black raspberry jelly

Pap picked us a BUNCH of black raspberries from the back fencerow. Woohoo! We were OUT of our Black Raspberry Jelly. Look at my 2 cute helpers. :)

Levi washing the berries and putting them up to be mashed.

And here's one of my mashers. 

BLACK RASPBERRY JELLY
Recipe from Sandy Holmes

To make the *juice:
5 c. crushed black raspberries
2 c. water
2 T. lemon juice

To make the jelly:
3 1/2 c. *juice
2 T. lemon juice
1 box pectin
5 c. sugar
1/2 t. butter

Directions:

1. Fill water-bath canner half-full with water. Bring to a simmer.
2. Wash lids, screw bands and jars in hot soapy water. 
1. *I usually run my jars through the dishwasher. When they're finished in there, I put them on a cookie sheet and put them in my oven on WARM. This helps keep them warm until I'm ready to use them.
3. Wash berries and crush to get 5 cups crushed black raspberries.
4. Place crushed berries, water and lemon juice in a 5-8 quart sauce pot. Bring to a boil. 
5. Place 2-3 layers of damp cheesecloth of jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit (from #4) into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drop into bowl until dripping stops (about 20+ minutes). Press gently.
6. Measure exactly 5 cups of sugar into a bowl. Set aside.
7. Measure 3 1/2 cups of your juice and place back in your big saucepot, along with the lemon juice, pectin, and butter. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
8. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil EXACTLY 1 MINUTE, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.
9. Remove jars from the oven. Ladle your jelly mixture quickly into your jars, filling to within 1/8" of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. Water must cover jars by 1-2"; add boiling water if necessary. Cover. Bring water to a gentle boil.
10. Process jars 10 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration in necessary.) Let stand @ room temp for 24 hours. Store unopened jellies in cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerated jellies should be used within 3 weeks.

{menu plan} August 2015

We're having a great summer. Trying to squeeze in a lot of fun with some yummy food. Here's what's been cookin' around here. Find these recipes on my Recipe Page.

Cafe rio pork atop salad

Priest Lake Lasagne

Crockpot French dip sandwiches 

Paps baked chicken legs

Roasted sweet potatoes

Taco soup

Crockpot chicken teriyaki

Slow-cooker Roast beef and mashed potatoes

Paleo Pork and sauerkraut

Crockpot Mac and cheese

All 30 parks! And prize day!

WE DID IT! WE DID ALL 30 PARKS THIS SUMMER! WOOHOO! What an accomplishment! Way to go US! (The drawing for the Grand Prize for completing all 30 parks isn't until October. If that should prove fruitful, I'll post something then.)

I had told the kids there would be a special prize if we could do all 30 parks this summer. The prize was...a trip to BUILD A BEAR WORKSHOP! "YES! Best Mom ever!" they chanted.

They picked out their new friends (complete with bubble gum smells for their bellies and sounds for their paws), helped fill them with fluff, and now they're giving them their first bath (which is actually a blow dry to fluff them up). They're pretty stoked!

All loaded up and on our way home with our new friends!

Alivia brought home Star. Isn't she perfectly Alivia? :)

Jackson brought home Spotty, this cute snow leopard, complete with Karate gear. Sweet!

And Levi brought home Toothless, complete with wings, and a saddle.

It was a great day! I was so happy to give them this reward after all their hard work at the parks this summer! Maybe we'll do it again next year too!

{craft} bird feeder ornaments

For Jackson's birthday party back in March (!) we made a couple different bird feeders.

BIRDSEED FAVORS: I made a bunch of these first ones ahead of time (3-5 days before the party). I wasn't sure how long they'd take to dry. I put 1 in each of the kids goodie bags. They turned out really cute and I loved seeing them hang in the trees.

 Image & recipe from IntimateWeddings.com

Birdseed Favor

If you don’t like the idea of spending a bundle on favors, or if you are opting for favor donations instead, birdseed wedding favor hearts are a sweet, simple, eco-friendly way to thank your guests – and the birds:)

Birdseed wedding favor hearts are so easy to DIY, my second grader can make them. And they’re incredibly inexpensive.

