Homemaking - The Dips

Do/did you ever measure your shortening using the water method?

The other day I was making a blackberry pie and used the water method to measure the lard and shortening, for old times sake.  Mom always measured her shortening this way when she made pies . . .  of course she always made pies 7 or 8 at a time, too.  

The way I usually measure shortening is to first put a broken egg (that the recipe calls for) in the measuring cup and swish it around.  Then dump the egg out and put the shortening it.  The egg white coats the inside of the cup and the shortening slips right out with no mess.  

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Calvin and I have been canning a lot this summer and the other day while we were drying tomatoes we tried drying cucumbers.

After they were brittle, we pulverized them into powder. 

Then, seeing how handy pulverized cucumber powder is, I dried some carrots and did the same thing. Then green peppers.  Then onions.  Then squash.  Then dill.  Nothing in the garden was safe.  

For a long time I've wanted to try to recreate a vegetable dip mix that I remember as a little girl.  I did it!  I finally did it.  I mixed a combination of dried vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and dill) with sour cream.  It was good.  Very, very good.

Feeling successful, I added the vegetable mix to homemade Greek yogurt.  While healthier and good, it wasn't very, very good.  

Feeling even more empowered, I bagged little mix packets.  And, because they looked so pretty in the little bags, I added tags and put them in a cute basket.  

  

It's a winner.

The sad thing is the day before we tried drying cucumbers we pulled up the whole row of them, except three plants, because we had bottled more than enough pickles and were so tired of them. Argh.  So, even though the secret recipe is within reach, the goose that laid the golden egg is dead.  

Next year.

(P.S.  Kathrin thank you for your note from Elder Jackson.  I returned a comment below yours.)