Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

I found this recipe in a library book - Food to Live By, by Myra Goodman.

The recipe is more so a semi-homemade recipe, as you will see when you read it.  I did find an organic soy sauce at my grocery store (naturally brewed, and made by Kikkoman).

Refrigerator Radish Pickles

Refrigerator Radish Pickles

De-Stressing in the Rain & Gettin' a "Do"

I snapped this photo a day before the rain arrived.  Color is blooming all around the home this summer.

 

I took my book, and this time a highlighter and notebook, to the front porch.  Oh, and do you see what else I took out there?  A gourmet lollipop!  Butterscotch.  Yum!

I've made it to "Part 2" in this book now, but I've already checked off several "tests" and feel these questions have been repeated so many times in other books.  So far, I have only been reminded that I have too much stress in my life, and most of it is "Chronic."  I guess I have a lot of work to do.  And many more family meetings.

However, I did realize that I do have a habit of waiting until a time of "crisis" before praying (I bought this book at a Christian bookstore).  So, I took my Bible, dusted off the cover (tsk, tsk), and headed back to the porch.  When I opened it, I found an article I had clipped and tucked inside it.  Here's what it said:

Funny how I needed to read that article, and at that same time.  There will be no more dust on my Bible.

As for knocking out more stress, I think I will be teaching each kid to cook their favorite meals.  Last night I made broiled, mustard crusted cod with spinach/green onion.  They practically lick their plates (all but one daughter who won't eat fish) when I make it.  After my 13 year-old said, "Man I love this fish!" for the third time, I told her "Good, it's time for you to learn how to cook it."

The prep I do for the Farmer's Market is also a stress factor - kids fight, kids want to buy things, they argue during set-up and tear down etc. etc.  Then there is the making of all the items.  I wanted to bring in a new item this week, but after breaking down the cost of sugar, organic apple cider and butter, I could not come up with a price that will still give me back profit, and sell it at a reasonable price (Vinegar Candy).  So, I'm learning to eliminate by breaking down the cost to make things.  I may be cutting out my jams and jellies too, in which I have to buy the fruit for.  I may keep my pear, wild black raspberry, but cut out (and only stock up for home) the others.  Hubby and I are talking about getting a permit, to sell from the roadside instead.  That would eliminate the packing up, fighting, unloading, fighting, and loading again (and fighting) stress.  

In the book Breaking Clean, by Judy Blunt, she talks about how at age 8 (she grew up on a ranch), her fingers hurt so bad she couldn't hold onto a fork at dinner.  She even passed out while working in a potato field.  Now-a-days, most kids complain about having to wash a few dishes or even fold clothes.  I do insist my kids all take on housework, even if it means hearing their mouths jabber on and complain.  I was told by Hubby, that at work, most parents tell him they just do all the work because all the fighting is not worth it.  I beg to differ.  Kids need to learn how to get along, not complain, and not fight, and not argue.  And most of all, take on responsibility in a peaceful manner.  That alone, will reduce my stress in half.

A Mom can dream can't she? 

Oh, and guess what else I found inside my Bible?  He he!  Hand written coupons from my youngest daughter.  Two are for hair-do's from her.  Guess who's gettin' a "do" tonight?  Or maybe two? 

Speeee-iiiiiiiii-deerrrrrrr!!!

There is nothing worse than waking up to screaming kids, or worse, reaching into the kitchen sink to be greeted by a big hairy wolf spider.  Do you like my spider trap?  I'm not sure if I saved my 11 year-old or saved myself from this hairy beast.

Last night it was my 13 year-old who was screaming about a big scary garden spider, crawling up to the top of a door jam.  And yesterday, while weeding my herb garden, I was greeted by a baby, black and yellow orb weaver.  The rain has woken up the spiders here.  

My son, aka the "Spider Man" pulled a joke on me.  He enjoys catching these hairy and scary beasts and releasing them outside (just so they can come back in again, ha ha ha!).  He does this with his bare hands.  Ewwww!  So, back to the story.  He walked towards me with his hand curled up and smiling.  He continued to approach me while I screamed bloody murder, and none of the kids came to my rescue.  Hmpf!  After torturing me, for what seemed like hours, he opened his hand in front of my face - empty.  Another "not cool" moment.

Things were not going smoothly in regards to the tile project in the shower.  The saw we had was not cutting straight cuts, so the guys had to go rent a saw (thankful for renting vs. buying).  They ran out of grout, etc. etc.  

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, kids bickered about who was going to clean what, and the tension levels were high.  Screaming, yelling, you name it.  

