Homemaking on the Homestead

Last week's menu planning went very well. I was pleased with the changes. So I'm going to try again this week. The chicken pepperoni casserole turned out amazing! I'll be posting more details and the recipe tomorrow. The meatloaf pie that was planned did not get made. I had 2 pounds of hamburger left in the freezer. I ended up having a couple more people to feed than planned and I knew it would not be enough. So I did a quick check of my pantry and decided to make chili bean soup instead. It was the perfect choice. I made that yesterday and have leftovers for us today (Monday). I also made cornbread and a salad to go along with it. In my freezer I still have some chicken legs to use up and a pork roast. I'll need to buy hamburger this week. This is what I have planned for the rest of the week... Cilantro Chicken I have chicken legs in the freezer and will use these. This is a recipe from my daughter and I've not made it before. I plan...

My garden is doing very well. The weeds keep threatening to overtake and lately I think they are winning!! But such is life with a garden. I wanted to give a little update on my Royal Burgandy bush beans. They were fun to plant and grow. They tasted amazing! I picked the first batch right before my daughter Leanne came home and cooked them up for her home coming dinner. Oh yum!! Here is what the looked liked before cooking... And after cooking (yep, they turn green when they are cooked) the beans are on the right (this was the meal I made for Leanne when she came home it was cooked sausages & chicken, mac & cheese and the green beans) ... I cooked them in a some water with a bit of salt and dried onions. When they were done cooking I drained them, added a few strips of cooked and crumbled bacon and a little bit of butter, salted to taste. I honestly have never seen green beans eaten up so quickly by my family! I'll definitely be planting them next y...

I'm sure everyone has heard of the horrific wild fires in Washington State. It has just been an awful year. We are in SW Washington but have had a few fires here as well. It has kept us on our toes. Never in all the years that we've lived here have I seen it this bad. We have had a long, hot dry summer. At this point anything is capable of starting a fire. Outside a small town in Oregon a huge grass fire was started when a small pickup blew a tire. Sparks from lawnmowers and chainsaws are starting fires. In all the National Forests in Washington there is a ban on all campfires, bbqs, etc. For now there is a halt to most logging being done. It is sad to see the devastation of so many homes and so much land. And the loss of lives has been incredibly sad. Four firefighters have lost their lives battling the blazes. We had a fire start about 4 miles from us. Thankfully they had it under control by the next day. We were not in any danger. It was unnerving to see hel...

The format for this week's Menu Monday is a bit different. If this works for me I may keep this format for a while. As my kids seem to, more and more, have busy lives of their own I find it very difficult to plan certain meals for certain nights. I've always done it that way in the past and it worked great under the circumstances. But things are achangin' I'll plan a meal, make the meal only to discover they have other plans and we end up eating the meal for the next 2 or even 3 nights. Which is great, less cooking for me. But, sitting in my freezer and pantry are the ingredients I purchased for meals that won't get made. I try and get them made in the following week.. sometimes this works and sometimes, once again, circumstances come up and they still don't get made. I was looking for something in my freezer over the weekend and took note of the supplies (mainly meat) that I have on hand. And I have a pretty full pantry. Here is what I had...

  I have a lot of summer squash coming on and my neighbor has blessed me with a lot cucumbers. I'm working to use those (or keep up with them :) this week in my menu. Monday BBQ chicken sandwiches, coleslaw, chips, fruit Tuesday Hamburger zucchini casserole, marinated cucumbers, biscuits Wednesday Burgers on the grill Thursday Leftovers Friday Roasted chicken legs, tater tots, sauteed summer squash Saturday Leftovers Sunday Baked pork chops w/ zucchini pineapple salsa (new recipe I'm trying), rice, salad    

  A few days ago I was in Target.. and looking at all the school supplies for sale.. I got excited for moment.. and then .. I got even more excited.. This year I am retiring.. yep.. for the last 28 years I've bought school supplies, curriculum, made plans, and organized the education of my 8 children... but .. I AM DONE!! Thank you God for seeing me through the last 28 years.. I do not regret one single day!!! If I had it to do all over again.. I would do exactly the same thing.. I would homeschool each of them all over again.. there were great years, there were good years, there were difficult years... BUT.. I never wavered from our conviction.. I stayed true to what God called us to do.. and this year.. (with a bit of sadness) I walk by all those cute back to school supply sales (all those Minion school supplies had me wishing I had just one more kid to homeschool.. ).. and thanked the LORD.. I am DONE!! . I've taken all 8 kids all the way through high...

  What's cooking in your home this week? It's going to be another very warm week so simple is once again my theme for the week. Monday Pizza Tuesday Fish sticks, tater tots, marinated cucumbers, watermelon Wednesday Tacos w/all the trimmings Thursday Leftovers Friday Lasagna, french bread, sauteed summer squash, marinated cucumbers Saturday Roasted chicken legs, mashed potatoes, green beans      

I've had a few busy but fun days. My green beans were ready to be picked and Hannah and the grandkids came and we picked beans. The grandkids did more playing in the dirt than picking :). When children get dirt, water, shovels, buckets and a few pans.. you end up with this (ha, ha, ha)...     But we also got this... Today I canned up about half of them (minus the ones we ate).... Tomorrow Hannah will be here again to help me can up the rest of them. She'll take half of them home with her. I planted a large garden and she's helped me this summer with it and we are sharing the bounty.        

  I think we're at the end of a bit of a heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest. It has been hot, hot, hot... I had zero desire to cook last week. My house was already hot enough (we don't have air-conditioning as is fairly typical in our part of the world) and when it's 85 inside the house and 100 outside... turning on anything stove or oven like is out of the question! :) .. so we lived on leftovers, sandwiches and frozen food that was reheated in the microwave. This week the temps outside drop back into the lower 80's and I see a little more cooking happening. Hope you all are surviving summer and meal planning. Monday Leftover hamburger/rice/zucchini casserole, salad Tuesday Burgers on the grill Wednesday Crockpot chicken chili, tortilla chips, salad Thursday Leftovers Friday Lasagna , french bread, green beans Saturday Leftovers Sunday Tuna patties , macaroni salad, watermelon