Chilly Time Chit-Chat

We warmed up from 0°F to 2°F today.  It's all a sheet of ice outside.  No sign of thawing just yet.  We also got more snow last night.

We are getting news from family and friends of sickness.  One is one of the kids too.  She has confirmed having the flu.  

The water softener is still on the "off" mode.  My husband has acquired the supplies to repair the leak in the line, but has lacked the time to do the actual repair.  I'm tapping my foot in anticipation, so I can turn the water softener back on (laundry awaits).  He works outside in this cold some days, so when he comes home, he is physically spent so to speak.

With that said, I have only moved a few puzzle pieces on our current puzzle.

Update on the last new pancake recipe.  I froze about 15 of them, and we are thawing them this week for breakfast with a side of homemade chicken "sausage" patties.  I may add scrambled eggs later, but I wanted to let you know they thawed and re-heated nicely.  

I have found another high protein pancake recipe to try soon as well (recipe with no protein powder).  I have several healthy new breakfast recipes to try, as well as dinner, so I won't run out of winter activities, ha ha!

I finished a few books, so I'm working on some new granny squares for our "book" blanket.  I'll post them soon after I get them done, ends sewn in and added to the blanket.  What a huge improvement on reading books this year too.  I would say 98% of the books read this year are books I bought at least a year to three years ago.  Other ones are given to me or borrowed from the library.  The one on top was okay.  I didn't really learn a lot to be honest.  She mentions Lincoln shell peas as the best yielding peas, but I grew them here and they did not do well. It was written and published so many years ago too.

I started some lentil sprouts for the chickens.  I think they will be happy ladies with this deep freeze we are experiencing.  Although lentils are inexpensive, I will be adding new sprouts to their winter diet.

~Home Updates~

I'm getting some shelf liners installed.  Woohoo to that.  One area is already done.  Three more areas more to go. I added another area.

I have wanted some of these for a long time, and finally bought some (online).  They are shoe bags. These are clear enough I can see what shoes will be in them, and durable enough they keep the dust off shoes on a wire shelf in the closet, and they can be used to take shoes traveling (water shoes, flip flops, sandals or whatever).  

In order to line the closet wire shelves, I have some updates like this to do.  I may be doing some purging in there too.  I know the clothes have got to be sorted.  Good luck with me getting my husband on board with his clothes.  

Progress is better than no progress.

I made a few peanut butter/bird seed treats for the birds.  I'm sure they will be enjoyed during this winter.  I just saved some empty toilet paper rolls, spread peanut butter on them, then rolled it in the bird seed. I then put the rolls on high branches in the trees.  

I'm hoping the birds find them before the raccoons.  I spotted this guy, but I still have not replaced my camera, so it's not that great of a photo. I'm tickled they are finding the food with this deep freeze.

A little "funny" to share.  We were in a hurry one day, and at a different store than usual.  We were out of coffee, so I grabbed a bag and kept shopping.

It took one day to realize we didn't like their "brand" and the next day went back to buy our regular organic coffee.  

I was cleaning off the counters yesterday, and moved the old bag of coffee beans.  I happened to pick it up to take a photo, and text my husband if he wanted it tossed out or if someone could use it at his work.

Ha ha ha ha!  After I sent the photo, I looked at it again and groaned.

See what it says???  Uh oh!  Whoops.  Not wonder it didn't taste right.  Good grief.

Chilly Time Chit - Chat  © February 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Sprouting Lentils ~ Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins (The Winner)

 

Do you ever look at the sky and just know what weather is coming?  Or somewhat what to predict yourself?  The sky started out with sunshine.  However...

Yesterday, moments later, the sky looked like snow or rain was coming (I did not watch the news).  

 It brought rain.  A cold, dreary, windy, wet winter day.  

Update on the lentils.  A week and a half went by and the green lentils I had been sprouting got dumped out.

Look at these?  They didn't expire for a few years, and were an off brand I normally do not buy.  I have no idea where I picked them up either.  Anyway, they went in the trash.

I then purchased this brand, and started sprouting them for the chickens.  To my delight, they were sprouting within the first soak (within a few hours).  Literally.  I'll have an update soon I hope.  The chickens have been waiting patiently.

Although it looks like there are not enough blueberries (I added about 1 1/2 cups vs. 1 cup) these were deliciously moist.  My husband took one bite, and said, "Wow!"  I used a different almond flour recipe, and swapped the "almond milk" for buttermilk.  The more "fat" in the milk the more moist the almond flour muffin will be.  I do not buy almond milk, so it was either try these with whole milk or buttermilk (and the buttermilk needed used up first).  I also added cinnamon and nutmeg.

 I used the recipe from Stay Snatched (online), called Easy Sugar Free Blueberry Muffins.  Again, I used monkfruit in ours (no artificial sweetener).  These are a winner diabetic friendly muffin for my husband.  Sorry if this is a boring post, but I wanted to share for those who where watching their sugar/carbs.  I also thawed frozen blueberries for these.  I have to say, we were both impressed, for having made them with almond flour.

Just curious.  What do you like to make with your strawberries you froze last summer?  My absolute favorite is strawberry crumble (obviously not sugar/flour free).

I also agree they are delicious in strawberry pie, but our favorite is strawberry/rhubarb pie (I have zero rhubarb in the freezer).  We love strawberry/blueberry muffins (again, not sugar free, a recipe from long, long ago).  On super hot days, I like to use a mix of our frozen fruit for smoothies.

I have more strawberries in the freezer, and would like to use them before this coming strawberry season.  Any ideas?  The healthier the better. 

Speaking of pie, for years I have used King Flour pie crust crumble recipe.  You make up the dry ingredients with organic shortening and organic butter, and only add the ice water when you are ready to make them.  The crumbles are frozen for easy use.  For the first time last year, my husband complained about the pie crust, saying it was not "flaky" enough.

With that said, do you have a really good, "flaky" pie crust recipe to share (tired and true)?

Sprouting Lentils ~ Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins (The Winner)  © Feb 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart