We love a good seasoning on our steaks, but we love to use it on grilled burgers too. My husband purchased the Grill Mates steak seasoning, per a suggestion of a co-worker, and we love it. However. . .
Pioneer Woman at Heart
One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!
One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~
We love a good seasoning on our steaks, but we love to use it on grilled burgers too. My husband purchased the Grill Mates steak seasoning, per a suggestion of a co-worker, and we love it. However. . .
I have another 2 dozen eggs in the refrigerator, that I will boil soon. I love having them on hand for snacking, a quick meal, egg salad, or adding them to other meals. I'm shocked that so many new chicken owners do not know you can boil them. We keep the coop clean, and the roosts as well. You just have to wait it out a week or two, so they are older, otherwise they will not peel when you do boil them.
We woke up to more rain, and I am not mad or sad about it. It will give me a break from weeding the flower beds. I am making progress, but at a slower pace this year. It will be nice to give my back and knees a break.
If you got to the end of the post, I can share a little chicken story for you. My husband has been working double shifts (3rd midnight and 1st shift back to back). He finally got back to his regular work hours, but fell asleep early. I went out to put the chickens in for the night, and found out that 3 had flown the coop! Ugh.
I chased and chased. Mind you, my foot is fractured. Ha. There was no way I was going to wake up my husband. I finally got them all in, but was exhausted. I went back out and rigged the run fence. So far, so good. Sigh.
Too Many Eggs? © May 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
I took advantage of a few rainy days, and dehydrated onions. Yes, the windows were open for this yearly event. I may dehydrate one more time this year, but it's a start to re-stock.
I chop a few onions at a time, and toss into my food processor. I pulse the onions until they are about evenly diced. I have had this simple food processor for about 13 years now. As you can see, there are few options. I do plan to buy one with more options when this one stops working. Also, you can use a hand chopper for a smaller batch as well.
I spread the diced onions onto parchment paper lined dehydrator trays, and dehydrate at the temperature recommened for my dehydrator.
Once dry, I use latex gloves to remove the onions from the parchment paper. I then grind the dried onions in a specific coffee grinder, that is dedicated to grinding dried food items.
I dump out the current onion powder, wash the container and add the newer ground onions first, then the older. Otherwise, I rotate two jars. What ever works for you, but remember to use the older ground onion up first.
I made us some onion powder, but will need to dehydrate more onions for making minced onion for future meals. It's a go-to staple in our house. I do use a dehydrator, but now-a-days, the newests ovens have a dehydrator option, and smaller batches can be made in most air fryers.
I have stored our onion powder in the freezer for years, because dehydrated onions re-absorb moisture quickly. I keep it in an airtight jar. I often times, have to wipe the rim before putting it back, but otherwise, the moisture stays out of it.
Converstion charts are available online to decide how much of the powder or minced etc is equal to fresh onion.
Example: 1 tsp. ground onion powder = 1/3 cup fresh chopped onion.
Dehydrating Onions ~ Onion Powder © May 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
Here is a photo of the other crochet tension ring. It's hard to get a close up photo. Each one is different. There are actually YouTube videos online, and other videos, to view how to use them.
The rain is back. Again. I have a few new recipes to try. No surprise there. I seem to collect them again, but it's not all me ha ha! My husband keeps finding a few for me to make. One is a wrapped date recipe, but I am out of medjool dates right now.
We seriously need to hire someone to get up on the roof. We need a net or whatever they call it installed on the chimney of the woodstove. We had another bird fall into the woodstove. Just another job added to the to-do list around here.
I used up a few more bags of our garden green beans in the freezer. I have many more to use, so that is a good thing. I actually doubled the most recent green bean dinner, so we have some to freeze for go-to quick meals, which seem to be needed around here lately.
This and That © May 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
Last summer, we had a plethora of zucchini in the garden.
I came across a different way to freeze shredded zucchini. Here are my thoughts on it....
The idea is to place a cup of shredded zucchini in the center of a piece of waxed paper, and twist both ends. You then place as many as you can in a gallon freeze bag, label and store in the freezer.The idea was to waste less zucchini. For example, if you thaw it in a smaller freezer bag, it's harder to get all of it out of the bag (unless you turn it inside out). The waxed paper freezer version works great, as it leave very little mess on the waxed paper.
The way you freeze shredded zucchini is entirely up to you, but there you have my results. The only con I have with the waxed paper, is that it takes more freezer space to store. The pro, is that it is less expensive, as you use less freezer bags.
Update on Thawing Shredded Zucchini in Waxed Paper ~ Thawing Pumpkin Puree in Freezer Bags © May 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
We are still enjoying our home canned herbed tomato sauce (Ball Recipe). Our newest, and favorite way to use our frozen (previously roasted) spaghetti squash is with the sauce and homemade meatballs (also previously frozen, with oats, not bread crumbs). It's delicious and easy.
