Homemade Appalachian Pimento Cheese (and a Book Review)

I've spent the last couple of months savoring and drooling over a new cookbook.  Well, to be clear, this publication is part travelogue, part coffee-table style pictorial, and part cookbook.  The short title is Victuals, which, in case you're like me and didn't know, is pronounced like vittles.

The full title is Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes – author being Ronni Lundy.

I recently moved to southern Appalachia, and was excited to get my hands on a copy for many of the same reasons written about in the Introduction:

…[T]he people of the southern Appalachian Mountains have been right about victuals all along.  About the way you say them, the way you raise them, the way you cook them, keep them, and share them.  About saving seeds, and working the land, and simmering pole beans, and making real cornbread.  About the connections between earth and the table, and between the table and the people seated around it.

Chapters include:  Roots and Seeds, Salt of the Earth, Corn, Beans, Apple-achia, Preserving, and Husbandry.  States mentioned and/or profiled include Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina.  The author travels to locations within these states to profile individuals, chefs, restaurants, and small farms and businesses who are keeping the history of southern Appalachia alive with their practices and products.  With words, she weaves history, childhood memories, and present day reality together to paint images of the true story of the southern Appalachian Mountains and their people.  The photographic images placed in between are breathtakingly beautiful, and they, too, tell the story.

Let me not forget the recipes! (I couldn't, if I tried.) Each chapter provides food preparation instructions that have been passed down for generations, and offers new twists on old – even forgotten – classics.  This is not the type of cookbook that can be flipped through in one sitting.  You will be salivating and wiping the drool from your mouth more than once -- maybe even every time you take a peek.

Recipes range from the simple to the elaborate, yet everything is doable.  I'm going to share here a simple recipe from the book for homemade Pimento Cheese, which is part of the more elaborate recipe for Lisa Donovan's Pimento Cheese Nabs, described as a cracker snack "for every mountain pickup truck driver's glove compartment emergency ration."

All you have to do is mix all the ingredients together well.  It's delicious on a sandwich right away, but if you could let it sit in the refrigerator for some hours or a day, you'd get an even better treat for your taste buds.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  
• 3 oz. finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  
• 3 oz. finely shredded mild cheddar cheese
  
• 1 (2 oz.) jar pimentos, strained
  
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 tsp finely grated yellow onion (grater I use) 
  
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

More about Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes via Amazon.
More about the author, Ronnie Lundy.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  The words and opinions here are all my own.
Shared at Coffee and Conversation, This is How We Roll, Happiness is Homemade, and The Homemaking Party.

Small Batch Canning in an RV (a Couple of Tips)

I'm sort of ashamed to admit I did not do any canning this past summer.  Since living in the RV full time, the thought of getting out my big water bath canner, and probably having to use every burner on the stove to really heat that much water properly was a little daunting.  Not to mention, the idea of gas just flying out of my tank made me cringe a bit.

Yesterday, however, I made a pleasant discovery.  Small batch water bath processing was surprisingly a breeze.

Yes, you can can in an RV!

Did you see yesterday's post about crockpot apple butter? If not, you should go check it out.  That recipe and product is what I used for this canning project.

A couple of tips for water bath canning in an RV:

1.  Think deep instead of wide.  A tall stock pot works beautifully.  I have one in storage that measures 8 1/2 inches high (tall, deep) and 9 inches across.  I easily processed 4 half pint jars.  They were the tall slender jars, as opposed to the short fat jars.  I'm confident 3-4 whole pint jars would fit easily.

2.  A wash cloth in the bottom of the pot is enough to keep your jars from sliding about and / or clanking against each other.  No raised wire basket necessary!

This is the type of half-pint jar I was using.  The quilted jelly jar, I believe it's called.

Here you can see the small space, and how a more typical water bath canner would take up almost my entire stovetop!
Think deep instead of wide.

Hopefully use can see the wash cloth in the bottom of the pot.
It's thin enough to not take up too much space, yet does a fine job of keeping the jars stable.

