Homemade Biscuit Recipe and other Random Chit Chat

I was asked about how I get my layers in my homemade biscuits.  Click "Here" for the recipe on my blog.  I hand cut the butter into the flour.  I also don't work the dough to much, and when I cut them, I roll them out with a rolling pin, but the least amount of rolling I have to do.  Hope that helps.

I got another small batch of strawberry jam canned.  I am tall, so I can a batch daily until the strawberries are gone.  That's a lot of standing to do.

First I have to wash them all, and hull them.

Then I have to cut them up and crush them.  Then can the jam.  It's a process for sure. Our favorite produce stand has them now, but want $5/qt.  I paid $30 for a flat at the other source, and that comes down to $3.75/qt.  I did not have one bad strawberry in the last 4 qts I canned either.  When I buy the other kind, I get about 3-5 bad strawberries in each qt.  I may stick with this new source this year.

Super excited to see my soap order arrived, and it came with a sample of citronella!  Thank you Debby at Ole Lake Farm!  You saved the day!   I still can't find anyone local with raw goat's milk, and our youngest daughter can't use anything but goat's milk soap.  They all smell so good too!

Weekend Updates

Friday night we took Youngest to our favorite, locally owned steak house.  Sadly, we will not ever go back.  First our appetizer was served burned (first time to send back food), secondly, when served our steak I noticed the roasted half of garlic not on the plate.  I asked about it, and the waitress said something like "cutting corners." 

I tasted my steak - over cooked and not the same steaks as they previously served us (over the years).  It tasted like liver.  We all didn't like it. The steak is now much thinner than any steak we've eaten there. Oh, and the butter isn't real anymore either.  They used to serve it topped with herbed garlic butter - real butter.   I noticed the "butter" not even melting on my steak.  I did not eat much of it, and we all decided to spread the word of mouth about it, and not return.  Sort of sad too, as this place is biker friendly with biker parking.  I told Hubby my kitchen is my favorite restaurant and when organic steaks go on sale, I'll be fetching up a supply to grill here this summer.  And making my whiskey butter to go on top.

Saturday, Hubby joined a nephew to cut wood.  They had a dead tree that went down on a property that our nephew knew.  They hauled the splitter there to share the wood, as our nephew just moved into his new house and has 2 fireplaces.  

Following that, I reluctantly joined a birthday party.  I was in no mood to entertain for some reason.  Either way we went, taking a tray of fruit, as I did not want to cook anything either.  We were both tired. The weather was cold and I just wanted to snuggle up inside and take a day off.  Hubby was feeling the same way.

First thing Saturday morning, Hubby asked "did you check on your chicks?"  Ha ha!  The concerned person he is....of course I did.  They are so darn cute. Sleeping on top of each other.

What's on the breakfast plate Sunday morning?  Sausage gravy, biscuits, fried potatoes and scrambled eggs.  Snow is due to return today.  

The Good ~ The Bad

The Good:  we are still being provided with frozen, mashed garden grown sweet potatoes (and they taste great when reheated).  

The Bad:  I didn't can applesauce this past fall.  Organic apples are too expensive yet, and our trees have not produced.

Homemade Sausage ~ Biscuits and Gravy Oh My!

I woke up Monday to a warm 63°F and later a high of 87°.  And guess what?  

We started the "resurrection" of the flower beds/rose bed/herb garden on Sunday (no chance in convincing Hubby to break out the chainsaw for wood chores in the heat either), and now we are to get 4 days of possible rain.  I guess the Good Lord thought I needed softer soil to rip those weeds out, ha ha!  

Clean up before the end of the day.  But oh, so much more to weed (like about 60-70 feet of flower/herb beds).

Monday, we labored (again).  Hubby mowed some more, we weeded, and prepped the garlic bed.  Oh that was a joy - windy as heck, and try putting plastic down in the wind.  It took us about 1 1/2 hours or more to pull up old plastic, till, and put the new plastic down.  Now it will sit for a week or so to kill off more weeds/grass before I fall plant.

Laundry was put out.  Dried in seconds with the wind, heat and sun we had.

Pie pumpkins were picked and brought inside.  There are more, and more baby ones just starting.

A few blackberries were enjoyed.

Now about the homemade sausage.... 

In our parts of the world, we can buy "natural" sausage in patties, but it's not organic/non-gmo.  I've been buying organic pork, and making it myself.

It's the next best thing to raising my own pigs, butchering and making the sausage myself (goals). Or some day having a neighbor, like-minded, to barter with some day. 

That's the tickler about homesteading - it's a simple way of living, but so many people confuse "simple" with "easy."

To make the homemade sausage:

Wacky Weather

I woke up to checking the weather yesterday, and saw rain was 60% at 10am and 90% at 1pm.  So, I adjusted my day.  I started by making 3 "cans" of homemade condensed mushroom soup.  Smelled so good too.  I love the smell of shallots cooking in butter.  Mmm.  The "cans" went into the freezer.  By the way, this soup on top of turkey breast, in the crock pot, tastes amazing.

At 11am the rain had not arrived.

At noon, no rain.  At 1:30pm?  No rain.  I chopped up a head of cauliflower to prep for dinner early.  Put that in the fridge and checked the weather again. 

Homemade Biscuits

I had a request for the link to my homemade biscuits:  Click "Here" to get the recipe.

Homemade Biscuits ~ From the Family Cookbook

We've been using this recipe for years.  I like the  fact that it's basic, similar to what the Pioneers used.  I can use milk from my goats or future cow, and I can make my own butter from cream.  These are delicious with buttermilk also.