I have a few items in the freezer we are highlighting on our menus right now, so we make sure they are eaten. Those items are the ones we grew a lot of last garden season.
Green beans top the list. I'm planning on a few sides with those. We have plenty of diced and sliced bell peppers, more spaghetti squash, shredded zucchini, and pumpkin (just to name a few).
Every year the garden produces differently, and it all depends on what and how much we plant. There were years we got zero zucchini, and last year it was the largest producing year of all years. I think we ate it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.
What's Cooking? © May 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
Store bought chives are expensive. The cost for the above bottle of dried chives was $4.58! I freeze my chives, but for the dry Ranch mix recipe, I need dehydrated/dried chives. The bottle above is .12 oz and when ground makes 7 1/2 teaspoons. It is horribly expensive, and I have managed to kill the indoor chive plant I brought inside.
So....on a mission I went...
I dehydrated chives many years ago, but did not do my research before hand. I had snipped them, and placed them on parchment paper in the dehydrator, and they the fan blew them all over the inside.
Here is what I have researched.
-if you wash your chives, be sure to let they dry or dry them with a towel, or use a vegetable drying pad to let them dry off any water from washing them. Otherwise, your dehydrator time will be a lot longer.
-do not snip them, keep the the chives whole, and place in the dehydrator.
-do not use a heat higher than 95°F, and dry them for 12-16 hours (mine took closer to the 16 hour mark, and this can vary). Check your dehydrator for the temperture setting. My chives are very long and thick, so I used every tray in my dehydrator to avoid cutting them at all. Also, rotate your trays during they drying time.
Keeping the chives whole, prevents them from moving around too much, and the temperature keeps the flavor retained.
I stored mine in a canning jar, and use a vaccuum seal to remove any extra air. I also kept them as long as I could, and will grind them only when I need them, to retain flavor.
Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 cup Cultured Buttermilk Powder
1 Tbsp. homemade garlic powder
1 Tbsp. homemade onion powder
1 tsp. parsley* (see note below for this and next two ingredients)
1 tsp. dill*
1 tsp. chives *
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Store in the refrigerator, or if you prefer to store it on a shelf, replace the buttermilk powder with powdered milk. If stored dry with buttermilk in the fridge, you'll want to use it up in about 2 months.
It will fit in a half pint jar. I used my canning funnel to fill the jar with ingredients.
*parsley, dill and chives are all dehydrated from the herb garden.
I first used this on chicken for a chicken, wild rice and broccoli casserole. Years ago, I would just put the bone in chicken in the pan, but this time I cooked the chicken on the stove top, cubed with this ranch dry mix. It turned out wonderful.
We also used it for a dressing (add what you like), and it's pretty good, and uses less ingredients to make. It makes a very good dip recipe for vegetables. We like to blend cottage cheese (vs. sour cream) and add the dry Ranch mix. So good!
On a side note, I freeze chives as well, for other dishes . I simply snip, store in freezer bags (flat), or fill freezer containers. I just take it out, use what I need and put it back into the freezer. We can enjoy chives in the colder months of winter. I also freeze some of our green onions with the same process.
Best Way to Dehydrate Chives ~ Homemade Dry Ranch Dressing/Dip Mix© Apr 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
It appears that some of the bigger projects on our to-do list will be taking a longer break than we want. Atleast anything related to climbing a ladder around here.
Oh boy. I did it again. I'm mostly mad at myself, because I just started to clean up flower beds, and was about to start raking out weeds from the already tilled vegetable garden (s).
It's an eye roller moment.
I've been MIA a bit in blogger-land this past week. First, I was instructed to stay off my feet, other than to use the bathroom. Second, I was instructed to use crutches when I was up. They were (yes were) the most pain in the rump to use. I can say, that I can stand to lose more weight than I thought ha ha! Lifting myself on those was a complete work out in itself.
The good news is, that I have been able to lose the crutches, and no surgery needed, but the fracture will take time to heal. Also, it took almost a week to get into see someone at the ortho doctor office. Oh, my blood pressure was "perfect" as I was checked. I'm used to walking 10 plus miles a week, so I'm already working on chair exercises, to keep me sane and not so restless.
Off the subject, our family doctor now only works 3 days a week. Again crazy times we are in. I guess we will be looking for a new family physician now, because he has been canceling my husband's appointments, leaving the message, and no re-sheduled date. It's been frustrating there as well. I won't have to go see him for this, but ....
Of course, I am applying a comfrey poultice/compress daily, and every day it feels much better than the day before. The x-ray showed the bones already fusing together within a week's time. It also reduced the bruising after the first application.
If I had a plant store, I would sell plants like comfrey, mullein and other plants that some city folks do not have access to. Anyway....
