Pioneer Woman at Heart

I have found several ways to store up my sweet potatoes this winter.  Aside from the potato bin indoors, and the burlap bags in another cool/dark room, I am stocking them up in other recipes. Ginger-Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Butter. This is a Better Homes and Gardens canning recipe, but it is not boil canned. It goes in the freezer.  Recipe is not online, but is in their magazine (Canning, preserving, freezing and drying) and book I believe. Frozen Mashed Sweet Potatoes.  I had been told by so many people "you can't freeze potatoes."  I beg to differ.  You can, but you bake and mash them first.  I add nothing to them. I have been very successful with this process (this works well with white potatoes as well).  I bake the sweet potatoes, mash them, and freeze them on a baking sheet in 1/2 cup servings.  I take them out, and place them in container or freezer bags and simply heat in the oven when needed for meals.  I used...

The grocer had organic sweet potatoes in stock, so I took advantage and brought some home.  I'm freezing them for winter meals. Yesterday, I baked several, then allowed them to cool completely.   I added a bit of water and organic broth to the pan.  I pierced each sweet potato a few times before placing in the covered pan.

We woke up to all the white stuff melted.  All of it.  I am so glad to see that.  It was an ice rink walking to the barn, to fetch wood and to get the mail.  It'll be sloshy out there, but I'll take warmer weather and mud over ice and freezing temps at this point. There are so many nutritional and medicinal benefits of herbs and spices, so I won't go into detail of each one.  However, I mixed the following together for their benefits, and tried it on eggs, on sandwiches, meats etc. Although I called it "Fire it Up" we like to think of (or call it) "Full Throttle" because it fires up our "engines." A body boosting, immune boosting, sickness fighter, overall health boosting mix. First I picked dehydrated garden parsley, and my home ground garlic. 

  Sorry for the bad photos above.  My camera battery died, and I tried using photos off my phone.  My preferred option to stock up sweet potatoes, is freezing them.  Click here to see that post. I made beet chips way back in 2012, before I even had a mandolin or a dehydrator, and they were delicious!  Info on that post, CLICK HERE We tried "chips" this time in the dehydrator.  My dehydrator guide book stated 125°F.  They literally tasted just like sweet potatoes.  I highly recommend, that if you want snacking "chips" to season them with maybe garlic, cayenne or other spice/herb.  I used a tiny bit of organic avocado oil and salt.  They are bland.  So season it up if you want flavor. You can also dehydrate just the sweet potatoes, and grind them into powder for smoothies etc.  I have not done that, but I may try it in the fall when it's cooler out.

  Our weekend was busy, busy, busy, but we did have time to relax later on Sunday.  We had three events to attend, all in different towns, and one being a funeral. We didn't get home until 9pm. We got one AC unit taken out and put in storage.  The smaller one fritzed out on us (14 years old), and will be scraped at a later date.   My husband wanted more mums for the flower beds, so we added 6 plants.   We had to replace the shower head in the camper, as it was leaking, and the RV store told us it was put together (took the old one there) using a home shower head, sigh.   Today I am finally back to joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. The weather. . . We will heat up to the mid 70's this week for a few days and then we go back to he 50's during the day. As I look outside my window. . . The trees out front of the property are getting trimmed.  We are at a halt as the chainsaw broke down. Right now I am . . . Brewing another pot o...

 (very early this morning) If you are wondering.   I did not get my wish for school to be closed.  Mom always said, "If wishes where horses, then beggars would ride."

While hanging my sheets on the clothesline, several things came to mind.  The peace and quiet out there some how triggers my thoughts into over drive. I'm already starting to save the waxed liners from boxed cereal.  Those are washed and dried, and cut into squares to line between zucchini pancakes that are frozen.  The arrival of planting season makes me think of all that zucchini we grow, and what I need to be doing with it to save us money on food and cook healthy. Each year we have learned what we can do better than the last, and prepare for canning, freezing, growing, and saving seeds.  Each year we prepare better than the last, gain knowledge, and eat healthier. Even though we spent about 4 hours shoveling snow, I was able to get in 2 loads of laundry, make homemade chili, and write a rough draft for a book review. I will share the book review later today or in the next few days, depending on my chores.  I need to write in several journals, updating...

