Mod Podge Lighthouse switch plate

One one of my visits to Cape Cod, I picked up some napkins that I liked. I didn't realize when I bought the package that the scene was only on the center panel. When I bought the package of napkins, I had planned on covering a clip board with one.

 

This morning while rummaging around in my stamp room I came across a new single switch plate and I decided to use one of the napkins on the switch plate. I love the sea, do you?

I slightly sanded the white plastic, and then gave the plate a light coating of Mod Podge after waiting 2 hours, I added another coat of Mod Podge.

Elaine

Kitchen Gadgets

I love them! My sister in law teases me and tells me I have one of everything, but that's not true. I do a lot of cooking and I love having little tools that help make the job go faster and easier.

I've had 2 pineapples sitting on the table since last week that needed to be cut so I can make another batch of jam. I love fresh pineapple, but there is always so much waste. I've looked at a pineapple cutter in the local grocery store for quite sometime, and never bought it. This morning when I went to the store to pick up a few things, I saw the cutter and decided to buy it.

Wow! I can't believe how little waste there is when you use this tool and you don't get the "eyes" of the pineapple in your slices.

the pineapple cutter removes the core, makes nice slices and leaves very little waste. Glad I spent the $7.49 and wish I had bought this gadget a long time ago. I buy a fresh pineapple every week.

I made kale soup this morning, and then packed some up to bring to my aunt and my parents. Tomorrow I will attempt making dill pickles for the first time, and a batch of pineapple jam.

Elaine

More Pickling going on

  enough for 3 batches

This morning I picked up a friend, and we headed out to the Halifax,Wal Mart so I could  get more canning jars. On the way I stopped at Nesserella's farm stand to see if they had pickling cucumbers. They did, and they were nice sized. I bought enough for 2 batches, and because I bought so many cucumbers the lady only charged me $1.20 a pound. That has been the lowest price that I've seen. In the grocery stores they range from $1.99 to $2.59 and haven't looked that great.  At that price I went back and picked out enough cucumbers to make another batch.

I got home, put the canning jars, lids and covers into the dishwasher to sterilize them, washed the cukes and started cutting my slices. I then sliced the onions and started my pickle mix on the stove. The canning pot of water hasn't come to a boil yet, but it's almost ready.  I'd rather do a large batch than smaller ones..get the mess out of the way in one canning session.

2 batches in the base of the enamel turkey pan, and one batch split between 2 Pyrex bowls. Cucumber slices with onion and Kosher salt. The pickles have another 45 minutes in the salt before I can rinse them good, and add to the pickling mix. I love the smell of the vinegar in the pickling mix of sugar and spices cooking on the stove top.

5:00 P.M...Finally finished today's pickle making. The house is hot even with the air conditioner going. Phew!  Today's cucumbers made 3- 4 ounce jars, 7 pints, 4- fancy 1/2 pint jars, and 8- half pints.

So between yesterday and today..I have put up 35 containers of bread & butter pickles. I don't think I will make more of these.

Elaine

Homemade Bread & Butter Pickles

I haven't made homemade bread and butter pickles in years, I don't know why, because my family loves them. I've thought about making some pickles this summer, and today I decided I would make a batch or two.
This is the first year that I've used the Ball canning jars with the lids and bands. In the past I always used the old fashion jars with the metal bails and you had to use rubber rings for your seal. The rubber bands are very hard to find now.
Since I had been making jams, I decided to make pickles. I will give the home made pickles with the jams as Christmas gifts. I think they will look nice in a little basket, with a pickle fork and a jam spreader included.
getting started...
4 pounds of pickling cucumbers washed/scrubbed and ready to be cut
almost done slicing my cucumbers
1/4 inch slices of cucumbers in a Pyrex bowl
Kosher salt and thin sliced onions ready to be mixed into the cut cucumber slices

I divided the cucumbers into two Pyrex bowl to let stand for 2 hours to draw the water from the cucumbers. Don't use aluminum pans. When I made bigger batches of pickles, I used a large enamel turkey pan to let the cucumbers sit. Pickles are easy to make. The longest part of the process is waiting the 2 hours while the salt removes excess fluid from the cucumbers.
after the wilted onion/cucumber slices sat for 2 hours mixed with the salt they were put in a large colander and rinsed well to remove the salt. They are  now ready to be put into the hot pickling mix
liquid that the Kosher salt drew out of the cucumber slices
    Pickling mix..sugar, vinegar,  mustard seeds, celery seeds ready to be cooked to dissolve the sugar, and be brought to a boil.
   pickling mix just starting to come to a boil.
cucumber slices/onion placed into the pickling mix of sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds. Mix well to coat all of the slices. Once liquid has returned to a boil, cook for 1- 1/2 minutes.
with a slotted spoon  fill the hot/sterilized jars with the hot pickles. Then add some pickling liquid to the jar leaving 1/4 inch head space
      fill jar, leave 1/4 inch head space, wipe around the rim with a damp paper towel to remove any seeds, onion or pickle. Place on lid, and hand tighten cover, but not tightened all the way. My batch made...9-  half pint jar.
after hot water bath when the pickles have cooled tighten the covers all the way. The lids have a circle in the center that will depress as the containers cool. That lets you know you have a good seal on your jar.
I looked online and like jam recipes found so many different versions and ingredients for Bread and Butter pickles. I don't use use turmeric , hot pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. I like my bread & butter pickles to be tangy.. sweet  and sour,not spicy.

