Thursday, September 29, 2011

Canning cowboy candy

As you know from previous garden posts, my garden has been popping with jalapeno peppers. I used some in salsa, some in casseroles or other recipes, and froze some – but a little bit of pepper can go a long way!

So I decided to give my first go of canning. I found this recipe for Cowboy Candy (candied jalapenos) from Tasty Kitchen. I started with about 3 pounds of peppers.Canning Jalapenos 2011 (7)

Then I sliced them all up…warning: wear gloves!Canning Jalapenos 2011

I cooked these in the vinegar/sugar/spice mixture for about 5 minutes, then funneled them into the sterilized jars.

Then I used my handy new little canning basket to put the jars in and boiled for about 15 minutes. Canning Jalapenos 2011 (4)

Then I let them cool overnight and will let them mellow for a good few weeks or month.Canning Jalapenos 2011 (6)

I am looking forward to enjoying them on this…


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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wordless Wednesday | Vines at sunset

Gourd vines at sunset. It sure is feeling like fall around here.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Branding our mark in Nebraska

After State Fair, Ronny and I are really feeling like Nebraskans. I really shouldn’t speak for him, but I was pretty proud to be a Nebraskan and have the opportunity to leave our mark at State Fair with our brand.

When the State Fair moved to Grand Island last year, they started a new tradition in the Barn Bar that cattlemen (and women) could bring their brands and brand a small placard to be hung up in the bar. They had a handful last year, and even more this year. Our friend from Seward who is also a member on the State Fair Board, invited us to attend and bring our brands.

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Thanks Doug!DSC_0127

Monday, September 19, 2011

2 years

Wow – two years have gone by since Ronny and I were married!

389 4x6 kelsey and ronny[4]

To celebrate, we decided to check out a new winery near Seward/Lincoln, called Prime Country Winery. Since it was during the Husker game, there was no one there. Planned that perfect! So we got the place to ourselves to chat with the winemaker and enjoy some good vino.

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Instead of buying gifts for each other, we purchased a new camera. I love the DSLR that I use at work, but didn’t want to invest that much into a camera, so we went with this little number:

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It has some of the features  of a DSLR, but is compact!

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Happy Anniversary, babe and here’s to many more!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Wordless Wednesday | The game of chase

Warning: These are not great photos – in terms of composition! But they crack me up of my hubby and doggy playing chase – Hank looks super fast!

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Garden Update | September

The gourds are continuing to grow. They are climbing all over the fence and the non-producing tomato vines and baby gourds are popping up everywhere. I’m even pruning some of the baby gourds because they are just taking over.

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It’s also still popping with peppers. While Emily was here this weekend, we picked over 30 peppers (jalapenos and hybrids) in one day! Good thing these freeze well!Garden Sept 5 (8)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Front row seats

Ronny and I are the occasional concert-goers. Usually we like the low-key red dirt county concerts like Aaron Watson, Wade Bowen or Jason Boland at Longhorn’s in Manhattan or Uncle Ron’s in Lincoln.

But at State Fair, we were given a couple of tickets by a State Fair Board Member to a concert and we weren’t doing anything that night, so we decided to go for it. He told us to meet on the West side of the event center and they would take us from there. Well, they did. Right to the center of the front row! What a great surprise.

And who did we see?DSC_0063

Leann Rimes!DSC_0087

I’ve always thought she did a nice job musically – and she was quite the entertainer! She sang a lot of classic country songs, as well as a few of her new ones. And being right there, not having to view her from the big screen or peering around others for a good picture, was quite impressive. DSC_0062DSC_0070DSC_0095

Monday, September 5, 2011

A much-needed break

Well, I made it through State Fair and had an awesome long weekend before another few busy weeks. We were grateful to have a random visitor come up Sunday night and enjoy Labor Day with us…
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And since she (my sister, Emily) loves to work with plants, I put her to work pruning my daylilies, roses, garden and…pretty much everything!
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But she enjoys this so don’t feel too bad for her. The weather today was just perfect and it was awesome to relax with Miss Em and enjoy being home. I am also grateful for planting butterfly bushes because I’ve been able to watch some amazing butterflies in our yard!
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A much-needed break! Will write about State Fair shortly.