A "Pile to File" Recipe ~ Cranberry Nut Clusters

I had a stash of chocolate left from last Christmas.  I had cashews that I had not yet made Curried Cashews with, and I had some organic dried cranberries for salads.

....and I had 10 minutes before my washing machine was done.

I made Cranberry Nut Clusters.  Easy, quick and delicious.  Another new, and amazingly quick, recipe.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! ~ From Pile to File Recipe

I finished going through the remaining older recipes, and all have been purged, copied or double copied.  Extras went to the girls, and heirloom recipes passed down.  It was hard to decide on so many of them too.  Many of my grandmother's recipes for dessert required instant pudding and jello mixes.  A few called for pop like 7-Up or Teem.

The only recipes left, are ones that I have not yet tried.  I'll be honest, I purged that pile already, and have reduced it.  There are still some that may yet go from "stash to trash."

Random Tidbits

Our 14 year-old daughter is on the way to D.C. with her 8th grade class today.  They return Saturday.  She's the last one in the family to go.   Although big snow flakes are falling , the weather is pretty nice for them today, so they should have a fun time.   Praying for a safe trip.

It has been, and will continue to be a busy week of running kids here and there.

Barf Cookies ~ An already in the file recipe

Recipes seem to lurk all around my kitchen.  Even though I am on the road to completely being organized (a bunch of larky), I realized I had a recipe box in one cupboard that I haven't opened for years.

Actually, we only opened it to access cookie/candy recipes at Christmas.

I decided to empty that cupboard, purge, wipe it out and start tossing recipes from the box.  One recipe book went to one of the girl's hope chest for when she moves out.  One recipe book will go to the library as a donation.

I found fun recipes in the process.  Like one from Jr. High School Home Economics class, ha ha!

And one of my mother's family favorite, hand-me-down, recipes - Barf Cookies.

Houseplant Experiment ~ Random Tidbits

My re-potted succulent plants had a few bits of plants break off. 

We have placed them in starter cups in hopes to bring them to grow new plants.  

We'll let you know if they grow this way.  According to the internet sources, I think we are doing it right.  The girls have given each one a name. 

Random Tidbits

My hens were treated with a tray of over ripe fruit.  I'll be honest, I have never fed citrus to my hens and rooster.  Those scraps always went to the goats.

I wasn't sure if they would be interested, but they ate the entire tray.   I repurposed a tray used to bake a giant coolie with.  Cleaning has it's advantage.

They absolutely love rotten bananas.  So if I don't feel like whipping up banana muffins or bread it goes to them.

A Dose of Cuteness

These new puppies are so spoiled.  Allowed to snooze on the couch?  Ha!

Snow Arrived ~ Project Progress ~ Extreme clean ~ Sickness and a Discovery

Our snow arrived, and we are going through many old towels from wiping paws off.   I'd rather have the snow then the previous pouring down sleet we had.  School closed yesterday.

Jasper found the sun spot the other day.  He gets along with Zuri just fine, but King has too much energy for him. 

How my Mind Works ~ Think "give a Mom a muffin"

The day I delivered my 84 year-old Dad some home cooked meals, I gave myself a reason to visit two stores while in town. 

Pssst!  You're gonna need a cup of something to sip and read through this today, ha ha!

I went straight in, bought what I needed, and headed for the front of the store.  I was in the last store before returning home.

I raced down the aisle, hoping the speed would burn more calories, but came to a halt.  The clearance shelves.  Yikes!
There in front of me was a beautiful kitchen rug.  The kind you put in front of your sink.

Random Tidbits

The lack of snow, and abundance of sunshine is being enjoyed here at the homestead.  The ladies and Sparta are getting much needed dirt baths, exercise, grit, and sunshine.  Watching them roam about, makes this gal smile.

Building a Recipe Box

I bought this recipe box many years ago (old photo, hence the peaches).  I tried to contact the box company to get another one, and failed.  Then forgot about it.  Then I tried emailing again.  Again their email system is either not working or they are out of business.

I went online and could not find one suitable either, or found them too expensive.  I shopped at three stores, and looked a craft supply companies online - nothing.

Happy Homemaker Monday

Joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom today.

Sunday Sunshine

Hubby and I had a wonderful date yesterday.  It was an unplanned "date" out.  The day was absolutely wonderful for February, so we took advantage of it.

We drove to town and parked the car.  We shopped at locally owned stores and even sipped a hot coffee at a popular (also locally owned, by someone who I graduated from high school with) coffee house/used book store.  I was tempted to come home with a book, but knew I better get home to read the ones I already have.

After picking up chicken feed, and other necessities, we retreated to the front porch.  Ahhh, porch time.  What a blessing it was.  Fun day, and ended fun.  Hubby beat me at two games of cards too.

Thoughts, Plots and Knots ~ Gratitude

It seems the best thoughts and plots come to my brain when I am exercising, and I can't write them down.  I had a recorder at one time, so I'll have to do more cleaning and see if I can find it.

The exercise is starting to balance out now.  The tight knots I had in my hips and back are working themselves out.


I'm quite honestly running out of steam for this "extreme" clean going on here.  Although, I must be spreading motivational thoughts into my kid's heads.  I see them cleaning quite often in their rooms lately.

