Another full day

Today was another busy one for us here. This morning I got the remainder of the chicken stock canned and all that I have canned has sealed. You know stock is good when you can refrigerate it and it jells like jello. It had to be heated before I could put it in the jars to process. But its all done.
This afternoon I got started painting the root cellar on the inside. We had only bought 1 gallon of epoxy paint and that did the four walls. Then the son was off to the local hardware store to purchase another one. Lucky it was half price. Just happened to be a lighter color which was OK. I used a roller to put the paint on and lined my paint tray with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Good thing too because the paint really adheres well. Got the ceiling and floor done and decided to also paint the back wall the lighter color to make the cellar a little lighter inside. This will also make it easier to clean and disinfect when the time comes.
Jason used the pressure washer to clean all the mud and debris off the footer that is exposed on the outside in preparation for the water proofing which he is going to put on tomorrow. After that dries a while then the drain line will be put around the base of the cellar and covered with a layer of gravel and then straw, which will be hay in our case. This prevents the dirt from sifting through the gravel and clogging the drain line over time. All this requires is a strong back and weak mind, and I am pretty sure we can handle that.
Here is a little treat that you may enjoy.

Fudge Batter Pudding

2 tablespoons butter melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour(plain)
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 2/3 cup boiling water

Mix butter, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla together. Sift flour,3 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, add alternately to above mixture with milk. Mix well and add nuts and blend. set aside while you prep the pan.
Mix together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and boiling water. Pour this into a 10 by 6 inch baking dish. Drop batter by tablespoons full into pan on top of this mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Serve warm. Sauce will thicken when it cools.
(This is like a brownie floating in hot fudge sauce, awesome with vanilla ice cream)
Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

stella