Holiday Punch!!!!

I had a GREAT day today!!! :-D

First, I finished my cabinet boards!  Yay!!  I stained the rest of them and painted a coat of urethane on them, it gives them the perfect finish.....

And look at this piece.....

I love that old looking edge!  I'll have to use that on some part of the cabinet, it's perfect!!
Now, at least, they are ready for the weekend -- I'll be able to get Brian to finish my cabinet!  YAY!! :-D

After that (and lunch), I made grape juice!!!  It's so fun because it's easy and so different.....who ever cans their own juice?? LOL  This smelled heavenly while it cooked, too!
I started with my grapes.....

These are just basic red grapes from the store.....I only buy them for juice when they are .99/lb or less because that's the only way that it's worth it, cost-wise. 
I also added Muscadine grapes, to enhance the yumminess......

They have such a unique flavor, they are perfect in juice! :-D
All the grapes go into a huge pot together, and then I fill it to the top with water.....

.....then I get it boiling.....

Once they soften from simmering, they float, isn't that funny!? :-D  This smells so good while it cooks!
After they cook for a while (45 minutes to an hour), I push them down and mash them as much as I can, breaking open the skins.....

The pulp doesn't float! :-D  I cook this for a little while longer (30-40 minutes)....I want to cook all the flavor out of those grapes!!
Once they are cooked enough, it's time to strain them -- I do it in two steps.....

I use a regular colander the first time, and I press all the liquid I can from the pulp!
Next, I use a strainer.....

I stir the smaller pulp around to get all the liquid out of it....then I'm left with my juice!!  People who like a very clear juice can strain it a third time, through cheesecloth, but I don't care about that - two strainings is enough for me!
I cook the juice again.....

I added 1 cup of sugar, and if you like it sweeter, you can add up to 2 cups for the best flavor -- any more and it's too sweet!
This time, I wanted to make a special drink for Thanksgiving or Christmas, so I added some flavorings....

.....some cinnamon sticks, and 3 tablespoons of rum flavoring! :-D  It smelled soooo yummy!!
I let it cook on low for awhile, maybe an hour, just to get the most flavor out of the cinnamon sticks.  Look at how they uncurl while cooking.....

Isn't that funny!
After the final cooking, I ladle the juice into jars and process it in the water canner!  Here is the first batch waiting for their lids.....

And here are all my pretty jars, cooling off.....

I think I'm going to call it Holiday Punch!!! :-D

So there you go....the simple steps to make your own juice!
Tomorrow, I want to do some baking -- I have a banana bread recipe, and maybe make some pear bread....if you haven't tried pear bread, you don't know what you are missing!

We still have the little puppy.....

Isn't that sweet?!!!  She has put on more weight, and is starting to look like she should!  And it's wonderful that she sleeps all night long - what a relief!  I couldn't have a dog around that kept me awake!!

I feel great about getting those things done today.....let's see what I get to tomorrow!!! ^-^