Party Hardy

"Party Hardy" was a message on the Recipe Czar email I received last week. Now, I am old enough to remember when "party" was only a noun ("I am going to a party"), and not a verb ("I am going to party like a rock star"). Language is a fluid thing, and I'm trying to keep up. However, "party hardy" seems wrong. I think it should be "party hearty". These are quite similar, but... Let us consult my 1977 dictionary, shall we?
Hardy: inured to fatigue or hardship, robust
Hearty: enthusiastically or exuberantly cordial, expressed unrestrainedly, exhibiting vigorous good health, abundant
So we have "Revel without tiring" or "Revel enthusiastically". I still like hearty. Too many people get confused by words which (not witch) sound similar. It annoys the pants off me when I see writers mixing up yore, your and you're. Also frequently misused: their, they're and there. These are completely different words with different meanings. Are all the writers ignoring the green underlining from spellcheck? Or are our computers not catching such misuses? I'll test it. They're is a cat. Yeah, not flagged as wrong, sigh. We are on our own. We are doomed. We are NOT smarter than fifth graders.

I'm off to party like a rock star. (If rock stars enjoy sitting on their couches with kids and watching an "Indiana Jones" movie marathon, that is.) Nick received a chocolate fountain for Christmas and we're going to give it a workout. We can think of LOTS of things to dip in chocolate!

Here is a quick appetizer recipe. Oddly, there are 3 variations of this in my archives. 2 cook the sausage, one does not. Suit you'reself. (Ha! it flagged THAT one!)

Sausage Balls (Maybe they are SHWEDDY BALLS!)

1 lb pork sausage
10 oz shredded cheddar
3 1/2 cups Bisquick

Fry sausage until brown, add cheese, stir until melted. Add Bisquick, drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheets, bake at 350 for 10 - 15 minutes.

Tend it like Beckham

This is Victoria Beckham (the former "Posh Spice"). Posh has trouble. While I was at the gym yesterday (my radio is out of batteries so I was reading the closed captioning on all the screens) I read that poor Posh panics at the thought of Christmas dinner. No, not at the thought of entertaining/cleaning for lots of people (she has staff) or cooking it (Gordon Ramsey from TV's Hell's Kitchen will be preparing their meal) but at the thought of eating it!

Poor little Posh only eats 700-900 calories a day and works out like a crazy thing to maintain her size zero figure. Her solution to the frightening idea of good food is the "three bite rule". She will only eat three bites of anything to maintain the size zero. THAT'S what I've been doing wrong! I've been having FOUR bites! The next time I go to the gym, I'm going to entertain myself (if I forget the new batteries again) with the image of Gordon Ramsey having a meltdown when the hostess refuses to eat his dinner. Maybe he'll throw stuff.

Did you ever see the movie "Bend it like Beckham"? It's pretty good. The main character (played by the same actress that played ER's Neela) is torn between playing soccer and being an obedient daughter.( In one scene her relatives compare breasts to "juicy, juicy mangoes". Mr. Ose has never forgotten this phrase.) One of her soccer buddies is played by Keira Knightly (as a blonde!) The title is about playing soccer as well as Posh's hubby, David Beckham.


Today's recipe is not posh. It's a redneck version of the posh french classic, "Coq au Vin"(chicken in wine). In that, chicken is braised with shallots, red wine and cognac to make a yummy sauce. It's good, I'll throw a recipe for that on the ol' blog someday, but today we're having a redneck holiday. My sister-in-law once said I should make a redneck/dirtball cookbook, featuring lots of hotdish. I'm not really sure she meant it as a compliment.

Redneck Coq au Vin

1 envelope dry spaghetti sauce mix
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 Tbls flour
1 Tbls lemon pepper
1 cut-up chicken (I like to use just thighs, 8-10 of them)
1 can beer (drink the rest of the 6-pack with dinner)

Combine dry ingredients and coat chicken with them. You can shake them in a bag together. (I remove the skin from the chicken, because I, too, have a figure to maintain, but suit yourself.) Place chicken in a 9x13 pan and pour the beer around it. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes to reduce sauce.

What will I do with myself?

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but it was finals week! I think I did okay. I even almost enjoyed the second power point. So now I can finally read for pleasure, yay! I'm so excited that I couldn't choose and now I'm reading 3 books at once. Preschool is done after Thursday, so maybe I can even quilt or scrapbook? I'm going to make the most of my Christmas break, because in January I start Genetics. I'm afraid it's going to be really hard.
Saturday was my last day of Education class. Before that I went to the Mpls. Institute of Arts to see the "Treasures of the Louvre" exhibit. I went with Deb. We paid extra for the little headsets that gave us extra information on each piece.
This painting is called "The Card-Sharp with the Ace of Diamonds" by Georges de La Tour. He painted it in the early 1600's. Look, it tells a story, the guy on the left is cheating the guy on the right at cards. Look at the women's eyes....They may be in on it! I love the stuff at the art museum. Every piece has a story. I used to volunteer and tell these stories to the kids at the elementary school.

Today's recipe is for Eggnog Pie. I apologize for the underlining, the cat stepped on the keyboard and I don't know how to turn it off.

Eggnog Pie

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbls cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 Tbls cold water
1 Tbls butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, whipped past the soft peak stage, but short of stiff peaks
1 (8 or 9 inch) baked and cooled pie crust
Nutmeg for sprinkling over pie

In small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt; set aside. In top of double boiler set over simmering water, scald milk. Stir in sugar mixture. Cook and stir until thick and smooth, 10-15 minutes. Continue cooking 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk a little of the cooked mixture into the lightly beaten egg yolks. Then whisk egg yolks into cooked mixture in top of double boiler. Whisk and cook custard 3 minutes longer. Let gelatin absorb water then whisk into hot custard. Whisk in butter. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Transfer to a bowl, place plastic wrap on surface and cool to room temperature. Gently fold in whipped cream in three additions. Fill pie crust, sprinkle with nutmeg and chill 3 hours.

