Restful Weekend

Memorial weekend was very restful for all of us. The kids went with DH camping, and I stayed home to take care of the animals and catch up on work. I got a ton of things done, and actually even had time to cross stitch!! The nicest thing about the family all gone was that I didn't have to stop what I was doing and make dinner, or take care of other things. I could go as long as I liked, and boy, was it productive!!! The kids said they had a great time, and DH enjoyed himself with the kids. He doesn't get much alone time with them, so it was extra special for all of them. It was also a great excuse to have a fire, and DH and the kids love to cook and sit by an open fire.

While the crew was away, I got all caught up on laundry, and with the nice weekend, I could hang it all out. Oh, there's nothing like bed linens dried on the line. The sheets smelled so good when I crawled into bed. I not sure if it was the great smell or just being tuckered out, but I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I also got the end of our winter squash out of storage and put up. I can't believe how well they all stored! All of it is now in the freezer, except for the 3 cups I put aside to make pumpkin muffins and pumpkin dinner rolls with. I was finishing up at 11:30pm, put the squash aside to put in the fridge to use up the next morning, and don't know how it happened, but I never put those 3 cups of squash away. SIGH.... It all had to be tossed. The chickens didn't mind one bit, though. They cleaned it all up. Between those birds, the dog, the cats and the compost pile, we don't waste a thing! It was still such a disappointment not being able to bake those pumpkin muffins, though!

I did have some R&R, even with all the work I got done. I had pulled out a XS pattern that I had kitted up a couple of years ago. I've been wanting to start it, but like everything else, something kept coming up. Finally, I decided it was just time to sit down and do something for me :)



This is "Full Winter Moon" by Katherine Moser of Brown House Studio. Stitched on an unknown 32-ct. linen using the recommended DMC and Stranded by the Sea colors.

Memorial weekend was very restful for all of us. The kids went with DH camping, and I stayed home to take care of the animals and catch up on work. I got a ton of things done, and actually even had time to cross stitch!! The nicest thing about the family all gone was that I didn't have to stop what I was doing and make dinner, or take care of other things. I could go as long as I liked, and boy, was it productive!!! The kids said they had a great time, and DH enjoyed himself - but then again, he always enjoys himself when there's a fire involved :-)

I put the finishing stitches in my XS today. I had this kitted up for a few years, and decided that it was time to finally pull it out. That takes another one out of the stash closet.



"Full Winter Moon" by Katherine Moser of Brown House Studio. Stitched on an unknown 32-ct. linen using the recommended DMC and Stranded by the Sea colors.

Free Razor from Old Spice

My son signed up for one of these razors, and he's looking forward to trying it. I thought the offer was just too good not to share.

http://www.oldspiceshaving.com/promotions.asp

Free Starbucks Coffee At Home Sample

I received a free sample of coffee from Starbucks on Saturday. I was surprised because it wasn't a small sample, but a whole pot! Sunday morning, we tried our new coffee with the Peaches 'n Cream braid. What a treat!!!

My husband likes a dark, rich flavored coffee, so I chose the Sumatra for our sample. It was described as a deep and earthy flavor. It has almost a smoky flavor when we tasted it black (plain), but with a creamer in it, it's flavor changed and it was really good and rich.

This is definitely worth a try. If you'd like to get your own sample, go to Starbucks Coffee at Home and wait for the page to load in. Then click "Explore our Coffees" and then click on "Enjoy a Complimentary Sample".

ENJOY!!!

My Latest Read

Did you ever buy a book with hopes that you are really going to learn something that will change your life and make it a little better, or a little easier? I came across the book, "How to Survive Without a Salary" by Charles Long, and had some high hopes, especially since DH's job is far from secure at this point. Both DH and I read the book together, and anticipated that we'd soon learn something new: maybe learn something to help with our finances, where we could cut more, and more importantly how to live without a salary... With each page we turned we had hoped for something enlightening to come. It never did.

We didn't find anything new, nor that we haven't tried before. Mind you, if you are starting out on the path to financial freedom, or are looking for ways to cut back, this book has a lot of good ideas and advice. I wouldn't rush out and buy it, though, but would suggest getting it from the library first.

