My Day in the Kitchen...

Geee Whiz my feet hurt!

Today I spent the whole day in the kitchen... not to be confused with the past 3 days where I spent only nearly all day in the kitchen.

Previously I had told you I had canned:

• Apple Slices: 13 pint jars
• Blackberry Syrup: 12 - 8 oz jars & 2 - 1/2 pint jars

Over the weekend I made more applesauce (and 18 cups set aside for applebutter) and Jam from the blackberry puree...

• Black-Apple-Berry Sauce: 7 - pint jars
• Blackberry Jam: 10 - 1/2 pint jars & 1 - 4 oz jar

Today's goal was to make apple pie filling.  Here is my kitchen table set up for work.  The slow cooker has been simmering the apple butter since yesterday morning.  You can see I'm ready to peel, cut, and soak the apples to prevent browning.  I've also mixed the filling ingredients so it is ready to cook after I've blanched the apples.

Seems like there is a never ending need for pots and bowls and spoons and lids... the canner has to be kept ready... the red pot will be used to blanch the apples and the large bowl is keeping the apples hot...

Then I'll swap the red pot out and cook the filling... no cooked picture as you have to move along once this thickens up and you add the apples back in.  It all has to stay hot while you fill the jars and get them into the canner...

Then you clean up and do it all over again with another batch... then clean up again to process the apple butter - which was done cooking.

Today's canning totals...

• Apple Pie Filling: 14 - pint jars
• Spicy Apple Buddah: 8 - 12 oz. jars, 7 - 1/2 pint jars, & 1 - 4 oz jar

The Spicy Apple Buddah was made from a total of 24 cups of Applesauce, sugars and spices and then cooked in my slow cooker for 2 days.

Here's today's picture of my dining room table...

Aren't those jars of apple pie filling yummy looking?  And the PINK jars in the box to the left... that's the Black-Apple-Berry Sauce - Applesauce made with blackberry puree added.  Ooooo the blackberry puree makes it a beautiful magenta color and gives it a wonderful flavor.  I'll have to get better pictures during the day.

And yes those are more clean dish towels in the basket... I told you I use lots of towels when I'm canning.

Tomorrow I get a day off from canning... I get to go to work at the quilt shop... YaaaHoooo! 

Well then I'll stop at the grocery store and pick up the stuff I need to continue canning...

The Finer Details of Laundering $$$

After washing - lay out on a flat surface to dry...

If you put them through the dryer you will have to iron... and nobody likes to iron... even if it is money!

Fall Make-Over... and Misc. Rambling...

It's chilly.  All my windows are closed.  It's been rainy all week... at least it seems like it's been raining all week... I know for sure we got 2" of rain yesterday because several folks told me today that's what it was... oh well - 'tis the season.

To celebrate - I went over to The Cutest Blog on the Block and picked out a Fall theme background... I'm all set for the next couple months...

My daughter and her fella drove down over the holiday weekend... the visit was too short but it was sooo good to have them here.  Touristy stuff happened in Hershey & Lancaster, we wandered around and around in a Corn Maze, spent a day at the PA Renaissance Faire and at the end of each day we sat and played cards in the kitchen... wonderful weekend - wish they could come down more often.

All the class samples are hanging in the shop, the new class list is out and I've even begun teaching already...

Then of course it's also apple season...

My neighbor keeps bringing over apples.  I have already cooked up two batches of applesauce for the freezer and canned a dozen or so pints of apple slices.  Each time I return her buckets she gives them back to me full of apples... LOL  My sister will be visiting next week and will take some off my hands - until then I'll be busy.  I want to make and can apple butter and apple pie filling.  And don't mind the dogs bed... she keeps pulling her covers off and sleeps on the plastic lining of the mat... ??

Last Thursday morning I went and picked 8 pounds of blackberries before the rain started up again.  I have one batch of syrup canned and some of the puree set aside to make "Black-Appleberry Sauce" tomorrow.

A quick shot of my dining room table tonight... blackberry syrup waiting for labels - apple slices ready for storage - calendar of my fall quilt classes - a pile of clean dish towels (I go through a bunch when I'm canning) - and a pile of quilt and canning books.

What I may lack in counter space in the kitchen - I make up for in deep window sills... which comes in handy while cleaning up after canning...

Don't pay any attention to the onion in the sink - I picked it off my pizza tonight... and no I haven't painted my kitchen yet... some day after canning season is over the walls will become yellow!  Can't remember what I picked out last year for the trim... ???  Maybe red??  I guess it will be a surprise - sure hope I still like it - what ever it is.

Who Took August?

I'm pretty sure I didn't use all the days yet... so somebody must be hiding a few here and there!

OK - I won't complain... especially since my youngest favorite daughter and her fella are coming to visit the first weekend in September - so I guess we have to get August out the door first.

The past couple weeks have been busy... The Engineer and I have been getting all kinds of projects done around the house since we returned from our trip earlier in the month.

While doing some electrical work in the basement ceiling he found a skeleton... a mouse...

looks funny without it's arms but The Engineer wasn't interested in hunting those down... LOL

We've enjoyed the produce from the garden thus far - I've cooked up a variety of tomatoes several times into sauce that I used right away.  This past weekend I finally managed to freeze some sauce for future use.

I had two good size cantaloupes grow and they were tasty!  I'm in love with cucumbers... who knew they could be so good!  I pulled onions the other day and braided the tops together.  The few I've used so far have been very tasty.  I was hoping my beets would get a little bit bigger as they seem to be kinda scrawny.  But I'll pull those up soon as the leaves are dying off.  I've got two fairy tale pumpkins putting some color on too - I'm excited about them.  Oh and corn... yummy... I've pulled ears several times now for dinner that were decent size and nicely filled in - I pulled all the rest today and was actually surprised at how well they were filled out - pictures below show the biggest and the smallest ones.

