Menu Plan 9/6/2010

Not only is it Meat Free Monday, it is also Menu Plan Monday. :)  Normally I plan my menus on Sunday, but I was a bit lazy this week. And we had so many leftovers that we just had leftovers Saturday night, and I made the fish tacos last night...

It's been a good week menu-wise. Dinner has been done in a timely manner, and there hasn't been any scrambling. And since we are homeschooling again this year, that has been a huge help. Hopefully this week will go as well. And since we are talking about homeschooling...we are still using the Virtual Academy through k-12.  Last year was crazy because we started in the middle of the year, and then discovered that we were expected to complete a year's worth of studies in a semester. Well, we were up for the challenge. And the new challenge this year is that school started last week, and there have been some last minute schedule changes, i.e. they've placed my son in some high school classes (he's in 8th grade), which aren't completely loaded yet. So I expect we will be playing some more catch-up this week. So MENU PLANNING IS CRUCIAL!    :)

So, without further ado, here is this week's menu:

Sunday

Fish Tacos

Corn Salad

Monday

Cream of Celery Soup

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Salad

(I know this is a repeat, but this soup is so good, 

and I got yet another bunch of celery in my Bountiful Basket...)

Tuesday

Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Cabbage, and Ham

Salad

Wednesday

Black Bean Chili over Sweet Potatoes

Salad

(this one sounds weird, but the reviews are all good)

Thursday

Roast Beast

Carrots

Potatoes

Salad

Friday

Swiss Chard Manicotti

Salad

Saturday

Spaghetti Supper with Friends

(Potluck)

Hopefully this will be an awesome week. It's a busy one, that's for sure. And just while I'm mentioning stuff...my daughter turns 21 today. Of course, she lives 2 hours away from me, so no cake and ice cream, but I wanted to mention that I'm thinking of her, and of course I've called. her. :)

Menu Plan (Week of 8/29/10)

This week in our Bountiful Basket, we have broccoli, celery, sweet potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, champagne grapes, oranges, plums, nectarines, mangoes, and bananas. I also got the italian pack which has basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini.

Sunday: Broccoli Chicken Dijon with a Green Salad

Monday: Herbed Eggplant Souffle with Sauteed Green Beans

Tuesday: Cream of Celery Soup with Grilled (Ham &) Cheese Sandwiches

Wednesday: Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Thursday: Broccoli & Zucchini Pasta with a Green Salad

Friday: Meatloaf, Steamed Carrots, Mashed Potatoes

Saturday: Fish Tacos with Corn Salad

Hopefully it will be a tasty week. :)

Yes, I really am a slacker :)

 I know I've been MIA for quite a while, but life has been just kinda crazy. :)  Anyway, I wanted to share one of the things I've been up to (see below!), and that ties in to what's going on now: School's Starting! Which means I have to get on the ball with menu planning. Keep in mind that I'm Vegetarian for a Year, but my family still eats meat. So, I will be posting my weekly menus here--which will be veggie heavy, but there will still be some meat entrees as well.

I've joined a fruit and veggie co-op called Bountiful Baskets. The basic premise is this: At the beginning of the week (Monday - Tuesday OR Tuesday - Wednesday depending on what state you are in) you go to the website to make a contribution. On Saturday you drive to your pick-up site and pick up your produce. The produce is sorted into two laundry baskets--one for fruit and one for veggies. You need to bring your own container to bring the produce home in, as the baskets stay at the site.

When we first started this, the closest site was a 45 minute drive away, and that site was every other week. The next closest site was Las Vegas, which is a 60+ minute drive. I was hooked after the first time, though, and decided that this was something that needed to be in my neighborhood, so I contacted BB to figure out how to get a site started closer.

The fruits and veggies have pretty much saved me this summer. As a veg with almost no inspiration on veggie meals, it's no big deal to roast up some veggies or throw together a salad. And that funk is starting to pass, and I'm starting to get inspired by the produce I'm getting--some of which I don't normally buy because of expense (example: pineapple), and some which I've never even had the opportunity to buy (example: white asparagus).