20 years on - part 2

Paul and I had a great weekend on the north shore. We stayed in a nice condo-ish place at Superior Shores. On top of the fireplace mantel was a collection of rocks, driftwood and birchbark with names and dates of guests. We picked out just the right rock on the beach and added our names to the pile.
We stopped at this fabulous antique store on our way north. It's in Pease, which is just south of Milaca on 169. It is jam-packed full of neat stuff. Every room has a potential winner of the "Craziest Thing" contest. Rooms have just been tacked on to the main building and to each other. Paul was a little worried about the sturdiness of the floors, but they held up as long as we were there. It is quite clean, and even smells good. I bought a quilt that I estimate was made around 1880. It's in pretty sorry shape, it's a silk crazy quilt and silks from that era were dipped in solutions of lead to give them weight. This makes them crumble. It isn't worth a lot, but I'm tickled!
This is the atrium at the condo. Yep, that is a hot tub in the corner! With a view of Lake Superior!
Another cool antique store. This one is in Duluth, in an old church. They specialize in old books, and it had that "old book" smell I like so much. I bought a book about Queen Elizabeth's jewelry. It's somebody's job to keep track of her jewels, where they came from and what she wears them with. Rich people are fascinating. Paul and I imagined living in the old church. We put the bedroom in the choir loft.
We went to see "A Christmas Carol" (in 3D) at the movie theater. (You remember my need to see some version of this every year?) We smuggled in beer and enjoyed it very much. They had the nerve to charge full price for a matinee because of the 3D, so we kept the glasses. Paul and his friend the hotel lobby bear, make them look good!
We like to have breakfast at Hell's Kitchen when in Duluth. I am so happy that they have just published a cookbook with their best recipes. I love the wild rice porridge and the sausage bread. It would be wrong for me to give away their recipes, but nothing is stopping you from buying the cookbook for yourself (or borrowing it from the library). Like they say, "Damn good food!"

Since we are now in the Christmas season, I have a Christmas cookie recipe for you. I got the recipe from my friend Connie. Connie is much more highly evolved than I am. She told me a story once that began with a crabby person in line with her at a store. Connie tried to think of a way to improve this person's day. I would have been thinking of a way to get far away from Ms. Crabby! Do use real butter in these, you can really taste it.

Butter Riches

Cream 3/4 cup butter
Add 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbls white sugar
Add 1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
blend in 2 cups flour
Shape into 3 dozen balls (these are not large cookies), flatten slightly, bake 7-9 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and frost with burnt butter frosting.

Burnt butter frosting (not really burnt)
brown 1/4 cup butter
blend in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbls vanilla
Gradually add 3-4 Tbls cream. Garnish with a slivered almond.

20 years on

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary! It doesn't seem like 20 years, because actually it's closer to 30 that we have been together. We dated for 8 years before we married (wouldn't want to rush into anything, you know!)
Look how handsome Mr. Ose looks! This was taken at the Como Conservatory. I am wearing my family's Swedish wedding crown. Paul freaked when we first showed it too him because he mistakenly thought we were going to try to make HIM wear it! I still giggle when I imagine that.

It's good to know somebody has your back. I've been riding the ragged edge of panic ever since I went back to school. When my education prof assigned a powerpoint presentation I went right over the edge and down into the pit of the overwhelmed. I don't know how to do that! Even though Paul and both boys assured me that it was no big deal, it was just too much. Paul sat right next to me and walked me through it and then moved it to my thumb drive. THAT'S why I love him! (Also, he's way cute!) This week my other prof also assigned a powerpoint! What's up with that?

So, I'm thankful for my Ose. I'm also thankful for my blog readers. Julie Powell (who wrote "Julie & Julia" about her blogging on cooking Julia Child's whole cookbook) calls her blog readers, "bleaders" (blog plus reader). EEWW! I would never do that. I love my readers (both of you!).

I have found out since last week that those of us who like Glee are called "Gleeks". I resemble that remark!

This is an easy recipe that would be good for using up leftover turkey.

Easy Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup picante sauce
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)
1/2 cup (or more) shredded monteray jack cheese
6 flour tortillas
1 small tomato, chopped
1 green onion, chopped

Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce, and chili powder together. Mix 1 cup soup mixture with chicken and cheese. Divide the chicken stuff among the tortillas. Roll them up and put them in a shallow baking dish. Pour the rest of the soup mixture over the top, cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until bubbling. top with tomato and onion. (1/2 cup black beans can be added to chicken mixture)

Get Your Orange on!

Last weekend my boys went deer hunting for the first time! They didn't see hide nor hair of any deer, but they had a good time anyway. They were amazed by how noisy the woods are when you sit there a while. Mice make an surprising amount of ruckus in the leaf litter and birds have an active and LOUD social life. I love that they can appreciate that and aren't so focused on venison that they can see the big picture. Paul is a good teacher and very safety conscious, so I wasn't too worried about accidents. I can see by the above photo, however, that we are going to have to have another talk about how milk is perishable and needs refrigeration.
If they wanted to see deer, they should have stayed home. This is Peter the pumpkin-eater (he also eats my green beans) who regularly raids my garden. He is very fond of the apple tree.

While the guys were up north I was toiling in the vineyards of the Lord. Ok, I was selling baked goods at the church bazaar. Friday we packaged, Saturday and Sunday we sold.

The Lord owes me a weekend.
This is what I made for the bake sale. It didn't sell on Saturday (the other 3 I made did sell) so I bought it back on Sunday so I could see if it tasted as good as it looked. It's apple oatmeal bread, with apple slices stuck in the top. This is a very hearty bread, good with cheddar cheese or cream cheese (everything's good with cream cheese, though). Keep it in the frig, those baked apples get nasty quick. This photo is only half the loaf, you put the apples down the loaf the long way. Gotta go, "Glee" is on and I LOVE that show! (Probably because I'm a former choir geek).

