Sometimes I come across reduced carrots at Food City and I have to buy them. I cannot leave those poor little $.50 carrots on the shelf. They need a home. I have a home, so they come live with me…….in my belly. They’re not really pretty to look at. Only a mama could love them. But I’m going to turn them into a thing of beauty – Annie’s favorite vegetable, Glazed Carrots. So, the next time you see some poor ole dry carrots just think of the possibilities! Of course, this works for nice, pretty carrots too, but they can easily find a home and I like to take in strays. [Read more…] |
How to Season an Iron Skillet
This family is in love with cornbread. Here is a true statement – cornbread is best in an iron skillet. I’m not even going ask if you think that’s true, because it is. And I don’t care what you say. :-p If you haven’t tried the cornbread recipe above, you might want to. It will make your family love you and bring you flowers. Barry gets really excited when I say I’m making cornbread. BUT in order for your cast iron skillet to work, it needs to be seasoned. Why? Seasoning makes it just like a non-stick pan….well, except for all the hazards of using non-stick. I really am not fond of non-stick pans, but I have several. As they die, I will replace them with nicer iron skillets, cast iron enamel, or stainless steel. I’m secretly feeding them arsenic so they die quickly. SHHHHHHHH! [Read more…] |
Crock Pot Chicken Fried Steak
Chicken Fried Steak is to the South like “Eh” is to Canadians (okay, I’ve never been to Canada, but Barry has and I think the analogy works). You cannot separate them. And buddy, does this family love Chicken Fried Steak. Yummo! So, I wanted to make some in the Crock Pot. They turned out fabulous but the next time I’ll do them a tad bit differently. I made the mistakes in advance for you. You’re welcome. You’ll need minute steak (also known as cube steak), flour, salt, ground mustard, garlic powder, oil, cream of chicken soup, and water. You could serve this dish over mashed potatoes or rice. We just had mashed potatoes on the side. I like to dip stuff. Yeah, it’s a disease. [Read more…] |
Natural Sweeteners
Annie has caused us to take a good long look at how we eat and what we eat. That’s why we’re on this new path to healthy eating. One of the major changes we’ve made recently is to completely stop buying white sugar. For some reason, Annie’s body reacts to white sugar….and it’s evident when I wash her bottom. She gets yeast infections if she eats just a small amount of the stuff. Yes, I realize that one day when she’s older she’s going to be totally embarrassed that I posted for the whole world to read that she gets butt yeast infections. But, we know this is change we need to make for her and for us.If you do just a little bit of research, you’ll find that the dangers of white sugar are HUGE. I realize that I cannot completely cut it out, because we do live in this world and we do eat out……and visit other people. But, we can cut it out at home.I don’t want to do without sweets. I love them…..really. We’re close friends. And guess what? God doesn’t want us to do without sweets either! Why else would He have given us a taste bud for tasting sweet things? So, don’t worry….this post isn’t going to tell you to give up cake. Life without cake is like Dottie without a fleece blanket. So, I’m going to tell you which sweeteners we use now and give you a little info on each of them. [Read more…] |
Crock Pot Yogurt
I seriously had no idea that making yogurt could be so easy. I really didn’t know. I feel betrayed and left behind. But now I’ve come into the light! Annie eats lots of yogurt. Barry and I don’t hate it either. It’s pretty yummy stuff, especially over some granola. But, I keep doing this thing where I read ingredient labels at the grocery store…..and then I get mad. And then I start talking to myself. And yes, the stock boy thinks I’m losing my mind. There is tons of junk in the yogurt you buy in the store! It’s true……and it’s dirty. Really, how can you mess yogurt up? And when you see how easy this is, you’ll start making your own. And you’ll KNOW what’s in your yogurt. And the stock boy will forget all about you – or at least I hope so. Get your crock pot and milk out and let’s culture! I love diversity. [Read more…] |
Why Full Fat Dairy
