Today at the Dackel Princess house we spent the day cooking. Our big project was the preparation, cooking and canning of our very own Plum Jam!
As you know, Emily is here, and today her boyfriend, Ben came over as well and the four of us set about putting it all together.
In the end, we had eleven half pints of Jam, and it came out very well! Best of all, we had fun doing it!
Cut the stem end from the tomato and cut into quarters. Place in a large pot, cover and bring to boil. Turn down and simmer tomatoes for 1-2 hours, until very tender.
While tomatoes are cooking Chop up:
In large kettle add 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat and add the vegetables you have chopped. Sauté for several minutes, until the onion is translucent.
Add:
Stir, breaking up meat, and browning, until it is completely cooked. Drain any fat you may have.
Add:
Allow this to simmer very slowly for 1-2 hours, covered.
Then add:
If your sauce does not thicken to your taste after 20 minutes, take the lid off and cook down a little.
This recipe freezes well. I often make a double batch and freeze it for the winter! You will be so glad you did!
Friday found us following the track of Hurricane Earl. Turns out that the most we will get up here in New Hampshire is rain and a little wind, but pretty much, it will blow on by us. Unfortnately, my hometown on Cape Cod may not be so lucky.
So while the Weather Channel predicted their madness and mayhem, Hubby, the dogs and I were out in the yard.
Hubby picked apples, I ate an apple and the dackels watched, played and ate pieces of apple too!
Greta is actually quite a ham when you point a camera at her. I swear, she is smiling in this picture!
Fritz does like to play, but he also oversees all the work that Hubby is doing. A more faithful dog I have never known!
Even Anneliese is getting back in the swing of things and she ran around the back yard checking everything out. I love this, as she is getting back in shape.
I must say, that the Macintosh apples are really great! Not only is the tree heavy with apples,
But they are really pretty this year too!
I’ve got a bunch of cooking coming up over the weekend. I’m thinking another batch of tomato sauce, and my first batch of Plum Jam. I’m still trying to work out a Green Tomato Relish Recipe that makes sense to me (I will probably take some things from one recipe and some things from another to make what I’d like).
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Happy Labor Day weekend to all who celebrate it. And…here we go!
1. Family love.
2. Stir back and forth. (What can I say? I’ve been cooking a lot lately!)
3. I love a wonderful man, fabulous daughter and terrific family. I am Blessed.
4. Lobster and corn makes a good meal.
5. I’ve got the best recipe for tomato sauce!
6. Looks like the rain is going to miss us: wth!!! (We need rain!)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to Emily arriving, tomorrow my plans include making roasted eggplant with Em and Sunday, I want to grocery shop and work on making Chow Chow (Green Tomato Relish), and watch The US Open Tennis!!
Friday Fil-Ins are sponsored by my cousin Janet. Come on and join the fun!
I’ve been growing out my hair for a while now. It’s gotten so much longer and I thought I would like that, but…after a few months of not being able to just scrunch it into place I was going nuts.
So I called Margarita, and went in to get my hair cut! I wanted it all layered up so I can scrunch and go.
Margarita is an amazing stylist. She knew just what I needed and worked quickly and efficiently and I am back to being able to scrunch and go!
Isn’t it amazing how the little things in life can make all the difference?
I also made three quarts of spaghetti sauce! My freezer is getting so full.
Soon I will be making green Tomato Relish also known as “Chow Chow”. Now that will be interesting as I have never made that before!
Oh yes. And best of all, Emily arrives tonight for two days with us and the pups! We’re really looking forward to that!
Wednesday found me pulling the covers over my head, not wanting to get up and face the day. I hadn’t slept well, and somehow thought if I just stayed in bed, I could avoid any further catastrophes! Lucky for me, Hubby didn’t give up and he smiled and the dackels kissed me and even though I admit to being a little grumpy, I got up.
It was my day to go to Weight Watchers class and weigh in.
**groan**
I made myself a low fat peanut butter and jelly sandwich on diet raisin bread, got my coffee in a thermos and kissed Hubby goodbye. I got in the car, and in no time arrived at the meeting hall.
I really expected nothing. As you know, I’ve done a lot of cooking lately, but I have also been watching my portion sizes. I weigh everything, and I even decided that if I really wanted to eat some potato chips I would get the low fat baked chips. One ounce, which is just the right size, is only one point!
Anyway, I got up on the scale and was talking and not paying attention and Tami announced, “Wow! you did really great this week!”
That got my attention! “I did?” I asked in shocked disbelief. She nodded and replied, “Two pounds!”
I was so excited and happy and wanted to jump up and down with joy!
After that, the minor annoyances of the day seemed slide away and I concentrated only on the positive feeling I had from accomplishing something this important. (Even if I didn’t realize it!) Perhaps sometimes it’s better not to dwell on the change in ones eating and just concentrate on living it!
So now I need to go out and grocery shop for cans of tuna, some eggs and a few other things. I’m incredibly lucky that our fruit has been coming in, and the vegetables too.
It all helps and it is all good.
1. What insect are you most afraid of?
Snakes and rodents.
2. What is the greenest/most organic thing about you or that you do?
My garden and orchard.
3. Tell me about a recurring dream that haunts you.
Being trapped in a car.
4. Have you ever missed a flight? What were the circumstances?
Since I pass ride, I can safely answer this question with a yes. Pass riders only fly if there is an open seat. Trust me, I have watched many planes take off and fly away with me still in the terminal!
5. What do you consider your best feature?
It used to be my eyes. But not any more. Now I would say it’s my ability to be a good friend. With age comes wisdom.
6. What was the last concert you went to?
I have a real fear of crowds. So I don’t go very often. I think the last concert I went to was at a church in Germany, Kloster Chorin. Volker and Uschi took me.
