Tasty, Tenacious Tomatoes

      Growing our own small "Victory" garden is a good way to control the way our family's food is grown. While cukes, peppers, herbs, and Jack B Littles are happily growing, tomatoes are the focus.  Romas, Better Boys, Early Girls, etc are the tomatoes we choose to grow in Zone 6 , although, next year I 'd like to try heirlooms. Recent studies suggest that New Girl, Jet Star, Fantastic, and First Lady may have more antioxidents.  Tomatoes are so good for us, the lycopenes (inhibitors of heart disease), vitamin A and C and potassium packed.
 Recently I read that eating tomatoes, ketchup, tomato sauce, soup, etc more than two times a week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 21 to 43 percent according to Dr. Edward Giovannucci of the Harvard University School of Public Health. WOW!                                                                                   

Romas floating in cool water.

     In early Fall, spending a few weekends to process the 80 lbs or so that are grown..cooking them down into containers of sauce is a labor of love. We can't get enough..sometimes we even go out to a farm and pick more to make sauce. The sauce is so good, fresh, and healthier...not to mention the pride factor....Imagine my pride when the kids returned from college one weekend to say, its tastes better than their fave, Prego. :) Admittedly, I have been waiting years to hear that, they're growing up.

Tomatoes are placed in hot water for 5 minutes, to soften. Sliced, they are ready to be cranked thru the machine.

Tomato milling machines are awesome. They puree

Our tomato milling machine is awesome! It separates skins and seeds from juice. We run the skins thru twice to get more pulp.



We change our shirts several times while processing. It beats the years of doing it by hand.

 


Pure red gold. It will become tomato basil soup and simmered into pasta sauce.

  There are a lot of tomato soup recipes with chicken stock bases, this one is pure, fresh pressed tomatos. This recipe is a Saturday soup, leave simmering while complete house cleaning, etc.

Tomato Basil Soup
8c fresh "squeezed" tomato. (see above)1/2 tsp olive oil. Finely chop and add 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk 1 sm  yellow onion, 3 mashed garlic cloves and simmer down to thicken.  (1/2 Red Pepper optional) Bring to boil, then simmer on low heat for 2 hours.
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
dash of hot sauce/ optional
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp parsley
Continue low heat cooking for 1 -2 hours, stir occasionally, but no need to hover over pot, the magic happens on it's own! Chiffonade Basil on top of soup before serving.
Once the soup is done, it s so versatile, add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
Endless other options tried: stir in shrimp, or 2 tsp half and half, sprinkle crumbled bacon on top, croutons

Joining Foodie Friday, Rednesday, Metamorphoses Monday, Friday Potluck ,Pink Saturday



THE LAST GIFT

After Christmas, our family, siblings, parents, children, neices, nephews, etc get together to have one last gift opening. The gifts must be the worst one you can find. Wrapped up..some more cleverly disquised than others to confuse or entice its selesction. The gifts are placed under the tree, then all gather in a circle to begin the exchange. First person chooses one from under the tree,  then one by one gifts are chosen until they are all gone. Nothing can be opened until everyone has had the chance to exchange with someone. Stealing away a gift is permitted, and adds to the excitment. Finally, the gifts are unwrapped and the expressions, and laughter just fill the house. Great way to end the Holidays. Some of my favorites moments were: a 15 yr old nephew getting a Hannah Montana Jr. Beauty Kit, another nephew (in college) opened a plastic yard raccoon statue..He loved it and it became the mascot for the house he and roommates had. My alltime favorite is a wooden cow that was part of an art project one of the kids made. Donning a Santa hat, it greets arriving family at our front door over the Holiday season...

Whats the funniest gift you've received" What did you do with it?

The 12 Days of Cookies!

Day1 Cream Wafers

It’s Cookie Baking Time!