If you would have asked me last year if I would switch my family to all full fat dairy, I would have laughed at you. Me? Ha! That’s crazy talk…….full fat means I’ll get fat, right? Uh, well not exactly. Actually, not at all. I did avoid fat free cheese because the rubbery texture gave me the heebie jeebies. But, I always bought skim milk, fat free sour cream, and reduced fat cream cheese. Always. But not anymore….in fact, now if I have to pour skim milk, my first thought is “Oh my gosh! Something is wrong with this milk!” I am not a doctor…..but that would be cool huh? Doctor Stacy. HAHAHAHAHA! Anyway, this is why our family has switched to full fat dairy. You must make the choice for yourself.Research has shown that people who eat full fat dairy products are less likely to die from heart disease or stroke. Yes, milk has saturated fat but God created it really cool…..He made it so that the other stuff in milk balances that saturated fat. Think about it for a minute……we feed our young children whole milk. Shouldn’t we all be eating like a small child? They drink whole milk, eat half a sandwich and then go play for 2 hours. [Read more…] |
How To Cut A Pineapple
We be lovin’ pineapple up in this house….that’s street slang (or as street slang as I can get). A fresh pineapple makes canned pineapple taste like sawdust. I really fell in love with fresh pineapples when I was in Trinidad…..we would buy them at road-side stands and come home, cut them up, and inhale them. They were SO good……almost made me want to move there – except for the whole 100+ degrees all the time thing. I like buying them when I can get them for a good deal ($1.99-2.50). How do you choose a good pineapple? Most people will tell you to pull the middle leaf out of the top….and if it comes easily, it’s ripe. That’s not been a good indicator for me. Here’s how I do it – your pineapple should have a yellow tint, starting from the bottom up. If it’s mostly green, it’s not ripe. Also, smell it…..at the bottom where it sits. If it smells sweet, and it’s yellow chances are it’s a doggone good pineapple. It’s a good idea to let your pineapple sit upside down about 30 minutes before you cut it. All the sweetness resides in the bottom (sorta like me!), so if you do that, it’ll let the juice distribute before you cut. Let’s cut this bad boy! [Read more…] |
Crock Pot Mushroom Beef
I love cooked mushrooms, especially ones that are found on the lions mane recipes description. Cooked. I don’t really care for raw mushrooms. I would love to tell you why…..but I don’t know. So much of my life makes no sense at all. Kind of like how I am freaked out by meat on the bone. I saw this recipe by Betty Crocker and I knew I had to give it a shot. I am SO glad I did! It was so delicious. Barry really, REALLY enjoyed it. Okay, so I enjoyed it too. Okay, so I licked my plate when I was done. Gravy should never be wasted. Can I get an “Amen!”? [Read more…] |
Homemade Microwave Popcorn
**Because of safety concerns, our family no longer uses a microwave.** I love popcorn. Really, it should be evident by my Kettle Corn post. Homemade popcorn on the stove just blows everything else out the window. We have one of those old fashioned stove-top poppers and it’s just awesome…..and I really mean that – not like some people say awesome but don’t really mean it. However, sometimes I want popcorn and I want it NOW. I don’t want to wait or wash the popper. Have you noticed that the good stuff at the store is expensive? But kernels aren’t? Today I’m going to show you how to make your own microwave popcorn. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s cheap……but it’s not as good as stovetop – be on the lookout for one of those poppers at a yard sale (that’s where we scored mine!). [Read more…] |
Homemade Mayonnaise
I’m going to be honest with you. I hate mayo. It makes me want to gag. BLECH! In the words of Annie – Sheweeeeeeeeeeeeee! But, Barry likes mayo so I use to buy it for him. I also use it in recipes. Yes, I can tolerate it in stuff but you’ll not find me putting it on my sandwich plain….it must be mixed in something. But, now that I’ve switched to homemade, my tastes might change as it does with a lot of homemade items. This is SO easy you’ll wonder why you haven’t always been doing it. I just love making stuff at home. It makes me feel so…..so……homey. Not be confused with A HOMEY. I’m not that cool. |
You’ll need eggs, OLIVE OIL, cider vinegar, yellow mustard, sugar, and salt. Olive oil is one of the very best oils for you. I know, I read stuff. I’m starting to go through a lot of it so now I buy it in a gallon jug. [Read more…] |
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