Good Luck Beans

For years I've heard about how it's good luck 

to eat greens, black eyed peas and pork and sauerkraut

on New Year's Day.

It occured to me that I've never fixed this particular meal

on this specific day

and maybe that's what I'm always so desparate

for the New Year to be better.

So...

I threw some sauerkraut and porkchops in the crockpot 

and made up a black eyed pea recipe.

I chopped up a piece of ham steak

(I wanted a ham hock or shank but the store was out)

I didn't use the whole piece of ham.

I saved the leftover to throw in my egg in the morning for breakfast.

I chopped up some fresh kale.

And by fresh I mean I went outside and picked it from the garden.

I didn't use all of it as I was unsure about liking it

so I just saved the leftovers for throwing in a scramble egg.

I threw in 2 cans of black eyed peas.

I'd rather use dry, but I had a time issue.

I added some chicken broth and a little salt

and simmered it on the stove for a couple of hours.

I was quite pleased with it

and plan on making it as a side in the future.

 Here's the lucky meal,

black eyed peas, mashed cauliflower (in keeping with the low carb diet)

pork chop and sauerkraut.

So why do you eat all this?

Pork- said to bring luck in the coming year.

Black Eyed Peas and greens- because they resemble money (greens dollars and peas coins) it's said they will bring you good fortune.

Sauerkraut- an old German tradition says you should eat sour cabbage  for a sweet new year.

Here's to a luckier, healthier, happier New Year!

Resolve

re-solve

1. v. settle or find a solution to (a problem, dispute, or contentious matter).
2. v.  decide firmly on a course of action.
3. n. firm determination to do something.

 It's that time of year when people write out lists of things they want to change in the coming new year.  

I'd wager that most people start out with good intentions and 

plan on following through with all of their resolutions.  

Sadly, most give up and fail to accomplish anything on their list.  

Despite the fact that I fall into the never-accomplish-anything-on-my-resolution-list category, 

I figured I'd give it another go.  

So, thinking that sharing my list might make me more inclined to stick to it 

(the whole accountability thing), 

I'm posting it here.

Being Healthier:

1. Walk at least 2 miles 4 days a week (I'm hoping to make it 7 days a week, but I think 4 is more realistic).
2. Go back to a Low Carb/Good Carb diet (like South Beach).  I did this once and lost a lot of weight and just felt better over all.  But I'm a stress eater, I'm stressed and planning meals and grocery shopping is a pain.  No excuses though, time to get back to something healthier.
3. Lose 30 pounds. I'm pretty sure that if I manage #1 and #2 this one will be no problem.  
4. Drink more water. 
5. Cut back on the amount of soda I drink.  I like iced tea and green tea so I should work on drinking that.  Plus, making iced tea is cheaper than buying soda.  And it really bothers me that I drink something that is used to clean the corrosion on car batteries.  
6. Find time to meditate at least 3 times a week.  Ideally it should be every day, but I'm being realistic as meditation is not so easy with a 7 year old about. 

Finances:

1. Save some money using the 52 week challenge.
2. Put at least $25 per week in my savings account (hopefully more than that per week, but a minimum of $25).
3. Cook my own breakfast each morning- don't eat out (this is also a healthy thing).
4. Pack my lunch at least 4 out of 5 days.  I'd say all 5 days, but again, I'm trying to be realistic.  This could potentially save me about $200 a month.  That's a lot.  In fact it's a car payment. 
5. Eat dinner out only 2-3 times a month.  This is going to be a tough one.  When you've gotten into the habit of eating out on a regular basis, it's hard to break that habit.  Who wants to deal with planning meals or doing the dishes (the cooking I'm okay with).
6. Pay off the Credit Cards.  Tough, but I've already locked them away in the safe, and I have a plan. 

Organization:

1. Go through my 7 year old's toys to see what can be donated.  He wasn't too receptive to the idea, but he has more than enough to play with (and doesn't even play with it all).  I'm thinking of making this something that is done yearly  before Christmas- you know, making room for the new stuff.
2. Clean out my clothes.  I know there are things that are in my closet that haven't seen the light of day in 2 years or more.  I obviously have no need for them, but someone else might.
3. Plan out meals a month at a time.  I know I can do this because I have done it.  It makes live easier when you do- you save money on groceries, save time on shopping and on cooking (especially if you use a slow cooker on a regular basis).
4. Organize recipes.  I have a few, some written down, some saved on Pinterest, but I'd like them all in one place like a recipe box.  
5. Declutter in general. Find a better way to organize mail, school papers, product manuals, warranties, etc.
6. Cleaning the basement and the items you have in storage there.  This includes my whole family and a trip to the dump.  I'm hoping to get my items better stored and organized at a minimum and help my parents and siblings get rid of the junk as a bigger goal.

