Homemaking on the Homestead

  I had a couple of questions on the bagel recipe after I posted it..   One was from Halflinger : I guess I don't quite understand bake and boil?     After the bagels have risen once you then boil each one according to the recipe and then lay them back on your cookie sheet and bake them in the oven.   Another question was from Anonymous Crystal , when do you add the cinn/raisins to the bagels?   I did not give that option on the original recipe but will do that now!   When you add the flour add 2 t. cinnamon and right before you start kneading add ½ to ¾ cup raisins.   Continue on with the recipe as stated.      

My girls found this on someone’s blog (sorry they can’t remember who’s blog it was!)…   But it was just too good not to share..

  I mentioned in an earlier blog posting that I would share about feeding a large group of people... Well at least a larger than normal group..    That is what I was doing when my son (an Army eating machine.. LOL..) and then a few days later my sil and niece were here (and a visit from other family for one night)..   and I have fed larger groups in the past for a few days at a time   One of the most important things to do is PLAN !!   I had menus worked out for all the meals.   I also chose foods that I could easily double or triple in order to make plenty.   For this particular visit I first planned ahead on breakfast.   Most all breakfast mornings were ‘continental’ meals.   Meaning I had no cooking to do in the mornings.   I was able to enjoy the visit time and not spend all my time in the kitchen.   Before they arrived I made a quadruple batch of my granola .   That filled 4 one gallon jars.   T...

  This link was posted by one of my moderators on my board and my girls and I found it fascinating…..   And I was kind of shocked to see all the junk food people eat in countries where I would not have expected it.   We have ordered the book from the library to read more.   http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html  

Sunday Lasagna Salad French bread or garlic toast   Monday Nacho’s for a Crowd Salad Watermelon   Tuesday Hamburgers on the grill w/all the trimmings   Wednesday Ranch House Chicken Casserole Salad   Thursday Crab Alfredo over penne pasta Salad   Friday Chinese Chicken Salad Egg rolls (homemade)   Saturday Pot roast in crockpot Garlic potatoes Carrot raisin salad   I will try and post recipes through the week!  

I came up with this meal on a whim.   Was not sure what I was going to make for dinner tonight.   I first started by getting some rice on to soak this morning.   Then pulled out 1 lb. of beef stew meat to start defrosting.   Later the meal idea hit me.. LOL..   I put 2 cups of pinto beans into a soup pot, added the stew meat, 8 cups of water and 1T salt.   I put this on to boil for 2 ½ hours.   About an hour before dinner I started cooking the brown rice.   Then I finished up the beef and beans.   I served the beef/bean mixture over the brown rice.   It was fantastic.   To go along with our dinner Emily cut up some cantaloupe, we had some salad left over from last night’s dinner and we had Cowboy Cookies for dessert that Sierra had made yesterday.   Here is the recipe:   2 cups dry pinto beans 1lb. beef stew meat 8 cups water 1 T salt 1 onion, chopped Jalapeno peppers (fresh or from a jar), chopped (as many a...

  Emily received her GED this spring and the local community college that gives the GED prep classes gave a graduation ceremony for those that had received this.   In the past my other children never really felt the desire to attend this, they were happy with their achievement.. it was enough for them.   But Emily had wanted to attend.   So we did..   Here she is in her cap and gown..       And here is a pic of all the grads.. it was a larger turnout than I had thought it would be!       I had an anonymous commenter say they had some questions about the GED..   so if you are reading this, ask away and I will try and answer them.  

  Our family has gone home now and we are getting back into the swing of life again. The last two days my kids have had end of the year testing done ( CAT testing) and Jacob and Leanne have a few more math lessons to finish up and they will be done for the school year.   Today it is time to go to the feed store and then to Costco for groceries.   I also have to take care of a few misc things in prep for my girls mission trip to Mexico , which is coming up very quickly!     The weather in the last few days has been so nice..   sunny and warm.    Today will be a bit cooler so that should be nice for a day in town.   I will try and get back this week to post some great recipes and talk about how I fed a house full of hungry people for several days!!     Before I end this post, I thought I would share a few pics of my bil’s wedding.   It was such a nice wedding!     My BIL and new SIL and more family (my son in u...

It has been so long since I sat to blog!!   My life has been a whirlwind of activity in this month.   Yesterday my hubby and I took our son to the airport after spending a little over 2 weeks with him.   It was a wonderful visit and we so enjoyed just soaking up the family time with him.   It was a little sad to hug good bye..     My sister in law is still here visiting with us along with my niece.   We are loving their visit!!   They will be leaving tomorrow and I know it will be another sad hug goodbye..   but we are all left with wonderful memories of time spent together.   My bil was married last Saturday in a beautiful wedding ceremony.   It was touching and sweet.   My son was the best man and looked so handsome in his military dress uniform.     We also attended my daughter Emily’s GED graduation ceremony on Saturday morning and then made a mad rush to the church for the wedding right afterwards… ...

  Right now for the month of June I am running a little special. ~~ Buy 3 bars of soap (any type) and you will receive a 4th bar (my choice) free!~~ http://crystalscountrystore.com