Preparing and Restocking

I've been spending rainy/cold days on theter putting orders in to restock and preparing for canning season.  Brazil nuts help my hair and nails stay healthy.  These are not sold in our stores, and I haven't found them at the health store 40 minutes from home either.

I use this for a few canned items, but I also use Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar for many other canned items.  The organic white is not sold in stores (non-gmo).

This corn syrup was in very limited supply last year.  Two years ago the grocery store carried it.  I'll probably order more to be prepared for the holidays, without worries of limited supply.  I also use it to make homemade teriyaki sauce.

Restocked the einkron flour as well too.

I also made a batch of homemade dinner rolls for our "Christmas" gathering with my side of the family. It's more like an Easter get together now.

I love bread making days.  It's sort of relaxing.

I am writing up a few recipes that I'll post soon.

Weather Updates ~ Crock Pot Dinner ~ From the Handiwork Journal

We all got up 15 minutes late on Thursday morning.  Yikes.  Daughter forgot her school book too.  I guess sleeping in a bit isn't a bad thing, but she can't miss the bus either.  Weather-wise it was just cold.  Nothing major... snow started about 11am (way before predicted). It's a warm 33°F this morning.

Snow is not always bad thing, unless we have wind.  That's the kicker in what we'll be doing.  You can't very much shovel until the storm is over either in that case.

They are now saying Sat-Mon will be the worst storm in 2 years.  

(dehydrated organic mushrooms)

The crock pot wins again - Chicken Lombardy.  I didn't have Marsala cooking wine, so I substituted the best I could with dry white wine and a splash of brandy.  So glad I dehydrated mushrooms.  It made making dinner so easy.  I just had to whip up some pasta to serve it on.


I also pulled some of those holiday dinner rolls out of the freezer.  It was a test run on how well they would taste after freezing the.

The results?  They tasted pretty good.  They were very soft.

. . . from the handiwork journal

Embellished paper clips

Heart Dishcloths

Heart cup/mug coasters

Heart Doilies

Heart key fobs (these were made last year).  I posted these, to remind myself to make more, as some have sold.

. . . almost ready for a spring craft show.  More to get restocked.

So, if you made it through my long post today, I have a confession.  I bought a cone of what I thought was 100% cotton yarn.  Sigh.  It's not.  Premier yarn is part polyester.  What projects would this be good for?  I had plans to make pot holder sets with it, and it's not 100% cotton.  I do not like Premier yarn either.  Oye.  I wonder if I could just use it for rugs.  That may be the case, unless you all have a better idea.  I can't send it back, because I already crocheted a piece to start, what I thought would be a set of pot holders.  I could tell by the feel that it was not 100% cotton yarn.  I need to read labels better.

Snow ~ Dinner Rolls Trial #2 ~ Sorghum Butter

Oh my.  Yesterday I had so much to do, a lot going on (windshield guy showed up and Jalopy Joe is back in action almost), and by noon I realized I had not made the teriyaki sauce.  Whoops.  I had laundry, carpets to clean, move furniture, spot clean carpets, dust, wipe woodwork, wash a few blankets, was my dirty rags, take a dog out (in, then out, in, then out...), dishes to wash, dry and put away, dinner prep and so forth.  I even got a a teeny tiny, itsy bitsy start at handmade Christmas gifts.

I had to wait for my daughter to get home, to help move an antique desk into the living room.  It belonged to Hubby's Mom.

We woke up to our first snow this morning.  At a chilly 33°F too.  Blowing and cold.  Old man Jesse couldn't hold his ol' bladder, so he woke us up at precisely 5:05am, which makes me wonder if his Mom will be able to do the same for him when she gets her new living arrangements come next summer.

I made these rolls once before, but wanted to make them again, using 2 baking dishes for feeding the large crowd on Thanksgiving day.  Successfully, I baked 40 rolls with this recipe, at 20 per baking sheet.  Delicious too.  The recipe is an overnight one (which is what I love about this recipe), and you can find it at Rebecca Knox's blog - Refrigerator Rolls. By the way, these are amazing the day after they are baked as well. 

I also made sorghum butter to try on these rolls (and later on cornbread).  By the way, it was delicious.

To make sorghum butter - 1 part syrup, 2 parts unsalted, softened butter.  Mix and enjoy!