7. Describe the most embarrassing church moment you ever experienced.
My brother fell asleep during midnight mass and slipped down and under the pew in front of us!
8. Are you a whistler, hummer or singer?
Singer.
9. George Washington Carver said, “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” What is God saying to you through nature today, or this very minute?
Make sure you have good air conditioning. It is pretty darn hot here already today!
10. On September, 1, 1752, the Liberty Bell arrived in Philadelphia. What memorable event will take place in your life on September 1, 2010?
Goodness, I go to Weight Watchers!
11. Taco Bell or the Liberty Bell? (You must choose.)
The Liberty Bell.
12. Do you believe men and women can have purely platonic friendships?
Absolutely. You know, a man with honor will treat a woman with true respect. I have many male friends and they are real gentlemen. I am treated like a sister and they do not hit on me for a date or more. If a man comes on to a married woman, then he is no gentleman at all.
Lest I start to sound like a cooking blog rather than a dog blog, let me preface this post by saying that when I feel depressed or sad, I cook. Unfortunately for my waistline, I also tend to eat what I cook! Anyway, on Monday I made a Zucchini Lasagna. I wasn’t sure how that would work out, but it came out surprisingly well! Here is the recipe:
I started by slicing up 3 pounds of zucchini. The key here is to get several zucchini that are the same length, then slice them about a quarter of an inch thick.
Then you place the slices in boiling water for just 5 minutes.
Then drain them on paper towel to get out all the moisture. While they drain, mix up 2-16 ounce containers of ricotta cheese (I used fat free) with 2 tablespoons of parsley and 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of egg whites.
I got out the spaghetti sauce I made yesterday (I know, I have been cooking a lot) and got that ready to use.
You start by preparing a 9×13 pan, spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with a quarter of the bread crumbs. Arrange layer of zucchini over this. Spoon half of the reserved ricotta mixture on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and romano cheese. Arrange the rest of the zucchini over this, layer more tomato sauce and the rest of the bread crumbs and top with remaining ricotta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until top is brown. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. (I mean this, as it will be terribly gooey!)
Cut, serve, and enjoy!
It was great and even my husband, who was skeptical, loved it! A nearly vegetarian meal!
In other news, Anneliese was de-lambed today. Hubby brought her outside and then hid the little lamb we gave her two weeks ago. She has not missed her and is now completely back to being her old playful self! I am so thankful!
Yes, and in the end, life does go on.
Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend!
Today was a big cooking day here at The Dackel Princess House. Actually Hubby departed early on to go work in the forest again, and that left me with the Dackels, zucchini and more tomatoes than I knew what to do with!
So when all else fails, one must cook, yes?
I started by clearing the shelves and making sure everything was nice and clean. I’m quite lucky to have a big island counter top in my kitchen where I can spread out and work.
You can just see Greta enjoying the sunshine on the left side of the picture.
Then I got out all the equipment and ingredients to make the zucchini bread.
See my beautiful zucchini?
After this I used the food processor to shred it.
Then I mixed it all together and put it in pans.
And when I was done I had eight loaves of zucchini bread.
Seven of them went into the freezer, and one stayed out.
Meanwhile, during the time I was working on the zucchini bread, I had the tomatoes cooking so I could make spaghetti sauce. After a couple of hours cooking down the tomatoes, I put them through a food mill to separate the seeds and skins from the pulp.
I sauteed up some onions, peppers, celery, garlic and Italian Sausage and ground beef to make a nice thick meat sauce. After a few hours of simmering it slowly, it was done. I divided it up and froze half and kept half out. I’m thinking of making a zucchini lasagna with the sauce.
Later in the day, because I hadn’t cooked enough, I got to work on a beautiful Rainbow Trout that was given to me by my friend, Dave. This was an enormous fish and fed both Hubby and I completely!
I still want Dave to teach me how to cook this fish the way he described. Somehow I don’t think I got it right. Still we both enjoyed it, and so did Greta, Fritz, and Anneliese. They got the scraps. Arnie, funny little guy that he is, didn’t like it! I was shocked. I tried giving him the skin, but no. He didn’t like it!
So my day is ending, all the cooking is done and I am finally able to put up my feet and relax.
Tomorrow it’s zucchini lasagna!
Today is another big cooking day. I have more zucchini to use up, so I will be making at least two batches of zucchini bread, and I also have about 4 pounds of ripe tomatoes, so I will be making more sauce to freeze.
I’m really amazed at how prolific my garden has been this year! In the past we have had good luck with things, but nothing like this. Everything is growing, and I have been able to put up so much, in the freezer for enjoyment this winter!
On Saturday I made Hubby one of his favorite meals. Slow-Cooked Boneless Pork Ribs. You toss them in the slow cooker with sliced onions and some of your favorite barbecue sauce and cook them on low all day. They are just yummy!
Oh yes, and the best news regarding eating comes about Anneliese. She is back to eating normally again! This is something I am so happy about.
She’s lost a lot of weight and I was starting to worry, but she is looking good now and when I came home yesterday from getting the mail, she heard me in the basement and started to bark a greeting!
In other words, she is close to being back to her old self!
Arnie was very cute today with Hubby, trying to get on his good side.
It’s my theory that Arnie is trying to convince Hubby that he should be the one to go off on these grand adventures that Hubby takes Fritz on. I’m sure that Fritz tells Arnie how wonderful the adventures are, and poor Arnie feels like he is really missing out on things.
I’ve told him that he”s not, but a trip to the Post Office with me next week may be what he needs, or perhaps I’ll take him off to the park all by himself for a nice long walk!