I Like Getting Packages

Look what came in the mail yesterday!!! If only I didn't have to wait until the end of the summer to use it!

Wanderings

This past weekend my friend Stephanie and her family came to visit. Adam and I took them into Rochester to the public market on Saturday morning. We perused vegetable stands, dug through homemade mittens, bought way too many raspberries, smelled fresh roasted coffee beans, and enjoyed the beautiful, albeit chilly, morning together. I love going to the public market, and I don't know why we don't go more often. There is something exciting about the masses of people, crowding through the stalls, the hawking of goods, hearing the voices of people everywhere. It's invigorating. I enjoy talking to the different vendors and gleaning bits of information from them or about them. We came home with bags of goodies and ate good that night! Although the asparagus I bought is still in the fridge... Maybe I do tend to go overboard.

The Truth is in the Pudding (Whatever that means...)

One would think that if you could bake you should be able to cook, right? How about wrong. I consider myself to be a moderately good baker. After all, I can bake pies with the best of them and my cookies aren't too bad either. But I have to admit, my cooking skills just aren't up to par. In fact, they are lagging behind. Not only can I not seem to remember to take meat out to thaw, but bringing a meal together just doesn't always happen. Like tonight, for instance....

I'm trying to clean out my fridge. I don't want any leftovers in there this weekend. It's just time to clean out all that old stuff. Yesterday we had bacon sandwiches and leftover pasta. The pasta was gross in and of itself, let alone being leftovers already. So tonight's dinner made day three of bad dinners. I had the brand idea to make split pea soup in an effort to use up some bread in the fridge. (We have several odd loaves/packages of bread in there.) Yes, make soup to use bread. Everyone knows that you are supposed to eat bread with soup. Now, I have one very distinct memory of eating split pea soup, and that memory comes from my childhood. My Mom only ever made split pea soup once, probably due to how well it was received. Us kids sat at the dinner table much longer that night as we struggled to swallow that insipid soup. The longer we sat, the more horrible the soup became... And yet, I still chose to make split pea soup for supper. I thought that maybe, just possibly in the past 15+ years, my taste buds had matured enough to appreciate the green soup delight. Unfortunately for me, they had not. Even Adam, who typically appreciates split pea soup, did not finish his serving. And poor Josh uttered his disdain for our supper at his first tiny taste. Well, it was our supper and so Adam and I toughed it out for most of our bowlfuls, but were kinder to Josh as we told him he must eat only five bites. He struggled through each bite, grimacing and shuddering and plugging his nose. He was doing so well... But we should've told him four bites. I'll leave it at that. Good thing I know how to bake. I should've gone with my first thought and just served bread pudding for supper. No worries though, I whipped up some bread pudding with blueberries in no time. I was even able to rid my fridge of one more half eaten loaf of bread, a container of cream cheese, the rest of the half and half, and a scoop or two of yogurt. I was a little concerned about all the extra stuff I was putting in the pudding, but there was no need for concern. After all, the truth is in the pudding, I can bake better than I can cook.

(PS The photo is not mine. It is from http://froggey.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/blueberry-bread-pudding-with-lemon-cream/, where I kinda followed the recipe from.)

A Tasty Treasure

A week or so ago, I went to an auction with some friends. I bought a few different exciting things which included four block planers for my Dad, a wheelbarrow with a metal wheel, a four-foot ladder, and a box of old sheet music (for which I did a happy dance). Along with the sheet music came a small box of random pamphlets and papers, which I didn't even get a chance to look in until this past Saturday. But when I did finally get to see what was in the shallow box of papers, I found a little treasure. It looks old and worn out but inside it is a like a tasty trifle. Literally. The pages are water damaged and worn, and some are completely faded, but the pages which you can still read, makes my heart flutter... The little book is filled with a woman's hand-written recipes, desserts, cakes, cookies, and tastinesses. She even has a recipe for cream puffs written in there! What really made me smile was the recipe for gingerbread cake, since last week I had been craving it. You must understand that I NEVER crave gingerbread cake. I mean, I rarely even think about such delicacies, except for last week. So, it was a funny little blessing from God, to find a gingerbread recipe in that little book. I fully intend to copy out those recipes onto something more durable before the pages completely fall apart... Then I can get to baking! Now how about those cream puffs....

A Kitchen Ooops

I've been meaning to make more Christmas cookies. About a week and a half ago, we hosted a Christmas party and I made my favorite Christmas cookies, Russian teacakes. This is how they looked when they came out. I think I laughed out loud. This had never happened to me before, but then I have never let the cookies sit on the counter for 20+ minutes before baking them. I suppose the butter had warmed up too much to hold them in their circular form. Needless to say, these cookies went "right in the garbage". Thankfully it only takes a few minutes to whip up another batch and I was able to make some more. But they are gone now. Can we have Christmas next week, so I have time to make more cookies first?

"Next Year"

My freezer is full of pies. My Thanksgiving turkey is buried. My ground beef is buried. If I have any sandwich bread in there, I don't know, cause it is buried too. There are 16 or more apple pies in there. And three blueberry pies. My upstairs freezer is full of empty pie shells that Mom and I made on Saturday. I think we are ready for bake day. I'll be baking all day on Tuesday and all day on Wednesday. I am still reeling from amazement. I never would have imagined that God would so bless this fund raiser. Mom and I can't help but say "next year"... We have had so much fun baking together. We have agreed that maybe we should keep our eyes open for an upright freezer, so that "next year" we have a better place to keep all our pies frozen. This morning at church, a lady mentioned to me that her sister-in-law was getting rid of her old upright freezer last week, but she had forgotten to ask me about it soon enough, and now it had been given to her neighbor. I took this as kind of a token from the Lord, as if He were saying, "If I want to bless you with a freezer, I can and I will." I mentioned making pies "next year" to my husband and he seemed rather surprised that I even thought about making them again "next year". He doesn't realize that I have had so much fun spending my Wednesdays making pies with my Mom and sister. But I suppose, if anyone has been suffering through all of this, it would be him, as he never has any clean underwear anymore... Poor man. Anyway, who knows what God will have for us "next year"?!

"Pies in the Eyes"

It was a daunting figure, the cost to go to Indonesia. But when God told me to go, I stepped out in faith, not knowing where the money was going to come from. Adam sooo graciously allowed me to dip into our savings, but that only went so far and he expected me to eventually pay most of it back. The idea of selling baked goods at our local farm market had crossed my mind, but when I talked to the woman in charge, I found that there was quite a list of things I needed to have done, in order to be able to sell food to the public there. I was able to pick up an extra day of work at the restaurant, but that still wasn't going to cut it. I knew God had it all under control. He told me to trust Him, and I did. But Adam had begun to get nervous about the financial aspect of trip and was regretting that he gave me permission to go. Neither he or I had any idea how wonderfully God was going to provide. By mid-late September, I was still thinking about baked goods, specifically pies. Honestly, I had been thinking about pies in August because I had been freezing blueberries with the thought that maybe I could sell pies. I obtained permission from one of our pastor's at church to have a fundraiser there and sell my homemade pies. The first Sunday I took 12 pies, made by myself, my mom and my sister. They sold before second service and I went home with a few orders to fill. The next time I took 18 pies, apple and pumpkin. They also sold without a problem. I hung up a sign at the daycare where I work. People ordered. Mom and I filled orders. We made blueberry pies, apple pies, elderberry pies and three peach pies. I even made a squash pie on special request. I sold more pies at church and took orders for Thanksgiving. God has been so amazing. A friend of my Mom's donated blueberries when she couldn't buy a pie. I never would've guessed that selling pies would be the way God would choose to provide the financial means for the trip to Indonesia. Who would've guessed that years earlier, when my Mom taught me how to make a pie, that we'd make such a good pie-making team? I even love just getting together with my Mom and sister on those days we make pies. Yes, we are on our feet ALL day long, and we are exhausted at the days end, but it is such an enjoyable time together. We have thought about finding a worthy reason to raise money every fall because the three of us have such a nice time working together. I never would've thought that apple pies would get me to Indonesia, but God did. I'm glad He's on my team. Or rather, I'm glad I'm on His team.

