Happy Homemaker Monday

Sunday I had some hot banana peppers a jalapenos to deal with, so I canned a batch of ....

Hot Banana Pepper Relish (Called Pepper Relish at Food.com online).

While the canner boiled away, I started on my mound of dishes I created. 

I also baked a breakfast casserole as our grab-n-go breakfast this week. A new recipe.  If it's good, I'll let you all know.

We got a good load of rain Sunday morning.  So very thankful for that too.

Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  


The weather outside is. . .
83°F/53°F  92% Humidity.


How I am feeling this morning . . .
Stressed. I lost two hens last night.  Apparently the newbies can fly very high.  With help we found them and put them back in the coop, but now we have to rethink the fence, put up tall posts, cover the top, and add a larger door.  I'm so done to be honest.


On my mind . . .
I have to call the dentist this morning.  A crown fell off.  Gonna be interesting now that appointments are limited.  I'm not a fan of mask wearing either.  Don't get me started on that.  I mean I touch mine a ton during one bike ride and stuff it in my purse several times, so how is that sanitary?  I watched a person drop theirs on the floor (inside of the mask fell on the floor), pick it up and put it back on his face.  The mask wearing isn't about the virus (just my opinion). It's part of the plan to keep economy from getting better (putting fear in people so they go out less, spend less), so America will blame the President, and keep him from being re-elected.  Most likely closing the bars at 10pm and causing them to lose 4 hours of business is part of that same plan?  Well, the caption did say "on my mind" so off my soapbox.


On the breakfast plate . . .
The breakfast casserole I made.


On my reading pile . . .
I haven't really been in the mood to read.


On my TV . . .
Not much.


On the menu this week . . .
-Crockpot shredded BBQ pork, oven roasted brussel sprouts and carrots
-Crockpot salsa chicken, Mexican Rice
-Leftovers.  We seem to have more leftover nights lately


From the camera . . .

The moon the other morning.

Chore I am not looking forward to this week . . .
Figuring out how to re-do the chicken coop.


To relax this week I will . . .
Have an adult drink.  Seriously.  Get a motorcycle ride one day.  Maybe two days.  We'll see.


Something I want to share . . .

I finally got new yarn colors for the jar openers.  They are posted for sale at Rooster's Crow Farm.  


On my prayer list . . .
Myself, our family, our youngest and her boyfriend's family, America

Christmas Gift for the Girls ~ Honey Roasted Caramel Corn ~ Sanity Saver Ride

The moon early this morning.

Breakfast yesterday morning.  First time to eat healthy in about 5-6 days.  Hubby's famous omelets, and this time he put jalapenos in them.


When I can remember....I am scanning any good family favorite handwritten recipe when I use it.  I'm printing it on cardstock and will cut to size for a recipe box for my younger two girls.  The recipe boxes I want to buy them are no longer sold.  The general store that sold them closed.  I may see if my husband (hate to even ask him) will build me two wooden recipe boxes.

One day when we had lucky leftovers, and I didn't have to cook dinner, I made this!  Honey roasted caramel corn.  It is the best I have ever tasted.  No kidding.  My Mom's taste test approved this as the best too.  It's not my recipe.  I found it online from the Stay at Home Chef.  She has a video on making it.  It uses butter, brown sugar, honey, salt, baking soda and vanilla.  Of course I popped my corn in my stovetop whirley popper.

Hubby had Saturday off, but works double shift today sadly.  I am back in the kitchen with garden stuff.  

Considering he had Saturday off, we took advantage of it and go the chicken fencing (temporary fencing until we officially move it) up. We used a dog gate to make a gate for the fencing, and need to add more t-posts, but for now they can get out and about.  I had to laugh.  The two older hens came outside right away.  All day long the newbies kept popping their heads out the door and then back inside.  They'll figure it out eventually.

I also dug this old elementary desk out of the barn.  It's being given to our granddaughter.  She is being home-schooled this year.  In their area, the kids were divided between two school districts, and there was no room for her in either school, and is forced to home school.  I hosed it off, and it needs cleaned up, but so glad I could help them out and clean out at the same time.

