Cottage Homestead

Dishpan Cookies

2011-12-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

You know how it is, you never seem to have ALL ingredients you need when you are wanting to make something. That's how it is for me anyways. I actually had chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, my area supermarket had the Nestle brand for $1.99 a bag, which I grabbed...but I am low on butter.

I discovered that these dishpan cookies use oil instead of butter, some of the complaints on the reviews were that they were great when they came out but hard when they cooled off. So I figured the trick to that one would be to NOT over-bake them, and that's generally the trick for any good cookie. Your timer is your friend!

I found the original recipe here

Dishpan Cookies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup cornflakes cereal (I had frosted ones on hand)
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
( I filled the cup with half choc. chip and half butterscotch)

Preheat the oven to 325. Scoop up tablespoonfuls of cookie dough and make into balls. Placed on ungreased cookie sheet, bake for 8-9 minutes, no more. If you are patient and can wait let cool before removing from pan. :)

No eggs, but I want Muffins

2011-12-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

So I guess I kinda have a "thing" for muffins. I make them a lot, they seem to be a simple healthy breakfast that I can get on the table fairly quick. This morning I was craving some and had some homemade applesauce thawed out but then it hit me that I had no eggs. When our chickens aren't laying we buy them from our neighbors and they are SO HUGE! The lid won't even come close to closing on the X-Large egg carton.

I love the search option on Allrecipes to search for certain ingredients and leave out others and here is what I found: Applesauce Wheat Blueberry Muffins. This recipe did not have the grandest of reviews so I doubled the milk and added some sweetner....

Here is my version below:

Chocolate Chip Whole-Wheat Applesauce Muffins

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sweet applesauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup chocolate chips

I sprinkled the tops with sliced almonds and baked at 375 for 20 minutes. Delicious hot out of the oven and wonderfully moist later on throughout the day.

On another note I'd love to share what wonderful tea is getting me through this pregnancy....NETTLES!

The best place to purchase it, my favorite place...the Bulk Herb Store! Nettles gives me energy and has really helped me with the bout I've had with pneumonia. It's loaded with calcium and chlorophyll and includes protein, fiber, and much more you can read all about it at Bulk Herb. I seriously don't know what I'd do without it! When you click the photo below it will take you to the Bulk Herb Store, just type nettles in their search box on the top right of the page. The prices are amazing and shipping is very reasonable and fast.

Another immune booster that I am trying out for my family is Black Elderberry extract, I have done a lot of reading and it is scientifcally backed to boost the immune system. I read that the brand really does matter on this and Nature's Way seems to be the best, I bought mine from Amazon. NOTE: As I am pregnant I am not taking the elderberry, my midwife told me I should avoid it during pregnancy as I have had issues in the past keeping baby in full term.

Tasty Blueberry Muffins

2011-05-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Having a lot of yogurt in the fridge and some soy flour I wanted to make something, this is what I stumbled upon.......Tasty Blueberry Muffins. I found the original recipe here. I liked the fact it wasn't loaded with lots of sugar. My version below:

Tasty Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1/3 cup soy flour

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/3 cups wheat flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 large eggs

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup light oil, canola

3/4 cup blueberries, or raisins, or dried apricots (I had blueberries on hand and used those)

Mix all ingredients. Spray muffin tin, fill 3/4 full, baked at 350 for 25 mintures.

These are great with cream cheese!

Sun-dried tomato, spinach, cheese Omelet = Divine! :)

2011-05-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Trying for a healthier lunch today I realized I had most of the ingredients to make this. Mine turned into scrambled eggs but it was still simply marvelous!

I found the recipe off the food network website, found here

My version below:

Ingredients:

2 handfuls spinach
2 tablespoons butter
8 pieces smoked sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
6 large eggs
Feta cheese and Romano cheese

Directions:

Toss 2 T. butter in skillet, cook tomatoes in butter for a couple of minutes add salt and pepper. While the tomatoes are cooking chop up the spinach add to the skillet and cook for about 4 mintues. Whisk the eggs and pour over spinach and tomatoes. Sprinkle on as much feta and romano cheese as you like, let eggs cook and set a bit then scramble a bit. I usually make omelets but I didn't want to broil this one so I just scrambled it. VERY GOOD! :)

I Sprinkled some basil on top, yum!

Sausage Bake

2011-05-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a breakfast bake the other morning that didn't have to sit in the fridge over night because I wanted to make it right then. I found this one, I always like to search through the B & B recipes, they are usually sooo good.

I found this particular sausage bake from the 1882 Aleksander House Bed & Breakfast, recipe found here

My version below:

Sausage Bake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 lb country sausage

3/4 loaf of French bread, cubed

2 tsps dried Basil

1-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

7 eggs

2-1/8 cups milk

Melt butter. Pour into large rectangle casserole dish. Brown sausage and set aside. Layer half the cubed bread in dish and sprinkle with Basil and cheese. Sprinkle browned sausage over herbs and cheese. Layer rest of bread.Beat eggs well and add milk. Pour over contents of baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour or until set. Cut into squares and serve hot.

So delicious, my family loved it!

Before I sign off I want to recommend a book that I just finished and cannot say good enough about. It is amazing. It's called "31 days to clean" by Sarah mae.

I think that you will be encouraged by this book, I know I sure was, here is my little review:

"I cannot begin to tell you what an inspiration this book has been to me, as I read along your little excerpts I feel as though you are describing me, never read a book that I felt so in touch with before, yet so encouraged, and seeing the things I need to change and the HOPE I have to change."

~Blessings to all,

Marie

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #9

2011-03-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

Good Morning.........It is a Meaningful Monday!!!

Because He has made me glad...that was the tune going through my head all day yesterday.

"He has made me glad, He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad."

And truly He is the only one that can make us glad, nothing bought, nothing here on earth.....just Him.

Today is meaningful because my Mama is coming for a visit and I am spending the next two weeks with 5 lovely young ladies....all sisters. We will be visiting the park, walking trails, make our own ice-cream sundaes (with nerds on top, I have never put nerds on my ice-cream....WE are going to try this one!!!), have a bon-fire and more. Looking forward to the fun ahead.

Today I pray you have a day that his meaningful. Please share your wonderful recipe, idea, craft project below using the inlinkz and as always thank you so much for linking back here, we have a button on the right to make it easy. :)

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #6

2011-03-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome!!!!

Hope you all are wonderful today!!!

As we are travelling along on our adventure of simplicity, there are so many things in our lives that we want to simplify. And that.......gives you FREEDOM! Freedom to make decisions that you feel God wants in your life......and right now our hands are bound.

Proverbs 22:7

"The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender"

As we have not used any debt in three years, we are still paying for past "stupid tax". We have not been as intense along the way as we should have been. This year we are adding a gazelle intensity that is sure to make a difference.

This week we cancelled ATT cell phones, we had been with them for 11 years and were paying $180/month for three phones. One was a friend. We explained to our friend that it was time to say goodbye to this plan. We paid the cancellation fee...which will pay for itself in 3 months and totally simplified. I no longer have a cell phone. Only hubby which is our business phone as well. We are taking advantage of the $30 straight talk plan/no contract!

And at home we are using the magic jack. One of my friends and my parents use this and are happy with it. Using the $30 straight talk and magic jack together will meet our needs and save us $150/month. That is $150 we can put back into the rest of our debt. I really hope to be saying good bye to it this year!!!

And as we hadn't had a home phone in AGES.... :) we got a basic V-Tech phone.

I realize the magic jack is not the answer for everyone, if you don't have fast internet i.e. broadband, high-speed, cable internet, dsl, or wireless you can't use the magic jack. But for now and this time in our life it can save us some serious cash!!! :)

Can't wait to hear about your Simplicity Saturday!!!! Please be sure to LINK BACK HERE!!!! :) I have a button on the right to make that easy. Blessings to you all!!!

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #8

2011-03-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, it's Meaningful Monday.

This Monday will be made meaningful by

*Writing out a menu plan for four weeks, that I can keep on hand to grab and alternate as I need it in a pinch.

*Write down our short term and long term financial goals, they have been in my head spinning around but it's time to get them on paper so we can act them out. I am praying that 2011 is the year we are finally out of debt. We have not used debt for 3 years but are of course paying off and paying for those past mistakes, or stupid tax as Dave Ramsey calls them.

I am eager to be financially free so we can help others!

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #5

2011-03-12T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hello, it's that time again, Simplicity Saturday.

Before you post, Please be sure to link back to here, I have a button on the right here to make it easy!!! :) Just copy and paste the code below it and it will link back to here! :)

Ahhhh! I believe today is going to be a wonderful day. My spinach arrived from Baker creek Heirloom seeds, so today I'm gonna do some diggin' and some plantin'. But...... first things first. The sun is shining and it's a simply marvelous day so I'm going to open up the windows here in the cottage and clean away before I get to have fun in the dirt.

On the note of simplicity I would love to mention an amazing book that we discovered this week, it's called Compact Cabins, you may have seen my link on the right already or you know about it.

My dream: to purchase a piece of land and build one of these compact cabins, there are so many ideas and possibilities in this book. And I was thinking about larger families using compact living, possibly you can put two designs together to double your space. Now when you look at this book you'll think oh my thats small! The smallest cabin design in the book is 162 square feet. Can you imagine? Well, as the purpose of the book is mainly for get-a-way cabins, lake houses, or camps....however I think you could still apply it to homestead living as each design is either composed to be off grid or adaptable to such!

It even has designs to make a "cabin" from a shipping container and in one part puts them together to "double" your space. Unique ideas on storage, sleeping, and storage closets for your solar batteries or camping gear.

I found the design that would best work for my family on page 88 it features the Clerestory windows (which I fell in love with) and the other reason I fell in love with it as unlike most of the designs it actually had 2 separate bedrooms. Most of the cabins have open floor plans so eating/sleeping/living is all in one room.

It also mentions front porches could later be closed in for more additional space. Start small and build up as you can afford it. Great ideas, wonderful book, fun read! I completely enjoyed it, and I don't even own it yet, a customer of ours discovered our similar interests and let us borrow it. Definitely on the list of books to buy!!! :)

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #7

2011-03-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

WELCOME!

To the Seventh Week of Meaningful Monday

Today is meaningful because

I am free

God is Good

and in the words of Dave Ramsey, "I'm better than I deserve"

I made baked oatmeal for breakfast this morning and I am going to enjoy a wonderful school filled day with my daughters. Thank you Lord for all your blessings.

Share your meaningful Monday, it can be a poem, new book, meaningful thought, Scripture, recipe.......one reader once had a meaningful Monday (Modern Vintage Homemaking I believe) by having "phone coffee" with her mother, I thought it was sooo special.

Link up to the link tool below and please be sure to link back to here, I have a convenient Meaningful Monday button on the right to make it easy. :)

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #4

2011-03-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 4th week of Simplicity Saturday........share your simple Saturday with us. The link up tool is at the bottom of this post.

This includes: new recipes, a new favorite tea, ideas for a simple life, and more. Be sure to link back here to us, we have a button available on the right here to make it easy. :)

Today I would love to share that our Big Berkey arrived today with much excitement from us. We have been buying water at the store, or people were filling up jugs for us. This was both expensive and inconvenient. Right now the Berkey has a special with free shipping and you can receive for free the shower filter or the sports bottles. We chose the shower filter.

I was so excited to take a shower tonight, and my skin did feel different (softer) when I was finished. Hubby was able to install it very quick and easy, and the same for the Berkey light, before I knew it we had four jugs of filtered water ready, I cannot believe it filters four gallons per hour. That is amazing!

To read even more about the amazing Berkey click HERE or click the banner on the right.

For a few days now I have been enjoying my Resolution tea from Bulk Herb Store.

The tea is so reasonable priced. There is also a fiber mix which I ordered but have not tried it, it says it is best with orange or cranberry juice and as I do not have either right now I don't really want to try the fiber mix with just water. Mom is trying it and says it works really well.

I love that the resolution tea contains nettles, alfalfa, corn silks, green tea and more. I love the energy I get from green tea and nettles. The benefits in nettles is quite amazing. As mentioned at Bulk Herb, Nettles: are a significant source of vitamin C and vitamin A, bio-available minerals, including calcium, silicon, and potassium chloride; protein, and dietary fiber.

They also have a new full color brochure which tells all the health benefits of all the herbs they carry, I take this on long car trips and read up on all the uses for different herbs. Did you know Hawthorne is great for your heart? I didn't until I started reading their pamphlet.....just one of many gifts from God! :)

Multi-grain Bread using hand crank mill

2011-03-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my earlier post I got my hand crank family grain mill in the mail. This is my first grain mill ever so I was pretty elated. I got it used on ebay for $80. Last night we all took turns, we ground some wheat berries and some flax seed.

After the kids went to bed I cracked some wheat and this morning we enjoyed hot cracked wheat cereal. It was very tasty, I added some ground flax and butter, and threw in some chocolate chips too. :)

I was wanting to try out a multi-grain bread with the flour I had ground, and actually tried out a recipe I found on All-recipes, it is for a bread machine, but since I don't own one (we don't get along) I adapted it for my oven.

It makes a very small round loaf, so you will want to double it if you have several to feed.

Hearty Multigrain Bread

(Source: All-Recipes)

3/4 cup water
1-1/2 Tablespoons instant dry yeast
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons ground flax
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 tablespoon milk

I simply dissolved the brown sugar and yeast in warm water and added the rest of the ingredients, kneaded some and let rise for an hour and a half. Then I shaped into a round loaf, let rise 30-45 minutes and baked @ 350 for about 30-35 minutes.

We enjoyed this as a wonderful afternoon snack with butter, the kids really liked it, and I did too!!! :)

You can also purchase organic flax seed from the Bulk herb store for $5.95/per 1/2 lb. Click here

Hello! Cabbage :)

2011-03-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

(our cabbage plants)

"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

~Genesis 1:12

How wonderful are the seeds that God has given us, how wonderful that something so small can come to life and grow..........from the tiny seeds that develop into plants and trees that we eat, to the seed of life, the beginning of human life, all very precious.

Today when I noticed the cabbage plants were making themselves known I jumped for joy. The amazing gift God gives us to reproduce food for ourselves and others. I cannot express enough my thankfulness to Baker creek and their heirloom seeds.

Another Scripture verse brought to mind when I am watering my precious seeds and taking care of them, nurturing and loving them is found in Psalms..."He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

Precious seed here is speaking ones coming to Christ.....it is a time of rejoicing to see your sheaves (bundle of believers)........just like the excitement when we bring in the produce from our garden. One is temporal and one is eternal and both important here on this earth. Random thoughts through my mind as I admired my seedlings today.

This week we have been clearing a little path to a big tree in the pasture. Future home of two tire swings for the children. Great time to clear the way before annoying weeds and such take over! They are very excited!

I said I'd let you know how the soaked buttermilk biscuits turned out, recipe compliments of Prairie Homestead, oh they were simply amazing!

Wonderful flavor and soft texture with a flavorful crispy bottom from the butter!

You can check out her wonderful blog and get the recipe by clicking the button below:

I had mentioned that we purchased the family grain mill used off of ebay. We set it up and had fun grinding tonight. First we did wheat flour, then flax seed, and then I cracked some wheat for breakfast in the morning. Honestly, it isn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I really like the family grain mill because 1. the burrs are replaceable, 2. it doesn't overheat the wheat and damage it, 3. the kids can even operate it, and trust me, they all tried!!! I noticed that when you buy them new they also come with a lifetime warranty, all of this info really makes me feel that I made the right decision. And even though I don't have an instruction manual it was very easy to figure out. Schwew! :)

I pray you all have a blessed day, thanks for stopping by my little Cottage Homestead. I am happy to link up to the Simple Lives Thursday this week, always look forward to it!

~Marie

Oh yes, and before I forget I also received my Resolution tea and fiber mix this week from the Bulk Herb Store! Mom and I went halves on it, and I really really love the tea, smells lovely steeping because of the cinnamon chips in it. Full of goodness to give you energy, help in weight loss, and more!

You can check out there site by clicking HERE. Just type resolution tea in the search box! :)

Sprouting Seeds

2011-02-28T17:16:00.000-08:00

Calling all smart seed sprouters.....what is the most economical seed sprouter? I would love to hear your tips? And where do you recommend getting seeds and what are the most nutritional seeds? The best healthy bang for my buck?

