Showing posts from July, 2014
You may have had zucchini bread, but you've never had this zucchini bread! This recipe was passed down to me from my grandmother. Everyone asked her to bring it to a pot luck, and now everyone asks me to take it to parties and picnics. If you've never had zucchini bread, I must command you to drop everything, pick a zucchini from your garden, and make this right now. Don't have a garden? Here in about 2 weeks, your neighbors will have so many zucchini that they will leave zucchini on your door step and run. Don't worry, you can't taste the zucchini at all. It melts and becomes rich deliciousness. Summer time wasn't enough for this awesome recipe, so I figured out how to freeze zucchini. Just shred zucchini, skin and all, and freeze it. I freeze it in 2 cup portions because of this recipe, but you can freeze it how you want. When it thaws, it will get watery. Be sure to add that water to the recipe, and you'll never know that it was frozen. T
Bread and butter pickles are my favorite kind of pickles. Specifically, my grandmother's bread and butter pickles. This recipe, like her canned dill pickle recipe , was lost for many, many years. My mom gave it to me last year, and I was able to make one batch. I've already made a batch this year, and I hope to make several more. I will assume that you know how to can. If you have any questions at all, just leave a comment, and I will try my best to answer or point you in the right direction. Canning is becoming a lost art, and that's really sad. I love being able to make my own food because I know exactly what's in it. Many of the vegetables I use to can are grown on our farm, so I know they are non-GMO and organic. I buy my spices in bulk from an Amish bulk food store. If you don't have one locally, your grocery store should have the spices. The cukes need to soak in the salt for 3 hours, so plan accordingly. Don't start this at, say, 2 p.m. an
I'm so excited to share with you an interview with author Jennifer DeCuir. Jen has three books published already, and all of them are great reads. If you're looking for the perfect book to take on vacation or spend a lazy Sunday with, pick up any of her books. They are all set in the same fictional New England town, but you don't have to read them in order. How did it feel when you found out that you'd sold your first book? Did you celebrate? At first I was stunned, and the fact that the editor prefaced her email with an apology for taking so long to respond to my query? Wow! Truth of the matter was, she replied faster than any other publishing house I’d ever sent to. Too funny! I celebrated numerous times… once with the family, once with my closest girlfriends and once by myself (with a well-earned trip to the bookstore for a long browse). Can you tell me about your writing process? Do you plan every detail before you start writing? I am THE mos
I became a SAHM when I was pregnant with my oldest son. I was fortunate enough that our circumstances allowed me to stay at home for 8 years. By that time, I had three children, and my oldest was diagnosed with autism. Then circumstances changed. I had to work. Daycare is expensive, and I didn't think daycare would work with my oldest. I had to get an income, and I had to stay home. I started selling an Etsy shop and sold unneeded items on eBay. I had always loved writing, and I wanted to use my degree, so I started looking for writing jobs. Three years later, I still sell on Etsy , I still write for private clients, and I have two blogs. I love my job, but I don't love the reaction from people. Here are the things WAHMs are sick of getting asked. Do you actually make money? No. I have so much spare time between running a home, cooking, cleaning, laundry, raising kids, and being a Girl Scout and a Cub Scout leader that I decided to volunteer my time writing.
Like most women from her generation, my grandmother was an expert at preserving food. She grew up on a farm and later bought a farm with my grandfather. She raised four kids while my grandfather farmed. She was an amazing cook, and I'm so glad to have some of her recipes. This particular recipe was lost for many years after my grandmother passed away. None of the kids had the recipe, so we thought it was gone forever. Then my mother, who married in to the family, found the recipe in her recipe box almost 10 years after my grandmother passed away. I got it too late last year to make pickles, so you better believe it was the first thing that I made this year when my cucumbers were ripe. My grandmother's dill pickle recipe calls for a grape leave on the bottom of each jar. It's supposed to keep the pickles crisp. Does it? I have no idea. My grandma said to use it, so I use it. For this recipe, I'll assume that you know the basics of canning. If you have an
I'm so excited to share with you all an interview with an up and coming author, Robyn Lindsey. Robyn is a grief coach, so she has written several journaling books to help people cope with loss. She recently had her first fiction novel, Breaking Free , published. Breaking Free is about a woman who has built walls around here so high that no one can come in. Finally she realizes that when she dies, no one will be there to mourn her. Will she learn to let someone in? The book is well written with a great story line. Robyn has a talent for bringing her characters to life, so the readers feels strong emotions during the story. If you're looking for a book that makes you stop and think, pick up a copy of Breaking Free on Amazon. You are a very creative person. Besides writing, you are a photographer and have an Etsy shop. Have you always been creative? When I was a young girl, my interests were many. My family owned a fireworks stand and I used to ma
