Green Things - Another One Bites The Dust.....

     Is it an indictment on my inability to maintain plant life, or just a catchy tune (I can’t get it out of my head)?  Whatever it is, I’ve decided it’s my “theme song” for plant growth and viability in my life.

     My dad, used to come to my house and say, “Ahhh, Chris, don’t you think you want to water this plant?” and I’d say, “Is that what’s wrong with it?”

     My Dad had a great green thumb, I don’t know anything that he couldn’t grow and he enjoyed the entire process.  Planting, caring for and harvesting.   I can tell you, with certainty, that I DID NOT inherit my Dad’s green thumb.  Maybe that’s why the 4, count them, 4 semi-living plants I have in my home are so important to me.  They’re like old friends now and it’s a miracle that they’re still alive.  Two of them even survived the move from Susanville, California to St. George, Utah.  I’m sure that all along the way they kept saying, “it’s only a little farther, just hang on, we’ll be there soon and find a place in the sun and, hopefully, some water.”

     It’s not that I don’t try; I just seem to be jinxed.  I remember when my niece, Taletha, was getting married.  We were having a garden wedding in our yard with a reception to follow.  Wellllll, what could I do but plant the 200 feet of border on 2 sides of our yard with beautiful flowers and bedding plants?  Right?  I want you to know that after having dug, weeded, (removed buried nuts that the squirrels so generously left as their winter crop – who in the heck was leaving nuts for those pesky squirrels?), I proceeded to invest $500.00 in bedding plants and flowers and even spent DAYS getting them in the ground.  My beds were beautiful and looked lovely for the wedding.  I was even more excited about how my beds would look the next spring when the plants matured a little more. 

     Now, I do know that many plants (perennials) will winter over and come back the next year.  About mid-March, Fred started asking me when I was going to start preparing my flower beds.  Understand, in Susanville, winter can last clear till May or June.  I wasn’t in any hurry; I was waiting and watching the weather.  Well, one day Fred came in, so proud of himself, wanting to show me what he’d done for me.  Can you guess what it was?  He CLEANED OUT my flower beds.  He’d WEEDED out every plant that I’d planted the summer before.  Needless to say, my beds never got re-planted.  Of course, my Dad, laughed himself silly.

     After living in St. George for 9 years, Fred decided to plant the BIG concrete box in our front yard, (only because we had a new Grandbaby and it had to be wonderful for Britan and Mom).  If you come by the house, you’ll see a WHOLE LOT of green.  Is that like lying out in the sun till you have enough freckles that it looks like you have a tan?  Mmmmmm, maybe not.  The green’s gotta go, but, if I let Fred do it, I stand the chance of loosing all my plants in the process.  What a dilemma.

     Well, for those of you with green thumbs, you’re my heroes; for those of you that are green thumb challenged, like moi, welcome to the barren wastelands.  You know, we could be like Fred’s dad who planted one singe stem of daisies in a row in his front yard and watered them daily.  The only problem was, they were plastic.  When we asked him why he was watering the plastic flowers, he said, “I have to wash off the dirt.”  Makes sense.  I don’t think I’ve gotten there yet, but if you start finding plastic flowers in my flower beds, you’ll know that I’ve finally given up and that my Dad will REALLY be laughing his head of in heaven.  

Fruit leather - I'm lovin' this!

How I made my fruit leather:  I dried my fruit leather in the oven.  I used my convection (top oven), using all 3 racks and my conventional oven (the bottom one), using only the top rack.  It’s not a good idea to try to cook on both racks of a conventional oven because the heat and air doesn’t flow evenly.   I placed my Sil Pat pads (silicone baking sheets) on my cookie sheets and spread 2 C. of fruit puree on the pads.  I read in one article to spread the pulp more heavily on the outer edges because they dry first and a little thinner in the center, because it dries last.  Spread with an offset spatula and you’re in business. 
  The lowest my ovens will go is 170 degrees.  I suppose you could crack the oven door and see if you can get a lower temperature, but I didn’t.  My convection ovens dried the fruit leather in 4 hours (remember to rotate your sheets, giving them a turn about every hour and moving them around on the racks).  After the 4 hours, I turned the oven off and left them to sit overnight while the oven cooled down.  My tray for the conventional oven had more fruit puree and lacked the air flow (the fans) of the convection ovens.  This tray dried for 6 hours.  In the same article, it said to let your fruit leather sit in the open air a day to finish the drying process.  That’s what I did.  Then I placed a piece of parchment paper on top of the fruit leather, smoothed it down, flipped the leather over and peeled the Sil Pat pad off.  It was perfect.  Roll it up in the parchment (which is WAY easy to remove) and store it in zip lock bags in the fridge or freezer.  After wrapping, I cut mine into 1 – 2 inch segments and tossed in the bag.  This is SOOOOOO good.
  My fruit combination was purple plums and strawberries (just cleaning out the fridge).  I added sugar to taste (next time I’ll add honey) a little lemon juice and cooked it down till it was a little thick.  I’m on a new kick – making fruit leather.  It’s a keeper!

I’m sure that this is WAY more information than you ever wanted about making fruit leather, but I think “knowledge is power”, hahahahahah.  Go through the info, it really isn’t that much, then have some fun making memories of childhood…fruit leather.

*Fruit leathers are homemade fruit rolls. They are a tasty, chewy, dried fruit product. Fruit leathers are made by pouring pureed fruit onto a flat surface for drying. When dried, the fruit is pulled from the surface and rolled. It gets the name "leather" from the fact that when the pureed fruit is dried, it is shiny and has the texture of leather.
  The advantages of making your own fruit leathers are to use less sugar and to mix fruit flavors. Leftover fruit pulp from making jelly can be blended and made into fruit rolls.
  For the diabetic adult or child, fruit leathers made without sugar are a healthy choice for snacks or desserts. Individual fruit leathers should contain the amount of fruit allowed for the fruit exchange.
  Directions follow for making fruit leathers. Fresh, frozen or drained canned fruit can be used.

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HOW DRYING PRESERVES FRUIT LEATHER

  Drying removes the moisture from the fruit leather so that bacteria, yeasts and molds cannot grow and spoil the fruit leather. It also slows down the action of enzymes, but does not inactivate them. Because drying removes moisture, the food becomes smaller and lighter in weight.
  The optimum temperature for drying food is 140 F. If higher temperatures are used, the fruit leather may "case harden"; that is cook and harden on the outside while trapping moisture on the inside. The fruit leather will eventually mold when moisture equilibrates during storage. Thus, the drying process should never be hurried by raising the drying temperature. (See Table 1 regarding the suitability of various fruits for making fruit leather.)

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LEATHERS FROM FRESH FRUIT

1) Select ripe or slightly overripe fruit.

2) Wash fresh fruit or berries in cool water. Remove peel, seeds, stems and bruised or spoiled portions.

3) Cut fruit into chunks. Use two cups of fruit for each 13" X 15"fruit leather. Puree fruit until smooth. If thick, add liquid to bring to a pouring consistency.

4) Add two teaspoons lemon juice or 1/8 teaspoon ascorbic acid (375 mg) for each two cups of light colored fruit to prevent darkening.

5) Optional: To sweeten, add corn syrup, honey or sugar. Corn syrup or honey is best for longer storage because it prevents crystal formation. Sugar is fine for immediate use or short storage. Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup or honey for each two cups of fruit. Saccharin-based sweeteners could also be used to reduce tartness without adding calories. Aspartame sweeteners may lose sweetness during drying.

Table 1 - Fruits at a glance

Fruit	Suitability for Fruit Leather
Apples	Excellent
Apricots	Excellent
Avocados	Not recommended
Bananas	Fair to good
Berries with seeds	Excellent
Blueberries	Only in combination
Cherries	Excellent
Citrus fruits	Only in combination
Citrus peel	Only in combination
Crabapples	Only in combination
Cranberries	Only in combination
Grapes	Fair to good
Guavas	Only in combination
Melons	Not recommended
Nectarines	Excellent
Peaches	Excellent
Pears	Excellent
Pineapples	Excellent
Plums	Good
Strawberries	Excellent