There are so many different kinds out there that I feel overwhelmed and I really don't know much about it except that it's fairly easy and good for me.

Thank you all for your input!

~Marie

Okay well I was reading around the awesome Morristribe blog tonight and I think Kelly answered a lot of my questions about seed sprouting, check out her youtube tutorial if you would like to learn too!!! Thanks Kelly

You can also visit her blog by clicking the button below:

Here are the lids she was referring to:

And organic Alfalfa seeds

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #6

2011-02-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

Join us for the sixth week of Meaningful Mondays.

I adore poetry, going to share a couple poems here from 'The Book of a Thousand Poems'.

I feel this one is very appropriate with the time of year approaching!

(a recent sunset here at the Cottage Homestead)

Spring Work at the Farm

What does the farmer in the spring?

He sows the seed that harvests bring;

But first he wakes the earth from sleep

By ploughing it well and harrowing it deep

And busy must be the farmer's boy!

To care for the lambs that leap for joy.

To feed the calves so tender and young

He rises as soon as the day's begun.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thanks to the Prairie Homestead I will be trying out these
Soaked Buttermilk Biscuits too!! I'll you all know how they turn out!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And Mondays here always require lots of "washing-up" after a busy weekend and the day of rest. Love this little poem below.

The Washing-up Song

Sing a song of washing-up,

Water hot as hot,

Cups and saucers, plates and spoons,

Dishes such a lot!

Work the dish-mop round and round,

Wash them clean as clean,

Polish with a dry white cloth,

How busy we have been!

~Elizabeth Gould

I also want to share that my family grain mill arrived Saturday, looking for tutorials or youtube videos on how to use it, etc.

We also lost a chicken this weekend to a raccoon. So sad!!! Her name was Tina and we loved her, it is always very heartbreaking when we lose one of our dear sweet ladies. She was a Polish hen.

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #3

2011-02-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our third week of Simplicity Saturday.

A couple of years ago I took several photos using scrabble letters with phrases like simplicity, love, and more....never knowing that one day it would be a button for Simplicity Saturdays. In-fact as I was going through my photo albums I spotted that picture and it sparked the idea for this link up.

This week I wrote in my 'Farm Journal' of some things we are wanting to do this Saturday.

1. Call a local farmer for free poop (found on craigslist)

2. Call and set up time to get some barred rock chicks

3. Call two farmers here locally, I found selling chemical free chickens to eat. :)

Healthy Breakfast

This morning I made my favorite whole wheat oatmeal pancakes, recipe found here.

I served them without syrup, I usually make homemade syrup but I am trying to cut out the sugar. They topped them with peanut butter, and I didn't get too many complaints. :)

I'd like to tell you about my cheap kitchen island. I purchased an antique sewing machine cabinet for $8 at a thrift store, the machine doesn't work. My hubby bought me a Paula Deen dough/cutting board and it fit almost perfectly. I have a super small kitchen so this is the perfect size for an island. I've always wanted one. The kids keep a little chair by it to help me cook.

~*~*~THE SCOTTS REEL MOWER~*~*~

IS HERE!!!

We have yet to assemble it. Hubby is showing if off here for you...ha ha ha. It's not a John Deer but it's green. :) We cannot wait to use it!!!

It has an easy adjuster to set the height you want to cut the grass!!!

Tell me about your Simplicity Saturday, be sure to link back here.. please. I have a beautiful button on the right with the code underneath so you can easily add it to your post. :)

Blessings,

Marie

Tonight I planted seeds

2011-02-24T23:22:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed a wonderful day today and ended it burning the midnight oil. However I was planting seeds so maybe you could say I was turning the midnight soil....okay okay I know, that's corny! :) This is the first time I have started my seeds indoors in my own home. When I was a teenager I worked in a greenhouse but it is a bit different in my own house. I don't own any special peat pots, so I just used my egg cartons, and I suppose if I need to transplant to a larger pot I can do that.

Tonight I planted onions, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes. As I have mentioned before I purchased these heirloom seeds from Baker Creek, found here.

Shipping was very low only $3.00 and they ship out very fast! Even though I am only an hour or so away I had them delivered to save on time and gas. :)

It was tempting to try so many different varieties, but I really wanted to keep my cost down....I'll share with you a few of the varsities I am trying out.

The Earley Jersey Wakefield Cabbage..........according to Baker Creek "Introduced in the 1840's, with tasty 2-lb. sweet and flavorful conical heads. This very early variety was sold commercially by Peter Henderson in the late 1860's."

and a reviewer said the heads were incredibly sweet and made wonderful slaw....that is was sold me! :)

Stuttgarter Onion

Baker Creek says..."A tasty old favorite that sets medium-large, yellow onions with a good, pungent flavor. This variety is among the best keepers and produces well. Plant some of these for winter eating and store them clear through to next spring. "

The fact that these store good sold me on this one!!!

Calabrese Green Sprouting Broccoli

An Italian heirloom variety that provides many more shoots after the main head is cut.....looking forward to eating this soon!!! I truly cannot wait.

Green Macerata Cauliflower

Another Italian variety as well and it caught my eye because of its bright apple green heads, baker creek says that it is a vigorous plant.....my friend makes a wonderful chicken, cauliflower, rice dish that I cannot wait to try this in!!!

Amish Paste Tomato

I only wanted to purchase one tomato variety this year, I just want to keep it simple. So I asked my intelligent neighbor what she would recommend and she said she always goes with the Amish Paste from Baker Creek. This one is perfect for paste or canning, comes form an Amish community in Wisconsin. I pray my tomatoes make it this year, I have had issues with blight in the past.

So there you have it, this is what I am starting out with. I can always do more but for now I want to start small and work my way up. I don't want to undertake more than I can handle either. In a week I will place another order for my beans, pumpkin, sunflower, and corn seeds. Looking forward to trying out their strawberry popcorn variety. It looks beautiful!

What are you planting this year?

3 things on my list

2011-02-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

I got several magazines in the mail this week and have been drooling. My Lehman's catalog and the newest catalog from the Bulk Herb Store, I always learn so much every time I look at their website or read their catalog.

There are three things on my list that we are planning on getting soon, these things will not only save us money but help us prepare for simple living.

1. The Big Berkey water filter......we have a well with hard water and the berkey is going to save me a lot of money, it is so convenient, and most importantly...healthy! The berkey removes E. coli, pesticides, aluminum and so so much more. That's just what I remember off the top of my head. The berkey is also used by missionaries in foreign countries. It's ability to filter "raw" water is absolutely amazing! So I'd love to know..."Do you have a berkey, do you love it"? I have a friend on facebook that has had one for 12 years and LOVES it! Cannot wait to get it!!!

2. A hand crank flour mill, I know there are hand crank mills out there for up to $2500. That is NOT in my budget, I really can't even afford the ones for $100-$500. I have seen the Victorio and the Back to Basics mills......I have read some good reviews and some bad ones. Can I get by with one of these that run around $69? Please comment if you own one, or tell me about your flour mills, I would love to hear!!! Personally I really want to go with a hand crank to really be prepared for living off the grid!

And then there are these ones as low as $19.99....I can't help but wonder if they really make a fine flour. Several reviews I have read say they are good for cereals or cracked wheat.

3. The next thing is a wood stove, my dream stove is found over at Lehman's, the baker's oven wood stove, oh my what a dream that would be, but the price tag is $2500. This wood stove not only heats your home, but has an oven rack in the bottom and is large enough on top for 4 large stock pots!

Isn't she beautiful???

But for now I have a simple wood stove, we just need to purchase the steel pipe and my Dad is going to help us install it, we are so excited!!! It will be such a good feeling to know, that if the power goes out I WILL have heat!

P.S. I'd like to also add that my seeds came in today from Baker Creek, and I will be planting away indoors tomorrow, cannot wait! This is my first year to order from Baker Creek, and I love the fact that I am supporting a local business!

P.S.S. This year we will also be trying out a reel mower. After reading several reviews we settle on this one...the Scotts 20". With free shipping it was quite a steal!

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #5

2011-02-21T14:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay, because I am posting this so late, I am leaving it open until Wed. have fun.

