• Around home - Blog - Kitchen

    T Tuesday: treat shop edition

    I’m not really starting up a treat shop…it just feels like it. Every year I give plates of cookies and sweet treats to the neighbors but the list seems to be growing and therefore the amount of goodies is getting crazy! But still fun. I get to have a little of this and that without having to keep all of it around.

    treats

    I’ve also made a double batch of spritz, pretzel hugs and Rolo pretzel turtles….unfortunately all the turtles have been eaten or maybe that’s fortunate since I couldn’t seem to leave them alone.

    winter-tea

    It’s super, duper cold here and will be all week so there is lots and lots of hot tea being consumed.

    tall-marvin

    I just had to share this photo of Marvin….when I tell people he’s a big cat they really don’t have the concept of just how big.

    Grocery shopping and ortho appt are on the list for Tuesday…oh and trying to stay warm!!

    What are you doing today?

  • Blog - Kitchen

    T Tuesday: lefse edition

    Trying something new for this edition of T stands for Tuesday. Mini-me helped make the first batch of lefse for the season. I took a series of photos and linked them as a slideshow. Fingers crossed that this works.

    [KGVID]http://www.halleshobbies.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lefseday.mp4[/KGVID]

    It’s been a busy, weird week that has included but not limited to:

    ~an overnight dog visit that went reasonably well with Marvin the dog hater cat

    ~two turkey dinners

    ~precipitation of all kinds and in all directions: rain, snow, sleet and hail

    ~one panicky ER visit which turned out very benign

    ~one partially dislocated jaw (unrelated to the above)

    ~all four of us on vacation for 5 overlapping days plus extras on both ends

    ~late night scratch made brownies

    ~4 teen boys Black Friday shopping (for themselves)

    ~one Christmas tree set up and was still standing in the morning (amazing!)

    I’m absolutely positive there was more but that is all I am able to wrap my mind around at the moment.

    Kids go back to school after a 6 day break…and a mountain of laundry awaits. Living the dream boys and girls. Actually, that is serious! Yes, we all love to complain about the pesky chores of life but I am so thankful for every day that I am able to be home caring for my family.

    What are you doing today?

  • Around home - Blog - Kitchen

    T Tuesday: apple days edition

    Happy Tuesday everyone! This past weekend is one I both love and hate each year. It’s the weekend we help pick apples at our neighbors house. They have 5 trees that are HUGE!! As in you need an extension ladder huge.

    apple days

    (This is just a 6 foot ladder…)

    Some of their family comes over as well as several of us neighbors. We spend  the morning picking then bring our bags of apples home and usually the afternoon or next day processing.

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    This year we didn’t make time for processing over the weekend. Everyone was going here and there it seemed. Sleepover, Manhattan choir fundraiser, fabricating and 3D printing in the garage and of course, leaving time to watch our Vikings play the Packers (the big border battle) in the inaugural game in the new stadium…SKOL Vikings! Our Vikings won-BTW!!!

    On to Monday…this was my morning view complete with coffee as fuel for the day ahead….

    apple days

    Normally I process in the garage for more room but since I was doing it solo I brought the garage can inside.

    apple days

    After hours of peeling I had every extra large container I own full of sliced apples.

    apple days

    As well as a stock pot full cooking down to sauce. And the dehydrator with 6 trays loaded.

    I ended up with 7 quarts that I canned…

    apple days

    The rest went into gallon freezer bags to be made into sauce at a later date.

    apple days

    As you can see by this photo it was now after 3pm and I was exhausted,

    apple days

    I also managed to get two loads of laundry washed during that time.

    apple days

    So my grand total for the day was: 7 quarts apple sauce canned, 2 quarts in fridge, 4 gallon bags of prepped apples in freezer, and a quart bag of dehydrated slices.

    So like I said when I started…apple days…I have  a love/hate relationship with them.

    Today I’m going to have coffee with some friends then likely come home and can a few pints of diced tomatoes…or else pull up the garden and do the tomatoes tomorrow before the next round of rain.

    What are you doing today?