raspberries

There is a saying around here: "You can't grow raspberries in this town!" 

Well, I have something to say back: "You can't grow raspberries in this town because they are all growing at MY house!"  

Someone's been sneaking into my garden and feeding my raspberries steroids.  

Every year,  our raspberries produce mountainous amounts of big, red, juicy, SWEET bits of heaven.  We can't keep up with them.  We pick.  And we pick.  And then we pick some more!  We're lucky if we make a dent.  Srsly.

Lucky for me, I luuuv raspberry freezer jam (and is there anything on this green earth that is easier to make?!), but a few years ago I stopped making it because I just could not HACK the amount of sugar that was needed.  I felt like I was spreading berry-flavored sugar on my toast!  

It was just freaking me out a bit.

However, I love Agave nectar and I thought that there had to be a way to use it in jam-making.

So, I launched on a mission to find someone on the internet who had perfected this concoction. Surely someone out there had figured it out. Well, there was no one.  Nada.  Zilch.  Zero.  Oh, people talked about it, how wonderful it would be to use Agave in jam, and plenty had tried to make it work, but no one had been successful.  

Enter: Me.

After a few attempts and a lot of crossed fingers, I came up with the perfect jam; made with NO sugar- just raspberries, Agave nectar, and pectin.  I've since had several friends ask me for my "secret" recipe.  Well, it's a secret no more, so here it is:

* 4 c. smashed raspberries

* 1/2 c. Agave nectar (this can vary depending on the sweetness of your berries - mine are extra sweet...if you like it more sweet and less tart, add a little more nectar plus a little more pectin)

* 1 packet PLUS 1 tbsp Freezer Pectin (if you like firm jam, add 2 tbsp)

In a large bowl, combine the Agave and the pectin.  Stir until well blended.  Add the raspberries and stir well for 2 minutes.  Pour into plastic containers.  Cover with lids and let sit for 30 minutes.

Freeze, then weep guilt-free tears of joy each and every time you spread some of this loveliness on your toast/pb sandwich/waffle/crepe/french toast/hootenanny pancake.

Caprese

 Does summer really get any better than this?

Srsly, people.  I declare: It. Does. Not.

Caprese (pronounced kuh-pray-zay, and if you don't roll the "r" like a true Italian, people may mock you.
Just sayin'.)

Made from:

* Tomatoes - from my garden

* Basil - from my garden

* Fresh mozzarella - from cows in Wisconsin.  They have really good cows in Wisconsin.
* Feta - from my fridge
* Dubliner cheese - from, I'm assuming, Ireland.  Dublin, Ireland...hence "Dubliner."  Makes sense to me. 

* Balsamic vinegar and olive oil - Peterson's Market.  However, originally from Italy!  Impressive, I know.
* Salt and pepper - from....wherever salt and pepper come from.

I use 3 kinds of cheeses to please everyone in my family. 

I could eat this all day, all night, and every single minute in-between.

Harvest

We are experiencing mega-poundage of produce production at the moment and there is no slowing in sight. 

Maybe I need to open my own farmer's stand down on the corner.  Hmmm....

(I know, I know.  My "next post" was supposed to be the Harry Potter World Premier.  I think I've now spent 58.75 hours working on that particular post.  And I am still working on it.  It's coming.  Eventually.)

London: Borough Market

Ten glorious days spent on the other side of the big pond was not nearly enough, but really, there is no complaining here. Brooke's grad present from BYU fit me just fine.

The weather was fab (except a serious downpour on day 1) and the food, I must say, was a big, delicious surprise!  Simply scrumptious.  When we lived in England 16 years ago really good food was, well, a leeetle hard to come by (I warily admit whilst hoping to not offend any of my beloved Brit friends).   For the most part the only place to really get great food was at a pub. Well, times have changed!   England has stepped up to the plate (no pun intended) and now offers delicious food galore.  And boy, did we ever take advantage of that!

Our plane arrived in London at 6 a.m. and, after quickly checking into our "flat," we headed straight for Borough Market.  A most divine food market in the heart of London not far from London Bridge.

