The dehydrator has been going nonstop plus making peanut brittle with farmsister

 Looks like we have begun a tradition of making peanut brittle with the farmsisters.  This is the second year in a row we have gotten together to make peanut  brittle for the holidays. 

Making the candy with the sugar and corn syrup.

Letting it cool. 

It turned out beautiful. 

One of the farmsisters call it candy crack because her husband can't stop eating. Dude came home and asked where it was because he thought of it all day! Then he promptly took a whole bag and put in his truck! 

Yesterday I got a work-from-home day which meant I was able to settle in with Dude last night with a movie from the library.  We watched Capt Phillips. I started crocheting at the beginning of the movie and the more intense it got the faster I crochet.  I made four hats and have a bruise on my thumb! 

Refrigerator clean out!  I went through the refrigerator and got anything slightly old and dried them. 

First up a tray of yellow peppers. 

Some pickled beets. 

Homemade dill pickles.  Ohmy, what intense flavor!  You grind these up and use the powder in things such as potato salad, ham salad, deviled eggs....yum!

Then made a bean salad with leftover beans (garbanzo and pinto).onion, a tomato, salt, pepper, parsley, leftover half of a lemon , a little olive oil and cider vinegar. Jarred it all up for lunches.  

Next up was the dehydrator challenge. I made raw "cheese" crackers and my friend made dehydrated mango... good stuff.  I got the idea from a recipe on food.com. (raw cheez its)

Mine started with soaking a cup raw almonds, a half cup sunflower seeds and a cup cashews. I did this the night before. 

The next morning.  Take this plus a tomato, a red pepper, pinch of salt, half teaspoon of cumin, 1/4 cup flax and whirl up in a food processor. 

Spread on a sheet (I put on was paper) and put in the dehydrator for 24 hrs . 

Break into crackers. They actually taste pretty good. 

Lots still to do before Christmas. We don't put the tree up until this weekend. This is Advent Season for us. Christmas Season begins on Christmas.

peace

Super Bowl = Creativity time for me !

I wish they had crafts and sewing on television as much as they do football. But since they don't, I used my quiet time wisely while Dude watched the game.  It was great my daughter-in-law Cleo helped , even though, she is a big Bronco fan.

First up we canned those carrots we pulled up this morning and made into Pickled Carrots. Pretty basic. It is a small batch recipe.   Parboil the carrots in water first for 2 minutes. Then boil 1.5 cups each of water and white vinegar plus a teaspoon and a half of kosher salt. Then boil your jars. Remove them from the water. Add spices to your jars.  I put 2 cloves of garlic in each,  a pinch of pepper flakes, a teaspoon of pickling spices, a sprig or two (dried from this past summer) of dill.  My daughter-in-law added chilies to hers. Stack the carrots (about 4 cups) into the jars -it is easiest if you put the jars on their sides when filling them. I was short in one jar so added onions. Pour the water/vinegar mixture over the carrots. It is the perfect amount. Boil lids, put on jars and tighten rings. Put in a water bath for 25 minutes since we have higher altitude. If you are attempting this canning recipe follow the directions for a water bath. Remember - make sure all the lids pop after you have taken them out of the water bath. If they don't seal, don't eat them! If unsure, refrigerate and eat in about a week or two. (yes that's homemade mac and cheese in the background...yum!) 

Makes 4 pints.

Next up was Valentine candy. I saved a bunch of candy canes from Christmas because I knew I wanted to make these after I saw them all over the internet. I grabbed a bunch the week after Christmas from the dollar store.

 Melted vanilla bark in a glass measuring cup in the microwave  - 45 seconds at a time and poured it into the middle. I dotted it with a candy heart in the middle.

They harden nicely in the freezer. Okay, truth time. I opened the freezer and found they had all slid off the cookie sheet once they were frozen so make sure they are level...sheesh.  

Then I needed something to store them in along with a plastic bag. I had some muslin bags. I stamped them with cute Valentine stamps. 

I thought they turned out cute.

 
I still want to cut out these pants and fabric.

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!