Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas.

May the Lord bless and keep you.

Home and butchering time

We're home from Tanya;s furneral.  All went well and we spent a few days with her hubby and the two kids.  Dave and Seth helped inventory Tanya's Beauty shop Tim did errands.  Now he knows what is basically there and will try to sell it for that just to get out from under it.

Was an exhausting trip and we all seem to be coming down with colds and etc.

Thursday Dave had to put wood on the front porch for our 2 week supply and plowed the 5 inches or so of snow out of the driveway.

We slaughtered the beef before we left for AZ. with Todd and Cory's help.

Dave and I butchered both hind quarters on the beef cow Friday to get a start on it.  Worked until around 3;30 and then went into town to get some more supplies, Food Saver bags and lined butcher paper and so on. 

 We brought the hind quarters down from the barn on sleds.

When we got home we started in on the 2ed hind quarter and finished just after 10:30 pm. 

We startd in on the rest of it Saturday morning (today) and Todd and Corey showed up shortly after.

Kathy just came home from school, they sent her home because of her cold.  

We ae still working on the beef, all have a good week .

Death of a daughter

Sad to say our daughter Tanya who had just turned 40 yrs old the 28th of Nov 2012 passed away 3 Dec. 2012. It was sudden and we will miss her greatly in this life.

She left behind her husband and a daughter 16 yrs old and a 6 yr old son.

She had a unknown cist sitting on a artery, it burst and complained of a stomach ache and died shortly after 6 pm.

Tanya you have gone on ahead but you will always be with us.
 

 Nov, 2012

Good Weather & Old Candy Recipes

The weather has been pretty nice this week as far as temps go, high 30's with nights into the 20's. Not bad for late November.

Thanksgiving went well we had 17 here including those already living here.

Feb, giving Lizzie dog a bath .

Hauling all the logs over to be split

Play time while papa works, great stump to climb on.

Some of our children and grands and a great grand.

Near Orofino Idaho, Riverside ID where we had to give talks last Sunday. Being grateful in all things.

How is everyone doing as far as Food storage, first aid supplies and so forth?  There may be a few sales at this time of year not only on different foods, but on warm clothing, socks, boots, mittens and so forth.

Try not to run to low on things like shampoo and hair rinse.  Soap is okay and can be used for your hair but its hard to replace shampoo and a good hair rinse, I know I'm spoiled.  I can do without those but they sure are nice to have. 

Powder can replace deodorant  sometimes but not always, but is a good back up.

 Stir together some baking soda, powder and powdered herb of choice and apply under arms while damp.

How about cleaning supplies and for laundry, vinegar and baking soda are great for helping to keep clothes fresh when added to wash or rinse.  I buy the big bags of baking soda and use in laundry and in making bath soaks.  Baking soda has so many uses.

Don't forget those bug sprays for summer.

Recipes:

Chocolate peanut butter fudge, my moms recipe

2 c. sugar

2 tab. cocoa 2/3 c. milk

2 tab. white karo syrup

dash of salt

Simmer until softball stage ( forms a softball when some is dropped into cold water) stirring constantly, Cool some and add

2 tab. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tab. peanut butter

Stir and put in a pan. Cool and cut

 

Basic fondant for candy or cake filling

1 lb. Powdered sugar

¼ c. white corn syrup

1 egg white

Mix all together knead, makes 1 ½ c. use more powdered sugar when rolling.

 Peanut butter cups 

½ c. peanut butter 

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

12 oz. bag of chocolate chips

Blend first 3 ingredients. Chill and then using ½. tsp. Mixture for each, roll into 24 balls. Melt chocolate chips and roll or pour over peanut balls. Chill

Please comment.

Pumpkin Cheesecake for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Pumpkin cheese cake double layered

1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/16 ground cloves

1/16 ground nutmeg

1 graham cracker crust

1 cup of thawed whipped topping (Optional)

 Directions

Preheated oven to 325 degrees

   Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix this until i t is smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time. Take out 1 cup of batter and spread in the bottom of graham cracker crust, set this off to the side.

Then to the rest of the mixture add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the rest batter and gently blend. Spread this over the batter already in the cracker crust.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center is just about set. Then cool and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. You can cover this with the whipped topping if you wish.

A Master Mix

I don't remember who I got this from but these are always nice to have around.

Master Mix

5 pounds all-purpose flour
3/4 cup double-acting baking powder
2 tablespoons salt
2-1/2 cups powdered milk
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 pounds vegetable shortening like Crisco

Combine dry ingredients in a very large bowl.
Cut in the shortening until mix looks like cornmeal.
Store at room temperature in one or more tightly
sealed containers. Makes about 30 cups of mix. 

Use just as you would Bisquick mix, making sure you substitute water for any milk required. Or make the recipes that follow.