LEATHERS FROM CANNED OR FROZEN FRUIT 1) Home preserved or store-bought canned or frozen fruit can be used. Applesauce can be dried alone or added to any fresh fruit puree as an extender. It decreases tartness and makes the leather smoother and more pliable. 2) Drain fruit, save liquid. 3) Use one pint of fruit for each 13" X 15" leather. 4) Puree fruit until smooth. If thick, add liquid to bring to a pouring consistency. 5) Add two teaspoons of lemon juice or 1/8 teaspoon ascorbic acid (375 mg) for each two cups of light colored fruit to prevent darkening. SPICES and FLAVORINGS   To add interest to your fruit leathers add spices or flavorings. Spices to Try--Allspice, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger, mace, mint, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice. Use sparingly, start with 1/8 teaspoon for each two cups of puree. Flavorings to Try --Almond extract, lemon juice, lemon peel, lime juice, lime peel, orange extract, orange juice, orange peel or vanilla extract. Use sparingly, try 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon for each two cups of puree. PREPARING THE TRAYS   For drying in the oven, a 13" X 15" baking pan with edges works well. Line pan with plastic wrap being careful to smooth out wrinkles. Do not use waxed paper or aluminum foil. To dry in a dehydrator, specially designed plastic sheets can be purchased or plastic trays can be lined with plastic wrap. POURING THE LEATHER   Fruit leathers can be poured into a single large sheet (13" X 15")or into several smaller sizes. Spread puree evenly, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, onto drying tray. Avoid pouring puree too close to the edge of the sheet; leave an inch or more of border to allow for spreading during drying. The larger fruit leathers take longer to dry. DRYING THE LEATHER   Leather dries from the outside edge toward the center. Test for dryness by touching the center of the leather; no indention or sticky spots should be evident. Dry until it is still pliable. While warm, peel from plastic and roll, allow to cool and rewrap the roll in plastic wrap or special plastic fruit leather sheets. DEHYDRATOR DRYING    It takes approximately six to eight hours for fruit leather to dry in a dehydrator. Follow manufacturers directions. In general, fruit leather should be dried at around 140 F. OVEN DRYING    An oven can be used for occasional drying of fruit leathers. Because the oven may also be needed for everyday cooking, it may not be satisfactory for preserving abundant fruit leather. Oven drying may take up to 18 hours for fruit leathers.   Oven drying is slower than dehydrators because the oven does not have a built-in fan for the air movement. (However, some convection ovens do have a fan.) It takes two to three times longer to dry fruit leather in an oven than in a dehydrator; thus, the oven is not as efficient as a dehydrator and uses more energy. To Use Your Oven--First, check your dial and see if it has a reading as low as 140 F. Check oven temperature on warm setting with an oven thermometer. If your oven does not go this low, then your food will cook instead of dry.  Low humidity aids the drying process. To dry fruit leather, the water must move from the fruit leather to the surrounding air. If the surrounding air is humid, then drying will be slowed down. Avoid drying fruit leather during rainy or humid weather.   Increasing the air current speeds up drying by moving the surrounding moist air away from the fruit leather. To speed the drying time, increase the air flow. For air circulation, leave the oven door propped open two to six inches. Circulation can be improved by placing a fan outside the oven near the door. Change the position of the fan frequently during drying to vary the circulation of the air. CAUTION: This is not a safe practice for a home with small children.   Because the door is left open, the temperature will vary. Place an accurate and easy-to-read oven thermometer on the top tray toward the back. Adjust the temperature dial to achieve the needed 140 F. Maintain the temperature at 140 F. It takes less heat to keep the temperature at 140 F as drying progresses, so watch the temperature carefully toward the end of drying. STORING THE LEATHER Place wrapped pieces in airtight, moisture proof containers such as freezer bags, glass jars or freezer storage containers. Fruit leather will keep about two to four weeks at room temperature when stored in a dark, cool place. For storage up to one year, store in the freezer.

*The preceding information is from Pleasant Hill Grain.  Check out their website at www.pleasanthillgrain.com

 How to make fruit leather from Simply Recipes –  www.simplyrecipes.com

One thing you can do with excess fruit of the season is to make fruit leather, sort of the beef jerky of fruit. I used to love this stuff as a kid, made for a great snack and instant energy, and was easy to pack. Last fall I made fruit leather with the leftover grape mush from making grape juice, and this week it was fruit leather from our neighbor Pat's apricots (Pat's apricots are so ripe that when you go to pick one, two more fall off the branch). What follows is a general guideline to making fruit leather, no set recipe. So much of it depends on the specific fruit you are working with.

I imagine that not all fruits are best processed the same way, and some might work well mixed in with other things, like cherries with ground almonds for example. I know that some people prefer to process just the raw fruit; I like cooking the fruit first to up the intensity of the flavor, and kill any bacteria that might be lurking around on the fruit. When apple butter season starts, I may make a fruit leather batch with extra ground cloves, cinnamon and cider vinegar.

How to Make Fruit Leather

Ingredients:

Fresh fruit (apricots, peaches, plums, berries, apples, pears, grapes)

Water

Lemon juice

Sugar (if needed)

Spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)

Method

1 Rinse the fruit. If you working with stone fruit, take out the pits and chop the fruit. If working with apples or pears, peel and core them, then chop. If working with grapes, de-stem them.

