Bedroom Makeover

This past weekend we did a surprise makeover on our daughter Makayla's room.  I am still astonished at all we accomplished in less than 48 hours.  My oldest daughter, Katelyn, was home from college for spring break and mentioned Friday night that we had talked about painting Makayla's room.  I told her we did plan on doing it sometime soon.  She said "Why not tonight?"  I told her it would probably be too late to do everything that painting would involve.  She was confident we could get it done while Makayla was gone for the weekend.  Never underestimate a house full of go getters!  With the help of Katelyn's friend Melissa, and one of our painter contractor friends, Joe, we picked out the paint and got the room painted before midnight. Katelyn took some cool pictures that we had made into poster size pictures and Saturday morning Katelyn and I went out shopping for material and a new comforter while Ron made cornice boards, a platform bed, put up new trim, and changed all her outlets and installed a dimmer switch.  When we got back from shopping (which was done in the pouring rain toting a 3 year old around), Katelyn made her sister pillows while Ron and I assembled the cornice boards and hung them. By this time our daughter Brooke got home and immediately started helping stuff pillows and whatever else we asked her to do.  Right around 1:30 am we called it quits for the evening and finished up the last details Sunday morning.  It was a cruel fact that we would be actually losing an extra hour of sleep with daylight savings time!  Sunday after church was the big reveal.  Makayla was very happy. Everything didn't really sink in until the evening how much we all did for her.  She didn't want to leave her new room.  She is very happy and so are we.

And why did we do all this?  Simply to lavish on our child.  We wanted to let her know how much she is loved by everyone in the family.  It wasn't because she kept bugging us to redo her room and we finally gave in to her many requests, she only casually mentioned that she would like her room to be painted sometime.  It was because we wanted to.  What kept us going throughout the process was nothing short of an incredible love we have for her.  How much more does God do for us.  1John 3:1 says "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are."

Canning Pizza Sauce

I make pizza on a weekly basis, sometimes more.  While a $5 pizza is a good deal, making it at home is so much better and it costs less too!  In February I showed how you can make your own pizza (search this blog for "pizza from scratch").  One way to keep the cost  down is to make your own sauce.  I have found at Gordon's (a restaurant supply store) that if I use their large can of pizza sauce and mix it with almost another whole can of water and add a few spices of my own to flavor it the way I like, I can make enough sauce for about 30 pizzas.  The sauce is only $4.99 to begin with, so that is only about .16/pizza!  I also buy their large bag of mozzarella cheese and large bag of pepperoni.  Both of these things I can freeze and use as needed.  The sauce is what I want to show you today how to can.

When I made mine, I got 11 pints and 9 jelly jars out of the sauce. I did have a very small amount of extra pizza sauce that I added to it, but this gives you a rough estimate of how much it should make.  I get at least 2 pizzas out of a pint size  jar, and one out of a jelly jar.  The first thing you need to do is make sure you have all your jars cleaned (I put mine in the dishwasher), and that you have enough lids and rings.

Find a very large pot and pour the can of pizza sauce into it.  I am using a canning pot.  Fill the can that the sauce came in 3/4 full of water and pour that into the pot also.  Stir it up and add whatever spices you would like.  I add about 2 tablespoons of dried oregano and 2 teaspoons of garlic salt.  Put your burner on low and let it simmer for just a few of minutes.

Ladle the sauce into your jars, leaving one inch head space.

When all your jars are filled, wipe the top of each jar to make sure they are clean to ensure the lids will seal.

Bring your lids to a simmer for 2 minutes and then turn off the burner.  Lift each one out with a canning magnet and place on top of the jars one at a time.  Screw a band on each one before moving on.

Now you have two ways you may can the jars.  You can either use a canning pot, like the one I mixed the sauce in, and do what's called a water bath for 20 minutes, or you can use a pressure canner.  I am using a pressure canner because it fits all my jars at once.  If you are using a canning pot, you need to place the jars in the pot (with the basket in the bottom).  If your pot does not have a basket, you can use a  hand towel on the bottom to make sure the jars are not directly on the bottom of the pot.  You can put two layers of jars in, but you can only put a jelly jar on top of a pint jar.  Two pint jars on top of each other brings it a little too high (at least in my pot).  After you have your pot filled with jars you fill the pot with water (approximately the same temperature as the sauce) so that the jars are covered with about 1 inch of water.  Place the pot on the burner and bring to a boil.  Once the water comes to a boil start timing 20 minutes. You can turn your burner down at this point, just make sure it stays boiling.  They will be ready to come out after the 20 minutes is up.  If you are using a pressure canner, fill the canner 3 inches deep with water.  Place your jars in (2 pint size can go on top of each other) and put the lid on.  Turn your burner on high and wait for the pressure gauge to reach 12 pounds.  Once the pressure is reached, start timing for 7 minutes.  You may need to turn your burner down to keep it at 12 pounds.  After 7 minutes turn the burner off and wait for the pressure to be released from the pot.  (Refer to your manufactures instructions for any questions regarding this.)

