Emptyknitster

 Jo called and to say they'd picked all the cherries from their trees they needed and wondered if we wanted any. Hubby and I went down and picked enough for 14 quarts of pie filling. He was more than happy to pick because they would be used for his favorite dessert. Viv's Cherry Blossom Dessert 1 1/2 cup flour 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon salt  1/2 teaspoon soda 1 quart cherry pie filling Melt  butter and add dry ingredients. Mix until crumbly. Place half of the crumble mixture in a 9x13 pan and pat evenly on the bottom. Spread pie filling and add remaining crumble mixture on top. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes . After a long day of picking, pitting and canning cherries it was a joy to have the twin fawns and Momma visit.  

Last December I picked up a couple of cans of pumpkin for pumpkin bread and pumpkin curry soup. The family loves to have a slice of pumpkin bread toast in the morning with their coffee or soup for a quick lunch. But when I got home it was pumpkin PIE FILLING and into the pantry the cans went. The next time I stopped by the grocery store, I bought several more cans of pumpkin only to get home only to find they too were cans of pie filling. In the end there was no bread or soup for the family. We are not a pumpkin pie family so they've been sitting in the pantry gathering dust. These days of Covid and trying to staying home as much as possible, I've been trying to use as much of the existing stored food as possible. I found this recipe, and  feel it's good enough to share.  Pumpkin Muffins  (makes 24)     1 ½ cups whole wheat flour     1 ½ cups all-purpose flour     5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice     2 teas...

These muffins are delicious and better the second and third day! Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins   1 cup milk   1 cup oatmeal   1 and 1/4 cup flour   1 t baking powder   1/2 t baking soda   1/2 t ground cinnamon   1/2 t salt   1/2 cup melted butter   1/2 cup honey   1 egg   1 t vanilla   1 cup frozen blueberries Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine oats and milk let them sit 20 minutes. Melt butter add honey, vanilla and egg mix. In large bowl mix dry ingredients, stir in butter mixture, then milk mixture and finally blueberries gently added. Spoon mixture into 12 muffin liners. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 5 minutes at 425 then lower heat to 350 for 15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

I would have liked to just skip the month of March altogether but realize it just isn't possible. I think the month we have just lived through may have changed our lives forever... While we were still in Hawaii, it seems very distant but was only a month ago, the Hawaiian news stations were filled with discussions of Corona Virus (yes, it had that name at the time). They had discovered their first two cases on the islands and were trying to be pro active. The population was told, among other things, to use hand sanitizer, wash their hands, to stay six feet away from others, and have two weeks groceries in their homes.  Just by following these "rules" we learned in Hawaii, we were already two weeks ahead of the mainland, shocking! But as the mainland began to understand they weren't going to escape this virus we began to understand it was going to be a longer journey than just two weeks. I sent out some advice to the daughters and when the minimalist daughter used ...

Knitting Selbu mittens has been a nice change of pace from my usual sock knitting. It's sad though, less people need mittens than socks so my mitten knittin' will soon be coming to a halt! I needed to use a smaller needle than the ones called for in the pattern and I also dropped a section of the heart pattern in order to get the mittens small enough to fit a women's hand. Pattern: Cold Hands Warm Heart by Jacqui Walker Yarn: Finulgarn Colorway: Medium Brown,  Burgundy Needle Size: US Size 4 I've also been doing a bit of baking. I had visions of becoming a gingerbread decorating expert but settled for just getting them done! Gingerbread Cookies                        (Makes 3 dozen) 1/2 cup Crisco 2 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup dark molassas 3/4 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon allspice  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ...

Sadie really has a problem with socks. Most people putter around the house in their stocking feet during the day but Sadie may start the day with a pair on her feet but they are soon pealed off and you never know where they will be ditched around the house. I'm hoping these socks will be different. They look just like her kitty, Charlotte, and I've knit them in sport sock length (Her favorite type socks.) Any way you look at them, they are the cats meow! Pattern: YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks, Fish Yarn:Knit Picks Stroll Tweed, Knit Picks Undyed Stroll Colorway:  Marine Heather, Jo's Bliss Amount: Way less than a skein each Needle Size: US Size 1 I finished them in January but didn't want SadieLou to know about the socks until her birthday. She also has recently found Chai tea and so a jar is in the mix for her as well. NEW Spicy Chai Tea  Recipe: 3 cups nonfat dry milk powder 1 1/2 cups sugar (half sugar substitute) 2 cup unsweetened instant tea 1 1/...

