O:9:"MagpieRSS":23:{s:6:"parser";i:0;s:12:"current_item";a:0:{}s:5:"items";a:25:{i:0;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-6156969186391040867";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-12-16T13:37:00.000-05:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-12-16T13:37:19.736-05:00";s:5:"title";s:24:"Hacking a Soap Dispenser";s:12:"atom_content";s:6097:"When we were picking out faucets for our house, we found one that I really liked (Kyle wasn't such a fan, but it's grown on him) but it came with a soap dispenser. &nbsp;We had one hole to cut for the faucet and one whole for the filtered water tap, so we weren't terribly excited about cutting a third hole for a soap dispenser. &nbsp;The pieces for the soap dispenser sat in a cupboard waiting for whatever we decided to do with them. <br /><br />I had seen quite a few tutorials for making a mason jar soap dispenser, and it didn't seem very difficult. &nbsp;The hardest parts were probably cutting the lid of the mason jar to accept the soap dispenser pump, and figuring out where to cut the pump pieces themselves to make them fit in the size of mason jar we wanted to use (which was a pint jar).<br /><br />This pump isn't the same one that I have, but it shows the parts &nbsp;clearly. &nbsp;For our pump we had to cut the majority of the threaded piece off. &nbsp;That is what stretches between your counter top, down to the plastic soap holder below (we didn't need that part, since our soap holder was going to be the pint jar).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9YuPKXot_Fo/Uq9CeSAuxmI/AAAAAAAACrU/qYalI8G1rKg/s1600/046224015857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9YuPKXot_Fo/Uq9CeSAuxmI/AAAAAAAACrU/qYalI8G1rKg/s320/046224015857.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To punch the hole in the top of the mason jar lid, use a hammer and chisel. &nbsp;Also use a block of scrap wood to protect your work surface. &nbsp;Use a marker to trace the size of hole you need, then punch your way around. &nbsp;Be careful not to cut yourself. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--i9a_Rb9FQo/Uq9FgEdKyyI/AAAAAAAACrg/IFqlLYfFQqM/s1600/IMG_1847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--i9a_Rb9FQo/Uq9FgEdKyyI/AAAAAAAACrg/IFqlLYfFQqM/s320/IMG_1847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spray paint your lid and ring to match the color of your soap dispenser. &nbsp;We were lucky to have leftover oil rubbed bronze spray paint from another project. &nbsp;I used two coats.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pjRvAvAz-FU/Uq9FgR3ezsI/AAAAAAAACro/2yuHIosZ4Dk/s1600/IMG_1850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pjRvAvAz-FU/Uq9FgR3ezsI/AAAAAAAACro/2yuHIosZ4Dk/s320/IMG_1850.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cut the straw to length. &nbsp;You want it to be cut on an angle so that the bottom tip hits the bottom of the jar. &nbsp;This will allow it to get the last of the soap out (if you don't refill sooner). &nbsp;If it doesn't go to the bottom, you will always have a little bit of soap at the bottom of your jar that never gets used. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jkxi1pxLcMI/Uq9FgM1igMI/AAAAAAAACrk/rkl0zfjc4bA/s1600/IMG_1851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jkxi1pxLcMI/Uq9FgM1igMI/AAAAAAAACrk/rkl0zfjc4bA/s320/IMG_1851.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the paint is dry, you can put everything together. &nbsp;My soap dispenser came with a piece that screwed into the top from below the mason jar lid. &nbsp;If yours doesn't, you'll need to break out the glue gun to glue the lid to your pump. &nbsp;Then fill your jar with soap, place the ring over the top and screw it all together.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Evli8aXt8G4/Uq9HgJd3wTI/AAAAAAAACsM/QPiOl5lSgzA/s1600/IMG_0175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Evli8aXt8G4/Uq9HgJd3wTI/AAAAAAAACsM/QPiOl5lSgzA/s320/IMG_0175.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-baQovGjNc04/Uq9HfcODZWI/AAAAAAAACsI/HhNacKBFv5w/s1600/IMG_0176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-baQovGjNc04/Uq9HfcODZWI/AAAAAAAACsI/HhNacKBFv5w/s320/IMG_0176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, take note that if you use two different kinds of soaps, they don't really mix together. &nbsp;:)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yGVKIHMixwI/Uq9HfZinGMI/AAAAAAAACsE/6bQt7bu_N7Q/s1600/IMG_0177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yGVKIHMixwI/Uq9HfZinGMI/AAAAAAAACsE/6bQt7bu_N7Q/s320/IMG_0177.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/6156969186391040867/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=6156969186391040867";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/6156969186391040867";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/6156969186391040867";s:4:"link";s:66:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/12/hacking-soap-dispenser.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:1;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-8527561372333413336";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-11-25T16:37:00.002-05:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-11-25T18:28:43.168-05:00";s:5:"title";s:36:"How to make the best pie crust ever.";s:12:"atom_content";s:8138:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In a mixing bowl, add 2lbs (about 8 cups, if you don't have a scale) of flour. &nbsp;Half white flour, half whole-wheat. Add 1 TBSP of salt and mix.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fGp2Ydum2Oo/UpO-Ojazw5I/AAAAAAAACpI/VwC6QQMDTWo/s1600/IMG_1794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fGp2Ydum2Oo/UpO-Ojazw5I/AAAAAAAACpI/VwC6QQMDTWo/s320/IMG_1794.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Roughly chop up 1 lb of lard. &nbsp;Yes lard. &nbsp;It makes better crust than butter or crisco.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9stYGAd45cE/UpO-O2kr4wI/AAAAAAAACpM/n4EyG7r4q4E/s1600/IMG_1795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9stYGAd45cE/UpO-O2kr4wI/AAAAAAAACpM/n4EyG7r4q4E/s320/IMG_1795.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Add the lard chunks a few pieces at a time to the flour/salt. &nbsp;I put my shield on for this since the lard pieces tend to make flour shoot up out of the bowl.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_vaz7Pnsqk/UpO-OizjXPI/AAAAAAAACpE/Eo6a8sXLCJ0/s1600/IMG_1796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_vaz7Pnsqk/UpO-OizjXPI/AAAAAAAACpE/Eo6a8sXLCJ0/s320/IMG_1796.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mix until you get the consistency of "peas and cornmeal".</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h-_0ynJ-tUM/UpO-PictfVI/AAAAAAAACpc/QQo1pZaSKWM/s1600/IMG_1798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h-_0ynJ-tUM/UpO-PictfVI/AAAAAAAACpc/QQo1pZaSKWM/s320/IMG_1798.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Add 20 TBSP of cold water. &nbsp;(1 1/4 cups) &nbsp;Mix for a few seconds.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yk-kdGIUK3U/UpO-PxK_QQI/AAAAAAAACpk/F-Dr6VImfS8/s1600/IMG_1799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yk-kdGIUK3U/UpO-PxK_QQI/AAAAAAAACpk/F-Dr6VImfS8/s320/IMG_1799.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dump the dough onto a clean surface and form into a wheel.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rKg26NNxAC0/UpO-QD40xoI/AAAAAAAACpo/jJhEkRsPsak/s1600/IMG_1801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rKg26NNxAC0/UpO-QD40xoI/AAAAAAAACpo/jJhEkRsPsak/s320/IMG_1801.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plastic wrap is better, but I didn't have any. &nbsp;Wrap up the wheel.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OCsCin3H2lc/UpO-QkiXqvI/AAAAAAAACpw/jQWPI1NzDjc/s1600/IMG_1802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OCsCin3H2lc/UpO-QkiXqvI/AAAAAAAACpw/jQWPI1NzDjc/s320/IMG_1802.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Put it in a bag, get as much air out as you can, and put in the fridge. &nbsp;Let it sit at least 24 hours. &nbsp;I made my crust on a Monday, and will roll it out for pies on Wednesday. &nbsp;Letting it sit makes for a very forgiving, easy to work crust. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cw3G_y83w70/UpO-Q_2dIoI/AAAAAAAACqA/wbnUy45Hr0o/s1600/IMG_1803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cw3G_y83w70/UpO-Q_2dIoI/AAAAAAAACqA/wbnUy45Hr0o/s320/IMG_1803.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When you're ready to use it, take it out, cut it into 8 pie wedges. &nbsp;Each wedge can be formed into a wheel when you're ready for it, then rolled out. &nbsp;Keep the other pieces covered while you work with one to keep them from drying out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's the recipe in an easier-to-print format…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 16px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Perfect Pie Crust</span></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9px; min-height: 11px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;"><b>From Reclaiming my Inner Pioneer at http://isagoodone.blogspot.com</b></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Ingredients</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;">2lbs (8 cups) of flour. &nbsp;Half white, half whole wheat.</div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;">1 lb Lard</div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;">1 TBSP salt</div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;">20 TBSP (1 1/4 cup) cold water</div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Directions</b></span></div><ol><li style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px;">Mix flours and salt. &nbsp;</li><li style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px;">Roughly chop lard and add piece by piece to the flour mixture. &nbsp;</li><li style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px;">Mix until you have the texture of peas and cornmeal.&nbsp;</li><li style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px;">Add water and mix for a few seconds.</li><li style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px;">Form into a wheel and place in plastic airtight bag in the fridge for at least 24 hours.&nbsp;</li></ol><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Makes 8 single crust or 4 double crust pies (or whatever combination adds up to 8 single crusts).</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/8527561372333413336/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=8527561372333413336";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/8527561372333413336";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8527561372333413336";s:4:"link";s:75:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-to-make-best-pie-crust-ever.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"2";}}i:2;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-2734485573476056137";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-10-02T23:42:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-10-19T14:10:14.550-04:00";s:5:"title";s:39:"What do I do with 80 pounds of chicken?";s:12:"atom_content";s:10192:"For the last several years, I tried really hard to only buy farm-raised meat. &nbsp;After watching a few too many documentaries highlighting to horrible conditions of factory farmed meat, I was done.<br /><br />In practice, what has happened is that we've pretty much stopped eating chicken, aside from the occasional cheat with a costco rotisserie chicken. &nbsp;We tried raising our own meat birds, and buying them from a local-ish farm. &nbsp;But in the end, they always ended up being so expensive that we just couldn't afford to eat chicken very often. <br /><br />I'm giving up. &nbsp;At least for now. &nbsp;After reading several positive reviews of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf260341">Zaycon Foods</a>, I decided to give them a try, and ordered two cases of chicken. <br /><br />I picked up my chicken today and got to work. &nbsp;This morning I made sure to set out all my supplies. &nbsp;Clean jars (with lids and rings ready to go), trays and wax paper for freezing individual breasts (then I'll put them all in gallon sized freezer bags), a cutting board and scissors and a knife. &nbsp;I also had a big bowl for scraps, and disinfectant wipes for just in case. &nbsp;I also put 1/2 cup or so of water into each quart jar. &nbsp;I've read instructions that say to top off the jars with water after, and instructions that say that chicken creates it's own liquid so adding water is unnecessary, and I've read that the chicken doesn't always create quite enough liquid, so adding a little is helpful. &nbsp;I went with the latter.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ouLb7SC5XYU/UkzgnGqA0iI/AAAAAAAACiw/45QHXaBgz-0/s1600/IMG_1620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ouLb7SC5XYU/UkzgnGqA0iI/AAAAAAAACiw/45QHXaBgz-0/s320/IMG_1620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two big drippy boxes of raw chicken breasts. &nbsp;The breasts were large and had some fat that needed to be trimmed off, but were really not too bad. &nbsp;I cut them in half, trimmed them up, and cubed them for jars or just left them in individual breasts for freezing.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z23g6YAa2rI/UkzgnaGl7hI/AAAAAAAACi0/3EFOjt3knQw/s1600/IMG_1621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z23g6YAa2rI/UkzgnaGl7hI/AAAAAAAACi0/3EFOjt3knQw/s320/IMG_1621.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBfRae5mwuA/Ukzgnsz3lpI/AAAAAAAACi4/ePBunEp1Zyo/s1600/IMG_1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBfRae5mwuA/Ukzgnsz3lpI/AAAAAAAACi4/ePBunEp1Zyo/s320/IMG_1622.