Apple Breakfast Bread

2 cups flour
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 large egg whites (or 3 whole eggs)
3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Rome Beauty or other red baking apple

Grease a loaf pan. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, heat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs in a mixer with brown sugar for 2 minutes, add applesauce. Mix vanilla with buttermilk, add to egg mixture alternately with dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Put into greased pan. Quarter and core apple (do not peel, the peel is the pretty part) cut each quarter into 5 slices. Arrange slices, 1/8 inch apart, in a row on top (sticking down into) batter, peel side up. Bake 55-65 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes then cool on rack. Sift powdered sugar over the top to serve.

Dicks at the Gym

I've been hitting the gym a lot, (not that you can tell). It's probably doing some good, just inside where it doesn't show. I know I'm shallow, but I'd rather have a smaller butt. Anyway, I have been witnessing some rude behavior at the gym. Worse than not wiping off the machines is loudly chatting on your bluetooth right next to me all through my workout. How am I supposed to hear General Hospital?
I love the steam room, but last month a woman came in, and proceeded to slap and rub herself (I guess to get her circulation going) and blow her nose a lot ON HER TOWEL! EEWW! There are signs every two feet saying not to use your cell phone in the locker-room. This is to prevent people from taking nekkid photos of each other. I , for one, am in favor of this rule. I don't need my butt showing up on u-tube. This does not stop some people. Last week, a very entitled woman (who had taken up half the bench with her stuff, and left her locker door open so people had to duck around it before jumping over the rest of her stuff on the floor) talked for a very long time about how clever she is. She had to go over by the tanning beds to talk because I kept turning on the blow dryer every time she came near me. (I could teach a class on passive-agressive annoyingness). She was using three towels, too! The gym asks that you only use one. I admit that I use two, because I have long hair and don't like to have it drip all over, or to walk back to my locker naked. People are thankful for this.
Here is more rude behavior. Now the attendants have to undo the towel from this key, because
whoever put it here couldn't be bothered to. (Yeah, I know, I used my phone in the locker room! TO TAKE PICTURES! I was alone in the locker room at the time.)

Paul says the guys' locker room is worse. One guy (we call him "junk man") likes to plop his, um, totally shaved JUNK on the counter so he can admire it while he brushes his teeth. Another fellow blow-dries his unit, for a long time.

Last week in the parking lot, I saw a truck with testicles. I was so astounded, I forgot to take a picture, so I got this one from a website that would like to sell you some for your car or truck. They can be purchased in many colors (I almost said they come in many colors!) which apparently enhances one's manliness.
They can be purchased in a light-up version as well (google brake-nutz). I will never understand the male mind. Neither will these women: Truck-Neuter

Today's recipe is for Spotted Dick, which is a British steamed pudding. The name is not meant to refer to the male member at all, wiki says it may be an old corruption of the word "pudding". OK.
I like that this can be boiled in the crockpot, because I don't have time to boil a spotted dick for 3 hours otherwise.

Spotted Dick

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Recipe #72087 | 3¼ hours | 10 min prep

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Ingredients

• 4 ounces plain flour
• 4 ounces suet
• water, to mix
• 4 ounces raisins or sultanas

Directions

1. 1

   Mix the flour, currants and grated suet (it should have the general consistency of mouse droppings) very lightly by hand.

2. 2

   Moisten with a couple of tablespoons of cold water, enough to give a dryish pastry texture.

3. 3

   DO NOT RUB, only stir enough to bind the ingredients together.

4. 4

   The mixture can be put into a buttered basin and covered with first a layer of foil, then a cloth (tied on with string), but the usual way is to make a thick roll shape, and wrap it in buttered greaseproof (waxed?) paper, and tie into a cloth.

5. 5

   Boil in a lot of water for two to three hours on top of the stove, or all day if using a crock pot.

6. 6

   To serve, slice it into 1" thick chunks while still hot.

7. 7

   Some people serve it with egg custard, but others consider serving spotted dick with moist brown sugar and a large spoonful of salted butter a must.

8. 8

   Use both if you like.

Men love a hot bread product!

This is half of my bread machine collection. Um, yes, I own six of them. I didn't mean to! It was an accident! I received one as a gift 15 years ago and literally wore it out. I replaced the pan once and kept using it until I wore through the internal metal parts. I needed a replacement!

New bread machines are spendy, luckily they are cheap and plentiful at garage sales. I found an exact duplicate (never used, but without the manual) for $5. I also picked up a spare, in case it happened again. Then I saw a better one, it also made quick breads! So I bought that, too. I had thrown away the broken one, so now I was up to 3.

I tried to give one to Reen (my BFF) but she travels light and insisted on trading me hers (she wanted a smaller one and I had a selection to choose from). I was right to need an extra because the one I was using broke a belt. Somehow, 2 more appeared, I don't really remember how. They may be breeding in the garage. (Keeping track? We're up to 5 - one of which is broken).

The day of Nick's confirmation my mother showed up with one her neighbor was giving away. It seems I am now running a foundling home for unwanted bread machines! Please come and adopt one for yourself. Seriously, come and get one, I really only need 2 (one that works and a spare).

I love to make bread. It smells and tastes sooo good, and I like controlling what goes in our bread. No preservatives, more whole grain, etc. I make sandwich bread, pizza dough, sweet rolls, dinner rolls, crescents and french bread. My new favorite machine (the one from Reen) makes quick breads AND jam! I can set the delay and wake up to, or come home to, fresh hot bread.

My guys love this! They think I am a bread making goddess. They are too totally spoiled for commercial bread. Paul says he can smell the chemicals. I can serve a very mediocre dinner, but if there is hot bread......then it's a feast! Make bread bowls to serve with stew and they'll think you are Martha Freakin' Stewart.

Also, in my defense, the rule is, "If you have three or more of something, then it is a COLLECTION." This legitimizes lots of crap. Makes it more of a museum exhibit and less of a useless dust collector. Case in point:

You will remember the golf cart-driving frog from earlier this summer when I issued my "What is the freakiest thing at a garage sale or store" challenge. He was alone, which made him an anomaly. Over the summer I bought him 2 friends (5 and 10 cents, respectively) so now this is a collection! The "weird little animals made of shells" collection. See? You have a new respect for Mr. Frog, don't you? I have lots of "collections" including my newest one, "Christmas houses that don't belong to the same village". (I may need to stop sharing now, or my husband will have me locked up. Or he'll clean out the garage. I always have to inspect the garbage cans after he cleans, he throws away all my good stuff!)

