Fig Preserves

Figs are so delicious. I know that they are not for everyone. But for those of us who love figs, they are a wonderful treat for the short time they are in season. A friend of my husband's told him the fig tree on his property was loaded. So my husband was kind enough to pick a large bucket of figs for me. I knew that I could not eat that many figs before they went bad. So I had to figure out something to do with them. Now I have always loved fig preserves but I have relied on my Mother to make the fig preserves and then share with me. This time I decided I would learn to make fig preserves for myself. I automatically went to my first source of all information: the great world wide web. There I found many, many recipes for fig preserves. I picked out the most simple recipe I could find. They turned out perfectly! I was so pleased. Now I will share the recipe with you.

This is where I found my recipe:  http://www.food.com/recipe/fig-preserves-69138
I made just a few slight changes to it.

Ingredients:
2 lbs figs, unpeeled

3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
Juice from one lemon

Directions:
Wash figs gently in cold water. You can cut up the figs or you can leave them whole.
Make a syrup by boiling the sugar and water together in a large saucepan.
When syrup is clear and just thick, around 15 minutes add figs and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
Boil hard 1 minute.
Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat.
You may want to cook down for 10 or 15 more minutes to desired thickness.
Ladle into clean hot sterile jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Easy and Delicious Meatball Subs

I had my first meatball sub at a little pizza place in Athens, GA. It was so delicious I wanted to make some for my family. But I didn't want to spend all day in the kitchen making marinara sauce and meatballs. So I took the short-cut and bought all of my ingredients already made. This is an excellent idea for a quick meal on a weekday after work.

1 package of sub or hoagie rolls
1 package of mozzarella cheese (shredded or sliced)
1 jar of pasta sauce (whatever brand and flavor you like)
1 bag Italian style frozen meatballs

Place the meatballs in a pot. It depends on how many people who are feeding as to how many meatballs you need.

Pour the pasta sauce over the meatballs. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes. But you can let these meatballs simmer covered on low as long as you want.

Open the sub rolls and place them on a large cookie sheet.

 Put the sub rolls in the oven on 350 for a few minutes to toast. Remove from oven and spoon the meatball mixture onto each sub roll. Cover in cheese. Put back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

You can top with Parmesan cheese if you like. You can round the meal out with a salad and some french fries.

Making Homemade Laundry Soap

So while I was at the beauty shop the other day, Brandi, my niece and hairstylist, told me about how she had started making her own laundry soap. She said she got the recipe off Pinterest. She said the soap was easy to make, that she didn't have to use as much of it per load, and that her clothes were clean and smelled fresh. But the hook that got my attention was when she said it was cheap. So I decided I needed to check this out because goodness knows I need to save money any way I can. I began reading various websites and comments about making laundry soap. Every thing I read said that it is easy to make and that it is much cheaper than normal store bought laundry detergent. And that it actually works and gets clothes clean. So I decided this was something I would try for myself.

There are thousands of laundry soap recipes out there on the world wide web, but they all basically have the same ingredients. Many of them make huge amounts of soap at one time. I settled on a recipe that makes 2 gallons per batch. I do not have anywhere to store 5 or 6 gallons of laundry soap at one time, so the scaled-down recipe was exactly what I needed.

I found the ingredients at Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle. They were all right there together on the side of the aisle with the stain removing products. I bought all 3 ingredients for $8.12. This includes 7% sales tax.

I was just a little disappointed when I read that the soap has colorants and perfume listed as ingredients. But I feel that it will be diluted enough that it won't cause irritated skin.

This is the recipe I used.
I found it at:  http://busy-at-home.com/blog/diy-laundry-detergent-save-big-have-fresh-clean-laundry

1/4 bar of Fels Naptha soap
2 Tablespoons Borax powder
1/4 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
water
1 large bucket with lid (or similar container with lid)


Cut  Fels Naptha bar soap into fourths. The other 3 pieces can be saved for later batches.

Grate the 1/4th piece of soap into medium shreds.

Put grated soap into a pot. Add 1 cup water. Over medium-low heat, begin melting soap stirring constantly. When all the soap is melted, remove from stove.

Pour 10 cups of water into a large bucket or container with a lid. Add the melted soap. Stir. Next add the Borax powder and the Washing Soda. Stir.

