Homemade biscuits

A first for Eliot and me.... We made simple shortening Southern style biscuits. We took it further and made a breakfast casserole casserole with sausage, biscuits, eggs, cheese, and seasonings. Eliot had a blast folding the shortening into the flour.

Dinner on a budget...

Dinner on a budget... we have been blessed to have access to a local food pantry and my food storage. I lost my job and my husband is trying to get more hours. I have donated to food pantries before and I bless you who have done the same. The kids loved it so much that the beans and meat were long gone...

Boiled cabbage seasoned with sea salt, dill, and taragon; red and pinto beans with yesterday's roast drippings; rice cooked in the cabbage water for extra nutritional value. All just the cost of the seasonings...

Lentil soup plus...

 Lentil soup plus... The main legume is lentils. A small amount of black beans, red beans, and garbanzo beans added. They soaked overnight. Then in the crock pot I seasoned them. The herbs included fresh rosemary, dried marjoram, dried nettle, and dried alfalfa. The seasonings included Himalayan salt, pepper, turmeric, and onion powder. Lard was added for richness and fresh onion for flavor. I change up my recipe each time. We'll see how this batch turns out. I add the barley last minute before serving for bulk and nutrition...

New cornbread

I tried a twist on cornbread tonight. I used Masa cornmeal and gluten free all purpose flour. The family ate it up...

School lunch for tomorrow

OK, the pictures are not great so let me describe what you see. Annika helped me prepare her lunch and Evan's. We made peperoni wraps. They consisted of a slice of peperoni wrapped around cheese and dandelion leaves. In that same bag we put two slices of cucumber and a boiled egg. In the fruit bag we put blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. In another bag we put cashews and soy nuts. At the bottom of the picture there is a bag with 3 small homemade pumpkin muffins. To top it off we added some organic chocolate milk. I bet  no one will have a lunch like theirs....

Now that's homeschooling

Making, homemade toothpaste, chocolate pie, and an hebal remedy for Daddy, now that is homeschooling.

What's for dinner Lyn?

I really need to restock the pantry. Lyn wanted to make dinner tonight so we ventured to the back of the pantry and came up with canned diced potatoes, wax beans, and grapes. We went to the all knowing world wide web and found this recipe. Everything turned out really good.......

Tuna pinroll

Lyn made dinner tonight. It was tuna pinroll. My mother used to make this all the time. It is cheap and easy to make. I like to use Bisquick mix to cut corners. I use it to make the dough. Just add milk and knead it and roll it out. Then add one or two cans of drained tuna and roll up like a jelly roll. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add a little olive oil to a pan and place the roll in the center. As it is baking start the sauce. I heat some milk and some flour with a little butter and pepper added. Stir till it thickens and coat the pinroll as it is almost finished baking. Bake a few more minutes and enjoy!!!!

My favorite herb / spice today....

Have you ever heard of Star Anise? Probably not. I didn't until  I started researching herbs for healing and practical use. It is technically a spice. It smells exactly like black licorice. If you crush it and just leave it out like potpourri its scent fills the room. It is powerful stuff. It is used in some Asian and Indian dishes but I bought it from the grocery store purely for its smell. It is a little expensive but it is my favorite today.

Click on the picture to learn more about this spice

Trying ranch chips this time

It was Lyn's job to make dinner tonight. She made buttermilk ranch chips. She cut corn tortillas, dipped them in buttermilk and sprinkled dry ranch mix on them and popped them into the oven. While those were cooking she put together the rest of dinner. She warmed up some beef hot dogs and cut them into bite sized pieces. On the side we had blueberries, canteloupe, cheese, and baby carrots. Yum yum!

Homemade chips

The big girls made homemade chips today. They cut corn tortillas in forths, brushed with olive oil and avacado oil, sprinkled with a little cheese and fiesta seasoning and voila! We had hommade spicy chips. We baked them at 350 degrees till crispy. I think we will try a ranch flavor next.

Celebrating the first wheat harvest...

What is Lammas?

In our modern world, it's often easy to forget the trials and tribulations our ancestors had to endure. For us, if we need a loaf of bread, we simply drive over to the local grocery store and buy a few bags of prepackaged bread. If we run out, it's no big deal, we just go and get more. When our ancestors lived, hundreds and thousands of years ago, the harvesting and processing of grain was crucial. If crops were left in the fields too long, or the bread not baked in time, families could starve. Taking care of one's crops meant the difference between life and death.




By celebrating Lammas as a harvest holiday, we honor our ancestors and the hard work they must have had to do in order to survive. This is a good time to give thanks for the abundance we have in our lives, and to be grateful for the food on our tables. Lammas is a time of transformation, of rebirth and new beginnings.
 
