Bathroom Remodel Finished

FINALLY!
The bathroom is complete.  From a construction standpoint anyway.  Still have to find a vanity type thing for Candice's get pretty space.  Also we are going to try to find a nice armoire to use as a linen closet.  But other than that, I'm done.  Here are a few shots I took...

From the doorway of the Master Bedroom looking in

Tiled shower with large window.

Closer view of sink and mirrors...

Hot Pepper Relish Recipe

Do you love that Hot Pepper Relish that they put on your sub down at the sandwich shop?  I sure do.  Here is a great recipe I found to make it.  You can tune the heat by changing the type of pepper. I used peppers mostly from the “medium” range of heat.   Great for use on sandwiches, hotdogs, burgers, eggs, noodles, etc…

 

This recipe will make 1 quart, or enough to fill 4 of those ½ pint jars for canning. 

 

Ingredients:

·       2 cups of minced fresh Peppers (or about 12 Cherry Peppers, 2 large Pablanos & 4 Jalapeños)

·       ¾ cup of fresh minced Onion ( 1 medium red & 1 medium white)

·       3 cloves garlic

·       2 tsp salt

·       1 Tbs sugar

·       1 ½ Cups cider or wine vinegar

·       A few healthy shakes of Black Pepper

 

To Make:

·       Place minced peppers in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them, let steep for 5 minutes and then drain water.

·       Combine peppers and all other ingredients into pan and simmer on low for about 20 ~ 30 minutes or enough to soften the peppers and get the relish mix to correct consistency.

·       Place into jars and water-bath for long term storage or refrigerate for near-term use. 

 

 

CHEERS!

~ Nate Morley

 

How to Tell Your Pregnant

1.  Pee on a stick:

First of 3!  Had to make sure...

2. Get an Ultrasound:

Taken on 8/10/2010 - 7 weeks & 2 days old

3.  Tell everyone you know...

Progress on the Bathroom Remodel

Here are some pictures of the remodel we have been working on for the past few weeks.  Actually, it has been since June 12 since we started this mess, so it is actually more like 8 weeks now.  Almost finished, though.  Can't wait!

Old shower is gone.  Pink tile still there

Dad looking busy for the camera

Concrete board up and window framed with PVC

Candice inspecting the spackle job.

Grouting is fun!

The tile work freshly grouted.

Fermented Dill Pickles

Here is my recipe for pickles:

Start with large glass jar, crock or food grade plastic bucket of at least 1 gallon size.    Old pickle jars DO NOT work well in my opinion because it is hard to find something to put on top of the cukes to keep them weighted down and under the surface of the water.   This is very important because any contact with air will cause spoilage.   A container that does not neck down at the top is what works best. 

Fill the container ¾ full with any combination of the following to suit your tastes:

·       Pickling cukes (of course)

·       Hot peppers (I like a few jalapeño and a few cayenne)
·       Fresh dill (do not use dill spice (or any other dried and ground up spice) as this will just float to the top and cause spoilage)
·       Garlic cloves
·       Celery stalks
·       Whole Peppercorns
·       Baby carrots
·       Pearl onions

Layer the ingredients so that everything is in as close proximity with everything else as possible to ensure even flavor distribution. 

Mix the following in these proportions until you have enough to cover the above ingredients by at least 1 inch.

·       2 quarts spring water
·       1/3 cup pickling salt
·       ½ cup cider vinegar

Once everything is in the crock, find a small plate or saucer or plastic lid that just fits inside the crock and put a mason jar full of water on top of it to keep everything pushed down and under the water.  It is very important that nothing floats up past the water barrier during fermentation.  Any exposure to air can cause spoilage.  (they occasional peek or taste test won’t hurt)  I always leave the smallest cukes on top for taste testing near the end.

You will notice after the 3^rd day or so a white film starting to grow on the surface of the water.  This is perfectly normal and is just natural yeast growing.  It is important that you scrape it off everyday, though.  While it is not harmful itself, if left there, it will change the PH level of the mix and could allow nasties to grow instead of the good bacteria that is allowing the food to ferment and creating the lactic acid that will preserve them. 

Cover with a towel and leave on counter away from direct sun-light and sources of heat.

The process is very temperature dependant.  The warmer it is, the faster the process will happen.  Not recommended if temps stay above 85 degrees.  72 – 78 is ideal.  At 75 degrees, you should have pickles in 10 – 14 days.

When they are done, place them into jars and cover with the leftover liquid and store in fridge.  Should be good for months this way.  If you want to can them for longer storage, you must boil the liquid first, then water-bath as you would for any other pickle. 

CHEERS!

~ Nate Morley