English Muffins and Giardiniera

good afternoon y'all!!!!!!!            how's your day going so far?         ours has been good so far.         we got out early this morning and got our walk done.          it was just a brisk 37* and I felt every degree of it.           we do dress for success when we walk, but it was still a little nippy.        I got in well over a mile and wished I could have gotten more.          but my feet had started hurting and I call it quits when that happens.         if I keep pushing and try to push thru the paain, I'll be down for 4 or 5 days.         so when they start hurting, I stop.         I had a horse step on my right foot when I was 12 or 13 years old and it's been painful ever since and it gets worse with age.       so, since I'm almost as old as dirt, I feel it in every step.          hahaha          but I can walk, so for that, I'm so very thankful.     

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Years ago when we still lived in a different town, I baked bread.      it seems I've always baked bread.     I baked it the hard way, without a bread machine, without a stand mixer, without a food processor, of which any one of those will properly knead your dough.               I was even called the "crazy" bread lady.             I will admit the crazy part, but only in a good way.               

Anyway, the church we attended delivered meals on wheels to the sick and shut in of our church and the community at large.          During that time, I started making sourdough bread.           I delivered the meals for several of the Sunday Schools Classes, on a weekly basis, that prepared the food.          I started making the sourdough bread in small loaf pans and would take everyone a loaf or two depending on how many we had that week.             Anywhere between 10 to 15 people we ministered to on a weekly basis. 

One of the elderly ladies I delivered to was a lady of few words, she was kind, just didn't have much to say.            She would let me hug her and that's about it, she wanted her door shut.           I understood then and I understand now.               

Anyway, the 3rd week after I started making the bread and bringing everyone a loaf, she was at the door and eagerly waiting for me.        She had a smile on her face as big as those little loaves of bread.            She had the door open and the first thing she asked me was "did you bring more bread?"              I smiled real big and said "yes mam I did."            She wanted to know if I made it.           Again, "yes mam I did."  

Then she wanted to know who told me her secret about making sourdough bread.           I laughed and told her that no one had told me her secret that it was my own recipe so to speak after I tweaked the original recipe.                She laughed and said "I know what your secret is."            I finally laughed and said, "well, yes, I do make it with love."           She said, "ok, that too."          But she pulled me close and whispered in my ear exactly what I put in my sourdough in addition to the usual ingredients.

I asked her how she knew and she said because hers was the best sourdough bread she had ever eaten and she said mine tasted just like hers!!!           When I started making my sourdough starter last week, that conversation with that sweet lady popped in to my head and I just wanted to share it because it has made me smile for between 25 to 30 years now.

Anyway. my sourdough was finally ready to use and I decided I wanted to make something that my husband and I both enjoy, but I have never made them before.           I have made a boat load of all kinds of breads, but I've never made these before, but I finally made some.           I can assure you, I would not have made them today were it not for my Bread Machine to mix it in.            I just set it on the knead function and walked away for an hour and a half.   

What, you may be asking?         I made English Muffins!!!!!          Yes and Amen!!!       I did and I don't mind telling you one of my secrets in these was a whole lotta prayer.          Thank You Jesus for helping me today with my English Muffins.             I only made a half batch, which should have been 8 regular sized muffins, but I ended up with 8 ginormous muffins.        hahaha          So, when I make a whole batch, I plan on getting about 20 and will have plenty for the freezer.    

I don't see me buying English Muffins anytime in the near future.         Yay!!!        I almost forgot to take pictures, but I did remember and snapped a few.         Hope y'all enjoy.         And they do smell as good as they look.              Go ahead and drool, it's ok.           I won't tell anyone.       hahaha

if you can make heads or tails out of my recipe, you're free to use it.        hahahaha

you know what, these are not the prettiest things, but they are quite tasty.

and look at all those nooks and crannies that english miffins are famous for.   

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so, let's do a "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" real quick.          I had been wanting to do a mixed veggie ferment.    

 

you can buy pickled mixed veggies called Giardiniera.        it's an Italian relish that's usually done in vinegar or oil.          mine is done in neither.           it's done in a ferment brine.           I don't care for veggies in vinegar any more, although I do eat them and I certainly don't want veggies in oil.        I  know, I know, those are the most popular ways of preserving lots of things, but I'm going for what I like.           hahaha 

  

I used cauliflower, bell peppers, orange bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, red onion, vidalia onion, carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash.          that's it.             I didn't use anything else, because I didn't have anything else fresh.         hahaha           I do wish I would have had some greenbeans.           but I have a container of fermented greenbeans in the fridge.           I didn't use any kind of spices either.     you can use spices and most people do, but I wanted to keep these tasting like the veggies.  

