My day of canning....

My day began promptly at 6am!  I had a lot of things I wanted to get done.  First....

Corn Cob Jelly (Trust me this is very good) oops notice the crack?  Oh well in the fridge it goes for tomorrow on warm buttery biscuits!

Boil corn cobs in water then remove and strain...the liquid you have left is what you make the jelly out of.

Return to boil. Then add powdered pectin.

Add sugar and return to boil.  Find the recipe HERE.

Then I made Candied Jalapeno Peppers!! OH my are these good!!

Slice jalapeno peppers into 1/4 inch slices.

Add sugar and seasonings, Cayenne pepper, turmeric, celery seeds, garlic powder.

Boil until sugar is dissolved...isn't that a beautiful color??

OHHHH MY!  These are best if you let them cool completely....let sit 24 hours at least.  I'm defiantly making more of these babies!!  You will have syrup left over....can that as well.  Find the recipe HERE.

Now I'm off to make some Strawberry Jam and Blueberry Jam!! 

Cooking Thursday--Peach Mint Iced Tea and Talkative Thursday

Peach Mint Iced Tea

1 tablespoon dried mint leaves OR 2 tablespoons of fresh

4 cups water

2 cups pureed peaches, chilled

Fresh mint leaves for garnish

1. Steep mint leaves in hot (80- to 90-degrees) water for 3 minutes.

2. Pour peaches into a sieve to remove chunks.

3. After the mint tea has cooled completely, mix it with the strained peach puree. Serve cold, garnished with fresh mint leaves.

Visit Diary of a SAHM for more recipes.

I'm also taking part in Talkative Thursday Blog Hop!  So if you are visiting me through that welcome.  Grab a glass of Peach Mint Iced Tea and have a look around.

The rules to particpate in Talkative Thursday Blog Hop are simple:

•Follow the blog in the #1 spot (That would be Mommy of One and Counting)

•Grab the Talkative Thursday's button, and make a post on your blog, with the button so new follower's know where to submit comments.

•Submit your URL to the linky below, please have it go to your new blog post with the button.

•Follow as many blog's as you want!!

First meal in the pressure cooker!

I had mentioned before that my darling husband got this (Nesco 3 in 1 cooker) for me as a birthday blessing!  Well last night we had our first meal in it.

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

Pork roast (2 1/4 pounds)

1 (27 oz) can sauerkraut

1/4 cup onion chopped

4 T brown sugar

1 tsp. caraway seeds

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 cup water

Place meat in cooker.  Add remaining ingredients to cooker and stir.  Cover and lock lid in place.  Turn regulator knob to Pressure.  Select High cooking mode and cook 50-60 minutes.

I have an electric pressure cooker so there is no need to set the exact pressure.  I LOVE it!

After cooking...it smelled so good!  My husband does not like sauerkraut, so I was a bit worried about making this.

OHHH MY!  The roast was so juicy and moist.  It was like a sweet and sour pork. This was the first time ever making a pork roast that was not dry!  My husband LOVED it!  He even took some for lunch today.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...

Humidity is gone...for now

I am thinking...

about all the things I need to do to prepare for the new school year.

I am thankful for...

family

From the learning rooms...

some curriculum for review.  I'm blessed to be a part of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew.

From the kitchen...

I'm using my new pressure cooker tonight.

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

fresh corn on the cob

I am wearing...

jean skirt

white tshirt

I am creating...

bees wax honey pots (from the Homestead Blessings DVD)

sourdough bread starter

I am going...

maybe to walmart

I am reading...

Bible

many books for review

I am hoping...

for cooler temps

I am hearing...

my children singing

Around the house...

gardens to weed

lawn mower to fix

laundry to be done

One of my favorite things...

sitting in the shade sipping iced tea

A few plans for the rest of the week...

mid week services at church

cleaning

weeding the garden

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

To see the list of daybooks visit The Simple Woman Daybook Blog.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:

a little cooler.  Humidity is gone!  For now!  We have a nice breeze this morning.

Things that make me happy:

Handmade birthday cards from my children.  They worked all afternoon yesterday on a card for me...but couldn't wait until today to give it to me...LOL!