Don't throw tomatoes,

Rosemary Infused Red Wine Update

A week has passed, and the infused red wine was ready to taste.  I poured Hubby and I a glass just before dinner.  

I paired it with a beef/potato/veggie plate.  Not that I am a wine connoisseur, but anyway....

The taste? 

I will not be defeated.... ~ Foxtail and a Puppy

Remember that baby blanket I started four years ago?

Well, evidently, I used the wrong yellow yarn to make all 96 of those yellow center flowers, so I have to make them all over again with the right yarn.  They are too big.

Coconut Oil ~ Virgin

The only thing, until now, that I have used coconut oil for was soap making.  I had read so many bad reviews on it, considering it's pretty solid when room temperature. Hence, I never used it for preparing any types of foods.  Until now.

I purchased a jar of non-gmo/organic virgin coconut oil. This stuff is not cheap either, so I waited until I had a $3 off store coupon for it (while on sale).

What did I use it for?

Hawk

The recent cold temperatures are bringing out the hawks, looking for food.  This one landed on our goat fence.

This photo was taken from inside the house.  From the house I could not tell what animal it was, and the barn cats often sit in the exact spot, watching for rodents. 

Good and Bad

A few have asked how I like the norwex cleaning cloths.  Well, first of all I do over analyze, so....

Do I like them?  Well.

I still have to wet them to use them, just as I would use a spray bottle of vinegar/water solution.

I still have to use the same elbow movement to clean the area with.

Leek Confit ~ With Thyme

My "date night" plans went "ka-poot."  Right out the window on Friday night.  Our date was planned for Saturday, but Hubby was called to work a 12 hour shift.

By the time he would be home, it would be way too late for this gal to go out, and way too cold, so I took to the kitchen.

We needed some extra heat in the house anyway.  The warmest hour was about feeling like 0°F.

Homemade Shallot Powder ~ Dehydrating Shallots

I love shallots.  They have such a good flavor for sauces and such.  They kind of have an onion flavor with hints of garlic in it.


Some days I want to flavor my greens (other other dishes) with shallots and I don't have them on hand.

Rosemary Infused Wine ~ Tonic Wines

Somewhere, in all those library books I have been borrowing, I got the idea to infuse red wine with rosemary.

Mountain rose herbs has a few more recipes on their site too.  I have no idea why I chose rosemary, but it intrigued me.

Herbed Butter ~ A Day in the Kitchen

I have been searching the organic section of our grocer for fresh thyme (sadly I did not put a pot of it in my kitchen last fall).  They seem to be out of it often.

I decided to use my dried thyme and use less of it  (dried is more potent).  Most recipes that use 1 stick of organic butter, require about 3 Tablespoons of fresh herbs, plus garlic.

I did not want garlic in my herbed butter for breakfast toast.  I wanted simply thyme.  Thyme has so many healthy qualities and I love the taste of it on toast with a few eggs.

Snow ~ Library Trip

Quite honestly, it was a relief to see the snow start falling here.  I was getting concerned that the robins were already out, my bulbs were trying to sprout, and the amount of blackbirds I've seen in the trees.  I even saw flies. 

It was sort of a peaceful type of snowfall. They kind that made you smile, hunker down and curl up with a few puppies and a good book. 

Homemade Bubble Bath Update ~ Another "Frugal" DIY Book

A short while ago, I mixed up a recipe for homemade bubble bath.  Just you so know, there are so many different recipes out there to try.  

I got bubbles, but I have well water too.  The water turned a milky white due to the ingredients too. The bubbles were not real big, but the clove oil really stood out.  I think any good essential oil will work. It just depends on what you want. 

Homestead Happenings ~ Rag Rug Using Old Sheets

Saturday we has a long list of chores - inside and out.  Wood needed restocked, bathrooms cleaned top to bottom (dusting included), recycling taken out, a trip to donate items to the thrift, and much more. 

I wanted some "fun" time on Sunday, so I put a limit on my deep cleaning, but 9 sconces (light fixtures) were taken down and scrubbed clean.  I have 8 more on ceiling fans, and then I move to the kitchen light fixtures.  It's such a relief to get that sort of cleaning done.

Random Tidbits

Over last weekend, there was a shooting in a town where I typically grocery shop.  The man shot two people, then got in his car (with kids) and drove miles towards our area.

That chase landed literally almost at the front of our homestead.  Just another reason to be prepared out here.

No Bake Energy Bites

On a whim, yes I did it again, I tried a new recipe shared by my mother.  A recipe that was not in my "pile."

Sigh. Recipes will just be getting the best of me here lately.

These were so easy to make, and I had all the organic ingredients on hand too.

Stress Relief Cookies

Baking with herbal tea leaves. . .

I had to read this recipe three times to make sure I read it correctly - "contents of one tea bag." 

The recipe was delivered to my inbox, and I could not locate it anywhere online, so I'm sharing it here.

The tea you will need to buy, is made with organic herbs and is non-gmo. 

Yogi tea brands are available in most stores.  This is not to advertise their teas.  I'm just sharing, because the recipe intrigued me.  You need Honey-Lavender tea.