How to Render Lard

Rendering lard is really easy. Sometimes getting the pig fat can be the tricky part. Leaf lard is the best for rendering. It's the fat that surrounds the pig's kidneys. Apparently, it makes the most divine flaky pie crusts. The pig fat we got was a combination of who-knows-what. Next year I'll have to be a bit more specific when I talk to the butcher. For this year, it'll do the trick.

The only downside to rendering lard is it stinks. So make sure to open a few windows!

I rendered the lard using the stove top method.

How to Render Lard - Stovetop Method

1. In a large heavy bottomed pot pour in 1/2 cup water. The water will keep the fat from scorching.

2. Chop up the fat, if it hasn't been already.

3. Put the fat into the pot. If your fat is frozen (like mine was) put the heat on medium and stir occasionally until the fat unthaws.

Frozen pig fat. 

3. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir occasionally.

4. As the fat starts to melt (about 1 hour) begin stirring more frequently.

The fat rendering.

5. Some say the lard has rendered when all the cracklings (tiny bits of fried pork) sink to the bottom. Waiting until this happens will give the lard deep nutty flavour. You can try taking out the lard before this point to have a less intense flavour.

6. Strain the lard through a cheesecloth line sieve or a coffee filter (cheese cloth works best). The crackling can be eaten as a snack or used like bacon bits.

The cracklings.

7. Let the liquid lard cool slightly and then pour into quart jars. The liquid lard will be yellow but it will solidify white.

8. Because the lard is not partially hydrogenized (like the store varieties) it must be kept in the fridge or freezer. I've read that it will last in the fridge for up to three months and in the freezer for up to a year.

Baby Jesus' Manger

Baby Jesus' manger is another Advent activity that can help your family prepare for the celebration of Jesus' birth.

For this activity gather:

• something that can act as a manger like a shoe box or basket
• some straw or pieces of yellow yarn
• a baby doll

As Advent unfolds, encourage your family to do good deeds for one another and for others in your community. Each time someone does a good deed they receive a piece of straw to place into Jesus' manger. By Christmas Jesus should have a a nicely padded manger to be placed into.

Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria

November 25th is feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria, a brave and Godly woman. Her feast day is celebrated by Catholic French-Canadians by making la tire de Ste. Catherine. The recipe for la tire has been posted over on Catholic Cuisine by myself so go have a look!

The Family Crèche

Using the crèche or nativity scene to prepare for Christmas is a wonderful Advent activity. On the first Sunday of Advent take out the nativity scene. But instead of putting everyone in their place right away, have them journey to the manger.

You can start with Joseph and Mary. They traveled all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem, so each day move them a little closer to the manger. Then the shepherds and their sheep can begin their journey to the manger too. On Christmas day place baby Jesus into the manger. But it doesn't end there! The wise men should be making their journey to the manger! They arrive on the feast of the epiphany (traditionally January 6th).

This is a fun activity for children to participate in, but if you're too nervous to let your 2 year old move your fragile crèche pieces around there are some really nice nativity sets for children out there. 

The Advent Wreath

The advent wreath is a popular advent tradition. It is often used in Christian churches and homes as a way to prepare for Christmas.

An advent wreath has two basic components: the wreath and four candles. The wreath is commonly made out of evergreens (real or fake). The green branches symbolize the new life we have in Jesus and the circle the eternity of God's love. The four candles, three purple and one pink, represent the four Sundays of Advent before Christmas. Purple symbolize prayer and penance while the pink candle, which is lit on the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday), symbolizes rejoicing because it marks the half way point.

Additional decorations can be added to the wreath like nuts and pine cones to represent new life and resurrection or purple and pink ribbons to match the candles. I think it's best not to get too extravagant though.

Using the Advent wreath at home is simple. You can light the candle(s) at dinner time or evening prayer time and say a prayer. There are many different Advent prayers and mediation books out there. Here are a few options:

Advent Wreath Prayer I (includes a blessing of the wreath)
Advent Wreath Prayer II
The Advent Wreath (scroll to the bottom for prayers)

If you are making an Advent wreath try to finish it in time to bring it to church this Sunday and have it blessed by your priest or pastor. If this isn't an option you can say a blessing over it yourself.

Blessing of the Advent Wreath

A handmade Advent wreath from our university days.

Picture Books for Little Ones

Monkey and I have been enjoying our reading time together. His interests have been slowly changing over the last few months. Boardbooks have been replaced with picture books, but I try to select picture books with simple stories. Here are a few of our favorites from the last few months:

Dinosaurumpus

Shake, shake, shudder..

