recipe time!

Why not ... it's still creative.  Tis the season to be canning ... and I love to share a good recipe when I get one.  So here are five!!  Three are my personal own recipes, tried and true!

Enjoy and let me know how your preserves turn out!

Pickled Beets


2C Vinegar
2C Sugar
2C Water
1t whole cloves
1t allspice
1t cinnamon
1 thinly sliced lemon


Cook small young beets. Cool and peel (I recommend boil them one evening, drain them, then peel them the next day, it makes it super easy) Mix all ingredients except beets, and bring to boil. Add beets and bring back to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Pack in sterilized jars and seal.


If you double this recipe it uses 3lbs of beets uncooked - makes 6 jars of 500ml each.


Red Bell Pepper Jelly (sweet)


2lbs firm red bell peppers
2C white wine vinegar
1t sea salt
2 small red chilies
10C white granulated sugar (I told you it was sweet)
6t powdered citrus pectin


Halve and seed the bell peppers. Cut them into small pieces and finely chop them in a food processor or blender. Place in a non reactive pan and add the remaining ingredients (seeding and chopping the chilies), except for the powdered pectin. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour.


Add the powdered pectin, increase the heat, and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Skim the surface to remove any scum. Remove the pan from the heat, ladle the jelly into warmed sterilized jars, seal. It will be ready to eat after 2 weeks.


Makes about 10 cups.


I recommend to use a jelly netting or cheese cloth to remove any of the larger particles as this makes a very nice jelly if it doesn't have pulp in it.


Red Pepper Jelly (this is my personal recipe)


12 slender sweet red Peppers
2 C red wine vinegar
4 jalapeno peppers
6C sugar
1/4 t salt
2 packs knox gelatin


Use same process as above recipe - made 5 1/2 jars of 250ml




Jalapeno Pepper Jelly (again my personal recipe)


14 Green Peppers
17 Jalapeno Peppers
1C water
5lbs (2KG) sugar
4C apple cider vinegar
3 packages knox gelatin
1pk certo liquid
1t chilis crushed


Use same process as above - again I recommend to strain the jelly - pulp bad :o)


This recipe made 14 1/2 jars 250ml




Home Made Ketchup


15 ripe plum tomatoes
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
2T brown sugar
Garlic powder
dehydrated onion flakes
cinnamon (just a pinch)
celery salt
salt
cayenne pepper
black pepper


four hour cook time - use a food processor or hand blender to pure all ingredients. This doesn't make very much ketchup but it sure is good, and the kids will LoVE it <3

Prize winning entries into Newington Fair

I entered a few layouts and cards into our County Fair, five entries to be exact - and every entry placed!  This was the first year I've exhibited in the fair.  I think this was a good debut if I do say so myself. 

The first category was "Enjoying the 2010 county fair" so I did a photo of my daughter standing next to the sign that dictates if you are tall enough to ride on the ride.  She is a shorty, and well, she never did get to go on any rides that year.  I took the idea for the title from a Beatles tune "Ticket To Ride"

Journaling reads:

You are not quite tall enough to ride the rides yet at the Newington Fair.  Maybe next year you will get your "Ticket To Ride"  Vanessa Sept 2010

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey (Cappella), Echo Park (Sweet Summertime - yellow polka dot), Little Yellow Bicycle (measuring tape), Echo Park (Walk In The Park - letters), Bazzil Basics - cardstock
Embelishments: Girls Paperie (brads), Basic Grey - Opaline (bling), Prima (rub-on & flowers) Dollar Store (flowers and doily), seam binding ribbon, October Afternoon (twine)
Machine stiching and typewriter.


The Second layout I'm calling School Days. The category for this exhibit was photos earlier than 1960. This is a photo of my late father, taken around 1956.  

Journaling reads:

Dad, I know you weren't very scholarly. But you were one of the wisest men I have ever known.  You use to know the answer to every question we asked as kids, and when you didn't know the answer you would make something so farfetched up that we had no choice but to laugh!  I miss your wisecracks, your smart ass remarks and your tough lessons that you taught me.  Life isn't the same without you here.  Frederick Paul Rice Sept 19 1948 - Nov 23 2008, photo taken 1956

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: background paper - unknown, Bazzil Basics - cardstock, Bo Bunny - Timepiece collection (subtitles and watches)
Embellishments: 7Gypsies - key, Ranger -Ultra Thick embossing powder, twine
Other: Cricut, and old typewriter font for journaling
The other layouts you should recognize from previous posts Avonmore Berry Farm, and Baby's First Halloween. I've added links to the previous posts so you can see close up's of those two layouts.

 

Page Maps September - Auntie Em's

Wow, is September really here? Summer is starting to fade away, I've noticed the outer leaves on trees turning their autumn hues already.


But what September does bring with it, is the Copic registration class. I will be attending the first Copic course on September 18th. This will allow me to teach Copic techniques. I'm very much looking forward to this opportunity. I've had so much fun with the Copic Markers, and find myself adventuring out of my box too, blending colours, adding more texture and the like.

So, without further adieu, September also brings another PageMaps reveal. Mellisa and I received some Bo Bunny new Double Dot, and some more of Emma's favourite Stella & Rose from My Minds Eye. She also provided some flower pins and crocheted flowers.