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Add 1 tsp of salt to each quart. &nbsp;(I used canning salt because regular salt will cloud the liquid in the jar, but for chicken, I really don't think it matters, it ends up cloudy looking anyway...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zsnLv2h5FoM/UkzgoDEjq2I/AAAAAAAACjA/-Y_UNqoTZhM/s1600/IMG_1623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zsnLv2h5FoM/UkzgoDEjq2I/AAAAAAAACjA/-Y_UNqoTZhM/s320/IMG_1623.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIJn-OW2x6s/UkzgpLgaq9I/AAAAAAAACjU/hRUSkyqGSko/s1600/IMG_1624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIJn-OW2x6s/UkzgpLgaq9I/AAAAAAAACjU/hRUSkyqGSko/s320/IMG_1624.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Usually when I wipe jar tops, I just use a damp rag, but chicken is slimy, so I opted for a disposable paper towel and vinegar.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe18c7mXL5s/UkzgpMXf-zI/AAAAAAAACjQ/ze3nragmFkg/s1600/IMG_1625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe18c7mXL5s/UkzgpMXf-zI/AAAAAAAACjQ/ze3nragmFkg/s320/IMG_1625.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Add lids (I put mind in water, bring it to a boil, let them boil for a short while then put them on).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-usbEf5G6QPM/UkzgpOQHYMI/AAAAAAAACjY/FEoe_mPdvmM/s1600/IMG_1626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-usbEf5G6QPM/UkzgpOQHYMI/AAAAAAAACjY/FEoe_mPdvmM/s320/IMG_1626.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Add rings, and place them in your pressure canner. &nbsp;Make sure to follow the instructions that came with your canner. &nbsp;I bring the canner to a boil, put on the lid, wait for a steady stream of steam, then set the timer for 10 minutes. &nbsp;After that I add the weight/stop to the lid and watch until the pressure gets to around 13 pounds psi. &nbsp;Then I set the timer for 90 minutes. &nbsp;I'm a little neurotic and checked the three canners I had going today every few minutes to make adjustments to the heat to keep the pressure in the right range.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x5iz-L_9FfY/UkzgqvQ_fYI/AAAAAAAACjo/OMAagF5Gn8Y/s1600/IMG_1627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x5iz-L_9FfY/UkzgqvQ_fYI/AAAAAAAACjo/OMAagF5Gn8Y/s320/IMG_1627.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the 90 minutes is up, turn off the heat and wait until the pressure gauge reads zero. &nbsp;DO NOT REMOVE THE WEIGHT OR THE LID BEFORE THAT. &nbsp;It sucks out the liquid from your jar, and also, will hurt you. &nbsp;Once the pressure is gone to zero, carefully (you may want to wear an oven mitt just in case) remove the weight and the lid and using a jar lifter, move the jars to a safe place to cool down. &nbsp;When they're cool check for seal, and any that don't seal should go in the fridge (I'd say reprocess them, but really, after 90 minutes, there's no way I'm redoing that for one jar that didn't seal. &nbsp;We'll just eat it up this week).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VoAT3kUFuL8/Ukzgs-iXGII/AAAAAAAACkA/OppdLpNvSoQ/s1600/IMG_1630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VoAT3kUFuL8/Ukzgs-iXGII/AAAAAAAACkA/OppdLpNvSoQ/s320/IMG_1630.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I didn't take any pictures of the chicken that went in the freezer, because of slimy raw chicken juice everywhere, but I canned 40 pounds of chicken, and froze the other 40 pounds. &nbsp;I used trays and wax paper, stacking them up so they'd all freeze individually to make them easy to put into bags later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the beginning of to 80 pounds of chicken, I cut really carefully so I didn't waste anything. &nbsp;Toward the end I got a little sloppy. &nbsp;I gathered up all the fatty chicken scraps and put them in the crock pot, covered them with water and stuck in some veggies that I happened to have on hand. &nbsp;The crock pot is pretty full, and I haven't quite decided whether to make a huge pot of soup and eat it right away or try adding carrots/celery/onions and canning chicken noodle-less soup. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNttxb1vyZI/UkzgqqLMOvI/AAAAAAAACjk/2mVVBwXzXWM/s1600/IMG_1628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNttxb1vyZI/UkzgqqLMOvI/AAAAAAAACjk/2mVVBwXzXWM/s320/IMG_1628.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ae3FpS5n2E/Ukzgrez-sBI/AAAAAAAACjs/55Z0o6oYfE8/s1600/IMG_1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ae3FpS5n2E/Ukzgrez-sBI/AAAAAAAACjs/55Z0o6oYfE8/s320/IMG_1629.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all- it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and now I have a shelf full of canned chicken and a freezer full of frozen chicken breasts.</div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/2734485573476056137/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=2734485573476056137";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/2734485573476056137";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/2734485573476056137";s:4:"link";s:82:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-do-i-do-with-80-pounds-of-chicken.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:3;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-6576268211821093392";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-08-19T12:46:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-08-19T12:46:51.166-04:00";s:5:"title";s:7:"Tempura";s:12:"atom_content";s:10484:"<span style="font-family: inherit;">My Mister decided to make sushi for dinner on Sunday, and we thought it would be fun to invite friends over. &nbsp;With company coming, we needed something besides sushi to fill everyone up, so I decided to try something new. &nbsp;Tempura veggies. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGxLYyl8RXk/UhJLeE-6ArI/AAAAAAAACe8/7UOwJB2uWJo/s1600/51b6c3d7fb04d67b5500209b._w.540_s.fit_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGxLYyl8RXk/UhJLeE-6ArI/AAAAAAAACe8/7UOwJB2uWJo/s400/51b6c3d7fb04d67b5500209b._w.540_s.fit_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit:&nbsp;http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-tempura-fried-vege-138702</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_950641781"></span><span id="goog_950641782"></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've never made them before, so I started googling and found a couple of recipes that looked promising, and combined them a bit and came up with this:</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The key to good tempura is the batter. You want it to be light and runny you aren't making fish sticks.</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup flour</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup cornstarch</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon baking powder</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon sugar</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 egg</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2/3 cup ice cold seltzer water or gingerale</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Put the egg in Ice Water and mix with chopsticks. Don't mix it perfectly. Dump all of the dry ingredients in. Give it a few choppy mixes with chop sticks. Don't attempt to blend all of the items together. It has to be lumpy for a true tempura texture. Dip and then fry until golden brown.</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy!</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I doubled the recipe so we'd have plenty, and it was just barely enough to fry a good sized zucchini, an onion, a sweet potato and several mushrooms.</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once I had the recipe I needed a little more understanding of the How To, and found&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-tempura-fried-vege-138702">this</a>&nbsp;website that walked me through all the steps (it's also where the picture came from since we ate ours up too fast to take a picture):</span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #323333;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>1. Prepare Vegetables</b><br />You can tempura fry just about any vegetable you have in the kitchen. In this case we used mushrooms (halved), onions (peeled and sliced), sweet potato (peeled and sliced into rounds), and broccoli florets (from the freezer, no preparation required!).</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;">Other suggestions might include: Bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, green beans, snap peas, cauliflower, baby corn.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>2. Heat Your Oil</b><br />Bring the oil in your deep fryer or Dutch oven/cast iron pot to 360°F. Some electric fryers only allow you to increase the temperature in specific increments, so if that's the case, go for less temperature and longer frying time for root vegetables and a higher time for things like broccoli that won't require as long of cooking.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>3. Prepare the Batter</b><br />In a medium to large size mixing bowl, add the rice flour and seasonings (if you wish). Next add the club soda, ensuring that it is cold before mixing. You're looking for the consistency of pancake batter. It should be loose enough to coat things easily, but not drip off completely on the way to the fryer. If the batter is too thick, add club soda or ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture loosens. If too thin, add rice flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Bubbles are good, lumps are bad, make sure to mix thoroughly!</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>4. Coat the Vegetables</b><br />Most vegetables can be tossed in the batter bowl ahead of time and allowed to sink a little to coat each one. It's far easier than hand dipping, which means of course that you have one batter covered hand the entire time (not always awesome). Toss items in and help them sink or roll to be coated with the batter. A flat whisk works wonders for this.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>5. Fry the Vegetables</b><br />Next, lift vegetables out of the batter with your whisk (a fish spatula or large slotted spoon can also work out with success) and allow them to drain slightly, scraping the back of your whisk on the side of the bowl to remove excess. Drop vegetable pieces into the oil one at a time, ensuring that they don't touch. Most everything will immediately sink to the bottom (although mushrooms float). Use a spider strainer or long handled utensil (like a metal skewer) to loosen them and keep them moving. This will allow them to cook evenly on all sides.&nbsp;<b>Cook root vegetables for 4 minutes and all others for 3</b>&nbsp;This time might differ if your oil is at a different temperature.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>6. Remove From Oil</b><br />Remove your freshly fried pieces from the oil with a spider or the basket the unit comes with (though truth be told, we like to use the spider no matter what we're cooking in). Place them on a few layers of paper towels to allow remaining oil to drain. Give them a light sprinkling of salt and allow to cool slightly.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>7. Return Oil to Temperature</b><br />Before dropping in your next load of veggies, make sure your oil comes back up to temperature. If it doesn't, things can get a little soggy and although they'll still be tasty once removed from the fryer, they will be a little greasy instead of crispy and chewy.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>8. Repeat</b><br />Continue repeating steps 4 through 7 above until all of your vegetables have been coated, fried and hopefully enjoyed! This is a great way to entertain — simply tell people you'll provide the oil and ask them to bring a few of their favorite vegetables and gather round the table! Fry, nibble and chat away and let the good times roll!</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.5em;"><b>Additional Notes:</b><br /><b>• On Club Soda:</b>&nbsp;Try tossing your club soda into the freezer while your oil heats up. It will be enough time for things to chill without freezing, allowing you to have perfect tempura pieces coming out of your fryer for longer! The colder the batter, the crispier your crust and less soggy your veggies will be!</div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/6576268211821093392/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=6576268211821093392";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/6576268211821093392";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/6576268211821093392";s:4:"link";s:51:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/08/tempura.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:4;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-9208493437367862325";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-08-09T21:15:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-08-09T21:22:35.704-04:00";s:5:"title";s:23:"Grilled Flatbread Pizza";s:12:"atom_content";s:11134:"I planned on making pizza for dinner tonight, and since zucchini week(s) is in full bloom, I thought I'd recreate&nbsp;<a href="http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-thing-to-do-with-zucchini.html">this delicious zucchini parmesan pizza</a>. &nbsp;Then I saw a link on another blog to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.theppk.com/2012/05/flatbreads-with-creamy-red-pepper-scallion-spread/">flatbread with creamy red pepper scallion spread</a>. &nbsp;I wasn't interested in the spread or the salad (I wanted pizza!), but the flatbread and the grilling sounded amazing. &nbsp;And it was.