School...

The interesting thing about starting homeschooling in the middle of the year is that we have to get caught up with the year. K12 doesn't start in the middle. We've spent a lot of time doing unit tests and semester tests to get caught up, but there are some things that just have to be started from the beginning.

So, what I am trying to say is...this semester has been SO MUCH WORK!! Spring break is in another week or so, and we are both looking forward to the break. Next year will be so much easier. :)

So between homeschooling, my new vegetarian diet, and working for the newspaper, (oh, and that stint on the Little League Board), life has been so crazy. But worth it.

And the financial aspect is improving as well. Which is good, because the last year has been extremely stressful...

So, we're here. Busy, but we're around. I'll try to post more, but I'm not promising anything. :)

Whitney

Life, the Universe, and...

I am trying to keep a great outlook on this year. Things haven't gone to hell in a handbasket, and I have a good feeling about it. We are *this close* to getting our lawsuit filed (sorry, more info perhaps after its said and done), and while I am hopeful about it, I am also a bit scared.

We are back to one car--I am pretty sure you saw the great pics of my car taken the day after Christmas. My daughter is doing fine, even though we are both currently carless. We've found a new engine for her car and we're currently saving to purchase it. My dear hubby will be the lucky one installing it.

The insurance company paid off my car completely except for my deductible (which was a relief!), and hopefully another new/used car is in my future.

I am still writing for the newspaper, and I love that. Affordable Baby Organics (whom I also write for) is for sale, and that job is up in the air. Hopefully the new owner will love the writers work and keep us on. I occasionally write for Demand Studios, but I've gotten a bit frustrated with their sorting system, so I only browse titles when I have a lot of time (which isn't now--since we've started homeschooling). I need to get out and start soliciting more work, which is in my plan for the year, but hasn't happened yet as we are still working on a routine for the major (schooling) change in our lives.

Homeschooling. Hello! So far we are still in get the routine down mode. Because we've started in the middle of the year, Steven has been doing a lot of testing to get caught up for the new semester. *k12 works on a yearly basis, so even though Steven was in school for the 1st semester, he has to show mastery of the 1st semester stuff for his grade to move on. That involves taking all the unit assessment tests as well as the semester tests. Which isn't too much fun, but we've been trying to break it up with more fun stuff like Spanish and Art...and Runescape--all electives! Well, Runescape isn't really an elective through k12, but it is a fun game, and far be it from me to ignore Steven's need for some downtime!

And we decided to go vegetarian this year. Well, I did, and the rest of the family is kinda just following along. If you are interested, you can read about my journey at my vegetarian blog: Vegetarian for a Year. The fun thing is that once we get our school routine down, we will be traveling into Vegas a couple of times a month to go to the Farmer's Market and go see Grandma...which I'm sure Grandma will appreciate.

I think I've gotten you pretty much caught up. And this break was made possible by the fact that Steven is in an online class with his teacher/mentor right now (on the awesome computer they sent to us!), so I have a bit of a break. Take it where you can get it!

See ya soon!

"Never, ever stop believing in magic, no matter how old you get. Because if you keep looking long enough and don't give up, sooner or later you're going to find Mary Poppins. And if you're really luck, maybe even get a purple balloon."

~TC Keller (Steve Kluger)

From My Most Excellent Year - A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park

A New Year and a ...New School?

No, we're not moving. Yes, it's the middle of the year. We have decided to homeschool Steven for the rest of the year. Or, kinda homeschool him. :) We are transferring him to Nevada Virtual Academy, which utilizes the awesome K-12 curriculum, but is still considered "public school".

This isn't a decision that we entered into lightly. Our daughter started disliking school in the 7th grade, and it just went downhill from there. Steven has been asking for quite a while to be homeschooled, but his grades are now starting to slip, so we did a lot of soul searching and question asking, and finally made the decision.

And now I'm excited about it. Is that weird?

So, in addition to writing, now I get to teach as well. It really is a new year!

