More Stuff to Give Away

HDPE bottles and tops--I have what look like probably 2 oz sort of heart shaped bottles (not pointy on the bottom that one of my soaper or candle friends might want for various products. They have a fairly large area you could use for a label. I bet I have a couple hundred of them. I bought them long ago on some closeout from "Stuff Julie Likes" (that lets some of you know how long it's been, ha!). Anyway, if you're interested let me know and I'll put up a pic.

A bunch of purple and yellow embroidery floss.

Innerfuse purse kits. Make various purses including a cute chinese takeout style. Again I can post pics if there is interest. Does not come with fabric, comes with pattern and innerfuse.

Radio Shack Sleep Machine. Provides six different soothing sounds for sleeping. Say that three times fast. ;-) --TAKEN

You know the drill. Please pay shipping if you want it sent to you...I'll set aside a box with your name on it and send it to you when it's "full up" if you want.

The price is FREE. :-) If you want to make a donation to Southeast Nashville Flood Relief, I'll certainly take it, but it is NOT necessary. I know that some of you are collecting up things for other folks in need, and that is TOTALLY cool. If you need something in particular for those folks let me know. I'm not saying I have it, but I may...

Several years' worth of the Augusburg Christmas Treasury books.

The Book of Candlemaking by Chris Larkin.

Fitting Finesse by Nancy Zieman.

Giveaway Stuff

Probably fifty one ounce fragrance oil samples from various suppliers. Some are from folks like Shaw Mudge so not what I would consider a viable test list for you folks who make and sell candles/soaps. More for hobbyists who would like them. I can't post a list (just too many to list) but you'll enjoy them.

I'll probably have some one pound bottles of scent to relinquish but I haven't inventoried that yet.

Copper molds...one ring mold for jello or etc. and a couple small ones.

Used candy/soap molds. On the small side.

Joyce Meyer teen book. I'm over her, so if you aren't, have at it! :-)

***TAKEN***Electronic chess game.

Yarn and fabric; I know I'll have some more for you junkies out there so bear with me as I go through it.

Paper you can run through your laser printer and personalize for letterhead or etc. I have quite a bit if you are interested.

Crochet thread if you like that kind of stuff.

You know the drill. Please pay shipping if you want it sent to you...I'll set aside a box with your name on it and send it to you when it's "full up" if you want.

PROBABLY will have leftover oops paint when the painting is done. If you like to paint, PLEASE come over. I'll love you forever. Well, I will either way. :-)

The price is FREE. :-) If you want to make a donation to Southeast Nashville Flood Relief, I'll certainly take it, but it is NOT necessary. I know that some of you are collecting up things for other folks in need, and that is TOTALLY cool. If you need something in particular for those folks let me know. I'm not saying I have it, but I may...

You can watch nashbabe.blogspot.com to see what I post for giveaway. Twenty two years of living in one place results in a lot of stuff...and stuff we really don't need any longer.

If you live here in town, I am planning to do a weird yard sale after the 15th or so. What I mean is, I plan to pile up a bunch of stuff I want to get rid of in the garage and invite people to come over to take what they want. Free is fine with me, or if you want to donate to Southeast Nashville Flood Relief in exchange for stuff, that's fine too.

I know a couple of you don't live in town and I think your main interests are yarn and fabric, so if you remind me I will shoot pics of it. All I ask is that you pay for shipping to your abode. I can stuff lots of stuff in those priority mail flat rate boxes. Sometimes parcel post is cheaper, but not much. There's a UPS store right down the street too.

I will have an electric stove available in the next week or so. It's old, and needs a good cleaning, but is quite functional. I have to replace it so all the appliances are black, not because it doesn't work.

I will also have a queen sleeper sofa to give away once the house sells.

I have a fridge in the garage but it would need a new seal. I plan to just put it out on the bulk pickup. It would need a bunch of cleaning because it's been in the garage for six months and would be a gross job to do so...

Once I'm done painting (I'll probably invite anyone who likes to paint to my house soon because I have to paint pretty much the whole interior due to water damage from the May rains/flood) I may have a fair amount of paint left. I bought a whole bunch of oops paint for $5 a gallon instead of the standard $25-$35 a gallon, so I imagine some will be left. But I'm giving my neighbor some of it.

Lemon Pound Cake

Blasphemy! I didn't make it from scratch. But the teenager that was doing our yard work was bathed in sweat today and I felt a "tip" was in order. He loves lemon pound cake, and I used what I had. Well, I had to buy a box of lemon pudding mix, but hey...

