Next Betrothal

Sunset proposal on a sailboat on one of our local lakes ~ What a romantic! He chose their special anniversary to propose. They've been friends for five years, though he lived in another state far and away for about a year, and we thought we might not ever see him or his family again.


She was surprised when he got down on one knee...


She said "Yes!"

temp ring. They went ring 'shopping' just after this cruise.

The newest couple in our family at our recent outing to hear Tommy Emmanuel and his phenomenal guitar antics.




Betrothed Happiness



tattoo engagement rings ;-)


I have a busy six or seven months ahead of me once again!

Javamom,
whose family is growing!

Pear Jam-making Tips

Peel and chop pears into large chunks or slices. It really doesn't matter, because you will be mashing them in the pan later, anyway. Sprinkle with Fruit Fresh or with lemon juice to keep from turning brown. I use my 4-cup Pyrex measuring (glass) bowl with spout.

I like the fruit to be just a little softened up before making jam. Pears seem to have more juice at that point than when they are rock hard. Peel in such a way as to collect as much of the dripping loveliness of the juice in the bowl or container as possible. Having two containers close by is a must. One for the peels and cores (compost them) and the other for the juice and to hold roughly sliced-off chunks. Once I have my 4-4.5 cups worth of chopped pears, I pour them into a large pan (deep skillet in this case, but I've made them in glass cooking pots in the past). I cook these on medium heat as I use a potato masher to smoosh them smaller. Smoosh them as fine as you prefer. I like to have about 1/4 inch sized pieces of fruit in our jam. Since the chunks are so soft from the cooking, it spreads well on biscuits or toast just fine. I also like to add cinnamon to the batch...the amount varies for personal preference. If you are a nutmeg fan, add a dash of that, as well for a nice taste of autumn in your jam.

Follow the instructions in the fruit pectin you have purchased. I have used both Sure-Jell and Ball fruit pectin over the years, and have also used regular, low and no-sugar, or sugar-free. Read your package instructions carefully, as with the Ball sugar-free pectin, you will need to purchase Splenda in place of the sugar. It seems like the Sure-jell low sugar pectin worked well, but still required some sugar. Again, read the packages and recipes carefully. They are pretty adamant that you should follow all measurements exactly. I have fudged some and squeezed in a little extra fruit quite a few times. The Sure-Jell does not work as well when I do this, but the Ball brand works GREAT. For low-sugar, try the Sure-Jell pink box pectin. Otherwise, I really prefer Ball brand overall for full sugar and no-sugar (Splenda) for relatives who need sugar-free jam because of health and diet restrictions.

Pre-wash jars and lids. I like to run the jars and rings through the dishwasher before using. I don't know if the heat of the dishwasher is too much for the flat lids with new seals, so I wash them separately in sudsy water in the sink, to be certain I don't ruin the seal mechanism. I have a lot of jars leftover from past years, and these definitely need a good washing. I usually do this the night before I plan to cook up the jam. Rinse everything very well. Somewhere years ago, it seems like I also read not to use metal utensils. That's probably why I used to cook up the jam mixture in glass cooking pans for years. I use wooden spoons, ladles, or in a pinch, my plastic ladle. I'm trying not to use plastic much anymore, but hubby has yet to make me a food-safe, large, wooden ladle.


The next day, I place several of the jars and the lids and rings in a simmering water-bath to keep them sterilized and hot. Just before I need them, I use tongs and lift them out of the water and onto clean paper towels on the counter to drip dry.

After they are dry, I turn them right-side-up and fill with the cook jam mixture, which is also piping hot. Ladle jam mixture into jars, leaving a little room at the top, about 1/2 inch. I like to load up and seal one jar at a time. Clean the rim of any jam residue left from filling the jar. I use a tiny edge of a clean tea towel that I've dipped in the water bath. I make sure it gets the top of the rim and the threads of the jar. I also make sure it is dry with another dry part of the clean tea towel, so that water will not hamper a good seal. Make sure the flat lid and the ring is also free of water, but try not to touch any of the insides to keep it sterile. Place flat on top of filled jar, tighten on the ring as tightly as possible, then turn up-side-down. This helps to form a vacuum to seal the jar better. Keep turned up-side-down as in the photo below as the jars cool down for about 30 minutes.


