Introductions are due!

As I looked back at my blog I thought..what if someone actually sees this that's not related to me lol! They'd never know anything about me. First I'm a mother of one..yep..one..a 7 year old daughter. Then there is my other half..a correctional officer with a huge appetite. We've been together almost 9 years and will continue to be forever...that is as long as he continues to pick up his socks! (Hear that honey!) I love photography, although my budget prevents me from getting the $600 camera I dream about..so I make do with the one I have. And since I have a billion and one photos, I have to do something with them..so I scrapbook. Maybe I'll even post some of my projects...who knows.

This year my daughter is going to be in school full time. I've been a stay at home mom since the moment she was born. So where does an empty house leave me? With A LOT of empty time. So I'm going to use my time to devote myself to home cooking, cooking almost everything from scratch, trying endless new recipes, and learning to can veggies, fruits and sauces. But even to top that..and less to be blogged about because who really wants to read about cleaning..is my goal of keeping this house as clean as possible. Until recently it has been an uphill battle, but now that my toilet is free of tiny, Dora the Explorer potty seats, bath crayons scribblings on the bathtub, tile floor and even bathroom mirror, so now I might have a shot.

Then this fall I'll be tending to my flower beds...learning to plant bulbs, prepping the vegetable garden for the future planting season, and planning out all my veggies for next spring. I plan to cook, can, preserve, and EAT as many as possible. 

But I have to say, I used to not care about canning, or growing my own produce. But in the last year, with food recalls, and skyrocketing food prices, too much sugar and salt, and growing waistlines, I decided that fresher, local and prepared by my own hands is the better route. Canning is no longer for grandma's, great grandma's, hicks making moonshine, or the poor....even this month's Better Homes and Gardens acknowledges that. They say the same thing as me..time for fresh and tasty!

All stocked up!

One whole shelf in my pantry is full of the yummy canning goodies I made with my mom this week.

We've got fresh peaches canned with no-sugar apple juice to make a healthy snack for my daughter.

Then lots of dill pickles that will ready for tasting int 8 weeks.

And then salsa...which will be tried tonight since I'm anxious to see how spicy it is after the jalapenos burned my hands for about 4 hours.

So tonight is mexican night, fresh salsa from scratch, fajitas made with my own seasoning, no-fry refried beans that I'm cooking in my slow-cooker all day.

Its looking like a yummy night at our house!

Fajita Seasoning

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together.

I use this mix as a rub mostly. I brush olive oil over the meat, then rub on the spice mixture and barbeque my meat while I saute the onions and peppers in a little olive oil  in pan on the stove. Then add the meat when done, add a little water to the veggies and a little extra mix and TADA! Fajitas!