This and That

 

Beautiful sunrises are dwindling here these days.  The winter weather is slowly moving in.  It is very cold here now, but maintaining.  Woke up to 25°F with a windchill of 18°F.

There has been a sighting of 6 coyote (in my home town).  Crazy.  I have not seen any coyote this year here.  I wonder why they are gravitating to the city?  Stray cats perhaps?

Do any of you have a good/tried and true recipe for homemade oven cleaner? 

I found this one, but wanted to ask before I tried it.

Homemade OVEN CLEANER

¼ cup of dish soap

½ cup of lemon juice

1 cup of vinegar

1 ¼ cup of water

.Mix, spray, let sit, and wipe.

I also need something to scrub the oven racks with. I read somewhere to sprinkle baking soda, then use this spray and let sit over night (for the racks, lay on large rags). Does anyone have tips/tricks for this? I'm so over due on this home cleaning job.

Day 2 of soaking this tomato sauce stained freezer container. I have tried baking soda paste and it's still not gone. I have no idea why, but I froze pizza sauce and some tomato sauce this year (vs. canning it). I have not had to deal with this before. Any tried and true method to clean the stain off the container?

 Back in 2020, I started making washcloths/dishcloths, using a new pattern.  It involved using two strands of cotton #10 thread.

I later packaged them up, to sell at the craft shows.  They never sold at all.   Three years have gone by now, so.....

(photo from 2020)

I recently opened one to actually try for myself.   

They are a nice thickness, but for a dishcloth, they do take a bit longer to dry out on a hook.   

Honestly, they could be used for a washcloth, dishcloth or even a cleaning rag.  I am sure I found the free pattern online, but cannot locate it on my blog.  Blogger is making it much more difficult to search for something anymore. 

Live and learn, as they say.  What doesn't sell, don't make anymore unless you are personally using it.  I have made a home for all of these, but most likely, will not make them again.

Although it is way too cold to get porch reading time, I have finally finished this book I borrowed from the library. It was not that exciting to read. I forced myself to finish it, and it was the first book to completely read since March of 2023. I saw the new sequel to the book and thought I should read the first one first. Well, I have no plans now to read the sequel. Back to the books I have at home.

Happy Homemaker Monday

 I tried a new recipe, and we love it - Southwest Chicken Quinoa Casserole (The Real Food Dietitians online).  It was similar to a "bowl" recipe we like that is layered, but this recipe is much easier and quicker to prepare.  I used frozen bell pepper from the garden, and frozen jalapenos from the garden, so that created more liquid as it cooked (note to self: use less chicken broth).  I used homemade tomato sauce for this too. 

The chicken coop roof is finally done.  We may be moving the coop's location.  Not sure just yet.  

We also got the fallen pine trees moved, but it took part of the lilac bush with it.  It is about half the height, so hopefully, it will recover.  I think we removed about 6 fallen pine trees.  One more job checked off the to-do list.  Actually two, if you count the chicken coop roof being completely done.

I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather . . .

Over the weekend we hit a high record.

However, with this, came more rain, and now much cooler.

Right now I am  . . .

Getting ready to post this blog post.

Thinking and Pondering . . .

What needs to be on the to-do list today/this week.

How I am feeling . . .

Fantastic!  I completed two fitness goals.  Now onto the next few goals....

On the breakfast plate . . .

Sausage, egg, potato, and bean breakfast burrito.

On the lunch plate . . .

Chicken salad cucumber bites and omega 3 nut mix.  I used part home canned hot pepper relish, and part sweet for the chicken salad.  So good!!  Can't wait for summer cucumbers again.

On the dinner plate . . .

Not sure just yet.

On the menu . . .

-Chicken spaghetti using spaghetti squash (new recipe)

-Cauliflower crust homemade pizza, with our pizza sauce

-Jalapeno Chicken Cheddar Fritters, veggie

-possibly a fish dinner of some sort

On the reading pile . . .

I'm still reading this, and my goal is to finish it before it's due back.  It was not what I thought it would be, but so far okay.

On my TV this week . . .

Any movie that looks interesting.

Looking around the house . . .

I have one more craft show tote to go through, and more yarn to put away.

On the to-do list . . .

I still need to write this out for the day/week.

From the camera . . .

I got some sitting time in the good ol' sunshine.  It took the "crankies" away for a while.  The weather was gorgeous (until the rain moved in).  

Something to share . . .

Homemade Omega-3 Nut Snack Mix:

Some of you may already roast your own snack mixes, but I finally started to make our Omega-3 mix myself.  The packets have changed (they started adding chocolate bits to it), and it's expensive.  I found some of the non-gmo (no oils) nuts at Menard's and the rest at other grocery stores.  I then add the dried cranberries (the packets had too many cranberries). 

I roast (all non-gmo, with no added oils):

-1 cup raw walnuts
-1 cup raw almonds
-1 cup raw pecans
-1 cup raw pistachios
-1 cup raw pepitas 

Roast at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, cool and add 1 cup dried cranberries.  Store in an air tight container.  One serving - 1/4 cup.

If you have a Costco or other membership, look for non-gmo bulk nuts.  We do not, so I have to really look around for them.

Christmas ideas, DIY's, tips and recipes . . .

Egg Soufflé (Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole)

I love to make this recipe with homemade bread.  Our favorite make ahead breakfast.

Devotional, Quote, Prayers. . .