Keeping busy on 1200 acres...
Mexican night is a common occurrence in our house, actually is comes more often than I want to admit because it's fast, cheap and I know the family will have no complaints. Feeding my picky meat and potatoes only bunch can get a little exhausting sometimes, and that is when I turn to Mexican Night. The convenience of being able to customize each person's plate without a lot of fuss saves a lot of "Mom I hate tomatoes", "I don't want no white stuff on mine mom", "What is … [Read more...]
Schools are letting out and the weather is warming up. Flowers are blooming and my husband is starting to mow the grass much to his dismay. What does all this mean for me? It's time for me to get planning some backyard BBQ's. I love to host parties and it's no secret that I want to go all out and have a little of everything there. Perhaps some could say I even go overboard, ok it's pretty much a guarantee. There is just something about the smell of hamburgers and steaks grilling on the grill … [Read more...]
Health wise can it get any worse than Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits? But can taste wise does it get any better than Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits? I started off with the thought of making homemade donuts but I was being a little lazy and remembered my mom frying biscuits over a campfire. I figured I could improve on that flavor and still end up with something doughy and donut like. I must say these Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits were a good thought and so fun because they were bite size! The family had a … [Read more...]
It's no secret that my husband is a meat and potatoes man, and when I say meat I pretty much mean red meat. He loves his beef in just about any way it can be cooked up. Now I like a little bit of variety in my life. Cory and the boys could live off of cheeseburgers, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets and steak for the rest of their days, I need a little bit more than that though. I need variety and lots of it. Chicken is a great way for me to get some variety into our meals because of it's … [Read more...]
As I will tell you a couple of times today my husband is a meat and potatoes man, specifically red meat. I have found that he loves anything to do with red meat as long as he is not really the one who has to cook it. I mean he has no problems cooking cheeseburgers and a delicious steak but anything needing more steps than two just isn't going to happen. While I love to cook and am constantly adding recipes to my arsenal it can get a bit mundane in our house. It seems we eat a ton of tacos, … [Read more...]
If you have been following along with my Fantastic Food Dehydrator Series you have learned out a lot about what to look for in a dehydrator and even what kinds of dehydrators are available, however, knowing the facts and putting them to use are two different things. Having recipes to go along with your dehydrator is always a help. Working with a dehydrator is not as complicated as might think. I am going to start off sharing recipes that are simple. I mean some of them are so simple that I … [Read more...]
French Onion Soup has always been related to high end restaurants in my mind. I mean they make onions look good. The smell of the onions as they simmer down just turns into something so appealing for my nose that it's hard for me to resist something I would normally run (or cry) from. I realize now that it's not necessarily all high end restaurants that carry French Onion Soup and that some of the best comes from the local mom and pop shop, but no matter who makes it my nose will seek it … [Read more...]
How about a Fiesta for Cinco de Mayo or for any evening? A fiesta is frugal and fun and appeals to all ages. Here’s the plan for a frugalicious and fast FIESTA! Fiesta Meal Ideas Make Your Own Nacho Bar Tortilla Chips Taco Meat Recipe – 1 lb. ground beef, 1 cup picante sauce, 1 can ranch style beans (do not drain)…brown beef, add picante sauce and beans. Simmer 10 minutes. Grated Mexi-Cheese Shredded Lettuce Chopped Tomato or Pico de Gallo Sour … [Read more...]
Cookies were a huge part of my life growing up. We made them constantly because my family loved them and my mom was and still is a firm believer in learning how to cook. She taught us all how to cook at a young age and we spent plenty of time in the kitchen. I can't get over how much math I truly did growing up with my cooking and baking skills. Cookies usually have pretty simple ingredients to multiply by or add depending on the level of your learner and my mom always made us do the math of … [Read more...]
My family loves cookies! For them it's easy to grab and go and for me it's easy to put into Cory's lunches during the summer. He eats at home most days but there are a few days that I have to pack a lunch for. Cookies are a must, especially when one of the boys gets to go and has to have a packed lunch. It's kind of the bribery to get my husband to take one of the boys through lunch. The boys are ready to go regardless, but sometimes Cory needs a little extra incentive. I have my normal stand by … [Read more...]
Summer will be here before you know it and for me that means my desire for cooking goes down. It is hot outside and then it's hot in my house and the last thing I really want is to heat the house up with the oven or stand over a boiling pot. Summer also means sports, play dates at the pool and park and in general just running. It's easy for me to put an average of 4,000 a miles a month on my Yukon, especially during summer. One more reason why I use my crock pot more during the summer than … [Read more...]
My family loves pizza! Me? Well it will work in a pinch. However, I know that it will always be a hit at dinner time. I am always on the lookout for a way to mix it up a tad. Stromboli is a quick way to give your pizza a twist and have something new for dinner with very little effort. The filling possibilities are really endless and for our family of four we usually make two. That we we have the adult Stromboli and the a kid friendly Stromboli. We do have leftovers and they make a … [Read more...]
Spring is officially here and that means that the weather will be heating up and flowers will start to take bloom. New life will be growing in my flower beds and that always puts me into a good mood. I sure do hope that the iris's I planted last year pulled through the winter. I can tell my two tulips I planted last year did. With the weather getting warmer that also means I will be putting away my spiced tea and homemade hot chocolate for drinks like the Purple Cow. Below you will find a … [Read more...]
It is finally the season for great tomatoes, they have flavor after months of being bland. That brings one thought to mind spring. So in the spirit of spring here is a light tomato based recipe. Ingredients For Chicken, Ham Or Tuna Salad Stuffed Tomatoes 4 large round firm tomatoes 3 cans of tuna, ham, salmon, or chicken (I used Tuna) 1/2 cup mayo 2 stalks of celery diced 1 small diced onion 1 tablespoon relish flavor of choice 1 teaspoon garlic powder Salt Pepper Directions For … [Read more...]
Somethings are just meant to go together like peanut butter and jelly, Mork and Mindy (who remember that show), strawberries and cream cheese. Yes they are meant to go together in the a soft and subtly sweet kind of way. It's really hard to ruin this combination. Strawberry cheesecakes are the perfect dessert for a get together, especially when your looking for something to show a lot of class like these individualized cheesecakes. However, sometimes you need something a little more, … [Read more...]