Here’s the DIY:

Birdseed Wedding Favor Hearts

(Makes approximately 21 two-inch hearts)

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2.5 teaspoons)
• 3 tbsp corn syrup
• 4 cups birdseed

You will also need:

• large mixing bowl
• heart shaped cookie cutter (I used a Christmas tree mold for our nature theme)
• nonstick spray
• chopstick or bamboo skewer for making a hole in the ornament
• parchment paper
• cookie sheet
• jute or raffia (These italicized items are to make the tag)
• card stock
• rubber stamp
• ink
• rounded corner punch
• hole punch

Directions:

1. Mix flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup. Add birdseed and stir well.

2. Spray the inside of a heart cookie cutter with vegetable cooking spray. (You could also wipe it down with veg. oil.)

3. Place cookie cutter on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Spoon mixture inside of cookie cutter, pressing mixture firmly with greased fingers. (The more you press it down, the less shedding of seeds you will have.)

4. Using a chopstick or bamboo skewer, make a hole near the top of the heart. Remove chopstick.

5. Carefully pull cookie cutter away from birdseed heart.  Repeat until all the mixture is used up. (You should spray the cookie cutter after every six hearts, that way it won’t stick.)

6. Let dry 6-8 hours. (I let mine sit overnight.) Cut 10-12 inches of jute for each heart. String jute through heart and add a tag. I created my thank you tags by using a rubber stamp, card stock and a rounded corner punch.  Tie the jute in a knot after you have added the tag. (You can tuck the knot inside the hole so it doesn’t show.) You can hang these from branches at your wedding, or place inside bags or boxes.

Note: A couple of brides left comments stating that they made the favor hearts a couple of weeks prior to their wedding, and they molded. If you are making these before your wedding, don’t make them more than a few days ahead just to be safe.

BIRD FEEDERS: I had the kids make 2 each of these for their craft at the party. It went really well. They liked what they were doing and I love how easy they are to just slip on a branch. No crazy hanging supplies needed.

Picture & recipe from growingajeweledrose.com

Bird Feeder

Materials needed:

• Toilet paper rolls
• Peanut butter
• Bird seed
• Spreading tools (we used butter knives)

Method

 1. Give each child a toilet paper roll and have them carefully cover it in peanut butter

2. Once covered have kids roll the toilet roll in bird seed 

3. That's it!  Once the feeder is covered in seed it is ready to be hung 

{menu plan} July 2015

July was a busy month. Lots of hamburgers and hot dogs, along with a few of these other dishes. You can find these recipes here.

Skillet Mac & cheese

Alice Springs Chicken

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

French toast, scrambled eggs 

Pap's baked chicken legs

Tangy hamburgers 

Orange chicken with rice and egg rolls 

Moose track cookies* (new recipe to come)

Beef Stroganoff 

{menu plan} June 2015

Here's a bit of what we ate during June. If the recipes aren't self explanatory (aka hot dogs), you can find the recipes here, or they'll be coming soon.

Hot dogs

Paps baked chicken legs

Slow cooker pot roast/ roast beef

Congo squares

Black bean quesadillas

Alice springs chicken 

Cauli pizza

Crockpot chicken teriyaki

Cafe rio pork 

Grilled hamburgers & hot dogs 

Double chocolate brownies 

Lemon dill salmon *

Bbq chicken breasts

Roasted sweet potatoes * 

Pork & sauerkraut

{obb} slow cooked roast beef *

* new recipe (coming to the blog soon)

{our best bites} strawberry spinach salad with lemon poppyseed vinaigrette

Here's another delicious recipe from OUR BEST BITES! Have I mentioned I LOVE them?! All their recipes are tried and true, normal ingredients and very reliable!

Inexpensive, delicious strawberries are a sure sign that spring is coming! Slice up a handful and toss them in this light, fresh salad. For a cool, quick dinner add some diced grilled chicken.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

1 (10 oz) bag fresh baby spinach

1/2-1 red onion, thinly sliced 

1 medium cucumber, seeded and sliced (you can peel it first if you want)

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 c sliced almonds, toasted

1/2 lb grilled chicken breast, sliced or diced, optional 

Directions:

For the salad, toss ingredients together and serve immediately. You can also arrange the ingredients on individual plates for serving.

Lemon Poppy Seed vinaigrette

2-3 large lemons (use as needed to yield 1/3 c juice and 1 t zest)

1 t grated onion

1/4 c rice wine vinegar

1/4 c canola oil

3/4 t kosher salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c sugar

2 t poppy seeds

1 clove garlic, finely pressed

Directions:

Using a microplane or other fine grater, grate 1 t lemon zest and 1 t onion. Place in a small container with a lid. Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously. If possible, refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Shake well before serving.