Star vs. Moon ~ Delivery ~ Spreadable Butter

It's very rare to catch a close up of a star holding my camera (vs. using a tripod).  We saw a very bright star early this morning.  I thought I would share.

The snow eventually turned to rain, then back to snow this morning.   I'll admit, as the wind died down, the slow falling snow was relaxing and pretty.

I got a good laugh the night I made the rolls and chicken teriyaki.  You should have seen Hubby and Daughter packing food for the lunches the next day.  They talked and looked like carnivores, fighting over the leftovers.  Daughter never takes homemade food, but she did this time, ha ha!

I promised one kiddo I'd deliver some of those yummy rolls, so I whipped up some spreadable butter to deliver too.  She was working, and I knew she'd want butter and pop one of those (or more) delicious nuggets of comfort into her mouth.

I wanted to go to the big hardware store too, but could not.  There was an accident at the entrance, and with the rain and snow, I was not going to sit around and wait.  I snagged a good deal on some organic mushrooms though, and popped them into the dehydrator when I got home.

Spreadable Butter
1 cup organic butter, softened
2/3 cup organic olive oil

Mix with an electric hand blender.  You can add a bit of salt if you'd like, but we just use salted butter.  Place in refrigerator until it sets.

We like to make this in winter.  Although our kitchen is next to the living room, the butter typically isn't soft enough to easily butter toast or bread.  There's nothing more frustrating than trying to spread hard butter on soft bread, to make a grilled sandwich.

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!  

This and That

It's been one of those weeks, were we need to be here and there, and still somehow manage to get things knocked off the to-do list. 

Today, the windshield folks are to arrive here and put a new one in.  They didn't arrive when I was told, so it was re-scheduled for today.  Crossing my fingers they get the job done and it doesn't rain.

The new time change is for the birds.  Hubby leaves for work when it's pitch dark, and arrives home in the pitch dark.  I've managed to get a good load of wood each night before dark, so he doesn't have to do it after work.  So far, so good.

Tiger (youngest daughter's cat) has been in heaven again.  Without Mia here, his anxiety is down and he's out and roaming the house again.  Poor thing.  Jesse has been great.  He's true farm dog.  Behaves well, roams the homestead on his own again (no sign of coyotes), and is a great watch dog.  Speaking of dog, I will need to buy Jesse a red battery operated light.  His reflective collar isn't that great, and with the time change I can't see him when he's not on a leash.

I've ordered a fireplace screen for the woodstove.  Not only do I need it for when I have Mia here, but when all the "littles" in the family come over too.

I made another trip to pick up my library loot.  I can't wait for a few free minutes to browse through the books.

Dinner lately, has been on a whim.  I think I'll whip up some homemade teriyaki sauce and make chicken teriyaki for dinner.  It's time to bake something sweet too. It's be a matter of how much time I have today.

Just a tidbit to share - smoke alarms have a life expectancy of 10 years, so be sure to replace the entire smoke alarm that often. 

I've gotten all my points to keep our insurance at the same cost, but Hubby still has to get his before mid-December.  Speaking of insurance, we are one of thousands that have Aetna.  ProMedica has bought out all the hospitals and most  of doctor offices around us, and as of now, ProMedica will not be accepting it after January 2019.  They could come to an agreement by then, but if they do not, the only hospital we can go to is an hour away, and I'll have to find a new doctor.  What a mess.

I can't believe this is a no-picture post today.  

In the Jungle...the mighty jungle

 View of the larger garden, and raised beds looking south.  Pretty scary, and downright a frustrating mess.  These photos were taken a few months back.

I "bit the bullet" and went out day after day ripping it all out.  Yeah, rain prevented us from winterizing the garden this fall.  I'm pretty frustrated, but what can you do?  Nothing.  That's what we can do.  Spring will be a very, very busy spring for us though.  Snow is in the forecast for the weekend, and Hubby is working overtime all week, including the weekend.

I'm so happy the political ads are done.  I got so much junk mail this year.  

We are past the funeral now, and continue to pray for "A's" family.  We are so emotionally drained, I can't even imagine what his family is going through right now.

We had high winds yesterday, so I can thank the weather Gods for clearing all of the leaves off one of my porches.  The wind has died down today, but the cold is moving in.  I have tomato stakes to get out of the garden and into the barn, but that's about all I'll have time for out there.  

This morning it was Tiger who gifted us a mouse.  Right in the living room.  Good Kitty.  He's such a good mouser.  

Well, this day will be another day of "busy." Breakfast was literally coffee and toast.  I know, I know.  I'll eat a banana in a bit.  Just gotta get the dishes dried and put away first.

Homemade dry onion soup mix

Homemade dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup homemade, organic onion flakes
1/4 tsp. homemade, organic onion powder
1/4 tsp. organic home dried parsley
1/8 tsp. organic celery seeds
1/8 tsp. organic paprika
1/8 tsp. organic ground pepper

Mix together, and store in an airtight container.  1 serving.  I like to store this in my freezer if I make it ahead.  The onion powder will draw moisture if you do not.

This and That ~ Handiwork

I printed off new recipes for the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.  I dried more onion flakes and onion powder.  Deep cleaned the bedroom and kitchen (more in there to do yet).  Got some work done on our 19 year-old's car, put away half of the porch pots, picked up long sitting weed piles, swept off one porch, put some barn siding in storage for any future needed repairs, washed a few rugs to later used for laying on for car/truck repairs, and put the camping coolers back in storage.  We also got one of the air conditioners removed from the window and in storage. 

Mia is back with her Mom for a few days, but may be back soon again.  She too, is in looking for new living arrangements.  Mia chewed the cover off of one of our youngest daughters books (borrowed from me) while we were out running errands.  I guess we'll need to keep those put up now too.  You know how much we love books too.  Sigh...

I made a few sets of hand crocheted earrings to sell.  I'll be getting more made this month.

As for winterizing the vegetable garden and herb garden?  Well, it'll all depend on weather and time this month.  We haven't been able to get one iota done out there.  Today's a good windy day, and laundry is on the line. The ground is pretty wet though.

It's a "slipper Sunday" for us three here today.  Meaning, we are only doing what we can in slippers and cozy clothes.  

Antique Cookbooks

 1918
I inherited a few antique cookbooks that belonged to my great-grandmother, who had passed them onto my mother, and now myself.

1936

1935

This book had a piece of paper in it with my grandmother's handwriting.

Look at those costs.  Sorry for the dark photos, it's been nothing but dark, rainy, dreary days here lately.

Our dear friend in hospice, just one year younger than myself, passed away last night.