A Recipe...Sort of

This beautiful pot of delish-ness is the final product. Notice all of the beautiful colors and chunks

This was the pot when I first mixed everything up and got her heating up

These are the little garden cuties I used in my sauce

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to cook and I love to bake. There is ONE difference between the two for me. When I cook, I tend to throw things together and hope it tastes good. When I bake, I follow my recipe to a T. Always. This is why, when some of you ask me for a recipe, I have to make something up, literally! I essentially KNOW what I put in there, but the amounts of items are definitely up for debate. I guess you could say, my philosophy is if it tastes good, eat it. If it doesn't taste so good...Add something to it and hope it can pass as edible. Now, throwing things together is NOT always the case for me when cooking. I do follow recipes a lot of the time, but things I make often, I like to improvise or wing it sometimes. Today was sorta one of those days. I decided to do something nice and make homemade spaghetti sauce for dinner for the hubs. We had chicken out and we always have spaghetti and sauce in the pantry so it was gonna be a pretty easy dinner. Then, I decided what the heck, it's really NOT that much harder to make homemade pasta sauce, from scratch. Really, anyone can do it. Before I started, I did have to check and make sure I had some canned tomatos. Without this main staple of spaghetti sauce, I would either have to run to the store or doctor up some jarred sauce. Neither of these seemed to appease me, so I was THRILLED to discover that I had 4, yes, 4 cans of different variety tomatos! If I am going to make sauce, I wanna make a big batch and sort of make it worth my while and at least have some to freeze and if we are lucky, leftovers too. Like I said, my sauce really does not have a recipe, however, I have watched my father in law make it plenty of times and I just sort of follow his example and wing the rest! I have to say that this was my best batch of homemade sauce EVER! I really wanted to bottle some up as in pressure can it, but we will save that for another day, perhaps if my garden ever decides to give us tomatos. Well, here goes my attempt at a spaghetti sauce recipe. If you all have NEVER tried to make your own sauce, DO it! You more than likely won't be disapointed ;)

Spaghetti Sauce:

4- 15 oz cans of Tomatos or tomato sauce (I used one can tomato sauce, 1 crushed, 1 petite diced and 1 stewed as it's what I had)

2 yellow onions diced

1 head of garlic (yep, all of it)

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped basil (from my garden)

3 carrots (shredded)

3 green peppers (small, from the garden, chopped up)

4 slices of cut up bacon

salt to taste

1 stem rosemary, chopped (again from the garden)

1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (It depends on how much if any kick you want it to have)

1 tsp olive oil

Now comes the FUN part, cooking it and making it come together. First I take a large stockpot and put the olive oil in the bottom. Next in the pan is your bacon pieces. I sautee them (medium high to high heat) up until they are nice and crispy like. Don't bother to drain the bacon fat out of the pan as it gives the sauce excellent flavor. Once the bacon is cooked, add your onions and start sauteeing them. I also add a smidge of salt to sweat them out. When your onions are cooking, add your garlic (I was out of fresh garlic and only had 5 cloves so I left whole and put in the sauce and used about 1/4 cup of the pre chopped in a jar garlic from my neighbor). Once you start to smell the garlic, it's time to add the tomatos! Just dump em right on in the pool! I then added my fresh veggies and herbs and blended it all together. Once it was blended, I added a bit of salt and my red pepper flakes. I think I remembered to incorporate all my ingriedients, yes! Now, you can essentially set it and forget it. I turn mine down to about a 5 on my stove for a few minutes, get it nice and bubbly (use a lid people) and then I turn it down to a 2 or 3 and let it simmer away for a good hour and a half to about 3 hours. The longer you leave your sauce to simmer, the more concentrated and delish it will become. I sauteed mine for about an hour and a half tonight and it was delish. What, Oh, you want to see some pictures? Sure, that's no problem at all, I've got em right here. If you decide to make this sauce, please tell me how it turned out for you. And remember, this is the way I do it, feel free t adjust any amounts and add anything else that I may be missing. I would have added some squash and zucchini if I would have had some in the fridge. Happy eating!

We Be Jammin!

