Year Round Sunshine by Beverly Nye

I received this book as a Christmas gift from Andy's grandpa Al. It is awesome! When I was called as Welfare person in our ward, I kind of gathered my book resources looking for stuff to able the ladies to "fare well". This book's chapters are divided into the month's of the year, and on the heels of reading 'Animal, Miracle, Vegetable', it shows the in-season fruits and vegetables, how to preserve and save extra food, etc. Check out the website calender for aforementioned tips and click on the header to go to the home page.

A few tips from the book for October:

On Halloween, set-up a card table outside and serve warm cider and doughnuts to the parents. It's a great way to get acquainted. Beverly sets up her big electric fry pan and cooks scones.

Potato Block Painting - Cut a potato in half and carve out a design on the cut side. Put some food coloring on a moistened sponge, press the potato against the color on the sponge and stamp the design on paper.

Ghost writing - Write a message on white paper using a toothpick and milk or lemon juice. Let dry thoroughly. The note can be read by holding it close to a warm light bulb or running an iron over it. The heat will make the letters darken.

You get a complete protein when you combine a potato and milk product. (Hello baked potato with sour cream and chives!).

In other food news, Andy and I are whipping up our chili for the ward party tonight. We ended up using the Joy of Cooking recipe substituting ginger ale (as suggested by Beverly Nye) for the beer.

Saute in a large skillet until crackling and golden brown:
1/2 pound bacon, diced
Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon. In the dripping, saute briefly:
1/2 pounds round steak, coarsely ground or chopped in a food processor
6 to 12 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
Deglaze the skillet until foam disappears, with:
12 ounces bottle dark beer or ginger ale
Remove all to a large pot or Dutch oven. Stir in:
One 32-ounce can tomatoes, with juice
One 16-ounce can kidney beans, with juice
One 16-ounce can great northern beans, with juice
One 16-ounce can pinto beans, with juice
6 tablespoons ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups water or one 12-ounce bottle dark beer or ginger ale
Simmer for about 3 hours, covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Season to taste with:
Salt and ground black pepper
Red pepper sauce
Bacon
Serve with Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Corn Bread
Andy is so bugged right now, as he has been making lunch and trying to talk to me while 2 feet away, and I am in the blog zone, totally not listening and responding. Sorry AK.