If You Like Cheez-Its...

 

Try making them from scratch!

Is it easy? Yes! Is it cost-effective? Yes! Is it time-consuming? Yes! Am I insane? Yes!
But it is worth the effort! 

We love Cheez-Its.  We don't love the fake ingredients and the horrendous sodium content, so I did the obligatory Pinterest search, came up with a few recipes and then did my own thing. I recommend that you use cheese that is not straight out of the refrigerator, as I had trouble getting the dough to come together. It works much better if closer to room temperature.  I simply let my dough rest for 20 minutes, and it became more manageable.


8 oz. sharp cheddar, grated
4 Tbsp butter (room temperature)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 cup flour*
2 Tbsp ice water

*I used white whole wheat flour, but any flour would work fine.

In electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cheese, butter and salt.  Add flour and mix on low until dough is grainy. 

Slowly add water and mix until combined (dough will still be grainy).  Knead dough together until it forms a ball.  Roll out on a pastry sheet, very thin - about 1/8".  Cut with a fluted pastry wheel into 1" squares.

Set on a parchment lined baking sheet, or if using foil, spray lightly with cooking spray.  Use a bamboo skewer or toothpick and make a hole in the middle of each square. Sprinkle with a bit of Kosher salt.  Bake at 375 for 12-13 minutes.  Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Do not worry about how long these will keep.  They will not keep.  They will be eaten.

For The Love of Peas

Here in the southernmost part of the United States, it is dang hot.  Hot.  Miserably hot.  The people who know me well will testify that I am a better person when the first cool front blows through.  I turn into a giddy little schoolgirl.  Nothing good happens down here in August and September, or so I thought until I discovered Purple Hull peas.

 

About four years ago, I read a column in our local paper in which the author spoke of shelling Purple Hulls and how they are more difficult to find, but taste better than Black Eyed peas.  Not long after that, a good friend of mine mentioned something about Purple Hulls, and I began hunting for them in the grocery stores.  I found my first bag at a farmer's market, and I was hooked.  I would even say, obsessed.  I had to plant them in my own garden.  I have a small plot in our back yard - only 5'x14'. The first year, I planted a small area. This summer, I filled almost the entire garden!  I left room for three fall tomatoes, kept my pepper plants from the spring, and planted three small rows of okra.  Peas are the only reason for joy in this kind of heat.  Plant them in late June, and they thrive. A side note: I live in Zone 9, so we get hot quickly and for a long time.

These look so beautiful in the garden - the dark green leaves contrasting with the deep purple pods.

They look the same as a Black Eyed pea - except with purple eyes!

This is roughly 2 lbs. from the first harvest. Peas will sometimes reproduce. Last year's garden did not, but we have been fortunate this year, and some of the vines are even on their third round. Don't think that a small garden cannot feed your family - unless you have 10 kids. Then you need a farm.

I have a fondness for peas for a few reasons: one is that the plants are small, and you can put a lot of them in a compact space, about two inches apart. Planting them closely together also helps tremendously with keeping weeds out of the garden. The other reason is that if some of the pods dry out on the vine, all is not lost.  Shell them anyway, and store the dried peas in a jar. When you are ready to cook them, soak them overnight in water just as you would dried beans.  No pea goes to waste in my house!  Peas that are not dried out can be stored in the freezer immediately after shelling.  The leftover pods can be tossed into the compost bin, or just throw them out into the garden - they are great for your soil.

My favorite way to serve Purple Hulls is simply to combine the frozen peas in a large pot with a chopped onion and sausage (my preference is venison or venison and pork).  Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes.  DO NOT add salt until just before serving, as salt will make the peas (and beans, for that matter) mushy.  Salt and pepper to taste. Much of the flavor will come from the onion and sausage.  I serve this with a side of collard greens and buttermilk cornbread.  Get yourself some iced tea, and you have a meal that's about as southern as you can get! 

School Cramps My Style

The problem with starting a new blog during the summer is that one can easily be misled into thinking that she will have time to, 1: do anything creative on a regular basis, and 2: blog about it on a regular basis.  Then reality hits, and creativity comes only on the weekends.

The past two weekends have produced this little cutie:

I scooped this vintage pattern up from an antique mall - the dealer claims that it is from the 50s, although I might venture to guess that it was made in the 60s.  Either way, it's adorable and true to the pattern envelope - Jiffy.  Two main pattern pieces, kimono-style sleeves, and a belt.  We chose the pocket flaps, but the Little Girl wanted them to be placed below the waistline.  I used bias tape instead of doing a facing at the neckline - I am beginning to jump on the bandwagon of sewists who hate facings.

The dress took about 4 hours, from cutting until I finished the machine stitching. I am not too quick on the machine, but I'm improving.  The hand stitching to finish the bias trim took ages, but I am a fan of the blind stitch, so I deal with it.  Good television helps. This was FUN to make - I told my girl that she could have as many of these dresses as she wants.  Big grins ensued...

Terrible pictures, yet again, but this is what happens when one remembers that she should photograph the project moments before walking out the door for church on Sunday morning.  I cut the belt on the bias, which could have turned into a mistake because of the stretching of the fabric.  I did two lines of topstitching to reinforce it a little, and I think that solved the problem.

I told her to put her hand on her hip to better show the kimono sleeve, and she automatically threw the opposite hip out to the side.  She was pretty excited to be on the blog until I informed her that her face wouldn't make it.  Gotta protect the kiddos, ya know...

Obviously these photos do not do the dress justice.  Little Girl looked incredibly sweet, and she said that the sleeves were very comfortable.  Plans have been made already to wear it for school pictures. 

Oh My Word...

This has been a crazy month!  A few days after my last post, my laptop died.  Literally, I heard it make one last grunt, and then the Black Screen of Death.  The Fella (who is also kin to MacGyver) took a good look at it, and sure enough, it's gone.  The hard drive contained all my pictures that I was going to use for future posts. 

I decided to let it go and spend our last few weeks of summer just enjoying our time and being busy with the kids, getting ready for school to begin again (dang it).  I was honestly sad to see our summer vacation end. 

Now I am back in business, and hopefully back to posting on a somewhat regular basis.  As soon as I get used to waking up with the kids at an ungodly hour every morning...

Thanks for reading!

hmmmm...

I have been rearranging, reorganizing, and doing a little bit of culling in anticipation of the school year starting up again.  Does your house always turn into a disaster zone whenever you try to declutter?  Drives me nuts. 

Amid the chaos, I received a cute little dishtowel from my mama.  She said the rick-rack and lace trim would bleed horribly when washed, so "only use this for pretty."  Nothing in my house can be used only for pretty.  The Fella would scoff at a display-only towel.  And then the kids would wipe chocolate off their faces with it.  So I thought, "I think I could cut this up and make a little curtain for the window above the sink." 

Cute, huh? 

Except I can't figure out what to do with the inch of space on either side of the panel.  I can easily add a third panel, since Mama gifted me with the remaining towels in the set, but I don't know that I want the gathered/ruffled look.  I am partial to a flat panel.  The windows are original to the house, and this particular one is West-facing, therefore we do have blinds hung (which I hate, but this is a point of contention between me and The Fella) in order to shield us from the sun that produces blinding reflections off of the stainless sink.  My solution has been to raise the blinds to the height I need them to be, and cover the hideousness with a curtain. 


 

There are two of each print, and I'm going to use these on the other windows.  I'll have to alternate the prints, as I need 5 panels to stretch across the 78" window. Those stripes gotta go.

The remaining towel would be used for this window, but I'm stuck with the same problem I have over the kitchen sink:  an inch on either side. 

 

 

Ugh.  Help.

 

 

Summer Halter Dress

I had envisioned making a halter dress in a retro floral print, much like this fabulous dress by Gertie.  I did not find the floral print that I imagined (don't you hate that?), but was drawn to this little cotton print for some reason. I kept walking back to the bolt, and figured it was a sign.  I used to be the girl who wore only black and solid colors.  I decided a few years ago that I needed more color and more print in my life, and I've gone a little nuts. 

I used New Look 6789.  This was so easy, and a great option for a true beginner - I would highly recommend it to someone as a first project.  I did make a few adjustments - I cut a size smaller than I usually do, as all of my projects have ended up being huge from the waist up despite the measurements on the pattern.  I also tried to follow the instructions for the side zipper installation, then chucked it halfway through.  The facing/band across the bust did not line up evenly, so I basted the side seam from the top down, rather than putting in the zipper starting from the notches halfway down the side seam.  I followed the instructions on the zipper package, and it went in like a dream on the first attempt.  And no, I did not get a shot of the zipper, because I finished this at 1:00 in the morning, and did not feel like sewing on the hook and eye (gasp!  I know!) to keep said zipper neatly hidden. 

The only problem I see with the fit is how the back of the dress sort of scrunches down.  I'm not sure how I would fix this - the dress is pretty snug as it is, and I do like to breathe every so often. 

I absolutely would use this pattern again - maybe with the straps attached in the back rather than halter style.  It's light and perfect for summer.

I Was Busy Today

I made sourdough bread, fresh basil pesto, and fig butter.  Bread is on the counter for consumption, pesto is in the freezer (and on our dinner tonight), and the fig butter is in ten lovely, little half-pint jars.

My grandparents have two fig trees in their yard, and each of us (children & grandchildren) chose a day to pick figs and do whatever we please with them.  I think it's also a requirement that we share the fruits of our labor!  I was able to get 12 cups of figs yesterday, and made this precious stuff this afternoon:

On sourdough bread of course, which happened to be fresh out of the oven and warm!
Are you drooling yet?

 

This was so easy to make.  My first foray into the world of canning was making a batch of apple butter with my roommate when we were both single and had the time.  We went over to my grandparents' house and spent all day with them, while they showed us everything they know.  Smart folks, my grandparents.  Apple butter is daunting - it takes a long, long time and involves quite a lot of work.  This fig butter was delightfully simple. 

Here is the recipe, adapted from this one I discovered on Pinterest.

6 cups figs, washed and stems cut off
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Wash and cut the stems off the figs.  When measuring figs, leave them whole.



FYI - the center of a ripe fig should be a pinkish-color. No need to peel them - the outer skins cook down.

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot (mine is 12 quarts).

I knew when I poured in the honey that this was gonna be good.

Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until figs are easily crushed.  Puree, either by transferring to a blender, or use an immersion blender.  Return to pot and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until liquid thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Ladle into hot jars, fit with lids and bands, and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.  Any extra fig butter that does not fill a jar can be placed in the fridge for immediate use.

As I previously mentioned, the Ball website is a fantastic source of information and recipes for canning.  There are guidelines that should be followed when pickling and preserving fruit and vegetables - this site explains everything. 

I'm thinking that I will use this fig butter on a Panini-style sandwich with ham and brie.  Or I might just eat it with a spoon, straight out of the jar.