Here are the jars that I "put up" yesterday.

Peach Rhubarb Pie Jam

Rhubarb Blackberry Lime Jam

Mmmmmm. This is what Jam is before it's jam!

One of my new favorite passions is canning. Why canning you may ask? I say Why not. If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE to be in the kitchen and I enjoy baking, cooking and now canning. I am also a native Minnesotan so perhaps it's ingrained in my DNA. I am not sure why I decided that THIS is the summer that I learn how to can...Perhaps it's because I have a bigger kitchen than I've had in the past or maybe it was just time to learn. I've watched my mom can for years, but never until now had a desire to can anything. Ever. I started my canning adventure by doing what any self respecting person looking to learn a new skill would do: I trolled the Internet and picked up a copy of the "Canning Bible" also known as the Ball Blue Book. It has TONS of practical advise on canning and a ton of recipes in it too. Did you know that you can pretty much can anything? For real. You can can jam and fruit and pasta sauce and mustard and chocolate sauce and salsa and soup and well I could literally go on for days but I won't. Some other great resources that I found for canning were blogs. One of the blogs that I really like that has great information and recipes on it is: http://www.sbcanning.com/ this lady is very saavy when it comes to ANYTHING canning, she is a certified master canner (perhaps a new title I could attain). Another blog I like to look at is: http://www.foodinjars.blogspot/. The first thing I had to do when I was ready to can was to pick up a few supplies like a canning kit, which includes a funnel, lid magnet, air bubble remover and headspace tool and of course a jar lifter. This kit again can be picked up at local hardware stores or your local retailer like Wal Mart. I do not have a water bath canner, however, I do own plenty of large stock pots and at this time, it's what I use. I was able to get a pressure canner from a friend and she was kind enough to give me one of her grandmas to have (thank you Michelle). I in return, promise to keep her well stocked with my canned items. She also gave me a bunch of grandma's old jars and they are amazing. Am I the only one who thinks that old jars are super cool? I just WONDER what has gone into these jars, oh if only these jars could talk. There are a couple of the jars that are super special looking and I will be saving them for some super special treats and I will probably keep them for myself (selfish right) UNLESS, someone else appreciates the jars as much as I do. Have I mentioned that it's a pretty satisfying feeling to can your own food? It's pretty amazing to make something from scratch and then preserve it and use it in the next year. I KNOW exactly what is in my food, do you? I would like to share a couple of the recipes that I made yesterday that I found on SB Canning. She also has a Facebook page and is very good about getting back to you if you leave her a comment. It's also a knowledgeable community of people on there who can exchange ideas or recipes with you.

You all may be wondering why I am canning all these new recipes. It's simple really. I've got some things comming up, big things ;) Okay, Okay. I have entered a jam exchange on www.Stephchows.blogspot and every participant is to get a name and send them TWO 1/2 pints of jam. I am also entering a bunch of categories at the Payne County Fair in Stillwater next week. I REALLY want to earn a blue ribbon. Thats all kids, I hope you TRY these recipes and enjoy them.

I am going to end this note with the recipes I used yesterday. I found them on the SB Canning site. Enjoy and if you've never canned, give it a try!

Rhubarb Blackberry Lime Jam

(I doubled this recipe and got 5 1/2 pints)

2 Cups diced rhubarb

1 Cup frozen or fresh blackberries

1 tsp lime zest

2 T. bottled lime juice

1 1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 T. pectin (Ball Flex batch low sugar/no sugar)

If using frozen berries, let thaw for 30 minutes if possible. Sterilize 2 half pint jars. Combine first 5 ingriedients in a stock pot or dutch oven and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes until the recipe is at a boil. Continue stirring until the rhubarb begins to break down. Bring back to a boil for one minute. Add the pectin and contine boiling for one minute more at a full boil. Remove from heat and using a canning funnel, ladel the recipe into the jars leaving 1/4" headspace. Add sterilized lids and rings and process in water bath for 10 minutes (at a full boil).

