And I’m not lying this time. LOL Someone told me they heard on the news a couple days ago that Wichita Falls, Texas was the hottest place in the nation. I believe it. Want to fry an egg? Drop it on the sidewalk. I don’t even want to think about August.
Speaking of hot, Earth Guys Are Easy came out this month. (Great lead in, huh?) It took first place in the Lories, then out of all the first place winners it took second! Woo-hoo!!! And, it’s out for the very first time in mass market. You can read excerpts, watch videos, read back cover blurbs at my website: www.authorkarenkelley.com While you’re there, you can join my newsletter group where I give away one of the books from my backlist to one lucky winner each month. I also have fun contests a few times a year with bigger prizes. You can also keep up on all the latest news.
Karl and I have been coming up with all kinds of cool stuff to do with veggies. We planted a garden and really thought only half the plants would survive. Nope, they all made it, and are producing enough veggies for us and the neighbors.
Anyway, we worked on hot sauce this morning because all these wonderful tomatoes are getting ripe, and we have all these pretty peppers. We have discovered the longer you leave something in the refrigerator, the hotter it becomes. We also discovered that the bladder can hold up to a gallon of water at a time.
Do you ever long for “the good old days” of homemade bread, home-grown veggies, and cooking everything from scratch? Make a comment and I’ll put your name in the hat and if your name is drawn I’ll mail you a copy of Earth Guys Are Easy. One winner, one book. Must be 18 or over, contest ends midnight on 7/13/09 at midnight. The winner will be announced the morning of the 14th. You’ll have seven days to send me your snail address or contest is void.
Have a great day!
Karen Kelley
Hi Karen. I do long for the ‘good old days’. Food made from scratch tastes so good.
My daughter found my mother’s recipe for starter bread. I had been looking for years! Mom gaurded her recipes LOL I’ve been tempted to try making some of her squash relish. I actually used to put up a lot of stuff but it has been so long that I’m not sure I remember how to do it.
Karen
When work allows I love to cook from scratch. Nothing beats a meal with garden fresh veggies. …. Mo
HI Mo, I finally dragged the recipe from my mom on how to cook a roast. It wasn’t what went in it so much as how she cooked it, and that was in a heavy dutch iron oven. A little grease in the iron oven and get it hot, dredge the roast through flour. Season with lemon pepper and salt. Brown in the grease, add water and cook in the oven. She always used a chuck roast. It made the best gravy you’ll ever put on mashed potatoes and the meat would fall off your fork.
Karen
We never grew our own veggies, but I remember when my mom used to make to make dumplings from scratch.
Hi Karen,
It’s true what they say. It tastes better when it’s homegrown. Something about knowing that you grew the food that you eat, even if it is just vegetables makes it taste better. I know that my grandparents use to can veggies and fruit each year. Sadly it does not seem like we have as much time to do that, but we always do a few things that remind us of my grandmothers cooking.
She made the best creamed sweet corn and I still have the board that my grandfather made to scrape the kernals off after being cooked. Each summer we make this and freeze it so we can savor the summer goodness when it gets colder. At the beginning of June my mom and I still make my grandmothers homemade strawberry jam. I won’t even begin to tell you how much sugar is in it, but taste wise…it can’t be beat. It is always a favorite at holidays when we have yeast rolls and makes the absolute best PB & J sandwiches. And while my grandparents are no longer here, each time we keep some of these traditions it brings back great memories. I love that part of it.
Hope you are enjoying your summer in TX even though it is hot at least it’s probably not humid like it is in my part of the US. I would love to win Earth Guys are easy…and if you would like any of the recipes just email me through my profile and I send them to you
We have a garden too. Up here in the northeast it has been cool and rainy so very thing is slow in coming up. I am looking forward to harvest time!
Jane, I remember those, too. My mother even made chow mein from scratch! It would take her all day.
Booklover, my grandmother Ruby would scrape the corn right off the cob and make creamed corn. Man, it was so good! Maybe I’ll start some home cookin’ recipes going on my blog and bring in guests who could post a fav recipe? And calories don’t count when it’s home cooking.
Susan, our high today was 108. Ugh! We water the garden twice a day so it doesn’t burn up.
Karen
I’m discovering for myself what can’t be bought in a can or from the freezer section by learning to cook from scratch. The internet has been a great help as I tryout new dishes. I’ve learned to cook dishes from around the world.
The contest is officially over. Karl pulled a number from a hat and the winner is Booklover! Woo-hoo, congrats!!! Thanks everyone for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. It brought back fond memories.
Karen
I am putting up squash from our garden and the okra and tomatoes are starting to come in. and no would definitely now want to go back to the simpler time of doing things from scratch. I don’t have the time lol
You’re right, Pam. LOL I’ve been up since 5, got Karl off to work at 6, answered e-mails, trash out, did some inside chores, exercised, water going in the garden, and need to get out to my office. We barely have time to get the stuff we have cut up and put in bags. Canning and baking from scratch is way too much work LOL
But sometimes….
Karen
I LOVE things fresh from the garden. We haven’t started getting tomato’s yet, but the squash and cucumbers are in abundance, and we eat them just about daily. I made up a hodge podge casserole last weekend w/ squash, tomato’s and mushrooms…it was SO good. And I love to make brushetta w/ fresh tomatoes.
OMG, and yeah, I LOVE fresh bread. Just not talented enought to make it worth a crap!!
I don’t can, just eat right out of the garden, but growing up my Mom canned everything, made tomato juice, grape jelly…you name it, we had it in the pantry home made. Yeah, I miss that.
I swear I’m getting so hungry for fresh bread! I have a really easy recipe for yeast bread. Speaking of which, I’m going to start posting recipes on my blog that my mother, grandmother aunt….used to make. So check it out. The first one will go up tomorrow.
Karen