Updates from the Homestead

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Hard to believe the month is flying by so quickly! Yesterday my daughters Sierra and Leanne and I went shopping and I finished up the last of my Christmas shopping. I still have one more gift to get out in the mail and now a lot of wrapping to do! :) I got my daughter Emily’s box packed and took it to the post office.. and spent half my life savings mailing it to her! LOL.. it was not that bad, but it was a bit of sticker shock! What a mama won’t do for her babes.. you know? ~smile~ .. But the best part of it all is she got it in one week and was just thrilled! It was worth it all to know how excited she was to receive all the goodies.

We have had a flu bug going through the house. It’s been the cough, fever, achy muscle type thing. I think we are all pretty much past it now. We rarely get this sick; in fact I told Tobin that it has been years since I can remember the whole household being sick with something more than that common cold. I guess our immune systems were due for a workout! LOL.. I just kept lots of herbal tea brewing, and encouraged everyone to drink lots of water and I stocked up on oranges for some extra vitamin C.  It is nice to be past this now, it is not the greatest time of the year to be sick.

We finally got our Christmas tree up and decorated it last night….


Always makes me feel more festive once the tree is up.

This week I am focusing on getting some Christmas baking done. I will share with you as I get it done.. I need to get my cookies baked and in the freezer. Dessert for Christmas Day is always cookies. I bake several types and freeze them so they will be ready for Christmas.

I thought I would leave this blog post with my latest favorite recipe, Fish Tacos. I absolutely love them! And so does the family. I also found something at Costco that I am pretty happy with.. You bake them tortillas. On the down side they are white flour. I use to buy whole wheat tortillas from Azure Standard and really loved them. However for reasons I am not completely aware of the cost of the tortillas almost doubled. I could not bring myself to pay $40 a case for them. It was just too much for my budget. I started looking for alternatives and what I found at the grocery store is, in my opinion, just yucky. I read the ingredients list on the tortillas on the shelf and they are loaded with junk.. so that was not an option. I can make them, but right now I needed something simpler.. So I was intrigued when I saw these tortillas at Costco. They had 4 ingredients, flour, oil, salt, water.. that kind of made up for some of the fact that the flour is not whole wheat.. LOL.. and they taste yummy! You fry them up yourself to cook them when you need them. They also freeze just fine. I froze some of them and they were fine after they defrosted.

Now onto the recipe…

Fish Tacos
3 lbs white fish (I use tilapia, but any type of white fish will work) this amount was what I needed to feed my family. This recipe is very versatile you can use less fish to suit your own needs
½ of a large onion, chopped
3T chili powder
3t cumin
1T lime juice
salt, to taste
taco trimmings – lettuce, tomatoes, sliced olives, avocado is good too..
flour tortilla
Cheese – I think cheese is optional, I like mine without cheese
salsa

Chop up fish into bite size chunks…


Cook fish and onion in frying pan until the fish is done and the onion is soft. Add the spices and lime juice and a little salt to taste..


Now serve like you would regular tacos….


And enjoy! These are easy to make and taste great!!

That is all from the homestead for now.. :)
 

Comments

  1. Mama G @ bigcraftyblog.blogspot.comDecember 17, 2010 at 7:50 AM

    If you get a chance, try cabbage instead of lettuce sometimes. It adds a really interesting flavor.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaryDecember 17, 2010 at 8:49 AM

    Yumm, those tacos look delicious!

    I think it's interesting that you mentioned using herbal teas for your flu. I've been reading up on herbal remedies lately and it's a fascinating learning curve. I think we avoided an all out flu breakout in our home when our oldest came down with it by doing a few of the things that were recommended. Ginger was one of the key ingredients.

    Merry Christmas!

    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 17, 2010 at 10:21 AM

    Crystal,
    Would you please share your recipes for the types of Christmas cookies you serve?
    TIA,
    Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 17, 2010 at 8:07 PM

    I am increasing my tea intake, trying to cut down on my soda... I love herbal teas and drink them without any sweetener at all, that way I can get the full flavor of the herb...

    ReplyDelete
  5. KellieDecember 17, 2010 at 8:21 PM

    You should try napa cabbage on your fish tacos. I usually shred the cabbage and make a dressing of part ranch and part green tomatillo salsa....fabulous!
    I can hardly wait to try this recipe...and I am excited that you mentioned the tortillas. I saw them the other day at the grocery store and wondered about them....might have to try them too!
    Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  6. donnaDecember 20, 2010 at 3:21 PM

    I needed to ask you a question. For over a year now I have been making my own laundry detergent using your recipe. My towels, washcloths, napkins etc have not responded well to using this detergent. They have lost their absorbency. It is like they have a water repellant on them. I have tried many different things to correct this. I have used vinegar in my rinse cycle, used fabric softener, not used fabric softener, rinsed them in warm water. Nothing seems to help. I was wondering if you had any idea what could be causing this and what I could do to fix it. I really like making my own detergent. It is so much cheaper and I just like knowing I made it instead of bought it. I hope you can help. Thanks and God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  7. MissEmyDecember 21, 2010 at 11:48 AM

    I really did love my package mom! Thank you so much! My room smells like coffee now which is almost like going to coffee shops all the time. LOVE LOVE LOVE :D Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  8. DDecember 22, 2010 at 11:55 AM

    so good to read what you are up to! just love you way with recipes, and all things homestead....Christmas blessings...D.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cozy Seaside HomemakerJanuary 14, 2011 at 8:03 AM

    This looks really good I want to try it! How much do you pay for talipia? My store is selling it for 5.99 a lb - how does that compare in price? If I bout 3 lbs that would be an extravagant dinner for us . . .

    ReplyDelete
  10. CrystalJanuary 14, 2011 at 11:03 AM

    Cozy Seaside, tilapia is about the same price has hamburger is here.. you don't have you use it. Any type of white fish will work. I would also not be paying $5.99 a pound for it, but would look for a less expensive alternative.

    ReplyDelete

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