My Monday is very meaningful today because I'm spending it with my sweet Mother. We always have soooo much fun together, laughing till we cry usually!!

We are going to make my favorite brownies EVER today!! :)

This recipe comes from my favorite Betty Crocker:

Best Brownies EVER

(my version below) Source: 1971 Betty Crocker

12 Tablespoons Cocoa
2/3 cup oil plus 4 Tablespoons oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingred. together. Heat oven to 350. Spread in greased 9 x 13. Bake 25 minutes, do not overbake.

Sometimes I add a handful of choc. chips or white choc. chips to the batter. But they are divine even without it, fresh from the oven with hot butter on them....

Please kindly link back to here, tell your friends, fb, or twitter. I have a lovely button on the right for meaningful mondays if you would like to grab! Blessings

~Marie

This is also linked up to Fat Camp Friday

and

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP) #2

2011-02-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the second week of Simplicity Saturday

I am also linking up to the awesome Barnyard Hop over @ Homestead Revival

I hope you'll join us....here in the Ozarks we have had some extremely nice weather and it has me thinkin', and a plannin', and getting oh so excited for Spring!!! :)

Today I am planning things to make my life run simpler.

1. Planning a simple menu for two weeks worth of meals, that is frugal and uses several same ingredients.

2. Planning my garden: my goal is to can and freeze enough fruits and vegetables for my family for the entire year, while I may not reach this goal, I am going to aim for it. Looking forward to the garden this year (even if though it may be a smaller one) and checking out my local farmer's markets!!!

(Cleaning out the chicken coop for the garden, Maci is overseeing the whole process!!!)

3. As you know and have seen on my earlier posts I do not use our dryer much (only for towels and Steve's work rags), so I am enjoying hanging laundry on the line with this unusually pleasant weather.

(I know it's crooked :), I got this for $10 on craigslist, thankful for my clothesline!!!)

How are you enjoying a Simple Saturday, please share with the link up below, include a link back to here (I really appreciate that), tell your friends, FB, twitter to your hearts content.

Above all, have a blessed day my friends!

(This is our cat Chipmunk, I think it's funny how cats think your doing things just for them, oh they crack me up!!!)

Don't forget to grab my button on the right!!! :)

Meaningful Mondays (LINK UP) Week #4

2011-02-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

What are you doing to make your Monday meaningful???

Will you be doing something special for Valentines?

Something unique for your children? A few years ago we bought ingredients for everyone to make their own Ice cream Sunday.........it was so much fun and the kids still talk about it!!!

This Monday I thought about making a special meal and having the girls put on apons and pretend to be hubby and I's waitresses, have them make out little menus, etc......I mentioned it to them and they really want to do it, so maybe we will. :)

Share with me on the inLinkx below what you are doing to make it a meaningful day, rather that be read a new book, do something special for someone, make something new, or study a new Bible verse!! I'd love to hear, I'm needing ideas today!!! :)

I have a button on the right for you to put on your post, feel free to grab the code underneath and kindly link back to here, tell your friends!!! :)

My love print available in my etsy shop

Simplicity Saturdays (LINK UP)

2011-02-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Simplicity Saturdays. A link up dedicated to simplicity, feel free to share a new quick recipe, tips on cleaning, books, or whatever you are doing to simplify!!!!

Be sure to link up with the inlinkz below and tell your friends!!!

I have a lovely button for Simplicity Saturdays on the right with the code under it, feel free to copy and paste this to your simplicity post. And be sure to at least included a link back to here, can't wait to see everyone's entries!!! :)

When I start cleaning I always sing that little song on Calamity Jane...."a woman's touch". So today the girls and I donned our vintage style aprons and are cleaning away. I don't know why but when I want to deep clean I always rearrange my furniture. So everything gets clean and a new look! :)

My little Helper

Cleaning away and very proud of it!!!

P.S. I am also excited to share that Joyful Mothering is starting a Homemaker's Challenge every Friday (looks like it's going to be lots of fun, and keep me on my toes!!! :) Click the button to check it out.

Whole Wheat Butter Scones

2011-02-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

I took a basic traditional scone recipe and replaced all the white flour with whole wheat. We use the Montana Prairie gold wheat berries.

I didn't use any white flour at all, I know a lot of recipes do half and half but I just wanted to use all whole wheat, and see how these would turn out. These scones were good! They reminded me somewhat of cornbread because of using all wheat. Hubby does not like cornbread so I was worried. He loved them, I think he had 3! :)

We drrrrrenched them in honey. Everytime I say drenched I roll my R's...it reminds me of Mrs. Margaret Harris in Anne of Avonlea, and I always laugh to myself. ;)

Whole Wheat Butter Scones

(Source: Group Recipes)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups Whole wheat flour

3 TBS sugarshopping li

1/2 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into bits

2 eggs, beaten with

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Mix together flour, sugar, powder, and salt. Cut in butter. Add eggs and milk. Form into ball and flatten to a 10" circle. Cut into wedges. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes. 400 degrees if using a convection oven.

Enjoy with jam or raw honey! :)

Spaghetti Pie, Herbed Focaccia, & Cinnamon Dessert Bread

2011-02-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

Are you ready? This post has three recipes in it, but they are easy!!! And I think you are going to love them. Easy on the budget, time, and well maybe not your waistline. We use whole wheat spaghetti, part skim mozzarella, farm beef, and olive oil so maybe it's okay. ;)

First I'll share the recipe for the Spaghetti Pie, we make spaghetti A LOT, and I like the little spin this recipe puts on something we usually make!!! I get recipes from Campbell's emailed to my inbox and this one caught my eye.

My oven is needing some work, so all of this was baked in my Oster Toaster oven, I am super thankful hubby got this for me as a gift several years ago, it has really been a life saver with the oven not working. Mine is like the one below only retro red. :)

Family Spaghetti Pie

(Source: Campbell's Kitchen)

My version below:

1/2 pound ground beef (I had this already cooked in the freezer)

1 cup mild salsa (I was leery, but it made it sooo good!!!)

1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Almost the whole package 13 oz.-whole wheat spaghetti pasta

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup ricotta cheese ( I didn't have this, still taste wonderful)

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until meat is well browned, stirring frequently to break up the meat. Pour off fat. Stir the picante sauce,pasta sauce, and brown sugar into the skillet and cook until it's hot and bubbling.
Stir the spaghetti, egg and butter in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture on the bottom and up the side of greased 10-inch pie plate. Spread the ricotta cheese in the spaghetti shell. Top with the beef mixture.
Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until it's hot and bubbling. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 wedges.

Herbed Focaccia

(Source: My Recipes)

Ingredients

1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
2 to 3 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Dissolve yeast in sugar and water, then add, olive oil, salt and flour. Knead dough and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes. shaping dough into a ball.. Roll dough into an 11- x 14-inch rectangle on a lightly greased baking sheet. I cover the entire ball of dough in oil and knead it in the oil a bit. Then I start pressing it into the desired rectangle shape. Press handle of a wooden spoon into dough to make indentations at 1-inch intervals. Drizzle dough evenly with 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Bake at 475° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

(I filled the bottom of a plate with olive oil and an amazing blend of Italian seasonings from my mother-in-law, owner of Jazz Cafe in Ozark, Mo)

Then today I was thinking about how easy and fun the Italian bread was and decided "Why, I could make a cinnamon dessert bread with the same dough and it would be like those cinnamon bread sticks you get when you order pizza (ONLY BETTER)! :) WOW, they were amazing, hot and fresh from my little toaster oven, ha ha ha! :) My recipe below.

Maries's Italian Cinnamon Dessert Bread

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)

2 to 3 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Topping:

2 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 to 2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

I dissolved the yeast and sugar in water, then add oil, salt, and flour. Knead dough and let rise for only 30 minutes. I love that it only had to rise for 30 minutes. After it is done rising I like to knead my dough in a couple tablespoons of oil that I will bake the pan on, stretch out to a 11 x 14 rectangle. As I did this in my toaster oven it makes the perfect rectangle. Then take the end of a wooden spoon and press into the dough every 1 inch.

Melt the butter and brush over the bread dough, mix together your sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over butter. Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes. Make this better: While this is baking mix up some powdered sugar and a little milk for dipping!!! :) Hope you enjoy, we did! :)

Old Fashioned Gingerbread Scones w/Lavender

2011-02-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

This summer I started baking with lavender. It was new to me, something I had never baked with as a teenager, it has taken me long enough to start using it, and now that I am, I'm hooked!

From using it in cakes, cookies, scones, or my evening tea, lavender is sure to soothe.

If you are new to baking with lavender you will want to make sure and purchase culinary lavender that is safe for baking, like the lavender below.

One of my favorite websites, the bulk herb store sells it as well, for a very good price (they ship fast too!!!)

They include some wonderful information about lavender as well!!!

I found this recipe on a website full of lavender recipes, Hood River Lavender

Old Fashioned Gingerbread Scones w/Lavender

(Source: Hood River Lavender)

Mix together :

2 cups all-purpose flour “organic”

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1/8 tsp cloves ( I didn't have cloves)

1 Tbsp culinary lavender “Signature Blend” ground (I just used 1 Tablespoon of lavender buds)

Add:

7 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut up

Mix together with pastry blender,

until mixture looks like fine granules.

Stir in with fork: ½ tsp vanilla

To form a smooth, 1/3 cup milk

Rather soft dough. 1/3 cup molasses

½ cup raisins ( I didn't have raisins either)

Preheat oven 375’.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and give 10-12 kneads. Cut dough in half. Knead each half into a ball, turn smooth side up, and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Pat each piece of dough into a 5” circle, and cut into wedges (6-8 each); leave sides touching. Bake 10 minutes – being careful not to over bake. Sprinkle with Lavender sugar. Break apart after cooled.

*Lavender Sugar: *1 cup coarse organic granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp culinary lavender “Signature Blend”. Grind together in coffee grinder, and store overnight. Serve with applesauce, honey, slice of cheddar cheese, and/or whipping cream J Enjoy!

NOTE: I did not have lavender sugar so I covered the top with raw sugar and sprinkled on a few lavender buds.

Speaking of lavender scones, I used my scone pictures to make a new button today, I have three new buttons designed now and are on the right, feel free to grab one before you leave. I will be posting soon information on easily making your own blog buttons.

Biscuits for my Biscuit

2011-02-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm always posting recipes for the humans in my family, so today I thought I'd share a treat for Fido as well.

We have two dogs, both adopted! And they are just another member of our family, love them to pieces.

(Biscuit enjoying the snow)

Biscuit is amazing, I'm not sure what breed he is, I think he is around 9 years old, and he is soooo sweet. He loves to show affection by placing his paw in your hand or on your lap. And thunderstorms terrify him like no other. He always sleeps on a blanket in the living room, but on nights it storms you will find him cuddled up by our bed. And the minute, I mean the minute, it quits he humbly goes back into the living on his blanket. That dog is something else.

(Biscuit showing affection to Daddy)

And our newest little member is Maci, she is a schnauzer. And hubby's little side kick. She is like one of the kids. Always waiting anxiously by the door until Daddy gets home. :) She's worse than the kids, ha ha ha.

(Maci loving the snow)

Treats are expensive and I want to be able to give them treats, so I searched for a healthy dog treat that I would have the ingredients for, my version below (as I did not have all the ingredients it called for).

Crunchy Sunflower Biscuits

(Source: Dailydrool.com)

2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 eggs mixed with 1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsps butter or vegetable oil

1/4 cup unsulphered molasses (I used honey, I am out of molasses)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. Add melted butter (or oil),

molasses and egg mixture (save 1 Tbsp egg mixture). Knead together (add milk

if too dry), let sit for 1/2 hour. Roll to 1/2 inch and cut into desired shapes with

cookie cutter. Put on cookie sheet, "paint" on remaining egg mixture, and bake

30 minutes. Let cool and store in tightly sealed container.

I didn't paint my biscuits, I just mixed everything together, my dough was still somewhat dry so I added 1-2 Tablespoons of water.

Last year I had purchased a little pack of dog bone cookie cutters like these:

Meaningful Mondays

2011-02-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, our 3rd week of Meaningful Mondays, I was so elated about all who joined last week and hope you will again!!!

How are you making your Monday Meaningful?

Starting a new project, painting your kitchen, cooking a new meal, reading a new book........share it with the inklinkz tool below and be sure to include a link back here. My button is on the right with the link under it!!! :)

This monday I am going to do school, and then do Flylady's Weekly 1 hour home blessing, I have a lot of housework today and her methods always gets me back on track!!!

I was given a page out of an antique book several years ago and wanted to share the poem on the page.

Mother's Last Look

They're asleep,

So I'll keep

Very still, and peep:

Not too bright,

Candle-light

Is for them tonight.

Saturday

Makes them gay,

And they've had their play:

Sled and shout

Have, no doubt,

Tired them fairly out.

This poem really goes with our Saturday, we spent hours outside playing in the snow, building snow caterpillars and igloos!!!

Here is the igloo.

Chili on a Frigid Day

2011-02-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

Close-Up on Bowl of Delicious Chili

So we are day 3 of being snowed in. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, I have been able to make bread, beans, and chili. Three things I regret not getting: milk, butter, and eggs. I know pretty sad!!! But I was thinking of bare necessities, water and canned soups, the whole time thinking we would lose power and wouldn't be able to cook. Last night was negative 10 degrees, I am soooo thankful we still have power!!!

Yesterday I started a big pot of beans and before supper I turned that into a pot of chili. I will share my new concoction below. :)

Snowed In Chili ~ 2011

1 pot of cooked pinto beans (with the broth it cooked in)

1 large can of crushed tomoatoes

3/4 cup brewed coffee (save some from breakfast) :)

1/4 cup and 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

sprinkle in some Emeril's essence seasoning

1/4 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tablespoon Cocoa

sprinkle on some nutmeg

Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Enjoy!!!!

We enjoyed this with our snowed in neighbors who made the Cheez-It recipe we have here on the blog.....found here.

Making Bread

2011-02-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. ~ John 6:35

I think bread is very important, especially if Jesus is compared to the Bread of life................something very important and needed in life. As I have mentioned before I love baking bread.

In preparation for the blizzard that was to come I baked up our bread in case we were to lose power. As we have not lost power today I am making more and thought I would share this easy, very economical bread recipe.

It is from my 1971 Betty Crocker ( I know I've mentioned it before but I adore this cookbook).

This is called Crusty White Bread

(but I make it wheat)

Source: Betty Crocker 1971

2 Tablespoons active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

1/4 cup oil

6 to 6-1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. For those new to making bread I always make my water the temperature you would for a baby's bottle. Stir in sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups of flour. In this recipe I used 2 cups white flour and 3-4 cups of fresh ground wheat flour. Knead dough. I use a really big bowl to mix bread in, so I knead my dough in the bowl, I don't even bother putting it on the table. Cover, let rise until double about 45 minutes.

Punch down dough, divide in half. Shape into loaves. I like to make them into round loaves, it is so quick and easy and doesn't require a bread pan. Let your loaves rise for about an hour. Bake @ 350 for 25-35 minutes.

The Blizzard

2011-02-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

Before I share my blizzard pictures I would love to annouce that I am so elated to be a guest blogger over at Happily Domestic today. She has a wonderful new blog design....be sure to check it out!!!

My article here

I ventured out into the white fury.....

As I walked into the woods...

I spotted a red feathered friend...

As I approached him he flew away....so I stood still.

Not thinking of the fact that I wore a bright red head scarf.

He flew right back over to the tree in front of me.

Looking for a friend in the land of no one.

I bade him come closer....I sprinkled crushed corn all over the beautiful white snow. Ever since I've lived here I have tried to capture a photo of Mr. Cardinal...the thick falling snow made it ever so difficult to focus!!!

Here sits Mr. Cardinal in all his beauty........enjoying the treat I so gladly gave him.

I was about 15 feet away.

Good bye feathered friend....

Meaningful Mondays

2011-01-30T15:18:00.000-08:00

That's right! It's here again....Meaningful Monday, and I sincerely hope you'll join us.

What will you do today to make your Monday meaningful?

Bake a new bread, write a poem, sing a song, read a book?....whatever it is share it with me.

At the end of this post you will find the Linky tool to easily link up, please be sure to include my "Meaningful Monday" button found on the right of the page the code is under the button. Tell your friends!!!