Take the jars out by using a canner gripper and place the jars on a towel to cool.  You know they are sealed when you hear a popping sound.  This can happen right away, or it may take some time.  After they are completely cooled, you can touch the top of the lid to make sure it is sealed.  It should not "click" if it sealed properly.  If it does click you have the option of taking the lid off, cleaning the top of the jar and putting a new lid on and reprocessing it.  Or you can just put it in the refrigerator and use it up as you would if it were already opened.  I have never had something not seal, but I do know a common reason for this happening is when not enough head space is left.  So make sure you have left 1 inch at the top.

Now you can sit back and admire the fact that you have just made enough sauce to make at least 30 pizzas!

Enjoying the Warmth

The weather has been unusually warm the past 10 days or so- in the 50's.  It feels so good.  It has been like a mini vacation in the middle of winter.  I'm not sure wether or not we will get more snow, but I want to soak up all this warmness as much as I can.  It starts me thinking of what flowers I am going to plant and how I would like to make the yard look nice.  Something about the warmness of the weather stirs excitement.

I am reminded by the Holy Spirit how Jesus can bring me that sense of renewal every day.  I don't need to wait for the temperature outside to get above 50 degrees to experience warmth.  I can turn to the pages of scripture and find all the ways God cares for me and that warms my heart.  I can have quiet time and pray and feel like I have had a mini vacation in the middle of a winter season of my life.  I can be mindful of God's goodness and be excited about what God is going to work out in my life.

Deuteronomy 12:7 says, "There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you."

Thank you Lord for the obvious great blessings you give me.  Thank you for the wilderness times too- where I can learn just how great and mighty and personal you are.  Forgive me for my wandering heart that left to itself , worries and complains.  You are so good.  Amen

Chinese Broccoli Salad

I think most people have made or tasted Chinese cole slaw by now.  It is a family favorite of ours and I run into different varieties at different pot lucks.  However, I never seen it made with broccoli like my mom just told me about and it is delicious!  My mom is never short on good suggestions for recipes. She is an awesome cook and always an inspiration for me in more areas than just the kitchen!

What you will need for this recipe is the following:
The Salad:
1 head of fresh broccoli
Handful of baby carrots

The Dressing:
1/2 cup oil (I used canola)
3 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
seasoning packet from chicken flavored Ramen noodles

Topping:
1 package of Ramen noodles
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Chop the broccoli and carrots into bite size pieces

Combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, pepper and seasoning packet and pour over the vegetables. Refrigerate while you prepare the crunchy topping.

Crush the Ramen noodles and spread on a cookie sheet.  Add the sesame seeds and almonds.  Put them in the oven to toast them at 350 for 10 minutes.

I like to keep the crunchy topping separate from the salad until right before serving so that they stay crunchy.  I served mine with grilled steak and red skinned potatoes.  It sounded good to serve a summer type meal on this unusually mild winter day.

Jesus in the Flesh

John 1:14-18 says

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John testifies concerning him.  He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Fathers's side, has made him known.

How comforting it is to know that Jesus came and lived here on this earth.  Not only does Jesus know me, he knows first hand what it is like to live on this earth.  He did it himself!  He also knows the way the world should be, because He made it and it was perfect!  So the One who is giving me blessing after blessing is the One who knows better than anyone else how I should be blessed.  He knows what I need, what I want, what will help me to see the need I have for Jesus, so that I want more and more of Him, and less and less of me.  My life is filled with blessings and I am thankful.  I will thank God for the blessings that surround me: family, friends, the country I live in, wonderful sunny winter days, etc.  But I will also thank God for the blessings that come disguised as hardships.  Those things that happen that I do not understand and I do not like.  My life is filled with blessings and I am thankful.  Thank you God for making Jesus known to me!

