Fallish Activities

I love the fall, it is my favorite season.  The cooler days and sunshine just make me smile.  Here are a few things we have been up to.

Outdoor birthday party

Visit to the Tyler Rose Garden.  I didn't

take any pictures of the roses though.

Trip to Galveston for the day to eat on the seawall, ride the ferry

and go to the Railroad Museum.  This ship was

a little to close in my opinion.

Here's a picture advertising 4-H

 

Anything outside is great this time of year. 

It won't be long until we light up the chiminea(spelling?)

and cook some campfire stew or just sit around and drink coffee.

I love sleeping with the window open in our bedroom.  I also

look forward to the lower electric bills.  I think if we had a fenced

in backyard I would set up our tent and sleep outside.

Fall is on the way

I love this time of year.  I always notice the shadows begin looking different in August.  It won't be long until fall comes, which is my favorite time of year.  I remember as a little girl going school clothes shopping.  We bought a lot of our clothes at Sears.  I remember all the different plaid dresses they always had.  I guess something about plaid fabric and school go together, at least back in the 60s.
I look forward to turning off the A/C and opening the windows.  Maybe we will even get a chance to go camping and sit around the campfire drinking coffee.  I told Greg if I had to I would go set up the tent myself and he was welcomed to join me.  Of course, that would be quite a show, me trying to set up the tent by myself.
I got my sewing machine out yesterday and did some mending.  I think today I will finish a skirt I started several years ago.  I also found two skirts I had cut out several years back.  One of them is a flannel and the other corduroy.  I love corduroy fabric, it is my favorite cold weather fabric.  One day I would like to make a quilt out of corduroy scraps I have and back it with flannel.  I saw one in Colorado in 1989 and have wanted to make one all of these years.  I think it would be very warm.
Fall always makes me want to sew and cook.

Well, I learned something new today and to think I went to college for this kind of stuff.  I had never considered what curry powder was, so I looked it up.  Here's what I found.
There is no single recipe for curry powder. It was invented by the British in India as a quick substitute for the thousands of different spice blends Indian cooks make for themselves. A basic curry powder includes black pepper, chili, coriander, cumin, ginger and turmeric in varying proportions; it often has fenugreek and oily spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and mace, and can include cassia leaves, curry leaves, mustard and poppy seeds too. To make your own, experiment until you find a mixture you like.

Cheese!

Fun in the fall.

A cupcake and a Super Hero

I love Sean's face.

Eating Thanksgiving lunch at school.

Little mama with her baby.

Queso Fresco Class

I am considering giving a class on making Queso Fresco "Fresh Cheese".  It appears to be quite simple, but I just wonder how the people in Newton would respond.  Here is the recipe.
*  To help prevent infection.....
1.  Boil all cheese-making equipment between uses
                                        or
     Soak all cheese-making equipment in a bleach-water solution for 2 minutes. (Bleach-water-add one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water.)
2.  For best-quality cheese, use new cheesecloth each time you make cheese. (Reuse cheesecloth only if it has been washed, then boiled, or soaked 2 minutes in bleach-water.)
SAFE  Queso Fresco Recipe

*  Place one tablet Junket Rennett into 1/2 cup cold tap water until dissolved.
*  Mix one quart cultured buttermilk with two quarts pasteurized milk.
    a.  Add 7 teaspoons white vinegar to the milk mixture.
    b.  Mix well.
    c.  Heat milk to 90*F.  Remove pan from the heat.
    d.  Add dissolved Rennet and mix for about 2 minutes.
*  Let stand for 30-40 minutes until curd is firm.
*  Cut curd into 1-inch cubes and let stand for about 5 minutes.
*  Heat curds and whey to 115*F(without stirring), remove pan from the heat, then let stand for 5 minutes.
*  Pour mix through cheesecloth and allow to drain for 5 minutes.
*  Form curd into a ball and twist the cheesecloth gently to squeeze out the whey.
*  Break up curds into a bowl and add 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt.
*  Mix in salt and let stand for 5 minutes, then squeeze again as before.
*  Form the cheese.  Romove from form.  Refrigerate.**

**Cheese made from this recipe can be safely stored in a refrigerator for no more than 1 week.
Recipe from a publication produced by the Pacific Northwest Extension.
 
I plan to try this recipe soon.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

A couple of weeks ago at school I was talking to my coworker.  I got to talking about hanging clothes out.  As we talked it came to her attention that I don't use a clothes dryer, microwave, dishwasher, or have television piped into our home.  At that time we had our internet turned off as well.  She couldn't believe it.   She said we needed to come into the 21st century.  I told her I would live without electricity if I could talk my husband into it, well, we would have to have one outlet for an A/C in the summer.  I guess I am a little strange for our high tech society.  I feel like I need to do as much for myself as I can and stay as active as possible.  I don't have a lot of time to exercise so I get it as I work. 
One of my coworker's students heard me say I didn't use a microwave and asked me how I cook.  What a sad state of affairs when our young people don't know how to cook except in a microwave.

Well, I got the job as Newton County Family and Consumer Science Extention Agent.  That is a long name.  My first day will be January 2.  We are already planning a County Food Show, for the 4-H kids, in January.  I am looking forward to getting started.  Here is the website, though there isn't a whole lot of local stuff on it.  http://newton.agrilife.org/