Category Archives: Cooking

Apples, Apples, Apples!!

**Before I get to today’s post**
My email is not working and hasn’t been for a couple of days. Please send all email for me to:
joscountryjunction@gmail.com

If you have sent email and I have not answered, please resend to that email and please change my email in your email address books to the new one listed. I currently cannot open my Outlook email program and don’t know if I can fix it. Fingers crossed I didn’t lose all of my contacts.

Now to today’s post.

My friend Carla, (Yep, Carla from Longarm Quilting Inspirations) messaged me the other day and asked if I wanted apples. Hmm. YES??

I’m sure you all have been asked if you wanted extra garden produce from a friend or neighbor. Part of you really wants some and the other part of you knows you signed yourself up for some work if you say yes.

Then the next dreaded question…how much do you want? Hmm. Again, the produce is free…so how much work do you want to do?

After seeing Carla’s tree, loaded with apples with enough to give away to every person she knows, I ended up taking more than I originally planned on taking. Oh, I wish I had thought and taken a picture of her tree. WOW.

Carla said she had Courtland apples and they were a little sour yet. She was afraid a wind would come and knock them all off as the tree was so heavy with fruit. She said now was the best time to get them.

I got home with the apples at about 3:30 pm and decided I was going to start working on getting some of them processed.

Applesauce is a fairly quick and easy way to process a lot of them. This is how I make applesauce…

Quarter apples. Leave the peel on. Leave the core on. You can even leave the stem on. Cook the apples on the stove until you can poke them as you would if you’re boiling potatoes. Then run them through the machine. The junk comes out one side and applesauce comes running out the other. It’s so easy.

I’ve had my… Continue reading →

My Betty Crocker Cookbook

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I have a love of my Betty Crocker cook book. The book has my pancake recipe, biscuit recipe, waffle recipe and french toast recipe and my oatmeal cookies recipe. There are other good recipes we use from time to time but those recipes are my staples.

You might remember awhile back I was lamenting the condition of my old cookbook….

…and telling you about my joy in finding a vintage replacement at the thrift store.

Well I’m a bit of sentimental gal and didn’t throw away my old one. It’s a good thing I didn’t as over the weekend Karl was home for a visit. I had made biscuits with pork sausage gravy which is a huge favorite around here. He asked about my biscuit recipe and we started talking about my cookbook. Then he said he would have to start looking for one at the thrift stores.

What’s a mom to but give him the cookbook??

So there he has it and I’m on the hunt again to find another one. He assured me that he’d be on the look out for a copy as well.

My old copy lasted 28 years…I’m sure it will last a few more until I find another copy.

Clam Chowder

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A happy accident happened in my soup pot the other day. I was hungry. It was 9pm and we hadn’t had supper. Working late at the house is really taking a toll on my cooking. I needed something fast so I put some grilled cheese sandwiches on the Pizzaz but needed something to go with them.

I went to the pantry. I had a can of It was a busy weekend at the house. Both days were all day work days for me and Hubby. We had a little help from Craig, Kelli and Kalissa too…not both days and not all time but the help sure was appreciated!

Sunday morning on the blog I showed a picture of all the paint cans that had been used up in the last week. One blog reader left a comment saying, “Now you can relax”. I read the comment to Hubby and we both burst out laughing. Relaxing hasn’t happened here now will it for some time.

We are on to sanding floors. I knew in the refrigerator I had some leftover potatoes.

Clam chowder came to mind. I put cut up an onion and sauteed it. I added some diced cooked potatoes. I added the minced clams and clam sauce. I added a can of cream of celery soup.

That’s it…and it was good and exactly what I needed…a meal in minutes!

I didn’t really plan on adding it to the blog but then I realized that I am not the only one who needs a meal in minutes. I’ll be making this again…and again.

About that Pantry Challenge

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(I feel like I am in a confessional…but week last week went like this)

Remember that pantry challenge I gave myself. (If you missed it, it’s here) I have wanted to use up the groceries in my pantry so I wouldn’t have so much to move to the new house when the time came. Well…I failed.

Last week I went to a class on learning to use Facebook more effectively and becoming more social with it. The class was excellent and I am hoping to implement a few of the things I learned. (If you’re not a Facebook fan of ours come on over and like us here) Anyway, the class was in Oelwein, Iowa…Oelwein is close to Amish country and I just can’t resist the grocery stores there.

They sell bented or dented groceries. Around my area, we call them “bent and dent” stores. The fun thing is often the cans don’t have a dent…the case that the groceries came in broke and the manufacturers set the boxes from the case aside and then sell them to the Amish for cheap. In turn, they take the groceries, set up a store and sell them.

I bought several bags of dried beans. We eat them all the time…they are only 35 cents each. In the regular store they are closer to $1.75 a bag.

Last time I was there I got a box of this bread mix. It was wonderful. I got several more boxes this time… 65 cents each. It makes a nice loaf of bread that has a home made taste. I can’t get a loaf of bread anywhere for 65 cents..and it only takes an hour to make this!

I got a few cans of refried beans… 35 cents per can and some corn for 40 cents a can. It makes me happy to buy cheap groceries.

I even found some goodies for Kelli…gluten free mixes for 85 cents.

I got dog food-quality dog food with meat as the first ingredient-a big bag for $7. Oh..and toilet paper too….a 12 double pack of Cottonelle for $5.50.