LIL MISS AND MABAS

Today, was a first for my beautiful furry friends.


      I have a 25 year old Tabby cat named Lil' Miss. 

We got her from the Humane Society when my son was 7. He is now 27. She was a younger cat, but by no means a kitten. "Missy Doo", which I call her doesn't have much tolerance for the other cat, or the dog. But today was different.  She was in the need for some body heat, and there was a big furry ball of it sleeping sound in the recliner.

Mabas at 3 months old

His name is Mabas. "Pretty boy", as I call him is a beautiful Himalayan who's first birthday is coming up the end of November. He is a BIG furry ball of  
attitude.

Mabas loves everyone, and thinks everything is some 
sort of playtoy. Lil' Miss has no use for this type of behavior, so most of the time they just swat each other in passing. 
But now the weather is turning chilly and damp, and Missy Do is looking at Mabas like some sort of furry heater. Today, as he was sleeping sound , Missy Do ever so slowly jumped up next to him and sat down to observe his every breath. Would he wake up if she sat ever so still? Soon she realized this was a big fat NO !
So her next step was to s-l-owly lay down. "Hey ",she thought, maybe this could work? By this time Big Furry Mabas was getting hot, and decided to roll over and stretch out over the top of Lil' Miss.

 She wasn't sure what to think at this point, but after realizing it was even warmer, she quickly gave in and fell asleep.


                    Nite Nite my sweet furry babies !

"QUICK" YEAST ROLLS

What to get:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
3/4 c. warm water, not hot ..or you will kill the yeast
2 1/2 c. Bisquick
1 tablespoon of sour cream 
Fresh herbs (optional)
***********************************************************
What to do:
Dissolve yeast in water; mix in Bisquick. Beat vigorously. Turn dough onto surface well dusted with Bisquick and knead until smooth, about 20 times. Shape as desired.Add some fresh herbs and onions for a "gourmet" look .Place on lightly greased baking sheet and cover with damp cloth. Let rise about 1 hour. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 10-15 minutes depending on size. Brush with melted butter after baking. Yields 16  small rolls, or 8 hamburger size buns.


*NOTE: I have been in a hurry before and didn't let them rise, and the still turned out great!

Makes a great loaf too !!

CHILI

• 
  
• 
• 
  
• Best CHILI Ever
• 
  
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 4 Johnsonville beer brats skin removed
• 3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon bacon bits or 4 slices chopped bacon
• 4 cubes beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup beer
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon spicy mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)optional
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 (10.5 ounce) bag Fritos®
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage(brats) into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Pour in the chili beans, spicy mustard, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
4. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

Enjoy!!

                 GO PACKERS!!!

LOVELY VINTAGE STOVES

I don't know where it came from, but I have a special lace in my heart for vintage stoves.

They must have such stories to tell .

Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble...

All the baked love that must have came from these works of art , to feed their precious families.

A simmering pot of homemade chicken soup , or a freshly baked loaf of bread.

 It doesn't matter whose kitchen I'm in or what style of picture of a kitchen I'm perusing over, I'm looking for that "something" that catches my oh-so-curious eye.  

Check out this beauty!

MY PRETTY PINK POTS AND PANS

pink pig grill !!!

Exquisite beauty, impeccable craftsmanship.

Every stove bears markings and characteristics that reflect its unique history and life, signs of its years of service to generations of families and homes since the turn-of-the-century. These stoves are well-loved and have lived long, useful lives.

*********************************************************** 

Here is a picture of my stove before the "Girlie-Barbie " makeover...~

 and here she is after...

Today I found this one on e-bay, and I REALLY want it BAD !

                    Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!!

                      Thanks for looking!

ITALIAN RED SAUCE canning with meatballs

Many of us have experienced the joy of going to the pantry and gloried over the rows and rows of jars on the shelf. Jars of food we had put aside ourselves. Knowing the ingredients met our personal standards and was preserved without added chemicals.

Ingredients

* 3 cans crushed tomatoes
* 1 lg. can tomato paste
* 1 C. beef stock
* 1 Tbs. oregano
* 3 tsp. parsley
* 4 cloves garlic
* 1 Tbs. basil
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 C. parmesan cheese
* 2 pkgs. fresh mushrooms
* 2 lb. sweet sausage
* 2 lb. pork
* salt/pepper to taste
* 1 cup red wine
* 4 Tbs. olive oil
* 2 T. lemon juice for preservative canning

Directions

Empty 3 cans crushed tomatoes in a lg. pot and bring to a boil. Bring temperature down to a simmer once it reaches a boil. Add parsley, oregano, basil and bay leaves. In a heated skillet, add the olive oil and brown the pork and sausage. Once browned, add the meat to the sauce. Add the tomato paste to the skillet. Next add the garlic (CRUSHED) and brown the paste until it moves away from the edge of the pan. Add to the sauce. Add the stock, mushrooms and wine. Let simmer for at least 6 hours.
Must use a pressure canner for meat so that botulism doesn't occur.mIN TEMP 240 DEGREES