Taste the fruit before proceeding. Note how sweet the fruit is. If very sweet (ripe Concord grapes for example) you will not need to add any sugar. If still a little tart, you may need to add some sugar in the next step.

2 Place the fruit in a large saucepan. Add a half cup of water for every 4 cups of chopped fruit. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the fruit is cooked through. Uncover and stir. Use a potato masher to mash up the fruit in the pan. Taste the fruit and determine what and how much sugar, lemon juice, or spices to add. Add sugar in small amounts (1 Tbsp at a time if working with 4 cups of fruit), to desired level of sweetness. Add lemon juice one teaspoon at a time to help brighten the flavor of the fruit. Add a pinch or two of cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to augment the flavor.

Continue to simmer and stir until any added sugar is completely dissolved and the fruit purée has thickened; another 5 or 10 minutes (or more).

Note if you are working with grapes - strain the juice out of the mashed grapes to make grape juice. Force what is left behind, after straining, through a food mill, to make the purée for the next step.

3 Put the purée through a food mill or chinoise or you can purée it thoroughly in a blender or food processor. Taste again and adjust sugar/lemon/spices if necessary. The purée should be very smooth.

4 Line a rimmed baking sheet with sturdy plastic wrap (the kind that is microwave safe). Pour out the purée into the lined baking sheet to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.

5 Place the baking sheet in the oven, try to keep any plastic wrap from touch the sides of the oven or the oven racks. Also try to make sure that the plastic wrap hasn't folded back over on top of the purée. If this happens, the purée won't dry out. Heat the oven to a low 140°F. If you have a convection setting, use it, it will speed up the process and help dry out the purée. Let dry in the oven like this for as long as it takes for the purée to dry out and form fruit leather. We usually keep it in the oven overnight, so about 8-12 hours. The fruit leather is ready when it is no longer sticky, but has a smooth surface.

Alternatives to the oven: If you have a food dehydrator, this would be a great use of it. My mother suggested putting the tray in the Weber grill, and leaving covered, in the sun all day. Sounds like a good trick, but I haven't tried it yet. My parents remember the traditional way of making fruit leather was just to tent the tray with some cheesecloth and leave it outside in the sun on a hot day.

6 When the fruit leather is ready, you can easily peel it up from the plastic wrap. To store it, roll it in its plastic wrap, put it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

4 cups of fruit yield about one baking sheet of fruit leather.

Here’s a recipe for Mango Fruit Leather. You can adapt it for the oven if you like.

Mango Leather

You will need:
 2 lb mangoes (about 3 medium)
 2 Tbsp corn syrup
 1 Tbsp lemon juice
 Plastic food storage bags or vacuum packages

Directions:
1.) WASH mangoes and drain; Peel, pit and dice mangoes.
2.) PUREE mangoes in a food processor or blender. Add corn syrup and lemon juice. Blend.

Spread puree evenly on dehydrator trays to 1/4-inch thick.
3.) DRY at 135°F until pliable, about 12 to 14 hours.
4.) CUT mango leather into 6-inch circles. Place parchment paper or plastic wrap between
circles.
5.) STORE in plastic food storage bags or vacuum package. Label.

Grilling with fresh herbs - can you say YUMMY?

Having access to fresh herbs, during the summer, almost makes the heat worthwhile.  Try growing some fresh herbs of your own, it's much less expensive than buying them from the store and they're always available.  You can grow them in small places, mixed with flower beds, a separate herb garden or in pots in your home, on your patio or balcony.  There is nothing quite like using fresh herbs in your recipes.

A friend of mine, Jan, gave me some fresh rosemary and basil.  Knowing that I needed to use it up before it started getting funny, I decided to make an herb marinade for some Tri Tip.  I have to tell you, this was the best meat I've ever had.

Grilling is such a great way to cook during the summer when you want to keep the heat out of the kitchen, so try marinating some meat and start the grilling.

This is how the marinade works:
     Place meat in a gallon freezer zip lock bag
     Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper
     Place a couple sprigs of rosemary in the bag
     Place 4-8 whole, fresh basil leaves in the bag
     Place 1-2 Tbl. chopped garlic in bag (I use pre-chopped in the
                                                                 jar.  You can use less or more.)
     Pour 1/2 C. of olive oil in the bag, press out the air and seal

Once the bag is sealed, "mush" it all around to deistribute the seasonings and coat the meat with the oil.  Toss it in the fridge for a couple hours or overnight.  When you're ready to grill, pull the meat out of the bag, place it on the grill and cook till it reaches your desired doneness.

You can place the rosemary in the bag in sprigs, or strip the leaves and toss them in loose.  If you toss them in loose, you'll get a more intense flavor from the rosemary.  Place the basil leaves in whole, or give them a little slice.  The same principal applies.  The more chopped they are, the more intense the flavor.

I love this, the flavor of the herbs permeates the meat, but in a mild and subtle way.  I was so blown away by the taste of the Tri Tip, that we grilled for the next 3 weeks.  I bought chuck roasts and followed the same process.  You may need to grill them a little longer, but when they're done, just slice them against the grain and serve.  Sooooo good!

I don't see why you can't follow the same principal with chicken or pork.  Try some of your favorite herbs, just remember "less is more".  You can always add more, but it's difficult to take away.

Don't get too crazy about measurements.  Remember that taste is subjective.  What you like is just right for you.

Some tips about herbs:

Fresh herbs can be frozen or dried for longer storage.  If you're freezing, strip the leaves from the  stems and place them in zip lock freezer bags.  Remove what ever measure you need while the herbs are still frozen.  You can get a good chop on frozen herbs, don't let them thaw before chopping, or you'll have a mushy mess.  You can use frozen herbs in just about anything, just remember to add while they're still frozen.

After drying, fresh herbs they can be stored in canning jars with tight seals or you can store them in zip lock bags.  Be sure to label so you remember which herbs are which and always store in a cool dry place.  Remember that dry herbs are more intense than fresh, so use 1/2 the amount that the recipe calls for using fresh.

Tips for grilling meat - what works for me:
   
 I find that grilling chicken can be challenging.  If the chicken is done, then it's usually burned on the outside, if it's nice and brown, it's usually still pink in the center - not good.  This is my solution:  par-cook your chicken before you grill it.  Place it in a pan with some water, enough to keep it from scorching, and slowly cook it half way through.  Place the par-cooked chicken in a zip lock bag with your seasonings and allow to marinate.  When you're ready to grill, place the chicken on the grill and cook till the chicken is done.  Because the chicken is partially cooked before going on the grill, it will cook much more quickly and won't scorch.  Baste it with sauce, if you like, the last 10 minutes or so.

If you're cooking chicken breasts, it's a good idea to filet them before putting them on the grill.  If  you filet the breasts, they don't need to be par-cooked.  Just butterfly them and place them on the grill, season to taste and you'll find that these puppies will be evenly cooked in about 8-10 minutes total.

Remember that when you're grilling, you only want to turn your meat once.  Allow your meat to cook halfway through before you turn your meat, then finish it off.  This way, you'll get great grill marks and a beautiful color.  If you keep turning your meat to get the browning, you'll probably overcook it.  DON'T mash your hamburgers when you're cooking them.  This forces all the juices out of the meat and they'll be dry and tough.

Well, that's about it.  If you want more grilling tips, check out www.finecooking.com and type bbq or grilling in the search line. 

Take a little time to grill this summer and try some of those fresh herbs while they're still in season, I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

Tomorrow I want to share with you how I made fruit leather in the oven.  This is the first time I ever made fruit leather and I'm loving it!  It turned out "crazy good".

Essential Oils ..... who knew?

Day 3 and I'm still here.

     Before I address essential oils, I'd like to respond to a post from Melissa. She posted on the blog about "Comfort Food" and indicated that people often don't understand why she'd make her own bread.

     In today's economy, with the financial downturn and so many people watching their pennies and out of work. Making your own bread is, not only, more healthy for you, but it's a great way to save money. The lowest prices I've seen on bread is $1.50 a loaf and can increase to over $4.00 a loaf, or the more, for more healthy bread. If you have a family of 4, you're probably going through 1-2 loaves of bread a week. Let's average the loaf of bread at $2.00 and assume that you're using 1 loaf a week. That's $104.00 a year that you're paying for bread. Do the math for your family, I think you'll be surprised at what your bread costs are.

     You can make a loaf of bread for about $.50 a loaf and that's if you add eggs and milk, otherwise the cost drops to about $.30 or less. Do you get the picture? If you'd like to cut back on your expenses, add a little money to your savings account or have your family eat more healthy, you might want to start making your own bread. Besides, there's nothing more satisfying than seeing a beautiful loaf of bread cooling on your kitchen counter.

     Now, let's talk about essential oils. My cutie girl niece, Alyssa, started working for a Utah based company, doTERRA, that supplies essential oils. We've probably all heard about oils, but never really known what to do with them. There is a HUGE following for essential oils. Did you know that?