How did we get the desk and chair?  Way back in the day when our elemetary schools were torn down, Junior high torn down, to build an all in one school, one teacher of one of our kids bought every desk and chair.  She sold them back to each family for $1.00 each.  

After that we took off on a motorcycle ride, which I badly needed.  Our 21 year old worked all day, so youngest hooked up with another sister and went swimming at a nearby beach area (at the lake).

It'll be a long day today, but the pantry is being restocked, and we are very grateful for that.  It's a struggle, and we haven't had a good garden year for the last 3 years, but it's more than last year for sure.

Now, if the Rain Gods could bless us again today, and plump up those root veggies and tomatoes, I'll be a happy gal.

1:30am Moom ~ Small Day Adventures ~ Barn Cat ~ Crochet/knit Socks of Another Kind

The things I do when I cannot sleep.  Take photos of the moon.  This was, I think, from last Thursday early in the morning.

I am being very bad at eating breakfast at all.  I have a light lunch and come dinner, I don't want to eat either.  The stress has been over the moon bad.  Just lots of things going on.

The chance for rain on Saturday (60%) went off the radar as fast as it went on.  However, we thankfully got a nice pour down last night.  

My 21 year-old and I went on a small day adventure and visited an antique store in the Big City.  

I've been wanting one of these for a long time.  First, I thought I might paint it red, but I may leave it yellow.  I kind of like it.

We also went to a thrift store, which I sort of thought was not stocked by much (oddly).  I snatched up this green pepper dish for $1.00 and it now holds my vegetable scrubber.

Picked up this wine bottle stand for a few bucks as well.

I picked up a few books as well, and a beat up metal strainer the antique guy gave me free.  I wanted it for a table center piece for the fall holidays.  I have battery operated lights (rechargeable batteries), and will top with some holiday colored something or other to pretty it up.

More tomatoes are turning red, but as you can see the drought has not helped with the size of most of them.

Looks like a raccoon right?  It's our barn cat.  I brought the pool out to clean for the grandkids, and it filled with rain water the last time it rained and it still has some oddly.  Anyway, she loves to go in the water and give herself a bath and get a drink, even though her water bowl is filled.  Silly cat.

My socks finally arrived in the mail.  I thought I deserved to buy myself something special.

Chickens

Here are my 6 newbies this year, and the last two adult hens who survived raccoons, opossums, and weasels.  They all get along, and they love their new coop.  Hubby and I are going to remove the side roof sections (I have no idea why they didn't do that when they built this), add hinges, so I can simply lift the lid to to nesting boxes.  It would make it much easier than trying to get my tall self inside that thing.

The temporary fencing is still not up.  My husband is either "too tired" or he's working overtime.  The coop is too hot for them.  I am putting frozen bottles of water in the watering unit, making them ice treats with corn in them, grinding shaved ice for them......now I'm looking online for a baby gate so I can open the door for air flow.  I have to go online because I still haven't gotten my car fixed since last fall. Unless I get use of a vehicle this weekend (or get fencing up).

Recipes ~ Green pepper pesto ~ Link for Meatballs ~ Hot Banana Pepper Sauce

Green Pepper Pesto
2 green bell peppers, seeded, coarsely chopped

1. Steam blanch the peppers over boiling water for 3 minutes.  Place in food processor.

1 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup grated organic Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup organic olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
2/3 cup salted/roasted pumpkin seeds, organic

Add the above ingredients to the food processor with the bell peppers, and process until smooth.

Freeze in portions or use some and freeze some.  Lasts up to 3 months in the freezer.

Homemade meatballs.  Here is the link for the recipe I use (uses oats vs. bread crumbs) - Homemade meatballs.

The other meatball recipe I make is with ground turkey and zucchini - Turkey Zucchini Meatballs.

The sauce in the above picture is a bit different.  It uses hot banana peppers, onion and garlic and other ingredients.  Here is the recipe for that sauce:

Hot Banana Pepper Tomato Sauce
In a skillet with a Tbsp. of olive oil, heat the following ingredients for 3-4 minutes:

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup hot banana peppers, chopped

Add:
1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Heat for another 2 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients together either in the skillet to use right away, or in a crock pot.