Food Storage

With my searches through youtube, I came across many great places to learn about food storage. The ladies of the Latter Day Saints really have some great systems. I was amazed on how things were put away, and how they organized and kept track of what they had. Their system is something to look into. I have also come across some wonderful information from the Survivalist community as well. Mind you, I'm not saying that I endorse either group. I just find their food storage information very, very useful and enlightening.

One of the things that I had heard on one of the videos that I watched (or maybe it was a radio broadcast) was, if one had stored food back last fall, especially corn, rice and wheat, just look how much money one could be saving now! Yah, I know I'm kicking myself some for that. I put aside looking at how to store the grain for other things, and never got back with it. Now our family is paying dearly for that mistake. We used to pay $6.90 for a 25 pound bag of flour last fall. Now it's over $17 for the same bag from the same supplier.

One Year Supply

When you hear that someone like the LDS ladies has a one year supply, what do you think of? Do you think of groceries? Beans and grains? Maybe all those MRE's that the military uses? For me, I had just figured it was groceries and maybe a few other things. Some of the ladies I saw had a mini store in their basement. I'm not talking about just groceries, either. I mean - everything one would use in a year, it was all there. It was fantastic! Some of the things that they stored, I really didn't know how one could do it. I will definitely be looking more deeply into how they are putting some things up.

My Goal

We have things put up for hard times, but we lack in a lot of areas. My past entries show how we are getting some things for nearly free, free or better than free, and those things are being put away to build up a stock. One example of what has been put away is toothpaste and toothbrushes. I have 10 toothpastes and 9 toothbrushes in a box on the shelf. All were free or better than free. I'm going to try stocking my shelves that way.

Wheat Storage

I have been looking at different places on the net to find information on wheat storage. One of the best finds I had was on youtube.com. This man did a 3 part series on food storage, and has answered a bunch of questions for me. He also did a 2 part follow-up that also needs to be viewed. I had no idea that grains could be stored so long!



The forecast for this week calls for rain showers every day. I put my laundry in last night hoping I could miss the rain and hung out my first load a little after 6:30 am. I got quite lucky, and had things out until noon, when we got hit with rain. Things are mostly dry, so I have the damp items hanging around. I can't tell you how much I had missed the smell of things hung out to dry. Now, I can't wait to see the difference in our electric bill!

We are already on our last loaf of bread, so I took the rest of the morning to make some Honey Oatmeal bread. I used the recipe that I used for my bread maker in a previous post. I doubled the recipe and baked it in 2 large bread pans at 375 degrees F for around 35 minutes. They came out nice. I read that if you cut 2 small x's in the top of the bread, you won't get air bubbles and you'll end up with a nice rounded top. I tried it, and you can see the result for the rounded bread. HA! One went up - one went out. Now, we'll see if I ended up with any hollow spaces.



Now that our "official" school year is over, DD took the day to get out all her summer clothing and sort through them all. She pulled out what no longer fits, and some that were out of style, she decided to keep and revamp them - giving them a new look. She's been at the sewing machine all day, and has done some creative things to them. Other things, she altered to fit her better. She's my fashion diva!

It has been a really nice, productive day at the homestead. :)

Saturday Bread Baking

Yesterday turned out to be a nice day to bake bread. The morning was cool, and it was supposed to rain, so I wasn't planning on working outside. DH asked me to make muffins, but being low on milk and not being able to get it until Monday, made it pretty much impossible. The dairy only bottles milk on Mondays and Thursdays, so we wait until those days to get milk. It's a fresh as it gets. Thursday wasn't a possibility, because of the kids' evaluations, so we just decided to stretch it out instead of buying commercial milk.

I felt badly that DH wasn't getting his muffins, so I asked if he'd liked something like a Danish instead. Would you believe he had no idea what I was talking about. I felt just awful that all these years I was married to him that I never made him anything close to a Danish. What's worse is - my grandmother always made all kinds of yummy things, and I never did for my family. Well, that just had to change!

First thing I did was start 4 loaves of wheat bread. We ground the wheat - making it half red and half white hard wheat. While that was sitting in a bowl to rise, I did the dough for making a sweet dough braid filled with homemade preserves and cream cheese.

