First off, I want to say I like you guys!

I’m so thankful for my online friends!

I went Bible study this morning.  We discussed Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding feast.  His wine was far better than was served at the beginning of the feast.  Jesus was no kill-joy, He provided what was needed for a joyful celebration.  He will provide what we need, too.  He cares about what happens in the home and in our communities.  Hospitality at home is a sacred calling.  It is my sacred calling to treat my children, and especially my husband, with hospitality and respect.  (that’s the lesson, in a nutty nutshell).  I met the most encouraging group of ladies.  They all nod their heads in understanding as they listen to each other speak.  And they were so sweet to me!  (my first class there).  I loved it.

I also started going to an evening Bible study at our church, where we are studying the book of Phillippians.  I’m so thankful to get to know my sisters in Christ.  It is such an encouragment and like a shot of joy in the arm.

It’s a rainy day here.

I had a new coffee today on my way to Bible study.  I ordered a caramel coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, with cream (no sugar).  It was DELICIOUS.

I had to go to Costco after the study.  Seth and Sarah were so good.  I gave them a hot dog to share and we got through the store just fine.  I’m making their stuffed salmon for dinner tonight.

Everything is put away now, I had a cup of soup for lunch and here I am, popping in to say HELLO and to share some current pictures of the kids.

First off, Sarah in the leaves.  I have a little pair of boots that were Sethie’s that she’s been wearing outside lately.  Too cute. 

Jacob and his sister, watching TV.  He was holding her in his lap but told me that “her hair smelled like the chicken coop”.  I gave her a bath right away. 

I think I told you that the older boys are running cross country.  They are both doing very well in their first school sport ever!  Rich is especially proud of them.  This is a sweet picture of him and Ethan, talking through E’s race that he just completed.

And this is Jacob.  Look at that interesting man in the background with the red plaid beanie and the curling mustache.  Love it.

He was running with over 300 boys!

So, they were running at a big park and as we waited for the boys Rich and I walked through the gardens and I saw this bush…….

Does anyone know what it is?  I love the berries.  I have never seen berries this color.

Rich pushed Seth on the swings at the park.  Later on, I was pushing him and he fell off.  I was pushing Sarah on the swing next to him and she fell off her’s at the same time.  It was a first for me, losing both children at the same time like that.  Thank goodness they were okay. 

David decided to teach Seth to do the monkey bars (at our place)….

He was doing so well.  David clapped for him.

But as I got near, I could see the distress in his eyes.

But he kept trying.

No. 

He and David decided to try again when he’s four.

Eating outside.  They were all in the dirt in no time.

David (green shirt) Sarah, Seth, and Caleb (red shirt)

Jacob, my firstborn

Jacob, photo bombing his sister (photo bombing is when you ruin someone else’s picture, but doing it all innocent-like, like it was an “accident”)

Grace

Grace quote of the day, “I want to find someone that I can’t annoy by talking too much.”

This was taken yesterday when we were playing in the woods.  I read the first chapter of The Bad Beginning out loud to Caleb and Grace out there.  By the way, Lemony Snicket is at it again, working on a new series called “All the Wrong Questions”.  The first book is Who Could that be at This Hour?  You can read the first chapter here.  I read it to the kids yesterday and now we are looking forward to it coming out at the end of the month.

Grace took this one.

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These muffins were a big hit with the ladies this morning:

Delightful Apple Spice Muffins  (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup applesauce

I used a mini muffin tin (greased), and when they were done, I dipped the tops in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar.  They were soft and delicious, sort of like donut holes.  (good with that afternoon cup of coffee).  Makes 12 regular sized muffins

Have a wonderful day, friends!

Dear friends,

It’s a wet day here.  And oh, so wonderful…fall is in the air and it smells of rain, leaves, and the spice of dark yellow goldenrod.  I caught a leaf in my hands as it fell today, and Seth spent the rest of our walk trying to catch one of his own.  We picked some up from the ground, too; red, orange, yellow.  The oak trees are dropping dark, nutty acorns.  We collected some of those, too

Inside the house, all is quiet but the humming of the dishwasher and the clacking of my fingers on the keyboard.  The children are tucked into bed for naptime and my coffee is hot and steaming in a shamrock green fiesta mug, perfectly flavored with sugar and cream.  I wish I had a big piece of something sweet beside me, too, but alas the apple squares are gone.  I made them this weekend and they were a big hit for the family, so I thought I would share the recipe here.

