who can pit the most apricots?

this time of year rolls around and i do A.LOT.OF.CANNING.  this year i'm going to take it easier, especially since i don't have a garden that i'm canning from.  

but i still need help and have six extra helping hands who can help with SOME things.  i am NOT one who likes to have help in the kitchen.  i enjoy working in the kitchen and having my kids busy coloring, doing puzzles or other activities at the table- BUT STAY OUT OF MY CORNER!

apricots take a bit of prep to make them into jam.  not much, but just enough to make me want to ease my burden a little.

that's where the little hands come in.  they can easily rinse all 400 apricots and divide them into bowls.  

they were eager for a challenge so i had them each count out 100 apricots in a large metal bowl of their own.

whoever pitted their 100 apricots first got 3 tokens for their token jar (we do a token reward system here for chores and good behavior see here). the "loser" got a token for their good effort!

who do you think won?!

don't you love brady's dimples?  they are just like chris'!

we had enough apricots for two challenges.  brady won the first round by a few apricots and olivia won the second round by a few apricots!  they loved this and were motivated the whole time!  i couldn't keep up with my chopping as fast as they were dumping their piles onto my cutting board (and that was AFTER the large bowl beside me was full!!!)

this little guy stayed busy by my side coloring "rainbows."  he has really come to love coloring.  he will sit at the table for about an hour and color spiral after spiral of color.  he is currently loving "winnie-the-pooh" color pages and shows me after each page he does.

he lines everything up!  "races" he calls it.  

apparently his crayons have places to go!

cars, legos, dinosaurs, action figures...they all get lined up.

this was a happy afternoon. cool breeze, warm sunlight filtering in the kitchen and happy faces.  i love being with my little people on days like this.

mommys' pile:

they got a whole lot of pitting done!

i diced all my apricots in quarters and had them separated into 4 bowls.  added in my lemon juice and 1 C. of sugar over the top of each and then covered overnight.  this is the next days' labors:

15 pints apricot jam

and i canned up my chicken stock at the same time in the pressure canner.  i had used 4 quarts for my chicken noodle soup, so i was left with 5 quarts to process.

homemade chili seasoning. & chili. & amazing corn muffins.

someday i'm going to catch up on this blog (i'm almost a whole year behind!) and someday i'm going to write a book.  a cookbook.

here's to frugal and easy.  me likey both. and the best part was that when i was out of chili packets the other day i didn't need to run to the store.  oh no, just consult my besty pinterest and use things i already had stored in my cupboards.  did i happen to mention how CUTE my spice cabinet came out!  ah in love.  with my spice cabinet.  that's right.

              before (blah!)                               after (ooh lala!!!)

  

onto the recipes:

pic {my baking addiction}.

homemade chili seasoning: 3 T. = 1 store-bought pkg.
1/3 C. chili powder
1 T. salt
1 1/2 T. garlic powder
2 T. cumin
1 T. dried basil

1) combine well and store in an airtight tupperware.  

i like to use a pint-sized mason jar with an adorable label of course! they make plastic lids that screw onto canning jars.  i loooove these things.  they are anywhere (usually) that sells canning supplies.

pic {hgtv}.

homemade chili: serves 8.
1 lb. ground beef or turkey (optional) you all know i have a man that loves his meat, but sometime i make this veggie-style
1-2 green peppers (or any other color), diced
1 small-medium onion, diced
1-2 tsp. minced garlic
2 pints (or cans) kidney beans
2 pints (or cans) black beans
2 quarts (or large cans) diced tomatoes (with the juice)
2 small cans tomato paste
3 T. of homemade chili seasoning (or 1 store bought packet)

1) fry meat with garlic, peppers and onions until well-browned and cooked through.  i like my meat to be browned really well.  i think it gives it more depth of flavor.  

when i don't use meat i'll "brown" 1 can of each of the beans along with the garlic and veggies to deepen the flavors.  

2) drain meat in a colander.  i do not rinse it; just let it drain really well and shake it around some to let the fat drip out.  when you rinse it your rinsing away a lot of the flavor.

3) add meat mixture to a large soup pot and stir in seasonings, tomatoes, and paste.  let simmer until flavors combine well and chili is warmed through and thick.  easy.  

and one of the best parts of this fall comfort food for me is that i can use almost everything right from my garden or canning. it's inexpensive, especially  if you omit meat and it's super duper yummy with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, a handful of crushed tortilla chips and a corn muffin of course!

you could get all fancy with this and add macaroni or ditalini noodles, corn, avocado, cilantro, black olives, chives or green onions or any other variation of Mexican flare. you could serve it over potatoes, french fries, nachos, rice... i like it simple. just like my mom served it. although when we were kids we loved a melted piece of American cheese on top.

you can also make up several batches and can some for a quick healthy dinner to grab right off your pantry shelf!!!

pic {kitchen trial and error} and recipe {i found happy}.

amazing corn muffins. a.k.a. jalapeno bacon corn muffins: makes 12 muffins.
1 1/4 C. cornmeal
3/4 C. flour
3 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. parsley
2 T. diced pickled jalapenos
4 pieces cooked bacon, blotted and crumbled (i bake mine in the oven, see here)
1/2 C. shredded cheese
1/2 C. creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 C. milk (i use powdered)
2/3 C. buttermilk (i use powdered)
2 T. canola oil

1) heat oven to 425.  

2) mix all dry ingredients.  

3) mix wet ingredients, other than the canola oil.  beat eggs and milk and add wet to dry.  

4) fold in jalapenos, bacon, corn, cheese and add oil. 

5) stir until just combined.  

6) spray muffin tin and fill muffin cups ALL THE WAY to the brim.

7) bake at 425 for 6 minutes and then reduce heat (without opening the oven) to 350, continuing to bake for an additional 6 minutes.  (this allows muffins to rise fast and then bake through; leaving a taller , fluffier muffin!)

8) remove when toothpick comes out clean in the middle. 

sweet and spicy- so good you can't just eat one!