Darlene

On 1/5/2024 at 9:33 AM, Mother said:

If you add a Food saver bag it’s even more.   I use food saver bags to freeze foods directly.  I vacuum seal the food then lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet to freeze.

Another one of the important benefits of vacuum sealing is that it is less likely to get freezer burn, which totally ruins foods for me.

My mom had bought a bunch of those containers and I cooked a ton of food and we froze them in them. It DID take alot of space and I was always concerned about the eventual freezer burn.

Like you, I'm not a boxed cake kinda girl. Boxed brownie mix, yes, but cakes no...so unfortunately I have no creative ideas to offer...outside of maybe making streusel type cakes, where you mix some sugar, cinnamon, maybe some chopped nuts, oats, flour, and pour half of the cake batter into a 9x13 pan, put the streusel in the middle, and then top with the remaining cake batter, with a little streusel on top. Might mimic more of a coffee cake type thing instead of a traditional cake?

On 12/30/2023 at 8:19 PM, Jeepers said:

Hope you and your family are doing well. I know you were having a trying time with your dad over the holidays concerning his health. Just wanted you to know you are being thought about.  

Awwwww...that was very thoughtful, Jeeps.

Yeah, we were able to get her sign in figured out so that she's able to read and relax

And yes, she is much loved and revered.

Merry Christmas 🎁🎄 to our beloved MrsS family!!!

On 12/20/2023 at 2:50 AM, Midnightmom said:

 Maybe one of the "changes" that @Darlene should make to the forums is to change the name of this category to - "What are you PRESERVING today." 

We can do that 

Happy thanksgiving!!! 🦃 

On 11/21/2023 at 10:18 AM, Necie said:

Glad to see you are still the whirlwind you have always been. It is actually very comforting, and anything less would be a disappointment. Love ya Chica!! 

Love ya too and am so happy you’re back!!!!

On 11/21/2023 at 10:18 AM, Littlesister said:

But I do miss those older folks that have posted on here

Many of them have passed away which is why we don’t have their input anymore. Thankfully, we have their history which still touches people’s hearts today. 

9 hours ago, Necie said:

And Darlene popping in and out as always. 

Hush you.

lol

1 hour ago, out_of_the_ordinary said:

 

 

OOTO note: We very lightly apply cooking oil (wipe excess off with paper towel) to our dehydrator's fruit roll trays before putting the mixture on it.

You can sometimes use parchment paper alone and forego the cooking oil depending on fruit

13 hours ago, Jeepers said:

 

That surprises me about the Vitamix. I thought they were the best. 

They definitely are a top brand. Not sure how her son burned out 2 with just chocolate shakes. 
 

I grind grain in mine, dog kibble into powder for pups etc and never had it whine or cry or give up. 

On 2/28/2023 at 9:59 AM, Mother said:

 

When I was making bread regularly I never had any excess as I made twelve or so loaves each week and could just add to the starter and not have to take any out.  Then I would use the whole amount to make the batch and remove a cup to start the next set.  Now, with my “maybe” one loaf every couple weeks it’s easier to start it, add to it, then freeze the excess when I feel it is ready. 

How did you keep the 12 loaves for the week? In the fridge or freezer?

Bummer 

On 10/25/2023 at 11:08 PM, Necie said:

*necie comes roaring down the road... skids into the turn and barrels up the drive, sliding into her parking spot. jumping out and waving arms: “DON’T SHOOT! DON’T SHOOOOT!! Do you remember me??”* 
 

Soooooo... where y’all keeping the coffee and chocolate?.. And HUGS?? 

You're such a goof.

Good to see ya again chica.

I will let her know. It was a very special birthday with her fiancé here and I hope it filled her heart with lasting memories. 

I admittedly have issues. 
 

Or, they’re not issues, but wisdom in action. 
 

Yeah, that’s how I’ll confess it - wisdom in action. 
 

I made my 3rd trip to the Amish market yesterday. Got there 15 min before it opened and there were 40+ elderly people politely standing in 2 lines in both sides or the building. I stood in the shorter line which was smart and when the market opened they went flowing into the store, straight to the strawberry counter. 

There was no way to get any at that moment so I wheeled my bright yellow shopping cart around to another aisle looking for rhubarb. I didn’t see it at first, glanced over at the elderly still frantically capturing quarts of strawberries. I turned my cart around and voila! There were 8 bundles of rhubarb. How could I have almost missed them? I scooped up the 8 bundles, threw them into my cart and made it over to the strawberry area that had calmed down a little although there were still several people grabbing as fast as they could. I finally made it up to the front of the area and started talking to a guy next to me. He had 3 flats (8qts/flat) and half of another one. He was waiting to finish off the 4th flat and he began to share that this was 2nd or 3rd run he had made getting strawberries over the last couple of weeks. He definitely helped me not feel so bad, especially with all the other people grabbing tons too lol. 
 

I share with him my Pamona pectin discovery- have known about it for decades but never tried it till this year - and how I’m loving the consistency of the jams setting with far less sugar than I have to use with the other brands. He got all excited, was struggling to remember the name and asked me several times to repeat it. Finally I went out of the market to get cell service and sent him a link on Amazon to check it to his cell and he was on top of the world. 
 

It was so cute and adorable to see all these elderly clamoring to get a healthy stash of these strawberries just like I was. And it’s a testimony of the quality of the Amish produce because nobody knows what real food tastes like better than those who have been around long enough to remember the truly good old days. 
 

My score? 8 bundles of rhubarb and 15 quarts of strawberries. Not as much as I would have liked lol but definitely enough to preserve and save for a rainy day. 

I have a hard time throwing food away too. Thankfully I have the chickens and dogs to repurpose it if need be. 

4 hours ago, Momo said:

You don't look a day older!   Have a wonderful day.

My best friend Momo! Lol

Awwwww thank you!

Rinse and repack. 

Sometimes we need breaks and sometimes I just need to be inspired and then I’m on a roll again

15 hours ago, Dee said:

 I'm almost afraid to ask. 

Be afraid. 
 

Be very afraid. 
 

lol

j/k

FIRST of all, I just skimmed the recipe and prepared loaf pans instead of a 13x9 only because that is what I usually make zucchini bread in and I assumed it was the same until I read the instructions clearly lol. No big deal - it’s doable. 
 

I also added 1 cup of mini chocolate morsels because…well, because I’m a chocoholic. 
 

I haven’t frosted them yet but will do so today. I’ll make a chocolate ganache which is a fancy word for simple chocolate frosting. 
 

I tend to be easy with my measurements and think I put a little too much cocoa powder so there is a faint bitter taste (my fault) that I think will be fixed by the ganache. 
 

Here’s a pic of my version of Dee’s chocolate zuke cake.  
 

What I loved about the recipe is that it’s one of those easy peasy recipes with ingredients everyone has on hand that makes the best cakes!  It’s moist and not too sweet, especially if you forego the frosting. 
 

It’s definitely a keeper and I really appreciate you sharing it. 

Dee? Should I tell you what I did with your incredible chocolate zuke recipe?

Maybe I’ll wait till it is out of the oven 

Good neighbors that were born and raised rural. That has been one of my biggest blessings aside from the research I do on my own