Next, turn them upright and the jars will be on their way to sealing; completing the sealing process as the jam is pulled by gravity down to the bottom of the jars. Yes, you may push any "clicking" lids down to help it out! I always do this. If they are still quite warm, you will notice resistance from the lid, but they do pretty much always seal down on their own fairly quickly.

If you happen to have some that don't (I have not had one do this to me in a couple of years), you may place them in your dutch oven filled with hot water and let that water slow-boil over the jars for a time. I don't remember if its five minutes or more, and that can be easily googled fyc, but you must make sure that the jars completely submerge in the water bath.

I may have missed something in my haste to post this for a friend who needs this asap, but these are the most important things to know, complete with visual aids!

Let me know if you try this at home and how it goes!


Sincerely,

Java(Jam)mom

A Tour of Literary Homes

This is the home built by R. Waldo Emerson's grandfather, Concord minister, witness to the American Revolution and the battle at the Old North Bridge. Waldo lived here for a time and wrote his essay "Nature" here (the long version). Nathaniel Hawthorne also lived and began his family and early writing here.

This is also where (in the front parlor) our 14 yo son was asked to play the 1760-something Steinway, the only thing that could be touched in the house. Quite out of tune, it was still music to this mama's ears and heart! He did well!






Backyard view of The Manse coming up the trail from The North Bridge. Mrs. Emerson watched the battle from the upstairs window next to the corner. Her second husband (after her first one died) was the minister that was hired to take her late husband's place. They stayed here in The Manse, had more children, and the new preacher planted an incredible orchard. He was criticized for this when he was planting at an older age by nay-saying neighbors, who thought for sure that he was planting in vain, never to eat the fruit from these trees.

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote in his essay "The Old Manse," '...there was only so much the better motive for planting them, in the pure and unselfish hope of benefiting his successors--an end so seldom achieved by more ambitious efforts.' The old minister *did* harvest many apples and fruits from his trees, for he lived to be 90 years old.

I loved seeing the hostas along the stones. Many of the great thinkers in what is called Concord's "Second Revolution" visited here, rested here, taught each other here. One woman, known as Smart Mary, even tutored here. Harvard would send potential appicants to be tutored by her to get them up to speed and ready for their Harvard studies. This is only a relative few miles down the road from Cambridge, after all.

The Old Manse Garden ~ Thoreau planted an heirloom garden here for Hawthorne and his new bride, Sophia (pronounced 'So-fy-a' by the historians we talked to) before they moved in. Nathaniel rented the old Emerson estate for about three years to the tune of $100 a year. He had trouble making rent, because it was early on in his writing career. Years later, he made good on his back rent and paid off his debts.

This is the boathouse on the Concord River behind The Manse. The stones at the base are original, but the boathouse itself has been rebuilt. It is smaller than the original. I am standing on the Old North Bridge to take this photo. It was a still and lovely day.


Orchard House! Do you recognize it from anywhere? This was one of the homes of the Alcott family. Here, L.M.A wrote Little Women. Sister Elizabeth had already died when they moved into this home.

Dear daughter and myself, thoroughly enjoying our time of learning at Orchard House.

This is where the little gift shop is located, by which you may enter the home for a wonderful and historical tour. Be prepared to view LMA's collection of favorite books, from Dickens to Jane Austen and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

When Nathaniel Hawthorne lived next door, he did not always want to see or talk to Bronson Alcott, who loved nothing more than to sit out on a bench under their tree and engage passers-by in long conversations. Hawthorne would use a footpath behind the smaller lean-to buildings to avoid Bronson some days, when all he wanted to do was to pick up a few things quickly in town. Hawthorne was a bit shy, and valued his privacy. At other times, he would stop and talk with Alcott. Just not every time!

The School of Philosophy, started by Alcott. It was open for eight years until Bronson Alcott's death. It was reopened for classes in the 1970's and a summer teacher's institute was added sometime later. Sounds like a neat thing to do, doesn't it?


Hostas planted on the walkway here at Orchard House, just like The Old Manse

After our morning at Orchard House, we enjoyed a picnic between two historic homes.

If you enlarge the photo, you should be able to see Wayside in the background.



This is the home of the Alcotts when the girls were smaller. This is where a lot of those adventures LMA wrote into Little Women were lived and played out, including the staircase they'd play "Pilgrim's Progress" on. The Hawthornes bought this home for 1200 dollars from the Alcotts, who had called the home "Hillside." Hawthorne renamed it "Wayside." It is worth doing a little research to find out more fascinating history of Wayside, and how it was the first literary home to be added to the National Park Service list. During that ill-fated day, April 19th, 1775, this home was owned by one of the commanders of the Minutemen, thus its importance to the National Park Service.

The entrance to the home. We are coming out of the garage, where there is a neat display of the three literary giants who lived in this home: Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Sidney (whose real name is Harriet Lothrop) who wrote Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.

Love the green doors

Those are some of the memorable highlights of two of our days in Concord, MA.

When we take our next graduate in line for his own special trip, we will go to Emerson's 'Bush' house and Longfellow's home in Cambridge, where some Harvard lectures still take place!

Until next time (And highlights of the Old North Bridge :),

Javamom

Pear Harvest 2009

Once again, it is time to finish up the pear harvest of late summer. I'll be making more pear jam, as I have since Fall of 2000 or 2001.




They're so beautiful, they don't even need much commentary. I will say that if you don't care for the texture of pears, eat them baked in a crisp or cobbler, or spread some pear jam on toast. All are a great alternatives to eating them raw.

Happy Harvest!

Javamom...or maybe I should say "Jam-mom"

Budget Educational Travel (part one)

I have been nudged by a few people to write about taking tremendous trips on a budget. We don't take yearly family vacations and have been participating in what has come to be known as a "Staycation" before the term was ever coined. There are so many shortcuts that I'm sure I don't know about, but I can share some of the things we have done to save hundreds, even a thousand or more dollars on some wonderful and educational trips.

When we do travel, it is not to Disney or other typical or more common destinations that American families tend to take. Not that we look down on those types of trips, they are just not our personal 'cup-of-tea' so to speak. One exception to this was our family visit to Branson with my in-laws 6 or 7 years ago. However, since I lived in Missouri during my middle school and high school years, and have sung/performed in Branson/Silver Dollar City, and had my share of fun with childhood friends and family on many occasions, going back was more about taking the kids to some of my home territory.

Even then, we visited a wonderful used bookstore down near the wharf where I bought Shepherd of the Hills for the kids to read, so they could get a sense of the history of the Ozarks. Thus, the trip became more of a historical, natural, and literary trip, instead of just being about visiting a theme park for a few days. We spent some time down by the river doing free things, instead of filling up our time with purchasing tickets for one show after another. But I am getting ahead of myself, here.

Tip number One: Drive instead of flying, if applicable

~ obviously, you cannot drive to Australia, Europe, or Hawaii

~ If you have access to frequent flier miles ... use them!!

~ weigh the cost of taking your own vehicle versus renting. Our cars are paid for and we keep them tuned up, so we take our own vehicles most all of the time.


Tip number Two: Go where you've been before or go where you know someone who lives where you want to go.

~ By doing this, you have insights into the places only the locals know or care about, both historic and practical. Also, you may be invited to stay with family or friends in their homes for free. This also lowers the cost of meals. Offer to buy groceries with or for your host family or take them out to eat. Be a gracious guest.

~ Find cabins or campsites from which you can base your day trips. Tent camping is the cheapest, and once you get your own things and set-up/break-down duties organized, this is not even a nuisance. If you prefer, you can also rent motorhomes for your roadtrip! I don't know if that saves much over hotels or not. It is not our option of choice, so I cannot comment with good quotes, facts, or actual experiences of prices and quality. We've done camping cabins through KOA years and years ago, when it was just too cold or wet to set up a tent.

*** Pack a small cooler in your vehicle and buy groceries as you go. Drink lots of water instead of soft drinks. Buy healthier beverages on occasion, but for the most savings, drink water!