SOUR CREAM APPLE SQUARES

2 cups flour
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 cups apples, cored, peeled and chopped

Combine flour, sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl; blend with an electric mixer on low speed until crumbly.  Stir in nuts; press 2 3/4 cups of mixture into an ungreased 13 by 9 inch baking pan.  Add cinnamon, baking soda, salt, sour cream, vanilla and egg to remaining flour mixture; fold in apples.  Spread evenly over pressed mixture; bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes.  Makes 15-18 servings. 

recipe source: Flavors of Fall Gooseberry Patch cookbook, page 42

The bottom crust is like a cookie and the top bakes into a soft, almost creamy cake with bits of juicy apple, hints of cinnamon, and vanilla.

The family just hacked away at them all throughout Saturday afternoon, with reckless disregard for proper “squares”.  Some took it slivers at a time, others cut big wedges. 

They were delicious.  This is a recipe I’ll be using for years to come. 

“Since my girlhood I have felt

that there is an added flavor

found only in food

seasoned by the cook’s love of her art.”

~maude dickinson

I’m not sure how much more I’m going to do, but I’ve been trying for the last week or so to take advantage of all the fresh produce and start preserving some.

Stored away for the winter, we currently have:

frozen green peppers (sliced and chopped)
frozen chopped cabbage
pickled beets
frozen corn
canned tomato juice/soup
frozen peach pie filling (frozen in pie plates, then taken out, and wrapped); enough for 3 pies

It’s a lot of work.  On one hand, I feel very proud and satisfied.  On the other hand, I feel humbled and ridiculous, as I know so many women are doing so much more.

Even if it is a smallish amount, I’m happy to do it.  The product that we end up with is the highest quality, made with love in our own kitchen, using local produce, in small batches.

I bought the sweet corn from a stand downtown, 3 dozen.  Jacob and Grace helped me shuck.

I boiled the ears for 4 minutes and let cool on towels.

Sarah had an ear of corn for a snack.

I cut the kernels off the cobs, and scraped out the sweet, milky juices with the edge of my knife.

Grace helped me add melted butter to coat.

We ended up with four quarts of frozen corn. 

We’re eating lots of corn on the cob with dinner lately.  It is sooooooooooooooooooo delicious!  I hope this frozen corn will taste just like it this winter. 

Carl (our gardening neighbor) brought me a bushel of tomatoes yesterday as I was working on the peach pie filling.

As soon as I got up this morning, I set to work making tomato sauce. 

I tried to keep the little ones with me as much as possible, to keep them out of mischief.  Seth helped me stir.

Sarah had a tomato with breakfast.

Hours and hours of chopping, boiling, straining, and boiling later, I ended up with 5 quarts of thin tomato sauce…useful for soup, recipes, or for cooking down for spaghetti sauce.

I also roasted a tray of tomatoes.  I halved them, put fresh garlic and dried basil on top of each, salted and peppered, and drizzled with olive oil.

Roasted in a 400 degree oven until done.

Can I say?  Absolutely superb.  Velvety, intense, served on sour dough toast.

I wasn’t 100% successful in keeping children out of mischief.

Sarah got into the nail polish and I found her sitting on the children’s play table, painting her nails!

She said, “I painted my foot, and I painted my fingernail!”  Thank goodness it was only the clear glittery kind and not red!

Juicy peaches.

I handed one to Sarah Joy yesterday and she ate the whole thing..her first fuzzy peachy peach..I sat on the porch with her on my lap, Seth by my side, Caleb behind me, and we read books as they dripped peach juices on my arm.  If I hadn’t pulled the pit off the remaining bite, she might have tried eating that, too. 

And dark red beets.

I made six pints of pickled beets yesterday, a process that took hours, but such satisfying hours indeed.  Art, in the kitchen.

Pickled beets taste wonderful as a salad topping.

Our very industrious 70-something neighbor has eggplant, scallions, fresh herbs, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, beets, zucchini, summer squash, corn, and sunflowers; all for sale at his roadside stand.

I love using his produce that grew just down the road from our place in his huge garden, in the same air, the same dirt, the same rainfall.

In my tiny garden, I’m currently harvesting a great many cherry tomatoes, sweet and tasty.  The big tomatoes are also ripening. 

Yesterday, I used five of those big ones to make a single jar of fresh sauce, which I will use today for dinner in Eggplant Parmesan.

Yes, it is that abundant time of year when most of us are enjoying the fresh fruits and vegetables of the season. 

Shanda’s Summer Squash Recipe

Cut 3-4 squash lengthwise, trim away seeds and cut into small chunks
Drizzle olive oil or saved bacon drippings on a baking sheet, pile on the squash chunks
Cut a small red onion into wedges and sprinkle them into the squash, toss everything together with your hands until the pieces are lightly coated with bacon drippings.
Season with 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, a minced clove of garlic, and plenty of salt and pepper.

