Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Tomato Days! ~ Littles are Laying ~ Zucchini Pizza Bites and other Tidbits

 Welcome to Crazy Lady's Kitchen, where the days start with tomatoes, and end with sauce anything!

My Weston sauce maker waste funnel broke!  Of all the wrong times to happen.  The funnel is a think plastic one, with plastic tabs to attach it.  It broke before, and they were out of stock for over a year.  I saved my old one, and hold it on, but now the price to replace it is a whopping $21.79 with shipping.  

I'm looking into getting a different food strainer/sauce maker.  What is the brand you all use (for those who have one)?  If I have to replace the funnel every year, I might as well look into a better overall sauce maker.  I use it to make applesauce too.  


We brought in another 80 pounds of paste tomatoes.  I canned pizza sauce, and taco sauce.  I've been crazy busy, with long days in the kitchen.  Top that off with doing all the dishes, and trying to keep up with normal housework, including laundry!  Yikes.  Let alone the mowing.

I apologize if you emailed me.  I have not had a second to read them, and it's either that or I plum forget with the crazy kitchen-ness!!


I managed to get one bell pepper into our dinner, but I have all of these to either freeze or eat.  I'm hoping for some stuffed bell peppers soon.

Breakfast has been simple.  I baked these eggs and ham cups in parchment this time, and they came out of the pan much, much easier.


The "littles" are laying now.  I am happy that most of them are laying them in the roosts too.


I made zucchini pizza bites with home canned pizza sauce.  I used instructions for baking at 375°F, but will try other ways such as higher temp and/or using broil method.  Zucchini is slowing way down for us now.

We finally found a cucumber salad we love, that uses Greek yogurt vs. mayo.  I'll be back to share that soon.  I just have to get this mountain of paste tomatoes off the tables and out of my living room first.



4 comments:

Katie C. said...

You can always use a plain old fashioned food mill for your tomatoes.

I tried a new canning recipe: French onion soup (pressure canned). On my, it was a lot of work. I had to stir it down for over an hour. I was about one cup short so I got 5 quarts, one pint and a little left for a taste the next day. I made 1 1/2 of a batch from the recipe in the Ball canning book. I also found a short cut for using it. Open the jar, heat the soup, toast some lovely crunchy bread in the toaster oven, add cheese on to the bread to melt in the toaster oven and then just float it on your soup!

Good luck with your tomatoes! I just wish I had some of your squash. My plants flopped this year 😥

- Katie C.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Katie, that does sound like work lol! I used to use Ball's onion soup recipe for the freezer. I made it every year the kids were here to feed. It made a quick soup or start of another soup. I will have to look for a food mill as a back up.

Leigh said...

That is an amazing amount of tomatoes! You will be well set in all things tomato.

I have a Roma juicer/processor. I like it in some ways, but it's almost all plastic, which I don't like. Plastic is only a matter of time before it cracks. I especially don't like that the tabs to connect the cone are plastic. Breakage waiting to happen.

If I ever have to replace it, I'd love a Squeezo. It's all metal (although aluminum) but it's pricey. There are several on eBay at the moment that are less. Might be worth a look-see.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Leigh, thanks, I will have to look into Squeezo. My waste funnel tabs have broken off of two funnels now, and I could not believe the price to replace it. I think I bought it on ebay about 12 years ago for $50.00 (the entire food strainer/saucer hand crank machine).