Jo is on vacation and left me with the key to the cherry orchard. I've only been slowed down by the mail. Unfortunately, there is an ingredient in the pie filling recipe which is worth its weight in gold in our town - Clear Gel. Both Jo and I checked and no one in town has this valuable ingredient. They could order it - but so can we and while waiting for this item to arrive I made some outstanding Amaretto Cherry Jam. Amaretto Cherry Jam 1 quart pitted cherries 1/4 cup Amaretto 1 t almond extract 2T bottled lemon juice 1 box pectin Several drops red food coloring Bring to a rolling boil and add: 4 1/3 cups sugar Stirring, bring to a full boil and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour into sterilized jars and place in a water bath for 15 minutes I had 12 pints of jam, and a gallon of pitted cherries marinating in Everclear in the refrigerator for ice cream sauce when the Clear Gel arrived. I went right to work and now have added 14 quarts of pie filling to the list. It wou...

It took two attempts but all the boys finally got tickets to Star Wars and off they went while the girls decorated cookies and made their Great-Great-Grandmother Sadie's Peanut Butter Fudge, And the Moms put their feet up and enjoyed a few hours of quiet!

Hubby and I, with a reluctant Denali, drove to Helena for the weekend. Hubby had some business there on Friday and somehow The Chick and I were able to get him to throw caution to the wind and  spend two nights there instead of the one he had planned on! The Chick made an outstanding pasta dish in no time at all... Italian Wonderpot Ingredients: 4 cups vegetable broth  2 Tbsp olive oil  12 oz. fettuccine  8 oz. spinach 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes 1 medium onion  4 cloves garlic ½ Tbsp dried basil ½ Tbsp dried oregano  ¼ tsp red pepper flakes freshly cracked pepper to taste 2 oz. feta cheese  Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half and add it to the pot. Also add the canned tomatoes (undrained), olive oil, spinach, onion (thinly sliced), garlic (thinly sliced), basil, oregano, red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Submerge ingredi...

After a LONG winter, Friday brought spring not just on the calendar but also in the weather and my temperament! Friday I cleaned house like a maniac so the weekend could be "my own".  Saturday I did a little "junking." Years ago Mom and I used to do this every once in awhile but I really haven't done it since The Chick moved into her own place and needed a few things to round out the first apartment. ( black paint always coordinates everything! ) I found a frame and original painting dated 1966 of an aspen grove and teepee for $6 by someone I hope never rose to fame and fortune in the artistic world because... I did a DYI project for my fiber room.  I'm going to add a quote on the blackboard after the paint cures a few days. The blackboard paint was so fun and easy that after I made instant Chi Tea and Cappuccino I sprayed the lids and added the name of the contents and amount needed for a cup! Chi Tea 1 c. nonfat dry milk powder 1 c. powdered ...

I found this soup recipe on another blog. It's delicious and I'm afraid I'll lose it if I don't post it. Give it a try, and thanks Patty! Patty’s Minestrone Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, diced 1 rib of celery, chopped 2 large carrots, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb. hamburger 1/2 cup red wine 1 cup chicken broth 1 –  64 oz. can V-8 Juice 2 – 15 oz. cans stewed tomatoes 1/4 cup catsup (optional) 3/4 cup pasta of choice (small is best) 1-1/2 cups green beans, chopped into bite-size pieces 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 cup chopped cabbage 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced 1 cup chopped spinach 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil In a large sauce pan or dutch oven heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion, celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stirring often, cook until vegetables are soft...

How to Make a Frittata Makes roughly six servings What You Need Choose 3-4 of the following: 1 onion, diced 1 potato, diced 1 bell pepper, diced 1 roasted red pepper, diced 1-2 cups broccoli 1-2 cups cauliflower 1-2 leeks, diced 12 ounces mushrooms, diced or thinly sliced 1 cup leftover pasta 1 cup leftover rice 1-2 sausages, diced 1 cup shredded chicken, pork, or beef 1 cup tofu, diced Any other leftovers you may have in the fridge Seasoning Ingredients: 1-3 teaspoons spices, like oregano, basil, thyme, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt Frittata Ingredients: 1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese (optional) 6-8 large eggs, enough to cover the ingredients Equipment 10" - 12" skillet Spatula Instructions Heat the oven to 400°F. 1. Sauté the Frittata Ingredients:  If the meat is raw, cook that first and then remove it from the pan to add back in later. Cook the vegetables with a little oil ove...