6 oz. organic tomato paste
1 qt. home canned tomato sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 to 2/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp. sugar (optional)

If using sauce right away, heat for 30 minutes.

If you don't like it "chunky" simply use an immersion blender or leave as is.   I left it as "chunky" and heated for a short while in my crock pot.  We loved this!  Spicy, but not too spicy.

Garden Goodness and Struggles with a Drought

First up, I boiled some eggs (that I had to buy, grr!).  I needed something healthy available to eat.   I haven't been eating breakfast at all, and come dinner time, I am so drained I don't feel like eating.  The egg basket has zero after today.

I froze some cucumbers for the first time ever vs. canning.  I did this for recipes I would like to make in the winter.  The remaining will be put into canning recipes - pickles, whatever.

I froze more zucchini, and this time in smaller chunks for other recipes.

Froze more green/wax beans.

I put up the last of the corn we had, as the person never came to pick it up.  

I also had jalapenos to put in the freezer.  I am thankful for what we have been harvesting, but what a year it's been.  The hot peppers are doing great.  I'm only watering the last squash plants now, the cucumbers and the greens.  We are conserving the well water until we re-fill the rain barrels.

I pulled a few turnips to thin them out, praying we get rain and the rest plump up.  I chopped them up for a side dish.  They are definitely not big yet, but we have some time on root veggies.

When I said my plants are small and slow growing, here is a photo of my swiss chard and my russian kale.  Something is eating the kale, but the chard is getting bigger, just not big enough yet.


I'm getting some recipes ready to post tomorrow.

2020 can go away....

The year has been crappy overall.   I feel like the government is keeping us from family and friends, so we may have a bonfire out here, but it depends on the heat.  It's been dry and hot.  That's not a good mix for burning.

I'm seriously concerned for our state.  A few days ago, after midnight (in the big city two of my daughters live in), there was what they called purging.  I can't make this stuff up.  People with cars without plates went around shooting at people randomly.  I read a toddler and an elderly man were shot and killed.  Purging?  The world has really gone to h-e-double hockey sticks.

Oh, and I have 2 more dead hens.  This time it was a weasel that came in the top of the fencing (which we recovered with harder wire fencing, and he said it would hold until we get the fencing up on the new coop).

Well, he felt awful, so we moved the hens last night.  Temporary fencing goes up tonight.  Then we start removing debris from the cement slab (cutting trees down etc).  I went from 8 adult hens to 2.  I have 6 newbies.  So I have 8 vs. 14.  It is the first time in 12 years I do not have a rooster crowing out there.  I miss Sparta.  He was the best rooster ever.  Anyway, I will (and I repeat) never buy straight run just to get a rooster. I still plan to get some photos of the new ones.  

We have never, ever had a problem like this in the 12 years living here.  I am pretty much sure it's due to our drought.  We have never experienced such a dry year in all the years living here.

Speaking of drought, we will rely on rain water that's in the rain barrels.  We are very worried about our well and water for winter at this point.  I may be sacrificing flower watering to save on the well. I may sacrifice my root veggies as well.  Just frustrating.

We have a few chances of rain this coming weekend, but not much.  Whatever comes down will be saved in the rain barrels.

Well, on a good note, I spent 5 hours cleaning my kitchen.  It's back in order, other than I need a storage area for my new pressure canner.  I'll worry about that later.  I think today's hot spot is the utility room.  It's a hot mess.  First, I have some zucchini to get in the freezer, and I need to count eggs to see if I can make a breakfast casserole.  Now that i have only 2 laying, it really, really stinks.  So if you are getting eggs, count your blessings.  

Update on our youngest.  She hasn't been home for 3 (going on 4 days).  She can't be around anything that reminds her of him, so we stay in contact, but her absence is weighing on us.  

I have a library movie due back, and have no way to get it back today.  My car is still up on the jack.  There has been so much mentally and physically going on, we've not had a minute to even think about the repairs.

Sorry for the long post today, hopefully the Rain Gods will bless us and I'll have some bounty to share.  I'd just be peachy keen if I start getting eggs from the newbies.  Oh, by the way, Hubby said "absolutely no way" on raising meat birds next year.  We have no secure place to raise them.  Too many other jobs to get done before building a secure building either.