Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

I know you think I've gone bacon crazy, you might be right, but on the other hand homemade bacon is just so good! I made Whiskey Bacon Jam, then I waded in to the briny and smokey world of Homemade Bacon and now I've got straight off the deep end with Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs. But you all these are possibly the most perfect two bite burger in the world. I can see whipping a double batch of these bad boys for a hearty party snack. They also make fun eating for kids especially when served with ketchup, mustard or barbecue sauce for dipping, frilly toothpick optional.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs--oven 400˚

2 large dill pickles
1/4 small onion
1/4 pound good bacon-the best you can afford
1 pound 93% lean ground beef
salt and pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

put the pickles and onion in the bowl of a food processor
process until finely chopped
chop the bacon and add to the bowl
process until the bacon is chopped well and mixed with the pickle and onions
pour the bacon mix into a large mixing bowl
add the beef and mix well with your hands
form into 30 1 inch meatballs
sprinkle with salt and pepper
bake in a 400˚ oven for 25-30 minutes
remove from the oven
sprinkle the cheese evenly on the meatballs
return meatballs to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes

giddy up

 As you can see they were feared at first

 but after that first bite they got a BIG thumbs up.

Mothering tip of the day--BAN I say BAN your kids from wearing white shirts in the summer, look at that filth!


Peace and Love--

Blackened Alaskan Halibut on the Grill

I pulled some frozen Alaskan Halibut out of the freezer to thaw the other day with no real plan in mind. I was mowing the yard when the idea of blackened halibut came to me and I decided to go for it. I then when on to wonder if I could grill it. I looked at recipes for blackened seasoning mix, there are tons of them, and after getting the main idea I went off to raid the spice cupboard to come up with my own version. I think you'll like it, we did.

Blackened Seasoning Mix--adapted from 3-4 different recipes
2 TBSP smoked paprika
1 TBSP sea salt
1 TBSP garlic granules--not garlic salt, if you only have garlic salt use it and leave out the salt
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano, crumble between your fingers
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper--more or less to taste
mix the ingredients well and keep in a jar or use right away

Blackened Alaskan Halibut on the Grill
1 pound halibut
2 TBSP butter, melted
1 recipe blackening seasoning

get the grill going, either light the coals or start the gas grill
wash the fish, pat dry and cut into serving size pieces
set up a working line of fish, butter, seasoning and a platter
dip the fish in the melted butter dip in the seasoning and onto the platter
when your grill is make sure the cooking grate is clean
put the halibut on and reduce heat to medium
cook until the fish flakes easily, this will depend on the thickness of the fish but mine cooked in about 10 minutes
serve while hot

I liked the fish, it was a bit spicy for me, but my husband absolutely adored it. Next time I make it I'll make one recipe with cayenne for him and one without cayenne for me, then it will be perfect. I love making my own seasoning mixes, making preference adjustments is no problem.

And yes I know mine doesn't look blackened but I think it's because I didn't cook it in a cast iron skillet as most recipes call for. I'm OK with that.

Peace and Love--

Just Another Meatless Monday #66 Quick Summer Lunch

One of my favorite quick summer lunches is an omelet, it's fast and requires no thinking. I've become quite addicted to the them filled with sauteed greens and a sprinkle of feta this past week, I had 3 so far. I think it's the fresh greens that are luring me in with they're tangy crunchy bite and of course they're availability. I don't seem to enjoy an omelet like this any other time of the year so I guess I should just enjoy them while I can.

Greens Filled Omelet
2 cups fresh washed spinach
1/2 market bunch of spicy greens, turnip or mustard
1 TBSP butter
2 eggs
salt and pepper
2 TBSP of crumbled feta

make sure the greens are washed well, don't bother to dry them the water will help to quickly steam them
heat a large skillet over medium high heat add the washed greens and stir until wilted
reduce heat and remove pan from heat
tilt pan to drain juices from the greens
place a second smaller skillet over the medium low heat and add the butter
crack the eggs in to a small bowl
when the butter has quit foaming in the pan add the eggs and sprinkle with salt and pepper
let it set up for a 30 seconds or so then using a small spatula loosen the edges as they begin to set
when the whole bottom is set up quickly slide the spatula under the eggs and flip over
remove pan from heat and let the eggs finish cooking off heat, about 30 seconds or so
slide the omelet onto a plate fill with greens, arrange any left overs around the eggs
sprinkle on the feta and fold over
serve immediately

Peace and Love--

The Penny Worthy Project

The Penny Worthy Project is my response to tightening our belts.  Everything seems to cost more theses days, how are you getting by? Do you sell on Etsy? Ebay? Thrift shop regularly? How are you getting by on less when everything costs more? Are you creating art, sewing or painting to let your soul breathe? I'd love to know! Leave a comment or a link to your blog post to join in and tell the world how you are making it.

