This year our garden was the pits. We got almost no rain this summer so our produce was almost nothing. My mom gave me some tomatoes to make my salsa. For some reason her red peppers were growing great. This year I made 1 batch of red pepper jelly. I used this recipe but I added one jalapeño pepper. It turned out awesome. http://www.canadianfamily.ca/recipe/red-pepper-jelly/

School lunches

The kids went back to school today. Grade 1 and Grade 2. Packing lunches has become easier for me since I have a few years under my belt. I have gotten asked this past weekend what I put in their lunches so I thought I would share. My kids school has a no nuts policy and no eggs (which includes mayo and salad dressings) no fish and no sunflower oil in Emily's class. I give each each kid a piece of fruit and 2 cut up veggies. They each get a cheese and crackers bag and a yogurt. I always pack a mini muffin that is homemade with fruit or veggie in it. They also get a juice box and granola bar or 2 cookies. I also put in raisins or another dried fruit. All these items are made and packed in containers early in the week so I just make a sandwich in the morning. I split the sandwich between the two girls. When they get tired of a plain butter, meat and cheese sandwich,I make 1/2 a bagel and cream cheese or bagel bites. I have even packed chicken nuggets with a ketchup package or cold pizza. Tortillas wraps with cream cheese and ham or cheese quesadilla with a little sour cream is a nice change. I pack all the food groups. The fruit changes but my kids like apples and strawberries a lot. They have their favorite veggies. Top choices are carrots, cucumber, red peppers. I have packed herb cream cheese with thier veggies so they can have a dip. When I am out of groceries I pack jam sandwiches. The girls like to use cookie cutters to make shapes and eat the crusts at breakfast. When the munchkins get home from school if they didn't finish their lunch they eat the veggies and fruit before they get supper. Any dried fruit or granola bars go in the cupboard for their lunches the next day. The container I used for the girls lunches is lunch cube by sistema. It works well they are 5$ at bed, bath and beyond.

Fridge cleaning and mexican

Today I cleaned out the fridge. I found lots of cheese, sour cream and salsa. So I made cheese enchiladas. I had not made them before but I froze these for another day. I did not have green chiles sauce so I used a taco sauce from the old elpaso taco kit mixed with crushed tomatoes. I also made 2 sour cream bake casserole from the pioneer woman's blog. We are having one for supper tonight and I froze one. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sour-cream-noodle-bake/ I would also make the dump and run taco soup since I have those ingredients. Have a look in your fridge. You might have some meals you can make ahead and freeze.

Apples Apples everywhere

I am in the midst of an apple extravaganza! I have 3 apple trees that were full of apples. My husband picked them lots and lots. I have donated apples to my school. I have given apples to everyone I see. My kids eat 2 apples everyday. I have made dried apples, lots of apple muffins, 3 batches apple sauce, 7 apple pies, 5 apple crisps, many bags of frozen sliced apples, and canned apple pie filling. The recipe I used is http://www.instructables.com/id/Apple-Pie-Filling-canning-recipie/?ALLSTEPS

What’s in Season? Seasonality is Reality Ontario has four seasons. Many advances have been made to expand the growing season from weeks to several months. Because of our seasonality, different crops are harvested at different times of the year. May June July August September October November December Maple Syrup, honey, mushrooms, eggs, and meat are generally available year round. NOTE: Dates are approximate and may vary according to location and the season. May Rhubarb Asparagus June Strawberries Rhubarb Peas Lettuce Cherries Beets Beans Asparagus July Tomatoes Strawberries Raspberries Potatoes Plums Peppers Peas Peaches Onions Melons Lettuce Garlic Cucumber Corn Cherries Celery Cauliflower Carrots Cabbage Broccoli Blueberries Beets Beans August Squash Raspberries Potatoes Plums Peppers Peas Pears Peaches Onions Nectarines Melons Lettuce Grapes Garlic Eggplant Cucumber Corn Celery Cauliflower Carrots Cabbage Broccoli Blueberries Beets Beans Apples September Tomatoes Squash Raspberries Pumpkins Potatoes Plums Peppers Peas Pears Peaches Onions Nectarines Melons Lettuce Grapes Garlic Eggplant Cucumber Corn Celery Cauliflower Carrots Cabbage Broccoli Blueberries Beets Beans Apples October Tomatoes Squash Pumpkins Potatoes Peppers Pears Onions Lettuce Grapes Garlic Eggplant Cucumber Corn Celery Cauliflower Carrots Cabbage Broccoli Beets Beans Apples November Squash Potatoes Cauliflower Carrots Cabbage Beets Apples December Squash Potatoes Carrots Cabbage Apples

BBQ Pizza

Twice this summer I made pizza on the BBQ. It was a super hot day and no one felt like eating. I have to say it was a huge success. The first time I did it with English muffins. The kids loved making their own individual pizzas. The second time I used pita breads. I didn't realize there are pita shells that don't open inside. Not awesome for sandwiches but very awesome for pizza shells. I used ragu sauce and grated mozzarella. The kids added sliced ham, salami, bacon bits, sliced peppers etc. I shut the center BBQ range off and cooked with the left and right burners on low. I put the aluminum pan with the pizzas on it in the center of the BBQ and the heat baked them quickly.

Apples 2015

Here are my girls preparing apples for applesauce and dried apples. We used the apple corer/peeler and cut them into rings. The dried apples went on parchment paper on cookie sheets in the oven for 4 hours at 190. After 4 hours I left the apples in the oven for another 6 hours with the oven off. It worked well. Ashley says they taste like apple gummie bears. She is looking forward to taking them to school in her lunch soon. Our apple tree in the backyard is not quite ready but soon I will have lots of apples to freeze. Would also like to try applesauce fruit roll ups.