Long Weekend

 I had another long weekend, but productive.  My husband worked again (2 long 12 hour shifts), so I decided to tackle another big job while I could.  In reality, it was because we got more rain, and it's been raining every single day lately, so garden work was not happening anyway.

I emptied the entire standing cupboard that holds my canning pot, freezer containers (as they empty), extra canning jars, and all things homesteading that don't have place anywhere else.

A shelf had collapsed (it's the cheap wood type put-together-yourself type cabinet, but it works for now).  

I purged the entire thing, cleaned it, then moved it from the wall and cleaned behind it and under it, moved it back, re-organized it and prayed it will hold together a few more years.

I filled a box with items to take to the thrift store.

We have had some cooler weather lately.  Woke up to 42°F this morning. Brrr!  Some evenings are below 50 degrees.  There is rain in the forecast for the next 4 days.  It can all change, but we could use a slight break with the rain.  

Many of my herb plants are starting to flower.  Sage is about to bloom.

A few of our flower bed perennials are starting to bloom as well.

I picked yet some more asparagus.  One good thing about all of this rain.

                                     

I have not made time to open more than one library book.  The recipe above made me laugh.  Do you see it?  It was from a recipe book for foraging.  

Speaking of library books, I do need to get those looked at and returned.  They are all resource type books for foraging, fermenting, and wild cooking.  Not sure what I was thinking ordering so many books at once.

Speaking of books, I have carved out a few minutes to do some fiction reading.  I had to switch up books this time, as I needed a "palate cleanser" (reading refresher) to change things up a bit.  It's a short book, and so far I'm enjoying it.

Update on the Jalapeno Salt I made:

I have used it to season potatoes being prepared for a breakfast scramble.  I will try it on sweet potatoes next. Yum.

I also have been using it to season ground beef for tacos, and I recently used it to season the ground beef for a new recipe we tried - crock pot taco pasta.  So good!  By the way, we liked the recipe for the pasta, but it made more than I expected.  

There are several versions of the recipe online, but I had some leftover beef broth, so I used that up instead of chicken, and I added a rinsed and drained can of black beans.  Oh, I used frozen bell peppers and jalapenos from last years garden, and homemade taco seasoning.

Long Weekend  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Random Bits

 

(A Year of Positive Thinking, by Cundie Spiegel)

Picked this in the rain.  So thankful for the harvest.

I restocked our homemade condensed mushroom soup.  It is so good, it is so worth the time to make it and freeze it for quick access while cooking.  It's just shallots, fresh mushrooms, butter, a bit of flour, milk and vegetable broth, a bit of black pepper (organic/non-gmo ingredients) and that's it.  I always salt everything while cooking, so I do not add salt.  So good.  I would have had 5 "cans" in the freezer, but I ran out of shallots.

Current library loot.  I am so far behind on reading these, and/or simply looking for what I am looking for, that it's crazy.  I have been doing "stuff" and rather busy, despite rainy days.

Random Bits  ©  May 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

I am finally in a slowdown (or sort of), and decided to start today with joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  I will attempt to link up when she posts.  Update:  The link worked!  Thanks for the comment to let me know!

The sugar pie pumpkins have all been processed.  I am thankful for that, but wish I had gone to the produce stand and purchased a few more spaghetti squash.  I missed my window on apple seconds, but will be more mindful next year.

The weather in my neck of the woods . . .

We had a rainy, fall weekend, which is delaying any outdoor work.  I have started filling another box of items to donate (we just don't need or use anymore).  Our highs will be in the 50's all week.

Things that make me happy . . .

-waking up to a clean kitchen

-finding new patterns to use my yarn stash for

-no bills in the mail (ha ha!)

-hot coffee and porch time

-completing a home repair job (some can linger and linger)

Book I'm reading . . .

(photo from thriftbooks)

I just picked up a copy from our local library.  I will be starting this book today.

What's on my TV . . .

Everwood (series), and we are enjoying it, other than the recent episodes have a lot of family fighting, which we do not like.  Otherwise, it's been a nice series.

On the breakfast plate . . .

A breakfast casserole with vegetables and layered in the bottom are diced locally grown potatoes baked with beef tallow.  There is spinach in this one.  We will also be trying locally sourced homemade sausage breakfast patties.

On the lunch plate . . .

Chicken salad with leftover shredded chicken, grapes.

On the dinner plate . . .

Blackened chicken tenders (with locally sourced chicken), BBQ green beans with our garden green beans and local bacon, and our own homegrown roasted mashed potato squash.

On the menu . . .

I have been focusing meals, by what's in the freezer from last garden season, and in the pantry, so the rotation continues.

- Steaks (locally raised, and rare treat), asparagus and any leftover BBQ green beans and mashed potato squash.

The rest has not been decided on, until we see how long the leftovers last.

On the to-do list . . . 

-cook sausage patties to go with breakfast

-mix up a large batch of meatballs to freeze (locally sourced meat this time around).

-wash and put away dishes

-pay bills

-place an order for supplies I cannot buy local

-dust

-make homemade hair detangler

New recipe tried or want to try . . .

I tried a new breakfast casserole with spinach (no meat this time).  We are trying it this morning.

What I am creating . . .

I have a few things on the crochet hook.  I will be sharing pictures tomorrow.  I'm still looking for a hat pattern (suitable to donate), that has a ribbed bottom, and does not fold up, and for kids and adults.

It feels so strange not to be preparing for a craft show, or making homemade gifts.  I was talking to a friend about her opinion on an idea of mine for the kids.  I thought of buying the ingredients for their favorite recipe (any of mine), and gifting them that, along with the recipe (aside from any fresh ingredients).  She poo poo'd my idea and said it "wasn't enough" for them.  

It got me thinking.  Why do people put so much money into some gifts that are dust collectors or items that are "just to give" without thought?  Oh, I'm still looking for the soup starter in a jar recipe.  I know I have one for a bean soup too I think.

Favorite photo . . . 

It's bow hunting season in our neck of the woods, and there are days we see a lot of deer, and days we do not see them. 

Devotional, Prayers, Bible Verses . . .

No current prayer requests.  My husband is feeling better (thnk you for your kind thoughts) but he was tired over the weekend.  He sipped hot sage tea, and said he enjoyed the taste.  

Happy Homemaker Monday  © November 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart