The Pueblo Storyteller

It's time to play BLUE MONDAY! Please visit Smiling Sally and the gang for more beautiful blues!

I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new linking party! Read through for details!

As I was looking around the house trying to find just the right blue to present to you today, I spied my shelf of "stuff from Mom" and decided on the perfect thing!

While souvenir shopping for me in Arizona, my mom found these two Pueblo Storytellers and knew they would be perfect for me! The Pueblo Indians have been making these Storyteller themed items since 1964 when the first figure was made by Helen Cordero. She wanted to represent her memories of her grandfather, Santiago Quintana, and his gift of storytelling. Quintana, as well as members of the Pueblo tribes since ancient times, preserved their life stories and traditions through the art of storytelling.

When it was time for a story, Quintana would say, "Come children, it's time". All the children around would gather in as close as possible to hear the enchanting tale.

Storyteller images can be male or female and can have any number of children or animals gathered around. What started with one granddaughter's creative expression has turned into a passion for over 200 Pueblo artists.When my mom brought home my first Storyteller item, the mat, I had only four children. She picked it out because it reminded her of me with all my kids around. When she picked up the figurine a few years later, I had five. Since both images feature seven children, we joked about wondering who the other two would turn out to be. Now I have seven children---I hope this isn't an indication that this is all I will have!

I hope you are enjoying your Blue Monday!

GIVEAWAY: I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new Wednesday linking party. Click HERE for up to 5 chances to win!

Super Easy Freezer Jam: No Canning Supplies Required!

My basil tutorial seemed to be such a hit that I thought I'd come back with a second easy one: freezer jam.

Many people would like to make their own jam but are intimidated by the process of canning and the initial cost investment that it requires. Let me say that canning your own food is very, very simple once you get the hang of it and I'd be glad to write up a tutorial if there is enough interest. However, I want my readers to be able to enjoy their own fresh berry jam without worry so I'd like to present you with a few simple steps to making your own freezer jam with no canning supplies required! This method does not take very long---in fact, I made some the other night and it was done before my bread machine finished it's 58-minute cycle!

Please be aware that this tutorial is for BERRY jam only. There are different processes in canning different jams but this process will work with any kind of berry: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.

Please also be aware that this tutorial is for FREEZER (or refrigerator) jam only. It is very important that you refrigerate or freeze this jam as soon as it has cooled. This will not be safe in your cupboard or pantry and consumption of it will lead to serious food-borne illness. It is VERY safe and delicious when it's been refrigerated or frozen.

You will begin by thoroughly washing any amount of any berry. If they're freshly picked, you'll want to look them over good for any bugs. My bushes are in a shady part of the yard that stays wet for days after rain so there are a lot of slugs and snails hanging out there. I have to check thoroughly for tiny offspring that like to hang out on my bushes! (Ewww...!!) You will probably have the best results if you have at least 2 cups of berries---but really, you can do this with any amount.

Next, place your berries into a bowl and crush them. You can use a potato masher, a pastry blender, a fork, or your bare hands if you don't mind stains! I found out that my Pampered Chef Mix 'N Chop tool works excellent for this. If you don't want seeds in your berries, you can push them through a mesh strainer sieve...but I just keep them in there. It takes less time and I get more jam that way! Besides, if you take out all the seeds then it's not jam anymore...it's jelly!

After this, you should measure your berries to see how many cups you have. You'll need equal parts berries and sugar. So, if you've got 5 cups of berries then you'll need 5 cups of sugar.










When you have an idea as to how much jam you're going to have, you'll need to round up containers. You can use regular canning jars with lids and rings---they work just fine in the freezer and the ring over the lid forms a tight enough seal for the freezer. Again, please don't leave this jam in your pantry as it will not be sealed tightly and will form deadly bacteria. You can use any container that has an airtight seal for storing your jam in the freezer. I've used Rubbermaid-type and Pyrex glass containers with the plastic lids with great results. If your jam is going right into the refrigerator, you could even just pour it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerated jam will keep for about a month---if it lasts that long!

Now it's time to cook. Mix the berries and sugar together in a large pot. I use a 16 qt. stock pot; however, not everyone has one of those! You can use any kind of saucepan but you'll want to fill it no more than half way. So, if you've got a lot of jam to make but a small pot, you'll just need to do it in batches. You are going to be boiling your jam for awhile, creating foam and splattering. If you've got your pot too full then you run the risk of boil-overs or burning. Burns from boiling sugar are some of the most painful burns!!

When your pot is about half full (or less) with the jam/sugar ratio, grab something to stir with that will keep your hand up as far as possible from the boiling jam. I have a long-handled wooden spoon that works well in my stock pot. You can use any kind of wooden, bamboo, or nylon tool. Pampered Chef scrapers work good for this. If you're not sure you've got the right tool for this, use whatever you have but wear an oven mitt to protect your hand from splatters. If you don't have an oven mitt, wrap a dish towel around your hand!

