Man, it’s that time of year where it’s getting to be stinking hot…..too hot to cook. When it’s hot, I just want to take a bath – in a vat of ice cream. In the summertime, we eat a lot of salads and sandwiches. We also fire up the grill and keep the heat outside. There are tons of great dishes that take little-to-no cooking. We usually go through all of them by the time it starts to cool down. It’s harder this year since I’m making all our bread now. However, I’ve switched to a method that I heard from Tammy at Tammy’s Recipes. She says to bake late in the day, after supper. Yes, it’s already hot in the house but by that time it’s usually starting to cool down outside – so when it gets super hot in your house you can open the windows and the house will cool off as it cools off outside. Genius! It’s working great for us. Hope that tip works for you too. [Read more…] |
Crock Pot Pizza Pasta
Annie has never been a big fan of pasta…..which is really sad because Barry and I are VERY big fans. However, the older she gets, the more she will eat. When she was young, I’d try to trick her and put some in her mouth when she wasn’t looking. After one puke, I stopped that. I’m glad she’s getting more into eating it. When we have company, I usually make pasta. It’s relatively cheap, crowd pleasing, and usually pretty easy. Combine that with a crock pot and you’re really saving some time and money! Let’s make some Pizza Pasta (P.S. – Annie did eat several bites!). [Read more…] |
Pear Butter
Our July guest post is from Allison at The Novice Life. Take it away Allison! My name is Allison and I live on almost 6 acres with my husband and 4 month old son! Included on our hobby farm is an Apple orchard so we are now self-taught apple farmers! With 120 trees, we do sell at farmer’s markets, but it would be a shame to not save some of the goodness for ourselves. So, I’ve learned to preserve the ‘fruits of our labor’! [Read more…] |
Stacy’s Adventures in Lemonade!
I keep seeing all these pictures and posts about making homemade lemonade. I always pass over them because, well……I hate lemonade. Barry loves it though. BUT, I do like the strawberry limeade from Sonic. Then I was in Food City and something came over me and I decided to pick up four lemons since they were on sale. I could tell you it was the Holy Spirit…..but this wasn’t a spiritual experience AT ALL. I mean, it’s just lemonade. How hard could it be? Surely I, Stacy of the Kitchen, could conqueror lemonade. Well lemonade is stupid. |
This is what I started out with. I was so tickled with myself. You should have seen me bee-bopping around the kitchen. I thought I was really something. I pulled out the lemons, some strawberries, stevia, and lime juice. Oh yeah, I thought I was really going places. I really should have consulted y’all on Facebook first. |
I decided to get all fancy with myself and I pulled out my immersion blender. I pureed the strawberries so they’d be all nice and smooth……and for some reason, I totally forgot that strawberries have SEEDS. Good night. You’d think I had never had a strawberry. Hind sight is 20/20. |
My berries were frozen, so when they thawed I kept the liquid gold for my “lemonade.” I could have slurped it up, but I try to be a good role model. *Cough* |
On our journey to healthy eating, we’ve moved over to using a lot of stevia instead of sugar. I’m still learning exactly how to use it. There is a learning curve for sure. I added 30 drops of stevia which I thought was more than enough. I mean, 30 drops? Heck, it might give us a sugar rush with all that sweetener in it! |
I have this handy-dandy juicer that came with my mandoline so I used it to juice all four lemons. All fruit juices better if it’s not cold, so I had let my lemons sit out for several hours. I like juicers because, well……I haven’t cut myself on one yet. |
Okay, so I thought I was being SO SMART when I strained the lemon juice to get out the seeds. I should have also strained the strawberry juice to get the seeds out of it…..oh wait, strawberries have seeds? I didn’t know that! I strained the lemon juice right into the strawberry juice container. Oh, and I’m still bee-bopping around my kitchen at this point. |
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah. You know all those fancy people on television use lemon zest in just about everything. Well, I’m fancy too (NOT!) so I decide to just put some zest right on in my juice too. (You do realize we’re heading toward pulpy lemonade, don’t you?) Into the juice goes the zest! I’m such a culinary genius. |
I hate to waste stuff, so I put part of my lemon peels down the disposal so it wouldn’t smell like dead animals anymore. I froze the rest of them so I’d have lemon zest whenever I need it. Genius I tell ya, genius. |