     I've used oils for quite a while in my baking and cooking. You can achieve a much more intense flavor with just a drop of oil in a recipe, but I'd never considered using them for anything other than that. Mostly because I didn't know anything about it.

     My cute friend Mandi dropped by last week and I happened to have a sample box of doTERRA oils sitting on my desk, lemon oil, peppermint oil and lavendar oil. She commented that she'd started using doTERRA's oils for health reasons and had achieved amazing results. She's had asthma since she was a child and started using an oil called "Breath". Just a drop of oil, rubbed into her chest, every morning and she said that this is the first time in her life that she feels like she can take a full breath. Well.....I happen to have a cute sister-in-law, Tami, who's also suffered with asthma since childhood, and I know how she's struggled. I ordered a bottle, had it shipped directly to her, gave her the same instructions that Mandi told me and guess what? She said exactly the same thing that Mandi said, this is the first time she's ever been able to take a complete breath.

     Mandi mentioned that she uses lavendar oil to aid in her sleeping. She's been one of those sleepers that has trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. Guess what? I have 3 of those in my family, so I gave a bottle of lavendar oil to Danny with instructions to place a drop on the tip of his finger, rub his fingers together, then rub the oil into his temples. Mandi said that she could feel her body start to relax so she could fall asleep and stay asleep.

     Of course, the next day, I jumped on Danny to see how successful the lavendar oil was and he said, it was O.K.. Not exactly what I'd been expecting. Two days later he told me that it was amazing. He puts the lavendar oil on, feels himself relax and goes to sleep. He sleeps deeply and soundly, but not drugged. He can still hear his 4 month old when he cries, can get up for potty breaks or the baby and go straight back to sleep. He said he gets a great nights sleep and never feels drugged or sluggish in the morning.

     Well, Mandi told me more about other oils, but we don't have the time or space. I'd just suggest that this is something you might want to look into. Give it a little study and see what you find out. The results I've seen are good, better than good. I love the idea of getting a good result with something natural and drug free. I would never suggest that you use oils in place of doctor prescribed medications. Mandi and Tami keep their inhalers, as they should, but there may be a place for natural oils in your life and family.

     Feeling a little sluggish? Use a drop of pepperment oil rubbed into the back of your neck. Mandi swears by it. Who couldn't use an energy boost mid day?

     Well, that's it for today. I'm going to get a couple more bottles of lavendar oil for my other 2 insomniacs. I'll let you know how it goes.......

Tomorrow's post will be about grilling and cooking with herbs. I have this "crazy good" herb marinated beef. I'm LOVING it!

Using up those bargain buys

Well, here I am at day 2 and talking about those "crazy good" buys we can get at the big discount stores. Now, don't get me wrong, they are terrific buys and who doesn't look for any excuse to visit Costco at least once a week?

The problem that we run into is the level of commitment from our families to eat, finish up, use up and cooperate in, productively dispensing with that 5 pound bag of carrots. Isn't it funny that our families just don't understand that buying 5 pounds is so much less expensive than buying 1 pound of carrots?

Well, what is one to do when you're family is so over those carrots after eating 1/2 a pound? We check the fridge every day hoping, praying that we're not going to see the slimy, mushy, science experiment that our poor carrots have become.

Here is where we need to think outside the box. There are so many things you can do with those GREAT BUY carrots. First, you want to grate them all, then you want to break them down to manageable sizes. Think of the recipes you have calling for grated carrots. How about the Swedish Carrots from our cooking class. This is one of my favorite vegetable dishes and kids really will eat them. Grated, caramelized with onions, pan sauteed till they have a little golden color, seasoned with a little S&P and cayenne pepper, just for a little bite and finished off with a minimal amount of brown sugar and cream ..... what's not to like? Determine what measure of carrots you need per recipe, place that amount in a sandwich zip lock bag and then into a gallon freezer bag. It's ready for the freezer and later use.

How about substituting carrots in place of zucchini in your favorite bread recipe? I have a great casserole recipe that was given to me by my friend Georgette that has grated carrots, zucchini, onions and a topping of dry stuffing mix. It's yummy good and a great side dish for any dinner. Then, there's always the old standby, Carrot Cake. If I have an abundance of carrots or zucchini that I know I want to bake, I make a day of it. My motto is, "if you're going to mess up your kitchen, make it worth your while and only do it once." If I'm making bread or cake, I make a bunch, allow them to cool to room temperature (make sure there is no heat left in your baked good at all). Wrap them securely with plastic wrap, then with heavy duty foil. Fold and press the foil so your baked good is tightly wrapped. Write on the foil, what's inside and place in the freezer.