Last week I was musing on what to make into a bracelet, this is what I came up with:

I like it. It's pretty, kinda funky and definitely one of a kind. If you remember a while back I bought a whole bag of old jewelry for a dollar, it was full of cool pieces and some hideous single earrings. This was one of those earrings, removed from it's post and sewn onto a scrap of an old felted wool scarf. I've only had occasion to wear it once but I got several compliments on it.

Our family spent the majority of the week preparing for Art on Fire, an annual art event put on by the Valley Arts Alliance, centered around a massive iron pour. Artists who work with fire come from all over Alaska to show their mad skills. I don't do the pour myself but my husband does.

It's held at the Alaska Transportation Museum and the 10 dollar admission for adults also covers the museum itself. This year we walked through a beautiful old train

 If you're in heading to the Matanuska Susitna Valley you do not want to miss the museum. It is filled with beautiful old things from a steam powered drill rig to the first snow machine. Truly the admission price is Penny Worthy, worth every penny and then some. And if you happen to hit Art on Fire next summer it's like getting a 2/1 deal, iron pour and museum time for one price.

Peace and Love--

Making Bacon

This post will be covering the fine art of curing and smoking bacon, or at least my experience with it. I am NOT a professional by any means but I did it and you can too. Is it easy? Well er, yes and no. Yes, in that it's all pretty methodical and no, in that it's all pretty of methodical, you have to babysit it and take care of it while it's smoking. Once you taste it, you won't care if you have to sit through a blizzard to make it, it's JUST that good.

You will need a pork belly, I got mine from a local butcher shop where they actually butcher animals. I say that specifically because many grocery outlets get meat prepackaged in boxes and will not have pork belly. I had a whole pork belly, you can buy it by the pound I believe, buy what you can smoke easily.

In a large non reactive pot you will need to mix 1 gallon of water, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup molasses, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 TBSP crushed peppercorns. This is very basic cure, make substitutions if you like, this was fantastic. Wash the pork belly, cut it into manageable pieces and submerge in the cure. Cover it well, I used saran wrap under the lid of the pan, and set to chill in the fridge for 3 days. Check on the pork daily, push it down under the cure or turn the pieces and press under if needed.

On the morning of the 3rd day, remove the pork belly, wash, pat dry and set on cooling rack to form a pellicle. The pellicle is the tacky feeling on the pork after it has dried out for about an hour. The stickiness helps the smoke adhere and keeps the moisture in.

While the meat is drying get the smoker going. Get the smoker going. Get the smoker going. When your girl scout ninja-fu fire lighting skills fail, and you feel like the chickens are heckling you (they are)

and you still can't get the fire going it's time to bring out the big guns. No, I'm NOT talking a cup of gasoline into the stove I'm talking this big gun:

Yes the air compressor is an awesome way to start a fire up in the pot belly stove two feet under ground. Once the smoker is going, you are ready to smoke some bacon. If you are using an electric smoker just look at all the fun you will be missing out on! Seriously though plug it in and get ready to smoke.

Every half an hour I checked the temperature on the side of the smoker, I was looking for a reading between 100˚-150˚ F. If it dipped too low I knew I needed to add more wood to the pot belly stove. Bending into the stove stirring, adding willow and apple wood (from our own property!) I began to feel like I was pickled too.

The bacon smoked for about 6 hours in the big smoker. Immediately after I took it from the smoker I sliced the skin from one slab, sliced big fat slices of bacon and fried them up. I took a few shots of the finished bacon, trimmed the skin from the other slabs and fried more bacon. When my husband came home, I popped a piece of bacon in his mouth and his eyes flew open. He said "European bacon!" apparently he's been longing for thicker than thick bacon that he had in England at some point. Right there I knew every trip to the smoker was worth it, every FAIL at making fire was worth it and every smoke soaked pore on my body was worth it. Bacon.

