Homemaking Mondays: A Taste of Home

Hello!  

I think one of the most blessed parts of homemaking 

is to provide special good wholesome food

for our families and those we love.

I think there is a taste of home.

Foods that remind us of that special time at home.

It's the season for apples again.

Today one of my daughters and I sliced up a big bowl of apples.

I love doing these kinds of tasks with my children.

Some apples were mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon, 

some went into a big and small pies, 

and some into the dehydrator. 

I don't usually take time to make hand-pies

but today just felt like it was a day for some. 

I don't cook them as crispy as some others, 

but this is the way our family likes them. 

To me as I keep my home I try to consider what my family enjoys. 

I believe that we need to consider our families

 tastes as well when we cook.

Sometimes it's nice to just cook what we like...

but it's not fun to eat alone. 

Here is a picture of the lovely white lard that

I grated up for the pie crust.  

So lovely and it made for a delicious crust.

I also have been snitching the last of the flowers 

from the garden to enjoy in the house.

Pansies are my all time favourite

garden flower...

even though I do love so many.

Then the dusty miller fern is so perfect

to go along with them.  

I love how both of these plants do so well with the frosty weather. 

A special little delight 

that sits in the kitchen window and smiles 

at you as you work :) 

For the winter I also found this sweet sedum plant. 

It's found a home in the kitchen for now.  

What kinds of special touches have you added

to your home this week?

Do you like to bake treats for your family?

Do you like to bring in plants and flowers into your home?

Praying you have a beautiful day!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

 

Homemaking Mondays: Time to Come In and Warm Up

Hello! 

With fall in full bloom

it is time to come in and warm up.

Time for shawls and hot cups of tea.

I've started pulling out my throw blankets.

Time to bring in some flowers from the garden 

to keep them from the frost.

I am blessed at this new home to have a place

to bring in some plants out of the frosts.

It's a sunroom porch that has plastic

covering the window spaces and the screen door.

The above teapot I used is new to me.  

I found it at the dump unwanted so it came home with me. 

It matches the blue in my favourite tea set (that had no teapot).

The burst of colour there is still lovely and it's 

a pretty place to sit and enjoy a cup of tea.

I have one pot of strawberries still ripening as well. 

The ground has been quite crispy with frost

so I decided it was time to bring the potatoes in out of the cold.

They sat out to dry on my countertop 

then I put them in a bowl to take to the cool-room/pantry.

They will taste good this winter. 

I have also brought in some more lemon balm and mint plants.

I like to have some in the house all winter. 

Some are left out to see if they will overwinter.

That way we will always have some.

Besides...I like it fresh best. 

The pots sit in the window....or close to it in the dinning room. 

Easy for grabbing some for tea or a flavoured water.

Do you bring plants in for the winter?

The winter's chill can be felt late at night. 

When taking the dog out one last time. 

The stars are sparkling clear in the night sky....

and now in the north it is dark enough to see them again.

I was out picking cranberries again with my daughter.

More are ready to go into jam this week.  

I also picked some wild rose-hips to add to them.

I was talking to my brother this week and he wrote...

"It's hard to describe the sweet smell of muskeg and the flavour of ripe cranberries!"

He right..something that has it's very own distinction. 

Those who have never experienced those smells or tastes will not understand.

The last harvest market at our community centre is done. 

I bought some more produce to tuck away in our pantry for the winter. 

We sold some jam, relish, and salsa as well.

Soon we'll be finished and can hole away in our warm cozy home

and enjoy the last of the colour 

as it floats down to the forest floor. 

Thanks for dropping by! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

 

Homemaking Mondays: Frosty Morning and Comfort Foods

Hello! 

We have now hit the major frosts here in the Yukon.

There have been a few things hanging on but not for long.  

I took this picture of of one of my last petunias. 

The wild roses are glorious in all their colour with their frosty accents.

There are not many plants still coming back after the melting the sun brings. 

I dug up my dahlia bulbs yesterday and brought them in for the winter.

My boys helped me dig up the last of the potatoes as well. 

Surprisingly my mint plants have come back after the sun hit them this morning. 

So more fresh mint tea today! :) 

We have ben airing out our quilts a few at a time 

the last couple days. 

Some are super heavy so we are staggering them.

While the weather is still nice during the days we've 

started to pick cranberries.  

They are so good in jam and put into muffins. 

I made some orange glaze cinnamon buns this week. 

A family favourite comfort food. 

It's just some bread dough rolled with 

brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Then I add a icing sugar glaze that has a bit of butter 

and some orange extract in it.  

Warm or cold it's delicious!

Then I made a big batch of chicken stock. 

This time I put a couple chickens (not just the bones) in 

and boiled them along with the

veggies and herbs.

I was able to make enough stock for 8 quart jars. 

Some went for a soup meal the first day and some is in the fridge for later.

Then I pressure canned up 6 quarts for the pantry. 

Thanks for dropping by! 

What have you been doing this week to get ready 

for colder days? 

ps.  Sunshine Country because I cannot respond to your comment. 

For my spuce tip tea I pick the buds in the springtime.  

That is when they are sweet.

You can use spruce tips later in the year but they are much

more pungent but still healthy. 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

 

Homemaking Mondays: Homemade and a Spot of Tea

 

Hello! 

Today I'd like to share with you a bit more of my kitchen. 

For my birthday I received this delightful 

homemade sign from my daughters. 

It really fit nicely and brightened that empty space above

the kitchen sink.  

Yes, my kitchen sink looks pretty much the same 

as it usually does.  With a mixture

of dirty glasses and tea strainers scattered about it. 

Here is the lovely view from my kitchen window.  

The fall colours are starting to deepen and the leaves are coming off the trees.  

It's hard to see in the picture, 

but there is mist rising from the water. 

It's been below freezing for a few mornings and 

the frost is quite lovely. 

With the coolness I have been drinking more tea.

I had also realized that my tea cupboard

was in need of some tidying up. 

I found a 2x6 board in the yard and 

tucked that in the second shelf under some doilies. 

I thought it would help to be able to the tea pots better. 

Then I also moved all the tea cups to the top shelf.  

This is the hutch that stands in my kitchen and I love it! 

It is where I keep my tea things as I use them a lot. 

Then the cupboard at the bottom is where I store my flour and sugar.

The cookbooks are at hand when they're needed. 

Plus I received a lovely new 

proofing basket for my birthday. 

Just need to wake up my sourdough starter

and try it out.

I keep my cast iron griddles against the hutch to. 

They are pretty and easy to get to when I need them. 

I put up a command non marking hook for 

some of our aprons.  

With organizing the tea pots, 

I thought I should contain some of the tea strainers. 

Now they have their own little basket 

that I found in my crafting room. 

I pulled out a little pot that my children 

brought me one day. 

It holds the tea spoons nicely. 

There was some tea in the cupboard with the tea cups....

but here is my tea cupboard 

where I keep the rest of our tea and 

the cookie jars. :) 

So all in all.... I kind of have a tea station.  

I thought about doing it all on the hutch with the kettle and all. 

Then I thought it would function a bit better this way for the needs of my family. 

The kettle is always on the counter close to the tea...

and then the teapots and cups are all in one place to. 

So....if any of you would love to come for a cup of tea? 

You would be most welcome to come and pick out 

a tea pot and a cup to use.

Thank you so much for dropping by! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer