The Urban Homemaker Blog

Month: September 2009

  • Celebrating Fall

    My sister and I cooked up quarts of applesauce Friday morning from outstanding Paonia apples. We have learned, over the years, the best sauce, is a combination of different types of apples. This year we used three of my favorites, Honey Crisp, Jonathan, and Gala. A bit of sugar and plenty of cinnamon mixed into the sauce, then poured into jars,wipe the lids, screw on the caps, water bathed, cooled, checked for good seals, and the beautiful pink sauce now lines my pantry shelf for the winter that is coming.

    What a huge sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and contentment to complete this activity.

    My sister and I, usually with some children to help (not this year though) have made this applesauce-making day a family tradition we look forward to every Fall. Normally we aim for the last week end of September or the first weekend of October so we can also enjoy what is known in these parts as Color Sunday.

    Color Sunday is “officially” designated as the last two week ends of September when the Aspen trees are at the peak of their golden, yellow brilliance. About a 45 minute drive from here is actually the world’s largest Aspen grove all in one place. Behind the gorgeous and colorful trees are the tall mountains of Mount Gunnison and Mount Beckwith, both are in the 13,000 to 14,000 feet in elevation range.

    This year, my friends from Denver, Mary and Atif joined my sister and I for Paonia’s annual Mountain Harvest Festival. This includes, farm tours, wine tastings, a chili cook off, an evening of concerts for one small price at several different venues, brunch in the park Sunday morning, craft fairs, fabulous weather and a farmer’s market. Although this little tradition, The Mountain Harvest Festival, was established a few years after our family moving to the western slope of Colorado, I skipped it last year as the loss of Duane was too fresh for me to consider attending any of the events.

    The one thing I hadn’t counted on this year, however, is these particular friends are almost the only ones I have NOT seen since the Memorial Service. They found themselves struggling with driving over here knowing Duane wouldn’t be here. What will it be like for them? Nearly 18 months since Duane’s passing, truthfully I hadn’t even considered that this might be a bit hard for all of us.

    After all, these special friends had assisted Duane and I with our semi-annual grain sale for 15 years always followed my a family dinner in a restaurant. There were so many wonderful memories, now over. After spending some time at Duane’s grave side Saturday morning, I think we were all able to take one more step towards acceptance and closure and then move on enjoying every minute of the entire week end together. Memories we will never forget of just being together.

    I truly praise God for how far he has brought me in the last year and a half that I really could just savor and enjoy the company of my friends and the new fun- time traditions we started this year by spending the evenings around the campfire. I am a widow, a single mom, beginning to see that God is healing my broken heart, starting new things in my life and that he truly is faithful to have plans for me, plans for welfare, not for evil, to give me a future and a hope.

    May you and your family enjoy God’s goodness during our Fall season of harvest, warm days and cool nights. I encourage you to take the time to enjoy harvest events, putting away the last of the garden produce into the freezer or canning up the remaining tomatoes. Savor every moment, find the good and the positive in all things and you will begin to experience a contentment you didn’t know could exist.

  • Is God Good, all the Time?

    As you know, my husband Duane passed away suddenly and unexpectedly nearly 18 months ago.  Taking over his part of the family business and household maintenance responsibilities, becoming a single mom to three, putting on a wedding, loosing my computer system are just a few of the challenges I have faced in the last year.

    Yes, I have doubted that God is good all the time and I have struggled, been tired, depressed, weary and discouraged.  I have had to persevere through it when I didn’t think I could do one more thing.

    I had to decide that I would not be discouraged, I would not give up, I would not give in.

    I had to hang onto God’s word continuously when I didn’t feel like it at all, for days and weeks at a time.

    I had to decide if God’s word is reliable, trustworthy, worthy of praise, and whether or not he had plans for me for good not for evil to give me a future and a hope.

    In Job 2:10, after Job has suffered enormous losses and physical pain, he tells his wife, “You are talking like a foolish woman.  Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”  A scripture I frequently cling to is Prov 3:7:  “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”  (Translation, don’t allow yourself to go into self-pity.)

    Another verse that keeps me going is Lamentations 3:22, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.”

