Homemade Instant Oatmeal

When the weather is cold, one of my favorite comfort foods for breakfast is oatmeal. We go through a lot of instant oatmeal in our house in the colder months. Sometimes a full box in less than a week, which can really add up.

While I was searching through Pinterest I found several pins about how to make your own instant oatmeal, I decided to give it a try. And I have to say I'm hooked. Sorry Mr. Quaker, but you are no longer welcome in my house. Homemade instant oatmeal tastes so much better than store bought, it's more filling and you can be a little creative with the fruit you add to it. 

To make your own instant oatmeal you will need:

1 - 18oz can of Quick Oats
1/3 cup - Dry Powdered Milk
1/2 cup - Brown Sugar
2 tsp - Cinnamon
1-2 cups - Dried Fruit (raisins, cranberries, etc...)

Add your ingredients to a resealable container and mix it all together. I used an old lemonade pitcher that I never use anymore, it's just the right size for a double batch (a single batch is shown).

Instead of boring old raisins, I used dried cranberries, pomegranates and blueberries. I found all of these fruits in the produce section at my local grocery store.

When you are ready to make breakfast, mix 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/2 cup water and microwave it for 2 minutes. It will be thick so you can either use a little more water, or add some milk when it's done cooking. This amount will make just as much as using 2 packets of the store bought instant oatmeal.

To make this ready for on the go, just scoop your desired amount of the instant oatmeal mix into a zip-loc bag and take it with you and add the water later.

Enjoy!

For more winter breakfast ideas check out how to make Snowman Pancakes

Adventures in Canning: Applesauce

The air is crisp, the leaves are changing colors, fall is here! Fall is my favorite season. And it's the perfect time to make some applesauce. With the help of my canning partner Duchess T, we took three bushels of apples and made them into about a years supply of applesauce. 

There are several advantages to making your own applesauce. First, you know what's in in. It's just apples, no added preservatives, no added coloring, etc... Another advantage is that you can make it how your family likes it, smooth, chunky, sweetened, unsweetened, etc...

This year Duchess T and I decided to make mostly unsweetened smooth applesauce and some unsweetened chunky applesauce. Our thought process was, we can add sugar and cinnamon as needed when we eat it. And applesauce isn't just for eating straight out of the jar, we can also bake with it, and we didn't want the added seasoning to mess with our recipes. 

To start, we bought three bushels of apples from a local farm. In this case, the farm just called these "Applesauce Apples." But you can use Macintosh, Johnathan, Johnagold or any other apple that is good for baking. To save money, ask your local farm if they have any seconds. These are the imperfect apples that may have fallen off the tree or may have some blemishes on them.  Apples don't have to be perfect for applesauce since you are just going to squish them up anyway.

Below are the steps to making applesauce.

Step 1: As I've mentioned in previous canning posts, get comfy, wear comfortable clothes that you don't mind getting messy. Making this much applesauce is an all day process. Also, don't forget to put on some good music.

Step 2: Just before you start the canning process, place all of your jars in the dishwasher and wash them on the "hot" setting. You need to use warm jars when the applesauce is ready to can to avoid having to do a water bath. And since it's good to wash the jars first anyway, you can kill two birds with one stone.

Step 3: Place the apples in the sink and fill the sink with water to rinse them. 

Step 4: Slice the apples. 

If you are going to make smooth applesauce, you do not need to remove the skin or the seeds. 

If you are making chunky applesauce, you will need to peel the skin off the apples and remove the seeds as you slice them. 










                                               

Step 5: Place the apple slices in a pot. Add a small amount of water to the pot, about 1 cup. This will help prevent scorching. Apples burn easy so you will want to keep an eye on the pot and stir every few minutes.

Step 5: Once the apples have cooked down, it will look very saucy. For chunky applesauce you will just start the canning process, see Step 8. For smooth applesauce, you will scoop the cooked apples into a rotary food press - I like to call it the squisher. You will then make the the apples into a sauce. The peels and seeds will remain in the press and the sauce will go into a bowl.

Step 6: Once you have made the sauce, place it back into a pot and put it back on the stove and bring it to a boil, stirring often to the applesauce doesn't scorch.

Step 7: At the same time you put the applesauce on the stove to boil, use a small pot to boil the lids for the jars.

Step 8: Once the applesauce has come to a boil, use a measuring cup and canning funnel to pour the juice into the jars. Make sure there isn't any applesauce on the rim of the jar. If there is, you will not get a good seal. Place the lid on the jar and screw on a ring.

Step 9: Once the jar is full of applesauce and the lids and rings are secure, place the jar on a table or counter upside down. Repeat Step 8. When the next jar is ready, flip the previous jar right side up. This will help in the sealing process. I forgot to take a photo of this step, if you are confused, see my tomato juice canning post.