Peace and Love--

Make Your Own Whiskey Bacon Jam

My friend Stephanie invited me over last week to make bacon jam. I'd been avoiding jumping on the bacon jam wagon for a long time because I'm a rebel like that. I finally caved because I really wanted to be around another adult person during the day time hours, small chatty children have a tendency to do that to you. Off we went to make nirvana in a pot.

My first job was to slice 5 onions in the food processor while Steph chopped bacon. I fried bacon and taste tested next, I'm good at that job!

Out came the bacon in went the onions and sugar to caramelize, this is about the point I realized how deliciously evil it was going to be.

On and on went the torturous smells of caramelized onions, bacon and whiskey, until finally it was time to puree and taste. Some of it actually made it into jars, to be brought home, although honestly I could have eaten it all, or made an honest attempt to.

The recipe was departed from so many times I don't know exactly how much went in to the pot during seasoning time. I'll give you the basic measurements of the important things and a list of pinches and tads.

Whiskey Bacon Jam
3 pounds thick bacon
5 walla walla onions
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
1 1/2 cups coffee
1/2 cup whiskey+an extra splash
dollop of maple syrup
dash of balsamic vinegar
dash of hot sauce**more depending on your tastes
sprinkle of cinnamon
sprinkle of cayenne
couple good dashes of smoked paprika
fresh grated nutmeg--about 1/4 of one?


Chop the bacon into half inch pieces and fry in batches until the edges are getting crisp
pour off all the bacon fat but 3 TBSP or so(don't worry about too much or too little)
add the onions and the sugar and cook over medium heat until soft and sweet about 30 minutes
add the liquid ingredients and the spices cook and bring to a quick boil
add the bacon reduce heat and cook on medium low for at least two hours
stir occasionally and be sure NOT to burn it
when it is thick and sticky turn off the heat and let it cool
after it has cooled pulse it in the food processor until it is the consistency you want, some like it with bigger pieces of bacon others may want it finer
spoon into jars and store in the fridge

That night Stephanie made big stuffed chile peppers with fresh cheese and bacon jam inside and fried up chile relleno style. I won't even tell you about the cheese and bacon jam sauce she pour over the top of them, whoops I just did. The next day we had toast and bacon jam for lunch. And salmon glazed with bacon jam for dinner.

The next day we tried grilled cheese and bacon jam for lunch and then the jar ran out. I'm a wee bit afraid of opening the next jar, I may just sit down and eat it with a spoon.

You can easily adjust the spices and flavors to your liking, I think the one thing that really set it off was the nutmeg so don't leave it out. You could definitely add some ginger to the mix, that would be fantastic. The original recipe called for chipotle powder which we didn't have, the adults all thought the jam needed a bit more heat and smoke so I will definitely be adding that next time we make this.


Peace and Love--

Organic Slug Control

Welcome to the rainy season, the slug season and the longest days of the year, 20 hours of cloudy days, woohoo! I jest I jest, I love June and all it's moody rainy weather, except for that slug part. I could live without slugs, I don't like what they do to my plants, especially the cabbage and cauliflower. Nothing is more disgusting, garden wise, that cutting a prime head of cabbage and having it covered in slugs. Bleck.

I certainly don't despise them enough to ever justify poisoning them. The ramifications of poisoning unwanted 'pests' are huge. Poisoning slugs not only kills slugs but any animals that eat them, including all of the wild birds that grace us with their presence and our escaped chickens. And anything that might eat that dead or dying thing can get sick, like eagles, dogs, cats, fox, lynx, magpies...Poison is out for us, clearly I need organic slug control.

I'm using a new approach this year, a double pronged approach if you will. First I will be hand picking any slugs I see and feeding them to the chickens. Second I am recycling egg shells to make gritty little barriers that slugs cannot cross.

Here is how I'm doing it-I'm saving eggshells, giving them a quick rinse and popping them in the freezer in a baggie.

When I have a pan full of eggshells, I'm baking them, broiling actually, until they are dry but not too burned.

Then they get whirled in the food processor until they are completely crushed up.

And it's out to the broccoli bed.

I made an outside perimeter of crushed shells all around the plants.

Then I started around each plant itself but I ran out. I'm already saving more eggshells in the freezer so I can finish the bed and all the rest of the gardens. Start to finish this was a 20 minute procedure, 10 minutes to bake the eggshells, a few to cool the shells and crush them and then to sprinkle around.