I am happy to announce the winner of the freakiest thing contest: Laura P.! Laura has won with her entry, "The really hideous jar covered in huge shells". Note that the maker took care to make a flower on the side out of the pink shells. Laura cleverly didn't buy this, she took a photo in a junk shop. Good work, Laura!

And here's your prize: A beautiful pink fan made of plastic forks and lace! I'm not sure if this goes with your decor, (Hopefully NOT) but if you get 2 more, then it's collection and it will go with everything!


This recipe came with one of the bread machines. They are all a little different so you may have to tweak it a little, if it over-rises use cold water instead of warm and so on. Lock your doors when you make this, people may come in off the streets when they smell it baking. You can make it even if you don't have a bread machine, of course, but don't you want one? For free? Call me!
(I may have to start leaving them on doorsteps, or plant flowers in them.)

Buttermilk Bread (1 1/2 lbs)

1 1/4 cups buttermilk, warmed to room temperature
3 Tbls soft butter or margarine
3 Tbls honey
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Put in bread machine in the order your machine specifies (mine likes liquids first) and set it for basic bread. Whoever puts in the ingredients gets the top crust (I don't make the rules, I just report them.) (OK, I did make up that one).

Hallow-nutty

Look! We survived the confirmation! Paul got a new toilet installed Wednesday night (so our guests did not have to squat over the hole as they do in benighted parts of Europe) and finished painting the kitchen ceiling a whole TWO HOURS before everyone arrived. So, what was I worried about? (I also managed not to bawl at the service, which for some reason turned out to be a possibility). Now I can turn my attention to the next thing..Halloween! My boys no longer trick-or-treat but they may have some buddies over. I poked around the Halloween section at Target. There is some way weird crap there!
First up: DOG COSTUMES! This is the Disney Princess collection. Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel (yep, dress your dog like a mermaid) and...Captain Jack Sparrow.( Cuz you wouldn't want your boy dog to feel left out.) I am deliberately holding back here because some of you may dress your dogs in ball gowns and just because I don't dress my dog in one doesn't make it wrong. Necessarily.
This is also odd, but not wrong. I like vampire stuff, I like a nice martini, (OK, I LOVE them),
maybe I need this. But at your house, not mine (I just had the carpet cleaned).

Would adding "Gummy Eyeball Cocktail Picks" to a drink with "Blood Dripping Rimming Sugar" be overkill? The preschool teacher in me sees these as terrible choking hazards. ("Poor Mrs. Ose, she died choking on a gummy eyeball")
Nate says this would go well with a "Shrek" costume.













These are "Gruesome Cocktail Chillers". I can't remember (or tell) if these were eyeballs or toes. It'll be mighty crowded in my martini!
















Party Favors! More eyeballs and some finger suckers (with and without flesh). Also some festive candy necklaces with (again) eyeballs.
I'm sensing a theme on the part of Target buyers.
Probably a package deal.









This was tricky. It says, "Glow-in-the-dark" toothpaste and
handsoap (antibacterial, of course). I pondered the idea of glow-in-the-dark toiletries for days until I again found myself back in Target and read the fine print: "Product does not glow, only container glows". What a rip-off! I love glow in the dark stuff! If you see any glow-in-the-dark nail polish, tell me where to get it, I want some. This brings me to one of my million dollar ideas: glow-in-the-dark cars. Wouldn't you totally buy one? You could find it in the parking lot every time! You could decorate it with a UV charging flashlight (these are for ice-fishing lures that glow). I will expect royalties for this idea from the car companies. Also the chalkboard-paint car.






Here is a bunch of funky-flavored candy corn. Tangerine? Green Apple? Something Purple? Chocolate-covered toffee? (Oh, wait, that sounds good!) I despise candy corn. I also hate those candy pumpkins (and circus peanuts and black licorice.) Whatever happened to mini-snickers and almond joys in a pillowcase? THAT'S what Halloween is all about.













You could add candy corn to this recipe to make it seasonal. (After cooking)

Toffee Chex Mix

1 box Corn Chex mix
1 (16oz) jar dry roasted peanuts
Mix in large bowl

In large saucepan:
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup clear Karo syrup

Stir and bring to a boil, take off heat and add 1/4 tsp baking soda. Stir until frothy, pour over Chex mix and peanuts, mix well. Divide batch into what will fit in a glass pan (that fits in the microwave). Microwave at 1 minute intervals for 4 minutes. It is important to stir at 1 minute intervals, lest it burn. Spread onto cookie sheet and let cool. Repeat with next batch.

Quick and easy

We went up north for MEA. I caught a break because my Religion professor cancelled class on Thursday because he was sick AND didn't post the homework before we left. No homework! It rained on Friday and the boys and I sat in the cabin by the fire, read books and drank tea. Heaven! Paul was out bowhunting. About 10 years ago I was sad when I realized that Paul and I would never be one of those couples that sit by the fire and read together. Yet another good reason to have kids! One of the books I read was called "Cake Wrecks". It's a photo book of the ugliest professionally decorated cakes you will ever see. I laughed until I cried. You can get this book from the library, the author is Jen Yates. She also has a blog on the subject, also called Cake Wrecks.

Saturday the guys put a new deer stand. They did look at the pictures in the directions, but wouldn't read the words. Men!
(There were only a couple of pieces left over. Paul says they're optional.)


How's it going getting ready for Nick's confirmation? Well, here's where the toilet is meant to be in the main bathroom. Paul took it out on Sunday. Today is Wednesday. Yeah. He took it out to see if he could get out whatever has been interfering with proper flushing for several years now. We still don't know, but we bought a new toilet which is more water efficient. Really hoping that is hooked up before all the company comes. You may laugh, but Paul one time varnished the toilet seat right before we had company. When it wasn't dry, we had to direct guests to the basement bathroom WHICH I HADN"T CLEANED!

Paul has also planned to repaint the kitchen ceiling before Sunday. He thought spray paint might work. For the record, IT DOESN"T! Not only di we choke on fumes, now my kitchen has a nice coating of white paint I have to scrub off. (Dropcloths? We don't need no stinkin' dropcloths!)


We're having class photos today in preschool. I'm curling my hair, although it is raining so I don't know why I bother. It will be pin straight in 10 minutes.

Here's a quick and easy soup recipe.

Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger, cooked and drained
32 oz reduced sodium beef broth
1 can black beans
1 can tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes
1 pkg dry taco seasoning
1 can corn

tortilla chips and sour cream for serving.

Mix all ingredients, simmer 15 minutes. Crush chips on top, plop on sour cream and eat. As the taco powder and chips are salty, the reduced sodium broth is a good idea.

Balls in the Air

No, the title does not refer to a new yoga position, I mean I'm busy! I have "a lot of balls in the air" like a juggler.

After preschool on Monday I gave blood. I may have mentioned before that I have a rare blood type. I kind of feel that I need to spread some of it around, since somebody might really need it, and it's scarce. If you give blood, keep your fingers nice and warm, so you can pass the hemoglobin test.
I always feel so virtuous after the questionnaire, because I haven't done anything to make me a bad risk for contaminated blood. (Lately) Been in jail? Nope. Had sex with a hooker? Nope. Been shooting up? Nope. Been scarfing down cow brains in England? Nope. Are you having sex with a man who has sex with other men? Nope, nope, nope! I don't even know what some of the stuff they ask about IS! They tell me that if I was doing it, I'd know.

Monday night I had to renew my CPR certificate. I hate this. I hate asking a filthy rubber mannequin if it is all right, I hate cracking it's creaking chest while counting to 30, I hate blowing into it's mouth, hoping to see "chest rise". Mostly I hate imagining that I might have to do this to one of my little preschool friends. Please, God, don't make me have to do that!
For weeks after this class, I inspect every mouthful at snack time, "Only one goldfish cracker in your mouth at a time, kids! Mrs. Ose does not want to give you the Heimlich!"

After Religion class on Tuesday and Thursday, my brain is mush! No new input will go in until the rest is absorbed. I can feel the moment my brain fills up. I spend the rest of the time looking at the clock and hoping I'm not missing anything important.
Tuesday night I met Reenie at the Seward co-op. It's as hippified a place as my little heart could desire. Everything is recycled! I needed help to sort it, but I loved it. I had dandelion root tea (tasted like water you soak a burnt pot in) and french cheese (tasted like french feet).
Nick and Nate had conferences on Wednesday night. I couldn't be more proud! One teacher noted that as our son had an "A" in the class he didn't see what we were doing there. Duh! One of the reasons our kids get the grades they do is BECAUSE we go to every conference. We care and they know it. We make a big deal out of their accomplishments, and (so far, knock on wood) we haven't had to make a big deal out of troublemaking.
Thursday, Nick had an orchestra concert. Nick's group did a good job, but one of the other groups absolutely murdered Wagner. Yikes!
We had our annual visit from a firefighter at preschool. This year, I didn't embarrass myself, I'm happy to say. Two years ago, I noticed that my fly was open AFTER the firefighter left! Nice. Last year, I got caught making the universal hand sign for "Hottie" by another firefighter. (It's not MY fault the Ramsey Fire Dept. only hires lookers!)
Next week, I add another ball to the juggling act. I will be volunteering at Headstart. I have to spend 20 hours (for my other college class) in a class with a high level of poverty and diversity. 20 hours! Where am I going to find that? Luckily, I can spread it out as much as I want.
Nick is being confirmed at the end of the month. I'd be going nuts if I had the time. Instead, I've delegated the planning to Paul. He's project managing, it's one of his many talents. All I have to do is cook and whatever else I'm assigned. I'm so happy not to have to juggle that!

Here's a recipe I found in a magazine while I was waiting for Nate at the orthodontist. It sounded good, but not with the marinara sauce that was suggested. If you need sauce, nuke some Cheez-whiz.

Rice Balls (Not for juggling)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with greased foil or parchment paper.
Cook in 1 Tbls oil:
1 cup thawed, chopped, frozen spinach
1/2 small onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic

When onion is transparent, mix with:
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
pepper to taste

Make into balls of about 1 Tbls and bake for 20 minutes.

E for Effort

I went to another book signing. This is my favorite author, Diana Gabledon, signing my copy of her new book. Look how nice and THICK it is! I won't be able to read it until December, sadly, because I have to read homework books until then. I know better than to start one of these unless I have time to do nothing else, because I will ignore the world until I'm done.

I waited for 2 hours to have her sign my book. Why? Two hours for "To Kellet, Diana Gabledon"? I have no idea! It seemed like a good idea at the time. She is a good speaker, I enjoyed her talk before the signing. Here is how she began:

"In days of old, when knights were bold, and condoms weren't invented, they wrapped some socks around their c**ks, and babies were prevented!"

See? You don't hear a talk start out like that every day. Her books are hard to describe. I think they are shelved in fiction, as historical novels. They could also be science fiction or romance. Paul calls them the "Lusty Scotsman"books. I told Ms. Gabledon that at a previous signing and she asked, "Does he enjoy the fringe benefits, too?" GULP! She was asking if her books (which do have some sex in them) inspired me to make out with my husband! I muttered something like, "Bleaaahhh, yeahhhh hahaha" took my book and scuttled off.

She seems to be a very straight-forward person. She said a reporter asked her once "What is the appeal of a man in a kilt?" She said, "I guess it's the idea that he can have you up against a wall in about 2 seconds flat!" And the reporter said, "GULP!" and scuttled off! So if you're looking for a good read, the first one is called Outlander.

Now, we get rain. Too little, too late. My tomatoes are already dead. My friend Deb is a marvelous gardener. I was admiring her tomatoes and asked her how many tomato plants it took to make a cherry tomato hedge that big. Just one! It was so full of cherry tomatoes, I couldn't believe it. Deb gave me a ton of them. I made this yummy jam with them. It takes a lot of effort, and it's amazing how 4 pints of tomatoes cooks down to 3 cups, but it is tasty.

I got my first paper back from religion class. I was pretty nervous, not having written one for a quarter-century, but I got a 3.0! Pretty good, considering. Better yet, the professor said I could rewrite it and try for a better grade, because he says I seem like the kind of person who would put in a little more effort to get a 4.0. Now THAT'S a compliment!

Cherry Tomato Vanilla Jam

2 1/2 lbs (4 pints) cherry tomatoes
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
1/3 c. plus 1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
3 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
3 (1/2 inch wide) strips lemon zest
5 Tbls lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse cherry tomatoes and put on a heavy cookie sheet. Pick off all the stems. Add the vanilla bean pulp to the 1/3 cup sugar, mix with your hands to combine. (Don't they smell good?) Mix tomatoes, sugar, olive oil and lemon zest on the cookie sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes depending on size of tomatoes, stirring often, until the tomatoes are wilted and skins have burst. Let cool a bit before removing the peels. Press the peels in a strainer to collect all the juice. Add juice to a medium sized pot and add tomatoes, discard skins.

Add 1 1/4 cups sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Place in a glass bowl, cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Put it back in the pot and boil until it reaches 220 degrees. Put some on a cold plate and see if it thickens some when cool. It shouldn't run when you tilt the plate. Can or freeze. yield: 3 cups

NOW, It's Fall!

The temperature dropped like a rock yesterday! Maybe our extended summer is over? My garden is done, I won't have to be running out with blankets to cover the tomatoes from frost. I want to get all the houseplants inside today, then I won't have to worry about them either. Mr. Ose hates having to haul plants in at 10:00 at night. Where am I going to put them?

Nick and Nate picked most of the apples off the tree yesterday. Now I have to do something with them. Come and get some if you want, we have plenty! I didn't spray them with anything this year, and they still look pretty good. Sometimes I use the juicer to make cider. I want a cider press, I have my best engineer on it. He should be able to make me one, don't you think?

I'm trying to write shorter blog posts (maybe with less gut-spilling), so let's get right to the recipe:

Caramel Apple Cider (Never spell it "Carmel" or I'll come find you!)

Cider
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups apple cider
1/2 cup water

Caramel Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbls brown sugar

Cider: Bring the cream and brown sugar to a boil, stir in the cider and water and heat just until the cider begins to steam, about 4 minutes. Divide among 4 mugs, top each with caramel whipped cream and serve at once.
Caramel whipped cream: Whip the cream with the brown sugar until soft peaks form.

Something Big!

I have matriculated! I am going back to college at Augsburg. I'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time.

I first went to Augsburg in September of 1981. (At freshmen orientation I noticed a cute boy named Paul.) Augsburg is a private, Lutheran college in Mpls. I lived on campus for 3 years and off campus as a senior. I went through ceremonies in a cap and gown and everything, even though I was a few credits short. (They let you do this.)

Anyway, I never got all those credits. I have been this close to a Biology degree for 24 years! I have taken classes at the U, Anoka Ramsey Community College and one other college. I'm still trying to figure out which one. I took Gen. Chemistry SOMEWHERE in the summer of 1983, because I took Organic that fall. Macalaster says it wasn't at Mac. I still haven't heard from Hamline. It's hard to ask a school if you ever went there without sounding ditzy at best.

It's so funny to be back there. I spent over 4 years of my life on that small campus, and some things look familiar, but some don't. They have done a lot of expansion, but still. The funniest thing is that I realized I have put all my college years in a big box in my head marked "Failure" and locked it. I now have the opportunity to take something out of the box. When I explained to a professor that I was a 25-year senior, and a cautionary tale, he replied that on the contrary, I was an inspiration. Yeah, I cried.

I realized I belonged there. I have a history at that school. Not only did I go there for 4 1/2 years, my husband went there. My mother-in-law and father-in-law went there. My sister and her husband went there. It's MY school.

So, I'm at the weekend college and taking one class during the week. It's "The Lutheran Heritage". I'm taking this because according to my transcript, I signed up for this in 1985 and got a 0.0 as a score. I must have never gone! If I retake it and get a decent grade it will help my GPA. It is also having a another effect on me.

I have been thinking for years that I was a bad Christian because I don't seem to think like the other Christians at my church. For example, last Sunday, the parents of the 9th graders were asked to participate in the youth group meeting. This involved kickball and a game played in the hallway and everybody sweating on and smacking balloons at each other. I hated it. Everybody else seemed to love the "Fellowship". I hate fellowship. I hate modern Christian music, radio and TV. I thought something was wrong with me. (Did I mention the box in my head is a BIG box?)

For this class, we are reading the important books and papers of the Lutheran religion. As I read them, I realized that I believed it all! Really believed it, and belief is the key here. "Saved by Grace, through Faith" and I have Faith! (Who knew?) All the things I don't like are just details.
So I got that back, too.

I'm a little worried that I've been gone so long that I won't know how to do all that college stuff. Footnotes, and the like. I've already written a paper for the Lutheran class. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who used the phrase "naked trollop in the kitchen" in a paper on Martin Luther. I'll let you know how I did (maybe).

The downside is, I have NO time. I have to plan everything days in advance and be super-organized. I know, welcome to your world, huh? I'm making good use of my crockpot, because when I finally make it home after teaching this year's 3-year olds (one word- YIKES!) and going to class in Mpls, my brain is banana pudding. It's nice to come home to a yummy smell and dinner already made. This recipe was in the strib. I thought the sauce was kind of runny, so I thickened it with corn starch.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

1 (3 1/2 lb) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 celery ribs with leaves, chopped
4 fresh parsley sprigs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 3/4 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls milk
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or other herb)
Sour cream, for garnish

Put the chicken and everything up til Bisquick in the crockpot and add water to cover. Cook, covered, on high for 3 hours or low for 7 hours, until meat falls from the bone.
Take chicken out of crockpot and let cool enough to handle, then remove meat from bones and discard bones and skin. While chicken is cooling, mix bisquick and milk, stir in parsley. Drop the batter by tablespoon into the liquid in the slow cooker. The dumplings should be just submerged. Cover and cook the dumplings on high for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove dumplings and add chicken back in. Thicken with corn starch if desired. Serve chicken in sauce over dumplings. Sour cream may be added for garnish. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I didn't think it needed it!