1 DOZEN BISCUITS:

3 cups Master Mix

3/4 cup water
Blend and knead a few strokes

Bake on a greased cookie sheet in a 450 F preheated oven for 10 minutes.

1 DOZEN MUFFINS:

3 cups Master Mix

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 cup water

Mix water and egg and add to dry ingredients. Mix together until mixed.
Bake in greased muffin cups in 450 F preheated oven
for 25 minutes.

4 DOZEN DROP COOKIES:

3 cups Master Mix

1 cup sugar
1 egg

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup nuts
chocolate chips or other favorite add-ins. Bake on greased
cookie sheet in 375 F preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

9-INCH ROUND COFFEE CAKE:

3 cups Master Mix

½ cup sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup water

Optional: 1/2 cup nuts or raisins.

Blend and pour batter into a greased 9-inch
cake pan.

Cover with topping: 

1/2 cup brown sugar 3tablespoons softened butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Bake in 400 F preheated oven for 25 minutes

 
 18 MEDIUM PANCAKES OR 6 WAFFLES:

3 cups Master Mix

1-1/2 cups water

1 egg
Blend

8-INCH SQUARE CORNBREAD OR MUFFINS:

1-1/4 cups Master Mix,

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 egg, 1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup water

Pour into greased pan or muffin
tin. Bake in 400 F preheated oven for 25 minutes
 ***
We had another marathon wood splitting weekend.  Oldest son and 2 grandsons came up and joined in the work about 2pm.

I got several roasts cooked up and canned after serving for a meal and sending some to work with Dave for his lunch.

Today we have horizontal snow going on. The winds weren't supposed to be this bad but they are. The empty trash cans have taken trips in the wind.

Muffin Time and Tree Time

 We are busy still trying to get ready for winter.  A big almost dead tree is down now and ready to be cut up to to be fire wood next year.   We didn't want it coming down on its own in a winter storm as on the right side of this tree was electric wires that go across from our place to the next home.
With the drought the roots would have been dried up as the tree was 3/4's dead.  We have had that happen before.

 
The weather is cooler almost everywhere; time for some baking.

Recipes:

Apple Muffins

Around 20 muffins

2 eggs

½ c. oil

1 c. sugar

Mix then add

¼ tsp. salt

5 c. flour

1 tab. baking soda

2 c. milk

4 med. Diced apples

Fill greased or papered with cup cake cups muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake 375 deg. 20 minutes
Topping

¼ c. sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon. Sprinkle on topping.

 Blueberry Muffins

Makes 18

2-½ c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

½ c. sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 c. blueberries

1 c. milk

¼ c. melted butter

Mix, and grease muffin tins bake 350 deg. oven 25 to 30 minutes or until done.

Oatmeal Muffins

1 c. rolled oats

1 c. milk or sour milk

1 egg

½ c. brown sugar

1 c. flour

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1/3 c. butter melted or shortening

Soak the oats 10 minutes in the milk add egg mix well.

Stir in sugar, mix. Then add other ingredients.  Spoon into greased muffin tins 2/3 full Bake 400 deg. 20 minutes.

 Oatmeal Carrot Muffins
1 c. old fashion oatmeal

½ c. shredded carrots

½ c. milk

½ c. sugar

½ c. brown sugar

¼ c. vegetable oil

2 egg whites

1 tsp. grated orange peel

½ c. white flour

½ c. wheat flour

1 tab. Baking powder

½ c. baking soda

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done.  Makes 10 muffins.

Or on another note.

 English muffins

3 c. warm water

2 tablespoons yeast

3 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup powdered milk

1 teaspoon salt

4 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda-dissolve in

4 tablespoons warm water

Mix first 6 ingredients together then mix in soda dissolved in the warm water.

Let rest covered. Grease pans or cookie sheets.

Roll out and cut or hand made rounds. Heat skillet over low heat, but on round bake 5 minutes then turn and cook another 5 minutes.

Comments welcome.

Venison Roasts and us

We have been snowed upon, 6 inches today and Tuesday we had around 2 inches but melted off yesterday. Today's shouldn't last to long as in a couple of days it is supposed to be around 50 degrees day time.

As we were getting the heavy tarps up on the wood shed it flurried on us, so that was done just in time.

Old Fashion Roast

My mother taught me this recipe for to-die-for roasts many years ago and her mother taught it to her.  Mom was raised during the 1930's Depression.

You can use it with deer, elk, beef, and pork.  Remember beef and pork don’t need as much garlic.   

Take your three-pound or so roast, rub a flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper mixture on it, then take a few garlic cloves and make a few holes in the roast and shove in them in.  Grease your roasting pan with a generous amount of bacon grease, pour in ½ cup water, lay roast in pan and cover with strips of bacon.   