My brine is a mixture of 1 gallon of filtered water and 6 tablespoons of kosher salt.          you don't want to use any salt with iodine or any anti-caking agents.         sea salt is best if you have it.         I didn't, but I did have kosher salt, so that's what I used.    

cleanliness in the fermenting process is very important.        I can't stress that enough.         make sure everything is clean.            you can even run all jars and cutting board and utensils thru the dishwasher to sterilize them if necessary.           just make sure you're  very clean with doing this.   

wash and scrub your veggies and I always cut away any blemishes or spots.           cut your veggies however you want to cut them.          on the carrots, since they are the firmest veggie I used, I did make smallish sticks.             I cut the squashes in half and then cut them where they was thicker on one end than the other.        I made sticks out of the bell peppers.         and I cut the cauliflower segments pretty small too.       I made wedges out of the onions and then broke them up some.       nothing fancy at all.   

I had gotten a separate gallon jug with "filtered" water in it.         you want to use filtered water so there is no chlorine.         chlorine will inhibit the fermenting process.          then I added the 6 tablespoons of kosher salt and got that dissolved.  

once all the veggies was cut up and mixed together, I put veggies in my jars.       pressing them down as I went.        you don't want to overfill the jars.   

  

once the  brine is in  the  jars, I put the  wieghts in on top of the veggies to hold them down in the brine.        it's important for all the veggies to be under the brine at all time.             the big jar has a split weight and the quart jar has a small clear glass weight.    

once the weights are placed, I then get a spoon and take out any of the small pieces that float.        I take a small zip lock sandwich bag and fill it with some of the extra brine and press the air out of the bag and put it on top of the weight.                this is just extra protection.         it's not necessary, but I do it.  

for the lids on the jars, they have a water lock on top of them that will allow any gasses to escape without the jars exploding or having to open them.         also, set your jars in a tray or a bowl to catch any bubble over.           when this starts really bubbling, there can be a mess, so I always put my jars in a tray or bowl to fit the size jar.         put the jar in a safe place.          I wish I had a cabinet that I could dedicate to fermenting.         now the hard part.....waiting, waiting, waiting, patiently waiting.   hahaha  

 

in a couple of weeks, I'll check the taste and go from there.          once they have the flavor profile I'm looking for, I'll put them in the fridge and they will last a long time, or not, depending on how fast you eat them.          hahaha  

what I like about ferments is that the veggies are still raw.        but the fermentation process preserves them.          the fermenting  process creates a lot of good gut healthy bacteria.         fermented produce is really good for you.           do a little research on it and find out just how good it is for you.  

I hope you enjoyed this.          I hope if you haven't ever done a ferment that you'll give it a try.        do a little research and then dive in.           it's delicious and it's fun.  

this turned out to be a most wonderful ferment.        it only gets better with age.

one thing that I did learn, is that the amount of salt is way too much.          I used what the recipe recommended, but since making this recipe, I've found that most recipes call for much less salt.          if you  have a blood pressure problem or a water retention problem, this may not be for you.        but if you can eat this, it's really good and the fermenting process is really good for your gut health.

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that's about it for today.          hope you seen something here that you may be willing to try.       

since it'a almost the end of the year, what will you miss most about 2023?         and what do look forward to most in 2024?

may love, joy and peace be yours today.       hugs and blessings, patty

I got some bread made, YAY!!!!

good afternoon y'all!!!!!           I almost missed posting today.        I want to try to finish the year up strong and the then we'll go from there.          hahaha           it was a little shocking this morning.          our temps have been above freezing for the past few morning and this morning it was down to 25* when I checked it.       and I'm thinking it probably got a degree or two cooler than that.        well, after all, it's just barely winter and I know we'll have a lot colder mornings than this.         we're up for "maybe" getting a few flurries tomorrow.          we'll have to wait and see about that.          anyway, I say let's just enjoy whatever the Good and Gracious Lord gives us.          that's what I plan on doing.        sounds like a good plan, huh.

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do ya know what today is?              well, let me tell ya.          it's "National Eat What Ever You Want Day".         you heard me, eat what ever you want!!!             so, get that big pot of chicken beak stew going, throw a couple of spam burgers on the grill.            fry up some pickled innards.....................oh, just about anything you can think of would fit the menu for today.                 go ahead, be bold, try something new.               I gave you some suggestions, but I'm sure you can come up with some of your own concoctions.               just have fun and be adventurous.

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so my plans were to get some bread baked yesterday.            well, I got some baked, but not what I actually planned on.          I baked a skillet of cornbread wedges.         I didn't get a picture of them.      why, because I just plum forgot about taking pictures of it.        but it's good and my husband can attest to that.         he had a buttered piece with a bowl of beans.         hahaha         one of his favorite meals.

but, today I got some yeast rolls and a tiny loaf of bread made.         yay!!!!          I did remember to get pictures of this bread.        

this is what a 3 cups of flour, dough ball looks like.           this is a fantastic batch of bread.         it's from a very old recipe that I've converted to use in the bread machine.          I was looking for something different for a change and I came across this recipe.         the last time I'd used this recipe was sometime in 2022.         so I dusted it off and I'm happy I did.