Rich Folks

My buddy Chris and I went to Wayzata on Sunday. They were having some festival with a parade and craft fair. We love craft fairs, and the guys were out of town, so off we went! This photo shows the view from the patio bar by the marina. Beautiful flowers, cold beer, (um, we were warding off heat stroke) it was great.













Here we are all cooled off. You can tell rich people drink here because the drink menu was a bound, hard cover book and not a laminated piece of paper. Also, we were amused to see that they sell wine by the glass, and charge $15! For one glass! I know I'm a rube, but I try not to pay that much for the whole bottle.













We took a tour of Lake Minnetinky on the refurbished steamboat that at one time was sunk on the bottom of the Lake. It has a nice, loud whistle that made me scream whenever it went off. The ride was a real bargain at $5, and lasted an hour. We figured it was probably our last chance to retouch our tans before winter.













Here is one of the mansions on Lake Minnetonka. We tried to imagine what it would be like to live in such a place. All we could think of was how much work it would be to clean! We also can't imagine having servants to clean for us. I would make a serious effort to get used to it, though.








The parade was also interesting. Marching Band must be cool at their high school, because it was huge. The middle school has a steel drum band! The best part of the parade was the "Westie" group. Over100 West Highland Terriers and their owners marched in the parade. Not only that, but all the dogs were wearing frog costumes! I'm told they do this every year, last year they dressed as loons. I've never seen anything like it. The little dogs don't seem to mind, either.

Rich people just seem to think differently than I do. We should have a zoo-type thing for them so we could watch them. This may explain the popularity of some of that reality TV, like "The real rich housewives of Texas". (I know 2 rich people, and they are both really nice. I like to visit them and see what is new. One has a microwave that is an undercounter drawer! It looks like a regular drawer, but it's a microwave! Fabulous. )

Although I would really like a big, neverending pile of money, There are probably some drawbacks, like worrying that somebody will kidnap your kids. That would be horrible. I'd rather be poor. (Let me point out that I know that as far as material possessions and such are concerned, I am blessed. By the standards of just about everybody in the world, I am rich. I (obviously) get enough to eat, I have a roof over my head, clothes to wear and easy access to excellent medical care. Not nearly enough people in the world can say this.)

I think there are advantages to NOT being rich like Paris Hilton. Such as:
1. We don't have fights over inheritance. We are not waiting around hoping for someone to leave us money, we know we have to go make it ourselves.
2. We are not shocked when something bad happens, we expect the s**t to hit the fan on a regular basis. Then we deal with it.
3. We won't be getting any of that hideous plastic surgery all the movie stars are getting. Why do they do that? It looks worse in the after pictures.
4. Our clothes don't go out of style from year to year, or if they do, we don't know or care.
5. Our kids can't get TOO spoiled.
6. We know people really like us for ourselves, not our cash!

I left book club early tonight to hit the William Kent Krueger book signing in downtown Anoka. I had told my friends that the last time I had a book signed by Mr. Krueger, he remembered me from the time before, complimenting me on my name and writing IN MY BOOK that it should be the name of a book character, maybe in HIS books! I was so flattered, he sees thousands of people! It's been a couple of years, so I didn't expect him to jump up and yell, "Kellet, great to see you!" which is good, because what he said was, "Hmmm...... Kellet, huh? What an unusual name, I've never heard that before!". Sigh.

Gotta go, but stay tuned. I'm working on something BIG! (NO, NOT a baby! put that out of your mind, RIGHT OUT!).

Today's recipe is for dog treats. Make them the right size for your dog, and while you could go all Martha Stewart and use a bone-shaped cookie cutter, remember that the DOG DOESN'T CARE!

Dog snacks

1 (6oz) jar turkey and rice baby food
1/4 cup beef gravy (use leftovers, the dog won't care)
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg white

Egg wash: 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbls whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil. Mix all ingredients (except egg wash) together to make a dough. Roll out on a floured work surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rectangles appropriately sized for your dog. Roll it thinner for small dogs, too. Put snacks on cookie sheet and brush with egg wash. Bake for 35-40 minutes (shorter time for smaller snacks) until golden brown. Cool before giving to dogs. Duh.

One for the books

Shortest summer EVER! Man, and what do I have to show for it? (Besides a freezer full of corn?)
Well, I did read a lot. I read 42 books this summer, most of them were fluff. This is a good time of year for new books. Many publishers bring out new books in the fall. Maybe so people will buy them as Christmas gifts. I try to get most of them from the library, but I will be buying the new William Kent Krueger mystery. Also, my favorite author Diana Gabaldon is publishing the 7th "Claire and Jamie" book, "An Echo in the Bone" in 12 days. Just 12 days!

There is not enough time to read all the good books out there. If you are ever wondering what to read, I have a cool link for you. You type in the name of an author you like, and this site shoots out a grouping of similar authors. It's fun to watch. It's called "Literature Map" and it's at http://www.literature-map.com/

I found that site by blog hopping. See up at the top of my blog where it says, "Next Blog"? If you click that, you go to a stranger's blog. It's different each time. Some of them are in foreign languages, then you have to make up the photo captions for yourself. It's a real slice out of someone else's real life. They WANT you to read them, they posted them on the web!