*** Take your own coffeepot and propane stoves to cook your own meals and coffee. There are times when in a time crunch that stopping at a gas station or local donut or coffee shop is worth the extra expense. When you are camping, the best use of your daylight time must be factored in to your budget of both time and money.

~ Consider staying in a youth hostel. I have not done this, but our son has, when he spent a summer in Scotland back in '07. My best friend also stayed in youth hostels when visiting England with her boys when they were young.


Tip number Three: Read multiple sources and do your research before you take your trip

By doing this, you can find more obscure museums and surprising exhibits that might be running for only a short time that you might not have found out about otherwise.

~ The internet can have the most up-to-date events. I say probably because some websites do not stay updated very well, so check dates on the site carefully.

~Travel guides are very helpful, and older Travel Journals or writings are great, if you take the time to plan several months in advance. You can read what some of our best-known authors wrote on their own travels, which adds a different layer to your trip, if you are so inclined. One of my favorites that I actually took with my daughter and me to Italy: John Ruskin writings and lectures on multiple topics, such as "Mornings in Florence" or Art and Architecture. Love doing that!

***Some of my other favorites are Rick Steves' travel guides and Frommer's. You can find good ones at used book and thrift stores, even current or near-current printings. $ saved, up to $25 dollars per book (by finding them in thrift stores).

***Travel guides for kids. I purchased some in Florence, Bologna, and Venice. These have more pictures and include neat facts, such as seemingly hidden walkways and architectural constructions where you can whisper in one corner of a little plaza and hear it in the other corner. If you are simply taking a bus tour of a famous city, you will miss these little side-excursions and adventures.

~ Who can calculate how much will be saved by learning where to buy a city pass, which allows you to by-pass long lines at museums and saves you money by paying a flat fee instead of one fee per person or per family at each new museum, park, or historical site. Similarly, in Europe, you can purchase a Eurail pass for a set amount of time, which can save you a lot of money by not having to buy individual train tickets. Similar things are available for tram tickets, bus tickets, etc.


Tip number Four: Take a GPS, if you have one, or borrow one from a friend. Our friend offered hers to us for our most recent trip to New England. While there is a learning curve which is rather frustrating, you can turn off the voice and figure out her short-comings and work around them. You can set these to pedestrian setting for walking tours. These also can suggest hotels and campsites, plus historic museums you may not have researched on the internet ahead of time.


Tip number Five: Be a chaperon with your children's school or youth group. While you may be limited in what you can tour and see, you will almost always get to go to some wonderful destinations, both in the US and abroad, either for free or half-price. Sometimes you can even arrange to stay on for extra time and return later, and sometimes even for the same price, if arranged before the tickets are purchased.


I'll stop there for now. Do send me your tips or questions that I can speak to in Part two of Budget Educational Travel. Stay tuned!


Javamom

Grilled Alfredo Pizza

This recipe is a combination of a couple of different meal ideas we picked up this summer. We made these on our grill for the wedding party the day after our son and daughter-in-law's wedding in early July. It was a huge hit, not only because it tasted so good, but because everyone participated in the making of their own pizzas.

Using either your favorite or a standard dough recipe, roll out personal sized crusts. You can roll out larger pizzas for this, we just found it fun to have a lot of toppings in different bowls so each person can choose their own favorites. Make sure your grill is nice and warmed up, but on low. It is too easy to burn these, and the main point is to help the dough "set up" firmly to hold the toppings and not become soggy. Brown only slightly on one side then remove from grill. Note that this step takes only about a minute!

Each person can take their own pizza dough round and add their favorite sauce, either tomato or Alfredo, spreading with the back of a large wooden spoon to the browned side of the dough. Add toppings of choice, such as chopped or sliced, colorful bell peppers, shredded zucchini, baby spinach, onions, artichoke hearts, olives, pineapple chunks, meat of choice, what-have-you. Next, place pizzas back on the grill to toast the other side, warm the veggies and or meat through, and to melt your cheeses. This takes a little bit longer than the first grilling, and watch closely to prevent burning the bottoms. If you prefer, you may keep foil under your pizzas to help prevent burning.