A Don't List for 2010

From the Cozi Family Website:

A Don't List for 2010
by Martha Brockenbrough

Martha shares 15 things to NOT do in 2010

1. Don’t forget to take time off.
2. Don’t forget to try new things—new restaurants, new stores, new recipes.
3. Don’t clean where no one looks.
4. Don’t compare your house or your kids or your life with anyone else’s.
5. Don’t hang on to things you don’t need, things that don’t work, or things that aren’t useful or beautiful.
6. Don’t volunteer for anything with subcommittees.
7. Don’t try to repair a bedroom ceiling with super glue.
8. Don’t over-bake the chocolate chip cookies.
9. Don’t stay up late just because you’re a grownup. Falling asleep at 8 p.m. can be awesome.
10. Don’t read magazines just because you subscribed. Magazines aren’t homework.
11. Don’t turn on the TV just to see what’s on. Read a book, have a conversation, or get some sleep instead.
12. Don’t hang on to old jeans that are too tight, underwear with holes, or bras that pinch.
13. Don’t offer to do something you don’t really want to do.
14. Don’t answer the phone if you don’t want to talk to anyone.
15. Don’t forget to nap if you need to.

Get your family organized and on the same page with Cozi, the free online family organizer.
-Martha Brockenbrough

Best Christmas EVER!!!

LOL! This is really true. This year has been so tough for me mentally, and this season in particular. Usually Christmas is my favorite holiday. As The Ghost of Christmas Present sings "Wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas." This is how I feel. But, like I said, this year has been tough. Mentally, financially. You name it.

But...

Let me tell you a little story. Christmas eve has come, and there are gifts under the tree (modest gifts, but gifts, nonetheless). We've eaten our traditional rib roast. We have company over and we are watching our traditional Christmas Eve movie: White Christmas.

Morgaine calls to tell me she's just over an hour away from home and to be looking for her. Life is good. Five minutes later...FIVE MINUTES...I get a phone call from an unknown phone number. I answer and it is Morgaine, crying. She has wrecked the car and is calling to tell me that she's sorry. I ask her if she's ok, and she mumbles "yes" and apologizes (again) for wrecking the car. I tell her I don't care about the car...I just want to make sure she is ok.

Mom and I get in the car...Pat and Steven stay home and see Frostie (our guest) off. Just outside of Mesquite...now in the state of AZ on our way to Utah, the Utah Highway Patrol calls my cell to tell me that Morgaine has had an accident and that they are transporting her to Dixie Regional Hospital in St. George, UT. About 30 minutes later we arrive there and they are just releasing Morgaine, who has a concussion, whiplash, and some bruises, BUT IS OK.

By this time it is officially Christmas in Utah, and by the time we get home, it is Christmas. What Morgaine remembers is this: she saw something in the road (an animal? we may never know and she says it gets foggy when she tries to focus on it) and swerves. She overcorrects and goes into the median, which is a big V. At this point the car starts rolling and ends up on its roof in oncoming traffic. Luckily the people coming towards her see her in time and stop. She manages to get out of the car by unhooking her seatbelt and crawling through the back. The people who have stopped get her out of the road and wait with her until UHP gets there. She used their phone to call me.

UHP decided no one was at fault, so there was no ticket issued. She had to stay up all night because of the concussion (why can't you sleep if you have a concussion?). Her eyes were all screwy until about 24 hours later, and of course she had a massive headache.

UHP, First Responders, and Emergency Room Doctors all told her that she is extremely lucky to be alive.

Which is my Christmas present. My daughter is alive and I am so incredibly grateful. And grateful is all I can feel. Part of me keeps thinking I should feel awful about this...just another straw on the camel's back. But all I feel is lucky and grateful that my daughter is here and safe and alive.

So our modest Christmas turned out awesome. Every time I tell someone how great my Christmas was, I get this look..."oh, how awful!" But, they just don't get it. I almost lost her, but I didn't.

Thank you for that, Powers that Be...

Happy [Insert Holiday Here]

Happy Holidays! We are getting ready to celebrate a non-denominational Christmas here. That is to say, we celebrate Christmas, but not really in a Christian type way. We do believe in a higher power, but are not so completely convinced of all the Christian hype. I guess you could say we are kind of agnostic, but maybe not. :)

We are desperately trying to get our finances in order here. We have stopped using the bank, which at times is extremely inconvenient, but since our income has been so reduced, it is really a very visual way of keeping track of how much money we actually have. I have hardly been working (kind of by choice, though) through the holidays--I am still writing for the paper, but I've backed off of Demand Studios a bit. I will probably write a couple of articles this week to cover my son's allowance, but I am building myself up to a new start as of Jan 1, 2010. This is also with our food consumption.

I have been struggling with depression for the last 4 years (almost exactly--since Dec 2005), and I am trying to find a way to "snap out of it." I am tired of feeling like this, and I am hoping I can muster up enough strength to change what I can change. As far as diet goes, that means mostly vegetarian--which isn't really a problem, because I like this lifestyle--it has just been easier to fall back on easy meat meals, because they mostly involve throwing something in the oven (which works when I can barely function). My goal is to get a bunch of meals in the freezer so that I have the same option of throwing something in the oven.

Money. Well, we are in the process of filing bankruptcy. This isn't someplace I wanted to go, but it seems to be the only way I can get my mortgage company to pay attention. So, we are doing a Chapter (whichever one allows you to pay back--not just clear the slate--13, I think). The point is that we are paying our bills--we are just trying to get a bit of relief. Hubby has been working, although only 3 days a week. Actually, he has mostly been working 5 days a week except for the holiday weeks since September. But only 3 days a week for the 9 months prior. And perhaps it was folly for me to quit my job at the bakery, but honestly--I truly believe that staying would have killed me. My blood pressure, which has ALWAYS been on the low side jumped to the way high side, and I am sure it was the stress of my job.

Anyway, for me this is normally a great time of year, and while my emotions have been fluctuating by extremes, for the most part it hasn't been too bad. And I am hoping that everyone else's holidays aren't any worse than mine. So Happy Holidays to you. May your days be Merry and Bright.

I probably won't "see" you until next year, but let's get together then. And start fresh.

Oh, That Darned Economy

You know, in the 90's, when we were in a recession--I don't really remember feeling stressed or strapped. This time around, though, things seem so much worse. Two of our family friends have filed bankruptcy and are (or have already) giving up their homes and moving out of town. One has already moved--where there was a job available. The other couple is moving when school gets out--closer to their families.

We are still struggling along with our mortgage company, who seems to lose our paperwork on a regular basis, so we have to keep sending in new paperwork. We have been trying to workout our payments with them, since my dear husband worked reduced hours for 9 months out of the last 12. He is working full time right now (thank goodness!), but we got behind on all of our payments in that time.

We had our Christmas Cookie Swap this past weekend. It was kind of bittersweet because it seems like time together with these friends is coming to an end. And of course, we missed the ones that have already moved away.

I don't know what is going to happen. I am plugging along with my writing, which helps, but is (so far) not consistent in its money-making qualities. The Christmas season is upon us, and I am feeling--not sad, exactly--more like melancholy. We are lucky in that several years ago we sat down as a family and "reworked" Christmas. One gift per person (from each person). Not loads of gifts. Sometimes that has been hard--but this year I am thankful for it. Money-wise it has taken some stress off of the lack of dollars in our home this year.

I guess I'm just rambling. I am already missing my friends, and they haven't even gone yet.

Carol of the Bells

or What I Did Today.

The Lost City Museum had its annual holiday open house today. I was assigned to cover it for the newspaper. It really is one of the coolest places around. It really is one of the reasons that I love living in a small town.

But, anyway, the high school choir performed one of my favorite songs, and I happened to have my handy, dandy, camera--thingee which also videotapes handy, so I taped it.

Beautiful.



Merry Christmas. Or Happy Holidays. Whichever you prefer. Have a lovely Winter Solstice...