Step 10: When the lids seal to the jars you will hear a little popping sound. It's the sound of success. It might happen right away or it could happen as much as a couple of hours later. If you don't hear a popping sound and if you can push the top of the lid in, it didn't seal.

It took Duchess T and I a full day and a couple of hours the next day to can 37 quarts and 11 pints of applesauce, but it is totally worth the work. Store bought applesauce just doesn't taste quite the same and homemade.

Adevntures in Canning: Stewed Tomatoes

The same day Duchess T and I made tomato juice, we also made stewed tomatoes. Home canned tastes so much better than store bought, and you know what you are getting every time. No more accidentally buying the stewed tomatoes with the chili's in it when you just wanted plain. 

The steps to making stewed tomatoes is very similar to tomato juice. which makes it really easy to make both at the same time.

Step 1: Prepare. Wear comfy clothes that you don't mind getting stained. Canning is messy. Be ready for a messy kitchen, it means your doing it right. If by the end of the day your kitchen is spotless, you did it wrong. And don't forget to put on some good tunes. Every project is more fun with some good music in the background.


Step 2: Buy tomatoes. We went to a local farm stand and bought seconds. Seconds are bruised, very ripe and not very petty tomatoes. Perfect for canning. We used 3 bushels of tomatoes (only one and a half bushels are shown).

Step 3: Wash the jars: Just before you start the canning process, place all of your jars in the dishwasher and wash them on the "hot" setting. You need to use warm jars when the juice is ready to can to avoid having to do a water bath. And since it's good to wash the jars first anyway, you can kill two birds with one stone.

 Step 4: Cut the stem off the tomatoes and remove any bad spots. Then slice an "X" into the bottom of the ones you want to stew. By doing this it will help you to peel the skin off the tomato later. Then place the tomatoes in the sink. While you are doing this step, start boiling a couple of pots of water on the stove.

Step 5: Pour the boiling water over the tomatoes. Use enough to cover all of the tomatoes. Let them soak until the water cools enough for you to put your hand in (about 1-2 minutes).

Step 6: After the tomatoes have soaked for a couple of minutes the skin on the tomatoes will easily peel off. Peel the skin from all of the tomatoes and set aside.

Step 7: Slice the peeled tomatoes into chunks and place them in a large pot. Squeeze the slices slightly as you place them in the pot to release some juice.

Step 8: Then place the pot on the stove and cook until the tomatoes are boiling.

Step 9: At the same time you put the tomaotes on the stove to boil, use a small pot to boil the lids for the jars.

 Step 10: Scoop the tomatoes into jars using a measuring cup and a canning funnel. Make sure there isn't any juice on the rim of the jar. If there is, you will not get a good seal. Place the lid on the jar and screw on a ring. 

Step 11: Once the jar is full of stewed tomatoes and the lids and rings are secure, place the jar on a table or counter upside down. Repeat step 10. When the next jar is ready, flip the previous jar right side up. This will help in the sealing process. 

Step 12: When the lids seal to the jars you will hear a little popping sound. It's the sound of success. It might happen right away or it could happen as much as a couple of hours later. If you don't hear a popping sound and if you can push the top of the lid in, it didn't seal.

We canned three bushels of tomatoes in about six hours. In addition to stewed tomatoes, we also canned tomato juice. The three bushels made 40 jars (pints and quarts) of tomato juice and 34 jars (pints) of stewed tomatoes.

Adventures in Canning: Tomato Juice

My friend, Duchess T, had always wanted to try canning, but was always under the impressions that it was difficult and extremely time consuming.

Every year my mom and I take one afternoon and can enough tomato juice to last us a year. This year we invited Duchess T over to give it a try and to show her how easy it really is. 

Below is the result of our afternoon and step by step instructions

Step 1: Prepare. Wear comfy clothes that you don't mind if they get stained. Canning is messy. Be ready for a messy kitchen, it means your doing it right. If by the end of the day your kitchen is spotless, you did it wrong. And don't forget to put on some good tunes. Every project is more fun with some good music in the background.

Step 2: Buy tomatoes. We went to a local farm stand and bought seconds. Seconds are bruised, very ripe and not very petty tomatoes. Perfect for canning. We used 3 bushels of tomatoes (only one and a half bushels are shown).

Step 3: Wash the jars: Just before you start the canning process, place all of your jars in the dishwasher and wash them on the "hot" setting. You need to use warm jars when the juice is ready to can to avoid having to do a water bath. And since it's good to wash the jars first anyway, you can kill two birds with one stone.

Step 4: Cut tomatoes into pieces. Fill the sink with water and rinse the tomatoes. Don't worry about peeling them. Just cut out the core and any yucky spots. Then cut it up into chunks. It doesn't have to be pretty since you are just going to squish it up anyway.

Step 5: Cook the tomatoes: As you cut the tomatoes into chunks, put the chunks into a large pot. 

