Dahlia Mid Afternoon

Tomato Jam

The first time I had Tomato Jam was at a BK Swappers food swap. We did a potluck BBQ and this jam moved so fast. So this weekend when I scored a crate of plum tomatoes (50lbs for $20!!!) I knew it would be on the list of things to make. We went through a 4oz container the first night, pairing it with crusty bread, fresh mozzarella and prosciutto. 

The recipe I used was based on one from Food in Jars
Here is the Original Recipe I had to take out the red pepper flakes because I'm sensitive to them and I omitted the ginger because my husband hates ginger.

Tomato Jam
5 lbs tomatoes, finely chopped
3 1/2 c sugar
8 T lime juice
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1 T salt

Mix everything together in a large pot. Simmer until the consistency is like jam. It will be very liquid at first. It took me about 2 hours to get it to the consistency I wanted. In the meantime wash the canning jars with warm soapy water. Rinse thoroughly. Put your rack in the bottom of the canning pot, and fill with water, add the jars. Heat to boiling. Put a towel down on your counter so the jars don't crack touching the cold counter. Remove jars when jam is ready. Heat a small saucepan of water to boiling, put the lids (not the rings) in and turn the heat down to low. Fill the jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims with a clean cloth. Apply a lid and ring to each jar, tighten only fingertip tight. Process in the boiling water canner for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and wait 5 minutes before removing the jars and putting them on the towel.
Yield - it really depends on how much you boil down the jam. I got equivalent to five 8oz jars.

This stuff is fantastic on burgers, or just a piece of bread.

Slime Time!

This weekend was a busy one!
At the farmer's market I put my name in for a crate of Plum Tomatoes for next week only to get the call mid-afternoon that they had one ready for me to pick up! I promise to post details of what I did with them over the next few days. Right now I want to show you how I kept the girls entertained while I prepped the kitchen for my marathon canning session.

We made slime! It was fairly simple to do, the girls loved it! The texture of this stuff is neat. It can crumble. It also sort of melts. If you roll it into a ball it'll bounce like a rubber ball...
And T thinks it's pretty convincing as snot.

Slime recipe:
1/2c water
1/4c clear glue
1T borax
food coloring in your choice of color

To make put about half of your water in one container (easiest if it has a lid), add the borax. Shake it. In a separate container put the remaining water. Color the water whatever color you want your slime to be. I used two drops each of green and yellow. Add the glue. Mix thoroughly. Slowly, a few drops at a time, add the borax solution. Add a few drops, stir, lift out your stir stick and see your progress. Add a few more drops, stir, repeat. We managed to incorporate all of our glue mixture into our slime.


We played with it again this morning, I stored it in a little jar with a lid. It all sort of melted into one blob in the container. And once I pick up all the little pieces the girls chopped it into this morning it'll do that again.

Fried Chicken

The only time I'd ever had fried chicken, before last night, was at a fast food joint. I was never a fan.

When my Bon Appetit magazine arrived back in February, and it had Fried Chicken on the cover, I tossed it aside filing the idea under "Maybe"

Last night I made it. I took a few pictures while Justin dove in.
When I finally took a bite I realized that I'd been missing out. For my entire life.

It was surprisingly easy to make. I highly recommend it!
Here is the recipe

DIY Air and Carpet Freshener

I'm not a big fan of the air fresheners you buy in the store. The scents they offer don't always appeal and they are full of chemicals.
Instead I make my own. This same recipe can be sprinkled on carpets for a carpet freshener. (To use that way, sprinkle on carpets wait a bit and then vacuum it up. It won't harm your carpets, so go ahead and do other stuff and vacuum it up when you get to it. I usually wait 15 minutes, but I've been known to forget about it for up to a couple hours.)

Air Freshener

To make this you'll need:
Baking Soda
Essential Oil(s) or Fragrance Oil
A Jar (see note)
A scrap of fabric (see note)
Scissors

Notes: I like to use a mason jar so I can use the ring to secure the fabric, but any jar and an elastic would work.
Sheer fabric works well, you don't want to use anything too tightly weaved or your fragrance won't penetrate it.

 Mix enough baking soda to fill your jar 3/4 full with several drops of oil. The amount will obviously depend on what size jar you use. I used a 4 ounce jar and about 10 drops of fragrance oil.

Put mixture in the jar. Cover the jar with fabric. Secure with the ring or elastic. Trim the extra fabric. I used pinking sheers to prevent fraying.


Leave out on a counter, shelf, where you want to make smell better. I have one in my bathroom and one in the kitchen.

Carpet Freshener

We only have one room in the house that's carpeted. The girls' room. I like to make this with lavender essential oil for them. Lavender known for it's calming and soothing properties. It's often used in scent blends design to help relax.

To make it as a carpet freshener simply skip the steps about finding a pretty jar and fabric. Mix baking soda and fragrance together. Sprinkle over carpets. Wait a while, give the powder time to work, 10-15 minutes is plenty, longer is better. The baking soda will help deodorize the carpet and the fragrance you choose will scent the entire room. Vacuum up the powder.

When experimenting with your own carpet freshener, I would recommend only lightly fragrancing at first, until you know what your preference is. If you use too much oil it can be over powering.

She would live in her bathing suit if we let her.

This is Ethan, he's my nephew.