Homemaking on the Homestead

Today's video is on making on of my favorite, easy, go to meals, Easy Crockpot Chicken Chili. I love this meal because it is so easy to throw together. My most loved crockpot meals are ones that don't take a lot of prep ahead of time and I can have the basic pantry ingredients on my shelf ready to go. These types of meals are perfect for busy days at home or when you just need to get dinner started before you head out for the day.    You can find the recipe for this meal here: http://homesteadinghomemaker.blogspot.com/2014/08/crockpot-recipes-im-up-and-running-again.html Also if you'd like to sign up for my YouTube Channel you can do that here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5muL8lxJ2Chiv_ikuZT5nQ   Hope you find the video helpful!!  

Well.. November is still a few days away.. but, with my hectic October I did not get one posted.. and now I'm ready to tackle a few thing around my home.. So my 'Homemaking Challenge” for November is a little fall cleaning and some organizing. My windows need some attention, so window cleaning is on the list.    Dust & cobwebs. I don't know about you but with my doors and windows open all summer long I see dust and cobwebs. I'm going vacuum them up, move some furniture around and vacuum the hidden spots and prepare for the holidays!  And finally.. I have a few kitchen cupboards that need a little organizing. My baking cupboard, while not horrible, is in need of having everything pulled out and wiped down and organized. This will make fall/holiday baking much easier! So.. are you with me girls? A little fall cleaning and getting the kitchen organized for holiday baking!!    

Another week seemed to just fly on by here on my homestead and now it's time for the weekly menu once again. How is your menu planning going this week? Monday Easy crockpot chicken chili, tortilla chips & salsa, veggie platter (this did not get made last week).... Tuesday Teriyaki pork riblets, grilled veggies, rice Wednesday Chicken bacon chowder , biscuits, salad Thursday Leftovers Friday Homemade Pizza Saturday Crockpot french dip sandwiches, creamy onion soup , carrot sticks Sunday Bibimbap (Korean meal that Leanne will be making)    

I decided to wade into the video world. On Saturday Leanne was making some delicious soup for our dinner and I decided challah bread would go great with it. So my first video is on how to braid a 6 braid challah loaf. In the video I do not show how to make the bread itself. (if you'd like a bread making video.. let me know.. ;) I've posted the recipe below so you can make this bread as well. I enjoyed making the video and would like to do more of them, if anyone would be interested. If you have something you would like to see me do a video on, please let me know! I'm new at this video making thingy and have a lot to learn.. so excuse all the little mistakes.. Ha, ha, ha... ~smile~ But for now.. here is my first video.. Challah - Makes 3 Loaves Crystal Miller 1/3 cup warm water 2 T yeast 1 ½ cups warm water ¼ cup butter ¼ cup olive oil 1 T salt ½ cup sugar 4 eggs 7 to 9 cups flour (white, or half white/half wheat) In a small measurin...

I know I've shared recipes in the past on making pizza. Somehow homemade pizza never gets old!! We are not weekly pizza people. I have a few friends that serve it weekly. I've never done that, but do see the appeal! Not long ago we had a pizza night. I have young boys in the house and to them it's not pizza unless it has pepperoni on it. So I made 3 pizza's. Two were pepperoni for the boys (and my hubby) and the other my daughter and I called.. the girls pizza. It was bbq chicken, bacon, feta with a white sauce. It was amazing!! I began by making 3 pizza crusts. Here is my recipe.. My Basic Pizza Crust Makes 3 crust 2 Tbs yeast ¾ c warm water 6 ½ to 7 cups flour 1 ½ c warm water 1 TBS salt 4 ½ T olive oil In a mixer such as a Bosch or a Kitchen Aid add yeast and warm water. Let it sit for a few minutes to dissolve and activate. Add 2 cups of flour and all remaining ingredients. Mix dough well adding the extra flour until the dough will not st...

