Friday, September 25, 2009

Canning Dayz


When I was pregnant with Cason, my "nesting phase" manifest itself in obsessing over getting my year supply. My sister-in-law Gena (aka Preparedness Queen) opened my eyes to the wonder of canned meat. (You have to know that I had never canned anything in my life up to that point.) But, Gena said it was one of the most SIMPLE things you could can!! I borrowed two pressure canners, was given some quart jars, bought 15 round roasts and 20#'s of chicken. It took two days to get all that meat done, but it was SIMPLE and I was hooked! It is so CONVENIENT when preparing dinner to have meat that is ready to go as soon as you pop the top. Sunday dinner of roast and potatoes has never been so easy!!!

STEP #1 Buy chicken, ground beef or roast when it goes on sale. (Or kill your own rooster!) I always buy the boneless, skinless chicken breats and cut off the little pieces of fat.

STEP #2 Stick the meat into your jar. I just stick the whole breast into the jar, no precooking needed (unless you're canning ground beef - that needs to be browned). I've found about 4 breasts (just less than 2#'s) fit into a jar and 2#'s of ground beef fit into a jar. Make sure your meat is below the neck of the bottle. ADD 1 tsp of salt, make sure the rim of the jar is wiped off and put your lid on. NOTE: You do not add any water or broth in with your meat, it cooks in its own juice.
STEP #3 Put the jars in your pressure canner and fill the canner with water about midway up the jars. Put your lid on and turn the stove on high. Wait until you have a consistent stream of steam shooting up through the thing that you put your weight on. Let it steam for about 5 to 10 minutes and then put your weight on. Chicken, beef, and beans all need 10#'s of pressure for 90 minutes if using quart jars and 75 minutes if using pint jars. (High elevation needs 15#'s) Keep the stove on high until your gauge reads 10, or your weight starts to "rock". That is when you start the timer for the 90 minutes and also turn your stove down to about med-high or whatever temp keeps your guage at 10.
STEP#4 Enjoy the convenience of your cooked meat!

P.S. Those of you worried about the "safety" of canning and eating your own meat...all I can say is we're all still alive and kicking!

Friday, September 4, 2009

PopUp Joe

Nick and I are both country kids at heart and we really want to raise our kids the way we were raised. Living in a subdivision makes that pretty hard. We were happy that at least our house backed up to the desert so our girls could climb the fence and go make forts or play in the wash. Unfortunately that came to a halt one day when the girls and I were out playing in the wash. Nick had been chasing our dog and when he came back he saw an illegal walking towards us. As soon as the illegal saw Nick he turned and walked away. No more backyard adventures. We needed a way to get our family some "wide open spaces". Nick and I love the outdoors but aren't so keen on sleeping on the ground so...Popup Joe joined our family. We love Joe (born 1989) and have absolutely loved our home away from home.


Popup Joe has a king size bed, a queen size bed and even the baby's wee little bed (playpen) fits in! There is a sink, stove and lots of little storage compartments.


Our 1st Popup adventure was to the Huachuca Mountains in Sierra Vista for the 4th of July. The road to the top was really steep & switchback but worth all the fear once you got to the top. This is a picture of Carr Peak. We didn't realize how long of a hike it was but once we start something doggonit...we're gonna finish it. It took over 4 hours and a game of "Mother May I take 2 steps backwards? No, but you may take 20 flying pegasus steps forward."
Our girls really are troopers.

The girls loved our first camping trip...everything of course except the hike! Kalee made a boat out of leaves. The girls made those little boats the entire 2nd day. They would make them and then sail them down the little stream we were camped by. They kept doing experiments using big and small leaves and even used a stick to make a mast. We feel so blessed to have those two gals. They sure keep life exciting!



My handsome Hansens.