Thanksgiving Cactus ~ This and That ~ Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal (new recipe tried) ~ More Roasted Pumpkins and Seeds

 The weather is all over the map.  We recently dipped to 35°F, and yesterday we hit 80°, but then rain moves back in later this week.  They predicted the next weekend to be very cold, and that changed quickly.  Friday they are saying we may hit the 80's in our area.  It's literally crazy weather.

The Thanksgiving Cactus is blooming more blooms right now.  I will definitely be re-potting the plant.  It has more blooms this year than last year.

We have been so busy with just about everything here lately.  The AC units have been put in in storage for winter, and we started back on the new coop (very slow going, always running into an issue).

Heck, I still have to take down the hanging porch plants that have died off.   

I am contemplating putting any Christmas lights outside this year.  They are sitting in the kitchen awaiting my decision.  I'm just not into it this year (yet), and I believe it's due to all the unfinished projects around here.

I tried a new recipe and we love it!!  I used home roasted garden pumpkin of course, and made homemade pumpkin pie spice.  I had some GA pecans left, so I used those, and this recipe is a keeper!  It's online with The Real Food Dietitians - Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal.  

I roasted two smaller pie pumpkins at the same time, so I have extra pumpkin to bake/cook with now.  I put two more pints in the freezer.  I roasted the seeds, and saved some seeds (drying on a screen).

I have more pumpkins to roast, but gaining on that task.  I don't have a proper storage area for them, so it is how I put them up for the winter.

Just when I think I will have some free time, I do not, ha ha!  I took advantage of our Indian Summer, and washed up all of the camper bedding, and put it on the clothesline.  However, the bugs were terrible.  I could not even sit on the porch, the bugs were that bad.  

Freezing Apples ~ Apple Crisp ~ Baking Powder ~ Local Sage Sausage Trial

 

I finally got around to freezing some of our apples.  They are keeping fresh pretty well in the fridge.  By the way, when the directions say to bang your baking sheet on the counter, it really works.  It freed up the frozen apple slices right away, making bagging it easy.

While the apple slices were flash freezing, I baked us an apple crisp.  A different recipe, and one that was actually in my recipe box.  We haven't baked a lot over the years with apples, due to lack of harvest, but this was good.  No brown sugar oddly.  My husband said it "tastes like apple pie."

I made biscuits a few days ago, and realized they did not rise as usual.  I opened my cupboard to check the expiration date on my baking powder and it literally expired the same day.  I have not been using it as much lately.  Note:  be sure to check your label when buying baking powder, as one popular brand contains bio-engineered ingredients.  It's easy to miss when you are shopping.  Our closest store only had two left on the shelves (of non-gmo), and a bunch of the other two brands they carry.

I decided to taste test the local sage sausage, by making us biscuits and gravy.  I have not made it in a long, long time. Anyway, it tasted wonderful!  We are lucky to have a local butcher.  It is more expensive, but it's not like we eat sage sausage every week.  We will be back to stock up on it for winter.

On a side note, the same grocery store was sold out of the organic butter we buy regularly.  I typically freeze some for winter.  I don't know if any other stores carry comparable butter, but I'm now on the hunt for some.  I start my sausage gravy using butter vs. oil.  What do you start your sausage gravy with?

Update on the butter - 2nd store had one box of organic butter, unsalted was sold out.

Homemade Condensed Mushroom Soup ~ Freezer Friendly

Shallots, Organic Baby Bella Mushrooms

 I have been making homemade condensed mushroom soup, for the freezer.  The link still works on my older blog post, but I do not add the thyme to mine.  I never know what I am going to use it for, so I leave that out, but the link for the recipe is on this:  Blogpost.

The original recipe calls for cremini mushrooms.  I used to find them in the stores, prior to covid, but all I can locate here, are organic white or baby bella (so I buy the baby bella).  I did some research and baby bellas are basically the same as cremini mushrooms.

Mushrooms are very healthy for us, and I love this recipe, as it uses butter.  Organic store bought condensed soup contains soy oil and other soy products.  The recipe does contain a bit of flour, but I adapt the entire recipe using all organic/non-gmo ingredients.  There is no corn starch in this recipe.

It smells so good when it's being made.  The link goes to a recipe site, and she had recipes for cream of chicken and cream of celery too.  If I want a comfort meal, it typically involves homemade mushroom soup.

Another repeat for most readers, and oddly, I seem to have re-stocked the same time last year.

Sunrise ~ Stormy Weather ~ Roasting Pie Pumpkins ~ Nothing Wasted (Our Motto)

 Winter is on the way.  These very short beautiful snippets of a sunrise are coming to an end.  We enjoyed one, mostly likely the last, grill out on the porch.  

Stormy, rainy days moved in here and there, and the camper was finally cleaned out for the season.  Leaves are starting to change color around the area now.

I use my melon baller to remove the seeds/stringy innards.  I use it for all of my squash.  It works great.

We got 9 pie pumpkins this season.  One rotted before I could bring them inside, and we gave one to the chickens for a treat.

I line my baking pans/sheets with parchment paper and roast at 350° for 60 minutes.  I typically check them, and continue roasting if necessary.  The above pie pumpkin (Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkins from Baker Creek), weighed in at a little over 5#!  Not all of them are that large, but wow!  Save those delicious seeds to roast.  Here is our favorite recipe:  Whiskey-Bacon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I have also used Sherry in place of the whiskey, and they tasted great.  You can simply roast them too, but flavoring them is fun and delicious.  I bake these at 275° for 1 1/2 hours, stirring during the baking time.

I remove the baked pumpkin pulp with a spoon, and puree it all in my food processor.  I put it in freezer containers by the pint, cool it, and freeze it.

The chickens get the last bit of what's left after cleaning out the seeds.  Nothing wasted.  You can compost the skins.

Sorry if this is all a repeat from all the previous years.  I feel like it is, but sharing again.  I will be trying some new recipes with pumpkin.

Dehydrating Mushrooms ~ Freezing Rutabagas

 

I had a handful of mushrooms to dehydrate.  I used my smaller "Dash" dehydrator.  It has 5 trays, and I can dehydrate with how many trays I need.  They only thing I don't like, is no way to set a time on it.  I set and watch it, shutting it off when they are dry.

Do you make mushroom powder?  I am reading up on that, but what I'm thinking, is why powder?  I just rehydrate for meals.  How would powder come in handy?  Thoughts on this?

I didn't really get a definitive answer on blanching rutabaga or flash freezing, so I opted for blanching this time around.  We do love them, so I will be doing this every year.

Nettle Homemade Teabags

 

I have a travel size mat and iron, I use to seal my brew bags.  You could also use a flat hair iron if you have one.

I bought my brew bags from Mountain Rose Herbs.  I'm sure the price has changed since then.  These are great for traveling, going to a gathering, or any other time you want specific brews, and you are not at home.

These are nettle tea, and I store them in an amber jar until I use them.  I also have many tea infusers, but teabags come in handy for a convenience tea (no cleaning a infuser or tea ball).  They also come in handy to deliver medicinal teas to someone who is sick or feeling ill.

This and That ~ Questions

 Somewhere, in an undisclosed location....

I have installed a 3M hook to hold this multi-tool.  I am just frustrated trying to find a screwdriver in this place.  Until the garage is completely purged and organized, it will be where I can access it, and in hope that my husband does not find it (ha ha!).  Projects, repairs, and renovations have been crazy busy this past year and a half.

I also have this for whatever vehicle I am driving at the time.  

Over the summer, during tomato season  I was intrigued to find a recipe by Ball, that uses the jam/jelly maker.  It's a small batch recipe for 2 pints of pizza sauce.  Has anyone tried this sauce recipe?  I did not freeze any whole tomatoes this year, so this is on the try-it list for next tomato garden season.

I have a question.  It may sound dumb to some of you, but I have never read an e-book from our library.  They have a cookbook I want to look at, but I have never "ordered" an e-book from their catalog.  I do not own a kindle.  I do not wish to read it on my cell phone.  Do you download it to your PC and read it that way?  Also, if that is the case, will it take up a lot of space on my PC?  I would love to look at this cookbook, but like I said, I have never placed a hold on an e-book via their catalog.   

One more question on canning:  is there a tested recipe for canning Queso?  I am seeing recipes online, but prefer a Ball recipe or BHG tested recipe.  I once spent time and ingredients on a jam recipe I found in a Taste of Home magazine.  It turned out terrible, made way too much and did not taste good.  I emailed them and asked if it was a tested recipe.  They never answered me.  So....asking here first.  I'll be digging out canning recipes.  Thoughts?  I'm looking for a real recipe, no velveeta.