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

This is really my most favoritest Christmas movie, EVER. I wish I had it on dvd, but alas...it is only available on vhs, and even then it is hard to find. Watch in order!

Holidays in Hand

Have you missed me? Just a little? Well, anyway...

I've missed being here. But I've actually been hard at work....wait for it....WORKING!! I know, crazy, right?

I've been writing articles like crazy. Both for my local newspaper and for Demand Studios. I should actually be working right now, but I thought I would stop in and let you know what's been going on.

First:
I signed up for this great scrapbooking class at JessicaSprague.com called Holidays in Hand. You can keep an eye on my progress by checking out my other blog NVScrapper - Holidays in Hand.


Second:
Boy Scouts. I probably don't need to say more, but I will. We are doing a crazy big fundraiser, and each time we need to show up somewhere, someone is sick or at another function and can't be there, and we end up with two scouts. On top of that, even though we've had high hopes for this fundraiser, we have had one problem after another. First, our product was delivered almost a full week after our first scheduled table-top fundraiser, then we were missing product from the delivery, and by the way--two of the cases of product were damaged beyond belief. Steven and I are going door to door today after school to see what we can sell. We have one more scheduled fundraiser on Wednesday. Hopefully all those last minute shoppers will stop and support us, because after that it is up to the boys to get out and sell.

Third:
Well, did you know this week is Thanksgiving? We've been going through cookbooks here trying to come up with the perfect Thanksgiving Dinner. I think it's going to be awesome.

Those are the big things. With a lot of little things thrown in there. Cookie swap comes to mind. Homework. Oh, yeah, my writing work. Here, there, everywhere...

Muppet Christmas Carol - Scrooge

I am really getting into the Holiday spirit. And since Christmas is my favorite, I just have to share my favorite Christmas movie. Every song in this movie is awesome, but I do love this one.

It's a Cookie Swap!

Yay! The holidays are here and I am working on our 2nd annual cookie swap. We are at a high this year with 13 people participating. We will have a potluck dinner and swap out cookies. We don't really have a lot of rules--just a "step it up" rule. That means, you can make chocolate chip cookies, but if you do--step it up. Make them really special.

Robin over at RobinsWeb has some handy tips to host your own cookie swap:

Important Cookie Exchange Planning Tips!

1) Send the invitations out a month before the party. Everyone's calendar fills up fast in December! I hold my Maryland party on Sunday afternoon. All the dads can watch the kids from the sofa in front of the football game. (Except my husband, he has to the leave the house and entertain the kids, he traditionally takes them to the movies.) The California ladies prefer a week-end evening. For your first exchange, take a poll and see what your attendees prefer.

2) Tell everyone to bake their cookies at least three days in advance. The biggest reason for no-shows is that they didn't have time to bake their cookies. This is the busiest time of year. Don't be upset if people that rsvp and say they are coming don't show up. I always invite way more than I expect to show. The average number that usually shows up for me is anywhere between 13-20. One year I had 23 confirmed and only 12 showed up. Usually two or three days before the exchange I say to myself "If this wasn't my party, I probably wouldn't go, I'm too busy!"

Another reason to bake the cookies early is so that they can "dry out" a bit. A freshly baked cookie is not a good cookie to transport. When we're swapping, we're piling different types of cookies on top of each other and the fresh ones crumble terribly, especially if it's a fragile cookie to begin with. After the cookies have been baked, they should sit out all night on a rack to cool and loose their moisture, with a piece of wax paper over them. Then you can put them into a cookie tin, with wax paper under and over them and between the layers.