All done! Four pings before I even got my camera ready.  Yes, you can can in an RV.

I'll save the big batches for the open fire outside, though.  I'll be attempting that next season (I hope).

Shared at Happiness is Homemade, Tasty Tuesdays, and Thrifty Thursday.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small commission if you click a link and buy something. This helps pay for the RV, supports our mountain homestead dream of owning land, as well as my blogging activities, and makes the dogs' tails wag.  Hopefully, the purchase benefits you, too!  The price you pay will be no different than if you arrived at the same destination through any other link. My opinions are my own, to be sure. If I link to a product and say I like it -- I truly like it! Thanks for reading, following, and supporting Stephlin's Mountain.

From my mountaintop cannery to yours!

Crockpot Apple Butter – 'Tis the Season!

There won't be a lot of typing for this post, since I'll be letting the photos do the talking for me…

Folks, now's the time! The apples are at their peak, in both freshness and price, and the fall flavors are calling your name.  If your crockpot doesn't already have a spot on the counter, shove some stuff aside and bring her out.

This apple butter recipe is so stinkin' easy! The crockpot does most of the work.  All you have to do is prepare the apples, watch, stir, and wait.  And, believe me, waiting will be the hardest part.

Peeling and slicing the apples is a little annoying, I'll admit, but even with just my humble apple wedger and corer, it wasn't too bad.  If you have a peeler-slicer-corer, you are way ahead in the game.  But no matter what you use, the time it takes to get these slices of sweetness in the crockpot is so worth it.

Just a few autumn spices is all you need to add to your apples.  Cinnamon and nutmeg just scream fall, don't they?

I highly recommend sitting your slow cooker next to a window with a wondrous view of the fall colors outside.  It adds to the mood the aromatherapy coming from the crockpot creates.

When it's all done, ladle the thick, dark, sweet goodness into jars.  You can freeze or can them for later.  But don't forget to leave some out for slathering on some biscuits right away! And if you're so inclined, put some back for Christmas gifts.  (Recipe after one more enticing image.)

Crockpot Apple Butter Recipe
Adapted from recipe at Simply Canning.

*I used a 5-quart slow cooker, filled to the brim with sliced apples.  Adjust your additives, based on the size of your crockpot.

Ingredients

• apples – peeled, cored, and sliced (I used fresh from the orchard, Fuji apples; any on the sweet side variety will work)
  
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
  
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions

Peel, core, and slice apples – enough to completely fill your crockpot.

Mix together sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a separate bowl.  Pour over top of apples.

Cover and cook on low for 12 – 24 hours.  (I know that's a huge gap in time, but it really depends on how juicy your apples are, and how low your crockpot cooks.) Stir occasionally.  Once the apples have broken down, you can take the lid off or leave it off-center so steam can escape.  Still stir occasionally, but now use a whisk.

As the hours slip by, the apple butter will thicken and become a deep, dark color.  You'll know it's done when any "watery-ness" has been absorbed or escaped.  Turn off heat when the apple butter is at your desired consistency.

[Note:  I know it's tempting to crank the temperature up to high to speed up the cooking process.  But be careful! The apple butter could easily scorch on the bottom, and it most certainly will splatter as it thickens.]

Your apple butter will last about a month in the refrigerator.  You can also freeze it for up to six months, or can it for your pantry with a 10 minute processing time (pints and half-pints) in a boiling water bath.  Just so you have an idea how far it cooks down, my five quarts of sliced apples gave me a little over 6 half-pints of butter.

Shared at Simple Saturdays, Simple & Sweet Fridays, Happiness is Homemade, and Tasty Tuesdays.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small commission if you click a link and buy something. This helps pay for the RV, supports our mountain homestead dream of owning land, as well as my blogging activities, and makes the dogs' tails wag.  Hopefully, the purchase benefits you, too!  The price you pay will be no different than if you arrived at the same destination through any other link. My opinions are my own, to be sure. If I link to a product and say I like it -- I truly like it! Thanks for reading, following, and supporting Stephlin's Mountain.

