Homemaking on the Homestead

  Monday Crockpot rotisserie chicken, french bread, salad Tuesday Tacos, chips & salsa Wednesday Bean & ham soup, dinner rolls, veggie platter Thursday Leanne & Sierra’s night to cook – their still working on the menu Friday Crockpot Southwest stew (made a few weeks ago and in the freezer), brown rice, salad Saturday Tuna noodle casserole (no cream soup), veggie platter Sunday Hamburger/rice enchiladas (the link is for the enchilada sauce, I'll fill the tortillas with a mix of hamburger and brown rice), refried beans , salad    

  Spring is just around the corner now! However we have snow in the forecast for this weekend. But yesterday was 50 and sunny. The season of new beginnings is not far away here in the Pacific Northwest. The days are getting longer, the birds are out, ducks are visiting our pond frequently, any day now I expect to hear the frogs croaking… all signs that spring is coming my way. In a few days I’ll be sharing this month’s Homemaking Challenge. I’m ready to tackle a new project and take care of another overlooked area of my home. I hope you’ll be joining me!!   March is also the month I order seeds and start preparing for my garden. I’ll be sharing about starting seeds indoors this month. My garden plans will be a little different from years past and I’ll share my plans with you on that as well. Plus I have recipes to share, more Meal Planning Simplicity ideas to share and a few ideas on preparing for spring cleaning.   So grab a cup of coffee ...

This last week a cold descended upon the Miller household. Very quickly I might add! One morning my youngest son woke up with sniffles and a sore throat and by the next day we all had it along with chills and sinus congestion. The first thing we all started doing was making garlic tea . I’ve found garlic to be amazing for colds. The next thing I did was make soup with lots and lots of garlic. Garlic is amazing for fighting colds and flu symptoms. Garlic has incredibly health promoting qualities. It is said to be an effective antibiotic and natural virus killer as well as an immune enhancer, anti-fungal, and so much more. A friend of mine had said she made antibiotic soup for her family and I was intrigued by the name! She shared the recipe with me, which came from a friend of hers, who originally got the recipe from someone at a homeschool group a few years back. I tweaked the recipe some to make it a little easier to make. And my whole family ate the soup for a couple ...

  Even though my husband & I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary this summer I still feel inadequate to give advice on marriage. Maybe because individuals are all different, the dynamics of each relationship is different; people are at different places in their lives and walking different paths. But one thing that has gone through my mind over the years is the two guidelines I’ve found as the basis for married life. Just two guidelines, but within those guidelines is everything that makes a marriage work, in my view. And they are complex but at the crux of marriage. They are from the Bible: Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her. Eph 5:33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. I realize that in the intricacies of life and marriage this is too simplistic. But then again, much of how we react, how we...

  I’m trying out a few new recipes this week and will share the best of them! Leanne and Sierra are cooking dinner a couple nights and have planned the menu for those nights. Monday Chicken curry – made by Leanne & Sierra.. not sure what else they plan for the menu! Tuesday Homemade pizza, salad Wednesday Bbq pork roast, corn chowder, salad Thursday Marinated chicken, brown rice, garlic roasted brussel sprouts – Leanne & Sierras night to cook Friday Burrito casserole, tortilla chips & salsa, veggie platter Saturday Hamburger biscuit bake, green beans Sunday Shepards pie, salad    

I was asked to share this recipe if it turned out. It was very good and easy!! It was a hearty hot meal for a cold winter night that my family devoured. I felt lucky I’d remember to pull some aside for a picture!   Crockpot Cowboy Casserole 2lbs hamburger 1 medium onion, chopped 1 ½#’s red potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces 1 can diced tomatoes 2 cups frozen corn (or 1 can, drained) 2 cups beans of your choice 4oz cream cheese 2t salt 1t pepper 1 cup grated cheese Cook hamburger and onions until meat is no longer pink and onions are soft. Put hamburger/onion mixture into 6 quart crockpot. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top in the last half hour.   Serve with dinner rolls or biscuits and salad.    I’ve been contemplating on turning this recipe into a freezer meal. I’m going to try using a package of frozen hash browns (the little cubes) in place o...

  All 3 of my freezers are cleaned out! I managed to complete the task before the month ended and looking forward March’s challenge, which I’ll be posting about soon. The second freezer started out looking like this… And ended up… The 3rd freezer is completely cleaned out and now is empty. My goal had been to consolidate into 2 freezers. The fridge got a good cleaning as well My 2nd fridge is much small and was cleaned out not long ago so it did not need anything more than a wipe down. For anyone joining me this month in February’s homemaking challenge, I hope you were able to get this task marked off your list as well!   We Can Do This Girls!!