Next, add small potatoes or larger ones cut in half, then add your carrots cut in half-length wise, cut large ends in half.  Add to pan also, and then slice in thick rings of onions to cover roast.  Put on lid or cover snugly with aluminum foil.   

Cook in oven 300 degrees for four to five hours.   

Check about every ½ hour after three hours depending on the size of the roast to see how tender the roast is.  

 Of course more hours for bigger roasts.  With a really big roast- whole potatoes and just cut carrots in half.  

 If you want good venison, bacon and garlic are a must.

It Rained

This past weekend we got a bit of rain and then Tuesday morning it rained buckets but we had 49 mph gusts of wind to go with it.  It was very good to have though. No smoke in the air :)

This coming Sunday and though next week the temps will be dropping and we will have chances for snow each day and night.

Looks like Dave will be splitting wood as the snow flies this year. Not the first time.  He was splitting last week and got it thrown into the wood shed before the rain came in.  
We have some wood in on the enclosed porch on the wood rack and it has been handy as usual.  I have a nice cozy fire going this morning.

 

I did get Kaylee's sweater finished. It's not the best of the things I have knitted this was an old fashioned one from a book from the 1950's and done in pieces and some of those i didn't get lined up quite right lol.  Kaylee picked out the buttons from her great grandma Genes button collection.

 I made a cap to go with the oatmeal colored fingerless mitts and scarf.  Will send these off with a black set of mittens, scarf and hat to a friend of Corals in Germany. These kind of things are very very high priced in Germany.

Recipe
 
Kool-aid Jelly
1 package kool-aid (if you want stronger flavor add 2 packages)
6 cups water
1 package or 4 tablespoons pectin
4 to 5 cups cups sugar
Add kool-aid and water to large pot, mix in pectin bring to boil and boil at least 2 minute. on med high heat.
Add sugar and bring to hard boil and boil 3 to 4 minutes.
Poor in jars add lids and rings and process in water bath or steam canner.

My mom made this when I was growing up and I have made it a few times myself.  For those times one can't afford fruit or don't have your own bushes or trees and no friends with same.

Please feel free to comment. 

 

Winter Car Kits

Winter 2012 Car Kits

Something to hold your kit items.  Suggestions for items to add to personal kit..

1. Duffle, case, hard case or backpack.  Whatever works best for you and the space you have.
2. Blankets, small fleece or sleeping bag, you can also include things like space blankets for saving space. These can be laid in the truck or back seat for the winter and can be slipped into a garbage bag to be kept clean if need be.
3. Rain ponchos this can keep rain and or snow off of you if you have to get out and say change a flat tire. They take up very little room.
4. Change of warm clothing, warm hat, a pair of extra shoes or boots. Don’t forget under clothing. Nothing like wet cold feet and bottoms.
5. Winter gloves
6. Water if possible: one can get dehydrated in winter also. A small cooler can also help water and drinks from freezing quickly in cold weather.
7. Food compact: as in protein bars, food emergency bars, flip top easy open foods etc. dried fruit, granola, hard candy.
8. Medicines: a few extra pills in plastic bag or container to get you through.
9. Flashlight and extra batteries, head lamps LED: type work well and leave you hands free along with their batteries lasting longer then regular flashlights.
10. Lighter or matches
11. First aid kit
12. Packets of hand warmers
13. Baby wipes: great for quick wash ups of hands and face. Come in all sizes of containers.
14. Toilet paper
15. If you have children traveling with you add in the items they will need within this kit or small packs styled just for them. Warm clothes, mittens, foods, small blanket or space blanket, poncho, diapers, etc etc.
16. For children to keep busy: coloring books and crayons, books, and or a toy depending on their age etc.

 Car: As needed

1: Tools: Basic ones to work on car as needed

3: Work gloves

4: Windshield ice scraper

     5: Battery jumper cables

     6: Tow rope, cable or chain

     7: Small electrical tire air pump (Can be plugged into lighter plug)

   8: Flares or reflectors for stopped car

Recipe:

Pear/Banana Jam

2 cups pureed ripe banana's 

2 cups pureed pears, cored, leave skins on

1 package pectin or 4 Tablespoons

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

5 cups sugar

If you prefer more pear flavor 3 cups pear puree and 1 cup pureed bananas.

Puree fruits and add to large pot, add lemon juice and pectin. heat on med to med high heat till boiling (this will splatter).

Add the sugar and bring to a rapid boil and boil 4 minutes. Pour into jars; this makes 3 and 1/2 pints. Put on lids, rings and process 10 minutes in a steam canner or boiling water bath.

 Picture of canned peaches, pears and jams.

Comments are welcome.

Gardens done In,72 hr kit check

Well that freeze pretty well took care of the garden, we have gotten almost everything out. We have some broccoli and the last of the tomatoes but I don't know if those tomatoes will get much further.

I did make some green tomato relish with  some of the green ones that fell off, were knocked off etc, from freezing and wind.