Add 10 more cups of water. Stir. There will be suds on the top but this is ok.

Put the lid on your bucket or container and let it sit overnight.
The next day the soap will be thicker, like a globby gel. Stir and transfer into whatever containers you have. For example, you could use a couple of old laundry detergent bottles or milk jugs. Anything with a lid should be fine. Divide the soap evenly between the 2 bottles. Each bottle should be half full of the soap mixture. Add water to fill to top.

You now have homemade laundry soap ready to use. Remember to shake the bottle before each use to mix the soap back up. This is my finished product. I have a regular washing machine, nothing fancy. I use 5/8 cup per load. I am pleased with the results. My clothes are clean and smell fresh.

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie, what could be better. Just think, it is the classic spaghetti but it is in casserole form which makes it very easy to prepare and then just pop it in the oven to bake. When it is done, it can be sliced and served just like a pie because the spaghetti forms a very nice crust. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family has. 

Ingredients:
6 oz spaghetti, cooked
2 tbs olive oil
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 4 oz can mushrooms, drained

Brown Italian sausage and when the meat is mostly browned, add onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. Continue to cook until onion is translucent and meat is completely browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Toss spaghetti with oil oil in large bowl. Stir in eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour spaghetti mixture in greased 10-inch pie plate, form into crust.

Spoon Ricotta cheese over spaghetti crust. Layer meat mixture over Ricotta cheese. Top with pasta sauce. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 25 minutes. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Puppy Strangles

I love my little beagle. She is a happy little girl. And she adds joy to my life. She was the runt of her litter. We picked her because she was fiesty and could take up for herself even as a little 2 pound girl.

But she got sick not long after we got her. She was just laying around all the time. She didn't want to play. And the sides of her face started swelling. So off to the vet we go. The vet said she had something called "Puppy Strangles". She had to stay overnight so the vet could keep an eye on how she responded to the medication. Once I got home, I immediately got on the internet to find out more information because I had never heard of puppy strangles. This is some of the information I found.

Puppy Strangles in Dogs (provided by Pet MD)
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/skin/c_dg_puppy_strangles

Juvenile Cellulitis in Dogs
Puppy strangles, or juvenile cellulitis, is a nodular and pustular skin disorder that affects puppies. It usually occurs between the ages of three weeks and four months, and is rarely seen in adult dogs. The face, pinnae (outer part of the ear), and salivary lymph nodes are the most common sites to be affected. The cause of this condition is unknown, but there are breeds that have been shown to be predisposed to it, including golden retrievers, dachshunds, and Gordon setters.

Symptoms and Types

•Acutely (sudden and severe) swollen face – especially the eyelids, lips, and muzzle
•Salivary gland lymphadenopathy: a disease process affecting a lymph node or multiple lymph nodes
•Marked pustular and oozing skin disease, which frequently fistulates (develops into a hollow passage); develops within 24–48 hours
•Pustular ear infection
•Lesions often become crusted
•Affected skin is usually tender
•Lethargy in 50 percent of cases
•Loss of appetite, fever, and presence of sterile suppurative arthritis in 25 percent of cases (acute inflammation of membranes, with leaking into a joint, due to bacterial infection)
•Sterile pustular nodes (rare) over the trunk, reproductive organs, or on the area around the anus; lesions may appear as fluctuating nodules under the skin with fistulation

Causes

•Cause and pathogenesis (origination) is unknown (idiopathic)
•Immune dysfunction with an inheritable cause is suspected

Treatment

If your puppy is diagnosed with puppy strangles, early and aggressive therapy will be required to avoid severe scarring. Corticosteroids are the treatment of choice. Your veterinarian may prescribe a topical (external) ointment to soothe and ease the pain, and as an adjunct to corticosteroid medication. In rare resistant cases, chemotherapy may be required. Adult dogs with panniculitis (inflammation under the skin) may require longer therapy. Antibiotics may be also prescribed if there is evidence of a secondary bacterial infection.
Living and Management

Most cases do not recur, but scarring may be a permanent problem, especially around the eyes.

Fortunately my little beagle was treated early and made a full recovery. She did have a relapse a few weeks later, but it was also caught and treated in time. This is a picture of her today at 3 yrs old. She is happy and healthy and full of energy.