Now I NEVER make a cake mix just the way it says to make it. I ALWAYS add an extract. Makes it taste more like home made. For some cakes, it's vanilla extract. But in this case, I had a bottle of organic lemon flavoring (go figure!) and tossed some in.

He told his mom "it's really bad for you, you shouldn't eat any." I guess that meant he wanted to save it all for himself. And that's probably a seal of approval. ;-)

Honestly, this cake does NOT measure up to pound cake at least in ingredients...not enough oil and no butter. But hey, I didn't taste it, I gave it all to the lawn dude.

Also, I never used canned frosting. Eeeew. A dusting of powdered sugar is plenty on this one. MAKE YOUR OWN FROSTING. It's just softened butter and powdered sugar, after all, with maybe a little something extra. Anne Byrn, the Cake Mix Doctor herself, preaches the no-canned-frosting gospel, and I have bought into it hook, line and sinker. ;-D

Cake:
•1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
•1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant lemon pudding and pie filling
•4 large eggs
•1 cup water
•1/3 cup vegetable oil
(added lemon flavoring--extract)

1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan.
2.Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into pan.
3.Bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto heat resistant serving plate. Cool completely.
4.For glaze, place frosting in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power 10 to 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cakes/dh/lemon-pound-cake

Homemade Jams: lessons I've learned

A few weeks ago strawberries started appearing on our shelves here in Nashvegas grocery stores. Publix was first with the Florida strawberries, and then the California ones started coming in. Of course, later this summer, fellow Franklin Farmers Market vendors will bring theirs to market, and they will blow the others away, but one must take what is available at this time of year.

At one point, strawberries were a mere $5 for four pounds. Cash has been really strapped at our home due to extended unemployment, but we really wanted to say thank you to friends and family nonetheless, and offer the wonderful flavor of homemade jam to those around us as gifts.

So I started scrounging around the house, and found that I had more jelly jars than I had originally thought. Being a chandler, this wasn't entirely surprising, as I have used them off and on for products. I also had an extremely inexpensive source for pint jars because of some connections I have for my business.

All of this led to strawberry jam creation. I must say, it is easier than I thought, and so darn yummy. Just thinking about it makes me want to go to the kitchen and grab some out of the fridge. But I have a post to write, so that will have to wait for tomorrow morning.

All you really need are jars, lids and bands, fruit pectin (available at many grocery stores), and good quality fruit--fresh or frozen will work.

Here are some quick lessons learned:

1. Jam making is NOT an art. It is a SCIENCE. That is to say, it is like a bread recipe in many respects: read the recipe through, measure carefully, and don't do any creative tweaks unless you are willing to deal with something that may or may not turn into jam (there ARE solutions if it doesn't come out the first time).

2. Use fresh pectin. Go to a store where you are reasonably certain that it turns over quickly. Check sell-by dates if they are available.

3. Use the recipe as written. Follow the steps. Read them all through ahead of time, because once you get started you will be busy for a little while (it really doesn't take very long). Do not change the steps. The more you do them, the easier they will be. You will find plenty of recipes to get started inside the pectin package itself, or by surfing over to the Sure Jell site.

4. You can boiling water can jams and no pressure cooker is needed. That was a big one for me. Or you can make jams that you store in your freezer (the fastest and easiest, but I prefer shelf-stable jams).

5. Make nifty labels on your computer and include all the ingredients. That way giftees won't have to worry about any allergies or etc.

6. Be sure to sanitize your jars. My dishwasher has a sanitize cycle which I use shortly before I make jam.

7. Keep the jars warm. Differences in temperature can cause glass to break, and where's the fun in making jam only to lose it in a broken jar? Keeping the jars in hot water until used is a good way to do this.

8. Different sweeteners need different pectins. If you want to make no sugar added spreads, or spreads with splenda or etc., you will need different pectin. When you look on the store shelf, you will find this type clearly marked.

9. Different sweeteners will change the appearance of the jams. If the bright jewel colors of jam are important to you, white sugar is the best way to get this. A yummy batch with demerara cane sugar, for example, is more robustly colored (and just downright delicious, too!). Jams with splenda will look entirely different when finished than a sugar-based jam. (They're pretty good tasting, too!)

10. A canning funnel makes life tons easier. They were selling for a measly fifty cents at my local K-Roger, so it's not exactly a budget-buster.

11. If you plan to can in boiling water, you will need a container that holds enough water to get an inch to an inch and a half of water over the top of the jar.