Peaches 'n' Cream Braid

Place the following in your mixer using the dough hook:

1 1/2 cups very warm water (110-120 degrees)
3 Tbsp. dry milk powder
2 cups unbleached flour
2 Tbsp. yeast

Mix on low until combined. Add:

3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. sea salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup oil

Mix until combined and then add unbleached flour - 1 cup at a time (up to 6 more cups). Add until you end up with a soft workable dough. Knead for 2 minutes with KitchenAid on #2 or on medium speed with another mixer for 5 minutes.

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 3 equal parts. (Weigh to get more accurate sizes). Roll each on into a 9" x 12" rectangle. Spread 1/3 of filling (see below for recipe) and approximately 1/2 cup of an all fruit peach preserve (really any flavor works with this recipe - we used homemade peach jam on 2 of them, and some homemade strawberry rhubarb on the other.) Make cuts into dough at 1" intervals along the long side of the rectangle - keeping about 1/2" away from the filling (this prevents leakage). Fold and overlap the strips diagonally over the filling in a braid-like fashion. Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour. This braid doesn't raise much until it goes into the oven, where it will make a lovely size bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done. Drizzle with a mixture of Confectioner's sugar, a little milk and a couple of drops of almond extract (make it a pretty thick spreading type consistency) while the braids are warm. You can also sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds.

Filling Mixture: Blend 8oz cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice until smooth and creamy.

After I set aside the braids to rise, I shaped the wheat bread into 4 1-1/4 pound loaves. They rose and baked just in time to put the braids in. They all turned out lovely, and while I was getting things set up to take a photograph, the crew came in hungry for dinner, and spied the bread. So much for a photograph this time! LOL

**Graphic from http://www.grandmasgraphics.com **

Baking and Loving It!

The new KitchenAid mixer had become my new love. I have been putting it to the test, trying out new recipes and all I can say is that we are going to have a long and happy relationship.

We have been spending a lot of time finishing up the school year. The kids had their evaluations on Thursday, and all went very well. When they took the time to look at their portfolios, they were surprised at how much they really had accomplished in a year. When not working on school, I was working with our budget and coupons, and spending the rest of the time in the kitchen experimenting with new bread recipes.

The first recipe I made was the cheddar cheese cracker recipe from the manual that came with my KA. To say they turned out YUMMY is an understatement! These were fantastic!!! My husband was not looking forward to crackers since my last batch that turned out OK, but didn't stay crisp. This recipe put out a nice size batch, and my sweet hubby has asked me to make them again - soon.

Crispy Cheese Wafers

3 cups shredded extra sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Mix cheese and butter in bowl - using flat better to mix. Mix on low for about 45 seconds to combine. Beat on medium for about 30 seconds, or until well blended. Add flour and cayenne, and mix on stir for 45 seconds or until mixture forms a ball. (or stir in by hand - or low with another beater)

Divide dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and place in fridge. On floured surface, roll remaining half of dough to 1/4" thick. Cut into squares or desired shapes. With floured spatula, place on large, lightly greased baking sheet. (prick with fork if desired). Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until set. Let stand one minute, then transfer onto wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

We tried these at different points of "doneness": Baking until set - with hardly any color change, then with them being a bit golden, and some a darker golden. The lightly golden had the best flavor according to DH and myself, the darker golden was DD's favorite, and the one with hardly any color change was DS's favorite.

I also tried my hand at making French bread using Garden Gnome's recipe and instructions for making it in the KitchenAid. We were pleased with the results, but I have not found the exact bread I'm looking for yet. The search will continue on this one. I'm looking for more of the classic taste. DH was still very happy and ended up taking part of one for his lunch. He took a hoagie for lunch and said it made a nice tasting roll for it.

**Public domain image from United States Dept. of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Photo by Scott Bauer.**

My Family Is a Blessing

There are days that I sometimes wonder what life would have been like had I decided to go back to work and be the career person that all my old friends encouraged me to be. They thought I was wasting my time "sitting at home and playing house". They thought I should get back to having a "real job" like they did. I think about those "helpful suggestions" and look at my family, and know that I did the right thing, and stayed home to have my "real job" just as the Lord had intended. It was difficult watching my friendships dissolve, because our beliefs and points of view were so different.

I am truly blessed with such a wonderful family, and I know every time I look at them, I've done the right thing staying home and home schooling. Seriously, I don't think I gave a thing up to be home, but instead I've gotten so much more than I ever did from working outside the home.