From my buttery mountaintop to yours!

Parmesan Mashed Potato Pancakes (Leftover Makeover)

I like potatoes.  Just about any way you make 'em, I'll probably eat 'em.  But I'm especially partial to Grandma Logue's mashed potatoes.  So smooth and creamy, I can just taste them.

Right now.

Mouth watering as I type.

Her "secret" is evaporated milk.  But try as I might, I never get them quite right.  Consequently, I always make more mashed potatoes than I eat.

Since I know I'm not the only one with this occasional predicament, I'd like to share with you a way to use up those leftover mashed potatoes.  You might call it a leftover makeover.

Parmesan Mashed Potato Pancakes

Some people eat them for breakfast.  Can't say I blame them.  Sounds good to me.  Tonight I made them to go with our dinner of Italian dressing marinated baked chicken breasts.

I added parmesan cheese, onion, and freshly ground black pepper to our leftover mashed potatoes.  Minutes in the nonstick skillet resulted in a slightly crunchy outside, with a smooth and creamy middle.  The crust reminded me of a tater tot.  YUM!

Recipe for Parmesan Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

• 3 cups prepared (leftover) mashed potatoes
  
• 2/3 – 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  
• 2 tbsp finely diced yellow onion
  
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
• vegetable oil, for frying
  
• kosher salt, for sprinkling

Procedure

1. Combine mashed potatoes, cheese, onion, black pepper, egg, and flour in a large bowl.  Mix together.  (Today, I used a bit over a 1/4 cup of flour.  The consistency of your mashed potatoes will have an impact on the amount of flour used.)
   
2. Heat vegetable oil (enough to cover bottom of pan) in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
   
3. Drop mashed potato pancake batter by rounded tablespoonful into pan.  They will spread some on their own, or you can help them out a bit with the spoon.
   
4. Fry in batches until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side.  Don't overcrowd the pan, and try not to flip too soon.
   
5. Transfer mashed potato pancakes to draining rack, or a paper towel lined plate.  Immediately sprinkle with kosher salt.

Shared at This is How We Roll and Tasty Tuesdays.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small commission if you click a link and buy something. This helps pay for the RV, supports our mountain homestead dream of owning land, as well as my blogging activities, and makes the dogs' tails wag.  Hopefully, the purchase benefits you, too!  The price you pay will be no different than if you arrived at the same destination through any other link. My opinions are my own, to be sure. If I link to a product and say I like it -- I truly like it! Thanks for reading, following, and supporting Stephlin's Mountain.

From my mountaintop to yours!

Homemade Smoky Taco Seasoning Recipe (and a Reminder)

There are a million places on the web to find a taco seasoning recipe.

Seriously.  I just googled "homemade taco seasoning" – without the quotes -- and received about 1,170,000 results in 0.64 seconds (thank-you-very-much).

So this post is not so much about the recipe (though one does follow).  It's more about the reminder.  Why do many of us go out and buy a packet of taco seasoning, when we can make it ourselves? Wasting that dollar, when we all know those dollars add up.  I know I'm guilty of it.  If you're like me, you probably already have the spices needed to make taco seasoning sitting in your pantry.  If not, the one you might be missing is worth the small investment even if you only cook at home a few times a week – the ingredients are not uncommon or rare.  And you can control the heat.  And the salt.

And the smoke.

Yep.  I typed smoke.  You see, the only paprika (a needed ingredient for taco seasoning) I had in the pantry was smoked paprika.  But I went with it! And it was good! So don't be scared if that's all ya got.  It works, too.

Homemade Taco Seasoning (Smoky or Not)

The following makes about the same amount as in one of the store-bought packets.  I only needed a tablespoon, so cut it in half, and still had a bit extra.  Credit to Food Renegade for the recipe.

• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika (smoky or not!)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper (optional; I just gave the grinder a couple of turns)

Mix it all together and store in an airtight container.  If you'd like to make a bigger batch, visit the link above for a quintupled recipe.