General:

1. Get to the point where I am blogging 4-5 days a week.  That's tough since I have several blogs, but something I have been continuously working towards.  
2. Learn to use my DSLR camera in something other than automatic mode.
3. Take some time to go take photos with the DSLR camera not in automatic mode at least every other week. Ideally I'd like to take a trip somewhere closeby to take photos at least once a month.
4. Start writing a book.  Doesn't matter what the genre is or the content or that there's an expectation to finish, just start.
5. Build 2 polytunnels for growing greens in the cold winter months.  
6. Plant a more efficient vegetable garden. 
7. Plan out time for canning to be faster and more productive.
8. Plan weekly family night. Either planning on playing a game or watching a movie or some type of outing like bowling or mini-golf- and sticking to it.
9. Plan weekly or bi-weekly date night. Because alone time with the one you love is important and sometimes life is so busy you forget.  So weekly is the main goal, but building to that is okay.  And date night doesn't mean that you have to spend money.  Could be dinner at home and a movie or going for a walk or a hike.

That for the most part is my list.  

My goals and resolutions for 2014.  

Throughout the year I'll check back regarding my list to see 

how I'm doing or 

if I'm doing.  

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

Be at War with your Vices, 

at Peace with your Neighbours, 

and let every New-Year find you a better Man.  

~Quoted in Benjamin Franklin's 1755 Poor Richard's Almanac, December

More Winter Weather

The girls have been cozy in their coop this winter.

We've already had a couple of snow storms

and some unseasonably cold weather

and while they aren't particularly thrilled about being

cooped up

they've been nice and cozy.

But we have some weather headed our way at the end of the week

that has me worried.  

Thursday night has a low of 11*

and Friday has a high of only 16* and a low of 5*.

The girls have never experienced such cold before.

So my New Year's Day will include some cleaning of the coop

and filling it with straw.

I hate winter.

The Solstice Already?

Today is the shortest day of the year: the winter solstice. And today I received the first new seed catalog. Spring is almost here! 

Apple Harvest

This fall I decided to make applesauce.

I happened upon a recipe that gave instructions

on how to make apple jelly and applesauce all from 

cooking the same apples.  

You'll need about a heaping gallon of peeled and cored apples

(if you have a food mill you don't need to peel and core them just cut them in chunks

and put them through the mill instead of processing them)

Put chopped apples in a large saucepan and add 1 cup of water per heaping quart of apples.

Bring to a boil then cover and simmer until apples are tender

stir occasionally and smash the apples up a little to release more juice.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the apples into another bowl.

You need to leave the juice in the pot.

You may have to pour any juice from the bowl of apples back into the pot.

Next you need to strain the juice.

I used a piece of cheesecloth stretched over a pitcher 

and secured with a rubber band (see above photo)

slowly pour the liquid from the pot through the strainer.

Any bits of apples or apple mush can be added to the bowl of cooked apples.

Measure out how much apple juice you have 

(should be about 4 cups)

Return juice to pot and add:

3 cups sugar

2 TBSP lemon juice

for every 4 cups

Bring to a boil

stir constantly until it gels up

(when it slides off a chilled spoon in one sheet)

Fill sterilized half pint jars with hot apple jelly to within 1/8" of rim

secure the lids and place in a water bath canner for 5 minutes

made about 4 half pints.

Now for the apples....

puree them in a processor

then return the applesauce to the saucepan and bring to a boil.

(add sugar or cinnamon if you want- I don't add anything).

Ladle hot applesauce into sterilized jars

leaving 1/2" headspace

place in hot water bath canner for 20 minutes (pints or quarts)

Remember to use sweet apples.

I used Golden Delicious and Mutsu (aka Crispin) apples

with some red apple varieties thrown in.

Enough Already

We've had some snow,

some ice,

some more snow...

and just when I thought we could get a reprieve

(and I could go out and replace the vehicle that got totaled 

in the above mentioned snow and ice)

we're getting more snow.

I'm ready for the Spring

Wordless Wednesday

Squatch, Zombie and Martha Stewart at the watering hole