<br /><br />I followed the instructions from the blog on the flat bread (except I doubled it):<br /><ul style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 1em 1em 1em 2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.22em; list-style: disc outside; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1 tablespoon sugar</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.22em; list-style: disc outside; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1 cup warm water</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.22em; list-style: disc outside; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bowl</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.22em; list-style: disc outside; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">2 1/4 teaspoons yeast</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.22em; list-style: disc outside; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">2 cups bread flour (or a little less, see directions)</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.22em; list-style: disc outside; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1/2 cup medium grind cornmeal</span></li><li style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.22em; list-style: disc outside; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1 teaspoon salt</span></li></ul><div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">Add water and sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fit with a dough hook. Sprinkle in the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes to bloom.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">Mix in the olive oil then Add one cup of the flour along with the salt. Mix on low until well incorporated, and then turn the speed up to medium and mix for 3 minutes.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">Add another 1/2 cup of flour and the 1/2 cup of cornmeal, and mix well, starting on low and then switching to medium speed. Then add another 1/2 cup of flour, again starting on low and switching to medium. Knead on medium for about 5 minutes. You may occasionally have to get in there with your hands if the dough starts climbing up the hook. It should become smooth and elastic and slightly tacky. At this point, incorporate flour by the tablespoon, with the mixer running. When it starts to seem dry, stop adding flour. This could be anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. Knead again on medium until it is elastic easy to stretch, about 8 more minutes.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">Meanwhile, drizzle about two tablespoons of olive oil into a large mixing bowl. The dough will double in size, so make sure you have enough room. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl, tossing it around to coat with oil. Cover the top in plastic wrap and put in a warm place. Let dough rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">When dough has doubled, fire up your grill. Keep the flame high and close the lid. If you have a thermometer, it should be at about 500 F.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Somewhere around this point I gathered all my toppings and sliced the veggies (thinly!) I also discovered as I was cooking that since my zucchini was a little on the big side, the slices weren't cooking much, so I took them off and grilled them directly on the grill- do this on a cooler part of your grill while the first side is cooking. &nbsp;It helps to have all the toppings on a tray so they can be easily and quickly transported to the grill.</div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fnQxZvfRZlI/UgWRU3dYsFI/AAAAAAAACbI/yRD36063Sb0/s1600/IMG_1440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fnQxZvfRZlI/UgWRU3dYsFI/AAAAAAAACbI/yRD36063Sb0/s320/IMG_1440.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span id="goog_2684227"></span><span id="goog_2684228"></span><br /></div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">Punch the dough down, give it a quick knead and tear it into 4 equal-ish pieces. On a large cutting board, form each piece into an oval that is about 8 inches long and 5 inches across. I just use my hands for this, but you can use a rolling pin if you prefer.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">Place the dough on the grill. It should take about 3 to 4 minutes for the bottoms to get grill marks and become firm. If it takes a little longer that’s cool, but definitely check one after 3 minutes.</span></div><div style="background-color: #fefcf8; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEfDgA-lA7U/UgWSZFjwECI/AAAAAAAACbc/03C5_K0VKrQ/s1600/IMG_1441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEfDgA-lA7U/UgWSZFjwECI/AAAAAAAACbc/03C5_K0VKrQ/s320/IMG_1441.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: 15px;">Here is where I diverged from the original recipe. &nbsp;When the first side of the flatbread is cooked (I burned mine a tiny bit on the first round) flip it over, turn down the heat a little and add pizza sauce and any toppings. &nbsp;My favorite combo was the zucchini, eggplant, mushroom, tomato, parmesan cheese and bacon bits. &nbsp;Make sure to put the grilled veggies on at this point and put a little more cheese over the top to hold everything on. &nbsp;Close the grill and cook for a minute or two until the cheese is melted and toppings are as cooked as you'd like them.</div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-THBftGF9gq4/UgWSZEGe0wI/AAAAAAAACbY/A0E_ynNWcr4/s1600/IMG_1442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-THBftGF9gq4/UgWSZEGe0wI/AAAAAAAACbY/A0E_ynNWcr4/s320/IMG_1442.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">Remove pizzas from the grill and cut them into manageable pieces and enjoy. &nbsp;These were incredible. &nbsp;My Mister even commented on how amazing they were after his first bite, and he doesn't dole out praise like that unless he really means it. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">I think we'll be using the flatbread recipe instead of pizza dough from now on. &nbsp;The original blog post gives the following instructions for oven baking:&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 17px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ If you prefer to bake the breads, you can do so in a 450 F oven, for 12 to 15 minutes. Place directly on a baking stone for the crispiest results, but a large baking sheet will work, too!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 17px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 17px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I think I might try it sometime when it's not so hot outside, and just roll it out regular pizza style.</span></div><div style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: 15px;">Enjoy!</div></div></div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/9208493437367862325/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=9208493437367862325";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/9208493437367862325";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/9208493437367862325";s:4:"link";s:67:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/08/grilled-flatbread-pizza.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:5;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-9093893050586507073";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-04-09T15:28:00.002-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-04-09T15:28:59.139-04:00";s:5:"title";s:59:"One of the many great quotes from LDS General Conference...";s:12:"atom_content";s:443:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VyXC9vD2Pxc/UWRr6wTNQiI/AAAAAAAACJU/YdAjY3e8CPw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-09+at+12.25.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VyXC9vD2Pxc/UWRr6wTNQiI/AAAAAAAACJU/YdAjY3e8CPw/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-04-09+at+12.25.34+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/9093893050586507073/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=9093893050586507073";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/9093893050586507073";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/9093893050586507073";s:4:"link";s:77:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/04/one-of-many-great-quotes-from-lds.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:6;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-4546774424646626787";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-03-21T15:35:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-03-21T15:35:31.438-04:00";s:5:"title";s:9:"Cake Idea";s:12:"atom_content";s:1000:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-odiSEfZyAIE/UUtgK2W-9OI/AAAAAAAACE0/C_2AbWW08xo/s1600/734107_557717067595831_1525444867_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-odiSEfZyAIE/UUtgK2W-9OI/AAAAAAAACE0/C_2AbWW08xo/s320/734107_557717067595831_1525444867_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I pulled this from the facebook page for the<a href="http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/"> One Hundred Dollars a Month blog</a>, since I can't pin from Facebook, I'm posting this here so I can try to duplicate this cake... I've never used fondant, so I'm interested in how it will turn out. &nbsp;There's also a tutorial for fondant pigs <a href="http://candyribbonsweets.com/2012/05/31/tutorial-how-to-make-a-fondant-pig/">here</a>. &nbsp;I love the grass and flowers around the bottom.";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/4546774424646626787/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=4546774424646626787";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/4546774424646626787";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/4546774424646626787";s:4:"link";s:53:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/03/cake-idea.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:7;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-2737032170166740353";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-01-05T23:53:00.000-05:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-01-06T11:42:07.410-05:00";s:5:"title";s:19:"Chocolate Oreo Cake";s:12:"atom_content";s:13140:"We're going to a friend's house for dinner tomorrow, and I volunteered to bring dessert. &nbsp;I have fond memories of my parents' friends, the Kelly's, coming to our house for dinner and bringing the most amazing desserts, and since I didn't have much else going on today, I thought I'd experiment a little. &nbsp;I took three different recipes from pinterest and a google search and combined them all. The recipes are listed at the bottom of the blog post for convenience. It seems a little complicated with three different recipes, but they all came together pretty easily. &nbsp;You could simplify even more by using a devils food or some other chocolate cake mix instead of the Hershey's recipe.<br /><br />For the cake, I used&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=184">Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake</a>.<br /><br />It turned out really good, but it stuck to the pan really bad. &nbsp;I greased and floured the pan, and I still broke the first cake in half with getting it out of the pan. &nbsp;Next time I'd put a coffee filer on the bottom of the pan to help with cake extraction. <br /><br />I got the idea of pouring chocolate over a rather lumpy frosting from&nbsp;<a href="http://jujugoodnews.com/mint-chocolate-chip-cake/">this mint chocolate chip cake</a>, although I didn't use anything from the actual recipe (this time, it's on my list of cakes, since my kids like mint chocolate chip ice-cream).<br /><br />For the frosting (including between cake layers), I used&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/02/oreo-frosting-cream-cheese-is-key.html#">Oreo Frosting with Cream Cheese</a>. In the middle layer I left the<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> oreos a little chunkier, but for the outside, I processed them until they were pretty fine. &nbsp;I wanted to be able to pour the chocolate glaze over the top without having any problems with big chunks of oreo. &nbsp;For a two layer cake, I doubled the recipe, just to make sure I could spread it thick since it's hard to spread this frosting thin with the chunks of oreo.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BaSFaS_NUk/UOkBeQbCRcI/AAAAAAAAB3U/kbwaDLgRnP0/s1600/utf-8''IMG_3158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BaSFaS_NUk/UOkBeQbCRcI/AAAAAAAAB3U/kbwaDLgRnP0/s320/utf-8''IMG_3158.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BFXhegND1U8/UOkBeX-AYrI/AAAAAAAAB3I/x7DZdCNm4po/s1600/utf-8''IMG_3161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BFXhegND1U8/UOkBeX-AYrI/AAAAAAAAB3I/x7DZdCNm4po/s320/utf-8''IMG_3161.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make sure to get help licking the beater</td></tr></tbody></table>For the glaze, I used&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cakeeventsblog.com/search?q=pumpkin+chocolate+cake">a recipe<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> I found on pinterest that went with a chocolate pumpkin cake</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">. &nbsp;I'd really like to make the chocolate pumpkin cake itself sometime, or at least pour this glaze over some other brightly colored frosting. &nbsp;Make sure to chop the chocolate really fine. &nbsp;Mine didn't melt originally, and I ended up have to rig a makeshift double boiler to melt it all. &nbsp;I also waited too long to pour it on the cake, so it didn't spill over the sides as evenly as I would have liked it. &nbsp; That's something that will come with practice, so I see more cakes like this in my future. &nbsp;The glaze itself was actually really easy. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Chocolate Cake:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3/4 cup cocoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 1/2 tsp baking soda</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp salt</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 eggs</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup milk</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup vegetable oil&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tsp vanilla extract</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup boiling water</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. <br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. <br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.&nbsp;</span></div><br /><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Frosting:&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 cup butter, room temperature</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3-4 cups powdered sugar</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp vanilla extract</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3/4 cup crushed oreos</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Whip cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time (until desired thickness is reached- I used 3 cups).</span></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Add vanilla extract.</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">Gently stir in crushed Oreos. (I think it was around 9 oreos total)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Glaze: &nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4 oz finely chopped bittersweet chocolate</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tbsp cold unsalted butter</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tbsp corn syrup</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup heavy cream</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Place chopped bittersweet chocolate (I used semi sweet, and while I’m sure the end result is a different flavor than the original, it’s still very good), unsalted butter, and corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Bring heavy cream to a boil, pour it over the chocolate, and let sit for 3 minutes. Gently stir, using a whisk, until smooth. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, until the glaze thickens slightly. Pour the glaze onto the center of the frosted cake and smooth out to the edges to allow the glaze to drop over the sides. Makes 1 cup.&nbsp;</span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I topped the whole thing with a couple of oreos cut in half. &nbsp;Not bad for a first try...</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RZ-ZDSj70oA/UOkBeg_mf-I/AAAAAAAAB3M/BGu6-R6zvT8/s1600/utf-8''IMG_3163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RZ-ZDSj70oA/UOkBeg_mf-I/AAAAAAAAB3M/BGu6-R6zvT8/s320/utf-8''IMG_3163.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="ingredients" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><ul style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li class="odd" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: none; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></li><li class="odd" itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: none; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><br /></li><li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><br /></li><li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><br /></li><li itemprop="ingredients" style="border: 0px; clear: left; color: #2f2c29; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 250px;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></li></ul></div><div class="clear" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #552b29; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="directions" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #552b29; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"></div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/2737032170166740353/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=2737032170166740353";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/2737032170166740353";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/2737032170166740353";s:4:"link";s:63:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/01/chocolate-oreo-cake.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:8;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-8082696214979761319";s:9:"published";s:29:"2013-01-04T17:44:00.000-05:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-01-04T17:44:38.770-05:00";s:5:"title";s:24:"Garden Resolutions: 2013";s:12:"atom_content";s:3810:"Our new&nbsp;<a href="http://flaglotliving.blogspot.com/">house</a>&nbsp;is getting closer to being done. &nbsp;The drywallers have finished, the gypcrete has been poured on the main floor (gypcrete is a soupy concrete-like material that we're using under the tile on the main floor to add "thermal mass", thermal mass acts as a heat sink, moderating the temperature of the house.), and the next thing to do is paint and tile. <br /><br />With feeling like we may actually be able to move in at some point, I've been getting excited and overwhelemed &nbsp;at the idea of creating a garden from scratch. <br /><br />My plan is to fill the south side of the house with raised beds. &nbsp;The raised beds may have to be unframed and we'll box them up a couple each year until they're done. <br /><br />The east side of the house is going to be my "forest" and maybe at some point there will be a pond in the corner near where we buried&nbsp;<a href="http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2011/11/can-i-go-back-to-last-week.html">Taja</a>. &nbsp;The west side will be the grassy rectangle for the boys to play and run around, and we'll surround it with raised beds like we did at our last house- those raised beds will hold the grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and whatever else I can think of.<br /><br />One side of the very long driveway will be our "orchard. &nbsp;I'll probably plant a peach tree, an apricot tree, a plum tree, and a nectarine tree. &nbsp;I'm debating doing some espaliered apple trees...<br /><br />It's going to be a lot of work and I'm sure it will take several years to get things the way I want them, but eventually it will be great.<br /><br />If I can manage to get anything done besides just getting things going, my plans for reclaiming my inner pioneer this year include:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Growing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gmushrooms.com/Plugs/index.htm">my own mushroom logs</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Trying round 2 with&nbsp;<a href="http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2011/08/im-just-little-black-rain-cloud.html">bees</a>. &nbsp;Try #1 didn't survive the winter (we may have squashed the queen...).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Try #2 with the potato tower (this time I'll make sure to get the right kind of potato).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kIVmHX-TdNM/UOdZzLq2jeI/AAAAAAAAB2g/ywRVj9ez_E0/s1600/IMG_0104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kIVmHX-TdNM/UOdZzLq2jeI/AAAAAAAAB2g/ywRVj9ez_E0/s1600/IMG_0104.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Try artichokes again. &nbsp;Last time, I was able to get one plant through the winter, and it produced several artichokes, but I'm thinking they would fit really well up against the house on the south side of the yard. &nbsp;In between the window wells...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--3bfHhQIT-k/UOda9F6T0II/AAAAAAAAB2s/COLpsBwtHu8/s1600/IMG_3524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--3bfHhQIT-k/UOda9F6T0II/AAAAAAAAB2s/COLpsBwtHu8/s1600/IMG_3524.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/8082696214979761319/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=8082696214979761319";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/8082696214979761319";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8082696214979761319";s:4:"link";s:67:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2013/01/garden-resolutions-2013.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:9;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:58:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-162744961047411035";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-12-17T17:08:00.002-05:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-12-17T17:09:02.401-05:00";s:5:"title";s:11:"After Pants";s:12:"atom_content";s:5489:"I wasn't surprised to be the only woman in my ward in pants on Sunday. &nbsp;I did see a bit of purple, and that was nice. &nbsp;No one said anything unkind to me, and I think I felt like I got stared at more than I actually did. <br /><br />The biggest thing I learned from this is that no matter what anyone else actually thinks of you, it's your perception of what others think that affects you the most. &nbsp;I gained a greater understanding of what it feels like to not "fit in". &nbsp;I hope that I can take that knowledge and use it to be more compassionate to others who, for whatever reason, feel like they don't fit in.<br /><br />I was also thinking about the parable of the good samaritan.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"</span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"</span><br /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, [</span><a class="external text" href="http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Deuteronomy&amp;verse=6:5&amp;src=!" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-image: url(data:image/png; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #663366; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding-right: 13px; text-decoration: none;">Deuteronomy 6:5</a><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">]; and your neighbour as yourself [</span><a class="external text" href="http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Leviticus&amp;verse=19:18&amp;src=!" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-image: url(data:image/png; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #663366; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; padding-right: 13px; text-decoration: none;">Leviticus 19:18</a><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">]."</span><br /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">He said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live."</span><br /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?"</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.' Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbour to him who fell among the robbers?"</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">He said, "He who showed mercy on him."</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do."</span>&nbsp;</blockquote>This past week, we've seen women (and men) who are in pain, hurting. &nbsp;Some over things they don't understand. &nbsp;Some because they've been treated badly by those who should love and support them. &nbsp;Some over deeply rooted cultural issues.<br /><br />The overwhelming response I saw, to this expression of pain was statements of, "well, I've never been treated as less than", or "my husband treats me like a queen". &nbsp;I'm saddened that instead of trying to understand, and to offer help regardless of differing perspectives, I saw a lot of turning away, of passing on the other side. <br /><br />What a missed opportunity to listen and comfort, and show mercy on a soul who was in pain.<br /><br />On the other side, I saw many women find their courage. &nbsp;Women who stood up for something they believed in, even though it was scary. &nbsp;I also saw conversations happening that will lead to greater understanding down the road. &nbsp;I saw sisters find others who understand their pain, friendships formed. My heart is happy.";s:12:"link_replies";s:146:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/162744961047411035/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=162744961047411035";s:9:"link_edit";s:70:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/162744961047411035";s:9:"link_self";s:69:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/162744961047411035";s:4:"link";s:55:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/12/after-pants.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:10;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-7128186924040039530";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-12-15T12:38:00.004-05:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-12-15T21:31:16.847-05:00";s:5:"title";s:6:"Pants.";s:12:"atom_content";s:2401:"Last week some women on facebook got together and decided they were going to start a "wear pants to church day", this sunday. &nbsp;I'm late to the party, posting about it, seeing as it's been all around the news and there are more blog posts talking about it than I can count. <br /><br />I know that I have friends and family who are perplexed by the whole thing. &nbsp;They've never felt treated less than at church, and don't get why some women want to be like men.<br /><br />First, I want to say that I love each of you, and I don't care if you disagree with me over this one. &nbsp;I'm used to loving people who disagree with me on various issues. &nbsp;I do hope that you can consider a few points here.