BTW, this was the view out my bedroom window in our flat, which was one block from Trafalgar Square.   It reminded me of the musical Oliver and I half-expected that, at any moment, Fagin would pop out and dance on the roof-tops armed with a chimney sweeper in his hand.

Er, wait.  Maybe I'm thinking of Bert in Mary Poppins.

Either way, neither showed up and I was slightly disappointed.

Anyhoo, on to the market, where succulent samples of nosh eagerly awaited our arrival.

 

 "Excuse me ma'am, would you like a side of 'hoof' with your swine leg?"

*Coming next: The London premier of Harry Potter 7 Part 2 (yes, we stood right next to the red carpet!!).

Adam and the Moon

In May, our family went to Orlando, Florida for 10 glorious days of Mickey, Hogwarts, Butter Beer, and Kennedy Space Center.

What a FUN vacation.  We loved it all, but Kennedy was the surprise hit of the trip!  We couldn't get enough of it. The last flight of the shuttle Endevour was to launch while we were there.  It got delayed (surprise!) and it ended up launching 24 hours AFTER we left Florida.  Meh.

However, not all was lost.  We happened to be there on the day they launched the Atlas 5.  We not only got to witness that but we got to be in the VIP section!  Watching that was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.  In my life!  In fact, as it ascended into the brilliant and clear blue sky, I cried.  I cried!  It was so powerful.  I was in complete awe of what I was witnessing.  Until you have personally witnessed a space craft launch, you don't fully understand the meaning of the word "awesome."

It was at that space center that my Adam changed.  Over the two days we spent there, an interest  love obsession of space-travel consumed my boy.  Good-bye Thomas the Tank Engine, hello Space Shuttle!

Ever since we got home he eats, drinks, sleeps....space flight.   His goal now is to be an astronaut (just like 58 billion other little boys) and walk on the moon.  He thinks that maybe, just maybe, he might even walk on the surface of Mars.   Someday.

He recently came up to me and said, "Mom, today I was looking out the window and I wanted to be an astronaut so bad that I cried."   Oh!  To melt a momma's heart!  I thought, "Wow, this boy is serious about this!"

That evening, he and I sat on the swing on our front porch enjoying mommy and Adam time.  There was  a full moon in a crystal clear sky.  As he and I sat together we talked about his future as an astronaut and gazed at the brilliant moon that he someday hopes to walk on.

As we talked about it, he started to cry.  

I think it's so sweet to see a young child with such a passion.  Those passions usually change as quickly as the weather, but how great for them to have such big dreams.  And who knows, maybe Adam will keep this dream and maybe, just maybe, someday walk on another planet.

I grabbed my camera that night and took this picture of that wondrous moon from our porch.  I wanted to remember exactly what the moon looked like the night my boy was dreaming.

#569

Oh. My. Gosh. WHAT am I supposed to do with this DOG?!?

The Secret Life of Bees

. . . is one of my all-time favorite books.

I. Love. It.

But I prefer to read about bees, not own and raise them.

Oh well, so much for my preference.

As of two weeks ago, we now own and raise bees.

Which has been John's dream for a very long time.  And, as everyone knows, nothing comes between a man and his insect-nurturing ambitions.

Apparently, a cat, a dog, and 6 chickens were not enough.

At least bees are easier than the ear-biting/furniture-chewing/pooping-all-over-my-grass canine.

Easier.....until a swarm of these striped, flying arthropods decides to attack.

*Sigh*

Until then, bring on the fresh honey! {There's got to be a bright side to all the madness, right?}

Why I didn't want a dog: Reason #568

Because they bite.   

They bite ears.  

They bite the ears of little 6-year-old boys.  And they bite them so hard that it requires a trip to the emergency room and 10 stitches to put the ear back together again.

 

Mom telling him that he has to have stitches.

Okay, ya, that's owie.

Ah, Phineas and Ferb to distract him....why didn't we think of that sooner?!

Now that's a little more calm.  Thank heavens for anesthetic, The Disney Channel, and a really great doctor.