Well, it won’t be strawberry lime lemonade if I don’t add lime juice. Limes weren’t on sale…..so they didn’t make it into my buggy. I had this stuff at home, so I used it. Oh, and by the way – it’s potent. I forgot that part. |
I’m almost done!!! I mixed everything up and added about 4 more cups of water. |
I put it in a pretty pitcher because well, it’s pretty. I have to admit, I was clucking. How cute! I did it!!!!! My strawberry lemonade limeade is doggone cute! |
I poured a big ole glass, and took a big gulp……and spit it out. What the devil is wrong with this stuff? Good night! It would make me grow chest hair if I drank it. Shewwwweeeee! So, I reach for the stevia. More stevia. It needs more. I add 30 more drops. Yes, 30. Another drink…………I didn’t spit it out, but I did jerk my head backwards and roll my eyes around. Thirty more drops…….Yes, 30. Okay. I had to take a break. My mouth felt funny. So, I left it alone for a minute. Can you get heartburn from lemonade? I have heartburn. Where are the Tums? I went to do something with Annie (I think spell words with her blocks). When I came back, all the strawberry had sank to the bottom…..with my heart. I’m a lemonade failure. But no, I’m not a quitter. More stevia. At this point, I have no idea how much I added. Really. But, eventually I get it right. Barry comes home, tries a glass and says “Hey, this is pretty good.” Well, you better enjoy it buddy because I don’t think I’m making it again. It has to be stirred every time, but I’m drinking a glass right now and it’s not too shabby. My $4 pitcher of lemonade has turned out great. I’ll leave the recipe below. It might be good for teenage boys who need to grow chest hair. |
Stacy’s Strawberry Lime Lemonade
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- Stevia to taste really, taste it
- Juice of 4 lemons
- 1 cup of strawberries pureed (straining them is a good idea too. Good grief.)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup lime juice
Instructions
- Combine all and chill in the fridge.
- Add more sweetener. You can’t go wrong with more sweetener.
Kitchen Tip Tuesday
Have you ever been to a church potluck and seen a plate of brownies that look like this? It looks like Annie got into this dish and tried to “help.” Here is a statement of fact – even if brownies look bad, they still taste AWESOME! I could eat them directly out of the dish with a spoon, so I really don’t care what they look like. However, when you want to take a pretty plate of brownies to a potluck, you want them to look nice. You don’t want them to look like you just dug them out of the garden. The problem with the brownies on the left is that they’ve been cut with a metal knife. [Read more…] |
Crock Pot Cowboy Beans
I love beans. Sometimes, I think beans get a bad reputation. Sure, they make you musical and you can start your own band, but they also have the magical power to clean you out and fill you up. Not many foods are like that.
If I eat a big bowl full of beans, they keep me satisfied for a long time. We’re a bean-loving family. When I ask Annie what she wants to eat for dinner, (just for fun) she always says “Bean!” Beans, beans, good for your heart. *Cough* [Read more…]
“Sourdough A-Z”
I’ve always been a bread baker. For some reason, I gravitate toward bread recipes. I love mixing it up, kneading it (thank you Cooks mixer!), watching it raise, baking it, and then stuffing myself silly with it until I need a dolly to get around. It’s very fulfilling to me. When we switched to making all our bread, I got really excited. The possibilities are endless! There are about a gazillion recipes I want to try. I had been using the same sourdough recipe for years. It had taken me a while to find it and it was working very well for me. I tweaked it until it was just right……and I held on to it. Seriously, I wouldn’t give it to anyone. I would have taken you OUT if you had taken my recipe. Thankfully this blog has helped me become a little more lax where recipes are concerned. And no, I’m not sharing that recipe today. 🙂 I’ve switched to another one – a better method. [Read more…] |
Homemade Chicken Stock
Okay, so we’ve conquered cooking a whole chicken without looking directly at it and pretending not to see his legs. And then we’ve used two of the four cups of leftover meat. What should you do now? Make homemade chicken stock of course!
When you make a roast or baked chicken, don’t throw anything away……anything! We’re going to use it all to make some amazing rich-tasting and healthy homemade chicken stock. Oh, and in case you were wondering, you can also use this same method with beef bones, any poultry bones, or pork bones.