12. Did I say read the directions thoroughly? They are not that challenging once you read them through.

13. A dab of butter will really cut down on bubbles/foaming.

14. Just because you are able to can things does NOT mean you can sell them. In our state (and hopefully in all the other ones!) there are domestic kitchen requirements that must be met. Our state agriculture department regularly runs domestic kitchen classes to review all the regulations, and you will have to meet regular inspections. This isn't an issue for me, because I don't sell mine, but I include it here for the significant number of folks who sometimes read my blog that are interested in agriculture and selling at farmers' markets.

Anyway, if you are a neophyte like I was, I hope this is helpful! I'll post some pics as well.

Grateful

1. I feel better.

2. Hubs feels better. He didn't share in my pneumonia bliss, ;-) , but enjoyed asthmatic bronchitis instead. ;-)

3. Found some new cheap recipes, and unearthed some old ones. We all need to save money, so I'll add them here posthaste.

4. Working on a strip quilt. Fortunately for everyone, this has nothing to do with one's state of undress while making it. ;-)

5. Catching up on making product for market and various accounts. So grateful for the orders right now.

6. Merging with the other church has worked out fairly well. Other than concern for losing our identity (which I will fight tooth and nail), there's only one major problem. Well, that is a major problem, but surely I can trust God to take care of things, either fixing it or fixing me. ;-)

7. At least two of our cars still work.

8. More hope for ongoing provision in the last couple of weeks. We'll see where it all lands. It's quite the roller coaster at present. With the economy the way it is, you gotta do what you gotta do.

9. Feline therapy. I am a believer in my three pet therapists. They do a great job. Who needs Diovan when you have three lap kitties?

10. It is lonely, but I have been deliberate about reaching out to friends. It's funny how few of them are church related. But the fact remains: I know I have friends now, and they know I care for them in return. Actual relationships where I am not the one doing all the giving and encouraging! That's a good change.

11. Perspective. I have some more to say about that, but not till I take the photo I want to accompany the thought.

12. Lots more, I am sure. There are really stressful and difficult times upon us. More stress than probably ever before. But I do feel loved, and cared about, and blessed nonetheless.

making the most of what we have

A very kind friend who sells apples has been giving me their "factory seconds". Sometimes they doubt that I would want them, but I grew up on a farm and know good and well how to use those apples! Especially at present, I do not want to waste a thing if I can help it, so I've been looking at a couple cookbooks for ideas. "Too Many Tomatoes" is a book I have blogged about before, with a killer recipe for zucchini cake, and the one I'm going to mention today.

The "More with Less" cookbook came out over thirty years ago. Mennonites put it together as a way to eat well on a reduced budget. Their goal really was to use less of the world's resources, and back in 1976 that was a little more cutting edge than it is now, as you might imagine. My mother bought me this book and I used to use it somewhat regularly, but I'm using it a lot more now. The newer versions might be updated (mine is from the 80's) but the older book's recipes aren't always necessarily healthy (although lots are). They aim first for cheap and effective use of resources. Sometimes they use weird stuff like MSG once in a while, but I just eschew those recipes.

After all the ways I've used apples, of which I will chronicle in more detail later, I really thought some apple butter would be great. However, I wasn't really thrilled about using a whole ton of white sugar in apple butter, and my enthusiasm for using Splenda was pretty low as well. So in the "More with Less" cookbook I found a recipe that worked pretty well...my hubs really likes it. Go get this cookbook, or be really cheap and check it out of the library.

Honey Apple Butter

7ish pounds of peeled and cut up apples

Cook the apples and then process for applesauce. I just stuck them in a crockpot all night and then the next morning used a stick blender--that worked fine.

Add 1 cup crushed pineapple, 1 1/2 pounds honey (the size of container you can get at Aldi, for example), and 1 cup apple cider vinegar or cider, to taste. You could also add some spices--maybe cinnamon, nutmeg, you get the drift.

I took the removeable crockery out of my crockpot at that point and put the apple butter in a 300 degree oven for 3-4 hours, stir once in a while. This is to remove some of the water and make it thicker.

You can freeze it, but I put it in cleaned and sanitized jars. Stir with a plastic or wooden spoon (no metal!!!) to get air bubbles out if necessary, but there probably won't be air bubbles. Clean the rims scrupulously, and add the lids and bands. Five minutes in a boiling water bath worked just fine. Then I removed the jars and sat them on my kitchen counter. All of them sealed, which was encouraging.

**addition: it had been a while since I canned anything, so remember...heat differences are a no no! make sure your jars are sitting in hot water to stay warm and your apple butter is just-cooked and still warm! temperature differences are a problem...don't put cold jars in a boiling water bath, or they may break.***

Sometimes when life isn't going along so swimmingly, it is nice to remember that friends care, and that some things can go right--like this recipe.

This is a yummy breakfast treat, although of course it works any time of day.