I'm keeping my list here, so it's easy for everyone to find. You can ignore this part if you aren't part of my swap. :)

Cookies

1. Whitney — Pomegranate Linzer Cookies
   
2. Vicki — Frosted Sugar Cookies
3. Eva —Chocolate Mint Cookies
   
4. Lisa — Chocolate Pinwheels
   
5. Julie —Russian Tea Cakes Julie's had to drop out, but I am taking her cookies anyway--feel free to participate!
   
6. Victoria —Pepparkakor Cookies
   
7. Jocelyn — Rocky Road Candy
8. April —
9. Holly —
10. Kara —
11. Cindy —
12. Stacey — Italian Fried Cookies
    
13. Mary Beth —Poppy Seed Cookies
    

Dinner

1. Whitney — Salad
   
2. Vicki — Penne Rustica
   
3. Lisa — Salad
   
4. Julie — Garlic Bread
   
5. Victoria — Sparkling Grape Juice/Punch
   
6. Jocelyn — Cheese & Crackers or Chips & Dip
   
7. Carol — Cheese & Crackers or Chips & Dips
   
8. April — Bottle of 7-UP or Sprite
   
9. Holly — Orange Juice
   
10. Kara — Sparkling Grape Juice/Punch
    
11. Cindy — Veggie Side Dish
    
12. Mary Beth — Garlic Bread
    

Jelly Making

So, I've been kind of caught up in this whole jelly making thing. You might even call it slightly obsessed. It started out innocently enough...I just wanted to make pomegranate jelly. But then I needed to get creative, so I started looking online for "creative" pomegranate jelly recipes.

And, by the way, there aren't a lot.

So then I started looking at jelly recipes at RecipeZaar. I started by searching "jelly" which gives some 650 results, but not necessarily all jelly recipes. Many of them just have jelly in the title (think PB&J). So then I clicked on one of those jelly recipes and, down at the bottom of the page, clicked on the jellies category. This brought the total down a little to around 250 recipes.

But now that I've browsed hundreds, maybe even thousands of recipes, I've got the bug. The jelly and jam bug. And not for your normal jelly or jam recipe. Nooooooo....I want to make the weird ones. The ones that make people say "What is this again?"

I started with the Pomegranate Wine Jelly. Yep, my own recipe. Because, hello...wine and pomegranate juice...in a jelly...really....I made a bunch of this. I used two different wines that I had in my little wine refrigerator: a pinot grigio (which is my favorite wine, ever) and a white zinfandel (which is the wine for non-wine drinkers). I had a huge bottle of the white zinfandel. It had been in the cupboard for at least two years (for two reasons: I don't really drink white zin--it was a gift--and it was too big to fit in the wine fridge). Both of these jellies are to die for...just the perfect amount of pomegranate zing with a dash of tipsy grape thrown in at the end.

And then I made regular pomegranate jelly. Because my darling son (who is NOT 21) wanted pomegranate jelly for his PB&J's. And toast. So, there you go. It was a necessity.

But then I had one little cup of pomegranate juice left. Just one. Not enough to make another batch of plain pomegranate jelly. And I already had a LOT of pomegranate wine jelly. So I got creative. I'd already bookmarked the (ummm, weird!) recipe for Mountain Dew Jelly. Because I have a couple of friends who are addicted to the stuff. So, I just decided to get a bit creative. And this is the result of that experiment: Pomegranate Mountain Dew Jelly. I did this in pint jars rather than 1/2-pint jars, because, well...I don't have THAT many friends who would dare try it...and I ended up with four jars. And it actually tastes pretty darn good!

And then there is the Tang Jelly (The Drink of Astronauts!). This one is just so out there that I had to try it. See, I have these Boy Scouts...well, one of them in particular just cannot go on a camping trip unless there is tang along. He drinks it hot in the morning. Which I think is gross, but honestly, I remember liking tang as a kid, so I've given him the benefit of the doubt. I made this as Christmas gifts for those scouts...in homage to him. And I tasted it. It really is pretty good, as a jelly.

And now my son, who thinks Mountain Dew Jelly is probably gross, is stuck on the idea of Dr. Pepper Jelly. And I'm thinking Root Beer Jelly might be a nice addition to our Soda Jelly Collection.

Help me! I'm jelly and I can't get up!

