"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

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.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Fire Powder ~ How I Make It ~ Tidbits

 You can dehydrate the last handful of hot peppers in any form, but I place them in my food processor and grind them up to small bits.


(dehydrated in the photo)

I then spread them out on parchment paper and dehydrate in my dehydrator.  If you have an air fryer, most have a dehydrate option.




When they are all dried, I put them in a coffee bean grinder (used only for grinding dehydrated items), and grind into a powder.  I store in an air tight spice jar.

Add the ground powder to any recipe to add flavor.  I use it a lot in our breakfast casseroles/frittatas and scrambles.


Yes there are Christmas towels in there😂


I fear for our world we now live in.  More and more people we know are sick with covid.  It's spreading like wild fire in our area.  A co-worker of my husband's could use prayers.  He is the same age as me, and was moved to a different hospital with covid.  Both of his lungs collapsed.  His name is Lauren (not sure if I'm spelling it correct).  We last saw him in 2020.  

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

How to Roast Pie Pumpkins and Make Pumpkin Puree ~ Whiskey Bacon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds




Pie pumpkins are also called sugar pumpkins, but the perfect pumpkin for pumpkin puree for baking and cooking.  Simply cut the pie pumpkins in half, and roast in a baking dish/pan at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.   The best tool to clean the pumpkins is my melon baller.



I lay the cut side down, and prick the skins with a fork a few times prior to baking.  Allow them to cool, scoop the pumpkin off and puree in a food processor.  Freeze in air tight containers.

One of our favorite dinners, using pumpkin puree, is pumpkin/sage macaroni.



Our family motto - use it up!  Don't forget to save those seeds. Roast them, and toss the rest of the pumpkin innards to the chickens for a nice fall treat.  Nothing wasted.

Our favorite recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds:  Whiskey Bacon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (any whiskey will work)

I finally packaged up all of the remaining dried seeds for next year's garden.

I know many of my followers already know how to roast and puree pumpkin, so I'm sorry if it's a repeat for you.