To Sift or Not to Sift

Most modern recipes don't call for the sifting of flour when baking.  I think that because of more modern ways of milling the flour, it really isn't necessary.  However, I always prefer sifting.  I don't know if it even makes a bit of difference, but how can you go wrong by sifting all of those powdery ingredients together to form a nice little soft mountain.

Now, after reading such a strong argument in favor of sifting, why not reach up on your shelf and find your cutest muffin liners,

 

and gather the ingredients together to make these easy and delicious banana nut muffins.  I'll leave the sifting choice up to you.

 

Banana Nut Muffins

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed, ripe bananas
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  Cream together shortening and sugar.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in mashed bananas.  Add dry ingredients all at once, stirring just enough to moisten.  Gently stir in nuts.  Spoon into greased (or lined) muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.  Bake in 350 deg. oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden.  Makes 15-18 muffins.

Back to School

Today is the day.  This morning is the morning.  Time to start back to school.  I'm not ready for summer to come to a close because it went entirely too fast.  But part of me is looking forward to settling back down into a routine and adding a bit of order to our lifestyle.  And of course with a new school year comes new school supplies.  It always makes me happy to see how some new pens, pencils, notebooks, and paper can bring a joyful start to the new year -- especially new crayons.  Even though my daughter is well beyond her crayon years, I still buy her a box as a special surprise on the first day of school.  It might seem silly to some, but for us that has become a happy tradition in our little home school. 

Harvesting

Summer is really clicking right by, and it is so hard to believe that the middle of August has already arrived.  We have had beautiful weather this summer (well at least since the weather straightened out and stopped raining), and my garden has been producing very nicely. 

At first were the radishes ..... I love planting radishes because they just pop out of the ground so quickly, and really make you feel quite accomplished:

And next on the agenda came the zucchini, green onions, and cucumbers:

Speaking of cucumbers, a couple of days ago, I got up early and picked while it was still cool outside.  I picked an entire basket full.  They actually weighed in at around 7 pounds worth.  (And yes, I weigh my cucumbers when I pick them, because I have an antique scale in my garage, and I figure I might as well put it to good use):

You might be wondering what I plan on doing with 7 pounds of cucumbers.  Why, make pickles of course:

So far I have made 15 quarts of dill pickles, and hope to make at least that many more.  My recipe is the same recipe my grandma used for years and years, and has become a family favorite.

My garden hasn't received the special care that I had hoped to give it this summer, but it is such a blessing to still receive a bountiful harvest despite the fact that I planted it so late in the season, there are still many weeds that need pulling, and plants that haven't gotten properly thinned. 

Lesson Learned

I have favorite recipes in particular cookbooks that I just always know are there whenever I need them.  And that works just fine unless it is the only recipe in the cookbook that I use.  Which was the case for my recipe for Mini Meat Loaves.  This particular cookbook belonged to my daughters, and it was always on their bookshelf whenever I needed it.  Until one day I went for it and it wasn't there.  When I asked them where it was, they said they had assumed I had copied down my recipe, and since we didn't use the book for any other recipes, they thought they had donated it to a thrift shop.  Well, I hadn't copied it down, and really wished that I had as it was one of those go to recipes that I like to use.  But fortunately the little book was found in a stack of books on their way to the thrift shop, and I was so happy.  I immediately copied the recipe down and realized that I need to do this with other recipes that I like from books I don't use for anything else.  So my lesson was learned, and in case you are interested, the recipe follows.  If you like meat loaf, these have a very good flavor, and because they are small, they cook very quickly.

Mini Meat Loaves

1/4 cup ketchup
2 T light brown sugar
1 T Dijon mustard
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup tomato sauce
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper

Line a broiler pan with foil and place in oven.  Preheat oven to 425 deg.  Whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard in a small bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, but do not overmix.  Divide mixture into 4 equal portions (I actually divide it into even more portions) and shape each into a mini loaf.

Bruch each loaf with ketchup mixture.  Remove pan from oven and mist with Pam.  Transfer meat loaves to hot broiler pan, and bake about 20-25 minutes or until center registers 160 deg. F.  Let stand on broiler pan for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to plates.

Cherry Season

Since my last post, our lives have been going through a time of adjustments.  Adjustments in getting used to life without my father-in-law.  For those of you who left comments, thank you so much for your very kind words.  It's been nearly four weeks now, and it is kind of hard for the brain to kick back into a normal routine.  But God is good, and each day continues to bring blessing after blessing.  One particular blessing I had this past week was to pick cherries with my brother at his house which is not too far away.  I arrived early and we had the best time visiting and picking.  I determined that he picks cherries twice as fast as I do, but I guess since they are his trees, he has had a lot more practice.  I came home with buckets of Bing Cherries, Rainier Cherries, and Pie Cherries.  They have all been washed and are now in the refrigerator awaiting my next step.  I think today I will start with the Pie Cherries and get a few pies put away in the freezer.  Nothing quite beats being able to reach in the freezer and bake a cherry pie at a moment's notice.

