Bad Air Quality Warnings ~ More Strawberries ~ Cottage cheese and Chilis for Breakfast? Yes Please!

 I lost count on how many days it's been with zero rain.  Watering everything continues for us.  We've been waking up in the 50's, so it makes my daily chores more difficult.  I have to wait for it to be warmer to do the watering.  The forecast is saying possible rain this coming Sunday, with warmer temperatures.

I also have to rotate watering with laundry/dishwasher, so the water pump is not working in over drive.

It's hard to be outside too long with the Canadian wildfire haze contaminating the air outside.  We sat out on the porch the other night, and totally forgot about the air issue, and a nasty sore throat woke me up in the night.

I am finishing up with strawberries.  The chickens love their cool, sweet treats (they get the tops).

Froze several quarts, and will make a cold strawberry pie as well.  Canned 8 - half pints of reduced sugar jam.

There is a cottage cheese craze going on in recipes lately, but for years, we've enjoyed cottage cheese in our breakfast.  It's a Rachel Ray recipe (adapted with organic ingredients), and one we really like.  I used to double this when the kids were all living here.  Recipe is HERE.  It does require a 1/4 cup of flour, and I may try swapping that out with Einkorn next time.  

Puttin' Up Strawberries and other Tidbits ~ Fun in the Run

Hubby tried the strawberry margarita jam and gave me the green light.  He loves it.  Said it was "amazing."  I will be making more if the strawberries are available again.  I do have to say though, it has a lot of foam that needs skimmed off, more so than any other jam I've canned.

Canned another batch of reduced sugar strawberry jam. Froze one quart.  Saving the last qt. for a surprise dessert for the family.

Washed two mountains of dirty dishes.  Only to start to dirty some to prep dinner.

We had a good dry and surprisingly sunny day.  I got the potatoes hand hoed, all but two rows too wet yet.  Green beans are starting to come up - so happy about that.  Two zucchini plants sprouted, along with the greens, and all the grow bags.  Radishes look great, so I hope the sunshine will speed up the process.  I'm hankering for garlic scape - radish spread, radish hashbrowns, and simply eating them.

Filled the clothesline up too, and it was a glorious feeling.  Got the coop mucked (not so fun with the heat now) and deadheaded the petunias I swore I'd never buy again.

Aurora, our only barn cat, brought us a gift to the porch.  Twice.  Two days in a row she has brought baby rabbits.  I guess she found a nest.  Good rodent control, but the front porch? Sigh.

Our 19 year-old came out for another "Father's Day" dinner.  Sigh.  

The meal?

Fried chicken
Mashed tades
Baked Mac n' Cheese
Jalapeno creamed corn
Homemade rolls
Homemade brownie Sundaes with whiskey butterscotch sauce

I would have had a photo, but we were all licking our fingers and Hubby and I were so tired.  Daughter showed up late and brought a friend and stayed a while.  We literally, went to bed afterwards and left the dirty dishes for morning.  All I can say is Mother's Day next year better rock all week long.  I haven't made fried chicken in over 12 years or more.  

Fun in the run, is chasing chickens.  My newbies are too dumb to go up and out the run.  I have to literally put them out, and chase them around and put them in.  I'm thinking I need two new runs with bigger rungs on them.  I know I at least have one hen out of the 7.  Not sure yet on the rest.  I can see 2 roosters though.

Bad news.  Rain arrives tonight, and with a vengeance.  Just what we don't need.  Possible severe storms with it all too.

Homemade Biscuit Recipe and other Random Chit Chat

I was asked about how I get my layers in my homemade biscuits.  Click "Here" for the recipe on my blog.  I hand cut the butter into the flour.  I also don't work the dough to much, and when I cut them, I roll them out with a rolling pin, but the least amount of rolling I have to do.  Hope that helps.

I got another small batch of strawberry jam canned.  I am tall, so I can a batch daily until the strawberries are gone.  That's a lot of standing to do.

First I have to wash them all, and hull them.

Then I have to cut them up and crush them.  Then can the jam.  It's a process for sure. Our favorite produce stand has them now, but want $5/qt.  I paid $30 for a flat at the other source, and that comes down to $3.75/qt.  I did not have one bad strawberry in the last 4 qts I canned either.  When I buy the other kind, I get about 3-5 bad strawberries in each qt.  I may stick with this new source this year.

Super excited to see my soap order arrived, and it came with a sample of citronella!  Thank you Debby at Ole Lake Farm!  You saved the day!   I still can't find anyone local with raw goat's milk, and our youngest daughter can't use anything but goat's milk soap.  They all smell so good too!

Happy Homemaker Monday

Today I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.
My kitchen has been pretty busy lately.   Hubby had to work 10 hours on Saturday and 12 hours on Father's Day, so his "dinner" was made Saturday night for him.  The kids seriously need to learn to cook.  

I made homemade biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes.  English muffins on the side with home canned strawberry margarita jam.  Already sold 2 jars of the jam too, although selling any more is halted.  The rain is halting u-pick farms from operating.  Unless I can get another flat of strawberries, the remaining will be for just us.

I also made whiskey butterscotch sauce and a half batch of flourless brownies - Family Circle, recipe is also online (we still have strawberry pie to eat).  I was in my pj's by 5pm.  I was just whipped from canning, baking and cooking.



The weather outside is . . .

(view off the porch on Sunday)

Foggy, 61°F, humidity 91%, dreary, cloudy, and only a 25% chance of rain today.


On my reading pile . . .

Movies or shows I watched over the weekend . . .

On the menu for this week . . .
Tequila-Lime and onion sandwiches, fireball grilled pineapple
Pulled pork sandwiches, steamed broccoli and corn on the cob
Pesto pasta, beets
Fried chicken, mac n' cheese, mashed tades
Leftovers
Flourless brownies, whiskey butterscotch sauce
Make pie crust crumbles for the freezer


On the to-do list . . .
Laundry
Master bath
Sweep and mop kitchen
Can more reduced sugar strawberry jam
Freeze strawberries
Muck coop
Scrub chicken's watering unit
Cut garlic scapes (hoping for some Garlic scape-Radish Spread soon)
Trip to the library
Make Doc appt. for Youngest (school required vaccine - ugh)


What I am creating . . .
Christmas ornaments, embroidered towel, scrubbies, a knitted dishcloth and more.  More photos to come soon.



Looking forward to . . . 
A dry day and a long motorcycle ride.  A camping trip.  An island trip.  


Looking around the house . . .
I have drying racks everywhere.  Darn rain.



From the camera . . .

I canned more strawberry jam - reduced sugar. Definitely not my favorite jam to can - so much chopping and crushing involved.


One of my simple pleasures . . .
Camping.  Another one of our "sanity savers" and we haven't had one trip this year due to Hubby's long work hours and heavy rainfall.



Prayers . . .
Our entire state, where rain has devastated growing season, personal requests