Car Expenses

So expensive is all I can say. My change oil light has been blinking at me for a month reminding me I'm past the 3000 mile mark and its time to change the oil. September had to replace the wheel barring in the Honda, October 4 new tires for the Honda and now new brake pads. Uggh....it costs so much to keep things going, and this is not the time of year I like to put money into vehicles. I want to go Christmas shopping and buy my Christmas tree. I must say, I'm glad Jord and I volunteered to take the gate money for home football games.....we got 2 season passes to home basketball games....and at $6 per person to get into the game....I think that's a good deal. By the way....anyone want a Cat or two? There good mice catchers....ha ha!

Makin' A List

Jord is taking me Christmas shopping Saturday and out for dinner for our early Anniversary. This is how we always spend our anniversary....that is what you get when you get married two weeks before Christmas. We only go to Wenatchee when we have too, so I figured we could celebrate on Saturday instead of waiting until the
12th. As you know, the basketball season starts this week and their won't be very many free days to go shopping. I am having a hard time with the "used or homemade christmas" exchange, my brain is not working and I can't think of anything I want to do. I like the idea because of cost, but I am definately not crafty! If I had Audrey's name I would make her Lasagne that she could put in her freezer for a night when she didn't want to cook, but I have Emma's name and Lasagne doesn't ship very well. Enjoyed everyone this weekend, so nice to see all the little guys running around. I was looking at pictures of Christmas 1995-1996 when Creston and Rylan were little guys and now Rylan is graduating and Creston is right behind him. Makes me want to push the "STOP" button.

Thanksgiving 2011

Loved having my family here for dinner. I was totally wiped out when they all left in the evening. Lots of laughter (belly hurting laughter) and good food. I was very happy with how everything turned out. Enjoying the little Wilson girls this morning.

Making a List

After reading how organized Emma is.....I decided I had better start making a list of things I need to get for Thanksgiving (I can't even begin to think about Christmas...way to much for the brain). If everyone shows up that said they were coming, I will have to seat 14 people in my diningroom. Oh no! I don't have enough plates or glasses that match for 14 people. I could do 10, but not 14. I don't know how many will be spending the night....I guess I had better figure that one out too. Kim will be in Oklahoma, so Jord & I might borrow a bed from Marty. Hee Hee. I am pretty excited about having 95% of my family at my house for a holiday. I didn't think this day would ever come. I just wish things were better with my sister and that she would join us for dinner....not going to happen. Basketball is underway. I'm actually looking forward to it this year. At least both my kids will be at the same location on the same night. Spring sports will be a nightmare for us! Can't wait to see all the Oregonians......

Goose Barn

 Well the sun has come and gone this morning. It is 10:30, so I best be getting out there to work. Creston helped me get the trusses on the goose barn yesterday. He is up in the hills snowshoeing today. Kate is at State Volleyball. The girls won the first two games, but lost the second. They can still come home with 6th in State, which isn't too shabby.

I'm pushing the birds to the back corner, to make way for Kerri's lawn she insists on.

 

I wish I would have started this project earlier in the year. It will be a miracle if I get the roof on before snow flies

Kerri is going to make me some potato soup for lunch. The cellar has been doing a pretty good job of keeping my root crops.

My taeta's and carrots labeled by variety. It is probably time to dig the parsnips and add them before the ground freezes solid. 

Pumpkin Pie Trials

I love pumpkin pie. I've made a few pumpkin pies with pumpkins, squash, and even sweet potatoes. I've never been satisfied with the results. They have always turned out dense, squashy, and not tasting like classic pumpkin pie. Now when I say classic, I mean Libbey classic. Libbey's uses a squash called Dickenson's, which can be found at Sandhill Preservation. I'm not sure how close the Sandhill strain is to the Libbey Strain.

Here is a pic of Libbey's pumpkin field from Formaggio Kitchen's Cheese Blog

 I grew Galeux de Eysines and Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin. I think I got both seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed. Galeux is suppose to be the French pumpkin used for pumpkin soup, a recipe I've not tried yet, and Kerri refuses to eat. Baker Seed writes: "C. pepo) This beautiful pumpkin was introduced by Johnson & Stokes in 1893. Lovely 6-lb golden fruit have white netting and are perfect for pies. In fact, this is one of the best tasting pie pumpkins you can grow; with very sweet and smooth flesh, it's a favorite of all who grow it." Someone else's  favorite, frequently is not my favorite, but I thought I would give it a try.

 

Kerri thinks the Galeux is ugly, I love it. It has a beautiful pink shell, with peanut like warts. The Winter Luxury are adorable. They have a fine white netting over the orange shell. They are small, a pound or two, and fairly prolific. I think the pumpkins are small enough to actually grow on a trellis. 