Roast in a hot oven (400 or so).  Be sure to give it a stir now and then.  This dish is done when the squash is soft and there is a nice brown color from the roasting.

Rich and I ate it all for a nice light summer dinner.  It was delicious.

What are you doing with the bounty?  Any specialties or favorite dishes to share with us?

My Mom grew up with her parents and siblings on their farm.  As is typical of farming families, when the children reached adulthood they each had the opportunity to own pieces of land from their parent’s original farm.  This was the case with my mother, as well.  Except for a few years after she and Dad were married, she has spent her entire life living on the same road.  I think that’s pretty special and I sure love to go back to the land that is in our hearts, and which holds so many memories for all of us (aunts, uncles, cousins). 

Mom and Dad’s property is on both sides of the quiet, country road.  On the other side of the road from the house is a wild blueberry patch.  Dad keeps trails mowed and each year they add more rambling paths around the many blueberry bushes, most of which are very big and tall and are never ever sprayed or tinkered with.  The whole patch is a beautiful and organic place, with a variety of native trees mixed in…all perfectly wild and unplanned, with only small, simple improvements (mowing, adding benches here and there, a circle of rocks for a fire pit, etc). There are wild raspberries, flowers.  Birds singing everywhere, insects humming.  Just as lovely as can be.

Typically, as we chat on the phone in the early springtime, the topic of the blueberries comes up.  I hear reports on how good or bad my parents speculate this year’s crop will be.  The early frost or the lack of rain were sure to effect the crop.  Then, one day in July, “I picked enough for muffins!” to the next:  “Dad and I are picking berries every night!  The bushes are loaded!”  Likewise, the freezer gets loaded… with bags of little purple treasures, to be added to pies, muffins, pancakes, or eaten as is.

It’s no surprise, then, that my mom was most thrilled that I would get to pick some blueberries for my family when I went out to visit this past weekend.

In fact, it was one of the first things we did after I arrived.  Even Sarah did a little picking.  I do love to pick, it’s like second nature….bending the branches down to reach the top berries, or stepping half inside a bush to reach the ones in the middle.  After years of experience, my fingers and wrists know how to move in order to pick the berries and let the twigs and leaves drop away to the ground.  We only want berries in the box, no rubbish!  An interesting thing is that the berries on each bush have a different taste and texture.  Some are sweeter and plumper than others, and they can be different shades of purple (I always liked picking the bushes with the very darkest berries).

My brother (how I love him!) was up to see us, too.  So, we all walked together; Dad and Mom, me and Dave, and lil’ Sarah Joy.

After we picked for a while, we walked in the woods and into the big field across from the old barn.  I had Dave take a couple pictures for me.

I made blueberry pancakes this morning for the children.  Mom’s recipe.  With the berries we picked from the patch.  I know that my aunts and cousins and sisters have been picking there lately, too.  It’s fun to think of us all using these same berries, grown in the same wind and sun and land that we did as children.

Cindy’s Pancakes

1 egg, beaten with a fork
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 heaping tablespoons sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix all together and add flour to the consistency that you desire for thinner or thicker pancakes.

This morning I used whole wheat flour to make them healthier and more filling.

As they sizzle on one side, sprinkle on those beautiful berries (can be frozen or fresh). Flip to cook other side, serve with butter and maple syrup. 

Any leftovers get eaten like cookies later, for snacks.  Save one for the hens, and one for the dog.  They love pancakes, too.

Every summer the children and I pick raspberries from the side of our road.  It’s about a two minute walk from our house, on the left hand side.  These raspberry canes produce cups and cups of big berries; all free for the taking. 

When the children think they’ve gotten every berry in sight, I remind them to bend down and look under all the leaves.  There are sure to be more, hiding in those secret spots.

This weekend, we collected enough berries and the children began asking me (over and over) to make a pie.  I subscribe to Yankee magazine and in the current issue, I found the inspiration I needed to bake a pie; an interesting new recipe.  The crust recipe in particular called for flour, cake flour (!), baking powder (!), salt, shortening, and ice water.  The filling recipe was for a blueberry pie, but I substituted our raspberries, and I also included two apples, to make a fuller pie. 

It looked so pretty before I added the top crust that I had to take a picture.  All those sugary red berries, I thought they looked like jewels.

I put it in the oven. The children asked me (over and over), “Is the pie done yet?”  Seth looked in the oven at least twice, as it baked for 35-40 LONG minutes @400 degrees.

At last it was done, but then we had to wait until it cooled down some.