The sauce most in demand around here is a doctored-up Alfredo sauce (recipe below). After adding the sauce of your choice, add veggies and/or meat, top it all off with either mozzarella or smoked Gouda cheese, perhaps a little of both! When the pizzas come off the grill, we also have small bowls of fresh grated Romano cheese and crushed red peppers, for those who want them.

If we have cooked chicken to add as another topping, we'll marinate it in balsamic vinegar, then pre-cook it before the party, and chop fine.


While your grill is warming up, cook up some enhanced Alfredo pizza sauce:

8 oz. of mushrooms, sliced or diced, whichever you prefer)
1/2 cup onion of choice, chopped (more if you like!)
2 T. butter or olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped fine. (If you pre-roast the garlic, it adds another amazing flavor layer to the sauce)
1 jar of basic Alfredo sauce, or make your own!

Warm your skillet well, add the oil or butter and spread around the skillet, then saute onions and mushrooms, adding the garlic when the onion and mushrooms are softened and lightly browned. Add the jar of Alfredo sauce to the pan and warm through. Lower temp and keep warm till guests are ready to begin building their pizzas.

Gluten-Free Option:

We bought pre-made gluten free crusts for one or two of our guests the couple of times we have shared and cooked this with company. Gluten-free crust recipes can be found here . I can't vouch for those particular recipes as of yet, since I haven't personally tried them. Feel free to send your tried-and-true recipes to me, if you'd like!

Enjoy!

Javamom

Of Books and Coffee!

I wanted to post a few photos of books, book related-things, some of the coffee shops, and coffee-related things we enjoyed along the way on our journey to New England and back a few weeks ago. I thought it an interesting way to present our vacation in between visiting and lingering at some pretty phenomenal historical, natural, and literary places.

I'll start with this shot on the inside of The Old North Church (aka Christ Church of Boston). Notice the hymnals in the boxed-in pews. We knew ahead of time that we would be able to worship with the congregation there. This was a highlight at the end of our first week away. The liturgical service was absolutely wonderful. The music, simply stunning. I loved reading musical notes again. I was not familiar with the hymns we sang, so it was a good workout to my sight-singing skills. The sermon was surprisingly casual, yet well-done!

We saved our bulletin/order of liturgy sheets. No photo of that, though.



We do know this hymn, but we did not sing it on that day.


We visited S'bux occasionally for a quad-shot Americano for most of us. The Americano is one of the cheapest routes to go w/coffee drinks here. Getting the employee discount saves quite a bit, too.



This is the former home of the once-famous Corner Bookstore, the *first* brick building in Boston. Here, Ticknor and Fields are said to have revolutionized American book publishing between 1845 and 1865. They earned the status of "worldwide renown" for "having a well-stocked shop, a prominent publishing house, and for being a magnet for the literary world." Here, they published the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, Longfellow, and Horace Mann.


I should remember the coffee shop and bakery just to the left of the shop there. We bought iced coffees, but I'm not sure I took a photo of the place. What I keenly remember was that the iced coffee was too weak, so hubby bought a shot of espresso from s'bux to add to my iced coffee ;-)
I love that man.


Further interesting reading along our path in Boston: It kind of makes me smile.


Hubby found this treasure for me, off the tourist path:

We spent probably 1 1/2 hours here at this basement bookstore and came away with some treasures, plus a couple of free books thrown in! Nice staff here. Hubs bought a couple of books for himself, one nice, boxed copy of The Autocrat of The Breakfast Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes. I picked up an 1896 copy of Women of Colonial and Revolutionary times by Eliza Pinckney. Though written about her family who lived in N. Carolina, I thought it perfectly appropriate to purchase it at the home or 'hotbed' of the Colonial Revolution. This book was only ten dollars, btw.


The dollar table to the left where I purchase an old, large hardback copy of the sketches and works of Winslow Homer for just $1. Another fitting purchase from New England.


