Winter Small Batch Canning Projects

 

This winter has been a cold and rather gloomy one this year.  What better time to spend in my lovely little kitchen doing some canning projects I've been wanting to get done?  In my chest freezer out in the garage was a huge vacuum sealed pork roast that had been waiting for me for quite some time.  That was my starting point.  I set the roast to thaw, dragged in my canning jars and the pressure canner from the garage and pulled out my largest slow cooker and I got down to business.

 

Getting that pork roasted cooked up and into pint jars spurned me on to tackle the large packages of pork sausage and Italian sausages that I'd purchased on sale and found on markdown and tucked away in the chest freezer for "later".  Later had arrived!

 

My canner holds nine pint jars so if I had was short a jar or two and had some extra space I tucked in some dry beans and canned those.  It is very nice and convenient to have home canned beans on the shelf to add to recipes.  Plus, as with all of my home canning, I know what I have inside those jars so no odd ingredients, fillers or preservatives and I'm saving money over purchasing these items at the store.

 

I had squirreled away several pounds of butter in the freezer in my kitchen wanting to try something new and canned up a dozen half pint jars of butter.  I also melted down some coconut oil and transferred that into canning jars and allowed the lids to seal on their own as the fat cooled.  I can now use it in more manageable containers rather than having it in that giant plastic tub I purchased it in.  I did the same with what was left in the shortening container and once that gets used up I have no plans to buy that particular product again.

 

Six pounds of ground beef was cooked up, half of it canned plain while the other half was made into sloppy joes and canned.  I made split pea soup and a batch of taco soup too and canned that as well.  Readymade meals and homemade soups are again, nice and convenient to have on the shelf plus a lot healthier too, not to mention much less expensive to make over purchasing them at the store.

 

I've steadily been able over the winter to increase my inventory of shelf stable foods, save a lot of items in my freezer from becoming freezer burnt over time and managed in the process to alleviate my dependence on that chest freezer out in my garage.  I now no longer have the worry if the power goes out of losing hundreds of dollars of food in the freezer.  In fact it is currently unplugged and I am not even using it at the moment (update: it has been sold!).  The bonus is I've got a lot of really good food that will be really easy to prepare meals from.

For those who have been asking, stay tuned for some upcoming canning posts. 😁

 

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 49

 

What's up everyone?!  Guess what?  The freezer is gone!  I listed it on Marketplace and made a little cash which I can always use.  Thanks to you guys I was easily able to make the right decision and let it go.  Even better, in 2013 I paid $115 for the freezer as it was on closeout at Home Depot.  The same size and brand of freezer now sells for $279.  I asked and got $100 for it so I'd say I did pretty darn good recouping most of my purchase price.  $15 makes for pretty darn cheap rent and the new owners were sure happy to get it.  Win-win!

 

Another load of stuff off to the thrift store

Last month in February I filled up five trash bags with items to be donated, filled up my wheelie recycle and trash bins twice and got started on bag number six.  And!  I gave away a dresser.  This past week I finished filling up bag number six and then I loaded everything up in the back of my truck and hauled it to the thrift store.  I gifted a bookshelf I no longer wanted and an extra TV I wasn't using to a couple of my neighbors.  My garage is empty once again and I am breathing much better now that all of that stuff is gone.  More sorting, organizing and bin labeling commenced and I'm now re-evaluating what is left.  Will I print out my list and start over?  Hmmm….. should I?

 

A new pair of pajamas here on top of the stack

In my endeavor to live with less I had gone back through my closet and culled about half of what used to be in there.  Once I was done I determined I needed to replace a pair of my pajama bottoms, the solid black top is still in good shape but I'd pretty much worn through the bottoms.  I didn't find replacement pants, but instead purchased a complete set on sale at Fred Meyer for $14.99 (regular price $44.99).  That still left me with an extra pajama top.  Another pair of pajamas I have also has a black top that sits a little short on me and rides up so I'm always pulling on it to keep it down.  I decided to get rid of that top and use the other one that fits me better.  One in and one out leaving no extra clothing items to clutter up the closet and my pajama inventory is up to date.  Plus, I didn't spend very much doing so.  Checked that off my list.

 

A little meal prepping happened last week

I had the opportunity to help a hard working young mama with some laundry supplies I had squirreled away in my linen closet.  She was so happy to receive my simple gift and I felt like I was on top of the world for having helped her.  I remember those days when I was a young mama and the people that would help me out from time to time sharing their extras and how much I appreciated it.  Giving is an amazing mood elevator.

 

I shopped my freezer and pantry pulling out a four pack of ground beef patties, a package of sirloin steaks and some smoked sausages.  I seasoned the patties with steak seasoning and pan fried those, topped each one with a slice of pepperjack cheese and some crispy bacon.  I served those with steamed asparagus on the side making four meals.  There were two steaks in the package.  I cooked up the smaller one and made a baked potato topped with sour cream and some of my regrown green onions sprinkled on top.  The other steak was sliced and used to make broccoli beef, enough for four meals as well.  In between those meals I enjoyed some delicious fresh green salads.  It was a yummy week of meals.  I haven't used the smoked sausages yet.

 

I hope you all enjoyed a fabulous week and all is well and right in your world.  Take care my friends and have a blessed week ahead.

 

Combining & Consolidating My Stuff

 

I've been doing a ton of decluttering and reorganizing my stuff lately because I want to live with less.  I know longer wish to be surrounded with loads of items in my home that are no longer beneficial to my quality of life.  As I was going through this process for the third time in February I realized that a lot of the things I had decided to keep were scattered about.  I began to collect those things and gather them all together in one spot.  Once I had done that I realized something else.

Now instead of two separate very full bins I now have my first aid kit and medicines all in one
Both of the Curad boxes are stuffed with band-aids and I have room to spare inside the bin

There was a lot of packaging in many areas of my home that needed to be addressed.  Not just in the pantry and refrigerator, but everywhere.  My linen closet, the bathrooms, my sewing and craft supplies, home office supplies, even out in the garage.  So much packaging!

 

After getting rid of extra packaging and combining lots of stuff I have space on the shelves for actual food

When I began to get rid of packaging I quickly realized my stuff didn't take up nearly as much room as it used too.  Then I also realized that if I combined things together where there was room I could eliminate even more.  I combined two bottles of aspirin with the same expiration dates as well as few other medications.  In the first aid kit I was able to combine lots of things and got rid of a pile of little boxes.  I found I had two of the same types of lotion going so I combined those into one bottle.  I transferred half a jar of mayonnaise into a pint size canning jar and got rid of the much larger plastic jar.  I removed and melted down the last of a tub of shortening, transferred it to a pint size jar and tossed the larger container which was taking up a lot of space in the pantry.

 

This was a huge win!

In the garage I combined nails and screws, sheets of sandpaper, plant food and pet food.  Simply by removing the cans of cat food and stacking them on the shelf I was able to get rid of a large cardboard box and the cans took up a lot less space.  I had two open bottles of lamp oil that I was able to combine and get rid of one of the bottles.  I took home improvement items out of their packages, combined and organized them in a couple of extra plastic bins I had and by the time I was done I had one shelf completely empty.

 

More empty containers

The end result left me with empty shelves in my garage, empty space in my pantry and linen closet, a couple empty storage bins and something else amazing.  I had to fill my big blue recycle bin twice with all that empty packaging.  I could not believe how much useless packaging I had been making room for and storing inside my home.  In the past I had even purchase storage containers and shelving to accommodate it!

 

Ridiculous amounts of recycling heading to the curb

I now look at the things I am buying and bringing into my home with new eyes.  A lot of packaging is larger than needed for the product inside.  I found this true with the tubs of oatmeal I had in my pantry, which when you open them are only two thirds full.  I was able to pour them into smaller containers which I think are more airtight anyway and get rid of the larger bulkier packages.

 

Plastics waiting to be recycled

Need more space in an area of your home?  Try getting rid of all that packaging and combine stuff where you can.  You will be amazed at the transformation.  And you will be shocked at how much stuff you will be putting into your recycle bin.

 

Spending LESS $$ - Food

 

Personally, I feel the rate of inflation has been grossly understated.  All I have to do is compare the prices of what I typically buy at the store to know that food prices are out of hand.  Food, along with water and heat, is one of our basic fundamental needs and what we are being charged right now to try and feed ourselves is alarming.  In the past year a lot of the items I typically purchase have increased in price at least 50% and some have even doubled.  For example a head of lettuce used to be 99¢ and now it is over $2.  I used to get a five pound bag of potatoes for $1.49 and now they are $3.89.  Boneless skinless chicken breast was typically $1.99 a pound and is now $2.79 or higher while bone in thighs that used to be 89¢ a pound are now selling for $1.69 a pound.  Don't even get me started on the price of eggs, or milk, or bread.  Now, more than ever, we have to get really creative in order to afford groceries and keep ourselves and our families fed.  Knowing how tight my budget was early on in my life I worry about how young families are able to cope.

 

I am fortunate in that I prepared myself for "what if".  When the pandemic started in 2020 I could see the writing on the walls, so to speak, and I began to prepare.  Even still, I am finding the need to make adjustments and shift the importance of what I buy in new directions in order to stay on budget.  I am shopping my shelves and figuring out ways to stretch my existing stock as far as I can.  Instead of purchasing bread at $4 to $6 a loaf I now buy flour and make my own.  I buy more frozen fruits and vegetables and only buy fresh items that are on sale.

 

I pretty much decided if there is anything I can make myself that is what I should do instead of purchasing things.  I make my own broth, soup, chili, pasta sauce, pizza, biscuits, cookies and desserts,etc.  Not only is it less expensive, but it saves me a lot of money and I find I shop a lot less often.

 

I routinely take inventory of what I have, plan my meals based on that and then carefully craft a list of items I may need or feel I am running low on.  Then I wait and watch for sales or shop places where I know I can find the best prices.  If the price isn't low enough I do without and figure out something else instead.

 

Instead of using full cream in my coffee I now make my own half & half and use that now.  I eat more basic and simple meals, smaller portions of meat and more vegetables and I eat up my leftovers before I make new meals.  Minimizing food waste and making sure I use up everything I can has always been a top priority, but now, even more so.  I always thought I was really good at cooking from scratch, but I know I can always improve those skills and do more.  I just try to be mindful and intentional with my cooking, baking, meal planning and my shopping and do everything I can to save money.

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 48

 

Hello, hello my friends!  Do you know how wonderful you are?  It's true, you are.  I hope everyone is doing well.  And guess what?  Spring is coming.  It really is, I promise.

 

Two bags of shredded paperwork is outta here!

I think paper clutter is a tough one to manage, but I continue to persevere.  I try my best to not even allow it into the house anymore.  I even sort the mail in my driveway and deposit junk mail into the recycle bin before I get to the front door.  Last week I gathered up all of the paperwork from my two week Mayo Clinic visit in 2021 and it was a stack as thick as the New York City phonebook, I swear.  I got everything that could be recycled into the recycle bin and then the rest. with personal information, I shredded so it is no longer in my house.  I filled up two grocery bags with crosscut shredded paper.  That was a lot of paper!  I am really glad it is gone and I no longer have to move it around or store it.

 

I gave away the dresser I used to store my fabric in

I was able to rehome the dresser I used to store my fabric in.  I was happy about that.  I offered it up on the Facebook Buy Nothing Group and the lady that got it was super happy about it.  It was a heavy one so I was glad I didn’t need to load it into my truck and haul it to the thrift store.  I've got a few more furniture pieces I'm thinking of passing along to others that can use them.  They're just taking up space and I really don't need them.  I sure like the idea of less dusting.

 

Teriyaki pork stir fry

By Monday I had finished all of the leftovers from meals prepared the week before so I had to start cooking again.  I shopped my freezer and pantry first and came up with pork chops, hamburger patties and I still had an unopened package of bacon in the refrigerator I had thawed out a couple weeks before.  Plenty to work with.  I ended up making teriyaki pork with rice and veggies, almost like a stir fry, and Salisbury steak with sautéed green beans.  The veggies from both of those meals came from the freezer.  I also made a delicious Cobb salad using some of the bacon and a hardboiled egg later on in the week.