Near the sludgy old swamp.

The dinosaurs are coming.

Get ready to romp.

Dinosaurumpus is about dinosaurs coming together for a big dance-celebration-get together. Even T-Rex joins in on the party! The pictures are colourful and dynamic and the story is silly and fun to read. The script rhymes and is full of onomatopoeias.

Snip Snap!: What's That?

When I first read this book to Monkey I found it a little disturbing. An alligator barges into a house occupied by three children (where are the parents?) and begins ransacking the place. The children are scared which is made obvious by the repeating line "where the children scared? you bet they were!". Eventually the children "have had enough of all this scary alligator stuff" and tell the alligator off. It scurries back into the sewer and the children claim victory. Despite the book's darker content, Monkey really likes it. I'm not sure it would find a permanent place in our home library though.

Super Duck

We are Jez Alborough fans around here. We really like his Duck books: Duck in the Truck, Hit the Ball Duck, Fix it Duck and one of his latests Super Duck. The pictures in his books are simple yet captivating and the stories are silly, well paced and they rhyme! In Super Duck, Duck's friend Frog is taken away by a kite and Duck must save him. Super Duck to the rescue!

The 3 Little Dassies

Jan Brett has such beautiful books. The 3 Little Dassies is her most recent one. It is an African version of the three little pigs. The story is longer but the pictures are so imaginative and welcoming that Monkey has no problem sitting through the entire book.

ps. Jan Brett has a link for a free downloadable 2011 Calendar that depicts her art from this book.

Strega Nona's Havest

Tomie de Paola is another of our favourite authors around here. Strega Nona's Havest is a wonderful picture book about planting and harvesting a garden and sharing with those in need. Big Anthony wants to plant a garden like Strega Nona's and so he does (in secret behind a shed). Although his garden is a mess compared to Strega Nona's, his vegetables eventually help the town folk who experienced a poor harvest that year. I especially like the Italian influence in this book and the Dominican sisters :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside My Window... It's -16C and dark.

I am thinking... about ordering some books from amazon.ca but I'm having a difficult time making up my mind. Do I really need Storey's Guide to Keeping Honey Bees?

I am thankful for... socks, I would be even more thankful for slippers! My toes are so cold these days...

From the kitchen... I'm reading some new recipe books and getting inspired for next week. Hopefully there will be some lard rendering making in the near future.

I am wearing... jeans and 3/4 sleeve taupe cotton shirt.

I am creating... plans for Advent.

I am going... to have a very busy weekend but it should be fun.

I am reading... A Tailor-Made Bride and Forgotten Skills of Cooking.

I am hoping... to figure out this tatting thing. My friend showed me the basic knots last week.

I am hearing... the VeggiesTales Bellybutton song on YouTube as per Monkey's request.

Around the house... Now that things are snowy outside I'm being forced to get some organizing done inside the house. I recently tackled the spice cupboard. I feel so happy when I open it now because I know nothing will fall on my head when I do!

One of my favorite things... oatmeal in morning.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: fixing up things around the house, right Hubby?

Yarn Along (no.2)

Oh my, it's Wednesday and I almost forgot! Ginny at Small Things is hosting her yarn along today. This week I'm starting socks or a hat or something (I'm checking the gauge first) in a rustic brown yarn that I picked up at a garage sale and reading A Tailor-Made Bride.

I finished my sister's birthday gift just in time. I made her a pair of ankle socks using The Purl Bee's Pom Pom Peds sock pattern (minus the pom poms). And with the socks I included a silly little poem.

These socks were made especially for you,

Knit one, purl one, my needles flew.

Each stitch even, each stitch tight,

Knitting on into the night.

Unravelling yarn at my feet,

One row, two rows and then repeat.

Shades of green, purple and blue,

Thinking and praying of happiness for you.

One sock done, onto the next,

Now the pattern seems less complex.

Oh dear, a mistake, it needs to be fixed,

Go in reverse, straighten out what was mixed.

Almost done these special socks,

Time runs short, reminds the clocks.

Close the toe, hide the ends,

Time to depart, my special friends.

Before we depart I must name thee,

Something magical, from a world of fantasy.

Son of the wolf, protector, and strong,

Weylin, that's it, I can't be wrong.

And now my gift to you,

Weylin socks to wear in your shoe.

May they keep you warm, lift your heart,

And show the love that I impart.

