Friday, July 31, 2009

Visit from Aunt Kelli...


My dear friend Kelli (honorary "Aunt Kelli" to E...) came for a visit mid-month....we had so much fun eating, talking, shopping and going to the local arboretum....and she and E played baby dolls again and again and again! Such a fun time!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Tea for you and tea for me...

E's been having a lot of fun giving tea parties lately...here, she's serving the king and queen from her toy castle, as well as her friend "Plig"...which is what she named her pig. Too cute!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Love this...

(Mother Goose and Grimm - 7/26/09)

Domestic Diva Experiment: Tomato Bacon Jam

We helped tend our pastor's garden again this year while he was on vacation. We gathered massive amounts of tomatoes, okra, green peppers, eggplant, canteloupe and more! In addition to making oven sun dried tomatoes like last year, I also tried a new recipe for Bacon and Tomato Jam....yum, yum!



BACON AND TOMATO JAM

1/2 pound smoked bacon
2 pounds very ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium-high, cook the bacon until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain excess fat, blotting it dry with additional towels as needed.
In a large saucepan, combine the tomatoes, onion, sugar, cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce heat to medium. Crumble the bacon into the tomato mixture.
Simmer until very thick, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.
Let the jam cool, then ladle into jars. Can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. If freezing, divide the jam among several small jars. When ready to use, let a jar thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Nutrition information per 2-tablespoon serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 58 calories; 27 calories from fat; 3 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 7 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 0 g fiber; 266 mg sodium.