And in it all, I was trying to crochet a new doily pattern, to see if it would sell at the market.  You noticed I said "try" to crochet?  

I not only fastened off too early (which is fixable), but skipped one row completely.  I was not able to concentrate with all the hoopla here that day.  

However, as it turns out, it made a nice cup coaster.

So now I am reading this book.  When I finish it, I should be able to crochet anything in any "storm."  

The beginning chapter (Escape the Lunacy) starts out with, "Somewhere along this frenzied journey called modern-day life, we've lost our sanity."

Any suggestions on how to clean this ball of yarn?  I received it in a farmgirl barter, but when I took the wrapper off, I discovered it was pretty dirty.  I may just have to make something for using here vs. selling, and then wash it after it's finished.  Otherwise, I can't use it.  I may try tucking it in a sock to wash, but I'm afraid it'd end up in a knotted mess.  I'm thinking, knit or crochet, then wash.

The tile project continues.  The grout has not dried, and today will be 48 hours.  It is still soft.  I have put a fan in there to speed up the process.  The grout to fill in, has not yet been applied.

Today, is the last day of school for the younger two.  They are excited and have jabbered all morning after the spider incident.  Weather is humid and blah, and thunderstorms are expected possibly.  I was secretly hoping for rain, so I could work inside again.  Yesterday, I managed to weed my largest herb garden, with the help of my son.  The tarragon and basil seeds have sprouted, and now I just need to plant curly parsley.  I thinned out my lemon balm, and brought some in to make freshly brewed tea with my spearmint and lemon.  Yum!

Yesterday, I was complaining that I had not done "a thing" all day for the next Farmer's Market.  My 16 year-old responded with, "Mom you are always doing something."  

Book Review ~ Illness Continues

First, the Folk magazine has beautiful photos in it.  It focuses on artisans, enjoyable stories, crafts, recipes and more.  I only have a few more pages to read.  It's one that you can read from beginning to end, but with less advertising than you'd find in other magazines.


Pepper in Her Pie, Book 1
Amish Pioneer Series
By Mrs. Cleon Martin 

This series is written for teens, but if you enjoy reading Pioneer stories, you'll enjoy this book.  An Amish couple with a new baby ventures from Indiana to the flat lands of Kansas.  The characters and places are fiction, but the actual events are based on true acts.  I located the series at my local library.  Your library may very well have it too. 

The title of the book refers to a lesson taught in the story.  If you enjoy the Little House series, you'll enjoy this book.  I'm waiting for the next two from our library.


Illness Update:

Two daughters now have the flu.  I've been sleeping until 10:30am to 11:15am.  Not on purpose either.  I hope Hubby is up to bringing us home more supplies.

Interesting book ~ Oldest Daughter Turns 19 ~ Lymph Node Update

Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat, One Man's Solution, written by M.D. Creekmore.

This book is not written as a "how-to" for readers, but more about sharing one man's experience and tips on what worked for him, and what didn't.  He shares his tips (and suggestions) on smart storage, stocking up, preparedness, and self-sufficiency.


Today, is my oldest daughter's birthday - 19 years ago, she was born, and weighed 10 lbs. All but one of my kiddos weighed 10 lbs. or more.  The doctor's nurses used to joke to me, and ask if I knew the difference between eating a pumpkin and an apple.  For some reason, God gave me big babies.

Anyway, she's still sleeping, so I hope to share some photos of her birthday, later tomorrow.   Her horse's birthday is this month too. 

I am slowly recovering from this "crud" that I caught.  The good news is, that my lymph node in the back of my neck, has returned to normal.  It only took 6 months, but thank goodness it is normal again.  I noticed that when I was drinking the homemade ginger ale, that it was shrinking faster than with anything else I was doing.  Then when I started drinking the hot ginger tea (also homemade), it started to shrink even faster.  I'm not a doctor, but for me, this experience worked.   

Today, hubby is not working.  Yay!  He's been working so many overtime hours, I haven't seen him much.  Today he has plans to work on the van that we need to sell, repair a door knob, and other things around here. 

Peanut (goat) seems to be feeling better thankfully, but now Blondie's (horse) foot is swelling up again.  

Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes

I know folks have different views on buying any food that has been marked down, but I wanted to share another delicious recipe.  Again, it is from a book from the library.

I bought a 1/2 gallon of antibiotic free buttermilk for $1.25.  I used to be able to find it for $.75.  In the winter, organic milk is very expensive (to make buttermilk homemade).

This recipe would need to be doubled for a large family.  Unless of course you add some eggs and a type of meat for a side.  Yum!  They are tasty and light.
  

Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes
(adapted with organic/local ingredients, from Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook, by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day)

1 1/2 cups unbleached, organic all-purpose flour
1 cup organic cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 Tbsp. organic sugar
2 large farm fresh eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
8 Tbsp. unsalted organic butter, melted (1 stick) *6 Tbsp for the recipe and 2 for cooking them.

Butter for Serving


In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and 6 Tbsp. of the melted butter. Whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat (electric griddle should reach 350-375°F).  Grease the hot griddle with the remaining 2 Tbsp. melted butter.

Pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake, making 3-4 pancakes at a time.  Bubbles will start to form on top and around edges.  After 2-3 minutes, lift each pancake up halfway with a spatula to see if it is golden brown and the edges are crispy; if so, the pancake is ready to turn.  Flip the pancake over and cook until the underside is golden brown, 2-3 minutes more.  Serve with butter and syrup.      


What I like about this recipe:

~uses very little sugar
~I can use my farm fresh eggs
~I can use local cornmeal we buy from a Mill
~uses butter vs. oil - I may get my cow yet
~and of course I can make these "on a dime" when I find buttermilk on sale/clearance.

    

Murder, Mystery, and Baking - Stress Therapy

...three things I love in a good book.  However, since I haven't been feeling well, I have spent the weekend reading this book.  My weekend included hot tea, ibuprofen, kleenex, vapo-rub, and lots and lots of sea water nasal spray.

Joanne Fluke's books must send out a subliminal message - Bake!  Bake!  Bake!

Spinach Cups

Don't these look like green eggs?  This would be fun to make on St. Patrick's Day too.

This recipe calls for 6 oz. of fresh spinach, chopped up in the food processor.  I tripled the recipe, but did not triple the spinach.  I used organic baby spinach for mine.  The only thing for me making these in winter, was using up all the eggs we had.  With the colder weather, we are not getting as many.  I did not triple the salt either.

By the way, these re-heat nicely too.  Only one of the kids didn't like these - must have been the spinach.  In fact, one daughter ate them for her after school snack.

I'm betting that these could be cooked and frozen individually also.  I did that one school year, but with mini frittatas.  The kids just took one out the night before, and heated it quickly for breakfast, before school. Next summer I plan to make these again using homemade goat's milk ricotta. And of course home grown garlic and spinach.  Yum!

Spinach Cups
(from Tired and Wired? by Marcelle Pick)

6 oz. fresh spinach
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Unsalted butter, for greasing muffin cups *

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Finely chop spinach, using a food processor if preferred (this is what I did).  Then in a large bowl, mix ingredients together well.

Lightly grease 4 muffin cups.  Divide mixture among the 4 cups.  Bake 17 to 20 minutes, or until the spinach cups are set.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then loosen cups by running a butter knife along edges.  Serve.

Serving:  2 (2 spinach cups for serving)  

*Tip:  We save butter wrappers and keep them in a container or ziploc bag in the refrigerator.  They are then a quick way to grease pans (or to butter corn on the cob).   

Also, you could probably leave the salt out of this recipe.  I think the ricotta is salty enough for this recipe.

  

Vegetable Burgers ~ Using Pinto Beans

I'm sharing another healthy recipe.  Once again, from a library book. 

I think the fact that this recipe includes sunflower seeds, which we do not eat enough of, is what interested me.  We didn't get to grow them last year, but did the previous year.

As you know, I cook many recipes using lentils and beans.  I did use pre-cooked pinto beans for this recipe, and they are a softer than canned beans.  I did add an egg to this recipe to "bind" the burgers a bit better.   Either way, you could also add more organic brown rice too.

 (Just as they went into the pan)

These had excellent flavor, and the family once again, devoured them.  These would be perfect with another vegetable side such as sweet potato fries.  Yum!  However, I kind of think the recipe title is funny - they really don't have a lot of "vegetables" in them.  Maybe they should be called Bean Patties?

These are crispy on the outside, but somewhat soft on the inside.  We did not serve these on buns, like a "burger" but ate them on a plate with a fork.

Hubby topped his with home canned ketchup, but you could top it with anything really - relish, salsa, or pickles etc. 

Veggie Burger
(Source:  Are you Tired and Wired? by Marcelle Pick)
 
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 - 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1 tsp. chopped basil
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

In large skillet, saute onion and garlic in 1/2 tsp. olive oil until onions are translucent.  Remove from pan.

In large bowl, mash pinto beans with back of fork.  Add cooked onions and garlic and remaining ingredients, except olive oil and mix well.  Form mixture into 4 patties.

Back in the skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat.  Cook patties 4-6 minutes per side, or until evenly browned on both sides.

Servings:  4