Aunt Jemima in the Kitchen

I was blessed with two amazing additions to my kitchen...the first was from my sweet husband- a new 7 Qt Professional KitchenAid Mixer in a gorgeous red.

The second came from a dear family that the girls and I clean for- a Double Belgium Waffle Maker.

Both of these things are quite wonderful! You see, I have secretly longed for, wanted and wished for each of these things for well over a year.

 Each time I would go to a store that sold them, I would stop by the display, touch them, play with them and imagine how nice it would be to actually own them ONE DAY.

Now, before your mouth drops in appalling disgust at my ungodly dissatisfaction with the abundance that God had already provided, please note that it wasn't that I wasn't happy with what I had, I just thought that these would be nice to have, seeing that we do so much baking and with a large family, I had long maxed out my small mixer.

Plus, I don't find my true joy and happiness in "things" -my husband and I have had this discussion many times when he was trying to find out something that he could buy me. I live contented. I feel so blessed, that honestly, I cannot wish for more!

...BUT there are things that may make life a bit easier, convenient and would be very helpful.

Having said all of this, you can imagine that I was pretty excited to break out the beautiful red Professional KitchenAid Mixer ***did I mention that it's a beautiful red? ;) and the new Belgium Waffle Maker.

I searched for a wonderful recipe...one that I could put together the night before, seeing that I would have to start cooking pretty early if I wanted to give everyone a chance to eat piping hot, fresh waffles before heading out the door.





I decided to triple the recipe so that we would have enough to eat for breakfast as well as enough to freeze. My plan is to make fresh waffles every Tuesday, freeze some and then on more stressful mornings, be able to pop our homemade waffles in the oven or toaster without having store-bought frozen waffles or cereal.

                       So far, so good. I have a nice bag full of waffles for "grab and go" mornings. :)

Ready for the freezer, seperated by paper plates.

My only complaint is that the recipe tastes a little like a sour-dough version. (which is fine BUT my husband walked into the kitchen and asked if they were fermented!)

So, I think I'll search for another recipe for next week. :)



All in all, my first week of trying to get back on track after the Holidays and sickness has been wonderfully productive...which makes for a well-managed home and ONE HAPPY MAMA!

Decking the Halls

I love Christmas....more importantly, I love the warmth, the joy and the family traditions that come along with it.

As I get older (I'm certainly not getting an younger) I find that I spend more time in reflection, savoring moments that may never come again.

One of my favorite times is when we decorate the tree. We get out the hot cocoa and eggnog, then my husband and I sit back to watch the large production of adorning our 9 foot tree. Our children know how it works (we've done it the same ways for years).

When my children were much smaller, I wanted them to be able to enjoy decorating the tree, as well as satisfy my "OCD" ways. ;). Sooo, I bought boxes and boxes of colorful Christmas balls...we have so many balls that they can put them wherever they want with no worries that someone will rearrange them because they are too close. Our tree is LOADED with these simple little balls.

After the hundreds (seriously, hundreds) of balls are on, then we bring out the special ornaments. Everyone gets to place their special ornaments which turns out to be quite a treat for them.

Once the tree is loaded, everyone steps back commenting how beautiful it turned out with the usual, "I love our tree" comments. :)

I love being a mom. I love the privilege that I have to impact and raise these special children that I have been blessed with. My heart overflows with joy!

"Momma-Made Goodness"

For years I have wondered about canning more than just the veggies that abound from our garden. I mean, if Campbell's can process soups and put them into convenient cans for consumers, then why can't I take the vegetables and meats that I get on sale and can them myself.  My soups would be free from preservatives, lacking the tons of un-needful sodium and perfected to the taste of my very own family.  Mine could be tenderly made with love and could be proudly displayed on a shelf in my kitchen as a reminder that I, indeed attempt to "look well to the ways of my household".  :)

On a stressful or busy day, I could go to the shelf, pull off a jar of homemade goodness and serve it to my family without a shadow of guilt.

And so... I began to research my options.  I found that meat can indeed be canned and

should be processed in a pressure canner for 90 mins at 10 pounds of pressure (if using quart jars). 

 I also found out that if you mix ingredients in canning, you should always process

with the longest recommended time for your ingredients.  So, putting two and two together, if I want to can, say a Vegetable Beef Soup, all I need to do is put everything into my jars and process for 90 mins. 

After spending a week with my family battling a bad cold, I made some homemade chicken noodle soup and boy does it work to make one feel better.  I decided that Chicken Soup would be my first experiment. 

I didn't add any noodles (knowing that they would turn to mush).  It turned out beautifully!  Now, if we need some homemade cold remedy, it's on the shelf.  We just add a hand full of dry noodles to the boiling soup for about 10mins before we're ready to serve....and we have Yummy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup that didn't have to cook on a stove all day but packed with lots of nutrition (without the additives that store bought would have).

Each week, I have been making a batch of "something" to put up for my family.  I've been watching for meats to go on sale and have been able to really extend my overall savings by planning around what I find.  To help in the prep work, I've used frozen veggies (also found on sale). In the longterm, this is really going to help our family.  If we have a week that money is tight or we want to put a little extra in savings for something special, we won't have to rely on "beans and rice" because we already have a storehouse of a variety of nutritious meals.  

 Since that first attempt, I have canned Chicken Soup, Vegetable-Beef Soup, Chicken Gumbo, Spaghetti Sauce with Meat and Seasoned Pinto Beans. Yes! Beans, too!  I had planned on making a pot for dinner and I simply made it the way I always do, but used a 3pd bag this time and canned it right along with my seasonings.  Now, I have 7quarts on the shelf, ready to eat without the time and fuss.

The plan for now is to spend the time I have waiting for our garden to overflow with vegetables in filling my "meals in minutes" jars.  What a great way to make use of those cold winter months...then when I want to spend the warm Spring and Summer days in the yard and garden (instead of in the kitchen) I already have dinner done! :)