<br /><br /><br /><ol><li>These women are not trying to make women be like men. &nbsp;I personally wear pants 6-days a week and have not yet actually turned into a man. &nbsp;Pants don't make the man. &nbsp;Pants are an item of clothing that come in many different styles. &nbsp;Some casual, some dressy, some more masculine in design, and some very feminine. &nbsp;</li><li>Some women do actually feel very real pain, and do actually feel like they are not treated equally at church. &nbsp;(Some have had real-life horrible experiences with unrighteous dominion.) &nbsp;Just because that is not your personal experience doesn't invalidate other people's experience. &nbsp;(Likewise, their experience doesn't invalidate your own, so there is no need to feel defensive. &nbsp;Nothing is under attack.)</li><li>When people are hurting, it is unkind for us to respond by calling them names (silly, stupid, ridiculous, dumb feminist b****- just a small sampling of things I've seen this week), or telling them that they shouldn't feel the way they do. &nbsp;That doesn't fix anything. &nbsp;What they need is for someone to say, "I don't understand why you feel the way you do, but I'm sorry you are hurting. How can I help?"</li><li>No one is showing up at church to disturb the meeting, or protest anything. &nbsp;Most people who are wearing pants or purple to church are doing so to say, "here I am, in support of my sisters or brothers who are hurting, and maybe I hurt to, so I'm going to mourn with those who mourn, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort, and hopefully someone will see that I could use someone to mourn with me, and to comfort me too."</li></ol><div><br /></div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/7128186924040039530/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=7128186924040039530";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/7128186924040039530";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/7128186924040039530";s:4:"link";s:49:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/12/pants.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"1";}}i:11;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-3862827975421485631";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-11-16T10:18:00.000-05:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-11-16T10:18:32.523-05:00";s:5:"title";s:39:"Product Review Update: Lunch Containers";s:12:"atom_content";s:1563:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rYOPSRPhU1g/UKZZBvb8QjI/AAAAAAAABz4/qgt9SCW_bW0/s1600/mini-fs-6pk-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rYOPSRPhU1g/UKZZBvb8QjI/AAAAAAAABz4/qgt9SCW_bW0/s1600/mini-fs-6pk-main.jpg" /></a></div>I wrote awhile back about my&nbsp;<a href="http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/09/product-preview-in-search-of-perfect.html">search for lunch containers</a>&nbsp;that didn't leak, were easy to open, and weren't plastic. &nbsp;I kind of failed to find anything, since glass wouldn't work, and all the metal containers seemed difficult for small hands to open (or they weren't water tight). &nbsp;My mom introduced me to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.preserveproducts.com/">Preserve</a>, she found a cutting board and brought it home from a trip to California. &nbsp;I ordered a set of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.preserveproducts.com/products/kitchen/mini-food-storage-6-pack.html">Mini Storage Containers</a>. &nbsp;We've been using them for several weeks, and the kids haven't had a problem getting the lid off, they don't leak, they're the perfect size for yogurt or fruit, and they seem pretty solid- so they should last for quite awhile. <br /><br />I'm not getting paid to say this, or being provided any free product, I'm just reviewing this item because I love it. &nbsp;Check out the website, they have some neat products, all made from recycled #5 plastics. ";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/3862827975421485631/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=3862827975421485631";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/3862827975421485631";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/3862827975421485631";s:4:"link";s:82:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/11/product-review-update-lunch-containers.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:12;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-2720633223851293260";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-11-15T15:05:00.000-05:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-11-15T15:06:59.089-05:00";s:5:"title";s:48:"Funeral Potatoes without the "cream of..." soups";s:12:"atom_content";s:4189:"I love funeral potatoes. &nbsp;It may be a <a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2007/09/funeral-potatoes-and-such/">Mormon</a>&nbsp;thing, I don't know. &nbsp;What I do know is that aside from actual funerals, I don't think I ate "real" funeral potatoes until I was married and my Mother-in-Law made them for dinner (along with a ham, because that's what you do). &nbsp;My mom made "Cheesy Potatoes" which are also delicious, but they're not the same thing. <br /><br />My Mother-in-Law's recipe is the gold standard to which I hold all other funeral potato recipes:<br /><br />6 boiled, peeled and grated potatoes<br /><br />Combine:<br />1/4 cup melted butter<br />1 can cream of chicken soup<br />1/2 cup grated cheese<br />1 cup sour cream<br /><br />2 cups corn flakes, crushed<br /><br />Put half of the potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish. &nbsp;Spread with half the mixture, repeat with remaining potatoes and sauce. &nbsp;Cover with crushed corn flakes. &nbsp;Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.<br /><br />Now, I'm trying to get away from using cream of anything soups, because they're full of stuff that's hard to pronounce and maybe we shouldn't be consuming. &nbsp;I'll keep eating funeral potatoes made this way when other people make them, because they're still delicious, and it's not every day, but I decided when I make them myself I'd try to find a way to make them without the cream of soup can. <br /><br />Looking around the internet, I found a recipe that looked promising at&nbsp;<a href="http://realmomkitchen.com/10810/no-cream-of-soup-potato-casserole-aka-funeral-potatoes/">realmomkitchen.com</a>. &nbsp;I made it as directed at it was really very good. &nbsp;I think I'd leave out the thyme, and I used Better than Bouillon added directly, and then just milk in place of the chicken broth. &nbsp;It was really easy to make, not much harder than the gold standard (easier if you use store bought hash brown potatoes) So here's my version:<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W7Pt9m5HQh4/UKVKmdWdgeI/AAAAAAAABzk/_hXFNiLdezw/s1600/No-Cream-of-Soup-Potato-Casserole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W7Pt9m5HQh4/UKVKmdWdgeI/AAAAAAAABzk/_hXFNiLdezw/s320/No-Cream-of-Soup-Potato-Casserole.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://realmomkitchen.com/10810/no-cream-of-soup-potato-casserole-aka-funeral-potatoes/">{Photo Credit}</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />-3 Tbsp butter<br />-1 medium onion, finely diced<br />-1/4 cup flour<br />-1 Tbsp chicken flavored Better than Bouillon soup base<br />-2 1/2 cups milk<br />-1 1/2 tsp salt<br />-Pepper to taste<br />-2 1/2 cups (or so) shredded cheddar cheese<br />-1/2 cup sour cream<br />-6 potatoes peeled, boiled and shredded OR 1 26 oz bag of frozen shredded hash browns, thawed<br />-2 cups lightly crushed corn flakes<br /><br />In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and saute chopped onion until the onion is soft and starts to caramelize (caramelized onions make everything taste better). &nbsp;Add the flour and stir until it is combined well with the onions and butter. &nbsp;Add the chicken Better than Bouillon and stir, then add the milk. &nbsp;Whisk. &nbsp;Add the salt and pepper. &nbsp;Heat until almost boiling, but not quite, whisk until the mixture begins to thicken. &nbsp;Remove from heat and stir in all but a little of the cheese (save some for topping). &nbsp;Place half of your potatoes in a baking dish, and top with half of the cheese sauce, repeat with remaining potatoes and cheese sauce (you can stir everything together if you want, but it tends to mash the potatoes more, especially if you're using real potatoes you shredded yourself). &nbsp;Sprinkle remaining cheese and crushed corn flakes over the top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. &nbsp;In a pinch you can use crushed corn chex or other similar cereal.";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/2720633223851293260/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=2720633223851293260";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/2720633223851293260";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/2720633223851293260";s:4:"link";s:83:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/11/funeral-potatoes-without-cream-of-soups.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"1";}}i:13;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-8653400186670495614";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-10-30T17:25:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-10-30T17:25:33.567-04:00";s:5:"title";s:27:"Pinterest Halloween S'mores";s:12:"atom_content";s:4339:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">I saw a cute halloween treat idea of Pinterest, and thought I'd try it out for my son's halloween party at school. &nbsp;The original had ghosts, but halloween peeps were really hard to find, so I used what I could get. &nbsp;I made up my own label for it since the pinterest label said ghosts.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lcf5QifIM20/UJBERzmCkSI/AAAAAAAABxg/AVVeHFXo29Q/s1600/photo5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lcf5QifIM20/UJBERzmCkSI/AAAAAAAABxg/AVVeHFXo29Q/s320/photo5.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used a sandwich bag, the snack size would work, but would make the label a little trickier to attach.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GYHI_8HyPh8/UJBERezx22I/AAAAAAAABxY/GEAnCetnN6o/s1600/photo4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GYHI_8HyPh8/UJBERezx22I/AAAAAAAABxY/GEAnCetnN6o/s320/photo4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e-ggFmq4lo4/UJBEQQwraMI/AAAAAAAABxQ/2TKPvVu0Dg0/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e-ggFmq4lo4/UJBEQQwraMI/AAAAAAAABxQ/2TKPvVu0Dg0/s320/photo3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place peep and chocolate on crackers (I broke the chocolate in half so it fit better).</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CtTAORssXRM/UJBEP1ec-8I/AAAAAAAABxI/f6IrmldXBUs/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CtTAORssXRM/UJBEP1ec-8I/AAAAAAAABxI/f6IrmldXBUs/s320/photo2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the microwave the peep gets frighteningly large, but it flattens out when you take it out.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzIwetPhW5k/UJBEPOmDBRI/AAAAAAAABxA/-LwyzRhBGwk/s1600/Photo1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzIwetPhW5k/UJBEPOmDBRI/AAAAAAAABxA/-LwyzRhBGwk/s320/Photo1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoy!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lcf5QifIM20/UJBERzmCkSI/AAAAAAAABxg/AVVeHFXo29Q/s1600/photo5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lcf5QifIM20/UJBERzmCkSI/AAAAAAAABxg/AVVeHFXo29Q/s1600/photo5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/8653400186670495614/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=8653400186670495614";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/8653400186670495614";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8653400186670495614";s:4:"link";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/10/pinterest-halloween-smores.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"1";}}i:14;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-3767944469592628115";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-10-12T14:06:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-10-12T14:07:15.079-04:00";s:5:"title";s:50:"Putting the Garden to Bed, and Storing the Harvest";s:12:"atom_content";s:1552:"The last post of the season is up over at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/10/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-the-fall-garden/">fMh</a>. &nbsp;Go check it out, and learn what you need to do to make sure your garden is ready to go in the spring, as well as how to get your fall harvest to last as long as possible.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cROQEeH6oA8/UHha-YipnUI/AAAAAAAABwM/AiQMuaK3WpQ/s1600/IMG_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cROQEeH6oA8/UHha-YipnUI/AAAAAAAABwM/AiQMuaK3WpQ/s320/IMG_0233.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, it looks like LDSLiving.com picked up some of my Inner Pioneer posts in their <a href="http://ldsliving.com/search?x=0&amp;y=0&amp;q=inner+pioneer">Mormon Report</a>&nbsp;section. &nbsp;Yea me!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now I just need to get out and finish putting my own garden to bed. &nbsp;I only dug about half the potatoes, and there are a lot more sunflowers out there. &nbsp;My Mister likes to eat sunflower seeds to keep him awake while driving, so maybe he can eat home roasted ones. &nbsp;If you have any great flavor suggestions, let me know.