A Positive Note

Tonight I felt like a night owl. My little family members were both tired and cranky this evening, so they were tucked into bed early. This left me with the house empty- just the way I like it when I'm in the cleaning mood. Maybe my hubby will notice the clean smell when he wakes up in the morning. Clean bathroom, freshly mopped floors, the window int he kitchen was even washed! I'm feeling accomplished. I even baked a squash pie this evening. Before I cleaned the bathroom...

Speaking of pies, you will all be happy to know about those "flourless" pies that were mentioned in the previous post. Well, I baked several of them and tried a piece or two and they were perfectly fine!! That is a praise the Lord moment! Last Saturday my oven was going all day, baking pies to sell at church the following day. My oven ran from 7:30 til 10:00 at night and there were 15 pies baked in all. Not only was I baking pies on Saturday, but I was having a yard sale simultaneously... Good thing I have good friends who came and helped me keep my head on straight. I think the yard sale went pretty well, especially for being so late in the year. We made around $90 and seeing as everything was priced pretty cheap, that number surprised me... We are having a yard sale again this weekend and hopefully we'll clean out some more stuff! (Praying for another beautiful day!) Oh and of all the pies we made? We sold 11 pies at church, two to some friends of ours, a few slices at my yard sale and we even got eat one or two slices ourselves. I feel like the Lord really blessed me on Sunday by selling all the pies that I brought and some people even gave me extra to go toward my trip. I had 9 additional orders for pies made on Sunday to go along with the previous orders. Tomorrow Mom and I are going to have another pie-making marathon and hopefully I can get most of these orders filled by the weekend!

And now it is off to bed for me. A busy day tomorrow.

A verse for today: Luke 17:10 "...When you have done all those things which you are commanded, sat 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' "

Something to think about.

An Apple Ooops

Pies, pies, and more pies. I am currently having a fundraiser for a trip I am going on in February. The trip involves a plane, a far distant country, Compassion International and meeting someone special. Needless to say, I am so excited that God has opened this door. (!!!!!) So I am selling homemade pies to help raise the necessary funds. Apple pies, pumpkin pies and a very limited amount of select other pies. I have received permission to sell my pies at church on Sunday and they will be sold for $10 a piece. My Mom, Hannah and I make a very good pie-making team. We can make 10 pies in three hours, if we all work together. Last Saturday, we made nine apple pies. Wednesday we made ten apple pies. (I have yet to do any pumpkin.) So now my freezer is full of pies. Delicious, delectable, marvelous apple pies. Well, most of them anyways... So, you see... Wednesday, when we were making pies, we were on such a roll that, well, I forgot to put flour in with the apple filling. So, yeah. Some of my pies will be runny. The filling will not set up as nicely as it should. And they will be less than most wonderful. I will not be able to sell them for $10 with a good conscience... Maybe for $5, but not for $10. And I realized all of this because of Josh. See, he was trying to be helpful and as I was bringing my things into the house after a big pie-making party at my Mom's, he took a pie out of the trunk of my car. I came out of the house just in time to see him juggling the pie as he tried to balance it in his arms. First it was sideways, then it was upside down, then it was on the ground. I guess this was his way of getting an apple pie for himself... Anyways, this pie ended up being baked and eaten as dessert that evening. Adam commented on it's runniness, which I attributed to it being cut while still warm. But then I got to thinking... I can't believe I left the flour out! What a stupid, moronic, amateur thing to do! I mean, I have been making pies since... Well, for a really long time... Good grief. At the very least, those nine pies could be saved for any special occasion that may happen in the next several months. And I thought we were doing so well!

