Neat give-away

Hey ya'll! I have just been over to Kentucky Farm Girl's blog, and she has a wonderful give-away
going till Oct. 29th. Take a hike on over and look at what all is there! Just click on this link, "Sit-Back-and-Relax" give-away

While you are there, be sure to give her a nice country "Howdy!" and check out her other posts. Very informative! I especially liked her post on how to make a bird suet feeder out of a piece of tree limb!

Re-visiting Nutrition

I think it is good from time to time to do a check-up on the foods we are taking in, at least for us. It is easy to slip back into " it tastes good so I'll get it , just for a treat". Since I am packing hubby's lunch once again, it has become too easy to pick up bags of chips at the grocery store to include in his lunch. Not only is that expensive but has no nutritional value. I usually pack a good sandwich on whole-grain bread, a fruit of some kind, or cottage cheese and fruit, and a couple homemade cookies or pie.



I decided to make my own trail-mix with items I had picked up at the bulk foods store. It contains a pretzel mix, dried pineapple, apricots, cranberries, raisins, cashews, and a few dark chocolate chips. I would have put in brazil nuts if I'd had any, and some pumpkin seeds. Maybe next trip.

Those of you that pack lunches, what do you add for a nutritional snack?

Fall is in the Air

Nothing like crisp fall air to make a person want to gather the last bouquet of the season and cook up some heart-warming food!



Below is rabbit stuffed with Cranberry-Walnut stuffing on a bed of seasoned brown rice, chunky applesauce, and a Turk's Turban Squash pie.



I also made a Bean n' Barley soup with Kielbasa. In addition, a Skillet-Corn-Bread makes this a nutritious meal!



Now if that wouldn't warm your tummy, I don't know what would!

My Frugal Hubby ... on using what you have ...

Time to fence in the new 16-acre field that hubby made hay from this year (we have one week to get our fencing materials together )



We have fence posts that we brought with us years ago when we moved here, many of them pretty rusted up, bent, and many too short, all different lengths. But when my hubby goes to work on something he does a terrific job! And thankfully, over the years, he has accumulated the needed tools and taken very good care of them.......



He needed 100 T- posts to go in between the wood posts, and at about $5 or more each for new, he decided to keep his money in his wallet and make do with what he had. Step by step, and spending many evenings after work he got the job done.

1. Weld posts together to make them all long enough and all the same length



2. Wire brush to remove all rust, with a grinder tool and wire brush disks



3. Move what he can out of the workshop to set up room to paint them, as we have been having rainy weather here for eons.



4.Paint and try to get dry running a little heat in there.... Flip and paint the other side... then again.




Finished product.... 97 like new t-posts!



My hubby is one frugal dude! We are ready for fencing to begin!

Fall Garden

The peas poked their heads up out of the ground about a week after I had planted them. We had just about the right amount of rain to give them a good start.I plan to get some wire strung for them to climb on

The lettuce is also up ...



and the zucchini ...



and the swiss chard



We are also having a fall crop of raspberries...

I am going to re-seed in some spinach and it is about time to put in the garlic. My asparagus replacement plants will be coming in the mail any day now.

If you are growing fall garden veggies I would like to know how yours are doing.

My Mom's Chunky Applesauce

My mom always made chunky applesauce when she had the time. It is simple to make, just more time consuming. but that is the way we like it best. I was fortunate to get some apples this year that were pretty good and I decided it was worth the extra effort.

I cored and peeled, and cored and peeled, instead of running through a food mill. When I got a kettle full of apple chunks I put them on to cook over a med-low fire with about a half-cup of water in the bottom. I let them cook down and then mashed them into smaller chunks with a hand potato masher. I do not add any sugar or cinnamon until the jar is opened to be used. That way if a lid happens to come unsealed without your knowledge, you only lose the apples. Besides, most of the applesauce I've canned actually needs no sugar.

As the sauce and jars were hot , I just filled the jars and placed each one in a boiling water bath as it was readied. I processed 30 min for pints.

I made 20 pts this way . This chunky applesauce is good just as is. But, also a good alternative topping for pancakes or waffles. Nothing like having your own home-processed food the way you prefer!

New Office Mascot

Hi everybody! ...... Meet "Bailey"!



There is quite a story behind Bailey. For the full scoop, go here