This past week is just one example that I'm truly blessed. Thursday was my birthday. My husband took off work, and he and the kids let me sleep in, while they made breakfast. I was treated to sausage and gravy over biscuits, scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice and coffee. The whole day I was not allowed to do anything, but just relax and enjoy the day. While I was relaxing, they made me a chocolate cake (from scratch) with peanut butter icing. Then they made a tomato, garlic, and onion pizza for supper. YUMM!!! After the yummy cake, was present time. DD gave me a set of earphones for my MP3 player. I accidently cut the wire on my other ones last year while I was gardening. My DS gave me a certificate for the movies and it had to be a movie of my choice - not one the whole family would like. If I couldn't find anything at the movies, the certificate stated that I could buy 2 DVD's of my choice instead. :) DH gave me a box that contained a repair kit for my new headphones just in case I decided to cut the wires again. (HAHAHAHA!!!) In the bottom of the box was shipping info for my gift that hadn't arrived yet, with no clue what it was, except that it was in transit. For the evening treat, we played Mario Kart and watched and Indiana Jones movie. I had a fantastic birthday - one that made me realize how much Iwas appreciated and loved!

Friday, my birthday present arrived, but the kids scooted it in the house before I could see it. DH wanted me to wait until he got home to open it. When it came, it was very obvious what the package held, and they didn't want me to have any hint of what it was. It was a long wait until DH got home, as I am so childlike when it comes to surprises - I love them, but hate to wait to get them :) Oh, but the wait was sooooo worth it! I was absolutely stunned! DH bought me the mixer of my dreams...



A Kitchen Aid Professional 600 series (6 qt.). It has a 575 watt motor and mixes like a dream! The first thing I made was Cheddar Cheese Crackers from the Kitchen Aid book that came with the mixer. They were so easy and tasted so good!! To make it even sweeter, all has not arrived. There is still an ice cream maker that will be sent to me when the rebate form is sent in!!



You would think that things couldn't be any better, but Mother's Day came, and again, I got treated to a great breakfast. We had pancakes, sausage, orange juice, and coffee. For my Mother's Day gift, everyone went out and put up a lovely clothes line for me.



YAY!!! Now, I will once again have freshly dried clothes. I have missed this luxary for the last few years. How could my week get any better? By having dinner made for me. We had some of the best home grilled burgers!! The kids did a wonderful job cooking - with just a bit of help from DH. We were all so full that we didn't even eat dessert, but instead had Bible study, then played Mario Kart. I'm sure if anyone went past our house while we were playing, they probably thought we were nuts - all the squeals that came from all of us while we played. Mario Kart has got to be one of our family's favorite games. It was sad that the weekend had to end. I haven't had so much fun in a long time

Today I was hoping to be able to wash and hang clothes out on my new clothes line, but I woke up to a nice rainy day. Instead, I spent the day going through some boxes from the attic. Out of everything I've brought down, I've decided to weed out about 2/3's of the stuff. So far, I've been successful. I've listed a bunch of books on Paperback Swap, and have a box full of stuff to give away on FreeCycle. I decided that I was going to go through things as if we were moving away. If it's not worth taking to a new home, why am I keeping it?

Is It Really Frugal?

I was thrilled and full of excitement when DH handed me the grocery list and saw that he had saved a nice chunk of the bill using coupons with his shopper's card. Not all the coupons were able to be doubled, and we didn't have a coupon for everything we needed.

He brought home:

1. 12 boxes/bags of cereal
2. 10 boxes frozen veggies
3. 15 ct. Totinos Pizza Rolls
4. 6 pk. Yoplait Yogurt
5. Coffemate Creme Brule
6. Betty Crocker Potatoes
7. Fiskies Cat Food
8. 2 boxes Taco Shells
9. Bisquick
10. Hellman's Mayo
11. 2 Bottles Hoagie Spread
12. 2 Bunches Celery

Everything came to a total of $27.99 (including tax). I can't remember when we got so many things for under $30! With everything he brought home, the only thing I wouldn't have purchased would have been the Bisquick, Totinos and the Betty Crocker Potatoes. With coupons, though, the Bisquick came out cheaper than I could make it, the Totinos were free as well as the BC Potatoes.

