A New Year's Exhortation

A New Year's Exhortation

                   

 

"Let us run with patience the race

that is set before us, LOOKING UNTO

JESUS the author and finisher of

our faith." 

Heb. xii. 1,2

My prayer for each one of you in the coming year is

that you would come to know Jesus, the Bread of Life, more fully each day.

May all that we do and say be to His honor and glory

as we await His soon return.

Thank you to each one who has taken time to read, follow, and comment on this blog.  It is a blessing to me to be able to quietly share the things I enjoy with you, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the year ahead.  Keep looking up!  Jesus is coming!

~Carolyn

Big Batch Pie Crust --Freezer Recipe--



Big Batch Pie Crust

--Freezer Recipe--

I set out to make and photograph this recipe of Big Batch Pie Crust several weeks months ago.  I purchased the four simple ingredients:  a 5-pound bag of Flour, a 3-pound can of Vegetable Shortening, Lemon-Lime Soda, and Salt (well, I already had the 2 Tablespoons Salt on hand).   And somehow, each time I actually got to it something the Lemon-Lime Soda was missing.

 

Gone.  Vanished.  Evaporated.  Only empty cans remained.

 

The culprits seem to be our 12-year-old Lawn Mowing Crew--a can of Soda a week is their only pay.  And they are quite, quite tired of Cola.

 

So last week they were placed on restriction of  Thou. Shalt. Not. Touch.

I'm going to remove the ban this afternoon.

 

This recipe from my sister is a rather unique Pie Crust recipe on several fronts:

It calls for two 12-ounce cans of Lemon-Lime Soda (sparkling mineral water also works);

It makes 18-20 Pie Crusts;

and most importantly in my mind, It is Easy.  20 minutes to 20 Pie Crusts?  You betcha!

 

What could be better?  I know that I, for one, Do. Not. Like the taste of store-bought pie crust and often drag my feet at making just a single crust.  Keep these in the freezer and you're good to go in just the time it takes to thaw (and in the microwave, it's less than 30 seconds total).

 

Win-Win!

 

(And if by chance you really don't want need 18 Pie Crusts in your freezer, try my single-pie recipe right here .)

 

 

"For God,

Who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness,

hath shone in our hearts, to give the

Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ."

II Corinthians 4:6

 

"Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying,

I am the Light of the world;

he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,

but shall have the Light of Life."

John 8:12

 

 

 

You will need:

1  5-pound  bag Flour

1  3-pound  can  Vegetable Shortening

2  12-ounce  cans  Lemon-Lime Soda  (sparkling mineral water works well, too)

2  Tablespoons  Salt

 

and

18 to 20 squares Parchment Paper or Waxed Paper

2 to 3  1-gallon ziptop Freezer Bags

a Very Large Bowl

a Spatula, Large Spoon, or Pastry Blender

 

 

Prepare your Parchment Paper before beginning; I like to use 12"x12" squares.  Your hands will be very messy by the end, and you'll be glad you won't have to stop and clean up before packaging the Pie Crusts.

 

Begin by stirring together the Flour and Salt.  Add in the Vegetable Shortening, cutting it into the Flour until you have clumps the size of small Walnuts:

 

 

Pour in one can of Soda and stir lightly until it is combined:

 

 

Add in the final can of Soda and stir.  At this point you will realize that you need to continue gently mixing with your hands until the dough comes together in a large mass:

 

 

Gently begin to portion your Pie Crust dough.  I just eyeball the amount, but if you want to weigh it, I've found an 8- to 9-ounce portion works well.

 

 

I prefer to make my batch into 18 portions and know that each portion won't be too skimpy for a large 9-inch pie pan.  If you are really good at rolling your dough thinly or use a smaller pie pan you can always make this recipe into 20 portions.  When you're done your table will look something like this:

 

 

Package in freezer bags and label and you're done!

 

 

 

To Use Frozen Pie Crust:

Thaw on counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how warm your kitchen is

--OR--

Microwave for 10-12 seconds per side.

 

Roll out and use as desired.  Easy as Pie!

 

And here's a tip to help keep your pre-baked Pie Shells from shrinking:

Let them set on your counter, all formed in your pan and ready for baking, for about 30-45 minutes before you bake them.  My Grandma J taught me this tip and it really helps.

 

And here's another tip from my own newlywed experience:

Don't grease your pie plates.

 

And speaking of Pie, have you seen this new cookbook that just released in early October?  I haven't had a chance to look through a copy yet, but it's on my Birthday/Christmas list.  (hint, hint)  You can buy it here: Me, Myself, and Pie by Sherry Gore and you can read Sherry's blog here. 

 

 



Home-Canned Peach Pie Filling {Happy Summer}

Happy Summer Saturday!  I hope that your Summer has been a pleasant and happy one--it sure has slipped away swiftly, hasn't it!?  This week marks the beginning of school for us--Little One started Kindergarten.  Her smile says it all, doesn't it!

 

Big Sister was eager to start back, too, while Big Brothers--not so much.

