Moving Scenes and Makin' Pepper Jelly with Mom

HELLO EVERYONE!

I know it's been a couple of weeks - and yes, our computer is still packed up on a truck and headed to Whidbey - but I'm writing this post from my NEW LAPTOP!  Bo found a great deal for it on Black Friday; and now that it is all set up and ready to use, I figured a blog post was the perfect inaugural project!

First things first, 

here are a few scenes from our most recent move from Jacksonville:

Dining Room and Living Room

Living Room

Office

Office

Guest Bedroom

Poor little Lola girl had to stay either outside - or in her crate - throughout packing/moving day(s).  She was a little sad, as you can see; but she didn't whine or bark once.
Truth be told, I think she was just a little depressed that she wasn't able to make any new friends!

We arrived safely in Springville, AL on November 30 (my mom, step-dad, and step-brothers all live there).  Whenever my mom and I are together, we try our best to make the most of our time.  This time, one of the first things on our "to-do" list was to make H-O-T pepper jelly.  So, bright and early on December 1st we woke up and got to work!

First, I had to dissolve the sugar into the vinegar.

Second, we had to chop the H-O-T peppers.

Lola, of course, fulfilled her role as kitchen supervisor! ;)

Me, stirring and...stirring and...stirring and...

Look at all those beautiful colors after dumping in the pepper and carrots.

Although she wouldn't let me take a face-shot of her (supposedly because she had no make-up on and hadn't fixed her hair), I assure you that my mother WAS in the kitchen.  

Here's the evidence!

Then Lola proceeded to lay on mom's foot while she stirred the jelly mixture.
It's a good thing she's cute because she sure can get in the way!

When I stepped outside with Lola for a walk, this is the sky that greeted me.

Alabama really is the land of the beautiful.

When Lola and I returned from our walk, the jelly was done!  

In the end, mom and I made six beautiful - and S-P-I-C-Y - jars of deliciousness.  Spread a little cream cheese onto a cracker and "Wha-la!," you have YUMM-O in appetizer form.

Oh, and did I mention the colors?!  

They are simply divine.

Question of the Day:

Have you ever eaten pepper jelly?!  If so, did you eat the green or the red kind?  What did you think?  Did you like it?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Home and Blackberry Jam

As I mentioned in my last post, Bo and I visited my old stomping grounds in Alabama this past weekend.  Since Bo had to work on Friday, we ended up arriving relatively late to my mom's house that evening.  A little worse for wear from our 8+ hour drive (OK - confession time - the reality is that I just sat in the passenger's side seat while Bo drove the whole way, but hey - that can be draining too!  Give me a break!), we arrived tired and starving!

When I walked into my old room to set down my suitcase, whaddya know but my mom had already made the room feel like "home."  Freshly cut from her front garden, my mom decorated the room with my all-time-favorite flower, blue hydrangeas.  I don't know what it is about these flowers, but I simply adore them.  From their plushness, to their indigo hue, I just can't get enough.  Needless to say, right away I was able to relax and enjoy being "home sweet home."

Mom also had a whole dinner ready and waiting for us to devour!  

We ate:

• butter beans (fresh from her garden);
• sauteed crooked neck squash (fresh from the garden) and onions;
• steamed Spanish rice;
• homemade white cornbread; and
• roasted chicken (for the meat-eaters).

Hm...mmmm...all that garden fresh food does a tummy good!

The next morning my mom told me that she had a whole bucket full of freshly picked, local blackberries ready and waiting to be turned into jam!

She wasn't kidding either...just LOOK!

I was in charge of mushing (and yes, that is an official term) the blackberries!

I think I did a good job...don't you?!

I was NOT aware that this picture was taken...apparently Bo found the camera and sneaked one past me!

Jam-making is 100% worth it, but it does sort of make a mess.

(Note: I could have used the flash in this picture, but honestly I kind of like the sepia tone that it had without it.  It looks sort of rustic to me...the way jam-making activities should look.  What do you think?)

Dishes.

I was surprised to learn that jam-making doesn't really take that much time, effort, or ingredients.  In fact, other than the blackberries, I think that the only other things we added were lemon juice, all-fruit pectin, and a small amount of sugar.  Not bad at all...and definitely cheaper than buying jam at the store!

We ended up making ten small jars of jam, enough to give away half to friends and family and still have a couple of jars each for ourselves ("ourselves" meaning my mom and I).  In fact, I ended up giving a jar to my dad for Father's Day.  Other than peaches, blackberries are his favorite fruit, so it worked out perfectly!

Side-note: There is something incredibly powerful and meaningful about cooking from scratch, in the kitchen, with your mother.  We - meaning the vast majority of my generation living in the United States - don't do things like this.  Instead, we buy jam/jelly in the condiment aisle of our local Piggly Wiggly, Publix, or Whole Foods.  Most of us, including me until this past Saturday, don't even know HOW to make jam/jelly (or for that matter, many of the other foods that we eat on a regular basis).  For me, returning to the cooking heritage that gave us these ingredients was a really moving thing.  In the future, I want to do more things like this. In fact, I WILL learn to:

• garden;
• dehydrate; and
• can

just to name a few.  Until then, Bo and I should probably work on buying a house.  After all, we will need some land to grow all that food on. ;)

Later that day my Mom and Step-dad hosted a Bar-B-Que lunch in honor of Father's Day.  My biological brother and both step-brothers were able to make it.  So, with all four of the kids together (which is a rare event), we spent the weekend sipping on sweet tea, eating hot dogs and hamburgers (or an amazing salad for me!), and relaxing on the porch.

Mom and I snapped a few pictures together.  

Isn't she lovely?! 

(Which, by the way, reminds me of a "My Fair Lady" song...but I digress...)

Handsome hubby.

Happy couple.

And yes, I know that I already mentioned this at the beginning of the post; but seriously, aren't these hydrangeas G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S.?! 

Next up - all about my 10-year high school reunion! WHO-HOOO!

Question of the Day:


What is the coolest thing (in your opinion) that you have ever made from scratch?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo