The Things I Do For Fun

Yesterday I had a wonderful time canning with my lovely friend Danyale and syrup making with my sister, Kelly. However, I realized a little too late, I didn't take quite enough pictures for some of the recipes that I had made, which I had planned to use in a blog for today! Ugh. Frustration! But I did make some wonderful tasty things. And I got to thinking. Well you know...that would make a great blog! Having fun and making just wonderful stuff! So here we are today with a peek inside what I do when I get a gal pal over. And this happens...A LOT! Sometimes even at their houses! (Especially those with bigger kitchens than me!)

 On Wednesday I had told my dear friend Danyale all about my plan to make some honey-lemon marmalade on Friday. And given that poor Danyale had been hold up in a hotel room for months on a business trip with her hubby and needing some female companionship, I of course thought it would be great to have some company and an extra set of hands is always wonderful! Later my big sister, Kelly, called and was craving some hang out time so I asked her on over as well. The more the merrier! We all agreed that some ginger would be just fantastic in the marmalade, which I was making more as a home remedy for nasty colds than really anything else, and the addition of ginger would make it perfect for taking care of tummy aches in addition to sore throats and coughs. I had a few bags of apples ready for some goodness, so knowing my sister's love of my carmel apple jam I figured, in for a penny in for a pound. And since Kelly couldn't join us until later and had to bring the ginger, we'd start with that.

Danyale was impressed with my apple-corer-peeler-slicer, which does exactly what it says! So we chatted about the oddness of husbands and fathers and well, men folk in general while she played with the gadget and I diced up the apples once they were peeled and cored. Try as we might, we did take a good deal of photos as we went, but sadly none in the way I prefer for recipes! But as you can see, we had a good deal of jars getting processed, sterilized and filled throughout the day! We did learn that a food processor goes a long way towards chopping up 14 lemons and prevents you from getting squirted in the eye! By then we needed a pizza break. And let me just say, feta on pizza...heaven!

Later, when Kelly arrived with a mad stash of ginger, we had to of course make jokes about the gingers chopping ginger. (Both Kel and Danyale are redheads!) Danyale is one heck of a chopper! She made it through quite a bit of that ginger while I was running around the kitchen like a madwoman. Sadly she had to leave before the fruits of those labors were finished, which left Kelly and I to carry on with my next wonderful idea. Homemade ginger syrup for ginger ale.

I have a soda stream and I love it! But I love good ginger ale, or rather ginger soda. And through a really easy method of just equal parts ginger, water and sugar (little generous squirt of some agave too!) we made an incredible syrup! I added it to some carbonated water and ooooh so tasty! Kelly took home a jar of that and her precious carmel apple jam. By the end of the night there was 28 jars lined up on my table. Some containing a failed attempt at apple cider syrup. (We won't talk about that. 1 hour of simmering of apple cider to make sugary apple cider!)

I was exhausted, my back hurt but I could not stop smiling. I heard that beautiful plink! of jars sealing and the glowing feeling of a job well done. I had a great time with two fabulous women and made some things that will definitely be great come winter! But most importantly, I had so much fun! I really need plan another canning day with my girlfriends! I have to share the fun!!

Brightest blessings!