This Monday I am going to read to my girlies from "The Book of a Thousand Poems"

Here is a poem from the book:

The Lavender Bush

At her doorway Mrs. Mayle

Grows a bush of lavender,

Large, and round, and silver-pale,

Where the blooms, a misty blur,

Lift their purple spikes on high,

Loved of butterflies and moths,

And on these, to bleach and dry,

Mrs. Mayle spreads little cloths.

Tray cloths, mats of cobweb-weave,

All of them too fairy-fine

For a careful soul to leave

Dangling on a washing-line,

Mrs. Mayle lays softly there

Till she brings them in once more,

Sweet with blossoms-scented air,

From the bush beside the door.

~Elizabeth Fleming

Homemade Granola

2011-01-30T07:07:00.000-08:00

Last night I mixed together some granola, which was quite wonderful for breakfast this morning. Very simple!

Fresh and Homemade Delicious Fruit Cobbler

The great thing about granola is you can just throw in what you have on hand! The kids just love it as a bowl of cereal, add milk and your set!

Granola

4 cups oats

1/3 cup oil of your choice

2/3 cup honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup of whatever you want, raisins, craisins, white chips, nuts, etc.

Toast your oats on a baking sheet @ 350 for 12 minutes. Then mix together all ingredients. Coat a 9 x 13 with coconut oil and press granola in pan, very firmly. Bake @ 350 for 15 -20 minutes. When these are done immediately cut into squares then let cool. When completely cool you can put these in a ziploc bag and break them up into your cereal bowl, enjoy with fresh milk for breakfast or a snack! :)

Honey Whole Wheat Thin Pizza Crust (no rise)

2011-01-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

Friday night and we wanted pizza, but I wanted it to be healthier and I didn't want to pay a lot.

I settled on a whole wheat crust, Classico spaghetti sauce and part skim mozzarella cheese. Recipe below.

Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

(Source: Allrecipes)

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ ( I don't have wheat germ, so I didn't use it)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 375. Simply mix together your yeast and water, then add honey, flour and salt. Let stand for just a few minutes.

Then I took a large baking sheet, lined with foil and spread some coconut oil on the foil. Then I drizzled olive oil on, I took the lump of pizza dough and coated it with the olive oil and knead it a bit...then I started spreading it to the corners. This is a thin crust recipe.

Then take a fork and poke holes all over crust.

I spread half a jar of Classico tomato basil spaghetti sauce all over the crust. YUM!

Sprinkle with part skim mozzarella cheese.

For Hubby and I's side I added some pepperoni and Canadian bacon. Then I sprinkled it with some Italian seasonings.

Bake in the oven @ 375 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Word of Caution: There will not be leftovers!!! :)

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-01-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE to bake......okay yes it's an obsession of mine. :). I have been baking since I was 11 years old in my Mama's kitchen. She taught me what temperature the water should be for making bread and I went to town baking! :)

I would bake bread and sell on the side of our highway.......but my Uncles always got wind I was doing that and bought me out before anyway could stop. Sure made that little girl happy!!!

Always a skinny little girl I was...but as life happened and children came along the pounds came along too and the baking didn't stop. Last year I put a minor hold on my baking and lost 40 lbs. I still made a few things but I really tried to not partake.

Recently I concluded that there is no need to stop baking......but to start baking foods that are full of goodness and healthy for my family...and Me! :)

So the search has begun you will find more baked goods on my blog that are a little bit easier on the waistline and I hope you enjoy them.

And because no one can do without chocolate chip cookies, here ya go:

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Source: Cook, Eat, Share)

my version below is a bit different from the original

1/2 cup coconut oil (room temperature, solid state) ( I did not use quite 1/2 a cup, just a little under)
1/2 cup honey (I did a little under 1/2 cup of honey as well)
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup grated, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (not salted)
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flower
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

I then rolled these into little balls, I took about 1 Tablespoon of dough and rolled them up. Baked them at 375 for about 9 minutes, no more. These stay formed, they are simply delicious, I renamed them granola balls! :) The kids LOVED them too!!!

This is a great deal on sunflower seeds, I bought mine from Dillons and certainly over paid!!!

Barley

2011-01-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

Cistercian Dunbrody Abbey Beyond Barley Field, County Wexford, Ireland

I love the Mennonite store by my Moms' house, that is where I get all my bulk foods, aluminum free baking powder, Montana prairie Gold wheat, and barley.

I just started cooking with barley, sad huh!!! And after I have been reading about just how good it is for us, I hope to incorporate in a meal for my family every week.

According to www.whfoods.org: " Barley is a wonderfully versatile cereal grain with a rich nutlike flavor and an appealing chewy, pasta-like consistency. Its appearance resembles wheat berries, although it is slightly lighter in color.

When the weather's cold, a big pot of soup simmering on the stove warms the heart as well as the hearth. Adding some whole grain barley to the pot will improve your health along with the flavor of whatever soup or stew you're cooking. In addition to its robust flavor, barley's claim to nutritional fame is based on its being a very good source of fiber and selenium, and a good source of phosphorus, copper and manganese."

...and the health benefits keep going, the page long info on it is pretty extensive.

I also looked up barley in my 1958 encyclopedia, just for fun and shared it with my girls during school.

Today I used some things I had on hand and made this barley soup:

Barley Garden Soup

(The recipe here, was my base: my version below

with just what I had on hand, I would have loved to have added carrots and maybe some corn)

8 cups water

5 T. knorr chicken bullion

3/4-1 cup of pearled barley

1/4 tsp. onion powder (I didn't have any onions on hand) :(

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. sugar

1 large can crushed tomatoes

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 cups shredded zucchini (this was from my garden last year)

After rinsing and washing barley, add all ingredients to stock pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 90 minutes. I served it with Amish wheat bread and it was great!!!

What are some of your favorite barley recipes I would love to know!!! :)

On another note:

This morning I made baked oatmeal for breakfast and used coconut oil in place of the vegetable oil, everyone LOVED it, how many of you bake with coconut oil? Do you like it? Do you have any favorite recipes?

Tutorial on Bagel Making & Chicken Salad Recipe

2011-01-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying a couple days with my Mama and we decided to make bagels and chicken salad. She made the Rotisserie chicken and I made the bagels. Today I am going to show you how to make both. We'll start with the bagels. I have posted on bagels before but it was using a sourdough starter, this is for those of you without starters. :)

Boiled Bagels

(Source: AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions

In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt together, and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a mixer for half a minute at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl clean. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then, by hand, mix in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover, let rest for 15 minutes.
Cut into 12 portions, shape into smooth balls. Poke a hole in the center with your finger, and gently enlarge the hole while working the bagel into a uniform shape. Cover, let rise 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it, mix it around a bit. Reduce to simmering.

When the bagels are ready, put 4 or 5 bagels into the water, and cook 7 minutes, turning once. Drain them. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, eat hot or cold.

Broiling option: For a glossier surface, place raised bagels on an ungreased baking sheet prior to boiling them. Broil them five inches from heat for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Then put them into the hot water to be boiled as above. Note: do not bake broiled bagels as long as non-broiled ones, 25 minutes should be long enough.

(My Notes: I like to put 1 Tablespoon of molasses in my boiling water, instead of sugar. Makes for a very pretty bagel. Also right before I bake them, I sprinkled them with sesame seeds and parsley. We sliced them in half and filled them with our chicken salad found below.

First we washed a small chicken.

Then we sprinkled on both sides with garlic salt, salt, season salt & pepper.

We placed it on the spit and then cook it in the Baby George Rotisserie.

We cooked it at 180 degrees for 1-1/2 hours or until tender.

Mom cut off all the meat and now we can make our chicken salad.

Grapes sliced all ready to go! Keeping the kiddos out of them was the challenge. :)

Marie's Chicken Salad

1 rotisserie chicken cut in small pieces (if you are in a hurry you could pick up a rotisserie chicken from the deli) :)

3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Miracle Whip

1-1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1-1/2 to 2 cups of halved red grapes

Sprinkle to your taste, season salt, garlic salt, onion salt, and pepper.

Mix all together and serve on warm bagel. The men had been working all morning and they were a big hit with them!!!

