Pioneer Woman at Heart

  I have not baked an angel food cake in a few years.  There were just not enough eggs.  However, with my foot fracture, the eggs multiplied here at the homestead.  I decided to bake us one, and it is delicous!  I also now have a recipe for a frosting for the future (family recipe).  We are enjoying this one as it is, but a drizzle of fruit or whipped cream will be nice too. On a side note, I checked my blog, and I last baked one in 2022, and guess what?  It was raining, ha ha!  Well, it wasn't raining yesterday, but it is today. I saved all of the yolks, as I was already making us a breakfast scramble, and added them to the scramble. You can save the yolks for pretty much anything. I used another dozen eggs for the breakfast. From the freezer - garden green bell pepper, diced ham from the last holiday, and I thawed some dandelion greens and added those too. In the end, I tossed in some chives from the herb garden, and some tomatoes. I saved the e...

  I took advantage of a few rainy days, and dehydrated onions. Yes, the windows were open for this yearly event.  I may dehydrate one more time this year, but it's a start to re-stock.   I chop a few onions at a time, and toss into my food processor.  I pulse the onions until they are about evenly diced.  I have had this simple food processor for about 13 years now.  As you can see, there are few options.  I do plan to buy one with more options when this one stops working.  Also, you can use a hand chopper for a smaller batch as well. I spread the diced onions onto parchment paper lined dehydrator trays, and dehydrate at the temperature recommened for my dehydrator. Once dry, I use latex gloves to remove the onions from the parchment paper.  I then grind the dried onions in a specific coffee grinder, that is dedicated to grinding dried food items. I dump out the current onion powder, wash the container and add the newer ground onion...

  Here is a photo of the other crochet tension ring.  It's hard to get a close up photo.  Each one is different.  There are actually YouTube videos online, and other videos, to view how to use them.   The rain is back.  Again.  I have a few new recipes to try.  No surprise there.  I seem to collect them again, but it's not all me ha ha!  My husband keeps finding a few for me to make.  One is a wrapped date recipe, but I am out of medjool dates right now. We seriously need to hire someone to get up on the roof.  We need a net or whatever they call it installed on the chimney of the woodstove.  We had another bird fall into the woodstove.  Just another job added to the to-do list around here. I used up a few more bags of our garden green beans in the freezer.  I have many more to use, so that is a good thing.   I actually doubled the most recent green bean dinner, so we have some to freeze for go-to ...

  Interesting info for anyone who crochets . . . I received a few different crochet tension rings, and have yet to give them a try.  I have heard of them, but have never used one.  Very interesting concept.  The ring holds the yarn tension as you crochet, vs. wrapping the yarn in between fingers or around your hand.   I never did get any comments on the best row counter.  I'm still looking into that.  As for the lack of posts?  Well, I'm busy weeding gardens.  However, yesterday I realized I forgot to trim back the lavender plants and they are already starting buds.  I believe I am too late this spring.  I will wait for blooms and maybe trim what I can after that.  The plants are becoming too big for the flower beds. We are slowly working on a plan to get the vegetable garden planted.   I'm glad to say, I am back to using our clothesline, but using it is hit or miss around here.  The rain comes and goes ofte...

Dianthis I forgot what these are called.  I think it's called Alpine Columbine. Tulips still in bloom. Sage starting to bloom. A dwarf variety of phlox. Chives   We have a lot of purple blooms this spring, and a few pink, but there is one tiny yellow one too.  Last June I planted some half price rannuculus bulbs.  I planted out of season, and hoped for a few blooms.   We planted a few blue delphiniums, but so far I do no see any blooms yet.  I'm hoping they survived winter, but I did lose a few dianthis that I had for several years.  I also have one blue bell type flower, that I have had for about 15-16 years.  I am hoping it also survived this past winter.   Early May Blooms   © May 2024 by  Kristina  at  Pioneer Woman at Heart

  Last summer, we had a plethora of zucchini in the garden.   I came across a different way to freeze shredded zucchini.  Here are my thoughts on it.... The idea is to place a cup of shredded zucchini in the center of a piece of waxed paper, and twist both ends.  You then place as many as you can in a gallon freeze bag, label and store in the freezer. The idea was to waste less zucchini.  For example, if you thaw it in a smaller freezer bag, it's harder to get all of it out of the bag (unless you turn it inside out).  The waxed paper freezer version works great, as it leave very little mess on the waxed paper. The way you freeze shredded zucchini is entirely up to you, but there you have my results.  The only con I have with the waxed paper, is that it takes more freezer space to store.  The pro, is that it is less expensive, as you use less freezer bags. I honestly can't remember why I froze the last of the pumpkin puree in freezer bags, but...

I am trying a new facial toner to use at bedtime.  It's made with real lemon juice.  In the past, I have made one with rose petals.  I do have yet one more new recipe to try, but it uses a flower I would have to buy.  I'm on the fence with trying it yet. Question for tea drinkers?  Has anyone tried butterfly pea flower tea?  Any benefits of drinking it?  Good sources to purchase the dried flowers for tea making?   Question for those who crochet - what's the best beginner crochet kit for someone who wants to learn?  I have all the supplies, but I thought a kit would be a great way to teach the basics and actually make something too.  I see Knit Picks has kits, but wondered if any of you had suggestions.  I have another person asking me to teach them. Or....if you have a book suggestion, and then I can put together the yarn and hook for the person, that would be great too.  I learned from my Mom, so have no "how to crochet" ...