Even so, I still had to make up something for lunches this week. I opted for the easy route for most of it. So, our lunch selections to choose from include:
- pumpkin muffins
- blackberry-applesauce
- egg salad for sandwiches
- pbj's
- carrot sticks
- apples
- crabapple-apple sauce
- crazy soup leftovers (all the odds and ends of cooking and salads from the last month, cooked up with a pot of lentils -- interesting flavor!)
- leftover cookies from the weekend
I finally finished off cooking up the crabapples. I made one more large pot of crabapple-apple sauce, and another container of crabapple juice for making jelly later this fall/winter. And I went ahead and picked the figs, although not ripe this year. I'll make these into fig jam.
Our freezer is so packed that I'm trying not to buy anything that needs freezer storage, so I'll have room for turkeys and hams next month. It's a good thing to have all this food in store!
At Saturday's event, one of the ladies brought in some beet pickles and corn relish that she had made. I didn't try the beet pickles, but did the corn relish and it was delicious. The interesting thing was that she just used canned beets and canned corn for these "preserves". The corn relish would be especially good on the Thanksgiving table. All she did was cook some vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, salt, water, red and green peppers, and onions for a few minutes, then added a can of drained corn. Very simple and it was ready the next day. I'm thinking of adding it to our Thanksgiving menu this year.
One other interesting thing I noted last night. We had a beautiful and warm day yesterday. After dinner the air was still quite warm, so I went out for an evening walk through the neighborhood. Since when did Hallowe'en become a season?! About a dozen houses were elaborately decorated for Hallowe'en. Even though I don't have trick-or-treaters in the family any more, I'm thinking it might be fun just to go out that evening and see all the decorations and kiddies.
I hope you're all having a great week! I'll be able to write more very soon! Take care, all!
I love pickled beets. My M-I-L cans them every year. Are they a new-to-you food? Maybe it's a midwest thing--I grew up on them.
ReplyDeleteHalloween is definitely a season around here. I think my daughter would love it if we decorated for it, but I just don't have the interest/energy. I put out a few mums, pumpkins, my autumn wreath, and call it good. Our neighbor across the road goes all out with decorations and lights (interestingly, she and her husband are retirement age with no kids living with them--she just likes to decorate!) so we enjoy theirs.
Hope you get some rest after your busy-ness.
Thanks, Kris.
DeleteI find I get really worn out after these big event weekends.
I've made canned pickled beets a couple of times, but I didn't grow up with them. So, in that sense, yes, new to me, relatively. This year, I've just made the refrigerator-type of beet pickle. The dressing isn't quite as strong as canned versions, but the beets are still delicious.
Halloween is huge here. I decorate for the kids in the neighborhood, but only a couple of days before and take it down Halloween night. There are houses all around me with lights and decorations much like Christmas. I think it is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHi Anne,
DeleteHow fun! I'm sure the neighborhood kids (and adults) appreciates your efforts, and the decor!
While I like pickled beets, I like plain ones better. I have canned and frozen both kinds. My friend gave me a recipe similar to the one above for corn relish except it adds canned peas. Everyone always loves it, but a little goes a long way.
ReplyDeleteHi live and learn,
DeleteWith plain beets, do you season them in any particular way, or use them on salads or something? We only occasionally had beets in a salad when I was growing up. It was not a common thing in our house. The canned pea relish sounds interesting. It never occurred to me to use canned veggies to make something like a corn relish. (I was thinking I'd have to buy fresh corn, scrape off the cob, etc., to make a relish, silly me!)