Dennis & Tracy's Amazing Adventures
Have you heard the saying “There but for the grace of God go I”? This phrase has been used for nearly five hundred years by people who are counting their blessings. It acknowledges that someone’s bad luck or misfortune is not his or her fault and that the person uttering the phrase could easily have been in the same circumstances. The reason this phrase has been on my mind is because of an old friend.
I didn’t plan on writing about how to make blueberry jam today. However, due to current conditions, we’ve been staying close to home more than usual. While I have travel content that I need to write, I’m just not motivated to do it. However, cooking and gardening have been stress-relievers for me lately, so that’s what I’ve been doing. In the last 24 hours, I’ve made two batches of refrigerator pickles (check out my dad’s no cook pickle recipe here) and two batches of blueberry jam. I may make another batch today, but since I’m almost out of sugar, I’ll need to run to the store first.
Yesterday, a friend asked me for the blueberry jam recipe. It’s really simple. I use the recipe in the Sure Jell box. Seriously. I am going to share it with you here though, with some photos, so that you can see how easy it is.
As you may know, I planted my first real vegetable garden this year. It’s not very big, but I’ve enjoyed watching the plants grow. As a part of that garden, I planted four cucumber plants, training them to climb up wrought iron fleur de lis trellises. Now some of my cucumbers are ready to pick. I haven’t had enough ready at once to make Dad’s famous refrigerator pickles yet–hopefully soon! We’ve eaten a few here and there, just slicing and eating them with a little salt or seasoned salt. Dennis suggested that I make an easy cucumber salad using sour cream and dill weed. This recipe is so simple and refreshing that I decided to share it with you.Â
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? Well, maybe not with cockleshells and silver bells and pretty maids all in a row. However, my garden is definitely growing these days. During the quarantine period this spring, I decided to plant a garden, incorporating vegetables in among my flowers for the first time.Â
Continue reading “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, Did You Plant a Garden This Year?”
Have you ever wanted to make Scottish cream scones but were intimidated by the plethora of recipes out there? After a little research, combining several recipes together, I’ve come up with a super-easy recipes to help you make perfectly delicious Scottish cream scones.
One of my favorite parts about spring is that rhubarb is in season. For as long as I can remember, my parents have had a rhubarb patch in their garden or yard, sometimes two or three. Rhubarb is a plant with huge leaves and reddish green stalks. The leaves are poisonous, but the stalks are edible and oh, so good! When my brothers and I were little, we’d pick rhubarb stalks, snap off the leaves, and just chew on the tart stems. However, rhubarb is even better cooked. I love rhubarb sauce and rhubarb crisp, but my favorite is rhubarb custard pie. And, my aunt Dixie’s rhubarb pie recipe is the absolute best!
Due to Covid-19, I’ve been spending almost all my time at home lately, teaching from the kitchen table. Because of this, I have time to think about meals in the mornings, preparing them early in the day so that we always have something good to eat when Dennis gets home from work. As I was flipping through my recipe box, I came across my favorite old-fashioned sugar cookie recipe. It had been a while since I had made them, but since these cookies bring back such awesome memories, I decided to make a batch.
When J.R. was staying here recently, this Grammy was out of ideas for fun things to do. He wanted to play with Play Doh, but we didn’t have any. However, I remembered that I used to make easy homemade play dough for my own children when they were young. And, even though I was out of practice (after all, it had been at least fifteen years since I’d made play dough), I decided that making play dough would be a fun and memorable activity for a four-year-old to try.
The Christmas tree is the central decoration in many homes this time of year.  Although the real vs. artificial debate reigns supreme each year, I admit to being a fan of the real tree–I’ve never had or wanted anything else. A real tree, if cut fresh and kept watered, will last the entire season, filling your home with a wonderful aroma. Visiting a Christmas tree farm is a fun activity for family members of all ages. With 30+ years experience working on family-owned tree farm, I’d love to give you some tips for visiting a Christmas tree farm.
Continue reading “Twelve Tips for Visiting a Christmas Tree Farm”
The end of summer marks a special time of year, No, I don’t mean back to school, although I’ve got that covered for you here in Nine Ways to Make the First Day of School Special . For many people with backyard gardens, it’s harvest time. And, while I don’t have a garden due to amount of trees in my yard, my parents do. Luckily for me, they gift me with plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, and other goodies. When I’m really lucky, Dad will give me a big jar of his homemade no cook refrigerator pickles.
About two years ago, I finally asked for the “secret” recipe so I could make my own pickles. When I did, I was amazed to learn how easy it was to make no cook refrigerator pickles. First, I didn’t even realize that you didn’t have to cook anything. Nothing. Nada. Plus, I learned that the pickles really don’t take that much time to make.
Continue reading “Dad’s Famous No Cook Refrigerator Pickles”