Stay tuned for a recipe using this homemade taco seasoning!

Shared at Coffee and Conversation, This is How We Roll, and Happiness is Homemade.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small commission if you click a link and buy something. This helps pay for the RV, supports our mountain homestead dream of owning land, as well as my blogging activities, and makes the dogs' tails wag.  Hopefully, the purchase benefits you, too!  The price you pay will be no different than if you arrived at the same destination through any other link. My opinions are my own, to be sure. If I link to a product and say I like it -- I truly like it! Thanks for reading, following, and supporting Stephlin's Mountain.

From my smoky mountaintop to yours!

How to Hand-Wash a Crocheted Blanket (in an RV)

Today is laundry day.  (Oh, joy. Right?) We don't have a washer and/or dryer in the RV.  I hope to one day have an outdoor washing area to do the bulk by hand (I dream of having this wringer), but that is not our situation at this time.  So I go to a local laundromat.  The cost for a "regular" load is $3.50 to wash and $1.00 to $1.50 to dry.  Since there's just two of us, we can usually get away with just one load a week for our everyday clothes, but anything such as sheets and bed quilts require an additional load (and an additional $5).

I'm pretty diligent with the bed sheets and top quilts, but have to admit the other blankets aren't getting the attention they deserve.  One of my crocheted blankets is now crying for that attention.  It's pretty dingy and smells a lot like dog.

Here's where I interrupt the flow and share about my heirloom crocheted blankets:  I have six of them, all handmade for me by my grandmother.  The first one I remember receiving was very frilly and girly – light and bright pastel colors with one whole side being tasseled.  I still adore it.  It's in my mother's storage right now, and unfortunately does have a small hole in it.  I might have gotten that one while in elementary school; can't quite remember.

The next one is the one I washed today – a simple purple and white.  She made that one for me when purple was my favorite color.  It's easily over 25 years old, maybe even well over.  I know that, because the one I consider most elegant is the rose and white squared one she made for my high school graduation (25 years ago).  Since then, she has made me a Christmas red and green, and a Denver Broncos white-orange-blue (about 17 years ago).  She also made my guy one for his Tampa Bay Buccaneers obsession. (Are you ready for some football?)

Here's a few stuffed in the linen storage area.  Not the best picture, but I was too lazy to get them all out.

Back to the hand-washing a crocheted blanket exercise.  It's a good idea to know what kind of yarn was used before washing.  Using hot water can cause shrinkage in some materials.  The common acrylic yarn can be machine washed on a gentle cycle and tumble dried with low heat.  (I used to do that before we shrunk our living space down to an RV.) If you have no idea the yarn make-up, use cold water.

But let me add, in my humble opinion, I think crocheted items should always be hand-washed if at all possible.  You can tell a noticeable difference in the yarn -- a weakening -- after agitation.  (Maybe a front load machine wouldn't be as bad?)

Decide what (clean) basin you want to use and put your blanket in it.  A bathtub would be great.  I used the RV shower / tiny tub.  Fill with water at the proper temperature until the blanket is submerged.  Add mild detergent.  (I used dish liquid – not a lot is required.)

Agitate the blanket for a bit – swish it around, turn it over – and let it soak for 15 to 30 minutes.  Today, I soaked mine for 25 minutes because I got sidetracked with something else.  The following image is embarrassing, but I'll share anyway – I call it "time + grime + dog."

After the swishing and soaking, you'll be ready to rinse.  Drain, refill with cold water, and repeat at least a couple of times.  I did that three times today, making sure no dirty soapy water was left attached to the blanket.  I don't know if you can see it here, but there was a noticeable difference when done.  I am very pleased with the results!

After the washing and rinsing is complete, the best way to dry is with the blanket laying flat.  [Note:  if hand-washing and drying crocheted clothing, always lay it flat.  You'll want to re-shape it and leave it in that position until dry.  Hanging is a no-no.]