Leaving Commonwealth Bookstore


I didn't get pictures at the garage sale we drove by while in Concord the second time. Sweet Hubby stopped so dd and I could search for little treasures. I found a stack of five or six books, an old limp-leather bound Bible, a hardbound book about The White House, and another book about the presidents, all for just two dollars. Dd bought a book on herbs and a cookbook. I think she spent 75 cents. Nice find, that! We also visited with an older British couple whose sons live in America now, down south not too far from where we live. It was a neat exchange about culture and climates. Not just small talk about the weather, for sure!



We didn't buy coffee here in the heart of Boston this time, so I couldn't compare flavors. However, the storefront is simple and elegant.



Coffee shop on the edge of Lexington.




Monument on Lexington Green, near the Minuteman Statue. It has the names of all the ministers who served at least one of the historic churches in some way. I think it was for the John Hancock church there on the green. (There are two buildings of different congregations on the green, but the monument was nearest the J. Hancock church building). Yes, one of the men on the list was John Hancock himself. Something new for me to research. I also liked the book/Bible on top of the monument.

(photo taken by our 14 yos, so is not crisp and clear)



The next photo depicts ice cream night at our old favorite home-made ice cream shop in Lexington that is *still* in business after all these years, so no coffee. We could, however, enjoy some wifi while we just lingered on the benches, taking in the fresh air and visiting like the locals. We did not feel rushed, nor did we feel like tourists. We were oldies coming back to one of our homes. It was fantastic.

This S'bux is on the main street in Lexington, just down from Lexington Green and the Minuteman Statue which marks yet another place where militia fought and fell on April 19, 1775.





This next shot is not a book but it is from the writing of R. Waldo Emerson. It is etched in stone near the Minuteman Statue and the North Bridge in Concord, MA. This brief section is but a portion of what became known as "The Concord Hymn."





Now to one of my favorites of the trip. This is a reproduction at Plimoth Plantation, a well done replica of a period, hand-sewn, raised-band, leather on board binding, with 'splayed-out thongs.' You can see them in the photo, they look like stick people under the leather. This was exciting to see and handle.







And I cannot forget our own, special camp coffee. Has a taste all its own! Most of the time, it is pretty good!



I would be out-of-line if I did not confess that several times, when we got up quickly and quietly to break camp and move to our next destination, that we opted for Dunkin Donuts coffee. This was for hubby, as we do have fond memories of DD coffee when we lived and worked in the Boston area. I took no photos, though some of the DD shops were in old, old homes and structures. All part of New England building codes, which certainly adds to the charm and keeps New England looking mighty lovely. I am a huge fan of that.

One final place in Maine was a log Cabin. I lost that photo in transferring all our shots from a laptop to my computer after returning home. At this little shop in a small township, we shared Maine Blueberry Pie and a giant Pecan sticky bun, for breakfast. Both were fresh and hot. The coffee was just alright, but the simple sweets and berries MORE than made up for it!

In Vermont, I found this treasure, but it was too expensive and too heavy to bring home:

a giant coffee grinder, over $300. Cast iron, and probably nearly as heavy as my antique book press!

Other books and coffee presents picked up or purchased on our journey:

clockwise: Cape Ann mug, American Writers at Home (photojournal of the homes around the country of our American authors, including some that we visited), Orchard House mug (Louisa May Alcott), Plimoth Plantation authentic reproduction mug (dd bought two for herself), The Wayside (House) pamphlet with historical timeline, sketches, and a few photos, bookmarks, Vermont camping magazines

Walden Pond bookbag/tote. This one is nice and large, and has a flat bottom. I needed one like that to tote things to bookclub. The two books are from Hubby's collection of Library of America series of books. I brought these along to read during the trip, to gain more insight into our travels, and these men's writings. It has been a long time in coming. Truly, I should have read these through before now.

Mosses from an Old Manse, purchased at The Old Manse (appropriate, don't you think?). This is a collection of some of Hawthorne's best known short stories, including ones that are traditionally studied in High School American Lit courses like the one my husband teaches. The first story is non-fiction and is the author's descriptions and memories of scenes from renting and living in The Old Manse with his young family. Loved this story! I began reading it in the Walden Woods/Pond one day, then finished it on the long drive home.


I hope, my dear reader, that you have enjoyed a few of the treasures from the Books and Coffee trip journal of...


Javamom :-)