Finally I pulled out the paper plates (no fiestaware this time=sick of doing dishes) and cut the pie.  It was still hot enough to make the children blow on each bite before putting it into their mouths.

With seven children and one mama the pie was gone in about 10 minutes.  Possibly less.  It was delicious and the crust was perfect.

(Rich was gone for the evening, preparing his Sunday School lesson.  I wanted to save him a piece but it was too good to sit around.  As it was, the children each wanted another piece but there was only enough for one each.)

(I’ll have to make another one, once we gather more berries.)

After the pie plate was empty, Caleb found a rubber spatula and scraped up each drop.  I dabbed up the crumbs with my finger.  There wasn’t a bit of pie left over.

Homemade raspberry pie with berries we picked ourselves from the side of the road?  Just one more summer blessing to be grateful for!

 Outside around our place we have beautiful blue wildflowers;

 nesting supplies for the birds; 

a fine feathered rooster;

and tiny toad tadpoles.  (To name just a few interesting outdoorsy sort of things.)

Guess what, my friends?  I made homemade jam this weekend (in a bit of time between ball games).  Oh, it was very rewarding and such an easy recipe.  I found the recipe (and the muffin one, too) in a cookbook that I borrowed from the library.

Apricot-Pineapple Jam, makes 4 cups

1 box dried apricots

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple

6 cups sugar

12 maraschino cherries, coarsely chopped

1 package Certo pectin

1 T. butter

Cut the apricots into small pieces with scissors, removing any hard stems, and place in a bowl.  Add two cups of water and let stand for at least 4 hours.  Place softened apricots in large, heavy pot and add the other ingredients.  Mix well.  Place over high heat and bring to a full rolling boil stirring constantly.  Boil 10 minutes to prevent floating fruit.  Ladle into sterilized jars and seal.

It’s a bright, delicious jam.  The boys came home from their Saturday job as I was stirring it on the stove top.  They said it smelled so good.  “Mom’s making jam again!”   After I was done with it, I made some biscuits and we enjoyed the jam on our biscuits.  It was a lovely late-afternoon snack.

Rich was busy working on yet another landscaping project here at home–a walkway from the house to the garage–so I served him his biscuit with jam outside and he enjoyed every morsel.  Funny story:  He asked for a second biscuit and as I skipped proudly back inside through the front door, I told the children (who were munching on their snack) happily, “Dad wants another one!”  THEY THOUGHT I MEANT ANOTHER BABY!   Ethan even said, “If it’s a boy we could name him Joshua, we’ve always liked that name but haven’t used it yet”.    Talk about misunderstanding!

This was the weekend project.  Actually not only a walkway, but also a patio between the house and the garage.  Rich and the boys (and Grace, too) worked on it all weekend long.  Six year old Caleb even has a black eye from his “helping” (he was fooling around and ran into one of his brothers, who was carrying some pavers). 

The pavers are all in place now, and we are just waiting for them to dry (it has since rained) before Rich finishes it off.  We plan on putting a grill down there and planting some perennial beds around the outside of the patio.  I am proud of their hard work.  In fact, it is one of the ways Rich likes to show me his love, by his hard work around the house and at the office.  *swoon* 

He gets rewarded for his hard work in many ways, one of which is GOOD EATS.  Yesterday morning he was working outside and I served him “breakfast on a bulldozer”.  I made homemade baked oatmeal and orange muffins and took them outside to him as he was working on the bulldozer with Seth on his lap.

The muffins were so perfectly yummy, you must try:

Orange Buttermilk Muffins, makes 12

6 T. butter

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 orange

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

dash salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Melt the butter, set aside to cool.  Put the buttermilk and half a sweet orange, seeds removed, into a blender and puree.  Add the egg and butter and blend well.  In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  Mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed. Do not overbeat.  Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. 

Serve with butter and homemade apricot pineapple jam.

Cooking for six people is like having a cafe.  Linda McCartney.   (I cook for nine)

Blueberry buttermilk hotcakes, served with maple syrup and butter

Sausage patties

Hashbrown casserole

 (I thought if I posted this menu today, those of you who would like to try the recipes have enough time to get to the store if necessary.)

Blueberry Buttermilk Hotcakes

This recipe is from a cookbook, now falling apart, that my Aunt Mary gave to me when I was first married.  It’s a special recipe, with the addition of cornmeal and a touch of cinnamon.  This is my tripled version of the original recipe.

1. 3 cups flour
2. 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3. 1/4 cup sugar
4. 3 tsp baking powder
5. 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
6. 3/4 tsp salt
7. 3/4 tsp cinnamon
8. 3 beaten egg
9. 3 cups buttermilk or sour milk (add a healthy splash of vinegar to regular milk and let sit a few minutes until it thickens)
10. 1/2 cup cooking oil

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together egg, buttermilk, and oil.  Add to flour mixture all at once.  Stir mixture just till combined but still slightly lumpy. 