 Canning Instructions

1. • 1
     Prepare jars, lids and rings. Boil jars, lids and rings for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for easy handling.
   • 2
     Fill jars with meat sauce, making sure to leave one inch of room between the sauce and the top of the jar. Add lids to the canning jars and tighten rings until snug. Avoid over-tightening the rings to prevent the neck of the jar from breaking during processing.
   • 3
     Place your pressure canner on the largest heating element on your stovetop. Fill the pressure canner with three to four inches of water, or the amount recommended by the manufacturer. Add the filled jars to the canning rack and lower into the pressure canner. Add a second layer of jars, if applicable. Place the cover on the canner and lock into place.
   • 4
     Add the weighted gauge to the canner, if applicable. Turn the heat to high and process the meat sauce at the appropriate pounds of pressure and length of time, as recommended by your recipe. Listen for the weighted gauge to begin jiggling the correct amount of times per minute for the correct pressure amount. Or, watch the dial gauge to make sure it reaches the correct pressure amount. Monitor the heat to achieve and maintain the correct pressure.
   • 5
     Turn off the heat once the appropriate processing time has been reached, and allow the canner to depressurize for 40 minutes before opening. Remove canned meat sauce with a jar lifter and place on a cooling rack
     

     

     Typical processing for meat sauce with a pressure canner and dial gauge is 11 pounds of pressure, processed for 60 minutes for pint jars and 70 minutes for quart jars.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Spaghetti Sauce With Meat in a dial-gauge pressure canner. Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time 0 - 2,000 ft 2,001 - 4,000 ft 4,001 - 6,000 ft 6,001 - 8,000 ft Hot Pints 60 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb Quarts 70 11 12 13 14 Table 2. Recommended process time for Spaghetti Sauce With Meat in a weighted-gauge pressure canner. Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time 0 - 1,000 ft Above 1,000 ft Hot Pints 60 min 10 lb 15 lb Quarts 70 10 15

Meatballs—8 wide-mouth pints

4 lbs. ground beef
1 stack of saltine crackers, crushed
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper

Have the canner heating while you make the meatballs. Mix ingredients by hand; make meatballs using a 1-teaspoon measuring spoon. I worked with one quarter of the beef at a time, with the rest in the refrigerator (it's easier to work with the meat chilled).

Put meatballs into the jars, leaving 1" headspace. Add hot lids, tighten rings.

Process: pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure
—pints 75 minutes
—quarts 90 minutes

You can add hot broth, water, or any sauce that you might like. If you wanted a tomato based meatball combination, like for spaghetti, you can add that. If the meatballs have herbs mixed in, then the sauce should be plain. If using plain meatballs, then the sauce can have the herbs. No mater what you add to the meatballs, the processing time is still 90 minutes for quarts. Anything to do with canning meats is 90 minutes for quarts. If you have a favorite sauce, you can add that, can it, and you will have an easy and quick, special meal later.

Meatball Canning Process

1 Mix all ingredients, to combine well.

2 Form into balls, packing ingredients together tightly.

3 Hand-wash jars and jar lids and bands, then run them through dishwasher cycle to sterilize.

4 Place meatballs in quart-sized canning jars that have been cleaned and sterilized. (Pack only to within 1" of top of jar.).

5 Wipe rim of jar to remove grease or food bits.

6 Place lid on jar. Screw on band.

7 Place filled jars in pressure canner.

8 Add water to canner, to about 2" deep.

9 Place lid on canner and make sure lid is securely fastened.

10 Open petcock.

11 Turn on Medium-high heat.

12 When steam is rapidly escaping through petcock, close petcock. Pressure will start to rise at this point.

13 When pressure reaches 10 lb., start lowering heat, till the needle on the pressure gauge stabliizes at 10 lb.

14 Start timing: 90 minutes for quarts; 70 minutes for pints.

15 When timing is done, turn off heat, and leave the canner alone till pressure reaches zero.

16 Open petcock to release any remaining steam.

17 Remove lid.

18 Remove jars, and set in a draft-free place to cool.

19 When cool, remove bands, wipe down jars with a clean, damp-warm cloth.

20 Label and place in pantry.

21 TO USE: Remove lid, and Set jar in pan of hot water, to melt the grease, before removing meatballs, one at a time, with an iced-tea spoon; or place in microwave just long enough to melt the grease, then remove one at a time, using an iced tea spoon.

22 NOTE: canned meatballs will always have a red center. They ARE cooked through, and you don't have to worry about the color. Now, they're ready to use in your favorite meatball recipe! ALSO, this recipe may make less or more than 7 quart jars full.