Book I'm reading:

Bible

Many for review

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Homestead Blessings

On the menu for dinner:

hamburgers and hot dogs

fresh corn on the cob...with fresh herb butter I learned how to make from the West Ladies!

On my To Do List:

I have many ideas now of things I want to make:

candles

soap

dough

bread

herbal tea...the list goes on and on!!

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

sourdough starter

In the craft basket:

I'm going to try making the soap the West Ladies talked about on their The Art of Soapmaking DVD.

Looking forward to this week:

a very quiet week!!

Tips and Tricks:

when making sourdough starter put a piece of foil under your jar...so when/if the starter over flows you will not have a huge mess on your counter! 

My favorite blog post this week:

Sourdough Starter

Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):

I've mentioned this blog before but some new readers might not know about it.  Our favorite living history museum...The Genesee Country Village and Museum has a blog now!

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:

This isn't new but I love being a homemaker!!  I had started looking for a job working in the ER of a local hospital.  I didn't really want to but we really could use some extra money.  Each job I applied for the Lord shut the door.  Well I was relying more on myself than the Lord!  There is a possibility that my husband might be up for a manager at work.  He will be making more than I would of if I was working as well.

On my mind:

The Lord's direction for our lives.

My family

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

 

To see other Happy Homemaker posts visit Diary of a SAHM.

Sourdough Starter Day 1 and 2

Sandra over at Diary of a SAHM made a sourdough starter from the recipe the West Ladies shared on their video "The Art of Breadmaking".  I decided to give it a try.  Little did I know I would be blessed the next day with the video!!

DAY 1

- Put the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the jar.

Next add the warm water. Stir well!

Now watch the bubbles appear!!

Just an FYI:  Make sure the jar you are using is large!!  My first batch over flowed...creating a big mess! LOL!  No pictures of that...sorry!

DAY 2

I noticed yesterday my starter looked like this!  My first reaction was ewww!  What did I do wrong??  So I went back to the video and noticed they said I need to stir it from time to time.  So after I stirred it, it began to look ok again.

Tada!!  There are no bubbles, but I'm going to feed it later and I'm sure the bubbles will come back.  Like the foil under my jar?  I'm not cleaning up another mess on my counter!! :-)

How is your sourdough starter?  If you have not ever made this, give it a try!  It really is hard to mess up...I think...LOL!

If you have questions like I did you can go HERE and read all about your starter.  This website is full of information and pictures.  I like pictures :-)

My Birthday Blessings

My husband has spoiled me this year with birthday blessings!!  We usually do not have the money for gifts but last year we decided to save up through the year for gifts.  Our birthdays are exactly 1 week apart.  Hubby's is the 19th and mine is the 26th.  Until this year we always went out to supper to celebrate.  So now for what he got me....

A pressure cooker!  I've been wanting one of these for a long time.  This is the Nesco 3 in 1.  It is not only a pressure cooker, but it is a slow cooker and steamer!  WOW!  I can get rid of my slow cooker and replace it with this....maybe having 2 would be great!

NEXT....

He also got me 6 of the Homestead Blessings DVD!!  OH my how I've wanted these for so long.  I'm watching The Art of Canning as I write this post. 

The other ones he got me are:

The Art of Gardening

The Art of Herbs

The Art of Breadmaking

The Art of Soapmaking

The Art of Candlemaking

Everyone I know will be getting things I make this year for Christmas!!  I love the handwritten note that was enclosed by the West lady who packaged the DVD's.  Such a personal touch!

Civil War Reenactment

Last weekend we had the pleasure of going to the Civil War Reenactment at the Genesee Country Village and Museum.  We had such a good time.  There was so much to see and do.  Enjoy the pictures.  There are a lot of them!!  They even have a blog!!

Troops ready for battle.

This picture reminds me of Gone with the Wind.

Our daughter ready for the day.  She has started volunteering at the museum.  She loves it!

It was so realistic.

We missed the big battle with more of the Calvary because our kids wanted to go home and play Civil War...LOL!

If you are here from New Friend Friday...WELCOME!!  Let me know that you were here and I'll stop by and visit you.