Color

Although we still have a long, long list of home improvements and quite a few places where furniture is lacking, we have been making progress on making our home ours. I am really happy to have gotten rid of the unpleasant dusty purple and saturated red color combo we inherited from the former owner. Thanks to Paul and his efforts, we now have half of the main floor walls and ceilings painted.

Raspberry Preserves

I did end up making raspberry preserves with the plethora of raspberries that I picked in my dad's patch. I searched for some low sugar recipes after learning this summer how jellies and jams oftentimes have more sugar than fruit in them. That just felt obscene and I vowed to seek out alternative methods and recipes. I ended up modified this recipe from the Boston Globe who modified it from Afton Cotton.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2	cups granulated sugar
1	package (1.75 ounces) powdered pectin
6	cups (a little more than 1 quart) raspberries, rinsed, picked over, and drained
1/2	cup brown sugar
6	tablespoons lemon juice
1	teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Have on hand 5 half-pint canning jars. Sterilize them in boiling water. Sterilize the lids and rings, ladle, and any other equipment that will touch the jam. You will also need a canner and a jar lifter. Fill the pot with water and bring it to a boil.

2. In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar with the pectin. Stir well.

3. In a large saucepan, combine raspberries, remaining 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Let stand for 10 minutes or until the juices flow.

4. Add vanilla. Stir gently and bring the mixture to a boil slowly over medium heat.

5. Stir in the pectin mixture. Turn the heat to high and boil vigorously for a few minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, you can test to see if it has reached 200 or so degrees F. (This recipe originally said it had to reach 220, but I didn't get it that hot and it jelled just fine.)

6. Pour mixture into hot, sterilized jars, wiping down jar rims with a damp paper towel. Place lids onto jars and screw on bands, and place the jars in the canner, making sure the jars are covered by 1 to 2 inches of water.

7. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Process the jars for 15 minutes.

8. With the jar lifter, lift the jars from the pot. Place them on a clean kitchen towel and listen for the sound of success: POP! Let stand for 12 to 24 hours or until completely cool.

9. Test the seal by pressing down the center of the lid with your finger; it should not move. If it didn't seal, you'll just have to eat that one right away.

The resulting preserves are both tart and sweet. I like them much better than the really sugary jams.

A Little of What He Likes

Paul is a season ticket holder to the Timberwolves. He had been a fan for a long time and even cares about them when they lose and nobody wants to buy tickets to their games. He watched them on TV whenever possible when we lived in Boston. He reads websites about the draft and the players. So, when he asked if I wanted to go to one of the pre-season games with him, I agreed to go. If you know me, you know that I have no interest in professional sports whatsoever. None. However, I was interested in going with him to experience a bit of what engages him so much. I guess it was like that one time he went yarn shopping with me.

I enjoyed spending the evening with him and having a new experience, but I am grateful that he has friends that want to go to the 40 or 50 games that make up a season. I am also grateful that Paul and I have the kind of relationship where we can support each other in pursuing our separate interests without necessarily having to participate in the them. We think that suits us just fine.

Mary and Ronnie and a Beer-Can Chicken

The next weekend after Beth's visit, Paul and I had Ronnie and Mary over for dinner. Paul had long ago promised to have them over for Beer Can Chicken as a thank you for giving us an extra lawn mower they inherited with their house. Since the window is quickly closing for grilling weather, we were lucky to find a night that worked for everyone.

This was the same day that Missy and I spent in Northfield, so Paul was the one who created the menu and did all of the cooking. He made us a delicious meal with side dishes of rosemary roasted potatoes, his special version of collard greens, maple glazed carrots, and fresh-baked peasant bread.

Our co-op has chickens that they swear are worth the price difference so we splurged on one for this dinner. The meat-eaters said it did not disappoint and Paul agreed that the co-op was speaking the truth.

I, however, was happy eating the sides and tried my best to keep my mouth shut about them eating a chicken who had a can of beer stuffed up its rear end.

Beth in Minnie

Oh, goodness! I have gotten so neglectful when it comes to posting the fun stuff that has been going on over the last month. Luckily, Beth wrote up a great summary of her visit here a few weekends ago. It was so much fun to spend time with her, the Wagner family and Joey. Here are links to her posts (part 1 and part 2) about her time here. You might recognize these photos, too. I didn't take any of my own, so I borrowed hers.

Dinner was potluck style, which this group of friends does REALLY well. There were so many delicious things to chose from.

Thanks for a great visit, Beth!

P.S. I wrote this post a few days in advance of it going live and in the meantime, Jerri posted some great photos and tidbits about the visit on her blog. So, now I can add links to her posts, too. They can be found: here, here and here. I really have to get over to that quaking bog. It sounds excellent!