for the larder

Bring it on, Winter. I'm ready.

13 lbs cherries = 17 pints cherries

tomatoes, jalepeno, green peppers and onion = 7 pints salsa (the 8th couldn't handle the pressure in the canner)

18.5 lbs peaches = 13 pints peaches + five 1/2 pint peach jams + 1 peach crisp

4 lbs ridiculously late seasonal strawberries = six 1/2 pint strawberry jams

1 flat of raspberries from friend's backyard = 1 batch raspberry freezer jam

40 lbs fresh blueberries = 40lbs frozen blueberries

28 lbs Roma tomatoes = 19.5 quarts tomatoes

11 lbs apples = 8 pints chunky applesauce with cinnamon

* Last year I experimented with freezing tomatoes and canning tomatoes. The clear winner: canned. Although the reason may have been skin off (canned) versus skin on (frozen).

** Favourite once-a-year tool: the apple machine!

beets

I didn't mean to be away quite so long. Sorry you had a whole month to contemplate our oatmeal regimen.

I wanted to just share a trick I recently learned in case I'm not the only one on the block who struggles to peel hot roasted beets with a paring knife.

Paper towel!

Since my trusty kitchen towels do most jobs just fine, we rarely buy paper towels. But peeling beets is now one task I will reach for the ol' paper kind for.

Once you roast the beets and cool them a bit, just rub them in the paper towel. The skin just slips off. Like buttah.

And you've got some beets ready, you're practically halfway to enjoying this salad.

our oatmeal

We eat a fair amount of oatmeal around here. Not boring, plain oatmeal, but the kind with lots of our so-called 'buried treasure' in it. (The kid eats an entire bowl trying to get all the dried fruit and berries.)

We keep a large jar in the cupboard with the base mix, to which we add frozen berries (hence my freezing 40 pounds of blueberries this summer!) and water when we're half-awake. Trouble is, there's an extreme lack of precision when we mix up the base and make up the oatmeal and honestly, I've been sitting on these pictures for a couple of months already because I can't be bothered to measure all the stuff.

I'm hoping that if you're interested, you'll start experimenting with your own batch, using what you like from ours. An adventure in the kitchen!

To make the base, we fill up almost 1/2 the jar with the additions -- a couple of wooden spoons full of brown sugar, a couple pinches of salt, 2-3 handfuls of dried fruit (Raisins and dried cranberries almost always. Golden raisins, currents, or cherries sometimes), several spoonfuls of wheat bran, a few spoonfuls of flax seed or ground flax, and several shakes of the ground cinnamon.

Then we fill the jar up with quick rolled oats, shake it and roll it around until it's all mixed together, and put away in the airtight jar until needed.

In the morning, we put 1/2 cup per big person, 1/4 cup per little person into a frying pan (as opposed to a saucepan -- more surface area works better, I find), add a couple handfuls of frozen berries, and add water from the tap.

How much water you ask? "More water than last time, but less than that time that it was too watery." That's about how it goes -- I kind of shake the pan as I'm adding the water and I only add the water until everything is nicely covered. If there's too much, the oatmeal gets gooey and bland, if not enough, it's kind of gluey and thick. What's the difference between gooey and gluey, you ask? Try it and you'll see!

What a lot of words and explanation for a little pan of oatmeal, eh?! But wait, there's more! I have to tell you what happens next.

Bring it up to a simmer and let it bubble for a few (maybe five?) minutes, until it's the consistency you want and the berries have had a chance to stew and bubble their juices into the pan. To serve, we mix in a couple big spoonfuls of flavoured yogurt and voila -- a delicious, quick and warm breakfast.

And since oatmeal does not 'stick to my ribs' as it's apparently supposed to, I recommend eating it with a piece of toast n' jam or a hard-boiled egg.

ribbit ribbit & whatever turtles say

More knitting! With football season finally here -- with its long games of prime knitting time -- I'm afraid I have no reason to stop.

But I might take a break from toys to make a few practical items. It seems that our summer, lame as it was, has ended, and we'll need to warm some ears and toes around here soon.

