CROCK*POT Pinto Beans

This morning I savored the smell of Autumn.  It was crisp and wonderful!

Our momma taught us how to make food stretch.  How to make wonderful meals with sometimes very little and for that, I am so thankful.  Dried beans were plentiful and fairly inexpensive...so we had lots of beans in chili, soups, tacos and the list goes on.  Maybe it was because cans of beans were not available?  HMMM?  I will need to ask...

Purchasing individual cans of beans is fine in a crunch, but considering how easy peasy this is and how good they are for you without any added preservatives...YOU just can't beat having your trustly CROCK*POT do your work for you.

I have little patience for meals that take a lot of prep and steps.  It has to be reallllllly good to make up for the effort put forth.  This is the best of both worlds...you skip the steps of soaking, draining, rinsing again, boiling, reducing the heat and then, and only then letting it simmer for a couple of hours.  Here, you have the amazing taste without the effort.  A win win situation!

Anyhoo, I have been wanting{dreaming of} a pressure cooker for years, but in keeping with using what we have, and using the appliances we do have, I have been making our big ol' batch o' beans very successfully in the crock*pot!  That also means one less thing to clutter our home!

The best thing to do is to cook them right before you go to bed at night, so that you can deal with them in the morning.

CROCK*POT PINTO BEANS

3 pounds of dried pinto beans

12 cups of water

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder {Winco bulk section}


*Wash and sort beans to make sure they don't taste like dirt.  :}

*Place beans, water, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and chipotle into your CROCK*POT.  Water should more than cover your beans as they will absorb the water and expand.

Turn your CROCK*POT onto high and cook for 6-8 hours.  Add more water if beans get a bit dry.  Beans should be super tender.
Remove insert from your CROCK*POT and allow to cool.

Once the beans are cooled a bit, use a 1 cup measuring cup for easy dispensing.  This is not exact by any means...just a general guideline.  :}

What is helpful for our family is to freeze them in different size freezer containers.  They are labeled with the amount so that it is easy to figure out what is needed for a recipe.  I usually freeze in 1 cup, 3 cup and 4 cup containers.  That allows for plenty of mixing and matching for whatever need arises.

I enjoy labeling them!

Leftover scrap paper works GREAT!
People with beautiful handwriting can use a SHARPIE, but for those of us who can't read our own handwriting...there are stamps and fun computer fonts.

VARIATION:  Kidney beans, black beans, white beans can also be used or mixed together for a pop of different colors!


Now, what will you do with all your beans?

Will you make a large pot of chili and invite guests?

Will you freeze them for soups?

What OH.WHAT. will you do?

Shared with:  Comfy in the kitchen, Stone Gable

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An Autumn Welcome

Happy first day of Autumn to YOU!

Last night we enjoyed the tinted night sky as the sun set…a beautiful ode to summer.

Pear sauce bubbled away on the stove making our home smell like sugar and spice.

Our happy little mums are nestled in their window boxes patiently waiting to be tucked in with fresh, rich soil.

A drive out to Smith Berry Barn is the first field trip planned for this season.  It’s a lovely drive out into the country with vineyards, old homesteads, and berry picking orchards that are now taking a rest in anticipation for next summer’s guests.

Evening walks where little houses are laced along the walking path…some on the backside of the forest.  They are illumined like bright shining stars lighting the way…one crunchy step at a time with fading summer foliage under foot.

Gone are the days of:  summer twilight weddings, river outings, outdoor bbq’s with friends and family and HOT summer days poolside with little ones who never have enough time in the water, late bed times and midnight ice cream “parties”.

Here are the days of:  jammie dinners, noodles and meatballs {I KNOOOOOW!}, apple-tree climbing of the fruit laden trees that are perfect for apple crisp, pie and cobbler…yes, my twinsie climbed the apple tree for our Gravenstein apples!!  The scent of cured wood fires...Oh, and warm pumpkin pie scones!

Longer chats with friends, night city light dates, rain storms and our big ol’, long table being filled with family, old friends and new friends as we slowly sip on hot soup and reflect on the change that Autumn brings…be it a new hobby, a new baby, a move, a change in government, a new job, an accomplishment, a fear overcome, or saying good bye to loved ones.  

How good to know that in a world of change, our Heavenly Father is a constant.  He is the one who LOVES us and the one who always seeks us out.  I pray that it this season of change you will seek His peace and allow Him to be your strength and comfort.

What do YOU look forward to most about Autumn?

AUTUMN or FALL?  What do you call it?

