Canning Tamales

We woke up to a cold morning  My back was out so it was slow going.

Every Monday I meet with other women of the plains to can, learn to milk goats, make cheese, spin, crochet, knit, whatever we want,  along with to laugh and just have fun.

Today we were making tamales, plus, I had to get over my fear of my pressure canner. We have a great teacher.  It was a long day but a really good time.  Everyone made their masa dough and pork different, so each will have their own unique taste.  I  cooked a pork  yesterday with salt, pepper, onion, salt, garlic and water. My masa had chili powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, and salt. I did experiment with one jar and put crushed dried tomatoes in the dough. We mixed it with lard and  stock - some with pork, others with chicken - mixed it good (okay, you need a little muscle for this part). We learned you can't over knead or stir the dough since there is no gluten, so get in there and mixed that stuff up good.  Slathered that on beautiful corn husk with a row of pork.  It took me a few tries to get the technique just right.  We rolled up our corn husk into nice neat packages and folded the ends. We were able to put 6-7 tamales in each quart jar.

We put them in the pressure canner with water (about 1/2- 3/4 full) for 90min at 15 lbs of pressure due to our altitude.   Here is my pressure canner.

Here is the monster canner (wink).

It takes time but as we made them we got excited over the varieties we could make in the future... chicken, with chilies,  cheeses, shrimp... and gasp... dessert tamales with apples or peaches, with a masa of cinnamon and sugar all topped with a cream cheese drizzle of goodness! The possibilities were endless.

My recommendation is to find a good recipe and give these gems a try yourself. Better yet, gather some friends and make them together. You won't be sorry.

Before I knew it Dude was there to pick me to head up north to see some clients, head to the library and a quick stop at the store.

It's Meatless Monday and Football night at our house,  so,  dinner was Piled High Nachos with pintos and green chilies and onions.  Then topped with cheese and our homemade canned salsa.

Football night is my sewing night. Looking forward to cutting piece of lattice for a quilt and crocheting a bit.

ps...I overcame my fear of pressure canners. Nothing exploded and I am excited to do more!

Day after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving didn't turn out quite as we expected.  My son and his wife did make it in as the snow began on Wednesday night. We got up Thursday morning ready to head out toward Limon, Co to Dude's sister's ranch. It was super cold and the snow was still coming down.  Snow we can deal with but ice is another thing.  It had rained before it snowed and everything was covered in ice. We were staying put. 

Thank goodness I had been to the store earlier and gotten a turkey on sale to put up this weekend for make-ahead-meals.  We managed to get a turkey, potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and cranberries made, along with jello and a dessert my daughter-in-law made of dried fruits and marmalade topping.

After dinner we all went out to the check on the animals. Angelo looked like he was having trouble walking on his hooves so we took advantage of the time and trimmed his and Skippy's hooves.

 

They actually seemed to enjoy it ...or the company on a cold evening.

 

While others stayed in the laundry room warming up.

We finished up the day with cocoa and movies.

Today, I woke up with a to-do list on the chalk board and got none of it done. (I have to get up in the middle of the night with my to-do list swirling in my head and write it down for it to shut up and let me sleep...and sleep, I finally did.  It can now keep the chalk board awake instead of me :-) )

We went to town for breakfast before my son and his wife went shopping.  We stopped at the fabric store and the hardware store.... two places for creation inspiration!

 

 

We did manage to get a Christmas tree but one that we could plant later.

                 Next we went to get 10 bales of alfalfa for the goats at a friend's farm. 

By the time we got home it was bitter cold. I wrangled the goats into the chicken area so Dude to get the hay in the barn without the goats bothering him.  I went to get a load of wood and get ready to warm up the house. I was freezing and my fingers were going numb.

It is snowing again but the house is nice and warm.  Time for some tea and a turkey sandwich. 

My to-do list didn't get done but there is always tomorrow.

Thanksgiving eve

I woke up to my lower back not wanting to start the day willingly or get out of bed. Too bad, we (me, myself and I) have things to do!

I was too slow to go help with the goats this morning. Dude was up and at 'em early. He saw I was hurting and wanted me to stay in bed.  If I did that I would never work the kinks out of my back. I got up and prepared a fine breakfast of omelets and two ibuprofen. It finally kicked in and I went for my morning meditation of laundry and my to-do list.

It is suppose to snow tonight so I had to get my outside kitchen garden of herbs tucked in with mulch and then bring in firewood.  They are snug and ready for their winter sleep. Sage, rosemary, thyme, lavender, roses, grapes, chives, mint and asparagus were delighted when the mulch was pinched snug around them.

 

As always there were willing helpers.

Running Water wants to help with the roses. You don't fool me RW, you want to EAT the roses!