Christmas cookies, love to make them, love to share them. Each family member has their own favorites..here are the 2011 cookie list:

Day 2: Peanut Butter Kisses 

Day3&4 : Thumbprints with Jam & Butter Cream filling

1/2cup butter
21/2 cups finely chopped walnuts
½ cup shortening
”Simply Fruit” Marmalade or butter cream for filling
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups King Arthur flour ,all purpose

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar until creamy. Add egg yoke and next 3 ingredients, beating well. Roll dough into 1” balls, then dip in egg white and roll into chopped nuts. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Place in 375 oven 5 minutes, remove from oven, make an indention in the middle of each cookie with thumb, back into oven 8 minutes longer. Remove, cool, and fill with jam or frosting. Makes about 21/2 dozen.

Butter cream frosting is the favorite at our house:
1/2 stick butter
Few drops of milk
1 pkg. confectioners sugar

Beat butter in a large bowl. Add sugar. Add milk a little at a time until icing is of desired consistency. If color is desired, add a few drops of food coloring.


Day5: Anise Pizzelles (my husband's favorite)

 

1 3/4c flour

2t baking powder

3 Lg eggs

3/4 c sugar

1/2 c melted butter

2T vanilla or anise

Preheat Pizzelle press

Mix flour and baking powder in small bowl. Use a Hand mixer to mix eggs for 1 minute, until thick. On low speed mix in melted butter and anise. Add flour mixture and mix just til combined. With a brush or paper towel, add a little oil to the griddle drop apx 1 1/2 t of dough onto griddle. (This recipe has a thicker dough.) Close and bake until light comes on.Cool, may dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Day 6: Iced Sugar Cut-Outs

Day7:Peanut Butter Fudge

(12-oz. pkg.) Peanut Butter Chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
2T Butter
Combine ingredients. Microwave at high speed until mix melts. Pour into pan. Allow to cool over night. So Simple and tasty!

Day8: Pa Rum Pum Pum Balls

1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts, or almonds
1 1/4 cups finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/3 cup rum

Mix all ingredients, adding rum last. Chill the batter and then shape into 1 inch balls. Then roll the rum balls in confectioners sugar, finely chopped nuts, or cocoa powder, white chocolate.
 

Day9: Chocolate/Amaretto Balls
 
Day10: Italian Cookies
 

Day11: Greek Twists
 

Day12: Russian Tea Cakes

May the Joy and the Spirit of this Season bring you peace. Merry Christmas!

The last day of 2010

I could not believe how warm it was when I let Scooby out this morning.  It should be 38 ish degrees, not nearly 70! So we end the year with the promise of a blessed new year, hopeful for peace, happiness, prosperity and especially, good health. I wish that for you and your families too. As the warmth of the day continued to climb, it came as an unexpected surprise. We sat on the porch , with Scooby, this last day of the year. My mind making a list of garden chores as we all sat hatting and laughing over Scooby's antics. For a  pup of 14 years, he still acts as if he is 4, galloping chasing, ready to play. His arthritis never seems to bother him. Scooby is an inspiration.  Happy New Year everyone! 2011!

Thanksgiving 2010..thankful for ..family, friends, freedom....

Autumn Tree warms up the room

 "Jack B Little" pumpkins were grown in our yard and used as placecards and served as a guest gift , along with a CD of photos of past gatherings.

Digital picture frame, loaded with memorable events kept the "kids" table amused!

Messages of things to be grateful for were printed on strips of paper, trimmed with craft scissors and placed on the kids table centerpiece, hung from the chandelier, and throughtout places where guest might walk. Messages ranged from sentimental (grateful for my sisters, family).. .to silly..(to grateful for a new quarterback). Everyone seemed to enjoy looking for them!

Autumn!!.. abundant,colorful, beautiful

 

Ghosts around the tree are made of plastic trash bags..

An Amish farm stand provided these beautiful pumpkins

Preparing lunch for the "girls", Pumpkin Soup, Greens marinated in a cranberry vinegrette,
and a coffee punch  , which was a big hit.

Summer was fading, catching last moments...

Summer is fading and before Autumn arrives, I wanted to enjoy one last weekend morning, admiring all things outside.  I decided to get up an hour before the light and greet the day from the porch. Steaming coffee in hand, and Scooby at my side, we went out at dawn to watch the Day break. Risidual hurricane effects created a thick, stand still layer of clouds, which prevented seeing a midwest sunrise. However, the magic didn't stop,as the light came across the grass, the plants, still wet from nite's rain, lit up and their vibrant summer green leaves were beginning to drop.  Morning Glories and wild seeds I sowed were in full swing and the littles beauties that had given us so much pleasure all summer were showing signs of fall with yellow and  brown heads that were seeding. The humid summer air wafted the floral scented passion flowers on to the porch, encouraging me to go and have a look at them. The three leafed vines were growing to the top of the roof and rambling over the tops of other bushes and arborvitaes. The flowers; fragrant, lavender, detailed beauties. The plants are known for their herbal remedie properties. They

Remembering porches..

     I have been wondering about how porches fell out of vogue during housing designs of the 70's and 80's? They are essential to socialization in neighborhoods. So many memories are connected to the porches of my own childhood.  A visit to Aunt Pauline's house could mean bounce-rocking in one of her vintage shell back metal chairs. Remember those? They were American made , Wormack designed, singular tubing  framing bright colors of red, yellow, turquoise, white. I adored sitting on her porch, in one of those chairs. Aunt Pauline, a beautiful woman, well dressed, energetic, with a gift for hospitality and conversation. When you left, you felt warm and important. Her strong Southern accent made you smile inside, often I would replay her lyrical voice in my head. A Sunday visit was nearly always the case because she lived in town, close to church. That meant dressing up, attending service, then visiting on her porch afterwards. As you walked up the dogs would come out of nowhere to greet you, then scatter as you sat to chat and sip fresh lemonade served in a colorful aluminum tumbler. Remember those?!

Early and abundant Summer

Grandparent's Porch

June has flown passed and though demands have kept us on the go, we have managed to sneak in family porch time several evenings this month. I have been thinking about the porches that marked passages of time for me. The earliest memories I have begin with on my grandparents humble southern porch. Their home had two porches, a more formal one on the front and the one we all gathered on in the backyard. It was a cement slab with with black wrought iron rails that we used to balance ourselves in between the rails trying to be as tall as the adults. The porch had only one chair wrought iron, of coarse, and that was for Mamaw. The kids just sat on the steps or clung onto to the ironwork, twisting and contorting to remain on. A well was located there, ingeniously placed by Papaw, afforded getting water much easier . Large honeysuckle vines covered one side of the porch and filled the morning air with a heavenly scent. Mamaw worked tirelessly in her kitchen until her "stories" came on, then back to the kitchen to prepare supper. Meantime, as a child, spending summers there was the best. It meant playing "I Spy" or "Tag" in the backyard with my cousins. "NOT IT!!" Naturally, the porch was "SAFE!" Most days and evenings centered around the porch. Memories of snapping sugar bean, shelling peas, husking corn, and listening to my mom and aunts telling stories and laughing. Toward evening Aunt Charlotte would bring us out a special treat to cool us off. Porch popsickles were special and tasted extra good, especially cherry. Mamaw's porch was what memories were made from. Coarse, it was also the spot you were taken to "discuss" any antics you may have been a part of..While that was several decades ago, I still feel "safe" there when I visit now.

Porches

The front porch. It's the first and last thing we noticed about our house when we were looking. Porches hold so many memories for all of us. It's a place to have our morning coffee before setting off to our daily routines, then it's a place we gather in the evening to share the events of our day. Porches are our public window to our neighborhood, yet can also be a cozy private spot for sharing personal affairs. My next few blogs will be about porch memories.

Spring and the Ducks

Spring has arrived early this year. A pair of Mourning Doves made a nest on the porch.  It had been raining for several days, but not today! Today it is warm, the porch is filled with sunshine and Scooby is taking a porch siesta. He hasn't noticed the ducks floating by in the puddles our yard has collected. ..or the baby bunnies huddling near the bricks.