Chow Chow

Home made chow chow. The best way to use the "tail end" of the garden as my grandma used to say. It has cabbage, onion, zucchini that got just a little too big, peppers, green tomatoes and anything else you might want to throw in. Chop everything finely and combine. Make a basic pickling liquid with sugar, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil. Season with salt, turmeric, celery seed, garlic and anything other herb you particularly like. Add chopped vegetables to the hot liquid. Fill sterilized canning jars. Wipe off rims and add sterilized lids. Process in water bath for 10 minutes. Don't start timing until water is bubbling. (Do not pressure can.) Listen for the lids to pop! Let cool before removing from pot unless you are crazy and impatient like me, but being impatient can lead to burns. Please be careful. This chow chow is great with soup beans and corn bread! Hope you enjoy.

Easy Egg Rolls

I believe that sometimes we make things more complicated than they are, but I promise anyone can do this. Don't stress over how much of this and that to add. If you like garlic, add a lot! When you make these fresh and hot, they will be so much better than anything you buy already made, you will wonder why you never tried making them before. It is ok to substitute ingredients in most recipes. Since I live with hunters, sometimes I use ground venison instead of the turkey in the egg rolls. Just use what you like and enjoy!

Bread and Butter Pickles

Don't let all those extra cucumbers go to waste! Anyone can make bread and butter pickles; since they don't need to be pressure canned, no specialized equipment is required. Just find a basic recipe online and go to it! You only need cucumbers, a little onion, sugar, vinegar, pickling salt and pickling spice. Once you have homemade pickles, you will be amazed at how much better they are than what you get at the supermarket. If you don't have any extra cucumbers, maybe your gardening neighbor does - hint, hint. You and your family will be glad you took the time to try these.

I had 2 matching mirrors that got cracked. I took out the glass and added nylon screen from the back. I found that for me hot glue worked the best because it was hard to manipulate little glaciers points or staples with my stubby fingers. Anyway I have a place for all my earrings with hooks. I like these much better than the mirrors.

We need coffee to go with our cupcake!

A little leftover paint brightens up a tiny dark kitchen at work. We need things to make us smile, especially on the job!

Helping Neighbors

Anytime you are making a pot of delicious home made soup for your family, make a little extra. Fill up a jar and take it to an elderly neighbor. Be sure to label the jar so they know what kind of soup they are getting. If there are any special instructions, be sure to add that also. You might be surprised how much a small act like this can mean to someone.