Homemade Gift Ideas ~ Food Gifts

 

I borrowed this book from the library recently, and it does contain another version of a Chicken soup starter in a jar recipe.  I requires dried celery, but I have not seen that in our stores (other than celery salt).  I could dehydrate celery, but just a heads up on that ingredient.

(photo from google)

I've been borrowing books from the library regarding homemade gift ideas (just a hobby of mine this time of year), and I came across this online the other day (photo from google).  Just another idea to share.

If anyone has a homemade coffee mix with peppermint and mocha, please do share.

My husband is getting a laugh about my search for organic/non-gmo candy canes.  I had a box of them on Amazon in my cart, then got busy with breakfast, and when I went back to place my order - bam!  Out of stock.  Ha ha!  Jokes on me I guess.

I'm finding it very hard to find organic/non-gmo corn syrup this season.  Our big grocery store carried it last year, but this year nothing.  I may change what I bake and make this holiday season, per what I can find.  I guess we'll see first, if I get my kitchen and living room back in time.  Our hired help was a no-show.  I may need to paint myself, and I do not want to.

It's been raining here the past few days.  No sunshine whatsoever.  Dark and dreary.  I just put on some up-beat music and get to work. 

Homemade Gift Ideas ~ Food Gifts © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

This and That

I keep a binder for printed recipes, that we make often, and I just don't have the room to hand write them on recipe cards.  I have had it open and sitting out for months now.

I have been working on removing any recipes we don't make any longer, and adding ones we currently do, and it's (yay!) back in it's proper place.

If feels good to get more done around here.  Here is more updates on home projects.

Window project:  The new window is installed, siding back up, window trimmed on the inside, drywall replaced, mudded/sanded and painted.  We still have one outlet to replace, but very happy with the progress.

In the process of this project, 3 flooring transition pieces were finally installed (after a year of the last guy not coming back to finish them).  Yay!

Office project:  The old desk was completely emptied, items sorted, some thrown out, some donated, and some given away.  An old lamp removed, and some wall hangings taken down.

An old broken bookshelf was purged, and both the old desk and bookshelf removed to dispose of thankfully.

Need a good laugh?  

I used to freelance write when the kids were very small, and I was sorting blank notebooks (left over from kids in school), and notebooks with writing articles in them.  I had to laugh, and laugh, when I glanced at the top page of one notebook.  It was a note from our youngest, from years ago.  I really, really needed a good laugh this season too.  

When I post "journal junkie" I was not kidding.  I had a journal to keep track of books I borrowed from the library (why? I have no idea), a journal for things I tried "new" (apparantly we ate sour cream and onion crickets at a library event back in 2009 maybe) and a journal for health remedies.  I literally had a huge stack of journals for almost everything.  A journal for favorite quotes from books I read.  The list goes on and on.  All in all, I found some very interesting writing.  There was much I could part with, but some I will read on snowy, cold days before recycling or keeping.

I uncovered my journaling Bible, which has been passed on to one of the kids now.  I have probably 5-6 different Bibles already.  She was thrilled to get it, and the pens with it.

Overall, it all needed to be purged, sorted and dealt with, and now it's off the to-do list. Now I have a ton of empty notebooks for grocery list writing, supply shopping list, or to-do list.

Oh, and the "office" job is not done quite yet.  I am purging more books (non-fiction), while the carpet is ripped out, and ceiling and walls painted.  The drywall in the storage area will be repaired and the room's floor trim painted as well. 

Knock on wood, it's all completed before Christmas.  In the meantime, we have other projects to complete.

This and That © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Sunset ~ The Other Rechargable Light Bulbs

 

We had the most beautiful sunset last night, but I just caught the tail end of the beauty.  My Mom used to text me whenever there was a photo worthy sunset, and tell me to go take photos of it (I'd be inside by then in the winter time).

These light bulbs are different from the ones we put in the old antique rose lamps (those you charge using a charge cord, and lamps do not need electrical cords).

I bought them at our area Menards (Lowes has something similar I believe).  You can either charge the bulb with the enclosed charge cord, or they self charge while installed in a lamp that runs on an electric cord.  If the power goes out, the charge goes into effect and works for so many hours.  You also get a remote control for the bulb, and an attachment to screw onto the bulb itself, in case you need to hang the bulb in another room if the power goes out.  It has a power button, with 3 light settings if you need to use the bulb in another room without the lamp itself.

Just sharing an update.  I charged both bulbs to make sure they worked, and they work great.  

Sunset ~ The Other Rechargeable Light Bulbs © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Bread Baking Day

Woke up to a chilly 14°F morning here today.  Yeterday  I finally had a day to bake the skillet bread (bread baked in a cast iron pan).  It's the next best thing to baking soft rolls, but in a one skillet version.  By the way, this bread, cubed up works great for a breakfast souffle too.

It doesn't look as nice, as I used a serrated knife, thinking it would make it look better on top.  Anyway, just run a straight knife to make the lines for baking.

Here is how I bake my bread in a cast iron pan (also called skillet bread).

(Skillet Bread recipe from I Heart Eating, with adapted organic ingredients and adjusted instructions).

I do use a thermometer to check the temperature of my measured water.

1 1/2 cups warm water ( 110-115°F)

2 1/4 tsp. yeast, active dry

2 Tbsp. honey, organic

Stir and let sit.

While water, honey and yeast sit and do their thing (let sit about 10 minutes), I measure the flour, olive oil and salt for the mixer.

2 1/2 cups organic bread flour

2 Tbsp. organic olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

When the yeast/water/honey mixture is ready, add it to the mixture in your mixer.

Gradually, mix in another 1 cup of flour, move your dough to a bread cloth our floured surface to knead for 5 minutes.

Recipe calls for 3 1/2 - 4 cups of the flour.  I use 3 1/2 in the mixer, and save the last 1/2 cup for kneading on my bread cloth.  Less flour makes a lighter, fluffier, softer bread in the end.

It was 7 °F outside, so I used my dehydrator to help the bread rise (has a bread raising temperature, as most larger dehydrators do, and some ovens now-a-days).  Let it rise for 30 minutes.

I cover my bowl with a damp cloth (vs. saran wrap).  It helps the dough from drying out while in the dehydrator.

Remove and made a nice ball of dough, placing in the center of a oiled cast iron pan.

The original recipe states to let the dough "rest" next, but the dough will not rise.  I put the dough in my oiled cast iron pan, and put it back in the dehydrator for another rise.  It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.  Keep an eye on it.  After 2nd rise - using my 10 inch cast iron pan.  Also, to do this, I lightly oil a piece of parchment and place that over the dough ball, then cover it all with the damp towel.  The parchment keeps anything from sticking to dough, as it rises for the 2nd time.

Using a sharp knife make two lines in one direction, and one straight down both of the previous ones. It produces a beautiful, and delicous loaf of bread.  It tastes like soft homemade baked rolls.

Bake the bread in a preheated oven at 400°F, for 20 minutes.  you may need to adjust baking time, but less than 20 minutes was not long enough in my oven.  You want the top to be browned.

Using a piece of waxed paper (or saved butter wrapper), rub butter over the crust as soon as you remove it from the oven.  It will ensure your crust to be soft when it cools completely.

It pops right out of pan when it is cooled.  Good luck getting folks in the house to wait lol!  Enjoy!

                          

A photo of the same bread I baked back in 2021.  Gosh it's been that long ago.

I am going to freeze a few pieces this time around, and see how well it stands up after thawing.  Happy bread baking!

Bread Baking Day  © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Chicken Vegetable Soup ~ Baby it's Cold

 

The chicken vegetable soup is from Clean Food Crush online.  It is literally a completely self-sufficient recipe.  You can grow every single thing in the soup (and the herbs for the homemade Italian seasoning), make the broth, and raise meat birds.  My husband is not on board with raising meat birds again just yet.  Anyway, I utilized our frozen garden green beans, and diced bell peppers for this soup.  I also had previously cooked the chicken, shredded it, and had it in the freezer as well (worked great for the soup).  I used home canned tomato sauce (I used an entire pint).