 

I don't think the dog will be let in any time soon as she had a great romp in the manure pile!

 

Angelo says he has horns that can help move mulch around.

 

Wood stacked and stove cleaned out.

 

Lunch from the pantry:  Homemade salsa and gluten free crackers... just because I like them.

 

Talking to my 80 plus year old mother,  I tell her about some dwarf Nubian goats I want to get.  We already have regular size Nubians. So she asks, will you get pints of milk verses gallons?  Oh you have jokes don't you mom ....smile.

 

Dinner from the pantry: sauerkraut, potatoes, onions, German

sausage and pie for dessert.

 

I did get two more  squares done for the quilt.  If you want to quilt along I got the pattern here. They have some cool freebies here .

 

Escaped for a bit, then back to work

Here it is the second official day of vacation, well, for me at least. Dude had to work up north to finish up a job before Thanksgiving.  I had my whole day planned out .... the city, museums, and fancy luncheon.  But while feeding the goats this morning Dude starts telling me chores he prefers to be done today...he shouts from the barn ,"get on the tractor, the pitchfork is there, get the dirty hay out of the goat pen" .... giggle... I yell back , " yep, sure dahhhhling right after I get back from the museum in Denver." heehee Denver here I come right after I finish my tea.  Dude can't hear and yells back, "wow, you are going to the gym?"   ...uh, yeah, right.
 

I guzzled down my ginger tea and swallowed a few bites of oatmeal before heading out the door. I figure I can make it back by noon, clean the pen and still have time to sew. It was gorgeous, the warm before the storm, 64 degrees.   I picked up my mom and headed downtown.  Note to self ... Thanksgiving week is not a good week to go to the museum.  It was crowded, no place to park and busloads of kids everywhere.  So, we headed over to Tennyson St and got lunch at Parisi pizzeria, trattoria e vino . We shared a salad pizza. It sounds weird but it is wonderful ! It got crowded fast but at least they have parking! Good time and good conversation.

I got home around 1:30pm -2pm, changed clothes, put on an apron and headed out to the barn. I got on the tractor when it dawns on me, I don't know how to turn the dang thing on. I called Dude and he walked me though it.  I rode over to the goat pen and start shoveling out the straw and goat manure and into the back of the trailer. I had a lot of willing helpers

 I got four shovels in when I hear a pop. My back was about to go out. I had to walk it out before it really went, otherwise there is no one to rescue me if it did go completely out. I was planning a prayer walk later with the goats any way so off we went to work out the kinks in my back and pray. It worked well. 

When I got back I decide to shovel on the opposite side and as I lifted as load,  I recited the rosary out loud so as to not focus on my back . It worked like a charm.  I got it done in an hour with a little help from my friends.

 

Dinner- will be leftovers... I need a bath plus I am completely exhausted. 

 

Dude called, he will be late, he wants to complete as much as he can.  Lovely.

 

Another psychedelic schnauzer completed.  I love these guys.

Time for a movie.

Candy making day

Most people hate Mondays, I know, but I love them. Each Monday a bunch of us Sisters of Plains aka farm girls meet to learn about milking goats, spinning yarn, crocheting, canning...lots of canning, and just plain having fun. Today we met to make candy, peanut brittle and English toffee.  We all gathered at Sunny's house...down a dirt road, near an old turkey farm , stretching the open prairie and just past the blowing tumble weeds. Yep, that's where Sunny lives with her family plus alpacas, goats, dogs, cats, turkeys, geese, hens, and others I am sure I have missed.  She is a wealth of information plus it helps that she majored in Home Ec. 

So today she got out one of her old college books and we got to work.

 

We laughed and had a great time all day making (and eating) many batches of candy.  It smelled of buttery goodness. I found that making candy is really all about science and patience then  rushing to put in in a pan before it all hardens...for us it is mostly about friendship.

 

 

The results:

Peanut brittle

 

English Toffee

 

 

Yep, Mondays are a good day!

 

 

Dollar Store Crafting

Had a great day crafting with some young friends of mine.  We made wreaths and glass luminaries.  Creativity was flowing from glue guns and glitter shakers.  I love giving a kid an idea, plenty of supplies and letting them just go for it.  These gifted artists are talented and love to produce their dreams into existence!

Later we picked carrots from the garden for dinner. It was fun to go in the greenhouse and ...honestly...get warm for a bit then outside to pick carrots before the freeze this week.

Dinner was hamburgers, veggie burgers, potato salad and crockpot beans made from dried pinto beans, cheese sauce and the some of the chilies we canned last month .

The night came to a close with everyone snug in their seats, a quilt and Wizard of Oz on television. 

A good way to start a holiday week.