So did I sell out to use coupons? I don't know. I'm on the fence if I'm giving my family healthy items. The cereal was things like Cheerios and not sugar cereals. Am I cutting back where I shouldn't? I struggle with this one, as we've been doing scratch items for so long, but the price of items to cook from scratch has gotten so high these days. I'm on the fence on this one.

Busy And Productive Week

We have been contemplating moving for quite a long while. With DH's job being unpredictable, he has been looking for employment elsewhere. He found a job that he's very qualified for, but we are now sitting on the fence wondering if he should apply and move out of state, or if we should stay and see if he stays employed. If we move, we are going to end up with a mortgage - something we no longer have. We have dug our way out of debt, and wonder if this is the time to jump back in it. The economy scares me, and the last thing I want is a mortgage looming over my head. However, if DH loses his job, we are in another predictament. Ohhhh, what's a body to do? I'm really leaning towards staying here and deal with a job loss if it comes.

Until then, I'm working on stretching DH's hard earned check. I have some pretty decent savings to report.

CVS (Our store has been a bit of a disappointment this month- they're not getting things in to restock. Some things like the Softsoap SPA has not been in all month! It looks like I'll be missing that one. Bummer. We were looking forward to trying it.) With all that said, here's my CVS savings for the week:

Speedstitck 24/7 Deodorant
2 bottles CVS Vitamin C 500 mg. 100 ct.
6 boxes Kleenex tissues 120 ct.
2 bottles Herbal Essence Shampoo
1 box Pepcid Ez Chews 25ct.

After coupons ($7), a CVS kickout on vitamins ($2) and ECB's ($14), my total OOP was $3.63. I also have a $5.50 rebate from Pepcid, so my final cost... I made $1.87 (actually, $1.46 after postage to send the rebate out). I also received 8.99 in ECB's for the next trip!!!

Rite Aid shopping trip

Advil PM
SanDisk 1GB
Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush
Just for Men Touch of Gray Hail Color
Jane Be Pure Mineral Make Up
2 Stayfree Maxi Pads
2 Nature's Bounty Flex-A-Min
Duracell Batteries AAA 12 ct.
Dove Ultra Clear Deodorant
Dove Body Mist
Renuzit Pearl Scents
Renuzit Super Odor Nutralizer Spray

Total OOP after coupons ($21.99) was $68.32. Total after 1 check rebate is: $25.37. I also have $8.00 in rebates for a final cost of $17.37. Not bad for $90.31 worth of items! This whole haul was less than what we paid for the last memory card we purchased for my DD's camera last year!

There are still a few things I want to get at Rite Aid before the One Check rebate runs out for this month. They are supposed to restock today, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the things I want will be available tonight.

Shopping has become quite fun again!! :)

Busy And Productive Week

We have been contemplating moving for quite a long while. With DHs job

What's New at the Homestead

Can you believe a month has already gone by since my last post? A WHOLE month?!!! Unbelievable! Between the blasted flu hitting us all pretty hard, and then life's demands, I hadn't had much time to think of blogging. I decided today, to take a break and record what has been going on at the homestead.

We have been looking at numerous ways of saving money. Our shopping trips have become more exciting since we've been matching up coupons and rebates. I no longer dread watching the register, but instead, I love knowing how little I am paying for things. Our last CVS and Rite Aid trip was a good example. My combined purchases included:

1. 2 boxes Raisin Bran Crunch
2. Aquafresh Extreme Clean
3. Samy Mousse
   
4. Total Complete Whitening
5. 2 Glade Plug-In's Scented Oil with warmer
   

Total cost of the above items (after coupons and rebates) was 79 cents!

Another good buy at CVS was 5 Sunsilk 24/7 and one Sunsilk shampoo for a total of $3.18 - that's less than what we paid for the last bottle we purchased at Walmart. My DD loves the 24/7 so the cost difference pleased all of us.

As we have been watching the cost of things increase, we have been limiting the amount we were able to spend on items like shampoo and other personals. We had informed both children that they won't be able to buy those brand name items - but store brand, unless they want to pitch in the balance. I know it sounds harsh, but being brand faithful can be very expensive. Now that we are shopping at CVS and Rite Aid, they no longer have to do that, because this breaks down even cheaper than store brand!! Sadly, we avoided both stores because they were more expensive than Walmart. Or so we thought!

