My First Attempt at Canning Pickles

This week I tried my first attempt at canning pickles. I've got a ton of them in my garden. I only planted 3 small plants, but I'm getting lots of small 3-5" pickles. They were specifically for pickling.

Okay don't get all impressed.  I used a packet of seasonings that I bought last year in clearance. It didn't have an expiration date, so I gave it a try.

It's pretty easy. Start with a bunch of cucumbers. Size doesn't really matter. Smaller sized cucumbers are easier to fit into the jars and fill small spaces.

Cut them up into slices (crinkle cut if you can). You can also cut into length-wise strips as well. It's your preference really.

Next start putting the cut up cucumbers into clean, sterilized jars. Any size jar will work. I had pint size jars on hand so that's what I used.

Now it's time to make the liquid that will make the cucumbers taste like pickles. I used the package of seasoning mix, but you can follow any recipe you wish. There are lots available for free on the web. Mostly it spices and lots of white vinegar.

Once your liquid is complete according to your recipe's directions, add the hot liquid to the jars full of cucumber slices. I found it much easier to use a funnel (which can be found in most dollar stores). Leave 1/2" from the top of the jar with no cucumbers or liquid.

After you add the liquid seasoning, be care because the jars will be hot. Wipe the jar with a dry towel, especially around the top rim. Add a dry, clean and sterilized lid and ring and tighten.

Add all the jars to a canning pot. Once the water is boiling, let the jars remain in there for 5-10 minutes or however your recipe calls for.

After the jars were boiled for the designated time remove them to a towel on the counter.  Let the jars remain their for 24 hours to cool thoroughly. You may hear them pop as they cool.

My recipe said they were ready to eat after 24 hours, but we waited 2 days to try them. Let me just say- Yummy!!  Next time I will try sweet pickles, because I still have a ton of cucumbers growing. We will be eating pickles forever! LOL

Feel free to leave a comment with your pickling stories.

Having Fun Exploring Cooks.com

I've gotten lost today. I was searching online for some old fashion recipes. See I'm really big into historical romance novels. Mostly stories from the late 1800 and early 1900 when the middle of the country was being settled.

While searching I came across www.cooks.com. How come I've never noticed this site before?

There are a million really good recipes here!!  I'm don't claim to be a great cook who experiments with spices and stuff, but I can follow a recipe.

Like I said earlier I was looking for historical recipes and found some really cool ones that I plan to try out.  Here are two I can't wait to try:   Old Virginia Angel Biscuits and Old Fashion Corn Bread.

The only thing I don't like about Cooks.com is the fact there there aren't photos of the finished recipe.

There is even a drink mixer manual where you can learn how to make almost any mixed drink.

If you are looking for a great recipe to take to your next get together or picnic browse their site. You are sure to find something you like.

* None of the links in this post are affiliate links. I am not compensated in any way if you decide to visit the site above or for posting about it. I'm simply sharing my opinions and experiences in hope of helping others. Enjoy!

Apps I Can't Live Without

Today I would like to share a couple apps that I just can't live without. I'm on them all the time and find them either fun or useful.

Contacts
This one comes standard on almost all phones. Besides keeping your family and friend's address, phone numbers and birthdays, some apps let you add a photo. On my iPhone this app allows you to add a note at the bottom of the person's contact page. In the note section, I put my contact's kids' names, anniversary date, and gift ideas. For my hubby, I put all his current medications and doses in that section.  This way I always have the info with me in case of an emergency room visit. Let me tell you some of those medications have long names.

Storm Shield Weather Radio App
Love this! It notifies you when there is a weather event in your area. Tornado, severe thunderstorm, flooding, etc. You get a text or message on your phone - no matter where you are in the United States. That way if your power is out in your home you can still know what's going on outside and keep your family safe. Let's face it, the weather has been pretty crazy throughout the U.S. lately and this app can help.

Facebook
I'm on this one everyday. It's how I connect with family and friends. We share photos and stuff happening in our lives.  It's a nice way to send a message to friends, distant family and acquaintances. There are also games you can play with friends, famous people you can follow, causes you can donate/help and lots more. Find me on Facebook: "Kimberly Butler-Shavatt"

Instagram
This one is really fun. I really enjoy taking photos and here is an app that lets me share them with others. Great for someone wanting to improve their photography skills. Practice makes perfect (or better at least). This is an app for beginners to expert photographers or anyone who is just goofing around with a camera like me. Follow me on Instagram at "shavattk"

Pinterest
This one is quite addictive. You are able to add pictures from all over the web to "boards" you create.  Almost anything you want. Some ideas include: DIY/Crafts, My Dream Home, Vacations I Plan to Take, and My Style. Plus you can follow other people's boards and re-pin their items to your boards. It's a great way to collect ideas. Follow me on Pinterest at username "shavattk".

Skee-Ball 2
This one is just a fun game. I've love skee-ball since I was a little girl. I even have an actual skee-ball game at home and now I have one on my phone to play anywhere I wish. This one lets you earn tickets and purchase little prizes. You can even tilt your phone to make the ball move different directions.

Solitaire
A classic card game that never gets old. It keeps your brain sharp. You are able to play with one card at a time or three at a time. It's fun because you can even customize the back of the cards with a photo from your camera roll.

All these app are available on the iTunes app store and are possibly available on other phones as well. Everyone of these apps are fr*ee except the Storm Shield which was $4.99 as of this morning.

