Pioneer Woman at Heart

Peel several cloves of garlic.  You will need a garlic mincer to do this. Line the dehydrator trays with parchment paper. Using the garlic mincer, mince the garlic onto the parchment paper.  I use the tip of a knife to spread the garlic out. Using the directions in your dehydrator guide book, dehydrate the minced garlic until crisp.  Once done, simply scrap the dried garlic off and store in an airtight glass jar. The color will change as it dries. Note:  I use this in my canned cowboy candy and any recipe that calls for minced (dry) garlic.

There were a few requests interested in the recipe for the breakfast casserole.  The recipe is online from AllRecipes (Easy Broccoli-Cheese Casserole).  I simply used organic ingredients, and added 1 tsp. homemade garlic powder and a 1/4 tsp. homemade fire powder to add flavor.  In all honesty, I think this recipe would make a great side dish as well for family get togethers.  I like this one particularly because it uses less eggs.   As for the family's recipe for Hot Cranberry Punch.  I have the recipe on my blog - HERE .  It's been a tradition in our family for years and years, and my youngest daughter wanted to have some with her cookies I baked (and wanted to learn how to make it).  It was sort of something to take her mind to a peaceful place I think, and I was thrilled she wanted to make it herself. How to make Fire Powder: Dehydrate a mix of hot peppers according to your dehydrator instruction book.  Grind the dried peppe...

As much as I'd like to keep the pandemic issues off my blog and keep them upbeat homesteading posts, yesterday's briefing was a debbie downer. We remain under shut-in order, and no groups of 10 or more until June 1st.  They did no lift the shut in order. Daughter's grad party was for late June.  Now I have to wait and see what he says June 1st.  Those who liked him in the beginning do not like him now. There has been no talk at all about campgrounds opening and a lot more. Camping is social distancing.  The list of what remains closed is very long. I feel like we are the prisoners and at war with the government. Meanwhile GA opened hair salons, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors and more.  Too early for them?  I guess we'll all find out. Our 18 year old had to apply for pandemic relief pay of some kind - for unemployed that cannot work due to the orders set.  She applied for another assistance as well.  I think my husband and other daughter ...

Yesterday involved 3 of us baking and cooking.  I baked a broccoli and cheese (with cottage cheese) casserole for breakfast, a batch of almond butter cookies (flourless) , taught Youngest how to make Hot Cranberry Punch, infused a quart of nettle tea, and made old fashioned Goulash for dinner.  Shoot, now that I think about it, I could have added greens to the breakfast bake.  Oh well. Dinner was old fashioned goulash with corn we froze last summer.  Instead of adding green pepper, I added finely diced jalapenos I froze from the garden last summer.  It was fantastic.  Although too many carbs, it was a nice change to visit the comfort zone in the way of food. Youngest's boyfriend was sick with a fever, sore throat and headache for a few days.  I've been in touch with his Mom, and his fever broke yesterday.   Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom I'll link up when she posts.  I need to start laundry...

Where is the best place (and cheapest) online to purchase a gallon of organic olive oil?  Thanks in advance.  I cook a lot with it, but need to make some things using it too. My tulips are starting to bloom, and our ornamental apple trees are in full bloom.  We have two tree starts we need to dig up and move.  They grow quickly and are pretty spring and fall.  I tried to buy more tulip bulbs early in the year, but there are none to be had.  I'll try again this fall and fall plant them. With rain arriving late, we decided to get the pea fence ready, tilled and cleaned up.  We didn't start our work until about 1pm due to the weather, and it was definitely a physical workout.  No problem here getting outside and exercise.  We were worn out.  We didn't plant 3/4ths of the garden last year due to massive rain and late planting, so we have to clean out dead weeds first (more work than normal).   Nothing has been planted ye...

Quarantine Day 41.  I guess you can't call it "Quarantine" if we went out to get supplies for my Mom again, but the shut in order is still in place. My wild violets are starting to come up, but the question is "do I really need more jelly right now?"  Wild violet jelly smells so good while its being made and looks so pretty, but I think I'll focus on fruit jams.  If Hubby doesn't mow and I have extra sugar it would make a nice gift. The ladies all got a day outside in the run, but my rooster didn't know how to use the ramp.  By evening he figured it out, but wouldn't use the ramp to come back in.  Hubby and I went out about 9pm and tag teamed and got him inside.  Today he may figure both out and back in on his own, but that outside ramp needs replaced.  It's been on the to-do list for a year or so now.  I think our list is growing, ha ha!  Our fencing on the run needs some work done on it as winter put some stress on it too....

I posted yesterday that I was dehydrating garlic.  I realized I don't think I've made a post about making garlic powder with dehydrated garlic.  First, peel all the cloves, and slice thinly.  Place on dehydrating trays.  If your trays have larger holes, cover them with parchment paper first. The holes on my trays worked fine.  Once the garlic is crisp (use the guide book that came with your dehydrator for temperature and time), you will remove them from the trays.  I did not use parchment paper, so I line my counter top with a sheet of waxed paper.  I gently push all the garlic off the trays. I hold each side of the waxed paper up so the garlic goes to the middle and they can slide easily off the waxed paper and into a coffee grinder.  You then grind them until it turns into a powder form. I am lucky to have a glass container that fits a canning funnel.  I pour the powder out of the grinder and into the jar....

If you are wondering, I have not had time to learn to knit socks.  I have been that busy most days.  I guess that's a good thing, but I have hopes in coming out of this pandemic learning something new. It's been a cold April here too.  We also ran out of cut/split wood, so the heaters are back on sadly.  Hubby has been working on the car after work and there was also a fuel problem, so that meant more parts and more work. Not much I can do in the garden without the help of my husband so the peas have yet to be planted.  Yesterday snow was in our forecast again (which we got a little of) and then rain. First thing in the morning, I dug out my fusible web (which took time to find) and some scrap fabric.  I had to patch one daughter's favorite pants. I filled 3 large trays with garlic yesterday.  Not my home grown, but home grown in another state.  I rely on the farmer's market for a spring batch of garlic powder.  I made another one ...

No that we lack recipes, but I am starting to lack some ingredients.  I do not want to go to the store, so I am thankful I have recipe books like this.... I also placed an order for a few more books, and one is on making your own medicine (I do have books on this, but wanted more). My son purchased this for our daughter.  It is to hold his ashes.  I was doing pretty well about this lately, until it showed up.  I just about cried.  However, I do love the photo she picked, because that's what I remember about my "tater tot" and boy do I miss him a lot. Since we are under shut-in, I texted her photos of it.  She called him "Pooh Bear" and he even had a Pooh Bear Halloween costume at one time. Well, as far as homesteading around here, the weather got cooler.   I made egg salad, some breakfast veggie muffins with dandelion greens, and a new recipe of dill pickle dip, using home canned pickles.  As for the recipe for the ...

There was no problem staying busy with my routine back to just me, other than the girls are home.  I had a lot on my to-do list, and 3 of us were fighting over the washing machine. There is much stress here.  The car was worked on last night, but continues to not start.  On top of that my husband has to work with someone exposed to a person who tested positive (it's been 2 weeks, but this is more stress to worry about).  Hubby said his boss looks like he aged 20 years since he saw him last.  Also, our daughter who works had a co-worker show up for work who claimed she was tested due to being around a positive case (she was sent home).  So much to worry about, and there is too many false negative and false positive testing right now.  What can we believe to be true?  You are lucky if you have no one working in your house.   On top of that, the girls are fighting but it's mostly because of one of them, and I'm about to lose my mind....

Sunday was a more productive day.  I made more homemade "lysol" wipes , cleaned sinks, did some laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, and kept the wood stove stoked.  We were to get up to 60°F, but the house still had a chill inside. We got my car out of quarantine (via trailer) and have a friend working on it.  I picked up limbs, branches (some 20-some feet long), twigs and sticks, while Hubby finished up the mowing. I am thankful for the folks donating masks to first responders and the like vs. those making them just for income.  I found a gal who is making one for my one brother for free.  Our state is requiring that we wear one in stores etc. and may be wearing them for more than a year.  I'll be spending more time at home, and spending way less money on take out for sure.  I mean, how in the world can restaurants afford to operate with 10 customers and how in the world can we go in wearing a mask and eat a meal at the same time? The clerk...

Early photo from yesterday.  Purple dead nettle is up. Our rhubarb and asparagus is coming up too.

The weather will be much better today.  Yesterday it snowed.  And snowed.  And snowed.   Woke up to find this at the computer.  Our daughter scored us a can of Lysol.  Love the mug she gifted me too.  So happy to see this. This morning I realized there is no such thing as simply getting up and making a cup of coffee.  First, the chicks needed fed and watered, the mouthy and loud Tiger wanted fed, the barn cat was pawing at the door to be fed....then there is Romeo....sigh...I got my cup of coffee finally. My husband and I went to the "Big City" and did a supply run for us and for her.  We picked up her favorite wine too.  The greenhouse did not have sweet potato slips in yet, so that was one stop we didn't need to do.  Mom was smiling this delivery, so she is doing better now. Other news: Our statewide shut-in order will lift after May 1st.  They are setting us free.  Sort of.  There will be three...

Quarantine day 32 Nothing like waking up at 3:30am, and finding the internet not working and trying to figure it out for an hour. Now it's running slower than molasses. Things I noticed while out getting supplies - Kroger pharmacy took down all readers.  You cannot buy them.  One Kroger has a limit of 410 people.   Ace hardware is not shipping any UPS items.  No Lysol spray in any stores. Daughter (20 year-old) said that they only get a small amount of Lysol and they are forced to keep it and use on the store.  I'm guessing most shipments are like this. She also told us they make care packages for the truck drivers that deliver - Lysol, sanitizer, snacks etc. Calling my Mom to get her grocery list for a supply run feels like a scene from The Walking Dead. On a good note, my lettuce is sprouting!  We also cut wood, but only enough for a few days.  It was cold, so we will resume soon.

The snow was arriving around noon yesterday, so I went ahead and harvested some stinging nettle.  It filled my smaller dehydrator.  Happy for that. If you haven't done this before, be sure to have thick gloves on.  The "sting" does not leave the plant until you either cook it or dehydrate it. Hubby and I spent 3 hours in the garage.  Found so much we can give away - roller blades, knee pads, wrist guards, all sorts of balls and bats, kids tent....lots to throw out too.  Now the trash is full, so it waits again for another day.  Happy for that too. Luckily, I harvest a small bit of feverfew.  I make tea for our youngest daughter's headaches.   The sunrise this morning.  I actually slept until just before it came up.  Beautiful, and praying for the best for world, especially our Governor.  I just hope they don't hold us captive much longer, and that they do not enforce wearing a mask all year.  I do und...