I like to read cookbooks, too. I get a lot of the shiny, celebrity chef ones from the library. Jamie Oliver (the "Naked Chef" who, sadly, is never naked) has the most gorgeous photos in his books. They are food porn. The Julia Child book isn't. I'm thinking of selling my copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". It's going for $30 on Ebay, and I'm never going to want to cook brains in wine sauce, anyway. Those recipes are way too complicated for me. The author of "The Silver Palate Cookbook" just died. That is a good cookbook. I'm keeping that one.

I also like books with recipes (big shock). Diane Mott Davidson and Susan Wittig Albert write mysteries with recipes. Jan Karon's "Mitford" series has it's own cookbook. Ruth Reichl wrote 3 autobiographies with recipes. She was the "New York Times" restaurant critic, so she knows a good recipe. I read a book by Kathleen Flinn called "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry". It is about her time in the Cordon Bleu cooking school, and has recipes from there. I will not be attending this school, I'm not paying frenchmen to yell at me! Jill Conner Browne (the author of the Sweet Potato Queen books, which have really yummy recipes in them) has a website, writes a blog AND will be your Facebook friend! Just ask! I'M on her friends list. I knew you'd be impressed.

Here'a a picture from last weekend. A bat was in the cabin, so we opened the doors and shooed it out. The brooms are merely for self defense.

Today's recipe comes from a book, my church cookbook! It's a little something different.








Mexican Stuffed Shells

12 ounce pkg jumbo pasta shells, cooked
1 lb ground beef
12 ounces medium or mild picante sauce
1/2 cup water
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 can (2.8 ounces) French fried onions
4 ounce can chopped green chilis (not jalapenos)
1 cup shredded cojack or cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, drain. Combine picante sauce, water and tomato sauce. Stir 1/2 cup into ground beef along with drained chilis, 1/2 cup cheese, and half the can of onions. Pour half the remaining sauce mixture on the bottom of an 8x12 baking dish (9x13 is fine). Stuff shells with ground beef mixture. Cover with remaining sauce. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake uncovered 5 more minutes.

Squirrelly

I'm feeling squirrelly! Not goofy (I think I covered that with my last rant), but like it's time to store up acorns for the winter. A little crisp fall air and I can't help myself, I start stuffing the freezer and cupboards full. A couple of weeks ago, Chris and I canned 52 pints of jalabeanos! That should last us a while. It took all day and we were exhausted! How did farm wives do it? They canned every day for weeks, all while doing their regular work AND feeding the work crews!




This is 9 dozen ears of corn. Paul went to Rochester and stopped at a farm stand. I told him that the cheapest price here was $3 a dozen (Coborn's), so he drove a hard bargain with the guy. They started at $6 a dozen and ended with $20 for 9 dozen. (I asked for 3 or 4 dozen). The boys helped me peel them and I spent all morning cutting off the kernals and scraping the cobs. Right now, it's all cooking in the roaster. When it cools, I will package it in ziplocks and stack it in the freezer. This winter it will be "fast food" when I microwave it for dinner. Intellectually, I KNOW that I can BUY corn, canned or frozen, all year round and don't have to do this, but somehow, I NEED to! I also need to make jelly, wine, beer, spaghetti sauce, frozen green beans, applesauce and more than one kind of pickle. Part of it is a "Locavore" thing, the idea that eating locally grown food is superior to eating food shipped from far away. Partly it's because I can make these things just the way we like them, and without a lot of preservatives. It just makes me happy to see the bags and jars of stuff I worked so hard on putting up. Unfortunately, this all is ready to be put up at the same time! With some of it, like wild grapes and berries, we have to do the picking as well as preserving. Grapes are having a good year, and I've got a batch of wine fermenting away. It will be a couple of years until it's really good, wild grapes are kind of sharp. I could not resist getting this going even though I had preschool open house last night and squeezing grapes makes my hands purple. Looked nice with my yellow shirt.
These are the balloons that were tied to the mailbox of a house that was having a garage sale. They lost most of their air, and were lookin' a little, um, testicle-ish. How are you doing with the hunt for outrageous garage sale items? I haven't received ANY photos yet! Don't make me win my own contest, people.













Speaking of outrageous things, I met this nice dog in a sundress at Joann's yesterday. Her name is Molly. She gets all dressed up and goes to the hospital to cheer up the patients. It must work, she made me laugh! Little Miss Molly wasn't even embarrassed to be wearing the sundress, (like my dog would be,) she seemed to like it. Paul says now she REALLY looks like musky-bait. In a hula-popper.












This is how you get juice from the fruit to make jelly. Cook it with a little water, smash it, and strain it in a jelly bag. I picked these door handles on purpose because they are so good to hang a jelly bag from. Don't be tempted to squeeze the bag, that will make the jelly cloudy (and your hands blue!).

I have to go, there's a farmer's market in Anoka today, and I think I need more green beans. Maybe some cucumbers.

Here is an easy recipe for making freezer jelly from wild grapes. It is delicious! Put it right back in the refrigerator after using it, as it has no preservatives it molds quickly. Be sure that you are picking grapes and not something else.

This is from"Abundantly Wild" by Teresa Marrone.



Wild Grape Jelly

1 1/2 cups grape juice from wild grapes
2 1/2 cups sugar
Half of a 1.75 ounce box of powdered pectin
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbls water

Combine juice and sugar in a glass mixing bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a small saucepan, combine pectin and water, stir well, mixture may be lumpy. Heat to full rolling boil over high heat and boil for one full minute. Stir constantly.
pour over juice in bowl. Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy, about 3 minutes. Mixture should not be cloudy. Pour into freezer containers, leave enough room at the top for expansion. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours, it should be set. If it isn't, refrigerate it for several days or until set. Sometimes it may take up to a week. Then freeze it.

To make juice: Place washed grapes (no stems) in a pan, add 1/2 cup water per pound of grapes. (about 3 cups). Crush grapes with a potato masher. Heat for 5 minutes at medium heat, do not boil and crush again. Cook for 5-10 more minutes until skins lose much of their color. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth or in a jelly bag. You should get about 1 1/2 cups juice from each pound of grapes. When using the juice, leave the dregs in the bottom of the bowl, don't use it, it may cause your jelly to crystallize.