This and That

We are enjoying our garden potatoes.  I use the really small ones for breakfast scrambles or for soups/stews.

New crockpot recipe tried - Beef Stew.  I cannot recall that I have ever made beef stew in the crockpot.  I have always used the oven.  I have to admit, I did not follow the recipe exactly, as it called for red wine.  I did not have any, and used additional beef broth and two tablespoons or organic red wine vinegar instead.  The one thing I will do different next time, is put the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves in a piece of cheesecloth tied with string (making removing them so much easier).

Peas were added in the end, and the seasoning was perfectly delicious.   Next time I will be adding some sourdough bread, rolls or biscuits with it.

Newest tea to try by itself, and as iced tea - Hibiscus.  I tasted and tried a small bottle of locally infused honey in the tea as well - Organic elderberry and hibiscus infused honey.  The honey itself tasted more of elderberry, but good.  It paired very nicely with the hibiscus tea.  Very pretty too.

Not a crockpot recipe, but a new breakfast recipe.  It was in a 22 year old cookbook I already had, and it's very similar to Rachael Ray's Cheddar and Green Chile Egg Casserole, but added ingredients, and it calls for Tabasco in place of chili peppers.  I used jalapenos, jalapeno salt, doubled it (expect the butter).  I used breakfast sausage.  It gives us breakfast for several days (no bread, no potatoes).  I thought I took a photo of the recipe for this post, but it has flown somewhere into cyber world.  

               

Regarding the blanket pattern for this lap sized afghan . . .

It is free and printable online with yarnspirations.  The pattern is here:  Free Easy Red Heart Lattice Lapghan (Yarnspirations).  I am using Red Heart color Aran, and an "I" hook (5.0mm).

We are researching on what type of brooder we want to build for the chicken coop. 

(not my photo)

We are collecting photos on possible builds for the brooder.  It will be built inside the actual chicken coop, so we'll also need access to electricity (or solar if available, as we have not looked into it yet).  

This and That  ©  November 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Heat Returns ~ Infused Honey ~ Barter

 The area farmers are taking out their crops, and the dust is as thick as fog around here.  My eyes burn when I work outside (trying to stay inside for that).  It's very dry, and very hot right now.  Temperatures are soaring to the upper 80's.  It was 88°F the other day and the heat continues.  If we are lucky, the rain will finally be here this week.  

We picked the very last of the tomatoes.  What is left on the plants are rotting before even ripening.  Very strange year overall.  We are thankful for what harvest we are getting.

Exhausted.  I, ha ha! Am. Exhausted.  Taking a few days off canning, and trying to catch up with cleaning, dusting, putting things away, errands, sweeping, dishes, and laundry......

My favorite morning reading, is called "Just Breathe" Devotions and Prayer for the Overwhelmed Heart (and I am loving all of them so far).