Week 28, Day 6

breakfast: Jason was super tired so he got up late so I made him breakfast.  I tried a new recipe - Edna May's Sour Cream pancakes.  Jason and I ate most of them but Daitarih got some (she got up first of the girls) and Phyllis got some (she got up second and there were only two left.)  So, Phyllis made more regular pancakes.  Mostly by herself.

Lunch: Jason is buying lunch today.  It is very unlike him (he usually takes what there is regardless) but he told me he didn't really care for leftover New England boiled dinner.  In fact, I don't think he loves it fresh either, but he eats it and doesn't complain.  Phyllis really loves that dinner - so that is nice.  Maybe I will make him beans to compensate for a less than awesome dinner last night.

Dinner: burritos.  I made 2 pounds worth of gringa beans so we would have plenty for the week as well.  We only had grape tomatoes but I split them in quarters and that worked just fine since they are added on.  I did have to go get lettuce.  I feel like all summer I have had too much lettuce and now all of a sudden - none.  Of course, I intentionally was using up what we had this past week because I felt like we had lettuce overload, so I guess that worked.  When we got lettuce (on foot) we also got ice-cream.  Actually, Daisy and I were on foot and the girls were all on skateboards.  On the way home, I sent Dai ahead with the bag (I had to pay for it because I forgot to bring one of my own!) so the ice-cream didn't melt.  I sliced up the rest of the CSA strawberries to go on top.  Dai doesn't like fruit with her ice-cream so she kind of divided her bowl.  We remembered FHE so that was our FHE treat/dessert.

week 28, day 5

Breakfast: Phyllis had breakfast at the sleep over.  Dai had cream of wheat for her sleepover.  Cress and I had toast and leftover grits - she didn't eat though, maybe a couple bites.

Lunch: phyllis and I ate leftover potato soup.  She toasted her church bread sourdough roll.  I toasted my church poppy seed bagel.  Half I did with tomatoes, goat cheese and capers, (so good!) and the other half was for my soup.

Dinner:  New England boiled dinner - I used all the CSA carrots (we had two weeks worth) and the CSA cabbage.  I used two cans of meat.  The first one's key broke off before it was all the way open so I carefully tried to open it to let the meat out - but I cut my finger anyway.  Not terrible but it hurts.  

week 28, day 4

breakfast: breakfast burritos - so grateful Jason makes those before we go to swim.  We ask took our peaches and some waned up meatballs.

lunch: Costco pizza - we went in with some other families, the Buchanans and Castros.   we also had thrifty ice-cream on the way home

dinner: Dai was at her daddy-dauhgter camp out and the girls ate at the overnighter.  I ate some rice and meatballs, a half a PBJ and a beet wrap.  Too much, i know.

Dai had saghetti for dinner on her camp out

Week 28, Day 3

Breakfast: grits, but unfortunately, I stirred them going in and set a time then went to go learn how to scan in a Family History tin print.  Well, apparently that made them lumpy.  There wasn't dry powder in the lumps (like lumpy cream of wheat when i as child), but still wasn't too popular with the kids.

Lunch: cress and phyllis had leftover black bean layers.  dai had pbj. i had beet wrap.  we all ha peaches.  also everyone had one reheated meatball.  heather gave them to us bc she accidentally bought the spci mango ones and her family weren't big fans. the girls like them - granted they had one at a time.  Cress said she would like it if it wasn't too spicy but when Phyllis offered to finish it she shut her down and ate it herself. i am glad my kids know what spicy is but don't let it be a detractor too much.

Dinner: leek potate soup.  CSA leeks, CSA potatoes. Same salad as last night.  CSA lettuce, CSA strawberries, CSA cherry tomatoes, plus goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.  Dai has decided she likes pine nuts after all.

Made another apricot cobbler for dessert.  Used Paula Deen's recipe and it is similar to mom's but more flour than sugar whereas my mom's calls for equal parts sugar nd flour.  Also, my mom's uses bang powder for rising and Paula Deen's uses self-rising flour - which I think it just flour with baking powder mixed in so we added baking flour.  

Week 28, Day 2

Breakfast: pancakes - just dying to try the syrups and show them to Jason so I even got him to eat at home today.  In fact, we ate alone.  The kids got up just as or after he was leaving (I told them they could each have $2 if their room was vacuum ready by 10 AM.)  They each only got two pancakes each because that as all that was left.  Dai, Phyllis and I chose pluot syrup (far more complex a flavor in my mind.)  Dai then had leftover oatmeal afterwards.  Cress tried both and Jason was apricot all the way.

Jason said the apricot was a bit sweet.  He said perhaps if made with fresh apricots it wouldn't be as sweet.  I told him that I understood that and had actually cut back on the sugar from 5 to 6 cups but could look for a lower sugar recipe still.  One could say my logic was that I was using three quarts, each of which had 1/3 cup sugar in it, but this would be bogus since I drained the juice off and some of the sugar would have been there and I only had 5 cups of sugar which really had more to do with how much I was going to cut it back, since I had already planned to cut it back.  I had to go get more before doing the pluot syrup.

Lunch: Dai and Cressida had peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches - it is the last of my home-canned grape jelly and the girls can hardly wait until concord grapes are in season again.  Phyllis and I had beet wraps.  We all had peanut butter and celery and sliced cucumber.  In a rare turn, Cress ate tomatoes after that, graham crackers next and finally some leftover chicken salad.  Dai ate another half sandwich and Phyllis didn't eat extra.