  It was a busy week last week for me!  Hubby and I got away for a few days, my son has recovered perfectly from his surgery..  and my blogging was neglected..  This week should be back to normal for me!!  :)  How is your menu planning going this week?    Monday Asian sauced meatballs, brown rice pilaf, salad Tuesday Fish sticks, mac & cheese, green beans Wednesday Kalua pork , garlic roasted potatoes, coleslaw Thursday Leftovers Friday Easy crockpot chicken chili , tortilla chips & salsa, veggie platter Saturday Cheeseburger soup, dinner rolls, salad Sunday Leftovers    

    Our weather is cooling down a lot this week!   So a little soup and chili is on the menu. Monday Tacos, chips & salsa Tuesday Fish sticks, mac & cheese, salad Wednesday Turkey burgers, potato salad, fruit Thursday Leftovers Friday Navy bean soup, crackers, veggie platter Saturday Chili, cornbread, salad Sunday Crockpot chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans  

So many of you were so very sweet to tell me back in July when he had his ruptured appendix that you were praying for my son. I thank you for that!! The final step in this was surgery to remove what was left of his appendix. They no longer operate right away. My son spent 5 days in the hospital in July on antibiotics and got rid of the infection. Came home and spent a couple more weeks on antibiotics and then surgery was scheduled 6 weeks later (plus a little longer to fit in the doctors surgery schedule). My son had his appendectomy this morning. It went very well, very straight forward, no complications. They originally told us he'd have to spend the night. However 2 hours after surgery he was up and eating a cheeseburger.. Ha, ha!! So his surgeon wanted him to stay until the evening and if his pain was under control and he wanted to go home, he could. By 6:00 he was sleepy (due to pain meds), but ready to come home. They discharged us and currently he is snuggled ...

Ooohhh... this was yummy!! Nothing says fall to me like a hot apple crisp smothered in vanilla ice cream. What a yummy treat.. my family loved it... and it was easy to make... Apple Crisp 5#'s apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin ¼ cup sugar (add a tablespoon more if your apples are tart) 1 ½ t cinnamon ½ t salt Topping 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup rolled oats 2/3 cup flour 1 cube/stick cold butter, cut into small pieces In a large bowl combine apples, ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon and salt. Put this mixture in a 9x13 pan that has been greased. I used coconut oil to grease my pan. In a smaller bowl make the topping. Combine the brown sugar, rolled oats, and flour. Add the butter and using your clean hands combine until you have clumps of butter and dry ingredients all mixed together nicely. Put topping over apple mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes. When it is done, scoop out servings and top with vanilla ice cream for an amazing desser...

I had a couple meals from last week that I did not get made.. so they will make an appearance on the menu this week.  Monday Leftover chicken pot pie, salad Tuesday Chili dogs, potato chips, salad Wednesday Homemade pizza, salad Thursday Leftovers Friday Fend for yourself night.. ~smile~ I'll be at the hospital with my son, this is his scheduled surgery day. I'll leave sandwich ingredients and fruit for those at home.. Saturday Crockpot chicken chili, chips & salsa, salad Sunday Korean pot roast, brown rice, salad        

If you're wanting to make a fall/pumpkin recipe and realize it calls for pumpkin pie spice and you don't have any... never fear.. you can make it easily yourself... Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute 1T cinnamon 1t nutmeg 1t ginger ½ t ground cloves Put all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until combined... Store in an air tight container and use in any recipe calling for “pumpkin pie spice”..    

  Well it happened.. everyone in my household got a cold... the first of the season. I have a few recipes that I make when we all come down with the “yuck”... but this year I wanted something that would be simple to take and easy to make. This recipe was my experiment. I took the best parts of so many cold fighting cures and combined them into one remedy. Gather your ingredients together... Put it all in a blender... Blend until smooth.  Store in a canning jar in the fridge. When you need some.. take 1T to 2T as needed. I found this to be very effective. Helped to clear noses and heads. Our colds seemed to last about 3 to 4 days.. of course I don't know if this was just this particular strain of cold.. or this remedy... but the remedy certainly did help relieve symptoms. I've only used this remedy on adults. I can't say it would be a good or bad for children, I would just use your common sense. The cayenne pepper in it might make it a...

The temps are cooling and it's beginning to feel a lot more like fall here in my part of the world. I decided it was time to break out the pumpkin puree and do some baking. I made these pumpkin cookies the other night. They are very good and went just perfect with an afternoon cup of coffee. They are a soft cookie with a cake like texture. I will say that the frosting made 'just' enough frosting for the 3 dozen cookies. If you want your cookies with extra frosting, be sure to increase the recipe. Frosted Pumpkin Cookies 2 cups flour 1t baking powder ½ t baking soda 1t cinnamon ½ t salt ½ allspice ½ t ginger 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup pureed pumpkin (canned pumpkin) 1 egg 1t vanilla In a mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice and ginger. In a mixer (Kitchen Aid or Bosch) add butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat again. ...