Yesterday, we put together a very primitive solar oven made from cardboard boxes, aluminum foil and newspaper. We sat a piece of glass over top (it needs cut down yet) just to see what potential the oven might have. Without reflectors, a fitted glass or a good sunny day, the oven reached 130 degrees. We sat it out just before a rain storm - so the sun was poking in and out of heavy clouds. As soon as we get through the cloudy week, we should be ready to really test the oven. We'll have the glass cut down to fit correctly, and the reflectors will be finished. I can't wait!!

I put the humming bird feeder up on Saturday. I'm expecting to see them any time now. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to seeing them again. Speaking of birds, we have been blessed with a real treat. For the past month or so, we have been able to watch a pair of doves set up their home in a tree outside my kitchen window. The way the nest is, I can't get a picture where one can make out the dove sitting, or the baby. It's sad that I haven't been able to photograph it, but I'm thrilled to be able to witness something so cool. Isn't nature wonderful?

For a little bit of fun, I joined the SockMadness 2 competition. I decided with a little bit of push, I could use some of my stash up, and have fun along the way. I was thrilled to be able to make it to round 3 before I was knocked out. I might have even made it to round 4 had the flu not knocked me down and put me in bed. You know it had to hit the hardest just after the 3rd pattern came out. That's ok though, because I really needed to start focusing on getting things done around here. It was a cool diversion though. I made 2 very nice socks and I'm on my 3rd pair - getting ready to turn the heel on the second sock.

Zombie Socks designed by Sheryl Giles for Round 1

Reversai Socks designed by Janine Le Cras for Round 2
That's all the time I have for today. The rest of the news will have to wait for another time. Have a lovely, lovely April day!

Frugal Shopping

With the cost of living going up, I've been searching for ways to stretch my husband's hard earned paycheck as far as I possibly can. Years ago, I used to refund and use coupons, and it got us through some really tough times. Sadly, refunding became more difficult as companies cracked down on people committing fraud. It effected everyone, though, and not just the ones that were being fraudulent.

We had to change our shopping habits, going with store and generic brands, but our shopping bill was still higher. Then Walmart and Sam's came into our area, and it eased the cost some. I wasn't using coupons so much any more, because most things were for prepared foods and name brand items that were still more expensive than the store brands - even with coupons. I would get lucky and find an occasional refund, but with everyone wanting the original receipts, it wasn't helping the budget like it used to.

Of course, times do change :) In fact, I think my shopping sprees these days are even better than those of the refunding days. Don't believe it? Here's proof:

Yesterday, I needed to take my daughter to have her stitches out, so I made the trip worthwhile and stopped at Rite Aid. They have a nice one check rebate offer going on right now, and I picked up a few items.

I purchased:

1. 4 boxes of Kelloggs Cereal
2. 1 box Nutrigrain Bars
3. 75 oz. Electrasol
4. Skin Appetit
5. Rite Aid Pantiliners
6. Scotch Packing Tape
7. Salon Selectives Shampoo
8. Bic Soleil Razor
9. Hershey's Bliss

With coupons and rebates, my grand total for the above items ended up being: $4.62!

Then we went to CVS for even more great savings.

We purchased

1. Dove Shampoo
2. Dove Conditioner
3. 2 Dove Body Wash
4. Dove Antiperspirant
5. 2 Mennen Speed Sticks
6. 3 bags Russel Stover Premium Chocolate
7. 2 Oral B Cross Action Toothbrushes
8. Mabelline Superstay Lipcolor
   

After using coupons and receiving back ECB's, everything cost $5.40 (including sales tax).

Our haul ended up costing $10.02 and that's because I messed up and purchased one too many of the Dove for my $5 ECB for purchasing $15 worth of Dove items. Still, I really can't complain!!

