Pioneer Woman at Heart

  Do you ever buy a used cookbook from a thrift store, because of something "shiny" you see inside?  Then do you go home, put the book down, and completely and utterly forget what you wanted to try? Well, I did just that with a thrift store cookbook purchase.  I bought it early a year ago (or longer, ha ha!).  I have had it out on the table, then counter, then table, then counter, then the kitchen island, and then back and forth.  I finally.....finally (screaming from the rooftop), made a recipe I decided on. First, let me tell you, the cookbook is all about high carbs (the good kind).  I do plan on reading the forward in the cookbook another day.  Much of the recipes are not for our liking, but I did try a biscuit recipe (that I had been wanting to try for months!!).  On a side note, this cookbook, has a lot of reading sections in it, as well as recipes.  I'll be taking a closer look at it soon. The recipe called for lowfat cottage cheese an...

                        I am on a biscuit mission, to enhance side options for breakfast sandwiches, soup dinners and even get togethers.  These were Cheddar and Chive Biscuits. We once, on our adventures this year, tasted the most delicious breakfast sandwiches, there were served on a cheddar and chive biscuit (made in the restaurant from scratch). Results:  Delicious! I used all organic ingredients, and cut the chives fresh from our herb garden.   The recipe uses a different method to incorporate the butter and makes a very light and fluffy dough (a tip from Cooks Illustrated?). Note:  The above biscuit recipe is online if you are interested:  Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits (The Café Sucre Farine) Note 2:  Be sure to flour your biscuit cutter (or it will stick a bit). Homemade Biscuits   ©  April 2025 by  Kristina  at  Pioneer  Woman at Heart

  I did a lot of kitchen work early, due to the water needing shut off again, for the bathroom repairs.  I finally got a batch of taco seasoning made, whipped up some biscuits for a breakfast for my husband - biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, and fried potatoes.  However, I have a mound of dishes to do this morning, and need to empty the dishwasher. We got more rain early yesterday and more last night.  We hit a heat index of 100°F yesterday, and boy was it humid and hot. The bathroom repairs are coming along, but slowly due to the rain.  The old drywall is cut out, and the floor is in, but there needs to be another layer of floor to get it the the same height as the kitchen.  Not sure how long that will take.  All water lines to the bathroom sink have been replaced. I brought down another bag of trash from the upstairs and got more organizing done, but have a large tote of hay to get rid of.  Apparently, Daughter K had it for her rabb...

  We got rain as predicted and I was happy.  I hopefully will have an easier time doing some digging in the garden.  I doubt I'll have much, but it must be done. Yesterday's dinner was beef stew.  I whipped up some homemade biscuits too. I still don't have a vehicle, and everyone working here is working long hours.  I had no milk.  I had to make these using powdered milk.  They were still good. As for a vehicle, my car is supposed to get towed this week or next to get the new engine.  Cross you fingers.  It's been so long since I had the freedom to go out when I want or need to.  Living in the country I have no options but to rely on others as well. I am back to my to-do list, but first I'll see if we got any good sized beets out there.  Then I'll make up a list of what I need and send it out to everyone with a vehicle in this house.  Just maybe, just maybe someone can bring it home for me. I hope all is well with everyone....

It was breakfast for dinner. Biscuits were baked for sausage gravy, scrambled farm fresh eggs (thank you chickens), and fried potatoes.  I forgot to see if I had enough apples for fried apples though. I also cut all the yellow netting up, and got them the strips rolled into balls for future dish scrubbies.  I have a few more colors to cut in strips, so I won't run out of things to do on rainy days (as well as deep clean totes in my closet, which I discovered high school stuff I can clean).   I finally felt like crafting after I cleaned up some rooms around the house.  Got the last two of these painted with white paint.  More work needs done to finish them. I think I did everything that was not on my to-do list this week, so I need to get back on track ha ha!

I was slow to get started yesterday morning, but so happy I could actually sleep in.  I started the day with some hand sewing - fixed a pair of jogger pants.  Finally planted my heirloom organic lettuce seeds, and baked some biscuits for dinner.  These kids will never want to move out with all this home cooking (the older one who moved back in truly misses the healthy meals.  Especially breakfast, as it's never out of a box (or very rare). Youngest learned how to make sausage gravy and was so proud of herself.  She now wants to learn how to make the biscuits.  I sure hope she really does. I did my daily call to Mom.  She was feeling better than the day prior.  With our future so uncertain, I must call her daily for support.  I need the one on one time as well. It's a chilly 29°F here this morning.  Huge change from our 60-70 degree days lately.  Not sure of what's on the list for today yet. I'm pretty sure there will ...

....and just like that (snap!) my tidy quiet house went to noisy, chaotic nerve ending mess.  Once the dogs wore each other out, it was finally quiet again. Due to complicated events, and work schedule not all of our daughter's belongings have been moved.  What a mess. Sigh. We need to find her an apt. like yesterday, for my peace of mind.  It'll be tough considering the pandemic, and the number of animals she has.   Keep us in your prayers.  I'm so stressed with anxiety right now.  I found my 18 year-old in my closet doing homework, but when I walked in, she was sobbing.  Her peaceful space upstairs has been disrupted for now, and he's having trouble accepting it temporarily.  We all are, but to have our 20 year-old here is the only thing we can do to help her.  We are all trying our best to think positively about it all.  First, finding her a car....not sure how that's gonna happen. On a good note.... Dinner last n...

More photos from the other day.  I went outside for these, and most flew off, but a few came back.  Much better to see instead of through a dirty window, ha ha! Snow moved in, and we were told it could bring 4-6 inches 7 in other areas.  We woke up to maybe 2 inches and it is 32°F not the 8 degrees they said it would be.  It's still snowing though.  School has a 2 hour delay. On the breakfast plate . . . A garbage frittata with some sliced zucchini, topped with garden chives.  I added a pinch of fire powder to boost our metabolism too. I've been taking treats (peace treaty) out to the chickens when I feed/water and fetch eggs.  So far, it's sort of working.   In the morning I brought in 3 eggs, and later in the evening 2 more, but that darn rooster went at me again.  I think he has cabin fever or something.  I can't wait for a warmer day to send them out into the run.  Oh, he went at Hubby too....

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. Supe...

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 r...

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.

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....

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. 

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

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.