I must say, this 3 photo layout was alot easier to do, since I knew I wanted to do a layout of my son's first haircut ... boy did he need it, what a shaggy mop top he had going on before that hair cut. This weekend he is going to have his 3rd haircut. Time really flies, soon I won't be measuring time by the number of haircuts my kids have had, but the number of baby teeth that have fallen out, then by the number of A's they got on their report card, followed by the number of sleepless nights I've had worrying about them being out too late ... and life goes on like that.

Supplies:

Patterned Paper = My Minds Eye (background), Bo Bunny (brown), Basic Grey (orange), Graphic 45 (blue)

Embelishments = Prima (flowers), Petaloo (crochet flowers) stick pins (I believe they are Little Yellow Bicycle)

Journaling = Journaling card by MME, rubons Karen Foster

Other: Ranger Distress Ink, twine, Glimmer Mist, brads (Basic Grey, Stampin Up, dollar store)

In search of ....

A white pen that writes well and DOES NOT turn PINK when written on dark colours!
That, and I'm looking for a white Sharpie - not the shake-em-up paint type, the 'fine tip - perminant' everyday marker type.

Also searching for a Chicken Wire background stamp.

I need your help in locating each of those items - if you know where I can purchase any of them I may be swayed to hand out some RAK!

Projects that I forgot about

Here are some miscellaneous projects that I have done in the last few months, but never posted...
First up a thank you card I made for my sister when she took me for a SPA DAY!  She was Berry Sweet to do that.

 This is a layout I did from the Spring/Summer Kit from Tina's Scrapbooking, called UP.  I have other layouts that I did from this kit too, I'll try and locate them - geez I hope I didn't delete the photos!

 A layout I've titled "You Make My Heart Sing" Just an amazing smile on my little baby girl here, so happy!

My husband decided to put shaving cream on the face of our son, what fun that was, he felt just like Daddy for a while! 

 Some Welcome to your New Home cards I made with the Stampin' Up Owl punch.

A layout using the Bo Bunny Timepiece collection (not a favorite of mine) I really don't even like this layout, or the photo for that matter ::sigh::

Time Flies - Happy Birthday - Bo Bunny Challenge Card

A card I made for the Card Sketch Sunday challenge over at Bo Bunny.
I call it ... TIME FLIES

Supplies:
Patterned paper - Bo Bunny - Time Piece collection
Trim = Bo Bunny - Time  Piece collection
Stamp = CTMH
Rub on = Stampin Up
Other = inks and embossing powders by Ranger

How to .....
To make the watch face, I cut out the watch from patterned paper, then used Versa Mark ink and Ranger's Ultra Thick clear embossing powder in the inside of the clock face.  I did this four times to give it a very thick layer.  Then I twisted the paper to crack the embossing, and rubbed distress ink over the cracks to enhance them.

Auntie Em's Scrapbooking August Reveal

Wow, is August really here?  Where did the summer go?  I must say, this year we vowed to spend more time at home in our own back yard rather than being on the go so much.  We have an outdoor fireplace and some Adirondack chairs set up beside the pool, right next to the kids sandbox and 'jumpy castle' and I tell ya, I have more fun here than I do driving for hours to spend money on an event just to drive home again.  My daughter calls her sandbox the 'beach', and when she is done at the beach we just jump right into the pool .... life is grand, and we have one more month of grand before the cool afternoons return and even colder nights ... and that dreaded four letter "S" word  {snow} 

The Scrapbook & Cards Today Calendar sketch for the month of August is just amazing, and both my co-designer Mellisa & I were really looking forward to it.  I am a huge fan of single photo layouts.  I loved this layout so much that I did it TWICE. 


This month we go to work with an amazing line from Bo Bunny called Gabrielle - full of peach and browns and teals - and tones of butterflies.  Oh what a fan!  Although I must say I am looking forward to seeing the Et Cetera line in person - it totally looks my style.


Your Radiant Smile

Supplies :

Patterned Paper = Bo Bunny - Gabrielle collection

Buttons & Charms = Bo Bunny Gabrielle collection

Flowers = Prima, Websters Pages

Trim = Websters Pages

Stamps = Martha Stewart & Harmonie

Ink = Distress Ink by Ranger

Other = handmade flower - canvas & distress ink on a Glueber

Peek-A-Boo

This photo was taken by my sister when she and my husband took the kids to the Tulip Festival in Ottawa earlier this year.  They are looking through the pillars to the Rideau River below.  What a great vantage point.  I colour washed this photo so that the bright colours in their outfits wouldn't detract from the rest of the layout.  I find that sometimes you need just a hint of colour in a photo, and don't want to do it completely Sepia.

Supplies :

Patterned Paper = Bo Bunny - Gabrielle collection

Buttons & Charms = Bo Bunny Gabrielle collection & Stampin Up

Flowers = Prima, Websters Pages

Ink = Distress Ink by Ranger

Journaling = my antique typewriter

Bling = dollar store

Be sure to check out the Auntie Em's Scrapbooking blog here, to see both Melissa's and my August Reveals!

Thanks for looking!

~Lorena~