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Since I never seem to get around to sending out Christmas cards or letters, I decided to blog a bit to keep my fans updated. :-)

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Adventures in canning

My friend BS and I added two new tools to our canning accessories this year -- a new food strainer and a pressure canner. The strainer made very quick work of the tomatoes and turned them into a lovely tomato puree that we cooked down with onions, garlic, and some herbs which produced a heavenly scent of tomato-y goodness. Later we added some diced tomatoes and a little sugar, and pronounced it worthy of preserving.

All was well until I retrieved the third quart from the canner. The contents were still boiling, and just before I set it down on a towel, it exploded -- all over me, the wall, the counter, the floor, the fridge...you get the idea. Luckily, none of the children were in the kitchen at the time, and neither BS nor I were scalded by the contents. Whew. Pretty exciting stuff. Next up? Hopefully peaches. And more tomatoes - but not in the same batch. :-)

I am looking forward to making applesauce with the new food strainer -- that should be a breeze!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Julie and Julia

Some friends and I went to see "Julie & Julia" tonight -- the new movie about Julia Child (Meryl Streep) getting her start in French cooking, and a woman, Julie (Amy Adams) who sets out to make all 524 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in 365 days -- and blogs about her experiences. Naturally, I felt compelled to update MY blog as soon as I got home. :-)

In short, I LOVED the movie! One way I can tell whether a movie is good is how long it takes me to check my watch. The previews tonight started at 7:05, and I did not look at my watch until 8:50. That's about 20 minutes later than normal, since I usually last maybe 90 minutes before I start to fidget and wonder how much time has passed.

I predict this will cause a surge in the sales of the cookbook. I already own her "The Way to Cook" volume, and I've actually used it. For now, that will do for me, but perhaps I will put the 2 volumes of "Mastering" on my Amazon wish list. :-)

For those who are bothered by strong language, be forewarned that there is one use of a word that is normally only heard in R-rated movies. There is at least one other phrase that I found to be quite funny that some might find off-putting. However, if that doesn't scare you off, it is a delightful movie. Meryl Streep was amazing in her ability to channel Julia Child. Stanley Tucci was wonderful as Julia Child's husband. Amy Adams (Giselle in "Enchanted") was fun to watch too -- I especially loved watching her cook lobster for the first time.

And don't go see it hungry...movie treats won't satisfy.

Bon Appetit!