This morning I was up early even though the alarm wasn’t set. I was treated out the kitchen window with the site of a deer and her baby up in the field behind the garden. The little deer scampered and ran all over the field. So cute. The mama grazed for quite awhile before moving along into the tree line. With the lack of rain I’ve been wondering where they’ve been getting a drink. Our spring dried up a couple of weeks ago.
Speaking of deer, last Wednesday morning I was suprised to see two bucks up in the same field. They were grazing and playing together. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were the set of twins I saw two years ago. I scanned the field for other deer and was even more suprised to see another small buck and a 6 point Stag. He stood so majestically looking down toward the house I was in awe. These are the times I wish for a large camera with a zoom lense.
Last Monday my friend gave me more green tomatoes (yeah.). I mentioned in a earlier post that I’m supposed to be making, friends request, Green Tomato Relish but I didn’t have all my ingredients last week. No excuses now. I immediately prepped the green tomatoes, chopped up the cabbage and put them in the fridge till the next day. On Tuesday I got off work early so as soon as I hit the door I started making the relish. Again the recipe and pics are here
http://arkansasfarmerette.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/green-tomato-relish/. I ended up with 4 pints and 4 half pints. The half pints were for me and the pints went to my friend. Thursday when I took them to her she asked, “I’ll probely be picking more green tomatoes next Tuesday do you want them?” Ah…SURE! :O)
I made Oatmeal Hermits cookies before breakfast today. I wanted to get them done while it was cool this morning. These are neat drop cookies made with Karo syrup; my first time making them. Easy to mix together and good for ya oatmeal how could you go wrong except for the brown sugar and syrup. Ah we all need some “sweet” every once in a while. In honor of that I added chocolate chips.
Oatmeal Hermits
Here’s the recipe:
Oatmeal Hermits – A Karo® Vintage Recipe
Corn syrup keeps these soft cookies moist for several days.
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
2 cups quick oats (not instant)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp, salt
2 tsp. Argo® Baking Powder
1 tsp. Spice Islands® Ground Saigon Cinnamon
1/2 cup Karo® Dark Corn Syrup
1/2 cup Mazola® Corn Oil
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Mix oats, brown sugar and raisins in a large bowl; add flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and mix well.
Whisk together corn syrup, oil and eggs in a small bowl. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned around edges. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool.
Variation: Try substituting 1 cup chocolate chips for the raisins. Omit cinnamon and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the corn syrup mixture.
Today I’m making strawberry jam. Yesterday Wal-Mart had them on sale for 98 cents a pack. What canning nut could resist? Not me! I bought 5 packs and then after cleaning them up I wanted more so…my brother and sister-in-law are picking me up 5 more packs and some more No Sugar Needed Pectin later today.
(Note from later today: Sister-in-law called and the 98 cent strawberries are all gone; price up to $1.98 so I told her not to get them.)
In the meantime…
Simply Sweet Strawberry Jam
Oh what a mess I made…in the kitchen. Dad and I are cutting back on sugar so I wanted a recipe that called for Splenda. I found just what I needed on their site. I doubled the recipe and made 6 half-pint jars with about 1/3 c. left over. Don’t do like me a forget the water in the recipe. I couldn’t tell if it made a difference in the taste. I am hoping it doesn’t make a difference in the jam “setting”.
BTW, a pastry blender works real well to crush/chop up the strawberries.
Recipe From http://splenda.tastebook.com/recipes/1397108-Simply-Sweet-Strawberry-Jam
3 cups prepared strawberries (buy about 3 pt. fully ripe strawberries)
3/4 cup water
1 box SURE-JELL For Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes Premium Fruit Pectin
1/2 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated or 12 SPLENDA® Packets No Calorie Sweetener
1. Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Fill boiling-water canner half full with water; add jars and water to cover. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Place lids in water to cover in a small saucepan; bring water to a simmer. Simmer until ready to use. Remove and drain jars and lids, one at a time, as needed for filling.
2. Cut strawberries in half; crush using potato masher or food processor. Place exactly 3 cups of crushed strawberries in a large saucepan; stir in water. Gradually add pectin, stirring until blended.
3. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, stirring until SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener dissolves. Skim off any foam with metal spoon. Allow to stand for 5 minutes to minimize separation of fruit and liquid.
4. Ladle hot jam into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4-inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on rack in canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil.
5. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing center of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.) Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Once opened, store refrigerated and use within 2 weeks.
Yield: 3 half-pint jars
After making the Jam I used my canning Boiling Water Bath to dunk some tomatoes in to make them easier to peel. I have so many on the table I needed to peel and cut them up to put in the freezer. I was just finishing when…
I had so many plans today, but I didn’t get but a few of them done. At noon I ended up taking my Dad to the emergency room. His new knee replacement, 3 mos. old, was hot and swollen. We were told that all is well with the knee, no infection he could find. The ER Dr. consulted with Dad’s orthropedic Dr. and decided to do a fluid withdrawal of the fluid around his knee to check for infection that way. We’re to call on Monday to set that up. So back at it tomorrow. Tonight I write, post and watch TV.
IT RAINED HERE AT MY HOUSE TODAY!!! YEAH!!!
arkansasfarmerette2012 