Since spring the gurls and I have been getting up early each Saturday and getting Bountiful Baskets. It has stretched us several times to find uses for some of the vegetables. This week we received cabbages (after I had bought one for slaw over the fourth!) and I also bought the fiesta pack so I had to find a use for the fresh cilantro after feeding the grandkiddos tacos on a regular basis. The Chick asked for the cabbage recipe: Runzas or Bierocks (German Cabbage Buns) 1 pkg yeast 1/4 c sugar 1c lukewarm milk 3 c flour 2 eggs beaten 1/4 c shortening 1t salt Mix yeast, sugar, milk, and 1 1/2 c flour, let rise 45 minutes or until bubbling. Add eggs, shortening, salt and remaining flour to make soft dough. (I have to add more flour so it's not sticky) Cover and let dough rest in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until double in bulk. Filling: Melt Tablespoons of shortening in a skillet. Add one chopped onion, 1/2 head cabbage, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon peppe...

Recently the Oregon Family sent me a Trader Joe's care package. It was filled with wonderful things that only Trader Joe can produce. Coffee, chocolate covered almonds with a hint of salt, natural licorice, Himalayan salt. But the package also had cookies and while most items couldn't be replicated the Trader Joe's Kona Coffee Shortbread Cookies were worth a try.     Pirated Trader Joe's Kona Coffee Shortbread Cookies Ingredients:      1c butter, softened     1/2c brown sugar     2c flour     2T coarsely ground coffee beans     1c white chocolate chips or white candy melts Instructions:     Preheat oven to 300 degrees.     Cream butter and sugar. Gradually stir in the flour and coffee until combined. Knead 3 minutes.     Roll into a 1/3-in. thick rectangle measuring 11 -in. x 8 in. Cut into 2-in. x 1-in. strips. P...

Upon my arrival to The Bay Area we quickly decided that a visit to Bake Sale Betty's was in order.  As you know, we do love her chicken sandwiches and ginger molasses cookies to distraction!  In fact, I had been told by Hubby not return without a dozen cookies for him. Waiting in line at Bake Sale Betty's It was a beautiful day and a very nice one mile walk to her shop. As usual there was quite a line to the counter. I know the routine, when placing your order there is no messing around. 1. State your order. 2. Fork over the money 3. Move aside! Before I stepped up to the cash register I mentally practiced my order. "Three chicken sandwiches, two dozen ginger molasses cookies and three lemonades, PLEASE!" Pay, Step Aside! But when I got to the two dozen ginger cookies things fell apart. "We have Oatmeal Raisin, or Chocolate Chip - no Ginger Molasses." "Will you have some tomorrow?" "Maybe, or sometime next week." "Can ...

I was happy when Jo's hubby brought me a box of peaches from Washington. This morning I got up with the plan to get them canned. However, only half were ripe enough, the others need another day or so to ripen. Hmm, what to do? Can peaches or peach jam.... the peach jam won out! I lost my original recipe but found a very similair, if not exact, recipe on the internet: Peach Jam Ingredients: 6 cups peaches, mashed 6 cups white sugar 2 cups crushed pineapple 6 oz orange Jello Peel peaches. To keep them from turning brown while you do all that peeling, place them in a pan of water to which 2 T vinegar per gallon of water has been added. Then when all are peeled, remove peaches from the water and mash. Combine mashed peaches, sugar, and pineapple (I drained mine) in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes (or until it begins to thicken and peaches are cooked through) Add the Jello cook the mixture for about 2 more minutes to be sure the Jello has dissolve...

Hubby was delighted with the pie filling I canned a couple of weeks ago and so when he had the opportunity to bring home several dozen ears of corn from down the road he jumped on it. You can't beat free! Years ago I used Mrs. Stapleton's recipe for freezing corn and so I pulled it out again today: 4 quarts fresh corn (cut from about 20 ears) 1 quart hot water 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter, cubed 2 teaspoons salt In a stockpot, combine all ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to large shallow containers; cool, stirring occasionally. Freeze in resealable plastic freezer bags or freezer containers,  Yield:  3 quarts. Tomorrow, PEACHES! 

After a week of relaxing at home it was time to get the grandkiddos back to their house. It had been a glorious three week visit but their other grandparents would be arriving and were demanding equal time! We flew to California and our first stop was a visit to Bake Sale Betty's! I've told friends her establishment reminds me of The Soup Nazi only friendly! Customers line up outside the bakery hoping their favorite cookie (molasses) is still there.... When ordering you better have a second choice ready, FAST. You pay and then move aside to wait fir the order to be made -DON'T slow down the process! This is accomplished very politely, but QUICKLY, there is a line waiting. I'll never forget the time the line was so long that Betty came out and gave each of us a cookie for our trouble - she completely won me over! Ginger Spice Cookies (makes about two dozen) from Bon Appétit , March 2000 - 2 cups flour - 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger - 1 tsp ground c...