Stocking Up ~ Using Up ~ Prepping Homemade Sausage

 

I finally got around to make a full batch of meatballs.  I like to get this done before the freezer fills up. One year I barely had room to flash freeze, and made a mess with meatballs stuck to the wire shelf above, ha ha!  

While the meatballs were flash freezing, I shredded up the very last of the picked zucchini.  I made us a batch of the most delicious chocolate zucchini muffins I have ever had.  I found the recipe this year online, and it is a keeper.  Yum!  I uses Einkorn all-purpose flour.

I had two pounds of pork, so I prepped it for homemade sausage with home grown sage.  I let it sit in the fridge overnight before cooking it, so the ingredients can produce good flavor.  I apparently have two different recipes for this, and I added extra seasonings, so this will be interesting.

I saved a few boiled eggs for snacking, and topped some chicken salad with them.  I may add boiled eggs to my chicken salad next time.  I make our chicken salad pretty simple - organic avocado mayo and home canned sweet pickle relish.  I added some hot pepper relish this time as well.

We are in the 80's during the day here, and pretty warm. Are you stocking up or preserving anything right now?

Weather Heats Up ~ Hot Peppers ~ Eggs ~ Boiled Eggs

 It is tough getting the day started this week.  The cooler weather, just screams "sit, sip and enjoy the morning while you can" and then I delay the day ha ha ha!  It's worth it, as we are heating up now to the 80's again.  

I picked all of the hot peppers that were on the plants.  I don't think we'll get  anything more, as this could be the very last warm fall week we have this season.  There were zero Anaheim  peppers, two baby hot banana, no serrano, and just these jalapenos.  Not enough to can hot pepper jelly this year.  I could buy extra from a farm stand, but I decided not this year.  I will freeze these remaining jalapenos, and keep a few for cooking this week and next.

If you read yesterday's post, I forgot to pack my husband's breakfast for the day (2-day's prep in photo).  I decided to use up some of the smaller eggs, from the newer laying hens, and scramble them.  I added them to his breakfast (and mine).

I put some of the larger eggs in the fridge a few weeks back, and got those out to boil.  There are people who raise layers, and still do not think they can boil their own eggs.  You can, but you have to let them sit a week or two (in the fridge) before boiling, or they will not peel for you.  Also, I put the saved eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature before boiling them.  I do not add anything to the water.  If you want a boiled egg, and only have fresh eggs, you can poach your egg for the same taste.

I add enough water to cover the eggs about 1 inch before I set the pot to boil.

They boiled up perfectly, and I used some for egg salad, and save some for slicing on sandwiched or for snacking.  I sometimes like a few boiled eggs for a quick breakfast.  The chickens are earning their keep.

This and That

 

I've been terrible at meal planning, but we brought home some tomatoes from our recent trip, and sliced them up.

We made BLT's.  I have no idea for the rest of the week yet.  Other than I boiled eggs for egg salad.

I managed to get that air mattress into the bag it came with.  It's not shutting all the way, but it's in the bag ha ha!

I think my husband and I decided we need a complete day off.  It may happen this weekend.  We'll see, but that would be nice.  I feel like we've been working on the house for the last two years now.  There are so many people jealous of our updates, but it all started because it needed to be done, not by random choice.

I'll admit, I am exhausted daily lately.  I don't even have energy to read a book, let alone crochet our blanket.  I was excited about garden season, but lately?  Not.  We do deserve a break now and then.

Apron Day

There was so much I needed to get done before the weekend.  I did some calculations and made a small batch of tomato sauce.  I'm so happy about that.

Next?  A batch of meatballs.  I would rather buy fresh meat to do this than frozen, and didn't realize all I had to get done.  It's a lot easier to get these frozen before more goes into the freezer.  One year I smashed them, trying to get them in the freezer on baking sheets.

I froze more bell peppers, boiled eggs for egg salad.  I wanted to get egg salad made to take to Mom to increase her iron.

Has anyone cooked with black garlic?  I finally got mine, but now I'm wondering can I use it as is or do I need to put it through a process with oil to use?   I read where you place the bulbs in a crock pot on warm, but not sure.  It is soft already, so I'm wondering if I just refrigerate it and use.  Would love advice on this.

What sitting down to read a book did . . .

 

Monday was a very busy day, and there was much that didn't get done, however I boiled eggs.

Daughter K came in the house from running errands, and I had just put the eggs on the back burner with the lid on and timer going.  I literally was so exhausted I went to the front porch to read for the first time in a long time.  I typically don't read in summer with the garden work, but I wanted to take a break and not crochet or knit either.

I came back inside after reading for an entire hour and the timer was going off.  One hour later.  Daughter K was upstairs and couldn't hear it.

I felt so frustrated that I let that happen.

I do not regret sitting and reading.   The yolks were not that green either, ha ha!  I later got dinner baked, but I forgot how enjoyable reading was.

Woke up to the most gorgeous weather.  I asked my husband, "why is the weekday weather always the best weather for camping, and come weekends it's not?"  Just for kickers, I checked the campground and there was one spot left this coming weekend.  I then checked the weather?  Guess what's coming this weekend?  Thunderstorms.  Urgh.  We joked about camping right out back next to the fire pit after that.

I think we'll be taking more motorcycle rides during week until the garden becomes crazy busy. We took off on one last night with gorgeous weather, and we slept great.

My kitchen is a bit chaotic, so it's on the to-do list first thing today.  Dinner will be easy - grilled Santa Fe Chicken Fajitas.  I prepare them in advance and marinate overnight.  I just dump it into a grill pan and wa-la!  I will get the recipe written up soon for you.