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Scott's Firehouse Snickerdoodle Cookies

Scott's Firehouse recipes are easy, fool-proof and FAST! There is not time to diddle-daddle with meals. They can be tasty...but they need to be practical. There is always the possibility of a "call" that can take them away from the firehouse for minutes or for hours. I figure if it works for a REAL.LIFE. FIREHOUSE...it works in the REAL.LIFE.HOME...where we may be putting our own "fires" out!

Never underestimate the power of a CLASSIC SNICKERDOODLE COOKIE!

They are perfect for the beginning of Autumn as the cinnamon makes your home smell oh.so.good!  The ingredients are basic and no muss, no fuss!  

My hubby doubles the recipe and so do I as they are wonderful to pre-package and to freeze...ENJOY!

This recipe is already doubled to assure you have plenty to share.

Classic Snickerdoodle Cookies

In a mixer, combine:

1 cup butter  {room temp}

1 cup shortening {I use organic}...room temp, too

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

Stir together and add to mixing bowl:

5 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Cinnamon Sugar:

4 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix together and place in a shallow bowl or pie plate.

*Preheat oven to 400*

*Once your cookie dough is all mixed together, roll into balls about the size of a golf ball.

*Roll in cinnamon sugar.

*Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.  {I used parchment paper since my Silpats have new homes via GOODWILL!}

*Bake until light brown.  You are going for a soft cookie as they harden after they cool.

*Bake for 10-13 minutes

These are a bit blurry as they were taken out of the freezer!

Happy Thursday!





Shared with:  Comfy in the Kitchen, Stone Gable

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A Selah Sunday

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The "Not SO PERFECT" Dinner Party

I love themes.

I love entertaining.

I love family parties celebrating milestones.

I love the details...

but what happens when nothing seems to be going the way things were planned?

Welcome to REAL LIFE 101!

It would be a wonderful way to live LIFE... if perfection were not expected and real.true.treasures were discovered in imperfection...

Months ago it was decided that dessert would be served at the wedding since it was a 7:00 evening wedding and the reception dinner would be held at our home the following week.

This would be the perfect time for our families to come together to enjoy a lovely dinner at twilight in our backyard and then to watch the honeymooners open their gifts!

Initially, I thought I was really setting my high expectations aside by dealing with the yard that we had hoped to level out and being okay with mix match chairs!

Not only were we planning the wedding, but I was so excited about the reception dinner.

The date was set.

The menu was finalized.

The evening was planned...and I was in heaven!

The day had come and everything changed with one.itty.bitty.phone conversation with our new son-in-law.

To make a very long and complicated day short, sweet and to the point...the honeymooners were delayed by 10 hours!

Despite all of the planning, decorating, yard landscape, light hanging, table and chair getting, settting up and re-arranging {EVERY momma needs a CALEB!!!} grocery shopping, food prep and the list goes on...we would be celebrating without our sweet guests of HONOR!

How was it possible to celebrate the newlyweds while they were sitting in an airport far.far away?

You can't get any further away from an imperfect evening...or so it seemed.

We decided {with the blessing of David and Lauriss} that we would celebrate the occasion anyway.  It was a great lesson in laying our expectations aside and letting God teach us something of value.

The highlight for me was having my love read I Corinthians 13:4-8.  He challenged us all to put into practice what he read.  To not give up.  To cherish those in our lives and to pray for David and for Lauriss as they begin their new life together.  I looked down at all of the brothers and it was an overwhelming thought that this is a new generation of what we are leaving for our children.  I hope they will all remember our evening and the challenge we were all given!

It was not perfect in many ways...{I realize in the grand scheme of things...these are no biggies!}

*With no rain in the forcast, it rained once the tables were set.

*The garden lights, with new bulbs, would not turn on.

*The propane grill that registered "full" was full of AIR and empty.

*The frozen cheesecake was still frozen after being at room temp for hours!

*The strong lemonade needed major adjustments!

...but that is exactly what made it perfect in every way!

I can't think of a better way to bond two families together!

How often do we put things off in fear of imperfection?
What would happen if you planned a dinner with friends or family despite your fears...that have the potential of becoming a reality?

I say you try it and you may just have the greatest memories to deposit into your bank of "cherished moments".

I Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸ Love never fails.

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Snickerdoodle Peach Pie

When I think of AUTUMN, I think of comfy things...like warm blankies, hot apple cider after  chilly, dark walks, candlelight breakfasts, friends, hot soups, family jammie dinners, crunchy leaves,  cozy sweaters, socks, pumpkins and PIE.  And since SUMMER'S heat is going nowhere but UP around here, pie with cinnamon IT IS!  SNICKERDOODLE PEACH PIE, that is!

