flower friday~

~sunflower~

kinda corny & a kitchen tip~

and so the squirreling continues

i went into town to have lunch with my mom and to  hit up a few garage sales & to buy corn

(we don't grow corn as it is like candy to the raccoon's )

i know, i know

you can buy canned corn all ready to dump into a pan

but there is nothing better than fresh corn

the hubs being the good guy that he is

removed all the husk

a quick bath & a scrub to remove the silk

into a pot of scalding water

onto a rack to cool

and here's the nifty part

use a angel food cake pan! 

 this makes for easy removal of the corn from the cob

and

catches it all in the pan

i learned this tip from rachael ray

corn goodness

 i double bag & squish out the air & use those twist ties

that are growing by the hundreds in my junk drawer

throw in the freezer & enjoy that when everyone else is eating

that awful canned corn, we'll be enjoying fresh corn

even lucy loves corn!

she grabbed a cob & ran as fast as she could

(to the living room on the rug of course)

~*~

still behaving like a squirrel~

the jars of green beans didn't have a chance to cool off before my mom called & said she had apples!

moms are great aren't they!

our family friend Rich had excess apples & offered them to us

we love homemade applesauce

such pretty little apples

core, quarter & cook

i'm lucky in that my mom found this attachment for my kitchenaid

it makes for easy work when it comes to making sauce

see what i mean!

no seeds, peels or cores...magic i tell ya

and there you have it

yummy, wholesome & free with just a little bit of time & effort

~*~

kitchen tip~

i keep a roll of masking tape & a sharpie marker

in my kitchen gadget drawer

it comes in handy for...

~closing boxes & bags

~ marking the contents of jars

~labeling anything you can stick tape to

what's your favorite kitchen tip?

~*~

a bushel and a peck~

i love canning

it's in my blood

the love of gardening and canning was passed down from my granny & granddad

to my mom & dad

and on to me

and i'm happy that my daughter (babs) also has canning fever in her blood

we're all like a family of squirrels...always putting something up for winter

(i think we have a squirrel gene)

we have a garden, but the rabbits ate our green beans....twice!

so...... i was thinking no beans for us   booooo

but then.....

yesterday my mom went to my sister in laws & picked up nearly two bushels of green beans!!!!

she (marianne) had a bumper crop this year and offered her excess to us

i started canning yesterday afternoon & i'm still going strong today

i'm thinking i'll be canning tomorrow as well

given that i now have a surplus of green beans

i'm giving dilly beans a try

green beans bathed in brine & the spicy goodness of garlic, mustard & dill seed & pepper flakes...yum!

ahhhhhh, is there any sound sweeter than that of canning lids popping when they seal

happy canning!

~*~

flower friday~

~black eyed susan~

kitchen tip~

this little tip has saved many a page in my cookbooks 

& 

the cookbooks i borrow from our library

i place a sheet of plastic wrap over the pages & tuck it in so as to 

keep the pages free of splatters & messiness

if you would like to share your favorite tip, feel free to leave a link 

~*~

flower friday~

~dahlia~

this is my first time growing dahlia's

my grandfather always had them in his garden

i  planted only one & after watching it thrive through this growing season

i wish i would have planted more

do you have a favorite flower?

~*~

knit knit knit~

one down

one to go

whooooohooooo!

unblocked

blocked...not much difference

pattern from socktopus

misti alpaca yarn

what's on your needles?

~*~

teacup exchange~

i was recently the recipient of a very sweet teacup & a variety pack of chai tea (one of my favorites!)

it was so much fun to receive a gift in the mail!

in this era of email, the art of handwritten notes is nearly a thing of the past

as are packages with sweet handpicked goodies

how cute is this teacup!

and i just loved the little mouse on the saucer!

much thanks to heidi from pensacola florida for sending such a special package

and

to stephanie at the enchanting rose who was so sweet & thoughtful to organize & host this fun event

a special thanks to sherri at little house for letting me know about the exchange

if you were part of the exchange, leave a link to your blog for all to see

~*~