How do you start the day?

Finally February is over and out. This is the time of year that I get really motivated. The most dreary part is over,and my mind can start planning and dreaming of what comes next. Gardening, fun in the sun, discovering new local people and places, spring cleaning. Well, maybe not so much with the cleaning but, I do manage to tweek at least one area in my home that will help me improve my gardening skills and crafts.It's also when I seem to pay the closest attention to breakfast. With all these plans running around in my head I don't want to run out of gas.

So, this is what gives me the best start for my day. Today I started with several tablespoons of my Apple Spice Butter. I absolutely feel in love with fruit butters this year and since they contain very little sugar they must be healthy.....right. Then I top the butter with Greek Yogurt

Cover it all with a generous handful of my homemade granola.This batch used up the last of my dehydrated apples. Then, I drizzle it all with local honey. Definitely a great way to start the day. What gives you the best start to the day?.............said the hobbit

Sunday........What a beautifful day

 I can't even tell how bad this corner of the cellar was before I started. Canning has become a regular happening in this house and like everything else if you don"t keep your eye on it.,soon you have a monster in your midst.

So everything got pulled off the shelve .......did a bit of vacuuming and wiping clean and then started the chore of choosing what stays and what goes.

 Finally decided on dehydrator and special bottles and canning books on the top shelf. Canning jars on the second shelf and that left 2 shelves empty..........

What have we here .............ah yes, my soup supplies. Emptied boxes, consolidated bags and casserole to-go pans and can you believe it????

Corner #1 of the cellar looking pretty good. ................Started the day with mass at 7:15 am whew!! Did my chores and then Trader Joe's was calling my name. At least that's what hubby said .......so off we went to enjoy a beautiful day . It feels better knowing we made some progress on cleaning up the house.
This week garden is first priority..........................'That's the plan.........said the hobbit

Drying food,is it worth the effort?

Have you tried drying fruits or veggies yet?Many moons ago my son Michael gave me a dehydrator and I was trilled thinking I'd have little bags of dried fruits and veggies in my pantry that would keep me cooking all through the winter months.That wasn't going to happen. When something doesn't work for me I usually abandon the project for a few years then come back with a determination to make it work,by golly .

So here we go again.First,I tried bananas. Half I dipped in a lemon and water solution and the other half in a honey and water solution.

Here they are all good to go! From this batch I was made aware that you might want to spray a little pam or even a quick swipe with vegetable or olive oil might stop the fruit from sticking to the tray.

Here are the itty-bitty bags with the bounty of my efforts.I thought the lemon dipped would maintain their color but all is a fall brown hue. I tried blueberries and strawberries. This is where the write the time down lesson was acquired. While the bananas stayed soft and pliable the berries bring the expression croque-monsieur to mind. Just a little crunchy if you know what I mean. I put them in the granola mix but,I'm not calling the berries a success story at this time.

Next attempt was my cherry tomatoes. Cut in half ,dried for 10 hrs and rotated every 3 .See I'm learning as we speak. I'm quite pleased with them. I used a handful in my breadcrumbs when I made meatballs this morning. That and a handful of parmesan should make for a tasty surprise.

After stressing out withe the dehydrator I had to relax with a batch of my homemade burger buns. Now this is heaven............................said the hobbit