For Anyone Who Wants to Join In...

For those who know us (Joe, Shaun and myself Susan), then you know how much work has been going on around the store and the house.  I do not know what we would have done if not for the great help we have from our friends in the store (Ginger and Tom). It has been  VERY busy time over the past year for us here at Country Road Antiques, and at home with the new house.  We are trying to remodel the store a little at a time and balance that with our new home which we are still working on. The cost of everything has been a large investment. One of the ways that I try to help balance that is by making home-made items from the kitchen for my family. Knowing what is going into our food is another big bonus. Along the way I have been asked a lot of questions… soooo…

I have decided to do some articles on dehydrating and canning. Several of my friends have asked me to gives instructions and recipes for putting food up. Living in the country gives us a great opportunity to put up a lot of seasonal foods.  If done correctly it can be very economical and fun.  If you live in the city, but want a taste of homemade this is a wonderful way to achieve that goal.

I hope that you enjoy the preserving of food or the making of a great dish as much as I do. Watch for my articles, and if you have a recipe or idea that you would like to share please let me know.  Please subscribe and I am looking forward to hearing from everyone.

 

Dehydrating Pineapple The Easy Way...AND....

Well as I surfed the Web a few days ago I ran across an idea I just had to try out. The result was two fold. Dehydrating pineapple from canned pineapple! The pineapple rings that I dehydrated were packed in their own juice. I drained the pineapple over a pan and saved it. Taking the pineapple slices I put them on my Excalibur dehydrator at 135 degrees for about 12 hours. Times can vary. They became leathery and dry inside. No moisture can show. Placing what was left after my crew here, (Joe and Shaun) did not eat in a jar, I sealed them down for snacking on later. Now for the bonus....Pineapple Jelly from the juice.. Check out the pictures below on the Jelly Making!

 

Pineapple Jelly Cooking...

 

 

Pineapple Jelly In the Canner!

 

 

The Finished Jars..Looks Great to Me...

 

 

A picture of the pineapple drying!!

 

 

 

Some of My Favorite Home Tips!!!

I wanted to post a few tips that I have found along the way. Hope some of them help you.

If you have a picture that wants to fall sideways all the time, you can take a piece of tape and wrap it around the center of the wire where the picture hangs. This when placed on the wall hanger will not slip and slide! 

When planting in pots you can use a coffee filter to line the pot with, and this will help keep the soil in the pot when watering. 

Want to save a little money on potting soil when planting a large pot of flowers. Save those packing peanuts and use them in the bottom of the large pots. This gives good drainage and helps fill up the pots so you do not have to use so much soil and the pot will not weigh so much. 

You can line a flower bed with newspaper, and then lay your mulch on top. This helps keep weeds from coming up through the mulch. 

If you have a set of glasses that are stuck together try putting cold water in the top glass and setting the bottom glass in warm water. This should let them slide apart. 

Painting around a window glass can be made easy if you cut a piece of newspaper to fit the window. Wet the newspaper and stick it to the window before you paint.  Take the newspaper off when finished painting. 

Have a drawer full of appliance cords and have to search through to find the right cord. Save the cardboard rolls from toilet paper. Place a cord in the roll and write on the roll what the cord goes to. 

Be sure to run cold water when using the garbage disposal as this helps keep fats solid and lets them be chopped up instead of re-solidifying  later in the pipes.  

Want to save some money on drying clothes. Try putting a couple of dry wash clothes or a towel in the dryer when you dry your clothes. This can cut the drying time by as much as 20 minutes. This saves time, and money on the electric bill. 

One of my favorite tips is about making tuna salad, chicken salad, or ham salad. I hate to peel eggs for these and while on vacation at a very nice restaurant a chef told me his secret. Don’t use boiled eggs for these. It is too time consuming. Put just a little butter in a non-stick pan and scramble the eggs till just a little dry. Chop a little and use these! It taste the same and takes a fraction of the time to do.  Also on the cans of tuna open the lid all the way around but leave the lid resting in the can on the tuna. Run cold water over the top of the lid and then press the lid down forcing the water out of the tuna. Do this a few times making sure to press all the water out. Your tuna will have a light taste.

 

Monkey Butter!!!!!!

Okay I must be in the mood to do some canning. Being stuck in the house for a few days with all the snow outside will make you a little crazy. I have found this new recipe that I am about to die to try out. Now this is the name it goes by so do not blame me for it! MONKEY BUTTER... Yes you heard right Monkey Butter. I found this site on YouTube and there is a great video on making the fruit butter by Katzcradul. I am always looking for new jams, jellies or butters to make for the store, (Country Road Antiques). You can find us on Facebook. That was my plug for the store LOL. Anyway back to this fruit butter. Below you will find the recipe... Hope you like it!

MONKEY BUTTER
5- perfectly ripe bananas, no bruises
1- 20 ounce can, crushed pineapple in natural juice (do not drain)
3- cups sugar
¼- cup coconut, (I used sweetened shredded), finely chopped
3- tablespoons bottled lemon juice


Put the crushed pineapple with juice in a large pot. Slice bananas directly into the pineapple. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cook over low heat until mixture thickens, takes about 30 minutes or so. Fill sterilized jars, and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Remove from bath and let cool for 24 hours before removing bands and labeling.

This is made like an apple butter so it is cooked down to the thickness that you want. Now where did I put that piece of buttered toast!

 

 

Monkey Butter Cooking... YUMMMM

 

 

Monkey Butter ready to put into hot clean jars!

 

 

Monkey Butter in Canner.

 

Finished Jars of Monkey Butter... Wow did they come out nice!

 

 

 

 

 

Raspberry Orange Walnut Conserves

This is a recipe that I have made several times now and have fallen in love with it. Below are the ingredients that you will need to make them.

4 ½ Cups of Raspberries.(these can be fresh,or thawed out frozen ones.

2 Cups of oranges that have been peeled and put in a blender, food processor, or chopped fine. This is just the meat of the orange with no pith or peel.

8 ½ Cups of white sugar.

1 Box of pectin.

1 Cup of chopped walnuts.

1 Tablespoon of the grated zest from the oranges you just cut up.

1 teaspoon butter.


Place the crushed berries, oranges, butter, and pectin in a large pot. Cook this over medium heat until it reaches a full boil that cannot be stirred down. To this mixture add all the sugar at one time and return to a boil. Add the zest, nuts, and boil at a full rolling boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and ladle into clean sterile jars. Fill the jars to ¼ inch from the top. Wipe the rims clean and place hot lids and bands that have been finger tightened onto the jars. Place in a rack in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars carefully and place on a towel to cool out of all drafts. Cool for 24 hours. Check for seals.