</div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/3767944469592628115/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=3767944469592628115";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/3767944469592628115";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/3767944469592628115";s:4:"link";s:77:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/10/putting-garden-to-bed-and-storing.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"1";}}i:15;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-1527209017230890050";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-10-08T14:37:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-10-08T14:37:27.961-04:00";s:5:"title";s:20:"Homemade Grape Juice";s:12:"atom_content";s:1116:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Head over to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/10/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-grape-juice/">feminist Mormon housewives</a>&nbsp;to see my post on making your own grape juice!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VhZue9IiTVc/UHMdATKmsBI/AAAAAAAABu0/nsOjKRMizVo/s1600/IMG_0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VhZue9IiTVc/UHMdATKmsBI/AAAAAAAABu0/nsOjKRMizVo/s320/IMG_0217.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nYWpQIQcCqg/UHMdD2kbjJI/AAAAAAAABu8/4V6ku6NwTUk/s1600/IMG_0223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nYWpQIQcCqg/UHMdD2kbjJI/AAAAAAAABu8/4V6ku6NwTUk/s320/IMG_0223.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/1527209017230890050/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=1527209017230890050";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/1527209017230890050";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/1527209017230890050";s:4:"link";s:64:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/10/homemade-grape-juice.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:16;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-1595600730673627032";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-09-29T12:29:00.002-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-09-29T12:31:51.189-04:00";s:5:"title";s:45:"Under Pressure: Pressure Canning Without Fear";s:12:"atom_content";s:771:"I have a new post up at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/09/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-canning-tomatoes-under-pressure/">Feminist Mormon Housewives</a>&nbsp;on pressure canning tomatoes, though the tips are helpful for any food you want to pressure can (low acid foods like green beans, and meats, and things like soups should be pressure canned.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PyYM3OMVuKw/UGch_dX9jHI/AAAAAAAABr0/2ljoRg9bgck/s1600/IMG_0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PyYM3OMVuKw/UGch_dX9jHI/AAAAAAAABr0/2ljoRg9bgck/s320/IMG_0192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/1595600730673627032/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=1595600730673627032";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/1595600730673627032";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/1595600730673627032";s:4:"link";s:83:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/09/under-pressure-pressure-canning-without.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:17;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-4616948795190023974";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-09-21T23:14:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-09-21T23:14:56.426-04:00";s:5:"title";s:57:"Product Preview: In search of the perfect lunch container";s:12:"atom_content";s:1874:"I've been searching for over a year now for the perfect container to send homemade yogurt to school with my kids for lunch. &nbsp;I've looked at lots, and found a few that might work, but they just cost so much that I hadn't yet bit the bullet and bought them. <br /><br />Enter&nbsp;<a href="http://www.preserveproducts.com/">Preserve</a>. &nbsp;The containers are made from recycled #5 plastics (things like yogurt cups). &nbsp;Kind of fitting to use recycled yogurt cups to store my homemade yogurt. <br /><br />At 3.99 for two or 9.99 for ten, they're inexpensive enough that I don't worry so much about sending them to the school lunch room. &nbsp;Plus they're super cute. &nbsp;I'll report back after I get them and we've tried them out a few times.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hW7G02zprmo/UF0sBdXtLSI/AAAAAAAABoM/kUYvRIHdKsI/s1600/mini-fs-6pk-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hW7G02zprmo/UF0sBdXtLSI/AAAAAAAABoM/kUYvRIHdKsI/s1600/mini-fs-6pk-main.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--5-ljZs3CcU/UF0sEAO30kI/AAAAAAAABoU/q7qVEwEzZHo/s1600/mini-inset1_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--5-ljZs3CcU/UF0sEAO30kI/AAAAAAAABoU/q7qVEwEzZHo/s320/mini-inset1_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The website sells toothbrushes and razors (and the neat thing about these, is that you send them back when you're done and they recycle them to make more), kitchen items and tableware. &nbsp;</div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/4616948795190023974/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=4616948795190023974";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/4616948795190023974";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/4616948795190023974";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/09/product-preview-in-search-of-perfect.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:18;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-1148673612832666550";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-09-21T16:23:00.001-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-09-29T12:32:31.281-04:00";s:5:"title";s:6:"Apples";s:12:"atom_content";s:1060:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Head over to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/09/13802/">feminist Mormon housewives</a>&nbsp;to read my new post, and learn how to can applesauce and pie apples.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nX0IcQqnpIM/UFzMo86GwkI/AAAAAAAABnw/A3Gdw8eC1a4/s1600/IMG_0162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nX0IcQqnpIM/UFzMo86GwkI/AAAAAAAABnw/A3Gdw8eC1a4/s320/IMG_0162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(pay no attention to the jar of apricot puree)</div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/1148673612832666550/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=1148673612832666550";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/1148673612832666550";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/1148673612832666550";s:4:"link";s:50:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/09/apples.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:19;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-3558526993869928110";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-09-15T11:22:00.001-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-09-29T12:34:06.706-04:00";s:5:"title";s:33:"Salsa Tutorial  Plus lots more...";s:12:"atom_content";s:4939:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I posted over at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/09/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-canning-salsa/">Feminist Mormon Housewives</a>&nbsp;this week, head on over and learn how to can your very own salsa, it's easy, and Oh So delicious!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IyvexeLidtM/UFSW3v0VLuI/AAAAAAAABmM/dhfFcwFhKaI/s1600/IMG_0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IyvexeLidtM/UFSW3v0VLuI/AAAAAAAABmM/dhfFcwFhKaI/s320/IMG_0130.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While you're there you can check out my other "Inner Pioneer" posts:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/09/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-pickles/">Pickles Tutorial</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/08/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-pollination/">Pollination (bees baby!)</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/08/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-foraging/">Foraging</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/07/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-lessons-from-the-green-bean-patch/">Lessons from the green bean patch.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/07/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-raising-chickens/">Backyard Chickens, they're easier than you might think.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/07/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-yogurt/">Make your own yogurt: a tutorial.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://Tips for simplifying gardening.">Tips for simplifying gardening.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/06/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-edible-perennials-berries/">How to grow and care for your own berry patch.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/06/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-perennial-edibles-part-two/">Edible Perennials make for low-work gardens: Asparagus, Rhubarb, Garlic </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/08/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-i-grew-garlic-now-what/">So you grew garlic, here's what to do with it...</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/06/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-cooked-jam/">Jam Tutorial</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/06/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-soil/">Soil- keeping it healthy helps your garden grow!</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/2012/06/reclaiming-our-inner-pioneer-tomatoes/">TIps for growing healthy tomato plants.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/3558526993869928110/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=3558526993869928110";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/3558526993869928110";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/3558526993869928110";s:4:"link";s:73:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/09/salsa-tutorial-plus-lots-more.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:20;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-3278165743719920141";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-09-11T13:41:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-09-29T12:33:53.517-04:00";s:5:"title";s:38:"Alice Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers";s:12:"atom_content";s:5183:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Every year, I plant one or two jalapeno pepper plants. &nbsp;Inevitably, if I plant one, it dies, and if I plant two, they both flourish. &nbsp;The same thing seems to happen with zucchini plants. &nbsp;It just happened that while I was making salsa with my Mister, we took a break for lunch, and he pulled the store bought jar of pickled jalapeno peppers out of the fridge to put some on his sandwich. &nbsp;It was an "aha" moment. &nbsp;Something we've been buying that we don't need to be. &nbsp;A few days later I went out and picked all the jalapeno peppers, did a little googling for a good, <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/pickled-jalapeno-peppers-108201">simple recipe</a>&nbsp;and got busy. &nbsp;My adjusted recipe worked perfectly for 2 half pints of chopped peppers. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">1 quarts jalapeno peppers<br style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" />1 cups white wine vinegar<br style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" />1 cups water<br style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" />1/2 teaspoon pickling salt per half pint<br style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" />1 small garlic clove peeled, whole per half pint</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Wash the jalapeno peppers, then, wearing gloves, chop them all into quarter inch slices. &nbsp;The gloves are important so that you don't burn your skin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SIj2yI4h-t4/UE9y4sHTRqI/AAAAAAAABlU/byyuC61ecIM/s1600/IMG_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SIj2yI4h-t4/UE9y4sHTRqI/AAAAAAAABlU/byyuC61ecIM/s320/IMG_0147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fill your jars, leaving an inch or so headspace (these were packed down a bit before we added the brine).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UILFxeayjGU/UE9y7Kkl6lI/AAAAAAAABlc/lXOuXXcxu9g/s1600/IMG_0148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UILFxeayjGU/UE9y7Kkl6lI/AAAAAAAABlc/lXOuXXcxu9g/s320/IMG_0148.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Add garlic clove and salt.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1WdxHXt-87g/UE9y9RGFitI/AAAAAAAABlk/tX9MTqMu9CI/s1600/IMG_0150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1WdxHXt-87g/UE9y9RGFitI/AAAAAAAABlk/tX9MTqMu9CI/s320/IMG_0150.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In a pan, combine vinegar and water and bring to a boil. &nbsp;Pour boiling liquid into jars, wipe rims, and top with 2 piece caps. &nbsp;Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes (<a href="http://www.simplycanning.com/altitude-adjustments.html">adjusted for altitude</a>&nbsp;in my area it was actually 20 minutes). &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EjrFZrI7VD8/UE9y_-7ZAfI/AAAAAAAABls/8D_EDfETV18/s1600/IMG_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EjrFZrI7VD8/UE9y_-7ZAfI/AAAAAAAABls/8D_EDfETV18/s320/IMG_0156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my first year getting into pickling, and it's so easy, I can't believe I haven't done it before. &nbsp;Remove the jars from the BWB canner, and place on a towel on the counter until cool. &nbsp;Check for seal by pushing in on the lid. &nbsp;If it didn't seal, put it in the fridge and eat it first. &nbsp;Jars that sealed can be wiped down and put in the pantry. &nbsp;Delicious, easy pickled jalapeno peppers ready for use all year!</div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/3278165743719920141/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=3278165743719920141";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/3278165743719920141";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/3278165743719920141";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/09/alice-picked-peck-of-pickled-peppers.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"5";}}i:21;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-1513556151398874745";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-06-16T20:01:00.002-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-06-17T18:06:03.370-04:00";s:5:"title";s:37:"Garlic Scapes and Garden Update- June";s:12:"atom_content";s:9468:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last week I finally got around to cutting the garlic scapes. &nbsp;Garlic scapes are the stem that the flowering head grows on. &nbsp;They should be cut off to allow more growth to go to the bulb. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-adJzwSAPHwU/T90aSW8rknI/AAAAAAAABiE/lM731skK7bM/s1600/IMG_0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-adJzwSAPHwU/T90aSW8rknI/AAAAAAAABiE/lM731skK7bM/s320/IMG_0086.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You cut them at the point they meet the leaves. &nbsp;I think I had close to 25 scapes. &nbsp;Cut just below the flower bulb and discard the upper part (I fed them to my chickens).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-POKOpDCvSXM/T90aSw3AgSI/AAAAAAAABiM/vheoqbn_xfE/s1600/IMG_0089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-POKOpDCvSXM/T90aSw3AgSI/AAAAAAAABiM/vheoqbn_xfE/s320/IMG_0089.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coat scapes with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VHQp6OLp6mo/T90aTd4slQI/AAAAAAAABiU/yc0PiKvZQCk/s1600/IMG_0095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VHQp6OLp6mo/T90aTd4slQI/AAAAAAAABiU/yc0PiKvZQCk/s320/IMG_0095.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Put on a hot grill (this was a bedtime snack...)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RoUJjceNO_0/T90aT8Yt1ZI/AAAAAAAABic/Ezvj7sVFcuw/s1600/IMG_0096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RoUJjceNO_0/T90aT8Yt1ZI/AAAAAAAABic/Ezvj7sVFcuw/s320/IMG_0096.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's just like cooking asparagus. &nbsp;They were tasty, but the two of us could only eat so many. &nbsp;The rest I pureed with olive oil, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts- garlic scape pesto. &nbsp;We ate some on pasta for dinner the next night and the rest, I put it in little containers and froze for later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UgcRs1JJUaA/T90aY1_vOFI/AAAAAAAABjc/XWmKjgF2fOY/s1600/IMG_0106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UgcRs1JJUaA/T90aY1_vOFI/AAAAAAAABjc/XWmKjgF2fOY/s320/IMG_0106.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This morning when My Mister got back from a scout campout, we headed over to my cousin's house. &nbsp;She's out of town and said we could pick her raspberries. &nbsp;We picked about a gallon of berries. &nbsp;Two trays full went in the freezer, and we saved a bowl for eating. &nbsp;Some day I'm going to have a patch like that. &nbsp;We'd have plenty to eat, make jam, and freeze enough to last the winter. &nbsp;Also canning. &nbsp;I canned a few jars last year as an experiment, and while we didn't like them for eating, My Mister loved them for putting in smoothies. &nbsp;I'm all for smoothie fruits that don't take up freezer space!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xoFOoCQZ8js/T90aUUjp0lI/AAAAAAAABik/2ovQEqgk7p4/s1600/IMG_0098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xoFOoCQZ8js/T90aUUjp0lI/AAAAAAAABik/2ovQEqgk7p4/s320/IMG_0098.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After picking berries, we took naps (we all had late nights) then I planted this rocoto pepper plant that we started from seed. &nbsp;It's in a self-watering container, which hopefully means I don't kill it off.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WbBvvOKn-Qw/T90aVDKy95I/AAAAAAAABis/7S3Ejrc-nEc/s1600/IMG_0099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WbBvvOKn-Qw/T90aVDKy95I/AAAAAAAABis/7S3Ejrc-nEc/s320/IMG_0099.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I planted three small cherry tomato plants in a larger self-watering container.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3fybkx_lMso/T90aWa83IlI/AAAAAAAABi0/GcRtwbsTI6s/s1600/IMG_0100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3fybkx_lMso/T90aWa83IlI/AAAAAAAABi0/GcRtwbsTI6s/s320/IMG_0100.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I mowed the patio-yard with the reel mower. &nbsp;Plus My Mister moved the dog kennel since the backyard is now fenced in. &nbsp;The property value just took a jump up.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z5ZjJB6DsTc/T90aWxAvWlI/AAAAAAAABi8/S_zClmMdFAI/s1600/IMG_0101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z5ZjJB6DsTc/T90aWxAvWlI/AAAAAAAABi8/S_zClmMdFAI/s320/IMG_0101.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My Mister moved things around and weed whacked around the chicken coop. &nbsp;The chickens get the dog kennel and now have a much bigger yard to roam in.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ppjTky_YEKs/T90aXZW0gNI/AAAAAAAABjE/N4bVKQEUzsE/s1600/IMG_0102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ppjTky_YEKs/T90aXZW0gNI/AAAAAAAABjE/N4bVKQEUzsE/s320/IMG_0102.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I watered the garden, and My Mister put the last of the grass clipping pile and spread it out on the pathways. &nbsp;The garden is looking great, although the sprinkler system is not working. &nbsp;The control box malfunctioned. &nbsp;It's getting replaced tonight- I'm tired of hand watering.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RWfBpVCoZcg/T90aXykeBtI/AAAAAAAABjM/Bv79RwP1Imk/s1600/IMG_0103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RWfBpVCoZcg/T90aXykeBtI/AAAAAAAABjM/Bv79RwP1Imk/s320/IMG_0103.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">My Mister mowed the field.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HHTCsb33_6w/T90aYVOT47I/AAAAAAAABjU/rSKl-jAxBgk/s1600/IMG_0104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HHTCsb33_6w/T90aYVOT47I/AAAAAAAABjU/rSKl-jAxBgk/s320/IMG_0104.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I buried the potato plants again. &nbsp;I'm mildly concerned about the potato box. &nbsp;Apparently late season potatoes work better, and I think the variety I have here is a mid-season. &nbsp;Hopefully I'm not disappointed this fall to take the thing apart and have only a hand full of potatoes. &nbsp;The plants have&nbsp;grown really well, so whatever happens, I'll do it again next year, but I'll be more careful about selecting a good variety.</div><br /><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/1513556151398874745/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=1513556151398874745";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/1513556151398874745";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/1513556151398874745";s:4:"link";s:62:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/06/garden-update-june.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"1";}}i:22;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:58:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-348338046947282828";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-05-17T12:34:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-05-17T12:39:22.795-04:00";s:5:"title";s:43:"Early Morning Watering and Garden Puttering";s:12:"atom_content";s:5816:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AmssfwEdLQ0/T7UmTlykTFI/AAAAAAAABg8/66abKJTm-NQ/s1600/IMG_0546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AmssfwEdLQ0/T7UmTlykTFI/AAAAAAAABg8/66abKJTm-NQ/s320/IMG_0546.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This isn't garden or puttering, but you can never have too many cute baby pictures... Baby E playing on his "computer". &nbsp;We train them young around here.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8X7NcoV0TLM/T7UmVkHK5iI/AAAAAAAABhE/1gkLw1ZucXQ/s1600/IMG_0551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8X7NcoV0TLM/T7UmVkHK5iI/AAAAAAAABhE/1gkLw1ZucXQ/s320/IMG_0551.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I *think* this is a cucumber. &nbsp;There are so many weeds that look similar that it's hard to know for sure- so I'm not pulling anything until they get a little bigger and I can better distinguish weed from plant.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WXjaByI08_Q/T7UmX9y-qII/AAAAAAAABhM/PkggTmkPC2s/s1600/IMG_0552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WXjaByI08_Q/T7UmX9y-qII/AAAAAAAABhM/PkggTmkPC2s/s320/IMG_0552.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The transplanted raspberries seem to be doing pretty well- we only lost a couple.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3upo6XYkw6o/T7UmaREv0GI/AAAAAAAABhU/r_dC5wAhBsE/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3upo6XYkw6o/T7UmaREv0GI/AAAAAAAABhU/r_dC5wAhBsE/s320/IMG_0553.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beans are up, and I'm happy to report that the saved seeds appear to be coming up at the same rate as the purchased seed.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MnHMSgPLPI0/T7Umbxc6f8I/AAAAAAAABhc/y3J3o04Xrkw/s1600/IMG_0554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MnHMSgPLPI0/T7Umbxc6f8I/AAAAAAAABhc/y3J3o04Xrkw/s320/IMG_0554.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finally, potatoes! &nbsp;There are only three plants up, so hopefully the others pop up soon, so I can bury them all again...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMpzqrknEe4/T7Umd7HBw0I/AAAAAAAABhk/8KrB6HIYzbI/s1600/IMG_0555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMpzqrknEe4/T7Umd7HBw0I/AAAAAAAABhk/8KrB6HIYzbI/s320/IMG_0555.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some of these are weeds, but most of them are sunflowers. &nbsp;It's going to be fun to have the long row of them edging the garden.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMvdDF_iU1s/T7Umf3W2l_I/AAAAAAAABhs/gM75kNq6IXU/s1600/IMG_0556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMvdDF_iU1s/T7Umf3W2l_I/AAAAAAAABhs/gM75kNq6IXU/s320/IMG_0556.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Blackcaps. &nbsp;Even without the bees, they seem to be thriving and there are lots of buds where fruit will form.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LOKv4mG36ks/T7Umhzty2eI/AAAAAAAABh0/HrSIfe3VUv0/s1600/IMG_0557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LOKv4mG36ks/T7Umhzty2eI/AAAAAAAABh0/HrSIfe3VUv0/s320/IMG_0557.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I didn't take a picture, but the tomatoes and peppers are being hardened off, so we'll get them planted on saturday. &nbsp;Also, there are three cracked eggs on the garage floor that I've been putting off cleaning up... I put them in the pocket of the stroller canopy to bring to the house, and when we got to the garage, baby E pulled the canopy down, dumping the eggs. &nbsp;I about cried because we have two or three broody hens and eggs aren't as abundant as they have been.</div>";s:12:"link_replies";s:146:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/348338046947282828/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=348338046947282828";s:9:"link_edit";s:70:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/348338046947282828";s:9:"link_self";s:69:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/348338046947282828";s:4:"link";s:77:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/05/early-morning-watering-and-garden.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"1";}}i:23;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-8663381971225541746";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-05-06T21:46:00.000-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-05-06T21:52:17.504-04:00";s:5:"title";s:35:"Garden Progress and a DIY Wasp Trap";s:12:"atom_content";s:11187:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JyfvJ5-4-2U/T6bctBvvWEI/AAAAAAAABe4/h94mzypnPP0/s1600/IMG_1858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JyfvJ5-4-2U/T6bctBvvWEI/AAAAAAAABe4/h94mzypnPP0/s320/IMG_1858.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My Mister and CP worked on digging a trench to run the sprinkler line to our new smaller "big" garden. &nbsp;Since the house is going to be under construction this year, we'll have trucks driving over our regular garden spot. &nbsp;My Mister plowed up an area further south, leaving room for trucks to get through where they'll need to. &nbsp;It makes the big garden smaller than we'd like it, but we'll survive. &nbsp;Originally he was going to run a line all the way up the side of the garden, but the side by the sheds is so rocky that we decided to run the line just next to the sheds, and from there, just do some sort of above-ground line. &nbsp;We don't know if we'll need to use this garden again next year or can move back to our regular location which will soon be my back yard. &nbsp;(Imagine- gardening in my own garden in my own back yard....sigh...)