I decided to cut the corn off all the cobs and make corn chowder!  Just threw it into some chicken broth, a bit of fresh rosemary - a little flour to thicken and then I added cream... this pic is before the cream.  The Engineer was hungry so there was no more time for pictures!

My herbs are doing nicely... basil, parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme... I've dried some and made pesto with the basil last week.  I'm also drying some stevia to grind up and use as a sweetener... it'll be interesting to see how that goes.

And I have been sewing too... check out this cute purse from Maple Island Quilts... the pattern is called "Wallet and Grommet".  This was Quick to make... I especially like that the handle can be short - or you can use just one side and sling it over your shoulder. 

I'll make the wallet tomorrow if I can find my fusible stuff... I know it's somewhere up there in one of those boxes.

Week 35 Stash Report - nothing for ME

I'm sure glad I don't have to report the fabric I helped to buy this week... LOL

I was working in the shop Thursday when the Moda Sales Rep came in for his appointment with the owner... I now understand why I never met any of the sales reps at the last shop I worked at.

I had already seen the brochure and voiced my interest... "you really could order this whole line... and Ohhh this is really pretty too..."  All easy to say if you aren't paying the bill.  And of course it's Moda... so it's hard to just pick and choose because it's all nice don't ya think.

Between me and the owners daughter (who was also there) well if it was up to us - we could be hard on the pocket book I'm sure.  The owner settled on several lines and assorted bolts from others... lots of pretty stuff coming in.

I've settled on the classes I'm teaching for the fall... more about those later.

So nothing in and nothing out... for me!

I forgot to show y'all this...

Last month when my sister in law came for a get away weekend...

This is what she worked on...

The pattern is Sidelines from Maple Island Quilts.

Oh and don't mind those bare spots in the yard... grass is highly over-rated as a ground cover - dirt works just fine.

Tomato Wishes...

Do you suppose that Tomatoes wish for something more than being a tomato?

I wonder if this little yellow tomato looked up at the stars on a hot humid night and wished for something different...

I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight...

...

...

...

...

I wish I were a Snowman!

10,000 faces - Week 33 Stash Report...

I know I'll never come close to using the amount of fabric Judy L does... but it's good to be back to doing some sewing.

I'm working on an applique Santa wall hanging as a sample for the shop and a possible fusible applique class this fall.

I picked out all the fabrics Friday at work with plans to work on it Saturday at home.  I drew off all my pattern pieces on the fusible and as I did I realized that I didn't have fabric for the Santa face.  I had a white print for the suit trim... and I had a white for the beard... but I didn't have any face color.  I didn't need to run back to the shop - I knew we didn't have the right fabric there... I certainly didn't have it in all those silly bins full of fabric at my house... so I ran up the road to Sauders.  I know they have a big selection of solids.

I looked and looked and looked through the bolts of solids.  Some were too pink... some were too tan... others were too peach.  I then noticed a pile of solids on the remnants table ($2.20 something a yard for what ever is there - no cuts).  Wouldn't you know it... I found the perfect color - not too light - not too dark - not too pink or too peach. 

Perfect! 

Except that it's a 3 1/8 yards piece.... three and one eights yards!  

I need a 3" square... but now I can make 10,000 Santa faces!! 

OK... ok... yes I'm overstating it a bit... I can make at least 481 Santa faces!  LOL  We were going to make up some kits at the shop so I'm whacking off the 1/8 yard (4.5") and using that for my Santa face and taking the rest in for the kits... and we will still have leftovers!

I'm not counting the other fabric in and out for the wall hanging because I didn't get any extra - so it's a complete wash.  I will however count the FACE fabric...

So I've added 3 1/8 yards...

and I used 1/8 yard...

No I haven't updated my spreadsheet...

But I hope to have a picture of Santa later...

That Storm...

I heard the rumble start way off in the distance.  In the dark of not quite morning it rolled and rumbled closer and louder.

Then the heavy rain fell... all at once like a waterfall making the roof roar in the early morning quiet.

I made my way downstairs knowing that the dog was going to be upset and would force her way through the gate that keeps her in the kitchen.  We didn't need that racket at 5:00 AM.

As I came through the gate - one dog was sound asleep on the kitchen floor... the other one - the one I was most concerned about also sound asleep on her bed in the laundry room.  ? Huh?

I looked out the kitchen door to the sidewalk and driveway beyond... nothing... dry as a bone...

?  Huh?

As real as that thunder and rain had sounded - it was in my dream...

Week 29 thru 32...

Yep... it's been that long.  Hey this girl has been busy!

Well I'm up and down 4 yards for that class project I mentioned in the week 28 report.  I had worked on the blocks several weeks back but I haven't had a chance to report yet.  Nor have I been working on that project for awhile... what with all the visitors and traveling I've been up to over the past several weeks.  I was good - no quilt shops visited while I was gone - although there were many options

Since getting back home I think I've caught up with the garden... some of the stuff I just pulled out because the powdery mildew was winning.  I've about got the smell from the freezer under control... see my previous post for the details... Home Sweet Home.  Yeah it's always great to come home!  LOL

I need to get my Stashbusting spreadsheet updated sometime soon.  I also plan to get back to posting on a more regular basis... oh and sewing, painting, picking blackberries & making jelly and syrup, oh and applesauce...

I think I need to get me some more hours in my day...