Bread & Butter pickle recipe...below

 
6 cups or 4 pounds of washed, 1/4 inch sliced cucumbers
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 cup kosher salt or Mrs. Wages pickling salt
1/2 Tsp. celery seed
Combine in a non aluminum 6 quart pan
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1  1/2 cups cider vinegar
1  1/4 cup sugar
Bring to a boil after sugar is dissolved. Add rinsed cucumber slices, and return to a boil. gently submerge all slices. Boil 1 & 1/2 minutes. Fill hot, sterilized jars with a slotted spoon, and then add pickling liquid, leaving a 1/4 inch space at the top of the jar. Remove  air bubbles from the jars. Wipe the rims of the jars. Process in a water bath. ...5 minutes for 1/2 pint jars, 10 minutes for pint jars, 20 minutes for quarts.                                                                                                                  This batch  made 4- pints and one 1/2 pint.
I already have a second batch of pickles cut, and sitting in salt. I can't wait to try the pickles. Yum!
second batch

When my garden has produced lots of cucumbers, I followed the recipe below from a very old Ball canning book. You don't have to use pickling cucumbers if you don't have them. Just use slender, non waxed cucumbers. I may try using English cucumbers to see how those work. Years ago I just used Straight Eight variety of cukes that we grew in our garden. I just picked them while they were smaller and thinner.

larger batch....
6 quarts cucumbers..wash and then cut into 1/4 inch slices
6 medium onions..sliced thin
1/2 cup Kosher salt
Combine above ingredients and let stand in a glass/enamel bowl/pan for 2 hours.
Ingredients for pickling
1  1/2 quarts vinegar
6 cups sugar
3 tablespoons mustard seed
1 Tablespoon celery seed
and follow the directions as above

I will be making more pickles tomorrow.

Elaine

Halloween Album

ALBUM COVER 

A few weeks ago I had started a few projects, and one of them was a Halloween album with mat board pages. I had already cut out the mat board and attached the scrapbook papers.

Yesterday, I wanted to finish up the album. I punched holes in the mat book pages, put in grommets and then added embellishments to the pages.  I used rings to keep the album together. To fancy the rings up,  I tied ribbons and added  a crow charm to finish up the book.

inside front cover page

page 2

page 3

page 4

page 5

page 6

page 7

page 8

page 8

page 9

page 10

page 11

 page 12

      inside back cover 

    back cover

The album can be used for photos or as a journal.

Elaine

By the Sea...ornament

beach ornament on stand

I love the beach, and wanted to make some ornaments that have a beach theme to give as Christmas gifts. The ornaments that I want to make could be left out all year long if so desired. The ornament in this post is my first attempt.

I brought home a container of fine, beach sand from Corporation Beach, in Dennis, MA. The shells inside the ornament are just a few of the many I have collected over the years. I also used greens, beads, sheer ribbon and a large shell.

It was difficult getting a good photograph of this ornament due to glare. I placed the ornament on a small stand, but it would look much on one of those hanging stands.

    

slightly blurry and glare on the ornament

Elaine

Another Cape Cod getaway...continued

Saturday morning Cheryl and I took a ride down 6-A to Sandwich. We headed to the East End of the Canal where we stopped and had lunch of lobster rolls and French fries. We heard on the radio that there were several dolphins stranded in Wellfleet Harbor. So we changed directions and headed to Wellfleet. By the time we arrived at the harbor the dolphins had just been rescued and were gone..Bummer!!!

Here are a few pictures that I took while at the Harbor.

 

  there were several shells from dead horseshoe crabs on the beach near the pier. While beachcombing I picked up a lot of flat (bottoms) of oyster shells. I want to make ornaments with them.

After leaving the harbor and just down the road we stopped at a gift shop that had lots of mermaid items.

cool tree trunk in the gift shop/fish market yard

osprey on nest that we saw while on our drive

We were also too late to see the humpback whale that had been tangled in line in Chatham Harbor get rescued and released. The news reports stated that the same whale had been rescued last month.

Later in the afternoon we drove to Dennis to Tony's Go Carts to see my granddaughters. My oldest son, his girlfriend Kelley and her sons friend were staying in Dennis for the weekend at Kelley's parent's 2nd home.

Lily and Katie having a great time

Jake Jake Jake's friend and Jake in the yellow car

  

even the big guy gets in on the fun.

    Horsing around

Long legged Lily riding the Jeep

Sunday ...we just hung out at my cousins until late afternoon and then we went back to Kelley's parents house in Dennis. We ordered seafood from Captain Frosty's. I enjoyed my shrimp plate. We then headed to Corporation Beach in Dennis to watch the sunset.

 

The weirdest thing happened before sunset as the sky was starting to darken...a small open area of the sky had a partial rainbow, but the rainbow didn't show up in the photo, but you could see it with the naked eye.

Kelley with her twin boys

Tommy, Lily and Katie

The kids sitting on poor Jake

 wish I could still do cartwheels

 

  

 

rocks, water and sunset..sky blue pink

sun going down  gone

I always enjoy my time spent on Cape Cod.

Elaine