    Friend, Stand firm and see the deliverance of the Lord.  Determine whom you will serve today, discouragement or hope.  Make that decisions based on truth and not feelings and God will meet you.  His word promises he will.

    If you need a friend to talk or pray with, please contact me at marilyn@urbanhomemaker.com  Blessings to your day,  Marilyn Moll

  • Pesto Pasta Power

    A few weeks ago, I introduced my latest ebook, Value Meals for Busy Moms.  Getting that book published inspired me to start making simpler meals, meals concocted by using what is in my hand.  What I mean, I am using whatever is in my cupboard, leftover in my refrigerator, ripe in the garden garden, or sitting in my freezer and improvising.

    Yesterday I made Pesto with what basil was left from my garden.

    Pesto is so easy.  Whirl in your blender, pine nuts or walnuts, Parmesan cheese, at least one cup of packed basil leaves, a clove or so of garlic, dash of salt.  When that is all nice and finely chopped, add a pinch of salt and some olive oil for a smooth paste.

    I like to freeze pesto in small portions for that garden fresh taste in the winter time.  I thaw frozen pesto and add several Tablespoons of it to spaghetti sauce to make me remember the summer harvest.  I also use it instead of mayonnaise in a BLT sandwich.  YUMMY!

    I discovered that if I add a tiny pinch of Vitamin C powder to the pesto, it doesn’t darken or oxidize.

    So is spent yesterday thinking about what I could add to pesto and pasto and make a decent dinner.   While the bowtie pasta was cooking,  I found leftover roasted chicken to chop up and several garden ripe tomatoes.  Chopped up the tomato, combined the pasta, the pesto, and chicken, VOILA!  This dinner was a winner and oh so easy.

    I even had time to saute a little bit of garden Swiss chard with garlic and we had greens for a side dish, just like spinach.

    My dinner tasted so garden fresh.  Our Colorado growing season is just too short.  I am actually thinking about next year’s garden already.

    If you love Pesto, try out my Pesto Lasagne recipe, it is fantastic!

  • How to Select a Grain Mill and Save

    When I purchased my first grain mill, I was the stay-at-home mom of a 22 month old daughter and money was extremely tight. In fact, before my husband gave his OK for this purchase, he asked me,

    “If I buy you this grain mill will you commit to making all of our family’s bread?”

    Yes, that question threw me for a loop and I had to carefully count the costs and see if I was that committed or if this was just a passing fancy. Eventually I said, “Yes, I will commit to baking all our bread.”

    That was over twenty years ago and I have never looked back! Maybe it is time for you to invest in a grain mill.

    Once whole grain is milled into flour, it begins going rancid and loses a significant portion of the nutritional value and baking properties within seventy-two hours of milling. Freshly milled flour should be used within a few hours and will make the best bread imaginable.

    Commercial flours are already rancid and bitter. Husbands and kids love bread made from freshly milled flour.

    Maybe you have determined it is time for you to commit to baking your family’s bread. Possibly you have already enjoyed the benefits of freshly milled flour, courtesy of a friend or relative; and you are ready to invest in your own grain mill.

    Regardless, you already know that you will be much more satisfied with your baking results when you are able to use high quality home milled flour.

    The good news is that now you can purchase The Wonder Mill and save $30.00 just by filling out the rebate form.

    You can also obtain a complimentary copy of my spiral bound book, A Beginner’s Guide to Baking Bread ($14.95 value) now through September 30, 2009.

    The “best” grain mill, is the mill that meets your personal criteria for price, noise level, storage space requirements, warranty, and versatility. My personal favorite is the Wonder Mill.

    The Wonder Mill is a micronizing mill powered by electricity and utilizing technology that originally was developed for the pharmaceutical industry to derive fine, uniform powders. The Wonder Mill produces very fine, powdery flour at low temperatures. Remember, the finer the flour the higher rising and better the bread!

    So why wait? You know your family loves home baked whole grain bread!

    Get started making the best whole wheat bread and get my cookbook with over 80 pages of recipes and information for free PLUS $30.00 rebate.

    Click Here to order now!

  • Exclusive, Invitation Only Norwex Sale

    On Friday, Sept 4, 2009, I am doing a one day Norwex Enviro Product email sale with phenomenal hourly specials!
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