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UiDzTFRUnMM/T6bc4hhJlCI/AAAAAAAABfA/k5EVWSfCxII/s1600/IMG_1859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UiDzTFRUnMM/T6bc4hhJlCI/AAAAAAAABfA/k5EVWSfCxII/s320/IMG_1859.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCQUsr15llI/T6bdH71o6DI/AAAAAAAABfQ/fNdjFzmLCME/s1600/IMG_1861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCQUsr15llI/T6bdH71o6DI/AAAAAAAABfQ/fNdjFzmLCME/s320/IMG_1861.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">12 rows of green beans.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FK_VJVq-rJc/T6bdRm4rwXI/AAAAAAAABfY/Gt51JYlMmVw/s1600/IMG_1862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FK_VJVq-rJc/T6bdRm4rwXI/AAAAAAAABfY/Gt51JYlMmVw/s320/IMG_1862.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">3 rows of potatoes.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rSAl7yE6PA/T6bda8rh8AI/AAAAAAAABfg/-xun5dv659Y/s1600/IMG_1863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rSAl7yE6PA/T6bda8rh8AI/AAAAAAAABfg/-xun5dv659Y/s320/IMG_1863.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One peach tree. &nbsp;This replaced the peach tree we planted with my dad two years ago that died over the winter. &nbsp;It's a little taller than I like for a new fruit tree, but it had the best shape of all the trees at the nursery. &nbsp;I can't remember the name, but it's a mid to late producer (which means it's safer from frosts), freestone, and very sweet.&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iITT0u2EqHQ/T6bdsDLQ_bI/AAAAAAAABfo/wIYBlQuTNjY/s1600/IMG_1864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iITT0u2EqHQ/T6bdsDLQ_bI/AAAAAAAABfo/wIYBlQuTNjY/s320/IMG_1864.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One Bartlett Pear.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dQdRKn_wAAo/T6bd2UVlk0I/AAAAAAAABfw/rU3veZzwMVY/s1600/IMG_1865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dQdRKn_wAAo/T6bd2UVlk0I/AAAAAAAABfw/rU3veZzwMVY/s320/IMG_1865.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my potato tower. &nbsp;I plated 12 or so seed potatoes in the bottom. &nbsp;Once they sprout, we'll screw the first round of slats around the bottom of the tower and fill it in with soil or something... It will end up being a lot of soil, so I'm not totally sure about what I'm going to use. &nbsp;I have a big bag of peat moss, so I may use that. &nbsp;I also have a lot of old potting soil, which I may use. &nbsp;The idea is that as the plants grow, you build up the sides of the tower. &nbsp;I'll be able to harvest early potatoes by unscrewing the bottom slat and pulling the little potatoes out- all without disturbing the rest of the tower. &nbsp;I've posted the link before, but I got the idea from pinterest, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.veggiegardener.com/how-to-build-potato-tower/">this</a>&nbsp;website.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JJBn0PPwohI/T6bd66cjXxI/AAAAAAAABf4/Ixq774sByxk/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JJBn0PPwohI/T6bd66cjXxI/AAAAAAAABf4/Ixq774sByxk/s320/IMG_1866.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The strings are to deter Inti dog from romping through my newly planted garden. &nbsp;This is the bean side.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HIVZw1PhqVg/T6beANa9XMI/AAAAAAAABgA/hG9Fm79lNCc/s1600/IMG_1867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HIVZw1PhqVg/T6beANa9XMI/AAAAAAAABgA/hG9Fm79lNCc/s320/IMG_1867.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The potato side (well there are more beans over there too..). &nbsp;My Mister says I need to work on my straight rows. &nbsp;Whoops.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZwDxYjYDDo/T6beILJHB7I/AAAAAAAABgI/hJ9sKZ1L0Mg/s1600/IMG_1868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZwDxYjYDDo/T6beILJHB7I/AAAAAAAABgI/hJ9sKZ1L0Mg/s320/IMG_1868.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are the raspberries we got from my cousin. &nbsp;We were going to plant them somewhere else, but it was filled with weeds, and we didn't have time to get it ready, since the raspberries were a last minute trade for some of our tomato plants. &nbsp;This will be a fine place for raspberries. &nbsp;I'm just happy to have a year head start from when I thought I'd be planting raspberries in my yard.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ED-5h96Dqg/T6beL_zY-XI/AAAAAAAABgQ/ceFHCh7pTMM/s1600/IMG_1869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ED-5h96Dqg/T6beL_zY-XI/AAAAAAAABgQ/ceFHCh7pTMM/s320/IMG_1869.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The far end that isn't planted yet will hold squash and as many tomato plants as we can fit in. &nbsp;Along the right side of the picture I planted a row of giant sunflowers. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pED0lQ_JB3E/T6bePn0nPdI/AAAAAAAABgY/0iQzmYDkLPY/s1600/IMG_1870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pED0lQ_JB3E/T6bePn0nPdI/AAAAAAAABgY/0iQzmYDkLPY/s320/IMG_1870.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gratuitous chicken pic. &nbsp;I have two broody hens, and they weren't tempted out by the greens I tossed in.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7EwsV7cQ6IE/T6beRWn92hI/AAAAAAAABgg/Q5yvX-pX9sI/s1600/IMG_1871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7EwsV7cQ6IE/T6beRWn92hI/AAAAAAAABgg/Q5yvX-pX9sI/s320/IMG_1871.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aX7Iace6-eA/T6beTAUEI-I/AAAAAAAABgo/XeBGwG40fyA/s1600/IMG_1872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aX7Iace6-eA/T6beTAUEI-I/AAAAAAAABgo/XeBGwG40fyA/s320/IMG_1872.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I saw a tutorial on pinterest for a homemade wasp trap. &nbsp;We had several crawling around in the chicken coop, so I cut the top off of a 2-liter bottle, inverted the top inside the bottle, and filled the bottom with vinegar and sugar. &nbsp;I caught three wasps and several flies the first couple of days, but haven't caught anything since. &nbsp;I think it needs to be refreshed regularly. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xaOl12_XlaU/T6beVFp50lI/AAAAAAAABgw/tEbn0ctZ9f8/s1600/IMG_1873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xaOl12_XlaU/T6beVFp50lI/AAAAAAAABgw/tEbn0ctZ9f8/s320/IMG_1873.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hello Egg. &nbsp;No reason for this picture, other than to express my joy that it is spring, and the grass is green, and the eggs are aplenty. &nbsp;</div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/8663381971225541746/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=8663381971225541746";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/8663381971225541746";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/8663381971225541746";s:4:"link";s:77:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/05/garden-progress-and-diy-wasp-trap.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}i:24;a:13:{s:2:"id";s:59:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492.post-6184001122839216582";s:9:"published";s:29:"2012-05-03T11:56:00.003-04:00";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2012-05-03T11:57:48.345-04:00";s:5:"title";s:20:"Spring Garden Update";s:12:"atom_content";s:5264:"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yUn_dcUqtj4/T6KmQlo3WzI/AAAAAAAABeM/RcidNzTjRc4/s1600/IMG_0042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yUn_dcUqtj4/T6KmQlo3WzI/AAAAAAAABeM/RcidNzTjRc4/s320/IMG_0042.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The new bean seeds arrived. &nbsp;I was hoping I'd have enough from what I saved last year, but I decided those needed supplementing. &nbsp;The saved seeds are "Provider" while these new seeds are "Bountiful". &nbsp;Maybe next year I can call the cross-pollinated seeds Bountiful Provider. &nbsp;I like the sound of that, and unless Bountiful is not, the cross pollinated seed ought to live up to it's name. Especially considering we still have some 2010 jars of canned beans. &nbsp;That was the year I was pregnant and wishing that picking beans would send me into labor. &nbsp; Now I just have to scrape all the saved seeds out of the pods. &nbsp;I was lazy last year and just stuck them all in a bucket in the garage.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xu_tH89QRtQ/T6KmUZdRCsI/AAAAAAAABeU/Xk3DudD-E8E/s1600/IMG_0043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xu_tH89QRtQ/T6KmUZdRCsI/AAAAAAAABeU/Xk3DudD-E8E/s320/IMG_0043.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The seed potatoes arrived a little while back, and I finally got around to slicing them up. &nbsp;Potatoes are my experiment for this year. &nbsp;I don't expect to get a years supply off of this crop, but we'll see how they do. &nbsp;I'm trying Sangre and Desiree. &nbsp;We're building something along&nbsp;<a href="http://www.veggiegardener.com/how-to-build-potato-tower/">these lines...</a>&nbsp; It's a potato tower, that will sit in our raised bed, so hopefully keeping them watered won't be a problem. &nbsp;That was my issue several years ago when I tried growing potatoes in buckets. &nbsp;My elaborate watering system (using a stick to divert water dripping from the faucet every time the soaker hoses watered the garden) stopped working while we were gone for the week, and my plants died. &nbsp;Some plants will have to go in the big garden since the potato tower isn't going to hold more than 12-16 seeds. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4asmxPhacdM/T6KmVUoexnI/AAAAAAAABec/2BJtizCZZeQ/s1600/IMG_0044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4asmxPhacdM/T6KmVUoexnI/AAAAAAAABec/2BJtizCZZeQ/s320/IMG_0044.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My experiment from last year is actually more of this years' experiment, the garlic (Music) looks great, and I'm hopeful that this will actually be enough to last a year and have some to plant in the fall. &nbsp;My goal is to work up to a years supply plus seed. &nbsp;We'll see. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GelHJUwWkvA/T6KmWuelFII/AAAAAAAABek/Vd6oL-MXcmU/s1600/IMG_0045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GelHJUwWkvA/T6KmWuelFII/AAAAAAAABek/Vd6oL-MXcmU/s320/IMG_0045.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Peas. &nbsp;One of these years I'm going to plant enough that I can freeze some. &nbsp;This patch won't produce enough for any to even make it in the door. &nbsp;The kids will eat them as fast as they are ready. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5EWFxTYLqIw/T6KmYXJK73I/AAAAAAAABes/PRkXYHyb8EE/s1600/IMG_0046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5EWFxTYLqIw/T6KmYXJK73I/AAAAAAAABes/PRkXYHyb8EE/s320/IMG_0046.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Asparagus. &nbsp;I planted the roots three years ago, so this is the first year I've been able to harvest anything. &nbsp;We went on vacation for a weekend and came home to some majorly overgrown asparagus, so I picked everything that was tender enough to eat, and we had it for dinner, and everything else is waiting to be turned into soup. &nbsp;Currently there are only two stalks coming up, so the next picking might be more of a snack than part of dinner...</div><br />";s:12:"link_replies";s:148:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/6184001122839216582/comments/defaulthttp://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16899492&postID=6184001122839216582";s:9:"link_edit";s:71:"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16899492/posts/default/6184001122839216582";s:9:"link_self";s:70:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/6184001122839216582";s:4:"link";s:64:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/2012/05/spring-garden-update.html";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:3:"thr";a:1:{s:5:"total";s:1:"0";}}}s:7:"channel";a:14:{s:2:"id";s:34:"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16899492";s:7:"updated";s:29:"2013-12-16T13:37:19.714-05:00";s:5:"title";s:27:"Reclaiming My Inner Pioneer";s:8:"subtitle";s:142:"I'm living the good life, building up my suburban homestead one new experiment at a time, and teaching my boys to value the world around them.";s:42:"link_http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed";s:47:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full";s:9:"link_self";s:47:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full";s:4:"link";s:31:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/";s:8:"link_hub";s:32:"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/";s:9:"link_next";s:77:"http://isagoodone.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/full?start-index=26&max-results=25";s:11:"author_name";s:5:"Alice";s:10:"author_uri";s:51:"http://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521";s:12:"author_email";s:19:"noreply@blogger.com";s:9:"generator";s:7:"Blogger";s:10:"opensearch";a:3:{s:12:"totalresults";s:3:"541";s:10:"startindex";s:1:"1";s:12:"itemsperpage";s:2:"25";}}s:9:"textinput";a:0:{}s:5:"image";a:0:{}s:9:"feed_type";s:4:"Atom";s:12:"feed_version";N;s:8:"encoding";s:5:"UTF-8";s:16:"_source_encoding";s:0:"";s:5:"ERROR";s:0:"";s:7:"WARNING";s:0:"";s:19:"_CONTENT_CONSTRUCTS";a:6:{i:0;s:7:"content";i:1;s:7:"summary";i:2;s:4:"info";i:3;s:5:"title";i:4;s:7:"tagline";i:5;s:9:"copyright";}s:16:"_KNOWN_ENCODINGS";a:3:{i:0;s:5:"UTF-8";i:1;s:8:"US-ASCII";i:2;s:10:"ISO-8859-1";}s:5:"stack";a:0:{}s:9:"inchannel";b:0;s:6:"initem";b:0;s:9:"incontent";b:0;s:11:"intextinput";b:0;s:7:"inimage";b:0;s:17:"current_namespace";b:0;s:13:"last_modified";s:31:"Mon, 16 Dec 2013 18:37:19 GMT
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