I made 12 rolls/buns and one loaf from what would have been 4 more rolls/buns.           I think I've shown y'all my silicone roll pans that makes 6 rolls at a time.          I have 2 of those pans.         so once I take my doughball from the bread machine, I weigh it in grams.          then I divide that weight into 16 or 18 rolls.        this time I made 16 balls.        then I start picnhing off that many balls of dough, weighing each ball so they all weigh the same.

once  I get them all weighed, I start mashing each ball down into the silicone pans and then I let them rise and bake them and they are almost perfect.           I took the last four dough balls and stacked them together and smashed them and worked them back into one cohesive ball and made a small loaf with it.      

as you can see, these look really good and they will also taste really good.          great for my husbands breakfast sandwiches and wonderful for hamburgers and sandwiches.

after seeing these again, I may have to figure out how to have a sandwich for supper.     hahaha

I hope if you don't make fresh homemade bread that you'll give it a try.         especially if you have a bread machine.          get it out and use it.         it will be ne the best things you've done in a long time.

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well, I'm gonna make it short and sweet today.         I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day and I hope to see you back here real soon.         blessings of mercy and grace be yours today.       hugs, patty

Continued Prayers, Bread and a Story

good morning loved ones.           I pray that you have a wonderful day today.          it's another chilly day in my neck of the woods.          as I think about it, I'm still thinking about all the ones who lost loved ones and homes and businesses on Saturday.         I'm still praising God that it wasn't any worse than it was and so thankful that on that day, He spared my husband and myself, yet again.         but as we see some of the pictures coming in from the devastation, we can see His hand of protection over the whole situation.   

I'll be the first person to say that I really don't understand why some were spared and some weren't.    I just know that God always does what is right.       that's still not an asnwer as to why some got killed and others didn't.         I just think about Job in times like this.        Job questioned God.      God finally asks Job some tough questions.     "where were you when I, God, created everything?"         and the questioning keeps going on for quite a while and Job realized he was nothing or noone to ever question God.         

but, this is just me and my thoughts, I may be totally off base.        God will never turn away serious questions.      I truly believe He wants us to bring our problems and questions to Him.          we'll always find answers in His word for what ever our questions may be.       years ago, I found a verse in Genesis that says something to effect like this, "shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"         God is the Judge of the earth and He will always do what is right even though we don't understand it.         I personally, need to remember this.        especially in the hard times like this.           

so while I still don't understand and never will, I just lean into Him and know that He will do right in all situations.         and when we pray for others and help others in whatever ways we possibly can, then we are being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in a real way and making a difference.          praying for those out in the cold doing the cleanup, getting electricity back on for folks that have been without, getting the internet back up for those without, getting homes repaired, getting businesses repaired..........it's a daunting task for my little community, but we have the "can do" attitude.       while all the hustle and bustle goes on around here, I'm still praising God that no one in our little community lost their lives.     that alone is so incredibly miraculous!!!!!!!         I cry at how we truly were spared, our whole community!!!!        people were praying!!!!          people were praying for us from all over the country and God heard those prayers.         

please cntinue to pray for those who are hurting today from loss of family and friends.       I can't imagine the heart ache.        please pray for those on the front lines of cleanup all around us.       please pray for those coming from other states to help with the cleanup.         pray for the small businesses that are stepping out in their communities and feeding those who are helping in any way and feeding those who have no way to prepare food for their families.        just pray as the Lord leads in this situation.

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what about 2 minutes in the kitchen with me yesterday morning?          let's do it!!          these are the rolls I baked some time ago, not the ones I made yesterday.         I still wanted to share thes and now is as good a time as any.           these are Honey Oatmeal Flax Rolls.           they are quite delicious.         I love using flax meal in my bread, but if you've bought it, you know that it can go rancid.          the last flax meal I purchased was already rancid when I got it home!!!          it stinks, literally.           hahaha

anyway, I love it, but I don't like buying something that expensive for it to already be bad.           so, I bought a 5 lb bag of flax seed at the local Amish store and grind my own.         a 5 lb bag has lasted me several years.          I store it in the freezer and take out what I need at a time to grind and then store the ground flax in the fridge.           no more rancid flax meal.          flax seeds are really good for you, but you don't get the health benefit from them unless they are crushed.            so, that's the  main reason for grinding them.          I don't use it in all my bread, but sometimes I just love to put some ground flax in my bread and it makes it really beautiful.   

I hope you'll try it sometime.

don't they look nice.          they are really good.

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todays offering from the kitchen.       cornbread swirls.         they are just so good.        these are really fun to make.           we really enjoy these.            when I took them from the oven, I brushed them with a little melted butter and that just seals the deal every time.          hahaha           they will go really well with my split pea soup.        yum y'all!        this is the recipe I use if you're interested:

1/2 cup milk  (I use powdered milk and water)

1 egg

1 box jiffy cornbread mix   (you can also make your own mix, so use the equivalent of 1 box of jiffy cornbread mix)

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1 tablespoon butter 

2 tablespoons sugar-optional (it is better with it)

pinch of salt

I mix this in my bread machine and I always start with liquid, wet ingredients, adding dry ingredients and the yeast last and on top.  

heat milk to luke warm (water), add in butter, egg and the rest of the ingredients, with yeast being the last ingredient and keep it away from the salt.          I put it all in bread machine for about 25 to 30 minutes, but if you don't have bread machine, put it all in stand mixer or food processor and mix, or work it up manually.         once mixed really well, I take it from the bread machine to my silpat or bread board with cornmeal on it and roll into a rectangle.           try to keep all sides as straight as possible, about 7 x 14 inches or so and about a half inch thick.              

I use a pizza cutter to cut it with and kitchen skewer as my straight edge and work my way across cutting about 3/4 inch to 1 inch strips.          once all the strips are cut, just roll loosely into a swirl and put it on a baking sheet to rise for a couple of hours or even more then bake in 350* preheated oven for about 15 minutes, till desired browning.         if you roll the swirls too tight, they won't rise like they should.        I've had some rise to a peak on the top.         they should expand outward instead of upward.    hahahaha      just before they come from the oven, melt about a tablespoon and a half of butter and have that ready to brush on them when you take them from the oven.         let cool and ENJOY!!!   I store them in the fridge and when I get ready to fix them for our meal, I will pop a couple in my counter top oven and heat them up and they are just like fresh baked.  

when I first started making these, I tried rolling them jellyrolly fashion and slicing off swirls, they were really wonky and misshapen, so I started using the pizza cutter and skewer to get them straight.        it works for me.        hahaha        you can roll them however you wish to them.          I have even made bread sticks from them.         no matter how you make them, they are a wonderful addition to your bread rotation.

these are about as good as it gets.          sometimes I'll put minced onion and garlic in them.          I also have mixes of lots of dehydrated veggies that have been made into powders and flakes and sometimes I'll use a tablespoon or 2 of that in my swirls to give it a completely different taste.        plain or perked up with what ever you want to put them, they are ALWAYS wonderful!!

I hope you'll give these a try.

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let's do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".             we love fried green tomatoes.  well, I should say that we love "air fryed" green tomatoes.           in 2021, I put up several pks of ready to air fry green toamtoes and we have enjoyed them every so often.          this may have been my last pkg.       boohoo  anyway, the pictures tell the story.          

when I package them for the freezer, I take 1 good sized tomato and slice it in about 1/4 inch slices.  then dip in egg wash and then into cornmeal seasoned with a salt and pepper.            I tear off a portion of freezer paper and lay out 3 slices, make a roll then put 2 or 3 more slices and then make one more roll and put the rest of the slices on top and then roll and fold and tuck all the edges and tape the bundle and pop in the freezer.  

when I take the little bundle out, I unwrap it and they aren't stuck together or covered in frost, which can and has happened in the past.             wrapping the coated green tomatoes with a layer of freezer paper between each layer assures me easy unwrapping.            when I get them unwrapped, I leave them on the freezer paper for a minute while I spray all the pieces with just a dab of avocado oil, then I flip the pieces and spray the other side.            this is what helps with browning.   

I put them in the air fryer set at 400* for 12 minutes.           when it goes off, I gently turn the tomatoes and set for another 8 minutes.            20 minutes and these are about as close to perfect as I would hope for.           these are delicious.          this is what we look forward to in the coming months.        more green tomatoes.           now, air fried green tomatoes, get in my tummy!!  

this is the easiest way I've found to put these up in the freezer.          just always mark what it is and the date with a permenant marker.

so when I get them opened up, I just use the freezer paper as my staging area for spraying them with the avocado oil.          this is only one green toamto.           we both could our weight in them, but.......we try to go easy on them, just to make them last longer.        hahaha

it's hard to believe that you can actually get browning and a good crust like this by using the air fryer.    I'm here to tell you that you can.          and what's so great is that there is no grease from skillet frying.

preheating your air fryer helps a lot, but you really don't have to.         just make sure you leave them in the air fryer long enough.           and, make sure you spray both sides with a non aerosol oil.       I have a pump sprayer that I keep avocado oil it.        it's the mildest flavor.         olive oil can be too over powering for my taste.        we prefer to taste the green tomato, so I use avocado oil.

I can't believe I didn't get any more green tomatoes put in the freezer this summer!!!         when you eat last pkg of anything that you really enjoy, it's heart breaking.          the goal for this coming season is to get MORE green tomatoes in the freezer!!!!

I'll let you in on another secret too.         we love fried okra.       but thru the years, we haven't a lot of the stuff that required skillet frying.       we can't handle the grease.        I can't handle the expense of using a half bottle of oil for only one thing and then throwing the oil out.     so we have done without.  not any more.      

I don't have pictures of the okra, but it looks as yummy as the green tomatoes do.          I get those bage of ready battered okra at Kroger and I'll dump a bag out on a paper plate and spray them with the avocado oil, stir it around on the paper plate and spray it again until it looks it's all coated.      remember, the oil is what helps the cornmeal coating brown.       and I'll transfer the okra to the preheated air fryer and give it about 20 minutes in the hot tub and they are pure perfection.       I just air fry them at 400* for the 20 minutes, give or take a few minutes.        just get them to the darkness that you like.          

if you like fried okra and fried green tomatoes, but don't like all the grease that usually comes with it, then this if for you!!!!         try it, you won't be disappointed.       

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Cheating  and Unrepentance, My Story

well, it started many years ago.         it was love at first bite.           what can I say, it really was!!!  cheese!!!!          just about any cheese!!!!           you name it, and I, at least "strongly" like, if not flat out L-O-V-E it!!!          for years, I have been faithful to my love.          come on, who doesn't have their cheese from time to time????         some people have other vices, cheese WAS my vice.       up until this week, that is.  

 

so, let me tell you how the fall from cheese actually started.          I've shared a little with y'all about my journey into dehydrating.          I have dehydrated produce of all kinds for many years, 25 or more.      it's fun to do, plus you cut down on waste and then you have lots of non perishable foods and even quick, fun snacks. 

 

the fall of  2019  was when my dehydrating addiction actually kicked in again.       I started dehydrating a few things, just for fun and to have something to keep me busy.           next thing I knew, I started dehydrating everything that didn't run when I reached for it.    hahahahaha  

it wasn't long till I had several glass jars of dehydrated produce.         as I got different veggies, along came more jars.          small jars, tall jars, skinny jars, fat jars.          I'm not a jar snob.   I don't care what it looks like, if it had something edible in it, and if it came from my kitchen, I can reuse it.        all jars, small, tall, skinny and fat.       they work for me.

I had all these jars of delicious dehydrated little nuggets of goodness.        TOO many!!!!       oh, I can't believe I just said that, but alas, I did.          hahaha           some of my jars just had a little bit in them and some had more.         jar after jar after jar.          so, after developing claustrophobia from all the jars, I brought out the big guns, my nutribullet rx blender.           I started emptying jars, one by one, and making powder.           I had a big bowl that I was dumping all the powders into.    

2020 was the perfect year to do this!!!!   trust me when I say this, you DON'T want to do this without a mask.       hahahaha   just take my word on it!!!            I would sift out any larger pieces and put those back into the blender.         blend and empty, blend and empty......that went on till I had 17 empty jars!!!!           yeah, 17 jars!!   hahaha            it was a beautiful sight to see all those beautiful powdered veggies waiting to be mixed together and then stored in 2, 1 quart mason jars.   

the colors were amazing!!!   again, I'm so thankful I had some masks to wear.         because as beautiful as it was, you couldn't inhale a lot of it because there was some HOT pepper in it.         hahaha       when it was all blended together then I filled 2 quart jars 3/4 full.        that gives me some shake room, to shake it all up and break up any clumps just from setting in the jars.

well, by now you are probably wondering how I cheated on cheese.            I had been using this a lot as it was.......then THIS happened!!!         I love yellow squash.          my husband, not so much.        so, when I get yellow squash, they are all mine.         woohoo!!!           anyway, I cooked my squash with a lot of onion, a lot of onion, did I say a lot of onion??        hahaha           when I got the squash and onion cooked, at this point, I would normally drain off a little of the liquid so I could grate some extra sharp cheddar and put in my squash.   

my jar of mixed veg was sitting right by the stove and I caught a glimpse of this very familiar and pleasing sight from the corner of my eye.         that's how it always start, just an innocent glance.      and just then, I had a thought and that's when I made the decision to cheat on my cheese!!!        

I didn't drain the squash, OH MY GOODNESS, instead, I put in 3 tablespoons of this beautiful mixture!!!         oh my, what have I just done?!?!           I felt a pang of guilt set in.         I thought I actually heard my cheese cry from inside the fridge.        too late.         no turning back.       deed is done.   

and thus my new love affair with the 17 veg mix powder has begun.         move over cheese, find a new dish, just get out of my way.         hahaha          there is a new jar in town and it don't have cheese in it!!!   

 

well, here I am now, telling y'all how the cheating started and I'm not repentant at all.         my cheese will just have to get over it or move on!!!            especially since I will be searching for new veggies to dehydrate and add to my powdered stash!!!         well, that's how it started y'all.       just by one little innocent glance and a small pang of guilt.        but I must say that I have recovered quite nicely from the guilt.       hahahaha 

  

so, how's this story for the first day of Spring, 2021?  anyway, hope you enjoyed reading about this non-cheesy event in my life.   

hahahaha, hope you enjoyed that story.          it's fun to go back and reread some of the stuff I've written over the years.   

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that's about all I have for today.          I hope your day is filled with praise for our loving God who has provided the only way to be in right relationship with Him, thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.          be blessed today.         may your day be filled with love, joy and peace, patty

More kitchen time and inspiration

Good morning wonderful friends!!!         I pray that you are enjoying the days leading up to Thanksgiving.        it really is a wonderful time of the year just to process most of the year that's already behind us and to help us take stock in who God is in our lives.         we serve a mighty big God.        I love it when He shows up and blesses me tremendously.         He has blessed me in a mighty big way with friends and family.         I'm so thankful to Him for a wonderful husband too!!!         He loves God and he loves me based on his love for God.       that's a big love!!         so as we continue to take stock of our many blessings, I have a few more things from my kitchen to share with y'all.

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this is a fb post from Sept 21, 2021 and I wanted to share it with y'all.         so here we go, let's have another "2 minutes in the kitchen" this morning.        the pictures below are of a Raw Honey and Garlic Ferment that I started on Sept 20, 2021.         this type of ferment needs to be done with "raw" honey.

I had 6 huge large bulbs of garlic and after 6 weeks 😂😂😂of getting them all peeled, (it actually took a couple hours) I put them in my jar.          some of the cloves were so large that I quartered them.  some were even smashed up a bit.         you want as much of the garlic to be be exposed to the honey as possible.            so dicing big cloves and mashing them a little are good for this type of ferment.  

the honey was raw, really blond and thick.           I had to heat it in a pan of boiling water to get it to pourable consistency, but I didn't get it so hot in the water that it became pasteurized.         once it was melted  some, then I poured it over the garlic.          it was still really thick, but it was pourable with a little coaxing from a spatula.

when I started this, the honey was the same color as the garlic.      I could give myself a little talking to for not getting a picture of it when I got the lid on it.      so sorry.      uugghhh   

ideally, over the course of six months to a year, the colors will go from what you see now, about 20 hours after starting the ferment, to a deep dark, almost chocolate brown, both the honey and garlic.     the honey pulls the liquids from the garlic and thins the honey down.      just over the course of 20 hours, the honey has already thinned down drastically and it has taken on a little darker color.       there is still some solid blond honey in the bottom of the jar and that's why I turned it over to get at least a picture of that.        so we can keep a watch on the color changes.

for the first month, while it's still very active, I'll have to burp the jar every day just to release the built up gases in it.         it could possibly explode if I don't keep it burped.          there is a line of bubbles around the top of the garlic in the jar.            some of the garlic is also risen above the level of honey and to prevent anything negative from happening to that garlic, I turn the jar over every day to make sure every piece of garlic has made contact with the honey every day.

honey and garlic are very good for you in the first place.        add the fermentation process to it and it really bumps up the nutrition value.        I can't wait to see and taste the finished product.  six months to a year is the time it takes to do the full ferment.        right now though, when I burp it, it smells like a really bad garlic burp.      😂🤣😂🤣      it just plain "stanks"!!!        but I do have high hopes of deliciousness later on. 

so, if you've read very much of my blog, I may have mentioned that I just started about 100 cloves of garlic during the last day or tow of October, 2023.          I'm hoping it does well, so I can get another honey garlic ferment started.         and I must tell you that this ferment is really delicious!!!!!        yes, it's over 2 years old and it is absolutely wonderful!!!         I would encourage anyone to try this.        you won't be disappointed if you love garlic and if you love honey.     

this is what it looks like as of today, Nov. 12, 2023.          it is so dark, rich and yummy and it just keeps getting better with age.   

look at this yumminess in my jar!!!!          oh my gosh it is so good to use a little of the honey and piece of the garlic finely diced in a stir fry.       it is so good, you can't go wrong with making it.

the most important this is to make sure you maintain very clean standards in your kitchen.        don't double dip into the jar when getting some out, if you've used your spoon for something else, get a clean spoon.     don't let anyone just dip freely from the jar.         introducing he wrong kind of bacteria into a ferment can cause mold and other baddies that we just don't want.        this doesn't have to be stored in the fridge.        just a dark cabinet is all it requires and keep it away from a heat source.       this is sooooooo good!!!!

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I wanted to share something else that I got into also!!!!!         Cowboy Candy......made!        can't wait to sample it.         letting it sit in the fridge for 2 weeks, as suggested for the flavors to really blend.       so far, it's yummy and potent.     🤣     burns my eyes just looking at it.        😂    first pic is the ACV and natural sugar (looks like brown sugar, but it's natural sugar), second and third pics are of the sliced peppers.        I added a few more this morning to what I got yesterday.        I also took a couple of long sweet peppers from the fridge and put in it.         a yellow one and a red one.     (they are not in the pics at all, it was an after thought), the fourth pic is all jarred up.        I didn't water bath or pressure can them.          wasn't enough to mess with and they won't last long as it is.         if I get more, enough to make several jars, then I will, and use the proper canning jars for that.          this was something I was hoping I would be able to do, but really didn't have high hopes of my peppers putting out enough at one time to be able to make cowboy candy.        I guess all the rain helped.  hahaha  

this is some really good stuff.          I didn't make any this year, but I plan on it next year.         keep an eye out when you're shopping for those large, 2 quart sized jars of pickled, sliced jalapenos.       those work well for making cowboy candy and a lot of the work is alredy done for you.      plus, when you get the jars empyt of the peppers, you have a larger jar to store some dehydrated goods in or even to store some of your grains or beans in.       that's a win all day long.

