Vintage Home and Farm

There is a wood stove in our family room (The Corral) that has just enough space on top for a small cast iron pan. I've been thinking about trying to cook on the wood stove for five years now, ever since we installed the wood stove, and finally, this year we bought a small cast iron pan just for this purpose. Isn't it adorable? I didn't realize they made such tiny cast iron pans. We also bought the two hot pads that go around the handle of the pan.  There isn't much space on top of our wood stove for cooking. The vent pipe comes out the middle of the stove. Also, the wood stove is partially recessed into the fireplace, which doesn't give much room above the stove for a tall pan. This short pan is about the size of a slice of bread. In fact, it's intended for making paninis. But, we can also cook eggs and other things in it. There's room on the other side of the vent pipe for another small cast iron pan. I think I will have to go back to Swain's and buy t

We made apple scrap pepper jelly the other day. I was going to post a recipe here, but this was one of those science experiments where I kept adjusting it as it cooked. Have you ever made jelly that way? I wasn't sure it would turn out, but amazingly, it came out perfectly. Just the right thickness, sweetness, and heat. Sadly, I have no idea as to the exact ratios of ingredients used, so I'll probably never replicate it again.  We used the apples we harvested from our winter apple tree, along with serrano and Asian five-spice hot peppers we grew in the garden. The "apple scrap" part of this jelly is made by boiling the apple peels and cores for a few hours until you have apple juice. This is then the juice that is used in the jelly recipe. Except, I didn't realize how important the cores are for adding pectin to the recipe, and I gave the cores and yucky bits of apple to the deer. So, I only had apple peels. This meant I needed to use pectin in the recipe. I sort

Today was the day we have been dreading, the day the kittens and Momma Cat return to the Humane Society so they can find their forever homes. While we were sad to say goodbye, when asked if we would foster kittens and adult cats again, we all said "YES!" It was a wonderful experience, and we are especially glad we could help the wee ones get a good start. Also, Momma Cat went from a scared barn cat to a loving family pet thanks to all the attention she got while here. She started sitting on our laps and purring in the evenings.  We hope the cats will find homes quickly. They will be at the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society (Kitty City) for about a week while they all get spayed and neutered. Then, they will likely go to Petsense, a pet store located in Port Angeles that works with the Humane Society. We asked the director at the Humane Society if she was concerned the kitties wouldn't find a home, and she said that kittens and young cats like Momma Cat tend to find homes e