Pioneer Woman at Heart

I was asked about how I get my layers in my homemade biscuits.  Click " Here " for the recipe on my blog.  I hand cut the butter into the flour.  I also don't work the dough to much, and when I cut them, I roll them out with a rolling pin, but the least amount of rolling I have to do.  Hope that helps. I got another small batch of strawberry jam canned.  I am tall, so I can a batch daily until the strawberries are gone.  That's a lot of standing to do. First I have to wash them all, and hull them. Then I have to cut them up and crush them.  Then can the jam.  It's a process for sure. Our favorite produce stand has them now, but want $5/qt.  I paid $30 for a flat at the other source, and that comes down to $3.75/qt.  I did not have one bad strawberry in the last 4 qts I canned either.  When I buy the other kind, I get about 3-5 bad strawberries in each qt.  I may stick with this new source this year. Supe...

Today I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. My kitchen has been pretty busy lately.   Hubby had to work 10 hours on Saturday and 12 hours on Father's Day, so his "dinner" was made Saturday night for him.  The kids seriously need to learn to cook.   I made homemade biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes.  English muffins on the side with home canned strawberry margarita jam .  Already sold 2 jars of the jam too, although selling any more is halted.  The rain is halting u-pick farms from operating.  Unless I can get another flat of strawberries, the remaining will be for just us. I also made whiskey butterscotch sauce and a half batch of flourless brownies - Family Circle, recipe is also online (we still have strawberry pie to eat).  I was in my pj's by 5pm.  I was just whipped from canning, baking and cooking. The weather outside is . . . (view off the porch on Sunda...

Saturday the rain  came back again with a vengeance.  I forgot one item at the grocery store - limes.  I had planned on canning jam first thing, but had to go back to the store first. However, on Friday, I picked up a flat of locally grown strawberries.  Hubby got his cold strawberry pie for Father's Day, and I got some to can jam.    I made strawberry margarita jam for the first time. I did an immediate taste test -  super sweet but very good.  Just a dab ol' do ya'. The recipe is in Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication:  Canning, preserving, and freezing and drying (Sept. 2013).  The recipe is also online.   With all the rain coming, we forfeited the last of the sweet potato slips.   I hate to do that, but it's a weather crisis, and I don't want to spend the extra cash on buckets and a truck load of dirt.  Did you know organic soil for vegetables is $6.77/bag (2 cu. ft.)?...

We had a dry day yesterday, so I backed the truck out yonder and planted my 15 grow bags - carrots, beets and 3 more sweet potato slips.  The remaining are in plan I.  Our future 7 days of rain increased to 16 days of rain now (which we know can change).  All other plans are now off the table.  I tossed seeds into a till row, as it was the only area tilled, and my last chance to get greens in Thousandhead kale, Russian red kale, orange and red chard. It's the first year to use grow bags, so I'll update as we experiment.  I may need to invest in more for next year.  I hope they do well and we have food in the freezer this winter (and canned too). Since we couldn't plant popcorn, I will be making a trip to Amish country this month to purchase organic for the winter.  I also have another produce source not far that grows their own popcorn.  If they are not flooded out anyway.  Everyone who plants any sort of garden is struggling right no...

Thursday the rain fell hard again.   Temps were much cooler for June as well - 60's.   Youngest Daughter had intern day, and her step-sister made an appt. for manicures with a friend, and I believe their daughter's too. Dirty dishes multiply like rabbits at the homestead, so I figured I'd dirty more on a rainy day.   I made blueberry buckle.  I wasn't feeling like baking, but I did.  I also cut some garlic scapes, so I whipped up some garlic scape/spinach pesto too. I'm missing my husband more and more.  It's getting so hard to get through the week anymore.  We've now hired someone to cut down some trees.

Youngest came home from a day of internship at the salon and threw my Wed. plans off the charts.  Sort of. She got another appt. for a manicure on her non-intern day, and in order to take the appt. creatively involved me. "Hey Mom...." and so it began. First, I went out to water my newly planted portions of the garden.  I had to drag my 100 ft of garden hose back up.  I was told the guy was coming to mow some time.  I had to move my ground hog trap too (haven't caught him yet).  More blurps in my day.  Had to drag brush out of the way I forgot I left behind too. Chicken coop cleaning awaits again.  I was happy to get errands done, but it was a dry morning and afternoon, and I was itching to get work done outside. We both went to the "Big City" to do my errands and do her appt.  However, she involved me and also gave me a manicure.  The day I was to drop 453# of mulch in the flower beds.  Hm.  I'm sure it won't last long, ...

I baked Einkorn flour peanut butter cookies.  Hubby's favorite.  I also made tacos for dinner.  One of his favorites too. Homemade shampoo was made, made homemade foaming hand soap, made a breakfast scramble for the next few days, got the kitchen cleaned up, and more dish scrubbies crocheted.  Monday the weather turned cold and windy.  Super windy. Plans A-F have passed, and we are now onto Plan G.  You know the rain has been bad when the news tells you the best day it is to mow your lawn.   I picked a crock pot dinner yesterday.  Here is why.... We had a non-windy dry day, Hubby had tilled a bit more, and 54 green pepper plants went in the ground.   I planted 3 - 35 foot rows of green beans, 5 squash mounds and filled dirt into two grow bags (13 to go).  I have more plans.  Just depends on weather (and when I can get a load of dirt), but we'll get something I hope this year. I got out the hand saw and cut down ...