My lovely Mama enjoying the yumminess. :)

Line Drying Laundry

2011-01-24T23:08:00.000-08:00

I love hanging my clothes on the line!!! I am really good about doing it in the spring/summer, but when winter would come along I would use the dryer. In the past I have went without both a washer and a dryer just to see if I could do it! :) I lasted 3 months and I was ever so thankful for a washing machine again. I found one on craigslist for $25, and so far it has lasted a couple of years. I think I will go back one day to hand washing, but I would much prefer to have one of these!!! Instructions to make these can be found @ HomelessDave.com

I decided to get a dryer too, it was $25, but a couple of months ago a piece came off inside of it and clothes will get stuck in it, it buts black stains on them or even holes. And while I like the convenience of a dryer, I do not have the funds to purchase another one yet. Not sure if I want too, I sure love the money I save not using a dryer!!!

So this is what I did:

1. I found a drying rack at a thrift store for $2.00. It is not fancy, and maybe a little flimsy but it works!!!!

2. Before I got the nice tall drying rack on wheels, I would hang all adult clothing on hangers and hang them up in the bathroom shower rod to dry.

3. Then a dear friend gave me the handy drying rack. I rearranged my area by the laundry room and placed these two drying racks near the washer and near the window where the sun shines through.

4. I went through all of our laundry and gave away about half of it. When you are not using a dryer at all to dry your clothing it takes a good 12-24 hours to dry a load indoors. By minimizing our amount of clothing I can stay on top of our laundry much easier.

5. I also keep the children's dressers near by, as you can see in the picture, so when the clothes are dry, I simply fold them and place them in their drawers. It makes for a pretty fast process.

The basket full of clothes are clean ones I need to put away. I really do enjoy hanging my clothing to dry versus using a dryer. It is very peaceful to me. What is your laundry set-up? I'd love to know!!! :)

My Grandma has one of these hanging drying racks, she loves it to hang underwear and socks from, she keeps it right by the washing machine. When I did not have a washer or dryer I used one of these and it really helped, I think I'll have to get one again!!!

New! Meaningful Mondays

2011-01-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Meaningful Mondays by the Cottage Homestead. I am very excited, this is the first time I have done something like this, I enjoy linking up to other awesome blogs and thought I'd try this myself. So if you see some glitches, bear with me!!! :)

This is a place you can link up and share how you are making your Monday Meaningful. Monday's are hard sometimes, a fresh new week with new challenges arising as well!

Meaningful Mondays is a place of encouragement, if your Monday is not going quite as planned or desired. Please share below using the Linky Tool how you are going to make your Monday a Meaningful one!!!

If you so desire to write a post on your blog about it and then link up here. You can find my button for Meaningful Mondays on the right with the html code below it. If you please, be sure to add the button which will link back to here. :)

Feel free to comment here, and share via Facebook, let's make it a Meaningful Monday.

Retro Kitchen

Beatitudes for a Homemaker

Blessed is she whose daily tasks are a labor of love; for her willing hands and happy heart translate duty into privilege; and her labor becomes a service to God and all mankind.

Blessed is she who opens the door to welcome both stranger and well-loved friend; for gracious hospitality is a test of brotherly love.

Blessed is she who mends stockings and toys and broken hearts; for her understanding is a balm to humanity.

Blessed is she who scours, for well she knows that cleanliness is one expression of godliness.

Blessed is she whom children love; for the love of a child is more to be called than fortune or fame.

Blessed is she who sings at her work; for music lightens the heaviest load and brightens the dullest chore.

Blessed is she who dusts away doubt and fear and sweeps out the cobwebs of confusion for her faith will triumph over all adversity.

Blessed is she who serves laughter and smiles with every meal; for her buoyancy of spirit is an aid to mental and physical digestion.

Blessed is she who preserves the sanctity of the Christian home; for hers is a sacred trust that crowns her with dignity.

Homemade Toothpaste Recipe

2011-01-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

Today I made homemade deodorant and while I shared that on the cottage homestead's facebook page, an amazing friend of mine asked if made toothpaste too. Huh! I hadn't even thought of it, I mean I've used just baking soda before or just peroxide to whiten those pearly babies, but have never made actual paste.

So I put the Google to work and happily stumbled upon Pioneer Thinking, a website I need to explore a little more! While I was devoted to my toothpaste search in the back of my mind I'm thinking, I probably won't be able to make this today, there's no way I'll have everything I need in my cabinets. I WAS WRONG!!!

They have a recipe for homemade mouthwash too, but I'll need to get Vodka first. I already want to get some to make homemade vanilla............ that would be glorious. I just don't want to go out and buy the stuff!!! . :)

Mint Toothpaste Recipe

(Source: Pioneer Thinking)

Ingredients:

6 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons glycerin
15 drops peppermint or wintergreen extract

Directions: Mix thoroughly. Should be a tooth paste consistency. Store in a container. You'll be surprised with how fresh your mouth feels.

Everybody's doing it...Homemade Deodorant

2011-01-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's just me, but everywhere I look people are making homemade deodorant. When I read about just how easy it is to make the stuff......well I certainly couldn't be left out. No wonder...."everybody's doing it!!!" :)

Natural deodorant is really important to me. Dad raised us to not use the stuff with aluminum in it, we always used "the rock" as we called it, the crystal rock. And yes it works, but it always causes my pits to get dry and itchy. I have really sensitive skin.

And then I have used all the natural brands, and while they kind of work they are pricey!!! The last one I used was some natural stuff from Tom's of Maine.....I don't think it worked at all. Hmmmmm....maybe that's why I haven't seen any of my friends lately!!! :)

This is one of those recipes where you pretty much have everything on hand too!! How cool is that?

I want to give a special thanks to Homestead Revival for sharing easy instructions on making it!!!

You can find her post on it here

What you will need:

Baking soda
Cornstarch
Coconut Oil (I really wanted to get an organic brand but I went with the cheaper stuff at Wal-Mart, easier on my wallet)
Tea Tree or Lavender Oil
Container to put it in

And below you can see the recipe in my pic, it's that easy.

(I doubled the recipe for our family)

1/4 c. baking soda, 1/4 c. cornstarch, 5-6 Tablespoons coconut oil

Before you mix these 3 ingredients together if you like add 5-20 drops of tea tree oil, I used 25 drops of lavender oil.

It says to use a mixer, and since I don't own one I used my hands. I'm kind of afraid of electrical appliances, I'm not sure why but they scare me. Even blenders. Okay I hope your laughing now that I've confessed this little idiosyncrasy!!!

I mixed this stuff with my hands and it was FUN!!! And it moisturized my hands in the process (boy they needed it)

And of-course I can's have deodorant without in being in a pretty little container, I used a pint jar and added a floral label to the lid.

It even makes good decor for my bathroom shelf!!!!

So that's it......hope you enjoy making yours. And as I read on the Homestead Revival blog it only takes a very little bit!!!

It's here!!! IT'S HERE!!!!!!

2011-01-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

That's right! My Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog arrived in the mail yesterday, and I am in love again. :) Just kidding hubby! It's more like a magazine chock full of so much interesting detail, information, quotes, recipes and more!!!

You can request your copy or shop their online store here.

Speaking of magazine, they do offer one. It is $12.00 a year. You can find it here

Two of my friends introduced me to Baker Creek last year. And I was amazed at what this company has accomplished!!!! It's truly fascinating. The other amazing part.......... they are in Mansfield, MO....a stones throw from us. Every spring, summer, and fall they hold a Bakersville Piloneer Village Heritage Day Festival.........I truly cannot wait to go!!!

They even have a restaurant where you can enjoy a hearty meal during the festival, it is an Asian-themed vegetarian restaurant with a very historic atmosphere. What I found unique is the restaurant is run by donations only, so all guests can afford to dine.

You will love the catalog and all the amazing heirloom varieties, it is more like a work of ART!!!

My neighbor friend started several of their seeds indoors a couple of springs ago, and shared with me, and we loved them!!! Now I just have to decide which varieties I want, so many unique ones to choose from.....this is going to be FUN!!! :)

Flourless Red Velvet Cake

2011-01-18T22:06:00.000-08:00

Well I have accomplished two firsts tonight: 1. I made a red velvet cake and 2. a flourless cake.

