Nobody should leave me home alone with a full pantry and a free day. I’m not saying I’m dangerous. I’m saying that by bedtime there was pop in the fridge, soup in jars, chili on the stove, and a neighbor with a care package.
This is what happens when Granny goes unsupervised.
New Players in the Pop Game
The laboratory was open for business, and two new flavors joined the lineup: apple and black cherry.
But I didn’t stop at new flavors. I changed the formula, too. I’ve been using ¾ to 1 cup of ginger bug per bottle, following a recipe from another blogger. No shade on her recipe at all. It’s delicious! But this round, I used only about ¼ cup per bottle to see if I can use less bug and get the same-ish results. It’s my laboratory, and experiments shall be made.
Will it bubble like the others? Will it fall flat and embarrass me in front of all of you? I don’t know yet. That’s the fun part.
The laboratory will report back. (Update: it did!)
Soup for Me, Soup for You
Next up was chicken and rice soup, the cozy, simple kind that makes the whole house smell like somebody loves you.
My sweet neighbor has been feeling under the weather, so a jar went next door. That’s really what soup is for, isn’t it? It’s a hug you can heat up. Cooking is my love language, and sometimes the kindest thing I can say comes in a quart jar.
Putting Up the Soup Blend
The soup sent me down a side path, because of course it did.
Full disclosure: I bought a gallon of freeze-dried soup blend (potatoes, carrots, onions, and peppers). It was meant for my canine kids’ food. Yes, my dogs eat better than some people. More on that in another post.
But a gallon is a lot of soup blend, so I put up 3 quarts for winter soups. Into clean, dry jars it went, with an oxygen absorber in each one, then sealed. Now they sit on the shelf ready to toss into a pot whenever a cold day calls for soup.
A quick note on this method: this is dry storage, not canning. Freeze-dried food plus an oxygen absorber plus a good seal keeps moisture and air out. You won’t see me heating dry food in the oven to seal jars (sometimes called oven or dry canning). The food safety folks recommend against it, so I don’t do it.
Chili, No Recipe Required
By then it was supper time, and the puppy brain wanted chili.
I’m going to be honest: there’s no special recipe here. It’s 3 cans of assorted chili beans, onions, browned hamburger, diced tomatoes, and seasonings, simmered until it smells right. That’s it.
And it was delicious. Sometimes the best meals are the ones you don’t overthink. Not everything has to be a project. Some things just have to be warm and in a bowl.
The Damage Report
One unsupervised day:
- 4 bottles of pop (2 brand-new flavors, 1 experiment)
- 1 pot of chicken and rice soup
- 1 jar of soup delivered next door
- 3 quarts of soup blend put up for winter
- 1 pot of chili
- 0 regrets
I’d call that a good day.
Your Turn
What do you get up to when you’re home alone with a free day? I want to know if I’m the only one who turns into a one-woman production line. Email me at [email protected].
And stay tuned for the pop results. The laboratory never sleeps. (It does. Usually by 9.)
— Granny
📸 real photos