For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet.  Cook over medium heat about two minutes, adding a sprinkling of blueberries before flipping to cook other side.  Serve warm with butter and syrup.

Hashbrown casserole  (from allrecipes.com)

This recipe is a new one for us.  I love the casserole at Crackerbarrel and wanted to find a similar recipe for home.  I did not add the topping, but did sprinkle paprika on top before baking for a nice warm color~

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (2 pound) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 4 ounces extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes cereal

 I love cooking for my family

My assistant this Saturday was son Davy (9 years old), who took over pancake flippin’ so I could sit down and eat before everyone else was done.  He was so proud of himself, and by the time the batter was gone he was an expert flipper.  As we all know, it can be tricky. 

If you have an opportunity to try these recipes, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.  I think you will. 

Here are a few pictures that I couldn’t resist taking, this morning:

Sarah Joy, sitting in a sunbeam, busily coloring a nice picture for mama with her little tiny hands.

And this is really exciting.  A SPRING FLOWER HAS APPEARED.

Yellow crocus, in the garden by our side door.

“I poured out my soul before God, and arose from my knees in peace, because the trouble that was in the soul was in believing prayer cast upon God.”  George Meuller

“Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.  That goes for all of you, no exceptions.  No retaliation.  No sharp tongued sarcasm.  Instead, bless-that’s your job, to bless.  You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.”  I Peter 3:8-9

“Rise up, O Lord, in all your power.  With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.”  Psalm 21:13

It’s cloudy, cold, and raining outside, which makes the home seem so inviting and warm.  When I went downtown to pick up Jacob from school, we admired the pretty fall leaves blowing around us as we drove along.

It was a muffin day here.  They baked up so nicely (and, all 7 children liked them) that I just had to share the recipe with you.

Recipe source:  allrecipes.com

Directions

Before we talk cookies, I would like to ask you to pray for our little Sarah Joy.  We’ve had a nasty cold going around the family, a cold that includes a terrible cough.  I didn’t tell you before, but a few weeks ago Seth had to go on antibiotics for bronchitis.  The littlest members of the family get hit worse, and Sarah has developed croup.  She was so feverish and miserable yesterday morning that Rich and I took her to the ER for a breathing treatment and a steroid shot.  She woke up this morning a little better but she’s running a fever again now, and her cough sounds yucky….so pray that she will get better soon, and not any worse.  Happily, she is eating and drinking nicely, and gets up to play now and then, and is still a pretty little darling despite the circles under her eyes.  Very snuggly, too.

She’s been sleeping a lot.  This morning, while she was napping peacefully upstairs in her sunny bedroom, her big brother Seth and I decided to make cookies.

First of all, I put an apron on him and laughed at the cuteness.  Turns out, he really needed that apron this time. 

He was a big helper by dumping in the ingredients for our cookies. 

He even did the eggs.  “You tap it on the edge and open it over the bowl.”  Then, throw the eggshell over into the kitchen sink (he missed).  Three eggs.

We moved to the table and rolled out our dough.  Seth’s dough didn’t roll out right. 

It was more satisfying to dump out all the flour.  Do you have enough yet, Seth?

No.  He wants it ALL.

You’re cute.  Isn’t this fun?

We started getting some cookies baked….after devoring five, fresh from the oven, Seth hopped down from his chair.

The recipe makes tray after tray after tray……tiring.  I’m not a big fan of rolling and cutting out dough.  I get impatient.  But, it just seemed right today.  A nice, plain, cakey, sugar cookie day, with a hint of nutmeg.

ANOTHER cookie, Seth?

It was so cute when I realized that he wanted to “bake” some in his oven, too.

So, we made him a toy cookie sheet, custom fit for his oven.  I took a piece of cardboard out of the recycling bin, ut it to size, and covered it with tin foil.

In the oven they went.

Then, he set the timer (look at his toes).  “Buzzzzzzzz!”  They’re done.

Be careful, they’re sliding off!  Your cookies look great.

lots and lots of cookies

I’ve used the same sugar cookie recipe for years.  You can find it HERE.

When Ethan came home from school today, he had a hunger that surpassed cookies.

So, he got right to work and made this, all on his own:

(The waffles were made using a mix.)

He even took the picture.  I wasn’t home when he made this fabulous snack, and he wanted me to see it.  (I was gone picking up Jacob from the library.)

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  I hope each of you is having a wonderful day.  xoxo