The process was unique and fun and I really appreciated the flavor and texture. I was inspired through the Mrs. Southern Bride Blog and needless to say I do not believe I can create a picture as alluring as the one she has shown of her red velvet bliss cake. :)

Oh yes! And I would like to add that I ran out of red food coloring so mine looks purple...guess you could call it a Magenta Velvet Cake. ha ha ha But here it is anyways.

Here is the recipe as found on her blog

(Flourless) Red Velvet Cake

(Source: Mrs. Southern Bride Blog)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 Cup Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup unsalted butter
6 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon of White Vinegar
2 teaspoons of Red Food Coloring

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch round cake pan and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.
3. In the microwave melt chocolate chips in 30 second increments, and stir until melted.
4. Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate in your mixer. Slowly add the hot sugar-water, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring until well blended.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
6. Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake for 2-3 hours in the freezer.

For the Glaze:

3 Tablespoons of Milk
3 Tablespoons of Cream Cheese
3-4 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla

Mix ingredients, until a creamy paste forms. Pour over individual slices of the cake. Enjoy!

(My Notes: I did not have bittersweet so I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. Also for the glaze I used 2 oz. of cream cheese and about 8-10 tablespoons of powdered sugar.)

What a wonderful treat it was!!!!

Pinto "Painted" Beans: 101

2011-01-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

I grew up on beans. Beans and cornbread. Not only were they cheap but my Dad loved them, always wanted Mom to keep a pot of them going on the stove. Seems like Dad knew what he was doing. Beans are good for you!!!

According to the World's Healthiest Foods

When you "Combine the creamy pink texture of pinto beans with a whole grain such as brown rice.....you have a virtually fat-free high quality protein meal.

Pinto beans have a beige background strewn with reddish brown splashes of color. They are like little painted canvases, á la Jackson Pollack; hence their name "pinto," which in Spanish means "painted." When cooked, their colored splotches disappear, and they become a beautiful pink color.

Pinto beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, pinto beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.

But this is far from all pinto beans have to offer. Pinto beans are also an excellent source of molybdenum, a very good source of folate and manganese, and a good source of protein and vitamin B1 as well as the minerals phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, and copper."

You can read more about what they have to say about beans by clicking here.

So now that we know beans really are good for us, and as we all know budget friendly let me share with you my basic recipe for a "Pot-o-Beans"

Marie's Pot-o-Beans

(Serves 4-5)

2 to 2-1/2 cups dried pinto beans

7-9 cups water

5-6 Tablespoons of Knorr beef bouillon

1. First measure out your beans and scoop a handful on a plate. Look through the beans for debris, bad beans, etc. Pick these out and throw them away.

2. After you have sorted through all the beans put them in a small pot, run some warm water on them and swish them around with your hand to "clean" them. After you have done this, strain the beans in a strainer and rinse some more. Repeat until you think they are cleaned.

3. Now lets cook our beans. In a large stock pot pour in your beans, 7 cups of water, and beef flavoring. I prefer beef flavor more than chicken but this is totally up to your taste preferences.

4. Bring the pot-o-beans to a boil, when it comes to a good boil, place lid on pot and simmer for 3-4 hours. As it cooks some of the water will evaporate, I usually add 2-3 more cups of water halfway through.

Thirty minutes before beans are finished cooking I like to cook some brown or parboiled rice. My family loves to eat their beans over a plate of rice and if we have cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top it's even better!!!

My dear hubby was not so happy when I used to fix beans, and that was so disappointing to me because beans are such a cheap meal to add to the menu. I finally learned it was the cornbread with the beans he did not like. When I started making rice instead to go with them and used the Knorr bouillon, he LOVED it! I mean he REALLY does. And that makes me happy!!!

LEFTOVER BEANS

I like to make a huge batch of beans and turn that into different meals through the week. There are so many things you can make with them here are some ideas:

1. Make chili

2. With left over chili make Frito pie

3. With the left over chili, add a block of Velveeta for chili cheese dip!!!

4. Mash the beans up and put in tortillas, add your favorites, such as cheese or sour cream, roll up for quick and easy burritos.

These are just a few ideas, feel free to share what you like to make with leftover beans!!! :)

Mama's Pound Cake

2011-01-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

Tonight I mixed up a pound cake. And this wonderful recipe is compliments of Paula Deen.

Do you remember watching your Mom mix up a cake and anxiously awaiting the bowl......so you could lick it and the spoons clean? My youngest was doing just that while I mixed this up....she gladly accepted it and this batter certainly met her approval.

I love how simple & basic the recipe is and it taste wonderful. Paula would cringe but I did not use butter, I had to use margarine. I love butter, especially when baking, but the budget did not allow real butter this week, and this still tastes great with margarine!!! :) I'm sure not as good though......

Mama's Pound Cake

(Source: Paula Deen, Food Network)

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

(My Notes: I used vegetable oil instead of shortening to insure a moist cake, it took 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake)

Yummy Pumpkin Swirl Baked Oatmeal

2011-01-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

When I was 15 I spent a summer in New Mexico with my relatives on their ranch and I enjoyed some very yummy foods that summer. One of them was baked oatmeal. WOW! My cousin would add some chocolate chips and it was so yummy for breakfast, even cold for a snack!!!

Last week on Brown Eyed Baker I noticed she shared a baked oatmeal recipe, found here.

You can find my version below:

Pumpkin Swirl Baked Oatmeal

2 cups quick oats
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups milk
½ cup butter
5-6 Tablespoons Libby's Pumpkin Pie Canned Mix.
1 large egg, beaten

Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

Stir all ingredients except pumpkin. Then spoon pumpkin on and swirl around a bit. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Inspiration.....28 Steps to a Deep Cleaned Bedroom

2011-01-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

Fluffed Pillows on a Cabin Bed at Lake Champlain

Where to begin......We live in a little cottage (little) and while I admire "Wonder Women" and "Martha Stewarts" ....I am NOT one. I want to be, but it never seems to happen. :) With such a cozy little place, (which I love) it can be hard to figure out where and how to store things. And since organization is not my niche, it seems I am sometimes doomed for failure.

Today I stumbled upon Raising Homemakers and really enjoyed her Homemaking Link-up and that is where I found:

Drum roll.........

Time~Warp Wife

OH MY! Her blog is so inspiring, and let me tell you I WAS Inspired! I read her article

"28 Steps to a Deep-Cleaned Bedroom"

and in 3 hours my bedroom was 85% deep cleaned. I ran out of time today and hope to finish up tomorrow. Because I am out of printer ink I actually scribbled all 28 Steps down and went to my room and I meant business.

Sadly my bedroom is dual labeled, one: as of-course a bedroom and the other as:.... Cringe and slap by hand....a "storage room". I sell things on ebay, do crafts, and we have our own house cleaning business and there is no other place to put things.

While our bedroom still serves both purposes with her helpful instruction I was able to have a tidy looking room in no time. And hubby was mightily pleased!!!

Here is a little bit of what Darlene Schacht has to say:

"Bedrooms tend to accumulate stuff, whether it be clothing, jewelry, magazines or leotards, most of us have too much of it cluttering our drawers and our table tops. It shouldn’t be this way. The bedroom should be the most relaxing room in the house—a place where you can retreat to when you want to stretch out, or snuggle with your husband on a cool winter’s night. But there’s nothing relaxing or romantic about a room that’s cluttered and disorganized, is there?

I’m going to offer you 28 steps that will get your bedroom into the shape that it should be. Depending on the current state of your bedroom, this deep cleaning schedule could take you anywhere from one afternoon to a few, but in any case, the final result will be well worth your effort. I promise!

Start by taking the sheets, pillow cases and blankets off the bed and throwing them into the washing machine. Set the timer so that you won’t forget they are there.
Take your curtains down and get them ready to go into the next load.
If you have blinds, wipe them down with a damp cloth.

You can read the rest of her AMAZING 28 Steps HERE

I am super excited about visiting her blog, she has a Housekeeping Schedule that I found inspiring as well. I have read many different schedules and ideas but something about hers really stuck with me!!!

http://gnowfglins.com/2011/01/13/simple-lives-thursday-26/

Wordless Wednesday....Our Kitten Fluffers

2011-01-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check out Wordless Wednesday @ Happily Domestic here