Peach Rhubarb Pie Jam

2 C chopped rhubarb

4 medium peaches (NOT Peeled, but pitted and cut into slices)

4 T. bottled lemon juice

2 C sugar

1 t. cinnamon

1 1/2 T Ball flex batch (no sugar/low sugar) pectin

Fill your water bath canner with 5 jars and get the jars and lids boiling to sterilize them.

Add to the saucepan the rhubarb, peaches, lemon juice and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Back at the pot, check the consistency of the recipe and break up some of the peaches with your rubber spoon or spatula leaving chunks, add sugar and bring the recipe to a biil. Be careful as the recipe will be thick and will splatter during the boil. Once at a boil, add the pectin and bring back to a boil for ONE minute. During the minute, remove the jars from the water and set them on a dishtowel. Ladel the jam into the jars, leaving 1/4" headspace, and put lids and rings back on and waterbath for 10 minutes. Take out and place on a rack and leave alone for 12 hours. Check to make sure all your jars are sealed. Enjoy.

First Day Of School

Meet the Teacher Prezzie of M&M Cookies I made

Look at this handsome First-Grader

So if ya'all don't know, we start school early in the south, really early....Like TODAY, August 11th early. Believe me, the kids don't really get out of school any earlier than the rest, however we do have a lot of "snow days" each winter and to make sure these are accounted for, we start school early. Today was Abe's first day of first grade! I can't believe I have a "grader". We did the whole meet the teacher night the other night and I really like the teacher. I get the feeling she's been around the block a time or two and will know how to handle my precocious, adorable boy. I even made his teacher a fabulous gift (sucking up of course as we need ALL the help we can get). I got a cute jar and filled it with 3 dozen M&M cookies. I figure the way to anyone's heart is through their stomach or hopefully sweet tooth ;) I also found out we got the class with the kid who has "food allergies" (UGH) which means NO HOMEMADE TREATS :( Sad Face! We also have Abe's arch nemisis from last year in his new class, sitting RIGHT NEXT TO HIM. I guess we will see how that will go.

I am pretty excited to get back on a schedule and back to a routine of sorts. Levi will start school on August 22nd as he goes to school in another town and another district so the calendars are differing a bit. I may also start Ike in Mother's day out one day a week. I was apprehensive to do this as he is my last baby, but, I recently got a part time job.....Really part time, like 6 hours a week. The perfect amount to get me out of the house while the kiddies are at school. Oh, so what am I doing you may ask? Well, I am the new Hallmark girl at the local Wal Mart. I actually work for Hallmark doing "retail merchandising" for one of our Wal Marts. So far, so good. The ladies I work for are great and I can pretty much come and go as I please and do my job and go home. It's a good fit all around. I am also involved in our local P.T.A. organization, but we do not call nor affiliate ourselves as the PTA. We are called P.I.E. which stands for Partners In Education and we function the same way. We raise money and the group collectively votes on requests and where the money would be best spent for all the schools in our city. I am actually serving as the Secretary this year and it's almost a full time job in and of its self. I am meeting a lot of great people in my community and developing some friendships. If you all don't volunteer, I urge you to do so. A couple hours a month can definitely make a BIG impact. I know I certainly plan to be more involved this year.









I am also going to start making time for more physical activity! I know I feel better when I get up earlier and get going. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and be a bit cooler in the mornings so I can go for a short run. It gives me time to clear my head, zone out to some great music and have a positive spin on my day!









Happy School Year Everyone!!!

Welcome back to Reality!

Wow! It feels as if I've not been online for quite some time. I guess that would NOT be too far from the truth. If you've not heard, I took a "mommy only" vacation home to Minnesota. To say that I had a blast would quite possibly be the understatement of the year. It's hard to believe that I've been gone for 7 1/2 years living life as a "southerner".

First and formost, I got to spend a lot of time with a lot of AMAZING people. I was definitely welcomed home and would like to thank everyone for their hospitality and generosity. It makes my heart so happy to know ya'all still love me. I am also sad that I didn't get to see everyone I intended to see and didn't get to spend time with everyone I wanted to...I would also like to extend an invitation to anyone to visit me in Oklahoma. I will certainly return the hospitality!

