In my Kitchen February 2024 Edition, looking back on January.

What has been happening in your kitchen this month? Today we are joining up at Sherry's Picking for In my kitchen...

I decided to join Sherry over at Sherry's Pickings for her monthly look back on how, why and what changed in her kitchen for the month before. A look back is often fun to see what you may have changed in serving ware, or possibly a new cookbook (be still my heart!) or maybe a food gift from a friend or the shop down the street that you have wanted to visit for the longest time, and then one day, you found time! My last lookback was September 2023 after we had landed here in East Texas. 

That look back was not terribly exciting, we were just getting settled, still working on utilities for the property and getting our Tiny Home repaired and comfortable for out needs. We have come a great distance since moving here, with all that has had to be done. First in the hottest summer in about 10 years (unloading the moving vans!) and then the wettest and coldest winter in about forever (wow, is that heater even working!?)! We are way behind on our rebuilding projects but working as fast as age and dry weather permits...

But the one thing I managed to accomplish is conquering the pressure cooker! I have been cooking with electric pressure cookers for about 10 years now. And getting better all the time with better to perfect timing, for all the ingredients actually coming out as food we enjoy eating! You laugh, but overcooked is as bad as burned in my opinion. And even worse is food that can be described as meh. In my confidence I also pulled out my dusty stovetop model and have put that bad boy into service as well. Around here, we will eat well as I continue to develop more recipes and remake our favorites. 

But the big news of my kitchen was using my Pressure Canner! It was the last frontier if you will, for knocking down the rest of the fear I had held since childhood regarding pressure cookers and canners most of all! When I was chatting with my sister who lives in Washington state about my plans for that last hurdle she remarked " I won't even touch them, you are the brave one". Her comment surprised me since I had thought I was the lone fearmonger in the family...always finding another way to do what needed to be done where it would not involve a pressure cooker or canner. 

But I did it, I taught myself to can in the Pressure Canner. The first day I canned diced chicken meat, I used the easy raw pack. It turned out great, I under filled the jars a bit, but no problem there, open two jars and what ever you are making will have enough meat! While the chicken was processing in the canner, we had the bones simmering for bone stock and that got canned up later. It needed to sit for the fat to come to the surface to be skimmed off. And for that process I used the hot pack method. And we now have jars of chicken broth ready to use...

I had set up a "canning station" in the unfinished shop, using our two burner camp stove. Since I would have kept an eye on the pressure gauge while cleaning up in the kitchen, I used the time in the shop to play math crossword as I tended to the gauge. It was good for this first time to be right there at the gauge to make sure all was well. But I won't need to be as diligent in the future. Once my utility kitchen is completed, I will be cleaning up as the pst, pst, pst of the steam vent weight dances to the pressure shown on the gauge. 

Two walls of the shop have been rebuilt in that portion that will be a Utility Kitchen and laundry room. So we are about half way there, once done, I will be back for another chapter of In my kitchen. But watch out, with two kitchens one in the Tiny House and one in the shop, I might have a lot more to say!

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You may also enjoy reading, In My Kitchen, September 2023.

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