Luck of the Irish

I hope everyone had a great St. Paddy's Day yesterday. We certainly did. I have a bit of Irish in my family tree, so it was a little fun remembering those roots. We had our traditional Corned Beef and Vegetables (ok - so it's not really Irish, but I won't tell if you don't) and some Irish Soda Bread. These recipes originally came from the Feb/Mar 1995 issue of Taste of Home. We've been having this meal for St. Paddy's Day ever since. In fact, every year I have to cook it 2 days in a row, because the bunch here demands it be had 2 days in a row. Once just isn't enough :)

This morning, I'm trying another new recipe for oatmeal bread. This one comes from the Taste of Home website and is called Honey Oatmeal Bread. It's gotten good reviews, so I'm trying it, but I'm a bit surprised with the amount of honey that's in it. Usually, I use 2 Tbsp. but this one calls for 1/2 cup. Seems like quite a lot to me, but we'll see. It's currently in the bread machine resting.

Thursday, we go and get DD's stitches out. What a hassle that turned into. Our doctor said that we should go back to the ER to have them removed, because it should be taken out free of charge because it's a continuing care. The ER agreed, but according to my insurance, that's not the case. We have to pay out of pocket for the visit because it's not an emergency. So after numerous phone calls, I found that we'd need to pay a facility use charge - but no price could be given because it "depends" on numerous things according to the billing of the ER. From what I'm getting from our conversations, they charge differently to each insurance and person. I said that I just wanted to pay cash - forget the insurance, and I was told "No one pays CASH!!" Finally, it was told to me that it would probably be cheaper to go to my doctor, so a call back to the dr. to made an appointment that the office said was incredible that I'd have to do this and pay for the services. I love dealing with health care!!

Who Loves Muffins?!

Our family is crazy about muffins. When I bake them, I make dozens. The gang is let loose on them and then we freeze the rest for quick snacks or to have with breakfast.

Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/4 cup raspberry jam

Beat , oil and egg together until well blended. Combine dry ingredients and stir into the liquid mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.


Fill muffin cups 1/3 full. Place 1 teaspoon jam on top of batter.


Top with remaining batter. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.


Cool - and enjoy!!

Long Week

DD fell and ended up with quite a few stitches in her chin - 6 inside and 8 outside. Poor thing. But the best part was how she fell and how she made the doctors and nurses laugh and tease her while she was getting medical care.

You see, our DD loves science and is fascinated with biology and has been so thrilled with dissection. Seriously - she loves to dissect things. So when she saw the Discovery channel had a special on the Human Body, she just HAD to watch it. She watches all the operations and anything gross - well, she's in front of it. (Mind you, she's a teen, so she's old enough.) Well, this particular program was on the mind and pain, and it went into detail about a woman who had fallen in the wilderness, broken many bones, and how her mind had blocked out the pain to allow her to get help. That did it. DD ended up passing out and ripping her chin open as she fell face forward on her way back to the bathroom. We had no idea she was getting woosey - until we heard the crash.

We spent all night in the emergency room, and the medical staff was amazed that this was her first time ever in the ER - and better yet, for an injury that a toddler would get. Then when she told the story of how she passed out and got the cut, they had a great time teasing her. The dr. gave her orders she is no longer allowed to watch the Discovery Channel, except when it involves animals. Then he said that he's giving her strict medical orders to only watch comedies and animal shows on TV - period.

She laughs about it - but that night I know she was scared. The humor certainly helped her - and the staff was great to her. Now, we just need to wait to see what kind of a scar she will have.

Winter and Rain Don't Mix

We've been hit with snow, then a big warm up, and now rain in just a matter of days. We've had some flooding in the area, and everything is a big pile of muck. Our yard has swamp-like qualities to it and stepping out into it proves to be a challenge. Walking to the car is even worse - a good place to lose a boot or shoe... I don't care for this time of the year. It's bleak and muddy. Spring is on its way, though, as Monday, we saw some red-winged blackbirds at the feeder. The promise that warmer weather is coming!!