Snickerdoodle Peach Pie In a Jar

6 half-pint canning jars

Crust:
Purchased :}

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup  flour 
one 29 oz. can of peaches {I used four cups of fresh peaches…about 6 large ones}
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure orange extract

Cinnamon sugar...because it is snickerdoodle peach pie!

Topping:

Whipped cream

Ice cream or BOTH!

Preheat oven to 350*.

Mix all filling ingredients together in a bowl.  Take a 1/2 cup measuring cup and divvy it up between the six jars.  Be generous.  Not skimpy half cup measures.

Roll out one crust {I buy the Trader Joe's brand and it comes with two crusts per package}

Using a canning jar ring, press out 6 pie toppers.

Dust with cinnamon sugar.  Flip over and dust the other side and make a cute little steam vent.  I almost always make a leaf...perfect for AUTUMN, I mean SUMMER.

Place the pie topper on top of filling and press the sides against the edges.

Place the pies on to a cookie sheet to prevent overflow spillage in the oven.

Bake at 375* for about 45 minutes or until pies are bubbly and the crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool a bit.  This will allow the filling to set and the flavors to meld!

Be sure to share...

PIE BLISS=CINNAMON & PEACHES

 

This is a super duper way to get the exact size of crust for your pie toppers!

sprinkle the top

...then the bottom & don't forget your little steam vent!




Then...place them on your cookie sheet and bake away!

This is what we are enjoying until our hunter gets home...and then it will be rabbit stew or squirrel pot pie...

Shared with: Comfy in the kitchen, Stone Gable, foodie friday

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{Childhood} Memories in a Box...Back-to-School Organization

This is the first year in a very long time that I have not had a child starting school in the Fall!  But one thing is certain, I have not forgotten how overwhelming the first week can be...so, I decided to dig out one of my favorite clutter-buster ideas that saved me hours of frustration and allowed for easy access and fun hours of looking back at what our children wanted to save...and some things we saved for them "just because".  Remember, this was started almost 21 years ago...so plain ol', plain ol' manila folders was how it was...and our kiddies don't mind at all!  It is the memories within the box that bring back the sweetest of times...and they will have it to share with their spouses and with their children!

As I was looking through Laurissa's memory box, now that she is getting ready for college...it was a bit sad. Hard to believe everything from her baby shower to her graduation is in one box. It will be complete at the end of this summer. WOW! I am glad I took the time to save the things I did and even the things she wanted to keep that at the time I thought were really NOT necessary. Those little scribbles and "important" papers have become just as precious to me.
It is no secret that I have no patience for scrapbooking. I wish I had beautiful books gracing my shelves of well-documented pages and labeled photographs of my children growing up, but I don't.

Baby shower cards were wrapped in recycled gift ribbon, and put into an envelope.

My children each have a memory box that is basically a rubbermaid portable file box. Pretty sure it is not of archival quality either. :)
At the beginning of every school year I put a new marked manila folder with their name and grade and keep it with my everyday files. During the year I file everything that is special to them: pictures, sports awards, birthday cards tied together, movie stubs, tickets to special events, notes, drawings, report cards, notes from teachers, yearbooks and summer memorabilia. At the end of the summer it gets filed into their memory box. It keeps their rooms cleared from clutter, doesn't get lost, and is a fun activity to pull out once in awhile.

I know it isn't fancy schmazy, but it is a fast, easy way to stay organized and "scrapbook" your child's memories without being too time consuming.

When we were putting Laurissa's senior memory board together, it was easy to go to the box and get what was needed for a detailed project. I would suggest always marking the year and grade on the back of filed papers etc, so it is eay to put back if it is used for something...

So glad I have one box filled with memories for each of the children. It is nice and compact, so that when they leave home, it will not take up too much space.

I have given two of these away as baby shower gifts and they were so appreciated. I know. Not very fun, but for a mom who hates organizing things, it is a welcomed gift. :) I pre-labeled all of the manila folders and made a label for the front. They turned out adorable! For you crafty people out there, I am sure you could really have fun embellishing this idea!

**You may want to write the date and grade on the papers in case things are taken out for school projects etc.  Of course, I HATED {I know that is a naughty word!} math and could never figure out what year they were in what grade!  :}  YOU, however may be up for the challenge!


How do you organize your children's papers?

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