Food Loving Fridays - Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken Review

This week I fixed the new Wanchai Ferry Frozen Dinners for my family. We tried the Orange Chicken. I bought it because a.) I had a coupon and (b.) we love, love, love the boxed dinner version by Wanchai Ferry.

To start out with I have to say the package states it's a meal for 2 people. We are a family of 5 - two adults and three kids 10 and under.

Okay for the pros:
* It has the same great sauce as the boxed dinner kits. YUMMY!
* Chicken tastes really good. 
* There are lots of great coupons out right now to bring the cost down.
* It is quite easy to prepare and only requires one pan. Bonus for the quick clean-up.

 Now for the cons:
* The portions are very small.
* The chicken is breaded  -  which isn't the most healthy.
* It has quite a few calories - 610 calories prepared and 22 grams of fat prepared. 13WW points.

Overall, I'm not sure we would buy again. The reason is the serving sizes are too small - you get way more at any local Chinese restaurant. Plus, this is not a family friendly meal in that to feed our family of 5 we would need to buy 3 packages. Ouch - even with coupons that's pricey.

This would be perfect for a single person or two people who don't eat very much. Otherwise, skip the frozen section and visit your local Chinese restaurant for hot food your don't have to cook or clean up after. ;-)

* By the way - I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post.

UPS Cheating Customers

I don't usually do rant posts, but this one has really got me upset. I occasionally sell on eBay and every once in a while I ship them out via my local UPS.

Last time I was at my local store I noticed the size was off. The box was 14" X 14" X 14" and they said the package was 15" X 15" X 15". I figured I didn't close it enough and they rounded it up an inch.

Well today I had another package so prior to going to UPS bought a box at my local office supply store. The box had printed on it 14" X 14" X 14". I even sealed it and measured it at home with 2 tape measures. It was 14" X 14" X 14". I got to my local UPS store and they charged me as 15" X 15" X 15". I called them on it. The young man working there showed how he measured it with his tape measure. I noticed that the end piece was bent in. There was no way they could start measuring at 0 because the bent piece pushed it away from the edge a good 1/4". They are cheating their customers  - charging them for a larger box than they actually have.

Now in my case it was only a couple cents or a dollar, but those who ship out items more frequently could be out significantly more.

Just a word of warning to those who use UPS. Make sure you aren't getting scammed. Watch them when they are measuring your boxes. Ask them to measure starting at 1" and deduct 1" from the end number. Otherwise, you could be charged more than you should.  I hope for everyone's sake this is only happening at my local shop.

They even had past issues with problems such as this. UPS was accused of cheating their franchise, now it appears the franchise owners could be cheating us. See below:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lawsuit-accuses-ups-of-cheating-franchise-owners-57870252.html

Food Lovin Friday - Green Giant Just for One Review

 

I just tried these for the first time this week. I had the broccoli with cheese and I must say I absolutely love, love, love these!  I love broccoli with cheese and these are just the right size for me.  

I know many people aren't fond of the individual serving size and they are a bit pricey compared to making it from scratch. However, when you are cooking for one they are great. The added bonus is they fit right into the Weight Watchers diet plan using only 0 or 1 point per serving. Awesome! :)

Review of Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner

I've used this product for a couple years now and love it! I spray it on my kitchen counters and appliances like my toaster, microwave and stove top. If I have a difficult spill or stain I simply spray it on and leave it for about 5 minutes then wipe it off. With 3 kids, a husband, 2 dogs, and 2 cats, it's hard to catch every spill right after it happens.

The company claims it can:
Help protect your family from the spread of foodborne bacteria.
Kills 99.9% of germs* on hard, nonporous surfaces. It is effective against Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Help protect your family from the spread of foodborne bacteria.
Effectively cuts tough grease and grime.


This one I would definitely give ***** (5 stars out of 5). Can't live without this product!

Review of V Smile TV Learning System

My family received the V Smile TV Learning system last year for Christmas as a present. I wanted everyone to know the pros and cons of the system in my opinion.

First of all the pros:

Name brand games appealled to my kids because they love Scooby Doo and Bratz.

Price appealled to my family because it was considerably cheaper than Wii, Playstation, etc. that were out at the time. The system and the games were much more affordable.

Now the cons:

Do you remember the old Atari games? Well the V Smile games are made almost identical and all the problems with the Atari games apply to the V Smile games. If you had Atari games you probably remember blowing on the game cartridges hoping to get them to work again.

Some of the games were extremely easy and some where a tad bit difficult for my 7 and 6 year old. By the way I went by my kid's ages (6 & 7 at the time).

The old saying applies: You get what you pay for. After a couple months of normal use, we threw the system away because it no longer worked.

My recommendation is * (1 star out of 5). Pass on this product. Like I said in the beginning, this is my opinion. Take the good and the bad reviews and make your own informed decision before you buy.

Vtech - V.Smile TV Learning System

It Really Works

I bought my kids the "Fisher Price Computer Cool School" at Aldi's the other day. I have to say it really is cool! They haven't wanted to stop playing with it. It is easy to set up and easy for them to use. My youngest is 4 and hasn't really gotten too much exposure to our computer, but she is still able to use it with very little assistance from me. She is still learning her numbers and letters and she's having a lot of fun with this system. She actually tried to trace the letters with the stylus and I've been trying for weeks to get her to try writing letters to no avail. I have to give this ***** (Five Stars out of 5). I would highly recommend this product.


You can find it on Amazon.com. Click below.
Fisher-Price Fun-2-Learn Computer Cool School