Home made Mayonnaise

I am trying really hard to remember how this came about. Me attempting to make things instead of buy them at the grocery store.  I think it might have been when we started getting "home grown" Chickens from my daughter. The more we thought about it the more it made sense , we have a big garden why not work at trying to avoid those "pre packaged" foods that come with all those ingredients I can't spell or pronounce!  So it started I put up jars and jars of tomato sauce last fall that I've been making, spaghetti sauce , tomato soup and ketchup with. Making our own breads, rolls, muffins, cookies , granola bars.  Make our own vanilla ( easy, put a sliced open vanilla bean in a pint canning jar filled 1/3 up with water , the rest with rum or vodka , cover and put away. Shake it when ever you open your cupboard and see it there and its ready to use in a couple months. I try to have a couple so that I never run out, its so good in not just baking but in hot chocolate, waffles , drinks!  Any how so I'm feeling really good about the fact that our trips to the grocery store are sure different since we don't go down even 1/2 the aisles! Next I think I need a pasta maker.... :)

So this was my newest experiment and my Husband gave it his sign of approval so here is the recipe!
I used my food processor but I'm sure a blender would work just as well.

blend slowly :
1 egg
1 tsp dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
and 1/4 cup of oil
while the machine is still blending add another
1/2 cup of oil
3 tablespoons of vinegar

then add another 1/2 cup of oil
blend till smooth and add
a bit of cayenne pepper

This recipe makes about 2 cups.
tasty!

Recipe time! Home made Poppycock

Hate going to the store to buy one of my favorite treats, spend $4.00 on this little bag.....soooo

pop yourself 8 cups of popcorn, I used two bags in the microwave.
put that in a really big bowl and mix in a couple cups of your favorite nuts ( roast them first if you like)

melt two sticks of butter (or Margarine) in a pan on the stove.
Add  1 and 1/3 cups of white sugar, 1/2 cup clear corn syrup and  1/2 tsp cream of tarter.
heat this while stirring constantly to 255 or a hard ball stage.
remove from heat add 1/2 baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla stir well and pour over
the popcorn.

Mix well and pour on greased cookie sheets ( or I use waxed paper) when its cool break it up and store in airproof ziplock bags or plastic wear.  It is sooo good!

Life gets better and better

Wow its been awhile since I posted anything here, I've still been baking, sewing, painting etc but I guess the events of the winter months have kept me pretty busy or at least kept my mind too busy to spend too much time sitting here at the computer! First off my Husband has been home since early December which is awesome, we spend all our time together, playing games like backgammon and have now started playing a German game called carassonne its a lot of fun!
The most exciting thing that has happened this winter though is becoming a Grandmother!
I spent February 11th with my daughter Melissa, we went shopping , out to lunch and to her doctors appointments, she was so uncomfortable since her baby Isabel was getting so big and she had so much extra fluid I felt so badly for her.  That night though 10Pm we got a call from our son in law Kyle and he told us that Melissa's water had broken!  I was so excited but my Mom's instincts kicked in and I was just plain worried about my daughter so we hopped in the car and drove to the hospital. Copley hospital in Morrisville is wonderful, they welcomed us into the birthing center where we waited ( I paced) in the waiting room until Kyle came out to see us and ask if I wanted to see Melissa. OH YES! Seeing her assured me she was doing okay although must admit after all the things she had gone through in her pregnancy I was still doing the Mom worrying thing...we sat with her until they took her into surgery which I think helped her as we all were keeping things rather light for her as I knew she was worried too.  They took her in for her C-Section and then my pacing really started...!  About 20 minutes later the pediatrician came in and told us that we had a beautiful HEALTHY baby granddaughter and Melissa was doing good too.. Oh my gosh..yep...I lost it...LOL   I wish I had thought to take a picture of Kyle when I saw him through the windows ( I had positioned myself in the hallway so I could see both sets of doors he might come through)  He was walking in the hallway carrying Isabel wrapped in a blanket , it still brings tears to my eyes!  We went to their room while we waited for them to get Melissa taken care of and I got to hold my Granddaughter for the first time. Oh my goodness what an amazing feeling.  How can you love someone so much that soon??!!
We watched as they measured her and weighed her and Kyle so proudly holding his new daughter. It was wonderful and I'm so happy we were a part of it.
Around 1 AM they told us Melissa was now in recovery so Kyle could go see her,  She was going to be in there awhile so I begged the surgeon to just let me go see her to ease my mind that she was okay ( Yep that Mom thing again) and seeing as though it was a small hospital, he said okay but only for a few minutes.  :) Thats all I needed I went in, looked at her smiling , gave her a kiss and told her how beautiful her baby girl was and told her I'd see her tomorrow. ( course she doesn't remember that but I do!)  Course the next day we had a huge snow storm in Vermont so I had to wait till the next day to go back and hold that new baby but that we did. My life has just gotten better, can't wait till May when our Son and daughter in law have there little boy!  Oh my goodness!!

meanwhile since I'm making baby things I decided to Make baby things!

Mrs Captains Place