I'm still infusing our nettle/oatstraw teas for more nutrition, and the doctor instructed taking vitamin D3 with K2. I had to change my vitamin D to that, but my husband brought it home, and the ingredients include (gmo) soybean oil and other bad oils. I'm on the hunt (online) for a healthy vitamin match for this. If you know of a resource for this vitamin (non-gmo vs. gmo), please comment below.
A funny to share. If you can picture it. My husband was bringing me a cup of coffee at a time, as I was to keep my one foot non-bearing weight.
I would drink it, and before he could finish his cup, I'd be asking for another. I continued to ask, and he'd look at me like "where it heck are you putting that coffee?" Ha ha!
He told a friend I could "suck down a cup in 30 seconds" ha ha! He is probably right.
One day, he handed me my coffee, and stood in the doorway, and said "I'm just gonna stand here until you need another cup" (picture him standing there sipping his own coffee) ha ha ha! Oh boy, it made me laugh and laugh and laugh. He is tickled pink that I can now fetch my own coffee, amongst other daily chores he had to take care of.
Do you plant radishes in your garden?
We absolutely love diced hashbrowns made with home grown french breakfast radishes. We didn't get to grow them last year, and we will be this spring. We didn't get to grow any variety of radishes last year for that matter.
Hankering some radish hashbrowns, I bought a pound of regular radishes and made a different version of radish hasbrowns.
My husband made me promise not to serve him green beans for breakfast, but he got radishes ha ha!
I can see why the original recipe calls for 2# of radishes. They do not amount to much after you squeeze the water out, prior to cooking them first. I had 1# on hand, so that is what I used. I highly recommend using 2#, as you add only one egg, and one egg to 1# vs. 2# was too much, and made the cooking time longer.
Results? Delicious! They take a lot longer to make vs. the diced version, but these were very good. I think I will make them the day before next time, and reheat either on a skillet or in the air fryer.
Don't skip the sauce/dip for these. It is very good. Recipe is from gnom gnom.com (Radish Hashbrowns with grated Radishes).
Note: If I remember, the original recipe states to make these in a mini waffle maker, but I would make several in a regular size waffle iron to speed up the time making them. It takes about 8-10 minutes to make one in a mini waffle iron. Unless you are busy in the kitchen with another project, the mini waffle maker will take you a long time to get all of the hashbrowns made.
Another note: I may even try frying an entire pan full, in heated oil next time.
Update note: my husband re-heated his in the air fryer at his work, and said they were amazing topped with the sauce and snipped herb garden green onions.
Radish Hashbrowns (another version) © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart
The ladies are back to normal egg production, so I washed some up for scrambled eggs to go with breakfast. I also tried a new recipe, and I'll try to get that posted tomorrow. Any radish lovers out there? Shockingly, the new recipe was delicious.
What did I plant? Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin, Baker Creek Seeds.
Do you have a favorite pie pumpkin that you plant in your garden?
The crock pot pork chops I recently made us, used up the very last container of homemade cream of mushroom soup we had in the freezer. I don't use it that often, but it comes in handy, and it's much healthier.
We broke out the mower for the first time this spring. It needed it, but we didn't quite finish it.
After traveling to two post offices, I finally got a box shipped off to my sister. The first Post Office, had their internet down, the second one is only open 2 hours a day. Life is a bit challenging living in a small country town.
The herb garden needs some weeding done, but it's springing back to life, and the green onions are looking great. I will be snipping some for this weeks meals. The sage is looking like it's coming back to life as well.
Today I will join Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.
I will link up when she posts.
The weather . . .
High today is to be about 73°F, but it's cloudy and it rained (ugh) again last night. Today is the eclipse. There is hardly any traffic either. I'm guessing that many places closed. I am told that in our hometown, many businesses closed for the day, and schools closed as well.
Right now I am . . .
Sipping coffee, posting this a bit later than usual
Thinking and pondering . . .
It's very wet out yet, so my day may be a bit off the to-do list.
How I am feeling . . .
Honestly, a bit tired. We ran around and got errands done, and we had to buy a new coffee pot (it broke down over the weekend).
On the breakfast plate . . .
Not sure yet.
On the lunch plate . . .
I have discovered that organic snack bell peppers make a wonderful bread replacement for chicken salad. We love it on cucumber slices, but this is good too.
On the menu . . .
-grilled sirloin burgers, broccoli salad (minus the bacon this time around).
-crock pot pork loins, roasted mixed vegetables
-leftovers
On the reading pile . . .
On the TV . . .
Whatever looks good. The most recent was Dateline and NCIS.
Looking around the house . . .
We picked up the last bit of materials to finish the steps in the hallway.
On the to-do list . . .
-not sure quite yet, which is very odd for me
From the camera . . .
October of 2014 - homemade Lamancha goat's millk cream cheese. The very best cream cheese too. A "blast" from the past photo.