All of my plant cuttings from the herb garden did not produce roots.  I had sage, basil, two cuttings of parsley, and one of spearmint, and they all died off.  I'm wondering if it was too late in the season.  I really want an indoor sage plant, so I may be looking for seeds or a plant soon. Our weekend went way too fast.  Saturday was a wash for a work day, due to an event that pretty much took over the entire day.  We worked on the chicken coop Sunday, but we both agreed that we do need help with the roofing.   Today I will be joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.  The weather . . . We will be running about in the lower 60's for the high this week. Right now I am . . . Sipping coffee, posting this. Thinking and pondering . . .   I have a bottle of coconut syrup I need to use up.  Any suggestions other than topping pancakes/waffles? Oh!  I might be good on yogurt and granola.  Mmm. How I am feeling . . . I am really no...

Although I posted today already, I decided to join the Happy Homemaker Monday today.  I have a few minutes before the laundry needs to go out on the line.

The Good:  we are still being provided with frozen, mashed garden grown sweet potatoes (and they taste great when reheated).   The Bad:   I didn't can applesauce this past fall.  Organic apples are too expensive yet, and our trees have not produced.

I got my plant start trays ordered yesterday, and they should arrive today.    It's still freezing cold here.  No change in the weather just yet. Dinner was a 2-crock pot meal last night.  Turkey in one with a paprika rub (homemade), and sweet potatoes in another with garden garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper.  It was all I could muster up at the time, but well accepted. The flooded utility room is mopped up, and with heat, pipes thawed and repaired (he's still mad he didn't listen to me and wrap the pipes last summer).  In between getting around and moving/cleaning/etc. I have been resting by watching Cook's Country.  There is nothing like motivation to get you to think up an easy meal. Using the sled, I brought my plant stand inside for seed planting.  It's way to heavy to carry in by myself.  I think I may order one more heat/grow light, but we'll see I guess.   My husband hurt his back trying to start the ...

Another upgrade for the kitchen (front door).  I replaced the plain sheer with a lace one. It's scalloped all around.  I love it!  I have more plans to upgrade the kitchen, so those will be posted as they unfold. Sunday we needed to cut more wood.  They are saying we'll dip again on Tuesday below zero. Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. I'll link up as soon as she posts (or later after a trip to town). The weather outside is . . . 15°F (feels like 4°F). Snow moving in by the bucket loads, starting tonight. However, there is snow coming down as I type up this blog post and the snow plow has been past the house several times already. How I am feeling this morning. . . Happy that my husband is off work today.  We may make a trip into town for a part we need for the hallway.  Just depends on how long he sleeps in and what else needs done today.  I forgot to pick up cat food for the barn cat, and we could stand to re-stock toilet pape...

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.)?...

I took this photo Monday morning.  Winter has officially arrived - rain, freezing rain, snow and bitter temperatures (but not as bad yet as last winter).   Yesterday, although a bit cold, the sun was shining and there was a pretty good wind out there. Larger towels were dried in front of the wood stove. I've sort of been hibernating and ever so slowly finishing up some crochet and knitting ventures.   I took this crochet project camping in August of 2014.  I found it in a bag in my closet while cleaning. . . .

  I was not too excited for the Labor Day weekend.  First, we were invited to a cook out event (not my favorite, as there is very little healthy food), and two, my husband made several plans, where I was hoping for some finishing touches on projects and some good ol' R & R. We decided to visit a produce stand to pick up zuchinni (ours produced very little with the drought), another dozen ears of sweet corn (frozen on the cob this time), some plums, cucumbers, and local honey. First dig - about 5#.  I wasn't even going to plant the potatoes this year, but threw them in the ground willy-nilly.  We were both shocked, because I did not water them heavily during our drought.   One haul of hot peppers, and the jalapenos are hot this time around.  Hot banana peppers had zero heat.  I bought the plants from a different place, and I really think they were not labeled correctly (sad for us). We have enjoyed fresh salsa, as the tomatoes provided.  T...

I was so tired Thursday morning I just took the day off.  I literally did dishes and made dinner.  Oh and froze more jalapenos.  Thursday evening it was predicted to reach close to freezing temps in the evening, so I went out to check the garden (because I've not had time to be outside right now with the condition of the inside of my house).  I saw a few green bell peppers and jalapenos, so those will be eaten with meals vs. frozen. Small, but not wasted either.  Time needs to slow down so I can actually pull the garden and be done with that. I've been promising biscuits and gravy for days now, so I baked biscuits and made it for dinner, along with scrambled eggs and fried potatoes with onion. Friday I canned tomato sauce (happy dance). The weekend was more of a "stay-cation" for us, and well worth doing too.  (that wasn't even all of the bikes) Saturday we joined up with a biker benefit/memorial ride with some friends....