This little frog/turtle has been sent to its new home with a very new little boy in Seattle.

The pattern is just as easy as the other reversibles in Susan Anderson's collection, but it's not quite as cute as that elephant/lion I think.

this little piggy

Introducing our new bouncing pigs!

Squeals of delight (sorry, puns can't be helped) confirm that these are good for Daddy-O's Juggling Act.

Free pattern available on ravelry.

italian fries

Well summer finally arrived to the west coast and we're enjoying every minute of it -- beach picnics, a little road trip, frozen yogurt star pops (three cheers for my new star pops!), a ton of fresh fruit... the usual summer drill.

There's been some knitting (more on that soon), but no sewing, because my machine rolled over and died. I'll get around to having it fixed/buying a new one one of these days. But first, there's canning to do, and sand to play in... and I must convince you to make these fries.

I don't think it will take much convincing because these fries are like nachos -- cheesy, herby, crispy carbs -- but with potatoes. 'Nuff said.

You'll find them in LSQ's Mad Hungry cookbook, or on the MSL website.

lemon wine mousse with raspberries

Sweetly tart is a tasty contradiction.

lemon wine mousse with raspberries

Gourmet Magazine

2 eggs

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C dry white wine

3 Tbs fresh lemon juice

2 teas fresh lemon zest, finely grated

1/2 C heavy whipping cream, chilled

1 1/2 C fresh raspberries

To make the custard, beat eggs in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed to blend. Slowly add sugar, beating at moderately high speed, then beat for a few more minutes. Add wine and lemon juice and beat until just combined.

Transfer mixture to a heavy saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat back of spoon (about 5 minutes -- do not let boil.) Stir in zest and transfer to a bowl. Cover and chill until cold, about 30 minutes. (The surface can be covered with wax paper and the custard chilled for up to one day.)

Beat cream in chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into lemony mixture. Layer mousse and berries into 4 serving glasses and chill until cold, about 1 hour.

pretending it's summer

I've heard tell of heat waves, but we on the west coast are having a non-summer. Rain, gray, cold rain, and more 'isolated showers'.

I've been coping with iced rooibos tea. Earthy and herbal rooibos, brewed up with a tablespoon or two of honey, chilled in the fridge.

A stack of library books is fun and all, but I'd much rather enjoy my sweet rooibos tea outside at the park. Under the sun, even. Is that too much to ask? After all, this is July.

animal print

There are four frames in the kid's room that I had every intention of switching up often. That was my plan prior to the her arrival, anyway.

First, the frames held pages from a picture book. And then they sat for a year and a half before I got around to changing them up with these animal silhouettes.

I started with a kind of A is for Antelope, B is for Bird theme, but then I liked the idea of a kangaroo too much to continue with that plan. I only wished I had one more piece of bright, some-what matching paper lying around, because my little fish are a hard to see -- especially against a similar pale green wall.

I can't decide which is my favourite. Today, I think it's the antelope.

breakfast sausage patties

I mentioned these breakfast sausages once before, around the time I made a batch and froze them. The fennel, sage and thyme makes these so tasty, it's already time to make another batch. I can attest that they're excellent with a side of eggs, with potatoes, or like so, in a breakfast sandwich.

breakfast sausage patties
from Mad Hungry

makes 8-12

1 lb ground pork
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs dried sage, crumbled
3/4 teas dried thyme
1/2 teas dried fennel, crushed
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg white
2 teas vegetable oil

Mix together the pork, garlic, sage, thyme, fennel, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add egg white and combine thoroughly. Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes.

To easily form sausage patties, rinse your hands in cold water. Shape mixture into 2" patties (original recipe says you'll get 8, but I got 12 out of a batch).

*If freezing for later, freeze individually on parchment-lined baking sheet, and then wrap each in a little of the parchment before putting into ziplock bag.

Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Fry sausages on both sides until completely cooked and golden brown. Drain and serve immediately. Apparently cooked patties can be fully cooled, wrapped, and frozen for microwave reheating, but I haven't tried it.