 

Restocking dairy, fresh produce and some goodies for the kitties & bunny

My weeks of not running errands and spending money came to an end last week.  For one I was almost out of homemade creamer for my coffee and with no ingredients left to make more that pretty much constituted an emergency situation.  And the produce drawer in the refrigerator was down to a partial head of garlic, a couple pounds of potatoes and half a dozen stalks of celery so while I was at it I refilled the that too.  I got a lot of produce on sale or marked down so I was able fill that drawer right back up.

 

This skinny little freezer holds quite a lot

I was able to finish moving the rest of the items from the chest freezer out in my garage to the kitchen freezer.  I unplugged the chest freezer and allowed it to defrost.  Once I had it all cleaned out I left it unplugged and I am now pondering whether to list if for sale.  More decisions.  Thank you to all that offered their input about this too.  I really appreciate it.

 

Empty, clean and ready to go

Since December, when I began decluttering my entire house, I've emptied an amazing number of plastic storage containers as well as one and two gallon Ziploc bags.  I've washed them all out and once dry I've been able to reuse most of the plastic storage containers to organize the items I've chosen to keep.  I still have a nice stack of containers with their lids on a shelf in the garage to reuse and a smaller stack of containers and lids that don’t match up that I'll be getting rid of at the end of this process.  And boy is it ever a process!  I will also go back through what I've got left in the bigger stack to see what I can let go of at that time too.  I don't see much point in keeping a gob of extra empty storage containers.  I don't want to fill them up with more stuff just to fill them up, that's for sure.

 

My next project!

I started on an organizing project that is not going to be a quick one, but it is going to be a good one.  It has been a long time coming and involved a lot of "reality checking" myself.  The weird things I get hung up on, I swear.  More details to come as I get this one wrapped up.  I'm still waiting on supplies to show up.  That's okay, slow and steady wins the race, ha, ha, ha.

 

Supervising my progress

My resume was out of date so I took some time this past week to get that little chore taken care of.  Even though I'm retired I still think it wise to keep an updated resume.  You just never know, it may come in handy someday.  Nothing is beyond the realm of possibility.

This is how I know spring is coming - black jelly beans!!! No judgement!
I got the gummies for my BFF, black jelly beans don't thrill him like they do me 😉

I hope you had a great week and that this one is treating you well.  Take care and let me know what you've been up to lately.

 

 

Investment Cooking - Baking Breads & Rolls

 

At the beginning of the year I decided with the rising prices on pretty much everything I'd implement a lot of cost cutting measures which included making my own bread products.  The cost of a loaf of low carb bread is now up to $6 a loaf, it seldom goes on sale and I haven't seen it at the dollar store lately.  Plus, if you read the ingredients list, it probably isn't all that good for me anyway.

 

I know that making homemade bread is a time consuming process so when I do it I usually will make a lot of it at one time and then freeze it.  I'll plan a baking day so I'm not only efficient with my time, but I also make efficient use of the oven I'm heating up.

 

I use a bread machine to make my dough which is a great time saver and will run two batches through it.  I will also plan out a meal like a lasagna or a sheet pan meal and some other baked goods like muffins or a pan of brownies to go into the oven between batches so I'm not wasting the oven heat.

 

I always make too much stuff, but that is okay because I can share it with my friends.  That is really the best part about it.  Who doesn't love a loaf of homemade bread fresh out of the oven?

 

Journaling For Recipes

 

One of the things I've really enjoyed working on recently has been to take all of my favorite and go-to recipes and make myself a journal.  I grabbed all of my previous recipe books and cards and typed them all up and printed them out.  Then I gave the old books and cards to my daughters.

 

I have cut out and glued them onto pages I cut from scrapbook papers, decorated them with stickers and little die cuts I've made.  I put them in a mini binder with sheet protectors so if I slop something on the pages I can easily wipe them off.  I even made tab dividers and labeled them by category.

 

This is definitely one of those journals I plan to work on until I take my last breath.  I know I'll be adding more recipes and creating more pages as time goes on.  Then once I'm gone my children can fight over who gets it, ha, ha.  In the meantime I will continue to enjoy creating my recipe journal just as much as I enjoy making the recipes I've placed inside.