Green tomato relish

To 8 cups chopped green tomatoes in a large pot you add 1/3 cup canning salt, stir and let sit for a few hours o over night.

 

Then rinse, and let drain for a bit.

Add 1 or 2 bell peppers chopped

1 large onion chopped

1 and 1/2 cups white vinegar

1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon celery seeds

Then in a cloth tie up and 2 tablespoons pickling spice and drop into chopped ingredients. Boil this 2 hours and then jar up while hot..

Boil 10 minutes in a water bath canner or steam canner.

 

A picture of a few jars of relish.

 

 

 I also managed to get a few more pints of tomato sauce made on Friday with the almost ripe ones and the ones I had to ripen in the kitchen window. 8 pints and 1 quart. Better then getting nothing like last year.

I have been drying more herbs and still have sage and tarragon to dry.

We hung the beans to finish drying and our seed corn.

 Here a couple more of the finger puppets I have made, Sort of dragon's.

  Scarf I just finished.

Here is Dave starting the dig on the leak we had and the pipes when he finished.

 It is the time of year to see to your batteries in smoke detectors and things in your 72/96  hour kit; other wise known as a Bug Out Bag B.O.B., or Go Bag etc.

Make sure your clothes all fit and in the children's that the clothes are replaced with clothes that will fit in the coming 6 months,things like a size or 2 bigger then they wear at this time depending on how fast they are growing. 

This includes socks and shoes. Boots can be tied to the outside by their strings if you have to, same with tenna shoes. Make sure since winter is almost here that you and yours have warm things to change into in their kits. Wool socks, long johns, flannel shirt etc.
 Check the food and see if the dates  are still good and nothing has been opened and replace.
Tie a canteen to the side of the packs that can be filled quickly.
On the inside a few of those 4 oz water packets work well.
4 oz water packets work well for extra water in the backpacks from beprepared.com
4 oz water packets
 

Fall is in the air

Monday night 10 September we had our first frost and did again for the next 2 nights also. We had the first fire in the wood stove of the season Tuesday night.

Dave continues to work on the fencing. The new corner in the upper field.

 
New gate area.

We managed to get some more canning and drying done. We picked all the beans and pulled all the hops, squash etc etc.

Low and behold there is a leak in our plumbing in the back yard. Dave will begin digging up the area as soon as he is able and that may be when he gets home today or as he can tomorrow on Saturday. Gads always something. 
After Kathy showered this morning I had to go up to the well house and refill the tank. Not one drop came out of the faucet.

Daughter Coral emailed from Afghanistan and things are dicey there, lots of sirens of incoming missiles and getting shot at :(. 

Our youngest grand daughter Aspen is growing like a weed 

 and so is great grand daughter Jaydah.

Recipes:

Creamed chipped beef (Grandpa Harold's favorite)

Make a white sauce of

1 tab. butter

3 tab. flour

2 c. milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Then after thickened add 2 or 3 bags of chipped beef. Stir and heat serve over bread, toast or rolls.

Party meatballs

1 ½ pounds hamburger

2 eggs beaten

½ onion minced

½ c. bread crumbs

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. pepper

*

1 ,12 oz container chili sauce

1 c. tomato juice

½ c. dark karo syrup

2 tab. lemon juice

1 tab. chili powder

1 tsp. oregano

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. hot sauce

Mix together the first 8 ingredients. Make this into balls. Bake 350 deg, oven 20 minutes or until done, drain. Then in a large skillet mix together the remaining ingredients and bring this to a boil, then let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the meatballs, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

More fencing to do

Not much new going on here that's for sure.

Our daughter Coral is now over in Afghanistan :(

The surgery on my foot went well and I am sitting here with it in the air.  Supposed to keep off of it.  So I have been knitting and reading etc.  Finished a pair of fingerless mitts and a cowl.

Dave is up working on the back fence, putting up new fence and tearing out the old.

Last Saturday he had some help late morning until around 5 or so.

Recipes:

 Basic Tomato Sauce

2 pounds Italian tomatoes

2 tab. olive oil

2 gloves garlic smashed

½ c minced onion

1 & ½ tsp. basil

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Pinch of sugar

Peel and dice tomatoes. Heat oil ass garlic. Sauté over a low heat, add onion cook until soft. Add basil, salt, pepper and sugar, let simmer a few minutes. Cook 30 minutes. Can in water bath or steam bath.

 

Jellied Cranberry sauce 

1 pound cranberries, that’s about 4 and ½ cups cranberries 

1 c. water

2 c sugar 

Grind or chop to med. course cranberries. Then combine with water and sugar in a pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer stirring occasionally until the fruit is translucent, 10 – 15 minutes. This can be forced through a food mill or put in a blender.

To can:

Reheat sauce to boiling and put in hot jars, water or steam bath.