How many nurses out there would go out to the vending machine and buy her patient not only one package of Reese's PB cups, but TWO?!  Well, I know of at least one nurse who did.


The finished product.  And surely a scar to last the rest of his life.  Dangit.





I didn't want a dog.

I really didn't.

Oh, and I almost forgot.  It was Raegan and Haylie's birthday the same day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my twins - born 4 years apart. :)
(At least their braces are kind of twin-ish.)
Raegan - 20, Haylie -16

Sorry, girls, that your special day had to take a back-seat to the dog/ear trauma.  Sheesh.

Brooke - From Joy School to BYU

May 1992 - Joy School graduation


 
April 22, 2011

Scrum-diddly-umptious . . .

. . . is what Brooke's new cooking blog is.   Finally, "The Flour Sack" is up and running.  Enjoy :)

                                                       click --->   The Flour Sack

Half Marathon

A picture is worth a thousand words.  This photo is no exception.

John and Brooke, just after they finished the Salt Lake City Half Marathon on Saturday.  One of them was "ready" for the 13.1 mile run, the other, well, mmm, not so much.

Can you guess who was ready?  Who was not? (Hint: Who looks happy, refreshed, and ready to run another 13.1?  And who looks like they are fighting with every ounce of remaining energy to muster out a half-smile for the camera?)

I wonder if the "big white spot" in John's vision had started to fade by the time this was taken.
(To quote Brooke, "When I saw dad come over that finish line, well, I've just never, ever seen him look that bad.")

*Side note:  Yes, John's right hip looks really, really big.  That's because it is packed with, like, seven drinkable yogurts and at least 2 chocolate milks (you know, the "free" ones they give out at the race).   He may have come home with a limp to rival Quazimoto's, but hey, he totally took advantage of the free loot.  That's my boy!

She's here.

Meet Miss Molly...

No lack of love around the house for this pooch.

 (Except maybe from me, but I'm working on it.)

The polls are closed...

...all votes have been tallied, and the results are in.

Let's see, what do we have here?

Scout - 8 votes

Molly - 8 votes

Okay, well, the numbers have spoken and the name has been decided.  Our puppy shall be known as...*drumroll*

Scolly.

(Or....Mout?  Hmmm, perhaps another poll in is order....)

Our farm.

The fact remains: We're getting a dog, so why not add some chickens to the mixture?!

Might as well.

*Sigh*

As we continue to ponder over which name we should give our new puppy, naming the new chicks has been much less stressful. 

Meet the newest additions to our farm - Flora, Della, Spot (or Sirius Black, whichever you prefer), Martha, and two as-of-yet unnamed chicks which belong to my "much-too-busy-to-name-a-chicken" daughters, Brooke and Raegan.  So for now we'll just call their chicks Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Six fuzzy little chirp-balls.

Who live in my kitchen.

In a cardboard box.

Who have learned to escape from the cardboard box and run like.....chickens around my kitchen.

While squeaking and pooping on the floor.

They're getting me ready for the puppy, aren't they?

Except the puppy poop will be bigger and MUCH more difficult to clean up.

Thanks chicks, at least your trying to prepare me.

Raegan's Thing 1

Martha

 The kids set up a Lego maze for the chicks to run through.  Poor things.  

They were completely lost AND they almost became the cat's lunch.  (See below)

Adam, being the thoughtful decorator he is, made a little drawing for the inside of the chicks' home.  Notice how lovingly Thing 1 is gazing at the artwork. 

 

Spot, named by Adam.  The rest of the kids know this little chickie as Sirius Black.

 

These chicks certainly live up to their name!  They are so CHICKEN!  One little sound or bump to their home and they all scurry into the corner and pile in a fluffy heap of poultry.

John made some little windows in their home.  They love to stick their heads out and see the
  action of the kitchen, hoping they don't end up on that dinner table someday as Enchiladas con Pollo.

And while we're on the subject of animals, I might as well include a picture of Matthew's "snow dog."  

Sadly, snow dog is dead now.