Step 6: Cook the tomatoes: When the pot is full, place it on the stove and cook the tomatoes. You do not need to add any water. As the tomatoes cook down and create the juice. When the juice is boiling, remove the pot from the stove.

Step 7: Squeeze the juice: When the tomatoes are all cooked down, use a cup to pour the juice into a rotary food press, I like to call it the squisher. Squeeze the juice into a bowl, you will likely need to use a couple of bowls. Princess B likes to help squeeze the juice.

Step 8: Bring the juice to a boil. Once all of the tomato juice has been squeezed out, pour the juice back into the pot and bring it to a boil, and don't forget to stir it here and there.

Step 9: Boil lids. At the same time you put the juice on the stove to boil, use a small pot to boil the lids for the jars.

Step 10: Pour juice into jars: Once the juice comes to a boil, stir it one last time, then use a cup and canning funnel to pour the juice into the jars. Make sure there isn't any juice on the rim of the jar. If there is, you will not get a good seal. Place the lid on the jar and screw on a ring.

Step 11: Flip the juice. Once the jar is full of juice and the lids and rings are secure, place the jar on a table or counter upside down. Repeat step 10. When the next jar is ready, flip the previous jar right side up. This will help in the sealing process. 

Step 12: The sound of success: When the lids seal to the jars you will hear a little popping sound. It's the sound of success. It might happen right away or it could happen as much as a couple of hours later. If you don't hear a popping sound and if you can push the top of the lid in, it didn't seal.

We canned three bushels of tomatoes in about six hours. In addition to tomato juice, we also canned stewed tomatoes. The three bushels made 40 jars (pints and quarts) of tomato juice and 34 jars (pints) of stewed tomatoes.

Caterpillar to Butterfly Craft

The easiest way to do crafts with kids are to tie them into a book. I like to start by choosing a book to read to the lords, ladies and princesses of my little castle. Today we chose to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. When we finished reading the book, we made our very own caterpillars that turned into butterflies. 

The materials we used for this craft are:

- Paper (for the butterfly wings)

- Pom Poms

- Clothes Pins

- Glue

- Crayons or Markers

- Scissors

The first thing Princess B and Lady A created were their caterpillars. To do this they glued pom poms to the clothes pins.

While their caterpillars dried, they cut out the wings for their butterfly. I used a cup to trace around to draw 4 circles, I then drew a wing shape around the circles with marker to show them where to cut.

Once the wings were cut out Princess B and Lady A decorated the wings with markers and crayons.

Princess B colored her wings, while Lady A made designs. Either option is perfectly acceptable and equally beautiful.

Once the wings were ready, take the caterpillar and clip it to the wings to create a beautiful butterfly.

This book and themed craft project took about 5 minutes to prep and kept the girls busy for about a half hour. This project also helped them with their dexterity and hand strength by squeezing the glue onto the pom pom, sticking the pom pom to the clothes pin, cutting with scissors, coloring with markers and squeezing the clothes pin onto the paper. 

Olympic Games Kid Style

What can I say, I love the Summer Olympics. I always forget how much I love them until they start. But after about the first ten seconds of the opening ceremony I am hooked, completely glued to the television, the rest of the world disappears. But now that I have two little princesses, and a couple of lords and ladies at my house being glued isn't really reality anymore. But just because I can't watch the games 24/7 doesn't mean that I have to miss them. Several other mom's in my kingdom and I decided to create our own Olympic games.

Every Olympic games needs to start with an Opening Ceremony and Torch Relay. We had all of the kids create their own flags and torches. 

The flags were made out of construction paper, stick on foam shapes, paint, markers, crayons and the stick was made out of a pipe cleaner.

 The torches were made out of construction paper that we glued orange, red and yellow tissue paper to. We then rolled the construction paper into a tube and stapled it together. 

After our Opening Ceremony we "let the games begin" and had different events at each neighbor's house. Event's included:

Racing - for the racing events one of the older neighbor boys created a track in his backyard and organized different heats based on age. Another racing event we did at another neighbor's house was good old fashioned sack racing.

Other events included Fencing, or in our case Bunny Fencing. Bunny fencing is where you use a fencing helmet, tape some balloon to the top, and try to pop the balloons on your opponent's head. 

To tie in gymnastics one neighbor created an obstacle course that included balancing, jumping on the trampoline, and sliding down a slide to stick the landing.

No Olympic games are complete without swimming being represented. For swimming we had a water balloon toss. 

Unlike the real Olympics, everyone at these games wins a metal.

The metal was made using card stock that was cut into circles with a hole punched at the top to run ribbon through and the Olympic rings were drawn on using blue, green, red, black and yellow markers.

I think the kids and the adults had an equally good time. This was an inexpensive day long activity that really introduced the Olympics to the little ones. In the words of Princess B, "this was the bestest day ever"