Pioneer Woman at Heart

The snow is starting to blow.  Many schools closed even as early as yesterday, but there is just a dusting out there so far. I got around to trying a cake recipe I printed back in (gulp) 2019 and it over baked.  I went online and read the comments.  Sure enough someone posted the bake time was incorrect.  It was not what I was looking for in a go-to cake either.   When our grandson passed away at 4 months old, someone brought a butterscotch chip topped cake.  I could not get the recipe, so I wanted to try this one.  Nope.  It's not the same.   Anyway, I'm still on the hunt for this particular cake.  It was one that would be great to take to help out a family or friend dealing with loss of family. By the way, thank you if you prayed for our friend Hope.  Her husband passed away. Our handyman has started to remove the carpet upstairs.  It's not looking that good as far as saving the original flooring.  I'm goi...

  I dug out the donut pan and baked some pumpkin/cardamom donuts.    The results?  Well, they were good and dense.  However, I felt the recipe I tried, lacked in flavor.  I'd add more cinnamon and nutmeg to it.  They were very easy to make, and I'd consider trying other recipes, just for kicks  This recipe used a small amount of butter, and I used half whole wheat flour. It's something "fun" for a gathering, or when you need individual servings and don't want to bake bread and slice it. (Recipe is online with Kitchen Addiction) I sat down yesterday and wrote a letter to my only living Aunt.  I realized I have not been in touch with her.  I am glad I kept stationary now.  Although it's much quicker to type a letter, I do love the ol' pen and paper. The weather is beautiful, but it appears rain is possible towards the weekend.  I don't have much to pull from the garden.  The rest is in grow bags.

  Crockpot Queso 8 oz. organic pepper jack cheese, shredded 8 oz. organic Monterery Jack cheese, shredded 8 oz. organic cream cheese 1 4-oz. can organic green chilis, drained 2 herb garden green onions, sliced thin 1/2 cup organic whole milk 1/2 tsp. homemade garlic powder Stir together all ingredients in a crockpot.  Cook on low for 4 hours or until melted.  Note:  Some organic canned chili's may differ in size, and you could cube the cheese too, but it will take a bit longer (block cheese makes a creamer dip vs. buying already shredded cheese).  Sorry for the bad photo, but my husband was gobbling it up, ha ha!  I do think it needs maybe a jalapeno next time. Not sure if this is the reason my biscuits are flaky with layers, but it may be.  I watched a cooking show and if you "shred" the butter vs. cube you get a better rise with the biscuits.  I cube, but them use a butter blender to cut the butter chunks up a bit more. I baked up some whiskey s...

(2018 photo, the last time we grew them on the homestead) There was a point when organic butter at the grocery store became horribly high priced.  It's still high, but I try to stock up when they have coupons or a sale. However, I learned something new!  I have not tried it yet, but I have pie pumpkins planted this year.   There are concerns all over this country dealing with certain foods, shortages, price hikes and the like.   Most people are aware you can substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil when baking, but this next tidbit is new to me. You can substitute pumpkin puree for oil or butter when baking, using 1 to 1 ratio.  Meaning if your recipe calls for 1 cup oil, use 1 cup pumpkin puree. At harvest time, I roast the pumpkins (cut in half as shown in the photo), and let them cool down.  I scrape out the pumpkin, puree it in the food processor and freeze it in freezer containers. Of course there are many other uses for pumpkin puree, and w...

I don't know what I was thinking.  I had plans to clean a bathroom, muck the coop, do more decluttering. . . I managed to walk the box of borax to the bathroom though, and dug a few plastic storage drawers from the barn and washed them up. . . . . . being lazy, I skipped my work out (the horror!) after all my him-hawing, and baked a sweet potato/black bean frittata with dandelion greens.

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.

(Yesterday morning's sunrise) This time of year, everything is very wet early in the morning.  As I picked green peppers yesterday, I noticed how wet the garden still is.   I opted to bake first, then head to the front flower beds instead.  I was sure to get "Frankenstein" feet if I went to the vegetable garden. While my breakfast cooked, I quickly tossed ingredients together to make a pie for dinner.  Which by the way, was not a pie I'll make again.   It was called "Stupid Pie" and

After a trip to the library, I was back home baking yesterday. I was blessed with overly ripe bananas, so first I made banana bread (using my canned applesauce).  While that was baking, I mixed ingredients for the next item - chewy granola bars.  Lunch packings are now re-stocked.

My 19 year-old daughter asked me what she could use to flavor her pork chops with, and aside from herbs and spices, I have now suggested apple-pear-ginger chutney. I still have pears after all this baking and canning, so I made some.  It's great to flavor grilled sandwiches and other foods too. It's fabulous on ham.

