Friday, July 9, 2010

Tomato Soup

My friend Deana is out of town so Connie and I have been tending to her garden. She told us to "help ourselves" and  begged us to "please" come pick tomatoes while they were gone. SO that is what we did! The first day we got FOUR 5 gallon buckets full of tomatoes!!!


We canned 14 qt size jars of regular tomatoes.


With the remaining tomatoes, we made this delicious soup .....

photo courtesy of Wellness Dining


....and canned it. This is going to be an extra special treat come winter!!!




Here is the recipe:
1 med onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove
2 pkts stevia (2 tsp sugar)
1 TBS parsley
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp onion salt
2 tsp soda
3 cups chicken stock
2 - (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes (approx 4 cups)
Milk or half and half (to taste) It is optional.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion , carrot, and bay leaf; cook over med heat. Cook about 5 minutes until vegetables are soft. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes.

Add broth and tomatoes. Puree in blender.

Add stevia, parsley,salt, pepper, onion salt, and 2 tsp soda.

If serving immediately, add either milk, chicken stock, or half and half. Do not allow the soup to boil with the milk in it or else it may curdle.



Thursday, July 8, 2010

Canning Salsa


E and I are learning to can vegetables! It has been such a fun experience! It is not only learning something new that has been so great, but the fellowship (and working together) with friends as well! 


My friend Deana has a garden and she has so graciously shared her bounty with us. We went to our friend Connie's house to do the canning.


We canned salsa using her recipe here.

4 quarts (8 pints) jars chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup jalapeno peppers (either canned or fresh)
1 cup white vinegar
8 ounces canned green chili peppers
1 Tablespoon salt
1 cup chopped green onions (with tops)

We added cilantro this time and it was delicious!

Pulse in food processor being careful not to over do it!

photo courtesy of Connie

I can't wait to share what else we have been up too!!!!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

GW Books


My mom found this set of books for E at a local GW. They are in great shape and my mom only paid $4 for the boxed set!


We love finding books at the GW stores. I would say 99% of our books come from garage sales and thrift stores. I can not even imagine paying retail prices when I can get good books for 25 cents, 50 cents or even splurging and paying a dollar on them!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Silly Boy


Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!

(Photos taken at our small town firework display.)





Saturday, July 3, 2010

Small Town Firework Display

Our small town had a firework display tonight. My mom and sister along with her family came to watch too. We had a great time piled up in the back of the trucks watching the beautiful display.







Thursday, July 1, 2010

Bucks for Books

S and B finished up their Bucks for Books program today. They did a fantastic job reading and writing reports on all 20 books. For their efforts, they will be rewarded $60.00 each!


They also made these posters for a chance to win cash prizes up to $100.00!


This is such a great program. If there is one in your area, be sure to check it out next summer!