  (These words were borrowed from: Lammas History: Welcoming the Harvest


                                  By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide)

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Today to celebrate the history and importance of wheat we baked some whole wheat bread. Evan, Eliot, Lyn , and Annika each helped and made their own small loaf. I also checked out some bread books to learn about the history of where wheat came from. I am actually not eating wheat right now and I am trying to stay away from grains all together in order to loose weight. I am also trying to determine if some of Annika and Evan's health problems might be related to their wheat so I am trying to eliminate wheat from their diet. But wheat has a huge cultural importance to the world we live in. We learned where wheat came from and all of the different kinds of breads that are made from wheat.

I'm calling it rosemary chicken

We had three chicken breasts that really needed to be cooked. I wanted to keep it simple. I cut a slit into each breast and drizzled some organic olive oil onto each piece. I added fresh rosemary and Greek oregano from my front porch. With a little salt and pepper and 20 minutes in the oven we had some pretty good chicken. I could not believe how good it tasted! I do believe rosemary is my favorite herb right now. I like the way it looks, smells, and tastes.

More protein please....

In an attempt to increase my protein intake I tried a new recipe of my own making.

black beans
garbanzo beans (chick peas)
field peas
avocado oil
flax seeds
feta cheese
Italian dressing
a few jalapenos

I added all of the ingredients together and put them on a wrap. It needs salt and peeper and few more spices or herbs but I thought it turned out OK. I am off to the store to pick up a few things. I think I want to try this bean salad in a lettuce or cabbage wrap.

Asparagus anyone?

What's for dinner?

The question that is asked everyday and everyday lately I have been stumped as to what to make or direct my husband to make. Fresh asparagus was on sale the other day so I bought some. I have never cooked asparagus before and actually had to look up how to cook it. We are going to keep it simple. I think I will add salmon patties and rolls on the side and call it a meal. I did find a great site that goes into more detail than you would ever need about asparagus. Check it out.

(click the picture to go to an info page on asparagus)

Mama, what's for dinner?

I guess I can call it hamburger casserole.

What to make for dinner? That is a question I have to ask way too often. I had some ground beef sitting in the refrigerator that needed to be cooked. So, I made up this recipe. I was a little surprised it turned out OK. The kids ate it up. It needed more cheese on top but we were running low on cheese. I added fresh corn on the cob to the meal to round it out. I may try it again with some cream of mushroom soup. Here is my recipe.

One pound of ground beef

1/4 of a white onion

One cup fresh sliced mushrooms

One can diced potatoes (drained)

Salt and pepper to taste

Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup white rice

Cheese

While I was browning the beef in an electric skillet I added the onion, mushrooms, potatoes, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. I broke the mushrooms into fairly small pieces. They soak up the flavor of the beef really well. While this was cooking I heated the oven to 350 degrees and started the rice cooking. It is OK if the rice isn't fully cooked by the time the beef mixture is finished. Add the rice and beef mixture together in a baking dish and top with some cheese. I used Parmesan and American cheese this go around. I think shredded sharp cheddar would have worked better. I let it bake for about 20 minutes or until it was heated through and the cheese was all melted. It was fairly hearty. I did not use very lean beef. A little fat goes a long way to add flavor. Seasoned pork sausage could probably be substituted for the beef.

Fried Eggplant

Fried Eggplant

I am fond of this dish. I use my own recipe. My husband will eat it. The kids will try it. I actually crave it. I think it is more of the fried covered in cheese aspect I enjoy more than the eggplant aspect. Today I tried something different. Anyone who knows me or has been following my blog at all lately will be aware that I am on a buttermilk kick. Instead of using egg to batter the slices of eggplant this go around I used buttermilk. I couldn't really taste a big difference. I think it added a slight tang but that could have just been my imagination. Here is the recipe I use:

one medium eggplant (peeled and cut into thin slices)

store bought all purpose Greek seasoning

all purpose flour

buttermilk or beaten egg

shredded mozzarella cheese

cooking oil

I put the Greek seasoning into the flour. Just season to taste. I use a lot. Mix it well. Have another bowl with the buttermilk or beaten egg. I heat my oil in an electric skillet at about 350 degrees. I dip the slices one at a time into the buttermilk or egg and then into the flour mixture covering both sides. I place them into the hot oil and turn once. They take longer than you would think to cook. When they are brown and crispy place on a paper toweled plate. Sprinkle with cheese while they are very hot so the cheese will melt. They are best eaten really hot. They do not reheat well at all. I actually ended up eating this whole plate myself!!

Now for a little history behind the eggplant for all of you who didn't know you wanted to know about this interesting vegetable (or is it a fruit?) The eggplant is technically a berry. It is classified as a vegetable here in the United States when used in cooking. It is native to India. It was introduced to Europe in the middle ages. English speaking people called it "eggplant" because the early varieties were small and whitish in color resembling eggs. Eggplants are in the nightshade family. Generally other plants in that family are poisonous. Edible eggplants come in a lot of varieties but most of us here in the states are used to the fairly large purple variety. Eat up!