We've Been Canned! (Last week's edition)

It had been a busy week. It all started last Sunday. I spent two days in Binghamton canning peaches with a dear friend. I have tried canning peaches for the past two years, but they never turned out great. The peaches were mushy and very unappealing. I had tried some of my friend Stephanie's canned peaches this past summer and made the passing comment that we should can some together when the appropriate time arrived. She took me seriously and called me up a few weeks ago and we made plans to can our peaches together. I am so glad she called. I purchased the three bushels we thought we would need and drove down to her place. Once there the two of us set about canning our 40+ jars of peaches. Stephanie showed me how to cold pack the peaches, which produces a much tastier finished product than the hot packed peaches I had been making. We spent all day canning. Honestly it was so much fun having someone to share the big job with and we thought we were making good process. By the time we had our jars filled, our feet were getting tired and our bellies getting hungry. But we still had at least a bushel left on the table... I ended up having to make a run for the store to buy more sure jel, sugar, and jars. We made an additional four batches of peach jam before hitting the sack for the night. And even after four batches of jam, we had enough left over peaches for both of us to put some in our freezers. It was such a great time and I believe that we'll do it again next year, though I think we'll only purchase two bushels then... I have some lovely pictures of our jars of fruit, but alas, they are not on this computer, so I will add them later. The jars are so pretty filled with their golden peaches all lined up in a row. And the peaches are delicious. Cold packing is definitely the way to go!

When I returned from my peach packing adventure, I was raring to go! My garden has been producing tomatoes by the basket full and since I don't eat too many tomatoes in their fresh state, they were dangerously close to going bad. I have never canned tomatoes or sauce before, but since I was on a roll already, I went to task making very basic tomato sauce. Adam loves to make his own sauce when we have pizza, so I just left the seasoning all to him. I'm sure he'll do a good job at it, when the time comes. I was feeling so good about using what was in the garden, and being slightly concerned about everything going to waste in the next week and a half, I blanched and froze three bags of Brussels sprouts and a few bags of green beans as well. The only thing I didn't put up this past week has to be my cucumbers. But then again, I had already done a batch of Kosher dills and a batch of bread and butter pickles. I can't wait to put up the pictures of my shelves filled with tasty garden treats. I just hope that we won't forget about all the hard work that we put into those jars... I can't imagine letting all that good food sit down there forgotten all winter. That's the only thing I worry about... But if you fear that I will forget that good food, just invite yourself over to try some for yourself. I'll be more than happy to share. :)

A Delicious Proposition

What do you say? Strawberry shortcake anyone? The berries are fresh from my garden. I planted them last year and this year get to reap the rewards. Deliciousness.

Reminds me of how sometimes we have to wait on the Lord, but He always has our best interests in mind. *sigh* What a good God we serve.

Toronto: Day #2

Adam and I had only planned to go to two different places while in Toronto. The rest we were just going to "wing it". We had planned to go to the CN Tower and the Toronto Zoo. We thought Josh would really enjoy all the animals at the zoo. We left our hotel early, paid for parking, and drove off to find somewhere to eat breakfast before heading to the zoo. Hotel breakfast was just too expensive. We have this handy GPS, but let me reiterate lesson #1: Do not rely on a GPS when looking for a restaurant. The restaurant we were looking for was nonexistent but thankfully just around the corner was a hopeful looking place. The George Street Diner was just the spot for breakfast. It was small and quaint and reminded me of someplace from the 50's. There were maybe 6-7 booths and a counter lined with bar stools. The cook was cooking right behind the counter and the place was filled with patrons except for two stools at the counter. We stood awkwardly at the door for a few seconds before a thin, black man with a heavy accent started waving us in and calling us to come in, sit down, and relax. We weren't sure what to make of it because he was sitting at the counter next to the two empty stools, but Josh didn't hesitate as long as we did. He went right up to the man with the accent, climbed up onto the stool and sat there as is they had been friends for a long time. I would've been nervous, except that we were right there... Adam and I eventually decided that we'd go sit down with Josh and the very friendly guy at the counter proceeded to tell us how he was a sailor and had traveled the world, but Canada was the most beautiful country he'd ever seen. Then he bid us farewell, picked up his coffee and was gone. He was the most colorful character we met while in Toronto... literally. :) Anyway, our breakfast there was delicious enough to recommend the place to anyone who is going to or lives in Toronto. Don't you think it's cute too?

