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Showing posts from September, 2013

Menu Monday and a Blogging Break

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Monday Chicken rice Mexican casserole (using chicken instead of hamburger), refried beans , salad Tuesday Chili, chips & salsa, salad Wednesday Hamburgers w/all the trimmings Thursday Fish sticks, mac & cheese , salad Friday Leftovers Saturday Tomato soup , ham sandwiches, salad Sunday Breakfast for dinner: cheese omelets, french toast, peaches   As for the break… I’m taking a short blogging break this week.. I’ll be back on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week!!  

Canning Spaghetti Sauce and a Day with my Daughter & Grandbabies

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I had a great day this last week making and canning spaghetti sauce with my daughter Hannah. I’ve not done a lot of canning this year. It’s been a busy, stressful year for me. If you are a regular reader of my blog then you know that back in January I was hospitalized for a staph infection in my right hand. I had a small cut that caused me major amounts of pain and recovery time. I never knew just how intricate and complicated the hand was until this happened. Who would have known that an infection and a couple weeks of not being able to use my hand would end up with months of physical therapy and recovery and as of today I still do not have complete use of my hand (mostly my middle two fingers). And I may never regain full use but what I do have I’m learning to work with; all that to say, I chose not to plant my usual huge garden. I kept it small because I was not sure what I would be able to do. I did plant several tomato plants. And they are coming ripe now. I had en

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

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These sandwiches were a huge hit at my house last week. I had a frozen 3# pork shoulder roast. I put in the crockpot on low before I went to bed. I let it cook through the night and until the afternoon the next day. When it was well cooked and falling apart tender I removed the meat from the crockpot and took off all the fat. I shredded the meat and put it in a stock pot. I poured bbq sauce over it all and heated it up. I served it on buns with coleslaw. It was sooo yummy! I tried out a new bbq sauce recipe. I found it here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Big-Als-KC-Bar-B-Q-Sauce/Detail.aspx?evt19=1   Honestly it was the best bbq sauce I’ve made. It made a big batch and I did not use it all. I added maybe a cup or so? Not sure because I just added it and mixed it up until it looked right to me. I made my own coleslaw from my recipe: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/coleslaw1.htm   I served it with potato chips for a tasty and easy meal!!

Menu Monday!!

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Monday Meatloaf , baked potatoes, salad Tuesday Baked pork chops, brown rice pilaf, garlic butter roasted mushrooms , salad Wednesday Chicken tacos w/all the trimmings, chips & salsa Thursday Leftovers Friday Swedish meatballs over egg noodles, salad Saturday Bean & bacon soup, cheesy biscuits , salad Sunday Leftovers

Chicken Bacon Pizza with White Sauce

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I spent my Saturday in the kitchen making pizza. I was in the mood to try something different. It was, admittedly, a bit time consuming. But the end results were soooo good!! It was the first time I’ve ever made a white sauce for pizza and I think it turned out awesome. I will certainly be making this again. I began by making the pizza dough (I made 2 pizzas). You can use any type of pizza dough you would like. Store bought, whole wheat, etc.. I made gluten free pizza dough. Sierra said she thought it was perfect for this pizza. I’ve made the gluten free pizza dough several times and always like it as alternative to whole wheat. Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe Makes 1- 12 inch crust 2/3 cup warm water 1T yeast ½ t sugar or honey 2/3 cup brown rice flour ½ cup + 2 T tapioca flour 2t xanthan gum ½ t salt 1t Italian seasonings ½ t oregano 1 egg 1t olive oil 1t cider vinegar In a small bowl combine warm water, yeast and sugar (or honey). Set aside to get f

Homemakers Homestead

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Years ago I started a Yahoo group in connection with my website ( The Family Homestead ). Then I moved to a message board. I ran the message board for 9+ years. I recently closed the message board down due to the time it takes for me to run it. There were issues that were beyond what I had time to deal with. The message board was called, Homemakers Homestead. Instead I created a Face Book group with the same name. It has been up and running for about 2 weeks now. I’m enjoying this much more and the work to maintain it is not anywhere near as time consuming. The group is intended for Christian women who want to live out their Titus 2 role in life. To ask questions, give encouragement, and give advice on any type of homemaking and homesteading subject. If you would like to join in with this group you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/570231246376765/   I look forward to seeing and meeting many of you who would like to join the group. If you do

Nature Journaling

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Over the years I’ve loved the idea of journaling. However I’ve not done a lot of it. For several years when my kids were young I would do a daily journal. I do treasure those journals. I’ve had my kids do a few types of journals such as journals for school topics, holiday journals. But not nearly enough in my opinion. Journaling is wonderful way to capture thoughts, pictures, times in life. Sometimes knowing what and how to journal is the biggest obstacle to making journaling part of everyday life. One day I was visiting various blogs. I was looking at recipes, homemaking tips, etc… and somehow through the wonder of links I ended up on this blog: http://anaturalnester.blogspot.com/   A Natural Nester. I loved this nice lady's blog right away. Beautiful pictures, gardens, recipes and much more. Then I saw she was offering an ecourse for fall journaling called “A Sense of Place: Fall”. Being a mom I immediately thought of my daughter, Sierra. I looked over the cour

Menu Monday

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  The weather is cooling down!  I figured some soups would be good this week.  And I have a couple new recipes to try out that I'll share if they turn out good!  :)   Monday Chili , chips & salsa, salad Tuesday Pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw , chips Wednesday Coconut chicken tomato soup, garlic cheese biscuits , salad Thursday Leftovers Friday Bean & bacon soup, french bread, salad Saturday Bbq chicken pizza w/white sauce, salad Sunday Leftovers  

Using my Zucchini

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I spent yesterday afternoon in the kitchen dealing with my zucchini (and cooking dinner :) .. I did not have enough to can or turn into pickles and such. But it did need to be dealt with. Here is what I did… I had this huge one…. I have no idea how Isaac and I both missed this one.. one day there is nothing, a couple days later there are a few almost ready.. then wham.. I think this was hiding .. LOL.. When they get this big, honestly the best use I’ve found for them is to cut them up and freeze them to use in Veggie Broth . I often save my veggie scraps to make veggie broth. Last year I cut up and froze several for this purpose and used them all. So I chopped up this monster and ended up with 3 gallon bags…. Then I took a few more (reasonable sized) zucchini and cut them in half, scooped out the seeds, sautéed them and put them on a tray to flash freeze. I explained this process here Finally I took another zucchini and made a double batch of Chocolate

Recipes from my Kitchen

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Last night I made a delish and pretty simple dinner. I had caramelized baked chicken, cheaters potato salad and a tomato cucumber salad. It was really good and my family ate it up no problems! The chicken recipe comes from HERE . My daughter told me she tried it and sent me the recipe. It was so good and very easy. The potato salad… well, I called it “Cheaters Potato Salad”. I’ve made this a couple times now and really enjoy it a lot. I purchased a 2# bag of frozen southern hash browns. These are hash browns that are in the little cubes instead of being shredded. Saved me the steps of peeling and cutting up the potatoes. First you need to cook the hash brown potatoes. You can do this anyway you would like. I poked several holes in the bag of hash browns with a fork and then put them in the microwave. I cooked them for about 10 minutes, stopping every few minutes to shake up the bag. After they are cooked I put them in a bowl. At this point you can continue to m

Menu Monday!

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Monday Sour cream enchiladas (did not get made last week, so it’s on the menu tonight!), chips & salsa, salad, cantaloupe Tuesday Spaghetti made from fresh tomatoes (my tomatoes are starting to come in!), french bread, salad Wednesday Carmalized chicken legs (using this glaze recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Caramelized-Baked-Chicken/Detail.aspx?evt19=1   ), brown rice, cucumber tomato salad Thursday Baked pork chops, pesto pasta, salad Friday Leftovers Saturday Beef & rice chile relleno casserole , refried beans , salad Sunday Buffalo chicken & potato casserole, coleslaw

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

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My summer gardens always have me working overtime to figure out the best use of all the zucchini that comes my way. Even just planting 3 plants this year is giving me a challenge to work on! Actually I kind of enjoy it the challenge. Zucchini is yummy, has a variety of ways to cook it, store it, save it, etc.. something just feels good to me knowing I’ve been able to use and preserve as much of this summer bounty as possible. I never buy zucchini so it is a once a year challenge that can give lasting results all year! I made some chocolate zucchini bread the other day. It was easy to throw together, moist and delicious and my family ate it up without complaints!! Chocolate Zucchini Bread 2 eggs ½ cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1t vanilla ½ c olive oil 1 c whole wheat pastry flour (or whatever type of flour you use) ½ c baking cocoa 1t baking soda ¼ t baking powder ¼ t salt 1 t cinnamon 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini ¾ cup chocolate chips In a mixer (Kitchen ai

Happy Birthday Leanne!!

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My daughter Leanne turns 22 tomorrow. She is currently in S. Korea and is celebrating her birthday today as Korea is one day ahead of us. She has had quite an experience living and working in S. Korea. She has learned so much. She has learned how to teach 4th & 5th graders, how to deal with children who don’t want to be there, adjusted to Korean culture, made new friends, adjusted to different weather and living in a very big dense city. Many changes! She has handled them all so well. She will be coming home in December. In just about 3 months I will be able to see her in person, give her a hug and welcome her back home. This is the first birthday she has not been with family. So many changes come in life as your children grow. This is not the first time one of my children has not been home during their birthday or holidays. But it never gets easier! I miss her very much, but, am so proud of her work and accomplishments and thankful that she has been able to live

Menu Monday!

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Had a busy weekend with family & traveling and am just now getting to posting the weekly menu…  Monday Dinner at my in-law’s home! Tuesday Ham sandwiches, chips, cantaloupe Wednesday Fish sticks, potato salad, salad Thursday Tuna noodle casserole , salad Friday Leftovers Saturday Sour cream enchiladas , tortilla chips, salad Sunday Kielbasa sautéed with onions & mushrooms, coleslaw , buttered egg noodles