I don't want to kill all slugs, I just want them to leave my food plants alone. When I clean out the bed in the fall I'll cover the whole thing with compost and turn all the crushed eggshells under with the compost and start over next year. Eggshells are a good source of calcium for the garden so this plan is win/win for the garden.

I have used the beer in small bowls trick to catch slugs before and never had much luck. The only thing I ever had in the beer was the dog, who was then in the garden, where I didn't want him to be. Apparently you're supposed the put the beer out of the garden to lure the slugs out.

I have also kept ducks and geese in hopes that they would eat the slugs but not the plants. My ducks and geese really loved green food as much as any other food and thought the garden should be nibbled thoroughly. They ate everything but the slugs.

I'm really hoping that a crunchy sprinkle of eggshell will deter the slugs and send them off to eat weeds. And anything I do catch in or around the vegetable gardens will be sent to the chickens for a quick execution. I have a lot more gardens to sprinkle shells in so you can bet we'll be eating a LOT of eggs this week and next and the week after that.

Peace and Love--

Just Another Meatless Monday #65 100% Whole Wheat Biscuits

Halfway through making supper tonight I made the awful realization we were out of milk, ack! Right as I was about to add some to the fresh whole wheat biscuits I was in the middle of making, too. Ugh, no time to run to the store or make something else the dough was made, dinner was almost done, but someone had finished the milk. You have GOT to love teenagers, right?

So I punted, I used yogurt instead, figuring it's just cultured milk and it's better than nothing. And you know what? They turned out awesome. Tangy and light with a nutty whole wheat crunch, holy cow now I'm hungry again. I put out homemade butter, dandelion jelly and wild rose jelly to go with them but they were good without anything on them at all.

100% Whole Wheat Biscuits
oven 450˚

1/2 cup cold butter, cut in chunks
2 cups 100% whole wheat flour+extra for dusting
1 TBSP sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
2/3 cup yogurt

in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade add the butter chunks
sift the the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl
add them to the food processor pulse until well combined and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs
add the yogurt and pulse until combine
remove to a lightly floured counter and knead gently a few times
flatten the dough and cut out 10-12 biscuits
the scraps can be gathered and made into biscuits bites or kids initials
bake at 450˚ for 18-20 minutes
the thicker you make your biscuits the longer they will take to bake completely

Peace and Love--

The Penny Worthy Project

The Penny Worthy Project is my response to tightening our belts. Gas is so expensive, food is too, everything seems to cost more theses days. How are you getting by? Do you sell on Etsy? Ebay? Thrift shop regularly? How are you getting by on less when everything costs more? Are you creating art, sewing or painting to let your soul breathe? I'd love to know! Leave a comment or a link to your blog post to join in and tell the world how you are making it.


Well I can't believe it's almost the solstice, seems like just yesterday the days were short and cold, and now here we are on the cusp of full blown summer. The days are maxing out up here around 19-20 hours of sunlight and almost constant twilight, minus the vampires. This can be very taxing on a person if you don't regiment yourself and get some sleep, I used to feel that if it was light out I wanted/needed to be up. I've learned as an adult(?) that I do in fact need sleep and to go to bed, I can only be fueled up and ready to tackle a day if I sleep. Here's to summer solstice and sleep, hurrah!

I spent a good part of the week sick or very close to sick with a nasty summer cold, so glad it's over. I was still a productive little mama and made two kinds of beautiful, delicious and thrifty jelly. Behold:
Dandelion Jelly

and Wild Rose Jelly.

 What's more thrifty than picking flowers that are free and making jelly? I included the links so you can check out the recipes and make some for yourself. I also buy my pectin, Pomona Pectin, in bulk and it is so inexpensive that way. Plus you don't need 9 cups of sugar to make one batch of jelly, you can use some, none or even honey to sweeten it, so wonderfully flexible.

I went school clothes shopping after I was feeling better and we scored lots of nice boys shirts. A dollar a piece, can't beat that!

One of my young sons will only wear woven shirts to school, so the other one has decided that's the rule and seems to be following in that direction. I don't mind, I think they look better that way and completely UNBRANDED, which I love.

Some of the jewelry I bought last week is fixing to become new pieces, I think I'm going to knit a cuff and affix something like this:

to it. Or should I sew a bracelet? Something I'm tossing around. What do you think?

Peace and Love--