On to the Zoo... Sunday was a good day for free parking. Twice actually. Toronto has free parking from 9am to 1pm on Sunday mornings, so we parked for free at breakfast time. AND we found a spot to park for free at the Toronto Zoo too! We had to walk a bit farther, but it was well worth the $10 savings. While the zoo was fun, we weren't sure if we really loved it. The grounds were sprawled out over 700 acres and there were over 1,000 animals. There were miles of paths and even a mini water park at the Kidzoo. One has to ride the Zoo mobile to even see half of the animals and I think it was well worth spending the extra money on the Zoo mobile passes. It was a hot, sunny day and we had forgotten to bring sunscreen. A kind family let us use some of their sunscreen for Josh, who is so pale that he was sure to be a lobster by the end of the day, had it not been for their kindness. Though I am pretty sure I turned into a lobster instead... Being at such a large, expansive zoo made Adam and I appreciate our smaller city zoo. We may not have every animal possible in our zoo, but it's compact size makes it good for walking with smaller children and you don't feel like you're missing out on half of the exhibits. We have decided that we should take Josh to The Seneca Park Zoo sometime this summer and then he could actually see the monkeys.

The last thing we managed to see before dusk settled upon us was the Eaton Centre, where we once again paid for parking. The Eaton Centre is a large, multi-leveled shopping "centre", right it the middle of Toronto. Adam thought maybe he'd buy some sunglasses, but seeing as he is still wearing mine, I guess he didn't find any to suit him... The mall really was just that. A really big mall. With a three-story H & M inside...

Just two more things about our trip home. We booked out of the hotel, only to find out that the parking rate and more than doubled over-night when the weekend turned into the weekday. Adam nearly blew a sprocket when he was charged $26 for using the parking lot over night. Lesson #2: Next time we go to a big city, get acquainted with the public transportation system. Or ride a bike. And I nearly blew a sprocket when we waited an hour and a half in line to get back over the border, when I knew we could've crossed at Fort Erie with little to no wait. But all in all, it was a very fun weekend. We should travel again sometime.

Baking Adventures at Grandma's House

Yesterday we went to Grandma Jo's house. Adam likes to take Molly for walks with his own Dad and their dog Maddie, so we had gone to visit them. Earlier that morning, Grandma Jo and Grandpa Bob had purchased some rhubarb at the public market. Unfortunately for Grandpa, Grandma Jo is not a baker. But his daughter-in-law has a few tricks up her sleeves. (Who just so happens to be me.) The plan was that while the guys were walking the dogs, I would whip up a rhubarb pie. Not too difficult. But as I mentioned before, Grandma Jo is not a baker. We headed off to the store for some much needed supplies; flour, sugar and Crisco, along with a few items for lunch. Now I knew that I would need a pie plate, so I brought that. But I had forgotten a couple other kitchen gadgets that make my baking adventures a bit easier. Before I go on, in her defense, let me mention that Grandma Jo's house was not the first place where a pastry blender has come up missing. I had to smile as I thought of ladies in the old days who were also found wanting a pastry blender. I cut in that Crisco the best I could using two butter knives, and I think I did a pretty good job. But anyone would've laughed to see me rolling out that pie crust with a cold can of Genny Light! I guess I know what I'm getting Grandma Jo for her birthday, even if she only uses it to roll out play-dough with her favorite grandson... In all honestly, Genny Light rolls a pie crust almost as well as a real rolling pin, just a tad slower. And the lack of baking tools set me off in an adventurous spirit. I loved having to use a bit of innovation. I was even inspired enough to make another rhubarb pie after we had gone home for the evening. Though the second time around I used a real rolling pin.

A Green (or Rather Purple) Smoothie

Since it's all the rage these days, I decided to try a "green" smoothie. My blog friend Jessica is really into them and has been blogging about them as of late. I tried making one last year when she had been blogging about them, but it was gross. I had used some kind of chard and it tasted like dirt. I am all about making smoothies, but I don't usually go for putting greens in my smoothies. I'll put frozen fruit, yogurt, milk and maybe a banana, but as far as something green? Well, that is a little far fetched for me. I like greens, don't get me wrong, but I was hesitant to try another "green" smoothie after the last one went so wrong. But I had a can of coconut milk sitting in my cupboard and it was begging to be used... So it, along with a few leaves of Kale (stems removed) went into my smoothie maker with some left over avocado slices, a banana, and some frozen fruit. It was a marked improvement over the last one I had made. Still not delicious, but much better. Maybe it's a taste that grows on you? Anyway, I have a whole bunch of Kale that need to be used, so I guess I'll have to try making some more. Any suggestions?

Dreaming...

I am finishing off last nights' left over cheesecake. I'm pretty sure I have eaten enough desserts in the past two weeks to last all year. And now I feel pretty gross. Actually, I feel disgusting. I eat more sugar than anything else this time of year. What I really need to do is bust into the spinach greens I bought today at Wegmans, sprinkle grape tomatoes over them, along with red onion and feta cheese and drizzle the whole thing with balsamic vinaigrette. Except I left my vinaigrette at Mom and Dad's house on Christmas... Can I have that back please? Ah... Healthy food. It is so much easier to eat healthy in the summer, when the garden is bursting with cucumbers, snow peas, beans and tomatoes. Josh and I would regularly wander out into the garden this summer, pick a ripe cucumber and eat it together, sitting on our back steps, the sun warming our arms and legs. At this moment, the picture painted in my mind is a far distant memory. On the other side of my bedroom window, the wind is whipping snow wildly about, gathering it into drifts and filling every nook and cranny. The garden is a forgotten dream, lying buried in the snow. I trekked though the drifts this evening to find our compost pile. The snow must be at least two feet in spots. The forecast only calls for more snow. I find the whole prospect of more snow to be rather exciting... Maybe because I don't have to shovel it or maybe because I have a nice warm house. You can guarantee that I won't be leaving the house wearing my flats tomorrow. I will have my furry boots pulled up to my knees and a hat over my ears. The drive to church will be a slow one. But, what else can we expect on a January day in New York?

Jam is the Thing That I Love Most

"Jam on biscuits, jam on toast, jam is the thing that I love most. I. Love. Jam." (Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban) I think Josh can relate. This was breakfast this morning. And after breakfast, he went right into the tub.

¿Mas Cafe, Por Favor?

I picked up a bad little habit while in El Salvador. I never really had a problem before then. A cup or two once in a while, yes. But not a day after day "I need a cup" problem. I could easily wean myself off after just two days. The headache would more than likely be there, but would be gone by evening. But this is not the case... I feel extra drowsy half-way through the morning without it. The carafe stares at me, just waiting to be filled with water to brew. My head threatens to explode if I don't have a cup. And now, my delicious El Salvadorian coffee is gone and we are stuck with yucky Starbucks coffee. Yes, I said yucky Starbucks. It's just not good. Who will go get me some more cafe de El Salvador? Por favor? In the meantime, I will have to brew some yucky Starbucks...

A Freezie-Pop Fetish

He takes after his Daddy. Gotta love those freezie-pops! He and Daddy can go through a whole package in less than two weeks. Maybe even in one week. Now that is a fetish for freezie-pops.

Oh, For the Love of Ketchup!!

Yes, Josh has a fetish for ketchup. And yes, I let him feed himself. And again, yes, he got a little over excited about his dinner this particular evening. What can I say? It was too hilarious. (Click the photo for a good look.)

Our First Taste of Nashville

We hadn't eaten since Saturday afternoon, besides a few pretzels and a cracker pack. The time was now around 3:00 pm Sunday. Our tummies were grumbling. Adam had heard of a place to find good food, so after our lovely nap, we were off to the famous Loveless Cafe. I have to tell you, I had never eaten food so good. As soon as we were seated, our waitress came out with freshly baked biscuits and homemade jam. Oh, we couldn't help but sigh... Deliciousness. Have you ever gone an extended period of time with no food or been so completely worn out, then sit down to eat and not been able to get over how wonderful the food was? Adam and I split an order of fried chicken. The chicken even melted in our mouths... We knew we had come upon a winner and that we would come back. Four more times. (Maybe three, but four sounds better.) If you are ever in Nashville, you must go here. Everyone else goes there too.