Winter has been the strangest ever this year.  On Tuesday, we had rain, then snow, then rain again, then snow again, then rain and temperatures up to the 40's.   The house was still a bit chilly, so I baked two snacks for the family.  One, I baked Black bean Fudge Cakes (only in an 8 x 8 inch pan), and another batch of Zucchini Muffins.  Yum!  The oven warmed up the kitchen, and the Black Bean Fudge Cake was pretty good.  I love recipes from Clean Eating magazine.  I can use my raw honey, home canned applesauce and this eliminated the cost of flour.   The day before, I cooked up a large bag of dry black beans, so I reserved some for my cake.  A perfect way to keep "desserts" healthy around here (and low cost). Although, I can say the Black Bean Fudge "bars" were not the kids favorite.  They gobbled up the Zucchini muffins first.

Sunday morning breakfast consisted of whole wheat blueberry pancakes with homemade honey syrup , sausage and a side of Jicama hash browns. We have never tried Jicama, and know that it's also called a "Mexican Potato."   (midway through cooking) I peeled it, shredded it, and fried it.  First I diced an onion and cooked it in canola oil, then add the shredded Jicama with salt and pepper.   It is sweet.  Not what I was expecting, but pretty good anyway.  It contains no fat and is very low in carbs.  Next time I will add some garden green peppers to the onion.

 In a transaction of passing from one to another, I was finally given a bag of "goodies" from my sister-in-law.  It contained crafting items, items to re-purpose, and best of all, a basket of "Stress Relief" items from Bath and Body.   The eucalyptus/spearmint aroma is divine.  I now have shower  wash, lotion and pillow spritz.  Oh boy!  I'm loving this! Funny how things work out too.  I'm recycling everything the lotions came in too - ribbon, stuffing, cardboard, tag and basket.   Even the bag that she sent everything in, came to good use.  Two cats are using the large paper bag as entertainment.  One jumped in it, then the next minute, the other partner in crime, had the bag on it's side.  He was darting in and out, just having a ball with it.

I'll spare you the photos of my messy kitchen, but the end result of a very, very messy kitchen was: Thanks to a farmgirl barter (or two), I had fun gift giving lids for my jelly this Christmas.  This year I made my candy apple jelly using apple cider vs. apple juice.  The kids love it!  I need to make a second batch after the kitchen is all cleaned up too. Now that I have given Mom her blanket, I can post a photo of it.  I also gifted my brother a thin line (blue line) scarf (which I forgot to take a photo of).   I was given a pattern from a very good friend to crochet my brother's thin line scarf.  I used royal blue and black for police colors and if you would like to know the significance of the "thin line" or "blue line" meaning click on "The Thin Blue Line (emblem)." Today is Sunday, but Monday brings more baking needs:  one daughter needs a birthday treat to take in tomorrow, one needs to bake something for Spanish class, and a...

Santa's Helper mailed my 9 year-old daughter a present: The golden cat looks like her own cat.  She is in love with this apron.  (Tiger, her cat) My 19 year-old son baked his famous M&M cookies for our family reunion, which is Saturday.  My 15 year-old daughter is helping bake almost all the rest of the goodies.   She has made a batch of buckeyes (left), a batch of chocolate covered oreos (right), chocolate covered pretzels, a batch of noodle ting-a-lings and has plans to help make more goodies after school. I admit, I am stressing a bit.  I may not get everything made this year. I should have made my jelly a month ago.  Sheesh, what was I thinking? I may break out my Christmas albums (the old-fashioned records) and play some non-stop, commercial free music to relax. 

I spent the other day mixing up several jars of Cinnamon Honey Butter.  They will be gifted for Christmas.

Although I have found recipes for applesauce breads using yeast, I needed something quicker yesterday. I used a Banana-Applesauce Recipe that didn't require any oil, butter, or shortening.   This turned out nice, and we didn't even make the optional frosting for it.  I love recipes where I can utilize something I already have made homemade, such as my applesauce.

 According to my kids, it "sounds nasty" and looks nasty.  However, it tastes pretty good.  I've been looking for healthier meals, and more with vegetables we don't eat enough of. The photo isn't that great, but it was taken at night.  Our lighting isn't that great in the kitchen. It's baked with a crust and the vegetables are topped on it.  The recipe did not say to cover the dish, and the onions got crispy and delicious.  The onions are what gives this dish flavor. Cabbage and Carrot Cobbler 1 cup water 4 cups shredded green cabbage 1 cup shredded carrots 2 onions sliced 1 1/4 cup plain White Wave dairyless (see notes) 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 tsp. low-sodium baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup soy or rice milk 2 Tbsp. olive oil Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the water, cabbage, carrots and onion in a large pot.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Uncover and co...

I went searching for a cake using my homemade applesauce, and one that also used molasses.    I doubled this Spiced Applesauce Cake Recipe , and baked it in a 9 x 13 inch pan.  The family loved it.  It's a very dense cake and can be eaten with hands too (kid tested).  It could use a layer of frosting for a tea party or coffee gathering, and is perfect for packing in school lunches.

I had two bags of orchard apples that needed to be dealt with.  The intended purpose for them, was to make two apple pies for the Thanksgiving meal.  It didn't happen. I peeled and cut

I can't keep the kids out of this small batch of old-fashioned candy!  It's actually very good.  Here's the recipe: Cider Vinegar Candy Butter a Jelly roll pan or sided baking sheet.   Set aside on top of a hot pad.