Dinner: We had black bean layers again.  Dai invited the Castro family - all but Sergio and Lucas came because they had scouts tonight.  IN addition I made a salad using the new CSA lettuce, some CSA orange cherry tomatoes, CSA strawberries, regular grape tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and crumbled goat cheese.  We offered vinaigrette but Phyllis got out Italian for her.  Anyway it was not only delicious but quite beautiful.  I meant to take a picture in was so lovely.  Heather brought jello for dessert.  We had lemon iced-tea which isn't as popular as the peach but I am out of peach.  

Old Wives' Tale Wisdom

Today Cressida brought me a new jar of apricots to open for her.  She asked why it didn't have more pits in it.  I told hr you only put one in.  She asked why and I said, "That's just the way Grandma Mickie did it.  I think her mom did it."

But it got me to thinking and looking on the Internet and I found this:

Apricot kernels are a good source of amygdaline. This controversial compound helps prevent cancer. It's also known as vitamin B17 and laetrile.
My mother always puts a few apricot pits into her preserves for, she said, "The flavor."   As a child, her logic was beyond my ken as apricot kernels are nastily bitter. Today, I take my hat off to mom and the perennial kitchen wisdom she still serves up. According to both Oriental Medicine and alternative medicine, these kernels are anti-carcinogenic.
In Chinese pharmacology, the pits are classified as a drug rather than as a food as they contain cyanide (hydrocyanic acid).   They're used medicinally to combat cancer, stimulate respiration, improve digestion, help reduce blood pressure and arthritic pain and give a sense of well-being.
Amygdaline is commercially available as vitamin B17 and it continues to be used in cancer clinics outside of the United States. The Food and Drug Administration, however, maintains that there is no scientifically accepted evidence of its efficacy. The amygdaline content in apricots is chemically identical to that in bitter almonds.
Mom also told us kids that we could taste an apricot kernel but never eat them as, in quantity, they could be poisonous. Of course we tasted them, but they were so bitter we spit them out. When cooked or fermented, apricot kernel toxicity is reduced.
Consumption of 10 or more wild apricot kernels for children and 40 or more for adults may cause adverse reaction, even death.  Yet, bitter almonds or apricot pits are a small but essential ingredient in authentic marzipan and amaretto.
Using a nut cracker, crack open the apricot pits and extract their inner nutmeat. Use judiciously.   

http://thefruitstand.net/facts/

Interesting.  Also while searching, I found that you can add chipotles in adobo to make your apricot jam a little more interesting.  So going to try that!  I guess, though that you would want to have a lot of apricots to tone it down.  Have to research this more.

I also found this:

Add a handful of pits to the pot. Don't ask why, it is just one of those things you don't question, it is just always done that way:) At least that is what I was told, Oma did it that way, mom does it that way, so I do it that way...is that a good enough reason, I sure hope so. Actually I think it adds to the natural flavor.  (I am told it is a natural pectin).

Another person who does it because that is how it was passed down.  Of course, hers is jam and I am sure she strains them out before canning them, but it doesn't actually say and maybe she doesn't.

I also found a comic article on canning as I remember it when I was a kid.  Except the husband's reaction, this is almost exactly my recollection.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19810822&id=iUxTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=X4MDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6898,6350045
  

Week 28, Day 1

Seriously - over half way and I can hardly wait until the year is over.  I said I would do a year and so I will (missing only one day I think...), but then I am going to STOP.  It is a bit tedious.  Will I ever enjoy reflecting back on this?  I have no idea.

Breakfast: pancakes (from the leftover we froze after CampFIRE - we had pancakes the last day but didn't eat them all so we put them in a Ziplock and took them home and froze them and forgot about them), a fried egg for those who wished it (Phyllis and I) and a half a fried brat for those who wished it (me).  We are out of syrup so I took some frozen strawberries out of the freezer, added water and sugar and blended.  The girls loved it and I am cooking down the leftover to a more syrup like consistency.

Lunch: Chicken salad sandwiches and ants on the log.  Cress was at Heather Castro's and Lucas was here.  I made his sandwich with no mayo on the bread and before I added the mandarin orange segments - per his request again.  He was still pokey slow eating.  His mom makes it with apples and Craisins.  Another example of how our mother's cooking influences us - though he is a pretty picky eater.

I do chicken salad with celery and mandarin orange segments.  Jason thought it was weird at first, I guess, too, but now it is just what we do to him.  I wonder how he had it as a kid.  I should ask.  (I asked and he didn't have chicken salad as a kid and I am not sure that  did either.)

Dinner: Black bean layers.  We used to eat that often and Dai was so happy because she loves it.  We also had a salad and had toasted pine nuts again - we haven't been doing them for awhile and they are so good.  Made apricot cobbler for dinner.  Turns out Paula Deen's recipe is very similar to my moms - so we are giving that a try tonight.  Peach iced-tea.  I haven't done it in a while and Dai was so bummed when it was all gone so I gave her some of mine.  I really am glad they like it.

So many people drink those 5 calorie Crystal Light packets because "they just want a little flavor to their water."  Some do it with a squeeze of lemon and others with mint leaves but I know many who like the Crystal Light ones.  Iced herbal tea is zero calories lightly flavored water and I am glad my kids drink it.

Prep Ahead: Canned 2 pints of pluot jam and 5 pints of apricot jam and the strawberry effort turned more into a half a cup of strawberry jam.