Now I've bookmarked recipes like:

• Roasted Garlic and White Wine Jelly
• Apple Core Jelly
• Red Zinger Tea Jelly
• Spiced Beer Jelly
• Corn Cob Jelly
• Red Onion Jelly
• Candy Apple Jelly

The only thing holding me back is the trip to the store to buy more jars and pectin...Oh Lord...

Bookmarked Recipes 10/28/09

I have a pumpkin roasting in the oven right now, and I am perusing the various forms it can take. These recipes sound particularly yummy!

• Pumpkin Gnocci
• Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
• Spicy Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos
• Pumpkin Ravioli

A New Blog?

I'm tossing around the idea of starting a blog similar to Stephanie O'Dea's A Year of Slow Cooking. Not necessarily with crockpots, though. Does anyone have ideas of what they might like to see? I am tossing around a couple of ideas, but I am always open for more:

• Bread (a bread a day)
• Putting Up Stuff (I obviously need a better name!)--which would be canning, freezing, and drying food--putting it up to use later
• Lunchbox lunches (which would really only be 5 days a week)
• Breakfast--something I need to do better on eating.
  
• 365 Days of Vegetarian Meals. This would be interesting, because it is really something I would like to learn more about. But it is so easy to fall back on meals with meat in them.

Please share your ideas! I am open to pretty much anything. And you are welcome to leave your opinion in the comment section. :)

Pomegranates

It's that time of year again. The weather is cooling down and fall is in the air. And in the desert of Southern Nevada, the pomegranates are ripe. Some people find it somewhat easy to grow things in this desert--but I am not one of them. I am surrounded by miles of clay that I can't seem to grow a darn thing in. And my attempts at container gardening have been less than dismal.

When we moved into this house, the property was lined with pomegranate trees. Twenty-one, to be exact. These beauties grow with almost no help from me. The pomegranates at the front of our property line the irrigation ditch that flows with overflow irrigation water from the hay and alfalfa fields that dot the valley. The pomegranates up the side of the driveway capture the overflow water from our neighbors trees, which line the other side of our fence. I don't even have to water them!

Pomegranates sell at a premium in the grocery store, selling for as much as $2.50 each. Many years earlier I had been gifted quite a lot of pomegranates. After calling my grandma on proper jellying procedures (or, in this case, jam), I ended up with cases of gorgeous pink jam which my husband happily handed out at work. The past several years I have been too overwhelmed to pick all the pomegranates and then make them into juice, so I let friends and neighbors harvest my bounty.

Two years ago, my husband chopped down the most sickly looking trees. The next year they came back healthy and strong looking. No fruit, though. This year the trees were dripping with the most gorgeous pomegranates. I was still intimidated by the idea of harvesting all those rosy globes, juicing them, and then processing them into some type of nectar for the Gods.

But fate was on my side.

Several enterprising Boy Scouts stopped by and said they would pick my pomegranates for me, separating the good ones from the bad. I only had to contribute to their National Jamboree Fund. In less than a day, I had mounds of beautiful pomegranates just waiting to be juiced. I called some friends because I just knew there was no way I would be able to use all those pomegranates myself.

I was left with enough pomegranates to collect around three gallons of ruby red juice. Beautiful! Now I just needed to come up with some exciting recipes to start creating my nectars of the gods.

There are many, many recipes out there for basic pomegranate jelly. I have that recipe down, though, so I was looking for something more exotic. Something that would tempt Persephone to do more than just nibble.

Exotic recipes are few and far between. So I made up my own.

I came across several wine jelly recipes that sounded divine. I adapted several for my own use, using a lovely Pinot Grigio and adding some of that luscious ruby red juice. I ended up with an amazing jelly--with hints of both the white grapes and the red pomegranates.


Pomegranate Jelly

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups wine (your choice)
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 (2 ounce) package dry pectin
• 4 1/2 cups white sugar

Directions

1. Combine wine, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, and pectin in a large pot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
   
2. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
   
3. Skim foam off top, if necessary.
4. Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Tighten 2 piece lids.
5. Process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath.

*Note--you can use any kind of wine you like.