Canning Ground Beef

This past summer I was invited to join my sister Alison and her sister-in-law, Doris for a day of canning.  Doris is a wonderful Christian woman who has been a wealth of knowledge for me.  Doris lives out of state, so for her to teach us she had to lug all her stuff here from Indiana.   Not only did we have a great time spending the day building friendships, but we also produced enough canned goods to get us started building up our stock of food.  There is such a sense of accomplishment that comes with canning.  I thank you Doris for taking so much time to teach Alison and me and for answering our numerous questions  over the phone.  You are a patient and kind teacher!


I thought I would start with showing you how I canned ground beef.  It is something I use quite often so it is what I needed to can anyway.  The grocery store had ground beef on sale, so it just made sense to start with it. 


What you will need:  10 pounds ground beef, 1 onion, 2 celery stalks, kosher salt, boiling water, pressure canner, approximately 12 pint size jars with lids and bands, can gripper, towel and time!


What I have found to be a very convenient way to cook 10 pounds of ground beef all at once is to boil it.  If you want to make beef broth in addition to canning the meat, add whatever you want to the meat when it is boiling.  I just added an onion and celery, but you could add a bouillon cube if you wanted.  Boil for 30 minutes.  I realize this looks like it is not going to be very good, but trust me, it will be worth the effort!

After the meat is cooked, drain the meat over a large pot to catch the beef broth (if you plan on keeping the broth).  Set aside the pot filled with broth and allow the fat to rise to the top before doing anything with it. After the fat is hardened on the top you can skim it off and flavor it more or leave it as is.  

Line up your clean jars (I wash mine in the dishwasher before using), and start spooning the meat into the jars.  It is convenient to have a canning funnel, but not necessary.

After your jar is filled to the top, use the end of a wooden spoon to push down the meat so that there is one inch between the meat and the top of the jar.

Pour 1 teaspoon of salt in each jar.

Pour enough boiling water over each jar so that there is still 1 inch head space.

Boil the lids for 2 minutes in a small pot.  While the lids are boiling, wipe the tops of the jars to make sure they are clean and free from anything that would prevent the lids from sealing.

Place a lid and screw a band on each jar.  

Place your jars in the pressure canner and fill your canner with the same temperature water that your meat is.  I fill the water to the maximum fill line.  Use your manufactures directions for your pressure canner.

Process at 12 pounds for 1 1/2 hours.  Do not start timing until until the gauge reaches 12 pounds.  Adjust your burner to keep it at 12 pounds.  I usually turn mine down to medium low to keep it consistent.

After the pressure gauge is totally released, open the lid and take out the jars, place them on a towel.  Leave them undisturbed until cooled.  You should hear the jars make a popping sound when they are sealed.  If you do not hear the sound you can look to see that the lid is indented slightly.  After the jars are cooled, push down on the lid to make sure they are sealed (you should not hear a clicking sound). It is very important that you wait until the jar is completely cooled until you do this. The meat will store for 2 years but I highly doubt you will have it that long!

Some helpful things to know:  I bought a canning kit that came with all the little things that make it easier to do this job.  It costs about $10 at Meijers.  The pressure canner I purchased through Amazon.  Make sure you are buying a pressure canner and not a pressure cooker, there is a difference.

After the jars have been sitting a while on the shelf, you will find that a layer of fat will form on the top.  Just skim this off before using and you have a pretty much fat free meat. This meat is great to use in tacos.  Just add your taco seasoning and you have a quick way to make tacos.  You can use this in any recipe that calls for cooked ground beef.  Each jar is approximately 1 pound.

Korean BBQ Beef (Pul-Kogi)

koreMy family and I  tried this dish on Valentines day a couple of weeks ago and we loved it.  The lady who prepared it was Korean and she couldn't give me exact measurements from what she made because she just kind of "throws it all in there".  I can relate.  It's hard to give someone a recipe of something you have prepared so many times and you just kind of eye ball everything going in.  Last night I served my version and my family really enjoyed it.  They declared it a "do over" meal, which in this household means they would like me to make it again.  So here is the recipe that serves 5-6 people:

1 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, sliced thin

9 cloves garlic, minced

1 pear- peeled, cored, and minced 

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

freshly gound black pepper to taste

In a large plastic bag, combine all of the above ingredients.  I like to put my bag inside of a pitcher so the bag stands up.  It is a trick my mom taught me and it works great!

 Squish all the ingredients around in the bag to mix it up good.  Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat pan over high heat.  Brush oil over pan, and add beef mixture.  Cook, turning to brown evenly, for 6-8 minutes, or until done.

Serve over rice or just by itself with some from vegetables and fresh bread.  Enjoy!