I made jam! It tastes good!! (needs a little more sugar... a little more pectin...) I'm going to make more!!
I bought the lovely Ball Blue Book of Canning, and mostly followed their recipe, though we thought 5.5 cups of sugar was a bit too much. I ended up using 1.5 cups of sugar for 4 cups total of fruit (based on the calculations from a 1940s cookbook I got from my grandmother, who probably never canned... but whichever)
It was a tiny bit tart. I think next time I'm going with 2.5 cups of sugar. I got 5 jars, instead of 6, I suspect because of the big decrease in sugar! and one broke in the canning process- the bottom popped off the jar :(
oh well. 4 jars survived. the tasted jam (on a crumpet, of course) was very good, though a tiny bit runny. my pectin instructions (since I didn't use Sur-Gel) called for 2 tsp of pectin, but I think I may increase that to 2.5 tsp. I'm going to try again this weekend, since there are good prices on strawberries.
My next attempt will be tomatoes.
Things I need: better tongs. more jars (I've been saving jars from local jam...)
Also, new tattoos. I continued my back designs onto my left arm this summer... (no, we did not get a new cat, this is
And my back is now touched up, so I'm back to bright colors again. Sunscreen is a must.
This is a recipe that I've been "perfecting" this year, and I keep meaning to post it. Can also be made Vegan.
Soup:
2 cups Imagine Organic No Chicken Broth
3 cups veggie stock (I like Better than Bullion's Veggie stock)
2 good sized carrots, chopped
1/2 a medium onion, preferably yellow or Vidalia
2-3 tsp of dill
1 tsp salt
Veggie oil
one can Mock Duck, cut into bite-sized pieces. (Mock Duck is wheat gluten) though you can use Chicken style seitan, I prefer the canned Mock Duck sue to its seasoning. Canned Mock Duck can be found at Asian markets, though many natural foods stores are starting to carry it.
Matzo Balls:
I know you can makes these from scratch... but I usually use a mix, like Manischewitz which takes egg, oil, and the mix. Very easy. For one batch of soup, I make one batch of Matzo Balls- I think one batch is two eggs, several Tbsp of oil, and 1/2 cup of mix, but don't trust my memory, check the box.
If you want to make this Vegan, make the Matzo Balls from Vegan with a Vengeance, which are made with silken tofu instead of egg.
Make up the Matzo mix first, since it needs to chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes after mixing. Start the water boiling for the Matzo balls just before you start on the soup, so the water is boiling when you've finished mixing up the soup.
Mince the onion, and in your soup pot, fry with a little oil until translucent. Add the carrots, salt, and dill. After sautéing for several minutes, add the mock duck. Sauté until the mock duck has gotten a tiny bit crispy and browned, adding more oil if you need to. Add the 5 cups stock, bring to a boil, then simmer while you make the Matzo Balls (about 30 minutes).
Once the soup is started, take your Matzo mix out of the fridge, roll into 1 inch balls, and drop into the boiling water. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook COVERED for 20 minutes.
Once the Matzo Balls are done (and fluffy!!), serve the soup, add the Matzo Balls to each bowl.
This recipe is perfect for two hungry people with a tiny bit leftover.
We're in love.
Vlad & Viv, well, time will tell.
I found this amazingly cute photo over at one of my new favorite blogs, Michelle Obama Fashion and Style...
Cute Cute Cute.
From the moment she popped her head out of the cat carrier in the living room of the Windsor Palace, I knew she was wonderful. So calm. So sweet. Sid was freaking out, hissing, you know, being a cat. She took one look at him, and went on her merry way exploring her new home. He was very confused. This calm attitude is what prevailed, though. She was always chill around other cats and loved other people.
The information from the Humane Society from her previous owners said "Occasionally a lap cat." um, no. Sioux was a lap whore. If your lap was even marginally available, she would be in it. As she got older and more fragile, the lap visits ceased unless there was a blanket to cushion her, but she was still sweet and affectionate. Her new obsession became sleeping next to DannO's head at night, on his pillow. We loved her unconditionally. Despite her sneezes, deafness, twice-daily hyper-thyroid meds, and lack of cleanliness (I had to bathe her), she was so strong and so loving.
She was my permanent kitten- at her largest, Sioux was only 8 lbs., and as she aged and got sick, she shrank. I used to wonder how on earth someone could give up such a sweet cat, but now I know that if they hadn't, she never would have found me, and that would have been tragic.
We miss her terribly.
I've been knitting furiously... I got a bunch of lovely sock yarn for my birthday, and am excited about making more socks. However, on the needles currently is this pair:
They've come much further, but I love this pattern. it's
from Knot Another Hat- the gardiner yarn works mix and match sock pattern, which was well worth the $5 price on the download.
it's a standard toe up pattern, written for knitting one at a time on dpns, but it works great as a two-at-a-time knit on addi turbos! The pattern has 4 options of 4-stitch ribs, but you can totally substitute other 4-stitch patterns.
The yarn is Berroco Sox, knit on a sz US 2 addi circular.
this one is a Seed Stitch Rib- super simple:
Seed Stitch Rib (Worked over a multiple of 4 sts):
Round 1: K all sts.
Round 2: K3, p1 to end.
Repeat these 2 rounds for Seed Stitch Rib.
I also knit these on the same pattern:
using one of the "prescribed" ribs. (These were the first ones I made from this pattern.)
These turned out nicely, but the yarn was not the best choice (Australian Merinos) very nice, but not machine dry-able. Pretty, warm, and soft, though.
My first attempt at toe up, two at a time socks was from this pattern:
http://www.tostetoes.com/twosocksoneneedletoeup.htm (Knitting 2 socks at One Time on 1 Long Circular by Barb Tolleson).
Here's the ankle socks I made with Tolleson's pattern (I was using up leftover yarn, and only had enough for ankle socks):
Great pattern, but not quite so clear. The Knot Another Hat pattern is simpler, and easier to figure out different sizes. (I am not a math whiz, and not the best pattern reader, so take whatever with a grain of whatever).
Anyway, Barb Tolleson's technique for 2 at a time really was simple, and easy to use with other tow up sock patterns.
Yay!
I also don't think that I'm the target audience here. I suspect that I'm a little too young. or something.
The over the top yarn descriptions were what really bugged me, though.
What I did really like, however, were the first two compilations of Buffy comics: Long Way Home and No Future for You. Including the Dr. Who reference. Gotta love Xander in the eye patch. whew.
I was reading this article yesterday out loud to my husband:
Milwaukee first-graders offer ideas for Obama
and much of it is very cute- the kids want things like lower prices on food and video games and toys... #16 really really bothered us.1. Give us more jobs.
2. Lower the price of gas.
3. Give us more money.
4. Love everyone.
5. Lower the prices of food.
6. Lower the prices of video games.
7. Take away guns.
8. Make it easier to go to college.
9. Stop wars.
10. Make it easier to see a doctor.
11. Help people.
12. Stop people from selling drugs.
13. Stop people from smoking.
14. Stop people from killing each other.
15. Give toys better prices.
16. Give houses and cars bulletproof windows.
17. Fix the streets.
18. Fix traffic.
19. End all slavery.
20. Give us more money for field trips.
Kids shouldn't have to ask the President for bulletproof windows.
She was rather old, and looking back now, it was a good month coming- she'd been not super interested in eating, not moving much, rather grumpy and very very tired.
She as born in Nov. 2000, so, for a bearded dragon, she was quite old. But we miss her.
Voting is good.
