My Cozy Kitchen

Today I was busy canning tomatoes and baking some zucchini bread with veggies from our Garden.  As the tomatoes were boiling in the canning pot, two loaves of whole wheat zucchini bread were cooling on the baking rack and simmering on the stove was a lovely pot of macaroni soup. For those of you who read my previous post about my love of macaroni soup... I just couldn't wait...I opened up one of my jars of tomatoes and threw a pot together.  My taste buds appreciated it.  And the thing that makes me most happy is that my kids loved the macaroni soup just like I did when I was little!  I don't think there are many things more cozy to me then the smells of the kitchen and the sounds of my children playing around the house.  All these things are what make a plain ole' house a HOME.  It is what my kids will remember when they are older and what makes me most happy in the here and now.  I am so thankful for the bounty of food the Lord has given us.  He daily loadeth us with benefits!

For the recipe I use for the zucchini bread...click HERE.

And here it is....the love of my life (well besides my hubs).

Have a simply great day everyone.  Remember to stop and be thankful for the little things.

Canning Memories!

Is is just me, or does anyone else think canning jars are so pretty?  I love the simplicity of canning and the memories it brings back of yesteryear.  I love knowing I picked these tomatoes out of my garden this week and now they are ready to be put away for later use.  There is nothing like a fresh garden tomato, free of pesticides.  They really make my heart go pitter-patter.  Canned tomatoes bring back memories of my Grandma.  I remember watching her can tomatoes in her kitchen and boy...were they ever good.  I remember she would tell my Grandpa to go down to the basement and get a jar of tomatoes...at that moment I knew she was going to make macaroni soup.  It was my favorite. She would brown some hamburger with a little onion, add the tomatoes, let it simmer a bit and then add some elbow macaroni.  She probably added a few other things but that's all I remember.  She would serve it in a bowl with some fresh Italian bread and REAL butter and it was soooo good!  To this day it is why I still absolutely love canned tomatoes.

My Mom came over last night to help me can...mostly because I wanted to make sure I was doing everything exactly right.  My Mom, my daughter and I all peeling tomatoes, seeds and juice flying everywhere...it was a special memory.  I'm sure there are tomato seeds and juice still lurking in my kitchen somewhere, only to be discovered at a later date.  Being in the kitchen with my Mom and daughter reminded me of a simpler time when people were happy with just having enough to eat and the strength to do the jobs that needed to be done.  And as I was cleaning up, I thanked the Lord for the fresh clean water we had to use after a day of hard work...a simple thing we take for granted but I am SO thankful that we have it...and a nice comfortable bed to crash in after a long day.  I am already anticipating making some macaroni soup with some fresh homemade bread and REAL butter...Come and Get it!

" A thing of beauty is  joy forever."