Pumpkin Pie Trial:

I quartered both pumpkins, cleaned the seeds out, and roasted them until soft face down at 350 degrees. They cooked about 20-30 minutes. 

The Galeux has deep orange flesh that is rendered silky smooth after roasting. It smells like winter squash with no pumpkin/jack-o-lantern smell. It tastes delicious, and I think it should be served for dinner as we do winter squash, roasted with butter. The Winter Luxury has a more yellow flesh with more texture or grain. When roasted it smells and taste more like pumpkin or the jack-o-lantern smell you get when carving the common pumpkin. However, the flesh of the Winter Luxury is dry, unlike the Galeux. 

Next step, I peeled the skin, and put them in a strainer over a bowl to drip dry for several hours. Overnight in the fridge would probably work two. 

My Pumpkin Pie recipe adapted from Martha Stewart:

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups fresh Pumpkin 
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
• Pie Dough

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add evaporated milk and pumpkin to blender, and blend until puree-ed. In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin/evaporated milk, and 3 eggs. Beat well. (I'm not sure why I just don't add everything at this point to the blender. It sure would make clean up easier.).
2. Pour into pie crust
3. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack.

Both pies cooked well, and tasted great. I think that the spices could be increased a hair, maybe add 1/8tsp of nutmeg. Both pies tasted excellent, but the Winter Luxury definitely had the better flavor. Texture, which is so important, was as good as Libbey's. There was no dense settling, that I've found to form in other squash/pumpkin pie Kerri gave me the nod, and I can use the Winter Luxury for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

Winter Luxury on the left, Galeux on the right. The Winter Luxury, had a small layer of foam that developed and browned on the surface.

 

Lasagne - "It's whats for dinner"

Of course, love to have company over. Kerri gets out the lasagne pan. It was good eatin' last night.

Menu

Kerri's lasagne

Green salad

Corn

Fresh sourdough bread (Trial recipe, still has a ways to go. Didn't slow'm down to much though.)

Happy Halloween, Uncle Jord

 

I know it is a little late, but look who showed up at my door on Halloween. 

Can't Wait til Spring!

Took pic's of the final project at the City Mall. I can't wait till spring/summer when it gets turned on for the season. Dad's crew did a excellent job as usual.

Good Friends

Kim and Marty called me at 4:00...."We are in Omak and going to swing by and pick up KFC for dinner...Want to come over to the house and eat with us?" Wow....not going to pass that up. I don't have to cook and clean up a dirty kitchen afterwards.....so nice to have good friends that live across the pasture. Creston, Lance and Kat decided they needed to get into shape for basketball, so they arose at 5:00 and came to town to run. I stopped, picked up donuts for everyone and took them to school at 7:45. Pretty neat....they run and then use the park showers and then I run them to school. Crazy is what I say. But its amazing how much less stressful it is to get ready in the morning when there is no one in the house. LOVE IT!!!! The city mall is moving right along....will post more pics later.

Burrrrrr..........

I am not ready for winter....I am not ready for winter....this is what I was saying to myself this morning when I was starting the car. I get a little crabby when I'm cold. I love the first big snow, but then it can all go away and summer can come back! Church was very good yesterday and the dinner was scrumptous. Our new kitchen was great and it was nice to get together again after a year. I asked Creston how many memories he created with Uncle Gideon and his comment was "it was cold" Ha Ha. Crazy people going camping/hunting with snow on the ground! Spent Saturday watching the Pateros Volleyball win 2nd in district so off to Yakima they go....they are really good! I actually got to visit with Kat alone, all the way home from Entiat....that doesn't happen very often and it was nice...I realized I needed to make it happen more often. Jord is busy trying to get his new goose barn built before the snow flies.....don't know if he is going to make it or not....

Friday Night DInner

Jim/Terri will be here for Taco's at 6:00 pm. They are bringing all of Jim's tools to store in our barn until they get their house built. It's really nice having them closer and even nicer to be able to help them out for a change!!! I'm thinking that Gideon and Creston are freezing their toes off about now.....don't know how they do it...camping in the mountains in November is definately not for me. Hopefully, it pays off and they bring home some meat! Creston informed me that its not all about the meat...."its creating memories, Mom!". How true....I still listen to my Uncle's stories about hunting trips with my Dad. I am sharing our "bragging rights" with the family. Pateros has never received an award from anyone....so we were pretty excited when these were delivered to city hall. I guess we must be doing something right. So thankful that today is Friday!

Reese

I was told I missed the "little watermelon" last night and I was soooooo mad!!!! Jord did take pictures of Nevelyn, and I will post them tomorrow. Here is what I got this morning.