Back In The Kitchen ~ August 23, 2017

Sometimes I go through a period of time when I'm not in the mood to be in the kitchen much, outside of the necessity to make our meals for the day. But as the fruit trees bend under the weight of all their produce, and hints of Autumn are in the air, I'm getting the itch to do a bit more these days. 

So I got out my Magnolia Journal magazine, and followed the directions for their Apple Butter recipe. 

As is common for me, I never quite follow everything exactly as I should. So, while this recipe is for the slow cooker, I cooked it down in a sauce pan right on my stove. Can you imagine how wonderful the house smelled with apples, cinnamon and cloves stewing in the pot?? Mmmm.... I thought for sure Autumn had arrived! I really enjoyed it's sweet, clove infused taste. 

Next, I moved on to a recipe using peaches. I gathered a bucket of our own peaches from our small tree, and set to work on making a peach jam. I just used the recipe straight from the Sure-Jell box. 

Oh. My. Goodness! The smell as they were bubbling away in the jam syrup brought me right back to the days of when I used to feed my babies jarred peaches! Isn't it amazing how some smells just resonate with you?? ☺The jam turned out perfectly, and tastes absolutely delightful on toast and those delicious Town House crackers! I think it's been years since I've made any type of jam..... But, look at how lovely it is in the jars now!

My last extra little something I spent time on in the kitchen was a tasty, green bean salad made with fresh beans given to me by my neighbor that were grown in his garden. I cut the ends off, steamed them gently, then added some oil, vinegar and seasoning.... Ooooh, they were fresh and tender! A little remained for me to nibble on the next day, and they were even better having set over night.

I'll have to remember that if there's a next time that my neighbor brings me over some beans.......

I hope this post finds you enjoying some things you've finally gotten around to doing again, or maybe just simply enjoying the continuation of some really nice summer weather! It won't be long before our next season is upon us....

Take care, my friends. Wishing you well in your part of the world! 

~ ♥ ~