Showing posts with label beef stock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beef stock. Show all posts

Monday, December 13, 2010

Snow Day!

The phone rang at 5:30 this morning, telling us that school had been cancled due to the weather. The school system has phone recording that calls for all announcements. It was nice not having to wait and see when our district flashes across the screen. The down side to that is the phone rang at 5:30 this morning. You guessed it..... Now I'm wide awake! I'm sitting here in long john's and my robe, drinking a hot cup of Yogi Chia Tea with just a touch of honey.

I didn't get a chance to tell you yesterday, I burned my first batch of cookies. I've done it before years ago. But this is the first time in recent history that it has happened. I had the timer on the stove set for the canner and I used a hand held timer for the cookies. Well, the little hand held didn't work. So the cookies were in the oven for like 22 minutes before I realized it. At least it wasn't the canner that got screwed up.

Speaking of the canner I was able to get 5 quarts of beef stock and 2 quarts of water canned up yesterday. I will be doing more turkey stock after Christmas.
 It is days like today that I am very thankful that I have a house full of food. If we decided not to go anywhere for a couple of days we would be perfectly fine. With the temps dipping into the teens for the day time highs, I'm thinking that we will be doing just what needs to be done. Grim has therapy in a couple of hours and we need to go to the gym since we will already be out.

I didn't get a call for bingo again. But this time I am going to call and see what is going on. Two weeks ago they didn't call and I missed. Then last week the woman called, my phone rang once, no message. And now again no call. I'm starting to think they don't like me. Oh, well! No bingo for me.... The only reason I work the bingos is to add money into the monsters account. It helps with expenses like band camp. I think we are going to go back to selling candy bars and pretzels. Just so I can get out from under this bingo thing. Blah!

I will have pictures in another post but I wanted to let you know..... I got my package from Jenna at Cold Antler Farm. I was lucky enough to be one of the first participants in her fiber csa. It is so much different feeling working with natural fibers vs acrylic fibers. The first being that it isn't as think and the second is that it isn't as soft. I'm not complaining, just saying as this is the first time for natural fiber. I think the differences is neat. As soon as I read the information packet that Jenna included, I balled up the wool. Then last night I got started knitting a scarf. The pattern is very simple. I adapted it from a Lions Brand Yarn pattern, which you can find here. I am making mine wider.

The clock is playing Christmas music and I notice that the sun has finally broken the horizon. The dull gray of early morning has now been replaced with the pink and blue hues of daytime! So with that I must awaken sleepy monsters and a grumpy Grim......LOL!

Gotta Run,
Yart

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Candlelight and Banana's


I have been lighting the candles that I have around the living room at night. Or I should say mid afternoon.... LOL! It really helps to get into the holiday spirit. It doesn't hurt that I have the radio on the Christmas music channel. The tree is lit up and very festive. As I sit here typing I have the last of the Christmas bread in the oven. This year I went with Banana nut bread, last year was zucchini. I was able to use up all the frozen banana's that I had salvage this year. The other night I made a double batch of Toll House. Those are already in the freezer. Once the bread comes out of the oven I will get started on the peanut butter cookies. I might even make ice box cookies, too. All I would have to do is make the dough and put in the fridge till tomorrow. Since I need to be in the kitchen canning up the beef stock I made. Oh, that really smelled yummy!

*New day.... I got sidetracked last night.......

The peanut butter cookies are done, I made a new recipe I call sparkly balls of christmas..... I will share the recipe in another post. The ice box cookies are in the fridge waiting for me to cut them and get them into the oven. In the process of baking and relaxing in the candle light of the living room I decided that I wanted to partake in some holiday spirits...... I made this recipe with the help of the Franglico site..... It is equal parts of Franglico and Butterscoth schnapps...... It tasted like carmel corn.....It could be sipped or done as a shot! Yummm! As you can see now how I got sidetracked.... LOL!

Our local butcher was having there yearly sale today. I got 10 pounds of burger for $2.59 a pound and 10 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $2.19 a pound. There was a limit so that is why I didn't get more. I'm going to be canning it up, as all my canned meat has been eaten. I'm hoping that Grim can go hunting next year. Oh, I have a question for anyone who might know. Have you ever made deer broth? What does it taste like? I need to get off my butt and get that beef broth in the canner... Be right back! Ok, the stock is in the pressure canner. I'm going to get the ice box cookies now and then I have to get ready to go to the zoo. They do this huge lighting exhibit through out the entire zoo. And today is going to be wonderful. We already have 3 inches of snow on the ground and it is still falling.... Woo Hoo! Hot Chocolate!

Have a great holiday day.... Remember take a few minutes for yourself.... if your stressed then your family feels it and the holidays become a chore instead of blessing of family time!

Gotta Run,
Yart