The Garden, The Shawl, and Lunch

I think the garden is almost finished for the year.  The okra is still going strong but is putting on very little okra.  However, I did get enough to cook up the other day...

We're only about 3 days away from Daylight Savings Time ending.  That means cold weather is near.  And look what my sweet DD knitted for me.  :)

This is the softest, warmest and most adorable shawl I've ever had.  It will stay on my office chair where I sit right under the air conditioner vent in the summer and just in front of a window in the winter.  Thank you, Paula.  It's perfect.

Had lunch with my buddy Pat B. yesterday.  I stuffed myself with 1/2 order Roast Turkey Fuji Apple Salad and  1/2 Chicken Salad Sandwich.  Oh My Goodness!  Top that off with Sweet Tea and a Cobblestone goodie.. and needless to say, I had to bring the Cobblestone home... Very nice visit and catch up time since Pat has been gone for a while visiting her sweet daughter and family with the  newborn grandson.

It evidently rained again last night.  I opened the front curtains and blinds this morning for Sam and there was a shiny sheen on the road, the drive and the grass.  We so need all this rain, but am getting a little tired of the gray days... and the fact that Sam has to be carried out to do his business since he cannot possibly get his feet wet.. :/

Looking forward to working on The Big Blue Quilt today.  The only thing I got done on it yesterday was to rip out the parts that I had sewn in wrong.. :(   Perhaps I can get the body of it finished today and decide on a border and binding..

Hope you have a wonderful day.  Sing a little, smile a lot.. :)

It's Holiday Time...or How to Make Cranberry Relish...

I was talking with my daughter this morning. This is what she wants for Christmas... ;o)

Cranberry Orange Relish

Gather ingredients...

1 pkg. fresh cranberries
1 medium orange
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 cup sugar

Because I wanted to can this batch, I placed 3
half pint jars in water to cover and the lids in water and placed both on the stove to bring to a boil. There is no need to boil the screw caps since they will not be in contact with the food or the lip of the jar. (If you have never canned fresh fruit, I would suggest you go here to learn how to do home canning.)








Wash the cranberries and pick out any soft or bad ones. Pick the stems. Wash the orange with a veggie wash. Place the cinnamon in a medium saucepan. I used navel oranges so I cut the pithy ends off my orange. Cut the orange into quarters. Place 1/2 the orange and 1/2 the cranberries into a blender or food processor and grind. Empty into your saucepan and repeat with the other half. Add the sugar and stir to mix well.









Place on medium heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, the jars have been boiling and sterilizing while relish has been prepared.








Using a pair of tongs, pick up one jar and pour the water out. Sit as closely to your cooking relish as possible and using a metal spoon ladle the relish into the sterilized jars. Try not to get any on the lip of the jar as this will stop the lid from sealing. If you do get some on the lip, use a damp cloth to wipe the rim of the jar. Using tongs, dip a lid out of the boiling water and place on jar. Place the screw cap on the jar and tighten just finger tip tight...not screwed on hard.






Since I know these will be used within the next 2 weeks, I placed these back in the same boiling water for a 10 minute boiling hot water bath. If I wanted to keep these for a year, I would use a much bigger hot water bath pan and the water MUST cover the jars at least an inch. The hot water bath is make sure the heat inside the center of the jar reaches high enough temperature and maintains it long enough to kill any lingering bacteria.






After the 10 minute hot water bath the relish is removed from the hot water using the tongs and is wiped with a clean dishtowel. They are placed on a clean dishtowel to cool for several hours or overnight. The lids should pop and form a suction. When pressed in the center the lids should not give any... If it does move up or down when pressed, then the seal has not sealed well enough and you should place in the refrigerator and use within a week or so.


This recipe can be used (without the cinnamon) as a fresh relish and requires NO Cooking... if you want to make it the day of or the day before it is eaten. To keep for any length of time it should be cooked and/or canned.

If you try this, please use caution since you will be dealing with very hot, boiling liquids.

I do so love this stuff..lol This is the second batch I have made since before Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy this little tute... Daughter mine... ;o)

Daughter's Quilts

Dear Daughter was here for a couple of days last week. What a joy! This is a pic of her beautiful Christmas quilt.

She is discovering the joys of the sewing machine and is making some really pretty quilts, dolls, and things.

This is another quilt she made. She is using the crayon technique I have posted about here...

We spent one day just admiring each others' hobbies... ;O) ... and the next day we went shopping for a bit, out to a long, wonderful lunch, and a little more shopping. The only thing wrong was that it just wasn't long enough....