Busy, busy, busy

I am still here, just in case you were wondering. With planning my sister's wedding, Isabelle's birthday coming up, home projects, and diving into homeschooling, there just doesn't seem to be much time left!

It's exciting and a little scary taking on this homeschooling thing, and while we've done some school already, it's time to really kick it into high gear. I'm looking forward to the bonding time it will bring with our daughter, and the teamwork experience my husband and I will share. I am a little unsure about how I'm going to do this with a five month old and a three year old to care for, oh well. I guess they say "necessity is the mother of invention", so I guess I'll just have to dig deep to access that resourceful side I have...somewhere.

Fall time, my favorite time, is upon us and some of the trees in our front yard already have some leaves that are turning yellow. Little things like shopping for fall clothes for my kids and getting out my grandmother's glass pumpkin-shaped cookie jar just make me so happy! Ahh... jacket weather, anyone that knows me knows my love of my jean jacket. Another love of mine, cooking, is also put to use in autumn. I'm making a mental list of all of my favorite fall recipes to share. Provided I can find the time to sit down at the computer.

With all of this stuff on my mind, I've had some frustrating days. Days when I wonder if I should be a parent at all! But then when it seems all hope is lost, I learn something, a hug goes a long way. I mean that. On that uplifting note, I'll go. My kids are asking for a snack.

Berry Picking and the best cobbler ever

My parents have an abundance of blackberries this year and were generous enough to share them with us. So the other evening the whole family ventured out, even baby Maggie in her stroller, to pick some of the bounty. The kids proved to be quite a help, and weren't even bothered by the prickly thorns. They were really excited to come home and eat some. After a small bowl with a little sugar, they went off to bed, and I began cooking up a treat for my husband and me.
This cobbler recipe has been in my family for years. The story goes that my grandmother and aunt were eating in a restaurant in North Carolina and had this cobbler. They liked it so much, they asked for the recipe and got it. It is so easy and delicious that I thought I would share it. You can use it for any fruit cobbler; my favorite I think is peach, with blackberry a definite second.

The best cobbler ever

1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar (I think the original recipe said 1 cup, but 1/2 cup is plenty if you want to save some calories)
1 cup milk

Melt 1/2 stick of butter and pour it in your pan (I used a 7x11 glass pan, it's just the right size for this recipe).
I used a medium sized bowl of blackberries, sorry I can't be specific but I forgot to measure the berries. I had just enough to make a small cobbler. If you have a lot of fruit just double the batter recipe and use a 9x13 pan. For instance, last time I made a peach cobbler, I used a 29 ounce can of peaches for one recipe of batter. Sorry for the confusion.




Now back to the recipe...
Add sugar to berries to taste, I think I used about 1/2 cup.
Mix flour, sugar, and milk just until blended and pour it on top of your melted butter
Carefully spoon your fruit right on top of the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until it's golden brown.
It is that easy. I hope you will enjoy.



P.S. For peach cobbler, if you use canned peaches, drain the syrup and reserve a little. Add a little cornstarch to the syrup to make a thickening, sugar your peaches, and the most important thing- add a little bit of nutmeg. It's delicious.
Again sorry for the lack of measurements and straight-forward directions.

Save the planet and some room in your cupboard

Every time I come home from grocery shopping, I get annoyed at all those plastic bags. Do I throw them away or stuff them into a cabinet? Here's a great idea I found in a Martha Stewart magazine for reusable shopping bags. It's better for the environment, plus I found a new use for all of those t-shirts of my husband's he doesn't wear anymore.

You will need:
a sewing machine
disappearing ink fabric pen
9 inch diameter bowl
heavyweight cotton t-shirt
scissors



1. Turn t-shirt inside out and sew the bottom closed over the existing hemstitch. Turn right side out, and lay on a flat surface with seams aligned.
2. Invert bowl, and place it over the neck so that only half the bowl is covering the shirt.
3. With pen, trace the rim of the bowl onto the t-shirt.
4. Cut along the traced line through both layers of fabric to make opening. Then line up sleeves and cut each sleeve off to create handles.



Voila! This was so easy. I made several in just a few minutes.

Fried Apples and Biscuits

When I was growing up my grandmother made fried apples and biscuits often in the summer using transparent apples. My other grandmother had a transparent apple tree in her backyard, and after picking several, she would carry them back to the house in her apron. I was delighted to find that the first house my husband and I lived in had several transparent apple trees in the backyard. It was so rewarding as a young wife to step out into my backyard and return into my kitchen with fresh fruit to cook up. I fried apples often for our breakfast and usually had plenty to freeze. Fried apples are delicious for breakfast but also make a great snack or dessert. These biscuits, adapted from my regular biscuit recipe, are a little sweet, perfect for topping with fried apples and a good shaking of powdered sugar. Transparent apples bruise easily and do not keep for long, so use them quickly.

Fried Apples
4 Tbs butter
About 8 cups sliced apples (leave peel on)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
sprinkling of kosher salt

Melt butter in large skillet. Add apples and cook on medium heat, stirring often. Cook for about five minutes, then turn down heat and add the rest of the ingredients. The apples cook quickly and will turn mushy fast if not watched carefully. Cook for 4-5 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
2 Tbs granulated sugar
5 Tbs butter, cut into pieces
1 cup milk
1/4 cup light cream

Mix flour and sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender until blended. Add milk and cream and mix with fork just until blended. Drop into mounds onto greased baking sheet and bake in 400 degree oven. Bake for about 15 minutes or until tops and bottoms are lightly browned.

Cut biscuits open and top with apples. Dust with powdered sugar.

Honesty

As I was thinking this morning about starting this blog, I was excited about all the interesting things I would discuss here. Things like my favorite recipes and homemaking tips. Then I began to think about how difficult it is to try to be all things to everyone as a mom and homemaker. It is impossible to be good at everything. Sometimes I can feel pretty darn inadequate, especially in today's society with Martha Stewart magazines and all the shows on television about decorating and cooking. I've all but given up trying to keep a house plant alive. Despite what we see around us, we can not be everything; and it seems that when I try to be the perfect homemaker, it's at the expense of time with my children. I as a mother need sometimes to let the housework go, and just enjoy my children. I want to be honest about myself; I'm not perfect and to pretend such is wrong. So as I was sorting out these thoughts, I remembered a poem I once heard. I couldn't remember much about it so I went looking for it. When I found it, it brought tears to my eyes. So I dedicate this post to all my mommy friends; and especially those with newborns or a new one on the way.

Where is the Mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery..blissfully rocking.
Cooking and cleaning can wait 'til tomorrow,
but babies grow up, which I've learned to my sorrow.
So, settle down cobwebs,
Dust, go to sleep
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep

Welcome In

This is a place to share thoughts and inspirations with other mod mamas like myself. Enjoy.