This particular blanket is approximately 5 feet wide and 6 feet long.  I do not have a suitable place to lay it flat until dry.  So I'm breaking the rules and hanging it.  Regardless of to where you move it, be prepared.  Your crocheted blanket is going to be super-heavy.  I gathered mine up, hugged it to my chest – soaking my shirt – and yelled at the dogs to get out of the way, as I ran the 20 feet -- drip, drip, dripping -- to the outdoors and a towel I placed on a table.  Never you mind the fact that I had an empty laundry basket sitting right there (from the laundry I did earlier) I could have used.  Hopefully you'll have more sense than I.

Expect drying time to be at least 24 hours.  Mine has been hanging for a couple of hours and is still dripping.  But I think it's definitely worth the time (and mere pennies) to do it yourself and preserve your handmade item.  If you follow these simple steps, I think you'll be pleased with your freshly cleaned crocheted blanket.

Shared at Making a Home Linky, This is How We Roll, and Happiness is Homemade.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a very small commission if you click a link and buy something. This helps pay for the RV, supports our mountain homestead dream of owning land, as well as my blogging activities, and makes the dogs' tails wag.  Hopefully, the purchase benefits you, too!  The price you pay will be no different than if you arrived at the same destination through any other link. My opinions are my own, to be sure. If I link to a product and say I like it -- I truly like it! Thanks for reading, following, and supporting Stephlin's Mountain.

From my (rule-breaker) mountaintop to yours!

The More of Less: A Book Review

I'd say we joined the minimalist movement (without the label) some time in 2014.  We went hardcore February 2015 when we got rid of 80% of what we owned and moved into a pop-up camper.  A few months later, we increased our living space to a whopping 250 square feet and got rid of 10% more.

So you might say I was already a convert before I started reading The More of Less by Joshua Becker.  Even so, not far into the book, I was still a bit surprised at some of the stats he threw at me:

In America, we consume twice as many material goods as we did fifty years ago.  Over the same period, the size of the average American home has nearly tripled, and today that average home contains about three hundred thousand items.  On average, our homes contain more televisions than people.  And the US Department of Energy reports that, due to clutter, 25 percent of people with two-car garages don't have room to park cars inside and another 32 percent have room for only one vehicle.  Home organization, the service that's trying to find places for all our clutter, is now an $8 billion industry, growing at a rate of 10 percent each year.  And still one out of every ten American households rents off-site storage – the fastest growing segment of the commercial real-estate industry over the past four decades.

And the more I read, the more I realized I was not a minimalist.  I say that because -- even though we got rid of so. much. stuff. – it was fairly easy.  I wanted to downsize, get my bills lowered as much as possible, and move to the mountains.  So I did.  (Thank-you, God, for making my dream come true.)

But after living this way for more than a year, I realize there are still things I held on to that haven't been touched in months.  I still own clothes I haven't worn.  Originally, my end goal was to make a move, not intentionally live with less.  Does that make sense?

"If we want to recalibrate to a lower level of accumulation and stay there,
we need to replace our culturally inspired greed with self-cultivated gratitude
about what we have." – Joshua Becker

This book has given me a renewed sense of purpose in getting rid of the unnecessary extras.  Mr. Becker, who also created the Becoming Minimalist blog, does not simply share his experiences in living the minimalist lifestyle.  He also shares why minimalism might be right for you, and how to go about your journey toward your version.  He doesn't shy away from sharing how his faith plays a role, and he even offers troubleshooting and maintenance tips to help power through the process.

If you're looking for clarity in deciding if the minimalist life is for you, or if you just need some help getting rid of those last ten items, I recommend reading The More of Less.  Even if you come out the other end thinking minimalism is a bit extreme and not for you, I'll bet you'll also have a greater sense of intention when deciding on what things to bring into your home.  And consciousness is a good thing.

Psst…It's available on Kindle, if you'd rather not lug about another physical book. ;-)

More about The More of Less from the publisher.
More about the author Joshua Becker.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  The words and opinions here are all my own.
Shared at Making a Home and Tuesdays with a Twist.