Put the pot on to cook over med-high heat. At first, you'll only need to stir until the sugar has dissolved. Let it sit there and cook until it begins to boil. Once it begins to bubble, you'll want to start watching it and stirring every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking. I don't have a problem with sticking but it all depends on the quality of saucepot you're using and how well it's distributing the heat. I stir anyway just to be on the safe side!

Once it's come to a good boil (bubbles across most of the surface) then you'll want to start timing. Don't start timing until this point because your jam will turn out a lot runnier than you'd like. (If for some reason this happens, use it for pancake syrup or ice cream topping! Again---keep it refrigerated!)

If you want your jam fairly runny (falls off the sides of the spoon when you spoon it from cooled jar) then you'll want to boil about 10 minutes. If you like it firm then boil for about 20 minutes. The longer you boil it, the firmer it will become after cooling. Important: keep in mind that the jam firms up A LOT during cooling. Do not expect to boil your jam until it reaches it's desired firmness because it will probably crystallize on you once it's cooled and it will not be edible! (Well, it might make some super sweet hard candy? Might have to try that after all...!!!)

Once you've boiled it your desired amount of time, you can either pour or scoop it into your containers. I like to use a soup ladle to ladle it out into the containers and then scrape the rest out with a spatula. You'll want to do this right away as it doesn't take very long to start becoming firm. Make sure and leave a couple inches of room at the top of the container as the jam might expand during freezing and you don't want to burst the container or the seal. If your pan is small and you're doing it in batches, it's fine to ladle the next batch on top of what you've already got in the containers.

You should let the jam cool uncovered in it's container until the container feels just slightly warm to the touch. Then you can mark it, cover it and place it either in the refrigerator or freezer. I like to mark my jam with the kind of jam it is, as well as the date I made it. It is very important that you write some sort of note on the container that it should remain refrigerated if you think you might forget or if it's possible that someone else might use it. I wrote "unsealed" on mine---that way I know that I've not actually "canned" it in a pressure or hot water bath so it's not safe without refrigeration.

I hope this tutorial has proved to be helpful and informative. I would be more than happy to answer any questions or provide further tips to my readers. You can contact me on my profile page.

Enjoy!

GIVEAWAY: I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new Wednesday linking party. Click HERE for up to 5 chances to win!

Linking up today with:

Vintage Hats...Score! Vintage Thingie Thursday

I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new linking party! Read through for details!

Today is Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady's blog. Take some time to visit some of the other participants for a look at some great vintage finds! Maybe you'd even consider playing on your blog...it's amazing what you've got around your house that is vintage! Besides, vintage is relative...my Annie doll from 1984 is vintage to me---but many participants feel like 1984 was just last week! Enjoy!












A couple of months ago, I was out shopping yard sales when I came across this box of vintage hats. I was more interested in the hat box than the hats but I figured my girls would have fun playing dress up and I could use the neat box to store pictures or something! I asked what she wanted for it and she asked if $5 for the whole thing was too high. Ha Ha Ha Ha...um..no. So I had myself some hats!

Lynzie, 10, has already enjoyed wearing the white flowered spring bonnet to church on several occasions. It's her favorite church hat! I asked her to model them all for me...well, all except the one I gave to Selah, 4.

Here's Lynzie's favorite. This spring bonnet was made by a fellow Washingtonian...I don't know how long ago. The tag inside says, "Hats by Lee Helmick" and gives an address in Westport, Washington. It is made out of some kind of plastic straw---feels like grocery store bags. There are multi-colored flowers all around it and it has a white tie for under the neck. She looks adorable in it!
















Next up is the Scarlet O'Hara hat. I don't think this one is very old....maybe 20 years but I doubt it. It's got a VERY large brim and a cream colored ribbon.











This next creation is sort of turban-ish. It's a plastic-coated wire frame with tulle wrapped all around it. A big yellow flower is attached to the front (I'm assuming we've got this on right?) Lynzie's not sure but thinks it might be a little gaudy for her tastes. She's keeping it anyway though, just in case!

The fourth hat is my favorite but my hair is too thick for it to look right. Lynzie, whose hair is thicker but head is smaller, wears it just right.

The inside of this one says "Doeskin Felt, 100% wool, Geo. W. Bollmans & Co., Inc., Made in U.S.A." I love how it ties under her neck and just looks so...I don't know...sorta like Miss Grace in the movie Annie.








Lynzie's last hat sorta brings out her artsy side. This is a modern reproduction of a 1920s-30s look. It's a black, crushed velvet hat that she likes to wear sorta sideways.

Now we get to my favorite part, the box! I think this is just the cutest thing. The bottom of the box is black and the sides of the top half are black and white stripes. Here is the picture on the top of the box.











I'm assuming it's just a generic sort of box that any hat-seller would use but I think it's just adorable.




Lastly, we've got Selah modeling her adorable little hat. This one was so small that she's the only one of us three









who could wear it. I think it's a pretty cute little look for her!

I like how the inside of it is lined so prettily.












I hope you enjoyed these lovely ladies and their pretty little hats today! Make sure and visit other vintage thingies at Vintage Thingie Thursday!

GIVEAWAY: I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new Wednesday linking party. Click HERE for up to 5 chances to win!