A little glimpse into what is going on in our home at this moment…
I hope you all have a wonderful week!
making
Kairos
Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
Market
Each week we attend a variety of markets. So, today I thought I’d give a bit of a photo journey through one of our trips to the market. Complete with locally brewed beer, fresh wood-oven pizza, and lots and lots of community fun.
{Photo by my 5 year old…the blossoming photographer}
Tomato Time
Sorry for stepping away for a day, but my garden work kept me detained a bit longer than I thought when I was writing on Monday morning. The tomatoes are in full swing and I seemed to have gotten lost amongst the vines for a very long time before resurfacing and realizing that most of my day had passed me by.
This is the first year that we have not planted any slicing tomatoes. We planted only small cherry-type tomatoes (Juliets and Mexican Midgets) for the girls to snack on, and paste tomatoes (Viva Italias, Speckled Romans and Amish Pastes) to use for tomato sauces and salsas. What I didn’t realize about these types of plants is how many more fruits they produce compared to slicing tomatoes. Oh my. On Monday afternoon while I was picking, I found 4-6 ripe tomatoes, 6-8 I’m-almost-ready tomatoes, and about 20 addition green tomatoes just waiting to get ripe. That is also not factoring in that each plant still has about 20-30 blossoms. Apparently the tomatoes have done just fine with all of this heat.
So what to do with all of these lovely tomatoes? Tomato sauce it is! I love, love, love making tomato sauce. I have no idea why I cherish this activity so very much, maybe its my Italian roots, but I look forward to this activity come late July each and every year.
Yesterday I woke up early to begin this favorite task of mine. I went out to the herb garden, enjoyed the cool damp air from the rain the night before, and spent some time in meditation just picking oregano and basil. It was a great start to my morning. Then with coffee at the ready, and ingredients laid out, I went to work. And what lovely work it was, in the quite of the morning before anyone else awoke to begin their day. Ah.
My Tomato Sauce
I kind of fly by the seat of my pants with this recipe as (much like with my pesto). I first put a good amount of olive oil in the bottom of a stock pot. I then add garlic and onion (chopped) and I cook that down until the onions become translucent, but not brown.
I then add my chopped tomatoes and my fresh oregano and basil. I add a bit of salt and pepper at this point, cover the pot and let it cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. I then remove the lid and allow to cook for another hour or so.
At this point, I run a hand blender through the sauce (I don’t strain my seeds. I know all the Nanas out there may turn their nose at this 🙂 ) Add more salt and pepper to taste. Then I bring the sauce down to a simmer and leave it for several hours. I stir it every once in a while to keep the bottom from sticking. At the very end I add a bit of butter to cut the acidy taste.
I freeze my sauce as opposed to canning it because I find it hard to stick to an exact recipe, which is so very important to do if you are canning. I normally freeze my sauce in wide-mouth glass quart jars filled about 2 inches from the top of the jar (to allow for expansion during freezing.)
At This Moment
At this moment I am…
~glancing out my kitchen window at the garden and all of the weeds that need to be picked today.
~preparing for yet another garden extension after being inspired at this past weekend’s Heritage Garden Festival. (Check out this link: Our family was photographed for our local newspaper when we were attending the festival 🙂 )
~mustering up some motivation to do quite a bit of laundry today. The pile seems extremely tall and overwhelming on this Monday morning.
~thankful for the crisp morning air. Something we have not felt in a very, very long time.
~planning activities for the last few weeks of summer. Where did it go?
~priming the kitchen for a day of tomato sauce making. Our tomatoes are coming out in full force right now.
~wishing you all a wonderful week filled with fabulous memories!
Kairos
Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
Grandma Dit’s Carrot Cake
There is something about old recipe cards that I just adore. Maybe it’s the handwriting of those who have gone before us. Or maybe it’s the tiny notations scribbled in the corners of the cards, making note of adaptations to the recipe that worked or did not work for the previous maker of this recipe. No matter what the reason though, I adore making recipes from these small pieces of paper dotted with vanilla stains and creased corners.
Last night for our family’s weekly Tuesday Night Dinner, I rifled through my mom’s recipe box for the coveted carrot cake recipe that my Grandma Dietmeier was famous for. I made a few adjustments of my own to this fabulous recipe and came out with a yummy little cake that was a big hit at the gathering last night.
(This is the secret to Grandma’s carrot cake recipe: 2 jars of carrot baby food! It makes the cake extra moist, and adds even more great carrot flavor.)
Grandma Dit’s Carrot Cake
Mix together in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups shredded fresh carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 small jars of carrot baby food
In a separate bowl, mix together:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix well. Pour batter into a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cream Cheese Frosting: Cream together 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 cups powdered sugar. Frost the cake once it is cooled.
Enjoy!
Nook
All of us mamas need our space now and again. A place where we can just sit, and be still. These times don’t seem to come often, but when they do arise it is so very nice to have a place to call our own.
Last week, my girls and I were completely worn out by the extreme heat, so we decided to spend an afternoon in the basement. Once we were in this nice, cool space for an extended period of time, we realized the place needed a little pick me up. We spent the afternoon organizing, all while Belle (aka Beauty) and her gang sang to us in the background. When we were finished I realized that maybe, just maybe, there was a way I could set up my sewing machine in the basement in a permanent space.
The girls and I got back to work and moved furniture around a bit, which they loved because we discovered lots of lost treasures hidden beneath couch cushions and tables. And we also realized there was, in fact, a bit of space available amongst the chaos for a tiny sewing nook.
I shared this idea with my mother and father-in-law and to my absolute surprise, three days later my father-in-law had built me an absolutely fabulous sewing table! He is one crafty guy I tell you. So I then went rummaging through my parents’ basement, found an old abandoned chair, painted it and now I have a cute little space to call my own.
I can’t wait to start my first project 🙂
Friendship
This morning when my alarm woke me at 5 am, I was shocked to hear the sound of rain pounding down upon the roof above me. Wonderful precious rain, finally. So instead of leaping immediately out of bed to start my day, I decided to lie there a bit longer, thanking God for this storm that He has brought us. From this place of gratitude, my mind began to wander to the fabulous weekend my family and I just shared with a wonderful group of friends.
It is amazing to me how strange, small circumstances, brought us all together nearly 13 years ago. And those seemingly meaningless situations have carried us to this point of true friendship. These women are people I have worked with, learned with, and lived with. I have shared my passions and fears with them. So many times we place so much emphasis on our family, those people that are related to us biologically through the blood we share. But the bonds of friendship can be just as strong as those familial ties, and that line then blurs between family and friend.
We have now added so many beautiful children to the mix, and it is always amazing to me that at these gatherings, despite the fact that many of them have not seen each other in over a year, they seem to have a shared bond. It is a miracle to watch these tiny people, mold lifelong friendships through their play. Their reckless abandon and ease in which they interact with one another is breathtaking. There is no awkward point where they are shy or uncomfortable, like so many adults often are upon first meeting or after not seeing someone for an extended period of time. Instead, they fall instantly in step with one another as if this is something they do each and every day.
True friendship is so difficult to come upon, and this weekend brought this concept back into the light for me. I am so very thankful for these women, their husbands, and their babies. Our family.
At This Moment
At this moment I am…
~thankful for a wonderful weekend filled with old friends, lots of children, wonderful chaos and lots of laughter.
~excited to watch my little ones at their swimming lessons again this week.
~creating my new “sewing nook.”
~praying for rain. We need rainfall so very, very badly these days.
~preparing for the influx of tomatoes about to come to fruition this week.
~looking out my kitchen window at my garden, and willing myself to become motivated to weed today.
~excited (for some strange reason) to clean the house today. Maybe it’s the new vacuum I just bought. It’s the little things in life right 🙂
~wishing you all a wonderful week filled with wonderful moments!
Making of a Home 