Archive for September, 2009
A Time and A Season
Posted on 30. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
Fall colors now dot the mountain view from my kitchen window. Each morning I wake to the crisp, clean smell of fall. The changing seasons signal a time for accounting in my own life, a time to reflect and set new goals. I’m grateful it comes four times a year here. I don’t know if [...]
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Tomatillos
Posted on 29. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
My sister came for a visit and brought these from her garden.
I thought I’d add them to some of my salsa.
I peeled off the husks, washed them and placed them in the blender.
Then I stirred the puree into my salsa. This is also where I could have pureed the cilantro if I hadn’t already added [...]
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Flower Personalities
Posted on 27. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
We lost our tomatoes and peppers to freezing temperatures last Monday night and snow is in our forecast for Wednesday. I’ll soon be saying goodbye to all my flowers until spring.
Columbine are among my favorite flowers. The blossoms appear soft and delicate, yet they are hardy survivors. One grouping of my columbine got hit with [...]
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Snob Salsa
Posted on 24. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
Salsa snobs. That’s what we are. From the moment we started making our own fresh salsa and then freezing it, we became salsa snobs. No longer could we get buy on bottled salsa from the store. Even my home-canned salsa was no match. It’s a life sentence, I think. Each year we plant more and [...]
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Homemade Fun
Posted on 23. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
Last Friday my oldest son went to play at a friend’s house. I pulled up to his friend’s house just in time to see a Lego man attached to a parachute launch into the air from his perch atop an old plastic film canister. My son’s friend sent a canister with two Alka-Seltzer tablets home [...]
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Jenni’s Zuppa Toscana
Posted on 14. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
I planted Kale for the first time this year. I’d heard good things about how rich in nutrients it was and since I make green salads quite frequently, I decided to give it a try. Upon tasting it raw in a salad, I quickly determined never to plant it again. I even blogged about preferring [...]
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A Bit of Remodeling
Posted on 13. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
My site is undergoing a bit of construction. It’s my husband’s idea. He can’t stand the thought of me having an off-the-rack background any longer. He’s determined to get me into a more custom designed site. He does after all get paid to design these sorts of things for others. And I’m coming right along–kicking [...]
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Three Pepper Glaze
Posted on 10. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
I love this meat glaze. It can be used for pork (shown above), chicken, or beef. It is mighty tasty no matter the meat and so simple. I generally mix the glaze, pour over meat in a slow cooker, and cook on high for five hours. The following recipe is enough for a 3-4 pound roast. [...]
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Raccoon Power Outage
Posted on 09. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
My eyes popped open at 5:22 this morning just like they do every morning. An alarm is not to blame. It’s just nature calling my name. For the second time in less than three weeks, the toilet gurgled after I flushed it instead of refilling with water. A very small stream came out of the [...]
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Getting Inside the MC’s Head
Posted on 08. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
Yesterday when I had stacks of dishes to do, a little flutter of excitement ran through me. There was a story I wanted to get back to reading to see how it turned out. Then I realized it was my manuscript I was thinking about. Crazy! I know how that story ends–I wrote the ending. [...]
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Tuesday Tutorial–Canning Green Beans
Posted on 07. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
I am not an expert. Please consult your county extension agent for expert information. Utah State University Extension runs a comprehensive web site full of information about how to can just about anything. Canning green beans is not hard. You must absolutely use a pressure canner because green beans are a low acid food. Pressure canning for [...]
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Chickens and Corn: Not an Ideal Combo
Posted on 03. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
About now my husband and I are rethinking our put-the-chickens-in-the-corn-surrounded-by-the-electric-fence-strategy. It seemed like the perfect solution. A creek passes through our property which we love for all kinds of reasons. However, it is also the raccoon population’s highway. The raccoons can decimate a corn crop in one night. Each year it’s a race to see who [...]
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Fresh Peach Pie
Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by Kate.
You need one pie shell cooked and ready to go.
First boil a pot of water for removing the peach skins. I like to use my pasta pans because of the ease of draining, but you can use a large saucepan or stock pot and a pair of tongs to remove the peaches.
Once the water is [...]
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I am the mother of six learning to live in the country surrounded by in-laws. I've been married to the amazing Nate Palmer for 16 years; he is teaching me how to be a farm girl. In my spare time (okay--time I try really hard to set aside), I like to write. My first book, FALLING AWAKE, will be published in 2012 with Covenant Communications.
A True Short Story
My first published work entitled "More Than Pinecones" is in this collection of true Christmas stories.
