happy saturday

hello friends! today i got new jeans in the mail and as you can see, i'm excited! it had been years since i bought myself a decent pair of pants. these are joe jeans that go for around $150 in stores and guess what...i got them for $15 on ebay, with free shipping! that's like a 90% discount!

in the garden, we've still got sunflowers and a few watermelons growing. i was late planting the melons. i'm late with my fall crops too, though the peas i planted last month are looking good.

i finally got around to making my peach pepper jam. this morning i tried it on a sesame bagel with cream cheese. i was afraid my jam was going to be too spicy, but it actually has hardly any heat at all. weird because when i did a taste test it was way too hot. hmph.

john made us dinner the other night and it was delicious! sauteed portabellos and bell pepper with a side of guacamole and vegetarian baked beans. i have been a lazy jane in the kitchen around dinner time. i'd much rather come home and lounge around with a book.

yesterday i started to read hiroshima by john hersey and i feel compelled to say a little something about war. first, at its core, war is against all that we are at our core. the suffering created by bombs and attacks is unbelievably cruel and inhumane. i actually had to stop reading the book because i was too upset. i am praying very hard for peace in the middle east, because it's all i know to do about it at this point. i know many others are too, and that leaves me feeling hopeful.

a war can not be fought if we all refuse to fight. it's all a choice. love or fear, we choose.



sending lots of love to you and yours. xoxoxo

just peachy

my little sister crystal and i picked 23 pounds of peaches last week.

she'd only eaten canned peaches, so it was exciting to see crystal try her first fresh jersey peach!

we also picked a few pounds of gala apples. what i wouldn't do to have a peach and apple tree growing in my own backyard...my dad grew up with both!

neighborhood fruit is a site that shows where you can find public fruit trees in your area. there are a few apple trees listed in philadelphia i plan to check out. how nice it would be to get free, local apples! i've read apples can be stored up to four months wrapped in newspaper and placed in a cool, dark spot.

the apples were a little bland, but the peaches were out of this world! perfectly sweet and juicy. i planned to make crepes and cobblers, but as my sista' krista said, they're too good and should be eaten just is.=)

fyi - i have one younger sister, krista (pictured below with her fur baby, bear) and a "little" through big brothers big sisters, crystal (seen above). i named krista when i was 3 and have been crystal's "big" since march '09. i also have a brother craig (below with his daughter, alaina) who is just 13 months younger than me. god bless my mother!=)

back to the peaches - some made it into a salsa in our raw tacos with yummy raw ranch dip...

and i set lots aside for our second annual jam fest. this is just half of the peach and peach and pepper jam jars missy and i filled. peach heaven!

and this year we were joined by little miss marlie! (you can see more photos of marlie here.)

missy and i have been the best of friends since middle school. i'm truly blessed to know such sweeties! speaking of...i've still been reading your blogs, just not commenting as often because of my key issues. (i think biggles is trying to put an end to my computer habit!=)

 "stop blogging and play with me!"

i leave you with a tasty "burger" recipe you may want to enjoy on the grill before summer ends, and wishes for a safe and happy labor/labour day weekend!=)

spicy black bean patties
(serves 2)

the black bean burger recipe at can you stay for dinner? was my guide for creating the following recipe:

1 C. cooked black beans, divided
1/2 C. walnuts, divided
1/4 C. panko bread crumbs
1/4 C. carrot, chopped
1/4 C. any color sweet bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
chipotle powder, to taste (a few pinches goes a long way!)
few sprigs of cilantro (optional)
diced jalapeno (optional, for extra spicy patties)
salt, to taste

in a mixing bowl, mash half of the black beans with a fork or potato masher. add bread crumbs and the remaining beans, then stir to combine.

add half of the walnuts, coarsely crushed (you can do this with a fork). ground the remaining walnuts in a food processor until fine. stir into mixture.

heat olive oil in a skillet. add garlic, heat for one minute, then add carrots and green peppers. heat veggies over medium heat a few minutes, stirring often.

add sauteed veggies to mixing bowl. mix well.

form batter into two patties. spicy black bean patties can be served uncooked, grilled, baked at 400° for 20-30 minutes, or fried in a little olive oil, a few minutes on each side. be sure to handle the patties carefully as they crumble easily.

(you can refer to the black bean burger recipe for a picture tutorial on how to create these delicious mommajommas.)

enjoy!

=)

♫ we're jammin' ♫

and i hope you like jammin' too...
=)
this is missy, my bestest friend since middle school. we make an excellent jammin'/canning duo. (well, when wendi is there guiding us). first we cut slits on top of the peaches, boiled them for about a minute, then put them in a cold water bath so we could easily peel the skin.

missy was a very motivated chopper. she got the peaches nice and small for a smooth batch of jam. i was a bit more impatient so my batch was on the chunkier side.
we followed the packet directions and added a pack of pectin, FIVE AND A HALF CUPS of sugar!, and 2 tbsp lemon juice to 4 cups of peaches. (i am researching to see if less sugar can be used or if agave nectar can be substituted when canning.) we had to stir the mixture constantly as it boiled rapidly for 10 minutes. we filled the jars, wiped the tops clean, added the lids and rings, and put them in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes to kill the germies and to get the jars to seal. (forgot to take pictures of those steps.)

you can learn more from Wendi, our awesome expert canning instructor, on her blog at
http://storageskills.blogspot.com/.
also visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation for more info.

and here is the finished product

and for your listening/viewing pleasure