This is a great way to use up fruits and vegetables, that are in danger of becoming science experiments, and having product on hand when you might need something at the last minute. Having cake layers frozen is great when you want a dessert, but don't want to take the time to bake. Cakes are always easier to frost when frozen. The crumb doesn't get into your frosting and the frosting seals in the moisture from the cake. Having frozen breads is great when you want to share with a friend. Because they're already wrapped for the freezer, your friend can place it in their freezer or allow it to thaw to room temperature in the wrapper then slice and enjoy. Frozen cakes and breads have a tendency to be more moist and as long as you wrap them securely, you'll never need to worry about freezer burn or flavor crossover.

Thinking way outside the box, have you thought of using carrots in jam? A couple years ago I made some Carrot Cake Jam (you know, to use up that 5 pounds of carrots), needless to say, it was a great hit. This jam is like eating dessert for breakfast, without the guilt. Try it, I think you'll like it.

Carrot Cake Jam

1 1/2 C. finely grated, peeled carrots

1 1/2 C. chopped, cored, peeled pears

1 3/4 C. canned pineapple, including juice

3 Tbl. lemon juice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 pkg. regular powdered fruit pectin

6 1/2 C. granulated sugar (I only use C&H)

Prepare canner, jars and lids.

In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine carrots, pears, pineapple, juices and spices. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 20 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in pectin till dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently and add sugar all at once, return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 min., remove from heat and skim off foam.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot jam. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar, screw ring down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, making sure they're completely covered with water (if using water bath canner). Bring water to a boil and process for 10 min. Turn off heat and remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

This recipe yields 6 pints of jam

(if you're using a steam canner, bring water to a boil before you start timing. I always process everything for 30 min. When done, remove the canner lid, place the jars on the counter and allow to cool completely. Remove the rings and gently test the seal by lifting up on the lid. If the seal is complete, wipe the jar down again, replace the ring and tighten completely. Store in a cool dry place. Please note: if the seal is not complete the lid will lift. Return the lid and ring on the jar and place in the refrigerator. NEVER tighten the ring on your jar till the content is completely cooled, it will interfere with the seal of the lid).

NOTE: When I made my jam, I did not add pear, although it's a great way to use up those "bargain buy" pears that your family won't eat either; if you're leaving something out of a recipe, make it up with something else. You could increase the pineapple and carrots by 1/2 the amount of the pears, ie; 3/4 C. more each of pineapple and carrots.

I've also used carrots in a "mock" Orange Marmalade. I love the taste of orange, but I'm not crazy about the rind from the orange. Zest, I love, rind, not so much. The carrots take the place of the orange rind and you use orange juice for the jam. Great stuff! If you're interested in that recipe, let me know, I'm happy to share.

This is Georgette's great Carrot and Zucchini casserole:

Mix - 1 small pkg. of stuffing mix w/1 cube of melted butter

Mix - 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 C. sour cream

1 C. grated carrots

dash of paprika

1/4 C. onions chopped

1 1/2 # of grated zucchini

Sprinkle 1/2 of the stuffing mixture in the bottom of a greased, 9x9 casserole, spoon vegetable mixture over stuffing mix and sprinkle remaining stuffing on top; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or till golden brown and heated through.

Here's the YUMMY, Swedish Carrots recipe:

Swedish Carrots – Serves 8 – Diet for One, Dinner for All

This is my favorite carrot recipe. It looks great, tastes amazing and is only 61 calories per serving.

8 carrots

2 Tbl. butter

2 onions, cut lengthwise into thin strips

1 Tbl. light cream

½ tsp. salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

2 tsp. brown sugar

Shred the carrots and cover with water to prevent discoloration. Drain well. Melt butter in saucepan and add carrots and onions. Toss to coat well. Cover and simmer for about 30 min., stirring occasionally. Add cream to prevent sticking and simmer another 15 min., again stirring occasionally. Add seasonings and brown sugar. Serve at once.

Spend a little time in the kitchen today. Bon Appetite!

Tomorrow's blog is going to be about essential oils - who knew?

Heritage

Well, I've decided to try a daily post, heaven only knows why - My daily post will be filled with random thoughts (that's when Fred says, oh,oh), recipes to try and, hopefully, some helpful tips.

Today - a random thought. Since the month of July is about our national heritage and, in Utah, pioneer heritage, I've been thinking about what we have to share.

