Catching Up

70 this morning, heavy dew. Could use rain. 

I am catching my breath today. The weekend was a whirl, in a good way. My oldest son, his wife and daughter came for the weekend, always a pleasure as they live 4 1/2 hours away, on the other side of West Virginia. 

We ate. A lot. It was a holiday weekend, after all. I made fajita chicken wraps for lunch when they arrived Saturday, with some of my chocolate zucchini bread and blueberry banana bread for dessert.  

Then, since no one was very hungry that evening, I made omelets, sliced tomatoes, and garlic bread toast for a simple supper.

Sunday morning I was cooking again, this time pancakes, with fresh peaches, raspberries we froze in June, strawberry syrup,  and bacon. Move over, IHOP! 

We ladies went shopping at one of the places where I had a booth, meeting up with granddaughter Hannah for lunch. The guys fended for themselves with leftovers. Poor fellas.

Dinner that night was 75% wagyu beef steak, which I had not ever heard of. George brought the steaks with him, from the beef they had bought. The steaks were absolutely delicious. We rarely have beef, never steak, so I had no steak seasoning on hand but granddaughter Grace looked up a recipe and mixed up a homemade version (my well-stocked pantry comes in handy sometimes). I made potato salad,  green beans, and sliced some tomatoes, and dinner was ready. So easy, so good. 

Although it had been a hot day, it was a perfect evening for the firepit, and that was where we spent the evening.

We did something besides eat and talk this weekend, honestly. Saturday afternoon we women canned. As it happened, our late green beans were ready, and with 50 quarts in the cellar I had no need for more beans. But daughter-in-law Sandy did, as they had no beans this year. She had brought me some jars, which we put to use canning those beans for her! It was such fun to have other women canning with me, and the work went quickly. 

Sandy had also brought cucumbers which she needed to cut up for freezer pickles. I had never heard of freezer pickles, but yes it's a thing. It made no sense to me not to just go ahead and make the pickles, since I had all the necessary ingredients on hand. So while the beans were in the canner, we made pickles, and stashed them in the fridge, ready to be taken home and frozen when the time came.

Sandy left a jar here for Hannah. Aren't they pretty?

It still amazes me that pickles can be frozen. I mean, a frozen cucumber is mush, but apparently the vinegar and sugar prevent that from happening to this recipe. They are delicious too. 

The guys completed a long overdue project, replacing our front porch steps and handrails.

Already dirty! Ah me. But much safer.

The rails had gotten very loose, and our new dog Buddy wallowed them so much he literally knocked one rail off last week. Since the steps were at least 15 years old, we decided to just replace the whole mess. Larry and George jumped on it, going to Lowe's for the lumber Saturday, and building the new steps Sunday. I will give the pressure-treated wood time to age a bit before staining them. I am so happy to have this job done.

We spent Sunday evening just talking. Our son Derek and his daughter Hannah came for dinner, and we all enjoyed being out on the deck and visiting. Monday morning the sons were off to the golf course, and the rest of us held down the porch, enjoying a simple breakfast of delicious sliced peaches and the remainder of the chocolate zucchini bread.  When the golfers returned, I made a late brunch, putting avocado, sliced tomato, bacon, fried egg, and sour cream atop a toasted English muffin, with the leftover potato salad, tortilla chips and salsa for sides. 

Then it was time to say goodbye. I hate that part, but what a great visit it was. As usual I was so busy I forgot to take photos! But the memories will hold me, until the next time. At least granddaughter Hannah snapped a few.

Here is a recipe similar to the recipe Sandy used for the freezer pickles:

 Easy Freezer Pickles

 

INGREDIENTS 

 

8 pounds cucumbers, thinly sliced 

1 cup thinly sliced onion 

3 tablespoons salt 

4 cups sugar 

2 cups white vinegar 

1 teaspoon celery seed 

1 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon mustard seed 

In a large container, combine cucumbers, onion and salt. Let stand for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

1. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; let stand for 2-3 hours, stirring often.
2. Drain and rinse the cucumber mixture; add sugar mixture and stir well. Pack into 1-pt. freezer containers, leaving 1-in. headspace. Cover and freeze for up to 6 weeks. Thaw before serving.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.