To make a list of my FIVE favorite things I did on my trip, would certainly NOT do my trip any justice. I had so many dates that it was incredible! I ate at a TON of amazing restaurants and went to one really beautiful wedding. I also got to hang out in my "hometown" of Mora, MN and that was a blast as well (Thanks Amy and Mike Larson for putting up with me and boarding me for the night). I got to go to the Kanabec County Fair and see a whole lot of people I've not seen in literally years and also got to go to the local watering hole(s) known as The Crystal and Bowes. I got to see my Grandma and have a breakfast date with her. Let me tell you about that! So, when I called Grandma Lila to see if we could meet and I could see her house, etc, I was essentially blown off....Really! She was "busy" on a day I could meet with her dinner and card club and she finally was able to squeeze me in for a breakfast date. I've not seen her for a while, so it was WORTH getting up early on a Sunday Morning, Hung over and driving to see her. We had a very nice time and I even bought her breakfast. I also got to see my other side of the family which does not happen very often either. Unfortunately, my Grandma, Lenora was in the hospital. She's not deathly ill or anything, just some heat related issues. Even though it was not under the best of circumstances, it was still nice to see her! I also got to see my Uncle Dick, Aunt Diane and Grandpa Chuck. I wish I would have had more time to spend with my Aunt and Uncle and to see my cousins, Matt and Melissa but I guess there is always next time for that.

Monday Night, I got to spend the evening with the Beautiful and Amazing Aunie! It was so fabulous to catch up with her and chit chat and I truly wish we lived closer to one another. Did I mention, I am encouraging people to vacation in Oklahoma. If you like sweltering heat, by all means stop on by!

I got to meet some cute babies, namely Ms. Olivia and Ms. Lydia. They were both adorable and they loved me! No, Really, they did! I was just glad to finally meet them.

Did I mention I ate at some truly kick ass restaurants? I had a lunch date with Julia and Ms. Lydia at Cafeteria in Uptown Minneapolis and to say it was fabulous, does not do it justice. It was a spectacular day to eat on the rooftop patio. Good company and great food! I also had a lunch date on another equally beautiful day at Bryant Lake Bowl with my good friend, Eric. I had a Gorgonzola burger and it was effing fabulous! We also got to chat and catch up as it's been NUMEROUS years.

I will also mention that to see the largest amount of people, I decided to throw together a happy hour. We decided to meet at Psycho Suzi's in Minneapolis. It was such a quirky, fabulous place. I loved it! What I loved even more was being surrounded by so many people that I love and care about. The company and libations were great and I looked super cute too ;) And I got numerous compliments on my glasses (Score). I wish I would have got to spend a lot longer than a few hours with this fabulous group, but I will take what I can get with my peeps.

One of my last stops was Duluth. I was invited to a dear childhood friends wedding. I told her I would absolutely LOVE to come and try to work out my schedule and make it happen. Fortunately, it was in the cards and I was able to make it. She also called me on Friday to invite me up for the rehersal and the Grooms dinner, to say I was touched would be an understatement. The food and company were great. The next day was the wedding and I had a nice afternoon hanging out with Mike Larson while waiting to go to the Church for the wedding. It was a great wedding and beautiful to watch their two families unite into one family. I was able to go to the reception for a while and found it really hard to say goodbye. There were lots of tears shed and I wish I would have had more time to spend with Tara (I love that girl), but unfortunately, I had to drive back to the Metro so I would be 150 miles closer to home.

Last and certainly not least, I would like to thank the Walsh family for their amazing hospitality! I seriously LOVE them like they are my own family and do consider them as such! I stayed at their house numerous night and now that they are "empty nesters", even have my own room. I even made them my signature meal one night (steak, gorgonzola cream sauce, asparagus, naan, wine). It was the least I could do to thank them for all they have done for me through the years.

Ah, Crap! Now I am crying again thinking about the wonderful people I have in my life. By no means is this an inclusive list of my travels, but a good description. I would also like to add that Amy Morgan and I are tentatively planning a girls only trip for next summer in or around Minnesota.....Or perhaps somewhere tropical like Mexico? If you'd like in or have any suggestions on a great place to go, let me know!!!

Minnesota, you've not seen the last of me!