 

 

And me? I've been looking forward to a quiet house, but find myself carrying on conversations with the dog...  I think it has helped a bit to have all the garden produce coming off at once.  Wednesday found me freezing corn (the boys had shucked it the night before), canning green beans (I had snapped them the previous afternoon), and then making more Sunshine Frozen Peach Cups because the peaches are ready, too.  I think that I have been deceiving myself with the notion that I would 'have more time when school starts'.

 

Two weeks ago I found a recipe for Home-Canned Peach Pie Filling online (link here).  I was very, very pleasantly surprised at how delicious it is.  The original recipe only made enough pie filling for six quarts; I have adjusted my recipe for seven quarts.  If I'm going to can, I like to have a full canner!  I hope you enjoy this, too. 

 

 

Home-Canned Peach Pie Filling

 

Peaches, peeled and diced, enough to make 7 quarts

8  Cups  Sugar

2-1/2  Cups + 1 Tablespoon  Clear Jel (regular, not instant), Flour, or Cornstarch--Clear Jel is preferred



6  Cups + 2  Tablespoons  Cold Water

2  Cups  Lemon Juice

1-1/4  Teaspoons  Cinnamon

1  Teaspoon  Almond Flavoring (optional)

1-1/2  Teaspoons  Vanilla Flavoring (optional)

 

Peel Peaches, slice into 1/2-1 inch chunks or slices.  Treat with Fruit Fresh, if desired.

 

Combine Sugar and Clear Jel in a large pot; stir in Cold Water.  Heat, stirring quite frequently as this can scorch (--speaking from experience here!), until mixture begins to thicken and bubble.  Add Lemon Juices, Cinnamon, and Flavorings if desired; boil for 1 minute, stirring continually.  Gently stir in Peaches and cook for 3 minutes longer, stirring continually.  Fill your clean, sterilized jars, leaving a 1-inch headspace; remove any air bubbles.  Wipe jar rims clean, attach lids and rings.  Process in boiling water bath for 30 minutes.  Makes 7 quarts, with a little left over for the cook to enjoy over some Vanilla Ice Cream--the rewards of her labor!

 

 

"My son, eat thou honey, because it is good,

and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste;

So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to thy soul."

Proverbs 24: 13, 14a

 

If you're a little silly, like me, you'll know how much pleasure can be gained from just sitting in the cellar, gazing at all those lovely, lovely jars of canned food!

 

 

I appreciated the article on What Not To Can from Rural Revolution, which gives a little more info on canning with Clear Jel.  Of course, this recipe and all home-canned recipes should be used 'at your own risk'; if you have any questions please contact your local County Ag Extension office.

Sunshine Frozen Peach Cups

 

Sunshine Frozen Peach Cups

20 Cups Peeled and Diced Peaches, about 24 Peaches

1 (12 oz) Orange Juice Concentrate, prepared according to directions

1 Cup Sugar

Dissolve the Sugar in the Orange Juice; pour over the Peaches.  Spoon Peaches and juice into 5.5 ounce freezer containers; seal and freeze.  Makes 35 Sunshine Peach Cups.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield:

the Lord will give grace and glory:

no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Psalm 84:11

I like to use the last of the peaches from our tree to make frozen peach cups for school lunches.  Sometimes I'll add in a tablespoon of blueberries to each fruit cup.  Doing the math, though, is a bit startling:  if I'm packing 5 lunches a day (4 children and 1 husband), then 35 fruit cups will only last about... that's right, about one-and-a-half weeks.  Uh oh.  I think I either need another freezer or we'll just have to ration the fruit cups!  This recipe is slightly adapted from Bountiful Blessings, page 248.  My apologies if the formatting and photos for this post is a bit off; the PC is on the blink and I'm learning how to post from the iPad.

What a Pintresting Week!

Well, last week sure was Pintresting!  It was time to start being a Doer and not just a Pinner.  Here are some of the things I had fun doing; thought you might enjoy doing them too!

This is my Autumn Brittle via Adventures in Cooking; yum, yum!  If you make this be sure to follow the directions Very Carefully; I scorched my first batch.

These are the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes we had for breakfast on Saturday:

 I actually didn't Pin this one myself, so I don't have a link to it, but here's how I made them:

I mixed

1  Cube  Softened Butter with

1  Tablespoon  Cinnamon and

1  Tablespoon  Sugar

and spooned it into my pastry bag which was fitted with an open round tip (I used a #6).   After my Buttermilk Pancakes were on the griddle and starting to rise, I squeezed the Cinnamon Butter onto the pancakes in a spiral shape and finished cooking and flipping the pancakes.  This amount of Cinnamon Butter was the right amount for a double-recipe of pancakes which fed our family of 6.

I've also been having a lot of fun making these Reversible Headbands from Happy Together.  One ended up going in our Christmas Shoebox, one more is at school on Elder Daughter's head, and yet one more has already been lost.  This is a quick, easy project that uses minimal fabric scraps and is ready to wear in 30 minutes.  I did end up trimming down the pattern to fit a child's head; the original is sized for adults.

