We're Having A Snow Day!

I am enjoying being home today, got the call last night at around 9pm that school was cancelled for today.  I get as excited as the kids do about snow days;)  It is very pretty outside the snow is coming down and everything is white again.  As the day goes the temperatures are suppose to start dropping and the winds will pick up.

 

You can't see the snow falling very good on this picture, but it is.  Good day for staying indoors and doing some baking and sewing.  I put supper in the crock pot this morning, it is a recipe that I found the other day while redoing my recipe files.  

I had to change things up a little as didn't have some of the ingredients.  First you put chunky apple sauce in the bottom of the crock pot,  didn't have any but did have a few apples that I cooked up instead.  Next a layer of peeled chopped sweet potatoes, and one tablespoon of brown sugar sprinkled over them.

 

On top of this layer you either lay pork chops or like me if you don't have any you can use a pork roast.  Then either use a can of the whole berry cranberry sauce or make some cranberry sauce and spoon over the pork roast.

I did brown the roast first, cook on low for about 8 hours.  Looks good, will see tonight if it will be a keeper.

Next on today's schedule is deciding what sewing project to start on, have a couple of ideas.  Hope you are enjoying your day.  I definitely am going to enjoy my Snow Day!  

~Cheryl~

 

Very Cold Start

We are having a very cold start to our week.  Right now our temperature is -10F with a windchill of -27F and suppose to get colder yet tonight.  Possibility of school being called off tomorrow, hoping.  This weather is not good for the farmers fields, most of our snow is gone.

Last week I tried a new Granola Bar recipe from Pioneer Woman, very good.

 

After they cool you dip the bottoms in chocolate.  The next time I make them I am going to just drizzle chocolate over the top.  They have been disappearing around here very fast.

Also saw on pinerest where you can bake the Peasant Bread in a cast iron dutch oven.

 

In the dutch oven the loaf gets a very crisp crust, it was good, but for sandwiches my dh prefers it baked in the Pyrex bowl.

 

Next I want to try this bread with some dried cranberries, almonds, and orange zest.

This will be a good night to wrap up in a quilt and watch a good movie.

Keep warm,

~Cheryl~

Our New Favorite Bread

Peasant Bread

It is nice and crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  My husband likes it for sandwiches for work, I like it with just some butter on it.  It makes a pretty round loaf.  I bake mine in Pyrex mixing bowls.

• 4 c.  All purpose unbleached flour
• 2 tsp.  Salt
• 1 T.   Sugar
• 2 tsp. Yeast
• 2 c.   Lukewarm water
• Room temperature butter, about 2 tablespoons

1.  In a large bowl whisk the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast together.
2. Add the water ~ stir this mixture up with a wooden spoon ~ mixture will be wet.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 2 hours.
4. Grease two oven safe bowls with about one tablespoon butter each.
5. Use two forks to punch down and scrape the dough away from the sides of the bowl, turning it onto itself.  You want to make sure the dough is off the sides of the bowl and punched down.
6. Take the two forks and divide the dough in half.   Scoop it up quickly and put into the greased bowls.
7. Let rise for about one hour.
8. Preheat oven to 450F
9. Bake for 10 minutes at 450F ~ reduce temperature 375F and bake for 22-25 minutes longer.
10. When done take bread out of bowls and place on cooling racks.

Now comes the hard part ~ wait 10 minutes before cutting.   Enjoy!

                   ~Cheryl~

Canning Beef Today

Got a call yesterday that the canning meat was ready to be picked up.  I was able to get the day off from work, which was a big help, not so rushed trying to do it in the evening.   This morning got the meat out and started cutting it into smaller pieces.

Next washed up the jars and put 1/2 tsp. salt in the bottom of each jar.

Then started packing them with the meat.  I raw pack mine and do not add any liquid, this is the way my Great Aunt Esther taught me to can meat.  

The first batch ready for the caner.  Caned for 75 minutes at 11 pounds pressure. 

  

While keeping an eye on the caner worked on a crochet ruffle scarf.  It was a lot of fun and so easy to do,  you can see how to make them on you tube. 

The first batch of meat out of the caner.  I put the lids on the jars to tight and the lids were bulged up on some of them.  They did go back down as they cooled off, hoping the seal is alright.  Still in the learning processes with the Tattler Lids.  The second batch I backed off a little more after tightening them and they all came out fine.  Processed 15 pints of meat. 

Made some noodles to have with a jar of beef tonight for supper.  

Hope you are all having a great day, enjoyed my day working in the kitchen.

~Cheryl~

Morning Sky

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Beautiful day for our first full week of school after Christmas break.

~Cheryl~

A New Year

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post.  The end of our summer and fall turned out to be very busy.  We have had a lot of work to do on the house we are trying to sell.  Our grandsons have gone up with us a couple of times to help, it's always fun for them to go back to the house that they spent so much time at.

 

 

Our daughter also got a new job back in the town she grew up in and moved into her own apartment.  We had so much fun moving her in and going down to visit her.

 

 

Moving day, she has made it into a cute little home for herself.  She now has a place to hang the Christmas quilt that I gave her.

We enjoyed celebrating Christmas with family and friends, we had two different Christmas meals here.

Did some sewing for four little girls this Christmas, made each of them a skirt.  It was fun and the pattern was so easy.  They all like bright so bright it was.

These were for our three little foster granddaughters.

This one went to my great niece along with this apron.

Found some fun things on Pinterest to make for gifts for some coworkers this year.  The ones with children I made these Sundae Boxes.

Also made up some jars of  "The Smell of Christmas"  they were fun to do and they smell wonderful when you pour them into a pan and heat them.

2012 was a good year, the Lord has blessed us in so many ways.  I am looking forward to see what the Lord has for us in 2013.  Our first weekend of the new year is being spent with our grandsons, something we always enjoy.  This morning we took them to and Amish Pancake Breakfast.  The Amish here have these every couple of months along with Hay Stack Suppers.  Tonight the boys are watching the Packer/Viking game with grandpa.  The youngest will be rooting for the Vikings (our little trader) the rest of us will be cheering on the Packers.

I have missed blogging and hoping to do better at it this year.  Still have been trying to keep up with different blogs that I enjoy and checking out Pinerest.  

Wishing everyone a Blessed New Year!

~Cheryl~