Pen Found ~ Daughter goes off grid (sort of) ~ Corn Meal? ~ Philly Stuffed Peppers

I found one of my pens!  I fired off a hand written letter to one of my cousins too.

Our youngest daughter is taking psychology in school this semester.  She came home the other day and told me she was now inspired to get off social media for 2 weeks.  Her choice.  Her idea.  I had to put my hand on her forehead and ask if she was feeling okay.  I'm so proud of her.  I bet she'll like it too.  She loves going off grid at the island.  She will allow calls and texts, but has deleted all her social media off of her phone.

My resource for organic corn meal has been out of stock for a long time now.  Has anyone noticed this?  Is it available from another resource?  Our stores have zero as well.

I finally made Philly stuffed peppers.  They were soooo good too.  I used a recipe online (Tasty), read all the reviews, and used organic ribeye steak (you can't find organic flank steak).  I'll definitely make them again.  I baked the peppers for 10 minutes prior to filling them, and cut peppers in half.

Romeo ~ Baking ~ Rooster

Romeo strikes again.  He hates it when his Mom goes to school.  He's been putting his paws into the cat hole in the kitchen gate and yanking it open, when she goes out the door.  He actually did it so fast he got outside!  We got him in, but now I need a different gate there, but Tiger needs access too. 

I got another batch of fruit/nut bars made.  I have made many "granola" bars, but we love these the best.  Less fruit, more nuts and seeds.  Yum (King Arthur recipe online)!

Here is the recipe for the "Low Carb" Garlic Cheddar Biscuits I made the other day:

1 1/2 Cups Organic almond flour (superfine)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda (non-gmo)
1/2 tsp. homemade garlic powder (organic)
1/2 tsp. homemade onion powder (organic)
2 large farm fresh eggs
1/2 cup organic sour cream
4 Tbsp. organic butter, melted
1/2 cup organic shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside.  Mix we ingredients, then add we to dry and mix well.

I lined my muffin pan with parchment cups for easier removal (which worked great), otherwise use a non-stick spray.

Makes 12 muffins. Batter is slightly thick, but bakes up so nice.

Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes.

Note:  I freeze organic sour cream, and had thawed it, stirred it and used it in this recipe.  It will be a thinner texture of sour cream, but worked great for baking.

Note:  I accidentally baked these the first time without the butter, and they were so tender and flavorful.


If you are looking to buy a bookmark from my other blog, the purple one is no longer available.  Thank you for your support too!  Every bit counts towards a new coop or dog fence.  Not to mention a grad party this summer.  

I posted some heart embellished paper clips on my Rooster's Crow Handicraft Blog.  

I went to the coop to feed the chickens, and guess what?  Russell Crow (aka Rooster) attacked me. Not once, but twice.  He's about to get the boot and a different rooster put in with the ladies.  I don't know why he's turned on me after I raised him and he was nice all this time.  Until yesterday.  Do rooster's change on a dime like that?  Turn from nice to mean?  Sparta was such a good rooster and lived 10 years, so this boggles my mind.

From the handiwork journal ~ Mexican Street Corn ~ Herb Garden Question

. . .finished these keychains.  I found them in my night stand.  I just had to sew in ends and add the chains (UFO completed).

. . .finished this order of purple hot pads.  Just need to deliver them.

Here is a photo of the Mexican Street Corn I made.

I didn't "char" the corn completely, but it was very good with using thawed (off the cob) corn.  I am sort of looking forward to re-vamping my herb garden now.  The corn contains green onion and parsley.  Yum!  It was also the first time to try the mexican cheese the recipe required.

Yesterday I got smart and did all of my cooking and baking first thing.  Dish washing went much smoother.  I pulled the very last ham bone from the freezer, some split peas, the last bag of frozen garden carrots, a few celery cubs from the freezer, added diced potatoes and some fire powder (vs. onion) from the pantry - split pea/ham bone soup.

I also made biscuits for the first time, using almond flour.  I wanted something to go with the soup other than a sandwich, but low carb.  I found a recipe online, and used my home ground garlic, home ground onion, sour cream I pulled from the freezer and a bit of cheese (all organic).   I literally forgot to add the 4 Tbsp. of melted butter.  

I was a bit worried they browned too much, but they were so delicious.  Very moist biscuit, and very flavorful.  No need for butter.  I will be making these again.  Even without the butter.   

Herb Garden Make Over 2020

Question for herb gardeners - is there a resource to buy green onion bulbs with greens on them (online)?  Or just bulbs vs. seeds?  Organic of course.  I really do not want to start with seeds again.  My green onions I had, I had for 15 years plus, by someone sending me a handful in the mail wrapped in a damp paper towel, in a plastic bag.  T

They grew great and multiplied like crazy until last year.   I will be digging my herb garden out, layering black mesh and cardboard and filling it in with new soil (which means digging out the problematic rose bed across the sidewalk).

Romeo Takes a Run ~ First Submission Done ~ Tiger's High Space Won!