Winter Has Begun

Winter has come with full vengeance. Today has been a cold and blustery day. It's -10C (14 F) with 50  Km/h winds so it feels more like -20C (-4F). The snow drifts under the carport are already a foot deep and the rabbits are hiding away in their boxes. My garden has disappeared under the fresh snow (a sad thing) and so has the patchy lawn (a good thing). I still managed to pack up the kids and go to playgroup and was surprised to see so many kids there. I suppose there's no point hiding out, winter has just begun.

These are not my real winter boots.

The snow is deep.

The winds are cruel.

Looks like Hubby forgot to fix this :)

Weekly Menu

It's been awhile since my last weekly menu post. I've been trying to clear out the freezers before our next pork and beef orders arrive. Each year we order half a pig and a quarter cow from a local farmer. It isn't cheaper than buying discounted meat from who knows where, but I think it's worth it. I know the farmers and I know how the animals were raised and treated. I can even go visit the happy animals that will eventually end up in my happy freezer. Hopefully by the end of this week the freezers will be ready.

Here my menu for the week.

Day 1: Roast beef, smashed galicky potatoes and steamed broccoli.
Day 2: Cream of roasted cauliflower soup and homemade bread.
Day 3: Tuscan pasta with hare sauce Forgotten Skills of Cooking: The Time-Honored Ways are the Best - Over 700 Recipes Show You Why p.143
Day 4: Miso Soup with Sweet Potato Dumplings.
Day 5: Spinach lasagna rolls.

Preparing for Advent

I walked into the post office and heard... Christmas music. This wasn't the first offence. I walked into a plant nursery at the end of October and it was completely decked out with Christmas decor. What gives? No wonder everyone pitches their Christmas tree out the door on December 26th. When you've been "celebrating" Christmas for 2 months straight you bound to get sick of it. The commercialization of Christmas gets me really wound up. But just when I'm about to get myself tied into one of those crazy twister knots, a time of stillness, reflection and peace flows into our home and into my heart...

Advent.

Advent is a time of stillness and anticipation. It a time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. It's a wonderful time.

This year Advent begins on November 28th and goes until December 24th. There are many different things that can be done during Advent to help prepare your heart for the celebration of Christmas. Last year we began the tradition of the Jesse Tree and really enjoyed it. We hope to continue with this tradition and add new ones as well. In the next two weeks I will share some other Advent ideas. Feel free to share your traditions as well.

Our felt Jesse Tree at the end of Advent.

For those of your interested in starting your own Jesse Tree traditions you may want to look at Jessica's blog page The Jesse Tree for inspiration. I found it really helpful when I made our Jesse Tree last year. And if you have any questions about how I put mine together, please ask  :)

Making and Storing Pumpkin Puree

When we went South for our mini holiday I picked up few pumpkins. They've been sitting in my basement over a week now and Hubby has been anxiously commenting about them every time he goes downstairs. I don't blame him. Last year I let our pumpkin rot away (gasp!). I thought it would last forever, but I guess I was wrong. Thanks to Hubby's not-so-subtle hints I decided to tackle the pumpkins (not literally of course).

In the past I would laboriously cut the skin off the pumpkin, cube it and then steam it in a huge pot. What was I thinking! Don't try this unless you have a lot of energy to expend. Instead try this method. So, so much easier!

After the pumpkin is cooked it's a good idea to blend it so that you have a nice smooth texture. A food processor or food mill works great for this.

Unfortunately, it's highly recommended that you don't water bath or pressure can pureed pumpkin because of its density. Food in Jars has a great post on Why Pumpkin Butter Can't be Canned. Although, I'm (secretly) glad I don't have to pull out my water bath canner right now.

I opted to freeze the pureed pumpkin. It's a popular choice because the pumpkin keeps in pumpkiny-integrity when it's thawed. I made pumpkin butter and froze it in half-pint jars and froze the plain pumpkin puree in quart jars. Freezing the pumpkin puree in mason jars reduces plastic use (ding!) and isn't a problem as long as you leave enough head-space for the puree to expand during the freezing process.

Now what to do with all those frozen cranberries...

One Year of Blogging!

I can't believe I've been blogging for a full year now. I started blogging because my SIL urged me to try it out. Honestly, I didn't think it I would make it to a year, but here I am. Being part of the blosphere has been an adventure. I enjoy reading other people's blogs and journeying with them. I hope that as I continue to blog about life's adventures you find some apples of gold here. Pax Christi!

Like golden apples in silver settings are words spoken at the proper time. 

Proverbs 25:11

Yarn Along

Ginny over at Small Things is hosting a yarn along. Now that majority of my canning is done, I'm happy to pick up my knitting needles and read some good books. Right now I'm working on a gift for my sister's birthday and getting lost in the world of Sevenwaters.