Cooler weather ~ Dinners "on the fly"

Cooler weather means it's time to fill the jar of homemade hot chocolate.  Mmmm!   It also means I have to get laundry on the clothesline much earlier to completely dry.

Dinners here have been,what I call "on the fly."  I take whatever is in the garden and cook what ever comes to my mind.  

Recently I took a cabbage, some potatoes and boiled them with precooked sausage - a favorite recipe of my mother's.  I simply salt and pepper it and the family gobbles it down.  Another night we had breakfast for dinner.  It's amazing what you can bake/cook with eggs.

Looking around my kitchen, I have spaghetti squash, so I will roast one up tonight and use the last of some already open pizza sauce (in place of marinara sauce), and make a veggie side with whatever I have here. 

Speaking of cabbage, I reminded Hubby that if he digs me that root cellar next year, I can triple the harvest of cabbage and stock it up for winter.  He loves my Mom's recipe.  He's always bragged about his family frying it with bacon and onions, but now he's more opt to enjoy it my Mom's way.  I think every kid went back for seconds.  Also, if he digs that root cellar, I won't have to buy a pressure canner for canning potatoes etc.  Hence, less cost for jars.



I'm infusing another jar of honey with elderberries.  I'll be reusing the elderberries to make hot tea next time.   I'm already using the jar I just made, for making mullein tea with spearmint.  I now have two kids home sick - fever, vomiting.  My next order of elderberries can't come in soon enough.

I heard back from Daughter in GA yesterday.  She got the box of clothes I shipped her, along with a box of "happy."  This time her box of happy contained homemade chewy granola bars, and a box of red/white and blue band-aids.  

I also got a "Good Morning" text from Son.  When he gets off his fire watch (4:30am his time), it's about the time I'm getting around to start work here in the morning.

I finally had time to cut some holy basil to dry for winter teas.  My Valerian plants did not fair well.  We were just gone too much in July to keep it watered well.  I'll plant it again next year for sure.

As far as handiwork (fun) time, I've been painting old wide-mouth canning screw bands and lids.  I'll admit, I was quite surprised at how cute they turned out.  I found the cork rounds at our local Hobby Lobby.  They are easy to cut with scissors too.  Hubby wants a few on the front porch already (ha ha!).  He was complaining I had way too many used lids and screw bands in a kitchen drawer.  So....I decided to tackle a few.  Check it out over at my other blog: S.C.R.A.P. Blogspot.