Quilted

There is something about a quilt - handmade, planned, preserved, and well-used - that makes me wish I had a hundred of them.  

And when they hang on the line, patiently - soaking up the sun - I want to stare at them all day and ponder:  whose hands pieced those puzzles together, and for whom?  

Yet they are silent, standing ready for any kind of duty whether an impromptu front yard picnic, or farmers market table covering, or a chilly spring night covering.

Especially connective for me was when, in my English Literature class we read "A Jury of Her Peers," by Susan Glaspell and then another touching and poignant story within "Everyday Use," by Alice Walker.  Both of these works of literature played upon a quilt.  

The pieces of fabric, however tattered, held together by threads -however steadily or crazily stitched, are so telling of the nature of our lives.  And sometimes, our quilts, much like our lives, aren't quite pieced together like the picture we have in our minds.  

But, indeed, this is the beauty of a mismatched and hither-thither quilt.  And the beauty of a life that was once planned to be a solid color, or black-and-white, even, that is now the many pieces and colors of a life unscripted.  Even the worn and tattered edges hold a certain beauty, no matter the light.

salsa un-recipe

into the hot jars now

after the mixing and cooking

this is the first time I have canned salsa

it smells really good, too

So after canning for what felt like days on end last summer, during this winter, we realized that one of the things we often eat and didn't can was salsa!  With a good supply of tomatoes, I decided to make salsa.  I made a sort of "un-recipe" I call it, because I followed no particular recipe and can't remember what I did, exactly....  Then I further complicated the un-recipe by making another batch and not remember what I put into that!  (except more cilantro, less sugar and more crushed pepper)

But, here's how it all went down:

tomatoes

onions

garlic

roasted tomatillos

roasted bell peppers

roasted jalapeños

roasted garlic

cilantro

lime/lemon juice

salt

pepper

cumin

chili powder

crushed pepper

vinegar

sugar

And then it went down on a tortilla chip.  

  

a bowl of strawberries

let's make like strawberries and jam, shall we?

it isn't cost effective, there is a ton of sugar in it, and having it in the house increases the consumption of said ingredient, but oh is it good.

strawberries, check. sugar, check. pectin, check. jars, lids, rings, check.

there isn't much to it. it's more difficult to keep it IN THE HOUSE than it is to make it.

between my husband and myself giving it away and eating it simultaneously, it won't last until January.

even our dear son, who does not usually like jelly with his pb&j really likes this strawberry jam.

i might have to hide a quart jar of it somewhere....now only if (in january) i can remember where i hid it.