So this morning I weighed in at my usual 157.4 (digital scale), then went to my mom's house to feed her cats, decided to hop on her scale (also digital), and lo and behold, it was 156.5 - with clothes on. So I did what any sane person would do - went to Bed, Bath and Beyond, laid 15 different scales out in the main aisle (linoleum) and compared - hopping on and off like I was in a Dance Dance Revolution dance-off! The digital scales were all over the map. But the one analog scale they had consistently weighed me in at 156...over and over and over (the sales woman came over to let me know that the spring can wear out in those over time, with repeated use). So I bought it, raced home and tore off my clothes to get a more "accurate" reading and I'm 155! And that's after 16 ounces of coffee. Woot! So that is a 15 pound loss so far, and I like this scale...it's a friendly, happy scale.
In addition to my new eating lifestyle, I've become addicted to canning. Yes. I found myself in the possession of a ton of peppers from the ranch garden and thought I would try my hand at pepper jelly. The first batch turned out a little runny, the 2nd batch is much firmer. I'm looking at my yard through "mason goggles" now, wondering what else I can put in a jar! I love everything about it...from preparing the jars and prepping the vegetables, to making the jelly, filling the jars, the sealing process, and most of all - giving them away! I feel very efficient, slightly traditional and old fashioned (sometimes listening to Etta James and wearing a cute apron!) who will be giving creative and tasty Christmas gifts this year! (I hope)
I think I also like it because I love produce, it's relatively easy and I can be successful at making something. As some of you know, I love to be in the kitchen, but we have had to order pizza on occasion when things "don't work out". It's not for lack of trying or lack of enthusiasm (Rob will tell you that I sometimes get so excited in my kitchen, I break out in song and dance), It's just that it's a skill that I wasn't born with that I'm trying to acquire...it's more than a skill, it's an art form! I think I am slowly becoming a successful food artist!
Here are the peppers. Aren't they gorgeous?
And the finished product (these are pictures of the first batch which was a little runny...still good!):
The small crackers are gluten-free and everyone seemed to prefer them to the others. You can buy them at Safeway in the baking section fyi. We tried the pepper jelly with blue cheese Stilton, herbed goat cheese and peaches and then Thai spiced and Italian sausages as a dipping sauce. It goes with everything!
I just harvested our Persimmon tree and can't wait to find some good recipes:
And now for a Horse Break! I've decided that if I have limited time and have to choose between getting a run in, or exercising my horse, I'm going to do both!
She is an excellent running partner for many reasons - she doesn't have to stop and go potty all the time, slowing down my pace, she isn't even remotely interested in chasing squirrels or other dogs, our "jogging" pace is the same, but mostly because I can hop on when I get tired!
And here she is playing with her friends. She's the one that doesn't look like an ex-racehorse (which her two friends are).
All in all - it's shaping up to be a really fabulous Fall and I'm looking forward to rainy evenings in my kitchen making all manner of soups and canning my entire back yard!
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