A New Season

Two days ago brought in a new season to our year, but it also brought a new season into my life, for it was the day that my father-in-law was ushered into his heavenly home.  To some that may lead you to say you are sorry for my loss.  However, knowing him was so much more of a gain in my life that the word loss just doesn't even enter into my thoughts.  He was the model of perfection as a father-in-law.  From day one he made me feel a complete part of the family.  His kindness that he has shown me over the years is just beyond words, and his generous spirit is almost overwhelming.

We have been extremely blessed to live only minutes away from him for a very long time, and that has afforded us with so much time that we have been able to spend with him and my mother-in-law.  I am deeply grateful for every minute of these past years that I have spent knowing him.  He will most definitely be missed, but my heart is so full of rich memories of him that I'm quite sure they will tide me over until I see him once again in heaven.

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law have both written tributes to him here and here just in case you would like to read more about such a remarkable, Godly man.

A Little Bluebird

I finished a little project and just had to share a picture.  My daughter has made several of these, and they looked like so much fun, I decided I needed to make one as well.  We found the picture via Pinterest, but the original pattern is found here.   It was so much fun to make.  The legs are a bit tricky the first time; however, my daughter assures me that it gets easier with each new bird.  Now I just need to find the perfect name for him ....

A Sunflower in Miniature

A couple of months ago, my youngest daughter and I started some little sunflower seeds indoors.  They came in a kit which included the seeds, a very little pot, and a little disc of potting soil that only needed to be soaked in water after which it filled the little pot.  The seeds sprouted, and have been growing in their little environment on the window sill.  And now we have a little teeny tiny sunflower blooming in the house.  Its diameter is only about an inch, and it really is the cutest little miniature sunflower that I have ever seen.  Actually it is the first miniature sunflower I've seen, and I must say, it is quite a cheerful sight to see.

A Little Symbol Deciphering

For years now labels on clothes have included "laundry care symbols".  And for years now, I haven't had a clue what they mean.  I am very particular when it comes to doing my laundry, and always follow the instructions as they are printed.  I want to get the best wear out of our clothes, and so anything I can do to lengthen the life of them is okay with me.  Recently, however, a few new articles of clothing have come through the wash without any "words" printed giving the proper instructions ..... only those little symbols.  So I have been forced to try and decipher just exactly what they mean.  It really doesn't seem to be that difficult, and perhaps all of you already figured this out years ago when someone deemed it a necessary thing to do.   But just in case there is someone out there like me that hasn't taken the time to figure them out, here is a little chart which links to a better chart with a pdf version that you can print up and have handy right in your laundry room:

Now, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief ......
 

Highlights from The Farm Chicks Show

Attending the Farm Chicks Show on Sunday was very much of a treat.  As always, it was a bit overwhelming; however, I think of it as a good type of overwhelming.  There are so many things to look at, I think that one could literally spend a week just wandering from booth to booth.  We only had one day so we made the most of it.  I can't really say that I had a favorite vendor .... they all seem to be good with a large variety of items throughout the show. 

Here is a picture of the big sign on the silo.  I have taken the same picture in previous years, but it just seems right to have a new picture each year.  This and the "howdy" sign that you see as you turn into the parking lot just seem to set the tone for the adventure that lies ahead:

One of my favorite sightings was this old sink planted with pretty flowers.  I think it looks so charming; and possibly one day I will plant a similar one right outside of my one day greenhouse.  It was set into what looked like an old potting bench:

A string of lights made out of canning jars ..... I think this is so cute, and would be such a great idea used in just the right spot:

A vintage embroidery that says "Laundry".  I can't remember if it was on a laundry bag or not, but I thought it would really be cute just to embroider a similar one, frame it, and hang it on my laundry room wall:

This booth caught my eye because of the big word "sisters".  It immediately made me think of all my sisters, and how much I like to spend time with them.  If we were to ever all be able to attend a Farm Chicks Show together, I can only imagine we would have just about the best time ever:

And last, but not least, these two little shakers.  One might not think too much of them initially; however, if you think about it, no one uses a flour shaker now.  But back in the day it only makes sense that a woman would have a flour shaker because of all of the bread and pies that she would make that would require frequent dusting of flour:

The 2012 show is barely past, but I have actually already added it to my calendar for 2013.  Serena really has it all dialed in putting on this show.  I honestly can't think of any improvements that she could make ..... it is simply perfect.