because I love the flavors so much. I also replaced half of the sesame oil with toasted sesame oil, and added an additional tablespoon of honey. This is one of those recipes you can easily adjust to your own taste.

Asian Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 25 minutes
Yields 3-4 servings
INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces elbows pasta
• 1 California Avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
To make the dressing, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and sesame seeds; set aside.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
In a large bowl, combine pasta,avocado, mango, carrot, cabbage, green onion, pine nut, soy sauce dressing, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.

Recipe from Damn Delicious Blog

rain...a lot of green

This is been the strangest spring and summer I can remember, the second day of June and my thermometer reads 59 degrees. I'm starting to wonder if I will ever get all of my yard work completed this summer... and still the pond needs some TLC. With all the rain we've had, everything is a beautiful green, but if the rain continues, I'll be swimming to get to the car.

My babies were here last week, made me a very happy camper for a few days. Had so much fun with them, going to the Science Museum, picking dandelion bouquets, etc. My little Ada inherited her love for flowers from me. She gets so excited over every single bloom she sees. No one has told her that some of them are weeds, so to her, every bloom is a beautiful masterpiece displayed by nature. She's amazing - so real, honest and pure.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer thus far.

Have a great week!

Quote:

“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 All photos by SPBM

It's July. Really???

(Every thing in my yard has died from the extreme heat and lack of watering.) :(

It's been a difficult and hot summer, not all bad but difficult. It's not the physical stuff that gets me but the mental strain that pulls everything out of me, leaving me drained. I've had little time to do any blogging - taking care of D. is a full time job. I check his feet twice a day and treat them once a day, wrapping them twice a day, lots of blood sugar and blood pressure checks. Nowhere close to being out of the woods, but they are better. A few more weeks left of taking antibiotics.

The home health nurse comes by twice a week and she is great! I love her! It is really nice knowing I have a number to call if I have a question that may or may not need the attention of a doctor. Having her available to call is a real blessing.

There are times the load is so heavy to have to carry alone, that I almost can't breathe. It's only that I have no choice that I find the next breath. Sometimes I want to run but there is nowhere to run - and perhaps it's a good thing.

I've been a caregiver for so long that I no longer know any other way. I feel I do not exist without taking care of someone.

I questions so much about this life...without finding any answers. Some days I believe one way, the next day I believe another.

Creative Saturday

Yesterday, I was in a mood to have something new to decorate with, so, I found a few items around the house and went to work. Natural always does it for me, and I had some rocks in a pot outside, decided to decorate them with a little paint. They are prettier irl than in the photo, and they are smaller irl. Some other rocks I decoupaged to sit on my desk and remind me to be thankful, forgiving, loving, etc.

I needed "one" more server to find a place to store, which space is something I don't have. Using a cheap glass plate and a candleholder, it turned out quite nice. I used this as a test; I have an old plate from my grandma that I wanted to do this with, but want to test the glue first.

On another note, I want to share a couple of my beautiful zinnias...

HOT HOT HOT

Holy Cow! It is really a hot one here today. Too hot to go outside.

Hope everyone is staying cool...and having a wonderful Friday.

Summer Beauty

So, I did get most of my porch scraped yesterday. I worked seven hours straight scraping in 100-degree weather. I don't know whether I was so tired I was sick last night, or if I was just too tired. I felt delirious by the time I got ready for bed. There is still more scraping to do today. I need to find some place to plug into an energy outlet, because I seem to be running very low today.

I'll be very happy when I win the lottery so...I can pay people to do these things who know what they're doing. I HATE painting with a passion - I'm not good at painting because I am either just not good at it, or, not good at it because I hate it so much. (Oh yeah, I guess I should buy a lottery ticket in order to have a chance at winning.) lol
 

 
More of my beautiful flowers. I am jumping up and down with joy - I planted these seed last year. Always a beautiful thing when seeds turn into beautiful blooming flowers.