I'm sure that some of you may think that your life isn't very exciting, glamorous or noteworthy, but I beg to disagree. We all have accomplished something that sets us apart from others. We are all unique individuals with varied talents and abilities. Our life experiences may be similar to others, but it's how we approach those experiences that makes us different.

I wrote a message this month for women at my church, about heritage, that I'd like to share with you, hopefully, it'll trigger some thoughts:

Heritage –

During the month of July, we celebrate two holidays, America’s Independence Day and, a holiday close to the hearts of members of the church, Pioneer Day. We celebrate with bbq’s, fireworks, family get-togethers, music, parades, a myriad of fun events.

We live in a country with great heritage. We belong to a church with amazing heritage, we all belong to families that have left us a legacy for us to build upon and/or change. We live in a land of freedom that allows us to become more, and hopefully, better than our ancestors were. We belong to a church that offers us the tools and knowledge to change our lives and become the best that we can become. We are not relegated to an existence that our parents or grandparents had because of our “place” in society, or our political or religious leanings.

Do we appreciate these things? Do we hold them dear? Are we teaching them to our children and grandchildren? Do we take the time and opportunity to share their “heritage” with them? What does heritage mean to you?

Who we are and where we go in life is often built upon the foundation of our forefathers; whether they were members of the church or not, whether they were immigrants to this great country or were born here, they have left us a legacy that we can emulate and/or learn from.

How much of your legacy do your children and grandchildren know? Do they appreciate who and where they came from? Do they find lessons learned or lives to emulate in their ancestors? Do their ancestors “live” for them?

Our ancestors have much to teach us and we have much to learn from them and teach in turn. Celebrations are good, they’re fun and great opportunities to come together as families, but memories and stories are things to learn from. They are the stuff that binds us together from generation to generation. That is the wonder of heritage.

My challenge to you is to start today to share your gift of heritage with your loved ones. Express your appreciation for this wonderful country, for the gospel and for your family. They are all intertwined in the Lord’s plan to re-establish his Gospel and link families together eternally.

Whether you're a member of my church, another church, or no church, we all have something that we believe in. Something greater than ourselves that, hopefully, lifts us and inspires us to become more; more than we think we're capable of.

Several years ago, I wrote a "program" for my daughter, Kathrine. I wanted her to "get in touch", (you can tell that I was raised in the 60's), with her inner self and find her foundation in this life. I called it, A Journey of Discovery. I had this great idea, (here comes Fred's oh, oh), that Fred, Kathrine and I could all work on it together and share our thoughts and experiences (the 60's again). Well, it didn't go over that well with Fred and Kathrine, but what I realized is that this little program, that consists of questions that need to be answered, was a perfect way to find your heritage.

I'm not a big journal writer, actually, I think I've only written about 20 things over a, huh hum ... 61 year life span. This does not bode well for my descendants. I accept that I'll never be a great journal writer, but I also realized that if I did "A Journey of Discovery", my children and grandchildren would not only know who I was, but who my parents and grandparents were.

It's never too late or too hard to share with our descendants your memories and experiences. Preserve them, share them, allow others to experience them and learn from them. I wrote a little poem several years ago:

Memories Left Unwritten

Knowing what you need to say,

Is not always an easy thing.

So how do I get from here to there

Sweet accomplishment to bring?

Your thoughts and feelings and happenings,

Written for others to see;

Imagine yourself, imagine them,

Then imagine you and me.

We think with our heads, we feel with our heats,

This is the place to start.

Where mind and heart work as one,

Sweet memories to impart.

Memories have great value,

To others and ourselves.

But memories left unwritten,

Are like old pictures left on a shelf.

The years go by, the pictures fade,

The ones that knew are gone.

And the memories left unwritten,

Are like the fading notes of a song.

By: Christie Thomas

Don't miss opportunities to share. Memories left unwritten, are just that. When you're gone, who will remember? There are many things that as a young mother, I said, "I'll never forget that.", or "I'll always remember this." I hate to say it, but it doesn't happen. I don't remember. I forgot.

Today, take the time to make some notes about your sweet children or grandchildren. Share your "random" thoughts with a piece of paper, or a computer document. Start your own "Journey of Discovery" and glory in what you remember and learn.

I'm happy to share Kathrine's program with you, just let me know you're interested and I'll e-mail it over. Good luck and happy remembering.

Tomorrow's post will be about using up those bulk products that often get wasted. Can you say..... Carrot Jam? Yummmmm!