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Where do you belong?        To whom do you belong?     Do you try to fit in?     Those are difficult questions with equally difficult answers.       We spend most of our lives wanting to fit in somewhere; trying to be a part of something.        Maybe a special club or a group that we have been trying to be a part of.       I have never met a person in my life that hasn't wanted to be a part of something, belong to something or belong to someone.       I have met self proclaimed loners.       Even they have a desire to be a part of something.        Most organizations have hoops to jump through and secret handshakes and a list longer than a giraffes neck of all the pre-requisites.        The sad thing is this, even after we become a part of the Kingdom of God, we still try to fit in to all these groups, clubs or organizations.    Why  is that?          Why do we have such a need to find our place and fit in and be a part of something temporary?           Why are we not focused on the bigger picture and being focused on what we are a part of, through the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ?        So what, (so stinkin' what), if I don't measure up in the eyes of some people!        My husband says, they are people that "have their nose out of joint".         You know the people.         You have seen those people, more than likely you have encountered those people.         You know exactly what I'm talking about.        The ones who have a permanently upturned nose, because they look as if they smell something bad.        The sad thing is, the harder they try to exclude us, the harder we sometimes try to break their barrier.        Why?       Why?    Why have I spent so much of my time trying to find validation in groups, organizations, or individuals that wouldn't spare a cup of water for me if my life depended on it?          Why have I tried so hard to find self worth in the worldly?         I have asked myself that over and over only to come up without an answer.  

The fact is this.       The day I accepted Christ as my Savior, that is the day I became a part of the Heavenly Kingdom of God!!!!!!          That is day that all the worldly stuff should have taken a back seat. I say should have, simply because it didn't.       I was still looking for belonging in the temporal.      I had not realized yet, that I was a part of something that no one could ever exclude me from.       Jesus is the One that opened the door for me.         Jesus is One that welcomed me into His kingdom.     Jesus is the One that made it possible, for a sinner such as I, to be a part of all that God had given to Him.    Jesus is the One that died on the cross for me, then arose from the grave and thus opened the door to His Father's Kingdom, to sinners such as I.

So, after a few years of still looking for groups and cliques and organizations, God finally showed me that my self worth came from Him and ONLY Him and not from this world.        My self value is based on what Jesus Christ thinks of me!      Not on what the world thinks of me and all the flaws and faults and short comings that they can see.          But on what Jesus Christ alone thinks of me.       There is not a group or an organization on the face of the planet that is equal to the Kingdom of Heaven!!!!  

Jesus Christ alone loves me enough to provide a way for me to have a relationship with Him!!!      Who does that?????         Has anyone ever provided a way for you to have a relationship with them, and no strings attached?         Have they????          I haven't walked in anyone's shoes other than my own, but I dare say, that no one has done for you what Christ has done for you.         Jesus loves me right where I am and He helps me to get past where I was and directs me to better.           The day Christ came into my life, I was in the pits of hell.          No other person would meet me right where I was and provide a way out.     He did!!!!       Jesus did!!!!       Jesus pulled me from the pits of hell and has been cleaning me up ever since.        That will soon be 38 years ago.        Have I reached a state of perfection?    Absolutely NOT!!!!!!        I can confess that I am not where I was 38 years ago; but I am not where I want to be either.        I struggle every day to do better, for the cause of Christ!       I struggle every day to do better, for the sake of Christ!         I still have sin in my life; I recognize that, and I seek God on a daily basis to help me make it through another day without being an embarrassment to my Lord and Savior.        I struggle with my temper; I struggle with the words from my mouth; I struggle with fear; I struggle with anger; I struggle my thoughts and I struggle with sooooo much more.       I am not proud to admit that, not at all.         I would love for people to look at me and think, "Wow, she really has it all together", but that's not the case.       I don't!       And I must tell you, that when my friends have actually told me that; I am very quick to tell them otherwise!!!        Oh no, not me, I don't have anything all together!!!!!!         God is so good!!!!!        Praise God, He is NOT done with me!!!!!

I said all of that to say this to you; that if at any point while you was reading what I have written, you said to yourself, "that reminds me of me"; I want to tell you that God is not done with you either!!!!      If you desire better, He will help you achieve better!         All the clubs, groups and organizations of this life will never give you what God can give you!         Eternity with Him!!!!!        God will never ask us to do something that will go against His standard for our lives.          He just won't!!!         God will always provide a way out of every situation that the enemy of this world throws at us.        Unfortunately for me, I haven't always chosen God's way out of some of the situations I have been in, even recently.        I have learned from some of my mistakes.        At the end of the day, I am still a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven!        At the end of the day, I still belong to God, through the love of Jesus Christ, in and for my life!         At the end of the day, Jesus made the way for me and NO ONE else!!!       And, at the end of the day, I don't have to try to fit in, Jesus made me acceptable when He said, "It is finished."      I fit in because of Him!       SO DO YOU!!!!!!!         If you are His, you already fit in!         If you are not His yet, it's not to late.       Just ask Him to make Himself real to you in your life and I promise you, HE WILL!!!!!         Confess to Him that you are a sinner and that you WANT to change and that He is the change you need.           Repent of your sins.        That means acknowledging your former ways and regretting what you have done or haven't done.         Then ask Him to fill your heart and soul with Himself and to lead, guide and direct you the rest of the days of your life.    Friends......it AIN'T easy!!!!!       It's not!        There are lots of people that will be wanting to see you fall and will be happy when you do.         There will probably be people in your former life that you may need to walk away from.      There was for me.    But, there will be more people that will be rooting you on.        There will be people that will be pulling you along, and there will be people that will be praying for you.