There are no potatoes or corn in this soup recipe.  I mean, you could, but I followed the recipe, other than I am not a fan of cooking my raw chicken in the soup ingredients.  We loved it!

Definitely a slight variation of a vegetable soup, but also with chicken vs. beef or simply vegetable.

Perfect leftovers for a cold brisk day.  Woke up to 7°F windchill, icy roads, and only a slight dusting of snow.  It's more of a black ice on the road situation here.  The high winds took out some power for some folks, but thankfully ours is on.

Chicken Vegetable Soup ~ Baby it's Cold  © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

It's Cold ~ Scarf Finished ~ Desk Project (which leads to Other Projects)

 

Remember the scarf I started to crochet for my husband?

Not the greatest picture but I was taking in a hot minute before my husband took off for work (early this morning).  I finished his scarf last night, and had enough yarn to add the end fringe.  I even have a small ball for a scrap blanket.  Anyway, it's a brisk 13°F windchill here this morning, and tomorrow will be even colder.  He is very happy to have the scarf on his drive to work today.  

The yarn was "newpaper print" by Red Heart.  It matches his hat that I made him back at the end of October.

On another note, I have my work cut out for me the next few days.  I'm cleaning out my old desk, and will be removing it from the last room with carpet in it.  Dogs and cats both have ruined the carpet (and the desk), so once the carpet is pulled, I will need to check the subfloor, treat it most likely and paint the room eventually.  

I have not used the desk since we completely replaced half of the kitchen floor/joists 2 years ago) However, the first concern is a storage area in the same room that is underneath the stairway.  We have discovered that it has huge gaps in the drywall corners, and it needs completely enclosed/replaced (after the carpet is removed). As the temperature dips, field mice look for warmer spaces (hence the drywall project in the storage area).

In order to crawl into the under-stairway storage area, the desk needs to be removed first (it's a small room).

In the meantime, mouse traps are set in the storage area, and project 6995847 (ha ha!) begins.

I'm going to need more coffee today. 

Progress report:

Christmas totes reduced by 3 totes (another donation box started)

Yarn totes reduced by 2 totes

It's Cold ~ Scarf Finished ~ Desk Project (which leads to Other Projects) © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Four Beans and Sausage and Tidbits

Four Beans and Sausage to the rescue yesterday.  You still need to dice an onion (and I use bell pepper frozen from the summer garden, and home canned ketchup), but it's a one crock pot dish meal.  It was perfect for my Monday Madness in getting back into the groove of homesteading/adulting life again. 

While the crock pot did it's work for dinner, I took some time to make a sausage and potato breakfast casserole (real potatoes), bell pepper from the freezer, and added onion, garlic, jalapenos and dandelion greens (jalapenos from the freezer as well as the dandelion greens).  I only used 6 eggs and 1/3 cup milk for this 9 x 13 breakfast.  It is a bit spicy with the jalapenos, but we like it.

Thankful for leftovers today, so I can continue to catch up with bill paying, laundry, and my weekly to-do list.

I'm hearing that black kitchen utensils can leach poison into our foods when heated (or hot?).  Any truth to this?  If so, what are you replacing all of your mixing spoons and spatulas with?  I do have wooden utensils, but I still need spatulas and mixing spoons, soup ladles etc.

Library Loot Update . . .

I went on a library book binge, in hopes to find the recipe for the chicken noodle soup/chicken and rice soup starter in a jar. 

Gifts in Jars by Natalie Wise

The library books are rolling in, and the book above contains recipes for Chicken Noodle Soup in a Jar, and two other soup recipes.  If you are looking for homemade Christmas gift ideas, there are a few good ideas. 

                                  Layered Soup Mixes in Jars, by Jackie Gannaway

Some recipes in this book, that I thought would make great gifts (or for yourself) were:

-Rainbow Bean Soup Mix in a Quart Jar

-Cajun Cornbread Seasoning Mix - baby food jar or small  canning jar (I'm going to try this one myself soon)

-Navy Bean and Ham Soup Mix in a Pint Jar

-Chicken Noodle Soup Mix in a Pint Jar

Four Beans and Sausage and Tidbits  © December 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart