Stephanie's Salsa

The past two years I've canned salsa with my sister-in-law and it is good! Here is the recipe she uses:

1 Gallon Diced Tomatoes
2 Large Green Peppers
4 Jalapeno Peppers
1 1/3 C. White Vinegar or Lime Juice
2 12-oz cans Tomato Paste
1 T. Sugar
3 T. Salt
1 1/2 T. Garlic Powder

Blanch and peel tomatoes. Dice or puree ingredients to desired consistency. Mix together and warm in pot. Ladle into heated jars. Steam bath for 20 minutes.




I prefer the white vinegar to the lime juice myself, and I usually don't use all the jalapenos. NOTE: use gloves when you're cutting the jalapenos! I spent several hours with my fingers in buttermilk last year. Just trust me--it BURNS! If you don't like your salsa very spicy, remove all the insides, especially seeds, before adding to the salsa.


Thanks Stephanie!

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Blessings

This week, among many other things, I am thankful for:

Good Sales

Generous friends and family. We have been so blessed lately by the graciousness of others.

Coconut Vanilla scented lotion

This guy

Skin, and all it protects. I'm sure glad it's washable, too!

Exercise partners

Naptime. Oh, naptime, how I love thee.

Second chances. And third, and fourth, and...

Cooler weather

Good neighbors

This guy


Tis the season to be thankful! Only a few more weeks until we pull out the thankful tree. It's a tradition. Since last year, anyway.

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Stocking Up

Twice a year our local grocery store has a case lot sale. All of their "bulk" food storage items go on sale and we try to stock up on things that we use consistently. We have been counseled by our church leaders to store food for emergencies. But we're not talking 72-hour kits here.

"Acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life. . . . As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year's supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness."

L. Tom Perry

Since we've been married, the Mr. and I have tried to accumulate what food storage we can here and there; pulling a year's worth of food out of nowhere costs a pretty penny, so we've had to do it slowly.

I've always been a bit overwhelmed by it all; knowing what and how much to buy, how to store it, and especially how to rotate it so that we actually use what we buy. For my birthday this year my Mom got me this book:



I love it! No, I am not being paid to endorse this book. I wish. At the front of the book is a list of all the food you need for a one-year supply, and how much of each you need per adult in your family. So I wrote out a list, did a quick inventory, and figured out what we still needed for the very basics. We actually had a lot more than I thought. I then went to my handy-dandy Macey's case lot sale with some moolah we set aside for this sort of thing and went nuts. Well, half nuts, really. That's all that would fit in the cart. Then I did my normal grocery shopping, and filled up another cart. And next week I'll do it again.

I'm grateful for inspired leaders. Now if:

-The Mr. ever lost his job
-There was a local natural disaster
-There was a world-wide disaster
-Food prices spiked
-Use your imagination

We would be a little better off. That Joseph in Egypt really knew what he was doing (If you don't know what I'm talking about, see the musical. Or, you know, read the Bible).

Plus, the salt containers make great building blocks. Just sayin'.

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The New 'Do

I figured it didn't make much sense to have long hair if I was just throwing it under a hat every day, so I bit the bullet and chopped it off. I'm not in love with it, and I don't think I picked the right cut for hat wearing, but it is what it is. Hopefully it helps.

Everything in this picture is second-hand. Even the dog. Love it.

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A day in the life

We've been a little down and out here at the P house. It started with the Bug, then passed to me, and now the Mr. is experiencing the lovely beginnings of whatever has been ailing us (but not to worry. It didn't keep us from having fun--picture a bounce house full of soap suds and half a dozen adults who act like they're twelve).

This morning the Mr. worked from home for a few hours so that I could sleep in (thank you Love). I got up to a disastrous kitchen that I didn't feel like cleaning yesterday. We waved goodbye to Daddy out the window just like every morning, and then we got to work. Get the dog up (the Bug's favorite part of the day, I think). Turn the water on in the garden while the Bug tries to climb the fence and re-route the hose. Dig up a few extra potatoes for the roast tonight while the Bug begs for raspberries. Find THIS:

Crikey!

I chopped potatoes and onions while the Bug threw carrot peels at Kizzy and giggled endlessly. Then he just brought the whole garbage can over for her dining pleasure.

I started on the dishes. The Bug pulled up a stool and whisked dirty potatoes in a pot in the sink.

I cleaned up the counter while the Kizz tried to sneak her way in through the garage.



Come downstairs to check the family website.

Come upstairs to find the trash can upside down and the Kizz in the middle of the kitchen.

Isaac asks for music.

Go upstairs to look at my list. There isn't one thing I can check off yet? Seriously? How is it already 11?

Isaac thinks it's funny to blow his nose without tissue. Repeatedly.

Prayer. Scriptures. Exercise. Finally.

Come upstairs to find the Bug using the pizza cutter. Awesome.

Shower. FINALLY.

Hair. Makeup. Get the Bug dressed.

Realize the crockpot is turned on but not plugged in. Oops.

Isaac draws on the table.

Time for snacks and then a run to the store for lime juice and jalapenos, and ice cream for Family Night.

1:30. Naptime!

See that the plug for the crockpot fell out of the outlet. Lovely.

Can salsa. Strong onions, lots of tears. A pot of hot water all down my front. Change clothes.

Ditch the roast. We'll try again tomorrow. Good thing there's chicken soup in the fridge.

Wish I had some chips--this salsa looks good!

Time to clean in between batches before the Bug wakes up.

I love my life!

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27 Years of Blessings

That's right, folks, another birthday came and went around here. 27 used to sound so old! Now, in all of my twenty-seven-ness I am grateful:

That I don't feel old

For friends and neighbors who bring us fruit

For my glasses. Or should I call them my finger-proof eyeball shields?

Our new "sound system." Thanks Mom, I've been playing music all day!

That little children need naps in the middle of the day

For time without the computer

For my new book 'Cooking with Food Storage' (more on that later)

For Macey's semi-annual case lot sale

That I have never owed on a credit card

For fun jewelry

That Conference is only a few weeks away!!

That I have so much to be grateful for

What are you thankful for?

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Comp Free is the way to Be

This is how we roll

So I had an awesome break from the TV and computer last week. Really, it was great. I organized, I canned, I visited my mom, and yes, my house is cleaner than it was two weeks ago, thank goodness!

It's funny, on Sunday we had a Regional Conference and Sister Beck spoke about her concerns regarding young mothers and all of the distractions presented to them. She spoke especially of the internet. Well, it's nice to know I'm not alone; I just thought I had an especially compulsive personality (you do, Shawna). Apparently it is an issue for many. Like so many good things, it is easy to go too far.

I think the perfect balance for me would be about twenty minutes a day. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of will power. So I am leaning towards keeping the computer off most of the time and turning it on once or twice a week to catch up on things. And computer+Isaac never equals a good time--it's going to have to be while he's either napping or down for the night.

TV isn't a huge issue around here. The only channels we get are the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. Isaac has a week spot for Cash Cab, but in all reality the TV is rarely on.

I have to say, it felt really good to be tied to one less thing. It's so easy to default to the computer. When it's just not an option, I slowly start thinking about what I really should be doing. I am going to try harder to get rid of the enjoyable-but-not-so-important things in my life. I think we've all got a few of those! Now to find joy in the less-enjoyable-but-really-worth-it-in-the-end things. That aren't really things. Things.



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