The Log Cabin is at about 25% done now, and although it's coming along nicely, I ended up putting it aside. I ended up doing something to my right arm - I think it's a pinched nerve thing because it goes from my shoulder to my fingertips. It sure makes knitting painful. Actually, it makes most things painful, so I haven't been working much on anything - PC included. Typing and using the mouse is also not easy. So if this post ends up being a bit disjointed, please forgive me, as I have to stop and come back, so my train of thought is interrupted (more than normal! LOL) Anyhow, I've been letting my arm rest as much as possible, because I'm in a knitting race/competition soon, and I will need to be in top shape, because I have to knit faster than my competitor. oh well, however it turns out, it will still be fun :)

Groceries are going up, so we are only buying what's on sale and only what's really needed. We buy our wheat berries and many other products in bulk. I am going to need wheat soon, but can't get a price at this time. My supplier says that the prices are fluctuating so much, that she won't know what the price is until the days she orders. That doesn't make me want to walk in blind and place an order. I also buy Occident flour, which is an unbleached white that is supposed to be higher in gluten. Breads made from it raise much nicer than those made from normal unbleached white. I buy that at the mill along with my oatmeal. Oatmeal ran $13.90 for 25 pounds - which was cheaper than the flour per pound!! So, now I'm trying to add more oatmeal to our diet and cut back on the wheat products.

I'm trying out oatmeal bread recipes, and both of the following recipes are a hit here. Both recipes came from the Rec_food_recipes email list from wife228. If you want to subscribe to the list and receive recipes by email, click on the interactive tab at the top of the page.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

13 ounces warm water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons powdered milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast)

Place ingredients in your bread machine in the order recommended for your machine. Set machine on basic bread, 2 pound loaf. For 1.5 pound loaf, reduce water to 10 ounces and flour to 2 1/3 cups; other ingredients remain the same.

Maple Oatmeal Bread

3/4 cup warm water, plus
2 tablespoons warm water
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place ingredients in the order recommended for your bread maker. Select basic bread setting for 1-1/2 pound loaf. Check dough after 5 minutes of mixing and add 1-2 T flour or water if needed.

Enjoy!!

Solar Cooking

I've been looking into making a solar oven and solar food dryer, and have been very impressed with both the cost and the effectiveness. I'm a member of the Solar Cooking group on Yahoo, and have been following the use and testing of a few that I had considered. One member, Ken, made this video that has truly convinced me that I MUST try one this year!!



I'm so impressed with the temp outside and how well it does - even with snow on the ground. At $5 a gallon for propane, this certainly will pay for itself quickly.

Snow is Gorgeous!

The snow came down hard and quick at times yesterday. We weren't sure if we were going to keep power, because the lights were blinking on and off quite a bit. We certainly didn't keep the PC on with all the power hits. :) It was a nice quiet day that I enjoyed immensely. I love snow storms. There's something really peaceful and yet really exhilarating about them.

We kept the house warm with baking - first we made Mounds Bar Cookies and then put a nice big ham in the oven and let it bake in a slow oven. Dinner came out yummy - ham, baked potatoes with sour cream, corn, home canned apple sauce, home baked bread, and the Mounds bars for dessert.

DH went to the mill yesterday to pick up some flour and was stunned by the price. For a 25# bag, he shelled out $15 and some change. UGH!! According to the man at the mill, it's only going to get worse. He said everyone is now growing corn, and those that did put wheat in ended up losing it because of the drought. I wonder how much wheat berries have gone up in price. I have to make a trip up to the Mennonite store to get bulk oatmeal and cocoa, so I'll see if I'll be bringing any home with me.

Milk also went up to $3.75 a gallon. Still not bad since it is hormone free and the cows are pastured. This time of the year, they are supplemented with their own grown grains and silage. I have no idea what the milk runs in the grocery store these days.

We've been really good at keeping our heat turned down this year. It stays at 63 in the daytime and gets turned all the way down at night. I made a dropped stitched wrap that was a free pattern from Jo-Ann's fabric called Rainbow Boucle Wrap. It used Jo-Ann's Sensations Rainbow Boucle in the Dark Blue colorway. I used a 50% off coupon when I purchased it, and I can easily get 2 wraps out of it - breaking down to about $2.25 a wrap. It's very light and quite warm, making it just the perfect thing to wear when it gets just a bit chilly in here (when the wind blows just the right way).



Mounds Bars

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter in pan and add crumbs and sugar. Mix well and spread evenly over bottom of pan. Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes. Cool.

Mix together coconut and sweetened condensed milk in a medium sized saucepan and heat over medium heat for 10 minutes. Be careful not to scorch. Spread hot mix over cooled crumb crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips over coconut mixture, and put in 350 degree oven until the chips are melted. Take spoon and spread melted chocolate evenly over coconut. Cool and chill before serving.