New "favorite" refreshing drink

I was introduced to a new drink that I LOVE, VITA Coco 100% Coconut Water. Since it is $2.99 a box, I can't drink it like water. One of my favorite flavors is ginger, and I am always looking for something to add ginger to - I found it. :) I mixed a glass with half coconut water and half with club soda, added some slices of fresh ginger, (amount depends on your liking for ginger) topped with fresh mint leaves. I love the refreshing taste and the sparkling flavor it has. I feel healthier just drinking it. :) I'm thinking a slice of lime might be a nice touch also.

Outdoor Room Crush

Photo: The Inspired Room

Wouldn't this be a fun place to escape to.

Photo: The Inspired Room

I want to move all this - including all the lavender - to my yard.

Photo: The Inspired Room

OK, so maybe it is this one I want?

Domino

I'm loving this one!

Photo: My Home Ideas

I would be more than happy to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner here.

Photo: HGTV

Loving the orange.

Photo: Lewis Lighting and Home

Maybe this one? I love the colors...and a completely different look and feel from those above.

alone, naturally...

 My little postage stamp size yard was left to take care of itself this summer. From the 1st day of June until the 10th of September, I spent every day at the hospital. I missed working in my yard, watching the flowers bloom...but it fared very well. I like the way the ivy has found its own path, the way it looks so natural. I have hopes that next summer will be sweeter.

The little frogs no longer sit on their perch on top the pond, the base broke and they can no longer sit. Love the weathered and age look, they have aged quite nicely, I do think.:-) I have a soft spot for broken, cracked, and worn items...

Fresh Fruit Tart

I made this last night, and it was fantastic. With so much fresh fruit in season, it is a great time to eating lots of fruit. I am including the crust recipe that came with the recipe, but I have my own crust recipe I use for everything, as it always turns out perfect. If you would like a copy of it, let me know. I also grind my own whole wheat flour, it is courser than commercial, and I like the texture it gives crust -- gives it a earthy, nutty flavor that can't be matched with what you purchase. Even the commercial wheat flours work well, and still give a nice texture. My favorite brand of commerical flour is 'King Arthur', for those times when I do have to use store bought. I also used a fresh orange to make the juice, so much better.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

4-5 teaspoons ice water

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup orange juice (I used fresh squeezed orange juice, it is so much tastier)

1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

1/2 papaya, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced (I used mango this time)

1 cup fresh berries of choice

For crust, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and the 1 tbls. sugar. Using a pasty blender, cut in margarine or butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with 4 teaspoons ice water; toss until crumbly, sprinkling with the remaining ice water if necessary. Form dough into a circle on waxed paper cover with another sheet of waxed paper. Roll into a 10-inch circle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper; invert dough onto an uncreased baking sheet. Remove remaining waxed paper. Crimp crust edge. Prick crust with a fork. Bake crust in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 min. or until lightly browned. Cool. Meanwhile, for glaze, in a small sauce pan combine the 2 teaspoons sugar, the cornstarch, and ginger. Stir in the orange juice. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Cool. Place crust on a serving plate. Arrange fruit on crust. Spoon glaze over fruit. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour. Serves 6

157 Calories

6 g total fat

0 mg cholesterol

71 mg sodium

24 g carbohydrate

3 g fiber

2 g protein

Made new with paint

On one of my trips to the Goodwill a few weeks ago, I found a minnow bucket for a dollar and there was no way I could pass it up. No idea at the time what I would do with it, but that's not even a minor problem so I bought it. Today the sun was out and it was nice outside, I had a can of spray paint I had bought from a clearance shelf last summer and I decided to use it on the minnow bucket. I have a very small porch on the front of my house, so tomorrow, I am taking a table that has been stored in the garage all winter, sitting it in the corner of the porch with my 'newly' painted minnow bucket. As much as I would love to put real flowers in it, there are too many holes and not sure what I could put in it anyway that could handle the direct sun that it will get. Artificial may be the best I can do.:(