Homemaking on the Homestead

  A great big thank you to all of you who left me punch recipes and emailed them to me.   I have a ton of them now!   I am going through all of them and trying to decide which one to make.   I sure do appreciate everyone who took the time to share their recipes.    On Wednesday the weather report said there was a possibility of snow flurries.   So we headed into town to take care of wedding details.   About ¾ of the way through our trip a friend of my daughters looked outside (we were in Costco) and said.. “It’s snowing!” ..   yikes.. that was not supposed to happen.   So I rounded everyone up (they were in all parts of the store) and we got out as quick as we could.   I figured a little snow in town could very well mean a lot more at home.   I was glad we got out of there.   The drive home was a bit stressful as snow is not common enough for drivers around here to master it and traffic was terribl...

  We had a very nice Christmas.   The day was relaxing.   We had our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve and then just enjoyed leftovers and goodies on Christmas Day.      Here are some pics to share ……   I did not waste any time however and yesterday with the help of my kids we got Christmas all cleaned up.   The tree is out back ready to take down to the goats for a little Christmas time treat, the decorations are all put away and the house all cleaned up.   Now maybe I can think better! I love the holidays but I also love the feeling of putting it all away and looking forward to brand new year with all of its excitement, goals and planning.      Seems as though my year will start off with plans right away!   There are two weeks now until Richards wedding! Yikes!    Yesterday I was starting to feel a bit stressed with details.   So I did what I always do when I feel that way.. started making a to...

  My friend Jennie gave me her Sour Cream Cookie recipe and I made it on Saturday.   Then we had fun frosting all those cookies!   There were a lot of them!   This recipe is great!   Easy to make and they taste so good.   I used half whole wheat flour and half white flour in mine and I used all vanilla flavoring because I am not a fan of almond flavoring.   I did divide the frosting into 3 bowls (and flavored it all vanilla) and colored it red and green and left one white.   The recipe is a doubled recipe so if it is just too many cookies for you .. you can cut it in half.    But before I share the recipes here are some pics.. And while we were decorating cookeis .. the guys were busy doing what they always do (and of course I was interrupting by taking the picture!! LOL) …       Here is the recipe….      Sour Cream Cookies 4 cups sugar 1 1/3 cup butter (approx. 2 sticks plus 6 TBSP), softened...

  I am feeling a bit of shock to know that there is less than week before Christmas!   I am almost ready..   seems to happen to me every year.   I think.. this year I will do all my shopping early, be prepared and ready to go come December.. and for whatever reason it never happens entirely.   I do usually start buying gifts in October so that does help some.. but when I get right down to the wire I still have lots of gaps to fill and things to do.… more details.. I just keep making lists      For Christmas dinner we are having a Turkey dinner.   Richard was in the Philippines over Thanksgiving and Lolot has never had turkey so it seemed like the meal to make.   I will make up the meal and serve it on Christmas Eve.   I like Christmas day to be easy and not hectic with a lot of cooking.      The wedding plans are coming right along. Since it will be a small wedding with little time for planning we are focusin...

       I now have available the following CDs in ebook format for a reduced cost:   The Family Homestead Recipe Collection How to Make Whole Wheat Bread If you would like more information about these ebooks click on the links above or click here:   http://crystalscountrystore.com/ebooks.htm to see information on all of my current eBooks. Please note that if you have previously purchased either of these CDs, there is no new content being added.   

  Finally I have a few minutes to do a little blogging.   Life has been very full and busy lately.   On the 23rd of November we celebrated my daughter Sierra’s 14th birthday.   She requested Pumpkin Cheesecake (she loves anything pumpkin!)   She was actually born on Thanksgiving Day and that has made her birth all the more memorable!   This year however she got her own day to celebrate…   Then it was a simple and quiet Thanksgiving Day for us due to the fact that we were all planning, working and waiting for the big moment in our lives..   when Richard and Lolot came home!!   They arrived home on Monday (Nov. 30th) after 18 hours of flight time and having been up for 24 hours. They spent the first few days recovering and adjusting to the time change and dealing with jet lag.      It was wonderful to see Richard and to finally meet the love of his life, Lolot (this is her nickname, her name is Doneza).   We all...

. College Plus! Asked me if I would be willing to post this job opportunity on my blog..  It sounds like a great position for the right person! . The San Antonio office of CollegePlus! is in immediate need of a creative, forward-thinking Public Relations Manager. Our current PR Manager is transitioning to new responsibilities with CP! and this leaves an important role to be filled. This is not an internship opportunity—as PR Manager, you would be a full time employee in the San Antonio office, a key member of the marketing team, and you would report directly to our Director of Marketing. To be a successful PR Manager with CollegePlus! you will need: ·         An understanding and commitment to execute the mission of CollegePlus! ·         Creativity, self-motivation, and the ability to problem-solve ·         Dedication to the team and willingness t...

    Do you have leftover turkey meat to use up and need some ideas?  We usually eat Thanksgiving dinner the day after but by the 3rd day we are ready for something different.  I find just about any recipe that uses cooked chicken works quite well with cooked turkey.  The recipes below are actually chicken recipes but you can just sub turkey in place of the chicken:   Turkey Enchiladas This recipe is for the enchilada sauce. Fill corn or whole wheat tortillas with chopped up turkey and cheese. Roll them up and place in a 9x13 pan (or 9x9 or 11x15 pan, depending on how many people you are feeding). Pour enchilada sauce over all, top with more cheese and bake at 350 until all is hot and bubbly and cheese has melted. Sweet and Sour Turkey Turkey Lasagna Black Bean Turkey Chili Turkey Pot Pie Turkey Green Bean Casserole Ranch House Turkey Casserole And finally the last thing I do with my turkey is make Turkey Noodle Soup.  I put the turkey carcass (after ...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!  

    It has been awhile since I blogged.   Lots of activity going on in my home lately and my computer time takes a back seat.   Tobin took a week off of work to get some more work done on our house.   We replaced windows and siding a couple of years ago on one side of the house and due to many unexpected obstacles as well as expected ones he just has not been able to get back to finish the inside.   Well he finally had a chance to start 2 or 3 weeks ago and began to insulate and put up the drywall.   It is so much more comfortable now.   He is not done with it all but is making progress.   He also insulated a good deal of his shop.   We burn a lot of wood keeping the shop warm while he works and keeping our house warm (without the insulation it has been a bigger job) that he felt like he really needed to get on this project so we could have a comfortable winter and maybe burn less wood, which means less work!   So the extra time off...