Mums Leftover Chicken and Vegetable Stew

We woke this morning rain..... not a sprinkle...not a shower.. but wonderful heavy downpours that have lasted all day. The first real rain we've had since spring. Temperatures have dropped an amazing 20 degrees from yesterday.. and the 70s are so much better. Although the garden is loving it... some of the bigger plants, flowers and shrubs are decidedly droopy as they cant cope with the sheer weight of water.

After church we hurried home and spent a relaxing afternoon.. me with my knitting and MrD doing his favourite crossword puzzles. We listened to a couple of radio shows...

First.. The Texaco Star Theater 

Featuring: Jimmy Wallington, Bob Hannan and Jane Froman 

with music from Al Goodman and His Orchestra

The Great Gildersleeve

Featuring Harold Peary, Lurene Tuttle, Lillian Randolph, Earle Ross and Walter Tetley 

with music from Billy Mills and His Orchestra

For dinner I made my mothers recipe for Chicken and Vegetable Stew... which used some leftover chicken and my homegrown root vegetables plus some simple pantry staples

A thick and hearty broth.. its very easy and quick to make and it was ready to eat in 30 minutes. I served it with some homemade bread and it was very warming and filling

1 to 2 Tbsp bacon grease or butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 to 3 stalks of celery, chopped 
2 large carrots, diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup of turnip
4 cups chicken broth (or water with a bouillon cube)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme or sage
Salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 cups leftover chicken, shredded or cubed
3 Tbsp plain flour

A few drops of gravy browning (optional)

• Over a medium heat, melt the bacon grease or butter in a large pot
• Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots. 
• Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft 
• Pour in the chicken broth. 
• Stir in the potatoes and turnips 
• Add the bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste
• Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pot, 
• Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. 
• Add the leftover chicken
• Simmer for 5 minutes to heat the chicken through
• Blend flour with 4 tablespoons cold water (to make a slurry) 
• Slowly pour into stew.. stirring constantly
• For a darker stew add a couple of drops of gravy browning (optional)
• Simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes until the gravy thickens
• Remove the bay leaf before serving. 

Tomato Powder

 My goodness what a busy day its been

I put my own preserving on hold as I popped over to the canning centre which has been set up in our church hall kitchen to help other ladies with their own preserving. I took along my pressure canner for those ladies who don't have one.. and my water bath canner to make some of the processing go faster. It was lovely to see some of the younger ladies gleaning wisdom from the more mature ones. 

Time went so fast that I had  to scurry home for a quick lunch and get my own house in order before MrD got home. No preserving in my own kitchen today.. but last night I did manage to finish the tomato powder from the skins saved from canning crushed tomatoes yesterday.

• Collect leftover skins after peeling or canning tomatoes. 
• Pat them dry to remove excess moisture. 

• Arrange the peels in a single layer on parchment paper. 
• Set oven to its lowest setting (150°F to 200°F)

• Bake for 2 to 3 hours until completely dry and brittle. 
• You can also use a dehydrator at 135°F for about 6 hours
• Grind the dried skins until it forms a fine powder. 

• Sift the final mix if needed for a smoother texture
• Keep the powder in an airtight jar in a cool, dark pantry or refrigerator to maintain freshness

Uses:

• Sprinkle over salads, buttered pasta, or popcorn for a concentrated burst of tomato flavor.
• Mix into soups, stews, chowders, or dips to add both flavor and body.
• Blend with hot water to recreate quick tomato paste, sauce, or soup. 

Wartime Plum Jam

The last day of August and tomorrow we will be in the "ber" days. The weather has finally broken and and today was slightly cooler. Im hoping that the "ber" days will be a bit more "brrrrrr"

Sleepy Lagoon (Lawrence-Coates) 

by Harry James & his Orchestra 1942

Once all the beds were changed, the bedrooms and the laundry was drying nicely on the line...it was time to put on a little music and start canning again. Today its Plum Jam.. a Ministry of Food recipe using the beautiful plums I bought from the Farmers Market on Friday.

Now the recipe calls for 6lb of fruit.. but I wanted to keep some back for the last of my jam making tomorrow.. so I only used 5 lb and adjusted the sugar weight for weight. It still gave me seven beautiful jars... And Seeing as the recipe didn't mention water bathing... I did away with this process.

5-6 lb. Plums
6 lb. Sugar
½ -1½ pints water

• Sterilize your jars and lids
• Wash the plums, cut in half and stew slowly with the water until the skins are softened. 
• Ripe, juicy fruit requires less water than under-ripe fruit. 
• Add the sugar, stir until it is dissolved

• Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached. 
• 6 lb. fruit will usually be needed, but 5 lb. will be sufficient to make a well-set jam if the fruit is of very good quality. 

• Remove as many stones as possible as they rise to the surface. 
• The plums may be stoned before cooking and the kernels cooked with the fruit.

• The jam will still be liquid when you ladle it into your jars. 
• Stir the jam and carefully ladle it into the heated, sterilised jars. 
• Immediately seal the jars tightly with sterilised lids.
• It can take up to 48 hours to completely set.
• When cool, remove any spills from the jars and label with the date and name.

Eggs and Pork Sausage

The heat is really getting to me.. but Im trying not to complain. But 108° is too much for anyone.  Today I felt so tired and worn out we decided to have a day at home. 

But we did spend an hour in the garden just tidying up a bit... getting rid of the cucumber plants that had sucomed to the scorching heat and deadheading the roses. 

The peppers however are loving the weather and we have lots of jalapenos, serrano's and pimientos growing....

For breakfast this morning I made a dish called Eggs and Pork Sausage from "300 Ways to Serve Eggs",

published by the Culinary Arts Institute, 1940

Its pretty self explanatory and almost a complete meal in itself... sausage.. eggs... cheese... milk and bread. It was very easy to throw together.. and a great opportunity to use some of the dried bread cubes from the pantry. I halved the recipe as it was only for the two of us.. not the six as suggested.. and I must say it was very flavourful and filling

I will be making it again

1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
3 cups dry cubed bread
6 eggs, beaten
6 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup grated cheese

Original Recipe from the Book

• Sauté the pork sausage in a skillet until well browned.
• Pour off most of the fat from the pan.
• Add the bread cubes and brown them with the sausage.
• Combine the beaten eggs, milk, and grated cheese in a bowl
• Add this mixture to the sausage and bread.
• Cook like scrambled eggs until set.
• Serve immediately with grilled tomatoes.

"300 Ways to Serve Eggs",

the Culinary Arts Institute 1940