So..........I ask you these questions again.       Where do you belong?      (In the Kingdom of God!)     To whom do you belong?      (God!)       Do you try to fit in?    (You don't have to try to fit in in the Kingdom of God, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, You belong, you already fit in!)     I hope you have answers now that maybe you didn't have before you started reading this.     Just know that God loves you more than you can ever begin to imagine and your self esteem and freedom comes from Him alone!!!!

just wanted you to know that this is something I wrote back in 2015.         I cam across it and thought I needed to share it.          I may have already shared it, but it won't hurt to share it again and remember whose we are and who we are.

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ever heard of watermelon candy?       well, this is as close to true watermelon candy as I've ever had.  some of y'all have seen those already cut up bowls of watermelon chunks at kroger for $5, well, this is one of those bowls.        (yes, I know, it's expensive like that, but this was my experiment, so it was WELL worth $5, hahaha) I took each chunk and sliced it pretty thin.        I had 3 full trays of watermelon slices.        set my dehydrator at 115* until it is cracker crisp.        I started it thursday evening and finished it saturday sometime.           the little clear tray was completely full of dehydrated watermelon when I took it off the trays.            it was DELICIOUS!!!  oh my gawsh, it was!!!        I will be doing it again.  next time I'll get a big watermelon, hahaha and fill all 6 trays and maybe even have to bring out my old standby and fill 4 more round trays.         the main thing to remember about this watermelon "candy", it still has all the calories in it.             it's just had the water dehydrated out of it, so you want to be mindful of that.                all the sugars and flavors are highly concentrated.  so if you are a diabetic, this may not be for you.             you just have to know what you personally can eat and understand that.  but this is about as close to candy as it gets.             it is absolutely great!!!!     if you get a chance to try it, go for it.           if you get a chance to dehydrate some, go for it.          just eat it responsibly.      hahaha          after all friends don't let friends over indulge.  hahaha   

I've made this several times throughout the years and it's always a hit.      it's delicious!!!!

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haven't shared any pics of my bread in a while and when this fresh loaf just came from the bread machine, I thought, now is the time to share it, plus, I remembered to take a picture.      hahaha      most of the time I forget.      this is a loaf of  "honey butter wheat bread".      it just came from the machine.       it's really good.      makes a great sandwich and equally good as french toast.     I wish you could smell it, there's nothing like fresh bread.            anyway, have a great evening and blessings on all.

this was breakfast this morning and it was really good.       nothing like fresh bread.       I know a lot of people prefer a firmer bread for french toast, but I just happen to love to use whatever I have and I actually baked this with this mornings breakfast in mind.        probably have a sandwich for lunch from it.        if you don't bake bread, now is as good a time as any to start.        and you know what every ingredient is that's in it.            just wanted to share.          now what I need, is a new griddle.      this one is about 30 years old and it's getting hard to clean.      but I can honestly say I got moneys worth out of it, since it was on half price sale when I got it and only paid $9.99 and taxes.      hahaha     can't beat that with a stick.       I only hope to find another one as good.    

the grilled cheese sandwiches I make with this bread is delectable also.       I just didn't get a picture of it.        but it's good!!

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There's a lot to be said about silence.        To be honest with you, the enemy wants to keep us in confusion and turmoil all the time, just so we can't hear the still sweet voice of God speaking to us thru Holy Spirit.          Give me alone and silence any time over confusion, noise and chaos and lots of people around.           A lot of the people in our lives are strategically placed by the enemy to try to keep us in chaos and turmoil and the quicker we realize that, the easier it is to make the needed and necessary changes.         Don't be afraid to walk away.         If I want drama, I'll turn the news on!!! 

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this was something I had found in my scrap papers a couple of years ago.       I am so very happy that I did find it and saved it.        if you have to brag about something, brag about what Jesus has done for you.        yes and amen!!

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well, that's abut it for today.          I hope you seen something that was fresh and new to too.         I hope the Lord spoke to you thru the this blog post.       I hope that you will pass on the good stuff to family and friends and be a blessing to them.        there was a lot of everything in this one.         I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time.       

brag about Jesus today to someone who needs a Hero.    Jesus is the only hero we'll ever have that made a way for for us to be in right relationship with God.     blessings to one and all this lovely day.      just know that you are loved beyond measure and that if you haven't already taken care of the sin in your life, today is the day to do that.      then you will be in right relatonship with God.    admit you're a sinner, believe that Christ is who He said He is, confess your sins and ask for forgiveness.        blessings be yours today.  hugs and love, patty