Toinette's Limoncello

I met Toinette, (Antoinette) through our friend Larry whom Toinette was dating.  Not only is she a great cook, but she’s fun to be around and a good conversationalist.  We used to meet for lunch once or twice a month. And oh, did I mention smart?  

She was a college professor at a local college here in central Ohio but took a position in back in her home state. 

 

I do have a few of Toinette’s recipes, like her Shrimp Salsa, (a fav) but I never got a chance to ask her for her Limoncello recipe.  Toinette makes beautiful little bottles of this delicious adult citrus beverage to give out as gifts during the Christmas holidays.

Recently because the weather is finally improving and summer is right around the corner, I started thinking of a drink we could enjoy on hot summer days after a hard sweaty day working in the garden and around our little farm.

Building a Greenhouse (Part One)

A greenhouse has always been on my list of things I want to help with gardening.  

When we lived in the burgs (city) our house had a 3 seasons room (sometimes called a Florida Room in this area), which was the closest to owning a greenhouse I have been.  

Because of all those windows it was easier to get my seeds going in early spring.  Having an actual greenhouse will give me a head start on planting and will also extend my growing periods. 

How a greenhouse works is simple. Sun streams through the windows and warms the surfaces inside. The glass or glazed panels trap the heat, keeping the temperature inside the greenhouse warmer than outside. 

Because the sun is key, it is best to build the greenhouse on the south – southeast side of the house and away from the shadow of other structures or large trees.

Strawberry Jam (No Canning Required)

Strawberry Freezer Jam in 30 Minutes

Strawberries are ripe here in central Ohio around the first week in June. 
I started making Strawberry Freezer Jam in the early 1990s and now my kids will not eat (or even like) commercially produced jam. Every year we go to a “Pick Your Own” farm to pick the strawberries fresh. 

When choosing strawberries, homegrown or farm fresh strawberries produce the best jam.  Store purchased lack the intense sweet strawberry flavor. 

I have also made cooked strawberry jam and it’s great for shelf life but there is just no comparison with Strawberry Freezer Jam for flavor. 

Chicken Spaghetti (Tetrazzini)

Whatever you call it; Chicken Spaghetti, Chicken Tetrazzini or Chicken Noodle Casserole, it doesn't really matter, this stuff is delicious!

My husband’s family seems to have a lot of good recipes.  And although I only have a few of them, the ones I have are great like this super moist Banana Nut Bread and this fav, Grandma Elder's Carrot Cake. 

On one of our trips to visit my husband’s cousin Krista in Illinois, she made two big casseroles of Chicken Spaghetti and we were hooked. 

The Carnton Plantation and the Battle of Franklin

My great uncle Andrew Curtis fought in the Civil War, mustering out of Zanesville, Ohio.  I'm proud of my ancestor for fighting for the cause to free a people and to fight for freedom. Which has lead to curiosity about the battles of the Civil War and wondering which ones my Great uncle may have been involved in.

 

My husband and I tour Civil War historical sites and have been to quite a few. The Antietam Reenactment, with 13,000 re-enactors was the largest, most dramatic, and absolutely best one we have been to.  

Recently I picked up a book called The Widow of the South, written by Robert Hicks.  The book is a mostly true story and factual, with other parts created to fill in the gaps.  It’s a book about the Battle of Franklin and one family’s home being turned into a field hospital.