And I've had fun making this really yummy Caramel Pear Butter from Knit and Nosh via Beth at Aria Gardens.  I made a 6-times recipe on Saturday and ended up with 20 pints.  My only change was to cut the Nutmeg amount down by half.

And I made the Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls from Beantown Baker and forgot to take a picture.  These were yummy but I want to try to make the Blueberry filling a little thicker than the Baker makes it.  Hopefully I'll get to it before Christmas.

If you "do" Pinterest, you can follow me at carolyn_miller1.  If you want to try out this virtual cork board of ideas and would like an invite, send me your email address. 

Now, if only I could somehow get the Pintrest button to attach to my sidebar...





Spicy Garlic Dill Beans

Spicy Garlic Dill Beans

2 1/2  lbs  Whole Green Beans

1/4  Cup  Plain Salt (non-iodized, or canning salt)

2 1/2  Cups  Vinegar

2 1/2  Cups  Water



Per Pint Jar:
1/8  teaspoon  Cayenne Pepper
1  Clove  Garlic
1  teaspoon  Dill Seed

Trim ends off Green Beans.  Combine Salt, Vinegar and Water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil.  Pack Green Beans lengthwise into hot Pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.  Add Cayenne Pepper, Garlic and Dill to each Pint (can increase the Cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon if you like things extra-spicy).  Ladle hot Vinegar-Water mixture over Green Beans, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process pints (and quarts) 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. 

Yield: about 6 pints.

Many, many thanks to  Lori L. for sharing the recipe (J. kept looking at the jar you sent home with great longing, just wondering WHEN we could open it!), and to Beth at Aria Gardens for sharing her end-of-season Green Beans.  I couldn't have done this without you, Dear Friends!  And I hope you, Dear Homemaker,  enjoy these as much as we do.

As a aside, don't you just love to Preserve the Bounty from our Father Above?  It seems like I keep putting my canner away, telling myself "That's all.  I'm done canning for this year."  And yet I keep toting it back up the cellar steps only a few weeks later to try just one more recipe.  Oh, how I love this Autumn season!  What do you enjoy Preserving most?

Peach-Pear Jam

Peach-Pear Jam

You will need:

1 lb. Peaches (about 2)

and 1 lb. Pears. (about 2)

Peel, core and dice the fruit.

and crush it into small pieces.

Measure the Fruit.  You will need a total of 3 Cups (1-1/2 Cups Peaches and 1-1/2 Cups Pears).

Stir in 1  teaspoon  Lemon Zest
and 2   Tablespoons   Fresh Lemon Juice

and 5  Cups  Sugar

Let it rest for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn around and notice that the Little One is making her Jam, too.

When the 10 minutes are up, place 3/4  Cup  Water and 1 (1.75-oz)  Box  Fruit Pectin (Sure-Jell) in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Pour into Jam mixture, stir for 3 minutes.

Transfer to Freezer containers, seal and label.  Let set at room temperature for 24 hours, until set.  Store in Freezer.



Seed-Time & Harvest: Pear-Apple Pie for the Freezer

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Genesis 8: 22

That time of year is here again.  Harvest.  I've been busy preserving and freezing: Peach Cups for the children's school lunches, Corn (54 quarts last Saturday!), Peach-Pluot Jam, Green Beans, and now today, Pear-Apple Pie filling.  And tomorrow it will be Pear Jam.  Then comes Applesauce, Pizza Sauce and Tomatoes.  And if I'm lucky, I'll hit the October Strawberry harvest and will get some Strawberry Jam froze, too.

Canning and freezing takes a lot of work but it is so rewarding to me just to go sit in the cellar and look at all the full jars.  Maybe that sounds kind of funny, but it gives me a content sort of feeling to know that my family is 'fed' for the winter.  God's blessings to us are so big and so great and this is just a small visual reminder of his great love for me! 

Here is how I've made my Pear-Apple Pie for the freezer:

For the Filling:
Mix together in a large bowl:
6  Cups  thinly sliced peeled Pears
6  Cups  thinly sliced peeled Apples
1 1/2  Cups  Sugar
1/2  Cup  Flour
1  teaspoon  Cinnamon
1/2  teaspoon  Salt
and place it in a 1-gallon zip-top freezer bag.

For the Crumb Topping:
In a small bowl mix together:
1  Cup  Brown Sugar
1/2  Cup  Flour
1/2  Cup  Butter
and blend into coarse crumbs.
Stir in:
1  Cup  finely chopped Nuts (Pecans preferred)
and place this mixture in quart-size zip-top freezer bag.  Place this smaller bag inside the 1-gallon bag and seal the large bag.  Label bag and freeze.

To use you will need 2 unbaked 9-inch pie shells, each in a pie plate -OR- 1 greased 9x13 to use for a deep-dish cobbler.

Thaw the Pear-Apple filling and Crumb Topping.  Evenly divide the fruit mixture between the two prepared pie shells -OR- place into the prepared 9x13 dish.  Evenly top the fruit mixture with the crumb topping and cover loosely with foil.  Bake at 425* for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking 20 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 2 9-inch pies or 1 9x13 deep-dish cobbler.