The Domestic Mama & The Village Cook

 Pickles~ another reason my husband upgraded me from girlfriend to wife.

I’m pretty sure I did a pickles post before… and told you the story of how it was one of the things that impressed my then-boyfriend, he had never had homemade pickles before.

The reason I am re-posting it, it because these babies make awesome Christmas gifts. And, now that’s it’s November 1st, it’s officially time to start planning. Because I don’t want you stressed out on December 19th. I want you to be happy, relaxing with a hot buttered rum and an appetizer plate by a cozy fire. I want you to have your stuff done by December 19th.  So… each day I am going to give you a little tip or hint or holiday idea. And, tell you where my progress is, too.

So far? I have 3 toys on layaway at Walmart. Today I’m going to Kmart, since Walmart only lets you layaway toys, electronics and jewelry…. I’m going to Kmart to layaway the other stuff.  Yes, layaway. I don’t want to be paying on Christmas in March. In case you don’t know what layaway is… you basically load up a cart of stuff, take it to a counter and pay 10%. They hold it for you, and you make payments until it’s paid off. Then you take your stuff home.

And… no bills in the new years. Woo-hoo!

But, I’m a big fan of handmade meaningful gifts. Unfortunately, my girls won’t get excited about a basket filled with homemade pickles and crackers.

They’re kids.

Continue reading pickles

Every year at this time, I get on my canning kick… mainly because it’s not too hot (yet) and I love seeing all the pretty jars in my pantry…which I just organized, but that’s another post. So is the jalapeno jelly I made. And the toast I just burnt.

Oranges are in season right [...]

When my hubby and I first got together, we had some burgers one night…it actually was my first burger in 14years, after a long period without ground meat, red meat or meat in general. I placed the assorted toppings from the fridge, which included a jar of homemade pickles. “What kind of pickles are [...]