Want a tip that you may not have heard before?
We’re going to get out our big stop pot and use up all the leftover bones and the innards to make homemade chicken stock. AND ARE YOU READY FOR MY SECRET TIP? We are going to add two tablespoons of cider vinegar to the pot!! Crazy, right? What does the vinegar do? It breaks down the bones and draws out the calcium into the broth. Let your pot sit for 45 minutes or so to help the vinegar do it’s thang before you start boiling it. Once the bones and water to a boil, I reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for a long time – we’re talking 12-24 hours!
About an hour before it’s done, you can add some veggies for flavor.
It will give the broth extra vitamins and minerals, plus, it’s very tasty. And guess what? You don’t have to peel anything if you don’t want too! Just wash and chop because we’re not going to eat them. They’ll be skimmed out.
You need a really big bowl and a colander to strain out the veggies and bones from the broth. Remember, you have 16 cups of liquid, so don’t underestimate your bowl size! Pour everything slowly and let the colander catch all the bones and veggies.
Never put hot stuff in your fridge.
Let the broth cool to room temperature. Never put hot stuff in the fridge Did I mention that? 😉 If you learn nothing else today, don’t put hot stuff in your fridge. It changes the temperature and can do weird things to the stuff you already have in there. When it’s cool, put it in the refrigerator for a couple hours.
If your chicken has a lot of fat, after a quick chill in the fridge, the fat will rise to the top. Some chickens have little or none others have more – just skim it off the cooled broth if you’d like. To store, I like to freeze in individual 1 or 2 cup-sized containers so that you have homemade chicken stock ready to go whenever you need it for a recipe.
How easy was that?
And in case I forgot to mention… not only is homemade chicken stock affordable and delicious – it’s also VERY GOOD for you – full of vitamins and minerals. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Homemade Chicken Stock
- Chicken bones and innards from a 2-4 pound chicken
- 16 cups cold water
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- Place bones and other goop in a large stock pot.
- Add water and vinegar. Let stand for 45 minutes.
- Bring to a boil on the stove. Skim any yuckiness that rises to the top.
- Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 4 hours.
- One hour before it’s done, add the veggies.
- Remove from heat when done and let cool for 20 minutes.
- Strain and throw away bones and veggies. Let cool to room temperature.
- Refrigerate until chilled. You may skim the fat off if you like.
- Put into containers for freezing or use in the next few days.
Crunchy Chicken Casserole
Yesterday we conquered the chicken by baking it in the crock pot. Today we’re using some of the leftover meat. I had four cups left after I picked the chicken after we ate dinner from it. I’m using two cups in this chicken casserole and I used two cups in this Chicken Salad from Life, An Epic Journey. I saw this recipe in Taste of Home, but I sorta used it and I sorta didn’t. It’s very good….not as good as my Grandmaw’s Chicken Casserole, but it’s a tad bit better for ya. My Grandmaw’s Chicken Casserole is the ultimate comfort food. [Read more…] |
Crock Pot Whole Baked Chicken
I have a confession – I used to be afraid of whole chickens…..whole dead chickens. Well, I guess I might be afraid of a live chicken too if it was to run after me, trying to peck me to death.
I mean, in the packaging it looks so…..chickenish. It really looks like a chicken. I mean, there are legs and wings and body parts. When I open a pack of steak, it doesn’t look like a cow. With the chicken, I feel like I need to apologize while I’m fixing it. Sorry bird, but you are quite tasty. Not to mention I have this weirdness about meat on the bone that I’m trying to overcome.
So, I set out to teach myself to cook a whole chicken in the crock pot. I read tons of recipes, and this method suited me the best. And guess what? It’s EASY! I love it! The meat is so tender and it just falls off the bone. This is my method for cooking chicken forever! This particular chicken is from Earth Fare.
After watching Food, Inc I can’t buy any more Tyson chicken. This chicken was $10, but let me tell you…..it was GOOD. Totally worth the $10 and knowing it came from an okay source – and plus, I got 3+ meals out of this 3 pound bird. It did not die in vain…..it died somewhere, but not in vain. [Read more…]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- …
- 57
- Next Page »