After Romeo just about gave me a heart attack, by getting the zoomies and zooming right out of his collar in 4 degree weather (and putting me on a chase in pajamas and a carhartt), I finished up the housework. 

So thankful for leftovers on a Monday yesterday, which left me time to write.  It was a small story, and submitted yesterday.  It's not for pay, but a byline and free copy of their publication (if published).  It's something to get me started up again.  I feel so good about writing again, but I know summer will bring a lot of work time.

I didn't get papers filed.  Tiger was not having anything to do with Romeo.  He took to my computer area and up he went.  Away from the dog, ha ha!

Happy Homemaker Monday

Did you know you can freeze buttermilk?  I did not know this.  According to Food Network you can.  Pour it into ice cube trays, freeze, and store in freezer containers.  Organic buttermilk is hard to find, so I'll be keeping this on the to-do list.  It keeps up to 3 months.

I put a few hand crocheted "heart" bookmarks up on my "shop" blog.  

The grain free fruit and nut bars went quickly here.  I will be making more this week.  Very healthy too.  Gotta get those nuts and seeds in our diet one way or another.

Our weekend was pretty much a "stay in pajamas" kind of weekend.  I got a lot of crochet time in.  In fact, so much, my eyes need a break today.  

I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom today.  


The weather outside is. . . .
14°F (feels like 5°F)

On the breakfast plate . . .

I have no idea yet, but this is what my husband made me yesterday.  Mmmm!  So good.


How I am feeling this morning . . .
Tired.  I think I "sat" around too much over the weekend, ha ha!

On my mind . . .
Wondering if we'll get a winter getaway or not.


On my reading pile . . .

Still reading this.  My goal is to finish it in January.


On  my TV . . .
Movies from the library


On the menu . . .
Split pea/ham bone soup
Salmon patties or something with salmon
Tuna/noodle, mashed potatoes, veggie
Leftovers


From the camera . . .

My favorite pen has gone missing.  Urgh.  Kids!  Next trip to the "Big City" I'll have to see if I can find another one.  It's a Pentel pen, but the reviews on Amazon, say the new ones do not write like the older ones, so if I can't locate them in stores to try again, I'll be on the lookout for another favorite pen.  A writer always has a "favorite" pen to write with.

Looking around the house . . .
It's looking great these days!

Chore I am not looking forward to . . .

Cleaning the toilet.  

To relax this week I will . . .

Write.  I am really looking forward to this!

On the to-do list . . .
-clean master bath
-laundry (bedding is already washed and dried)
-sweep and mop kitchen
-work out (doing it later when the house warms up)
-bake a frittata for the next few days
-work in the utility room for a bit
-write up a list of what needs restocked for next year's craft show.  Now that I am down to one order I can get back to UFO's and restocking items for sale.



Prayers . . .
A family member on my husband's side - has MS, is in the hospital for a brain bleed and pneumonia, and continued prayers for Mom.

Prayer update:  On the missing 14 year-old.  They found his body inside a chimney of an abandoned house.  No foul play considered in his death.

Snowed in Mexican Fiesta ~ Monkfruit Sweetener ~ Organic Vodka

We had snow emergency levels on Saturday, so as I said Saturday morning, our "Mexican" themed meal get together was canceled.  Well, not canceled, but those who could make it there safely did.   We didn't want to drive back home on icy roads with all the slush re-freezing.

Our dinner Saturday night was a Mexican themed dinner.

Mexican chicken (using quinoa based tortilla chips), Mexican street corn with our corn off the cob from the freezer, and of course, Hot bean taco dip.  Oh, and Sangria.  I had purchased it to take to the gathering, so we got that out and enjoyed it too.  I will try and get photos of leftovers. 

It's always nice to be "snowed in" but that means nothing on the list gets done, other than housecleaning.  I did mention one job in the utility room for Hubby, but his response was more like, "I need a siesta day."

Today we awoke to "feels like" -1° outside.

I just cleaned out my inbox.  Whew.  I had over 4,000 emails hanging around.  I have not been good and hitting the delete button.  I will be much better about that this year.  Goodness.

I picked this up to use in place of regular brown sugar in recipes.  It's expensive, and you don't get much, so my baking will be a lot less this year.  Has anyone baked with this?  It states it does not affect glucose levels.

Being snowed in, I decided to try it in our Einkorn peanut butter cookies.  

The results?  It made the cookies taste different.  Not bad, but not as good as good 'ol real brown sugar.  I'll stick with the real stuff, and just not bake them as often.

Organic Vodka has returned to the liquor store.  The brand "Rain" stopped making their's organic.  It's not cheap either.  That small bottle is $27.21!  It's made from sugar cane vs. grain/potato.  It will work for homemade vanilla extract, but not sure about using it for a tincture.  Unless I am wrong on that note.  I believe tinctures must be made with a grain alcohol.

Update on the low carb homemade bread.  It does not toast well.  We have breakfast sandwiches and toasted the bread.  It falls apart on you.

Metaphors and Similes ~ Winter Storm

Flipping the three switches  (heat lamp and fan) on in for my morning shower, is like flipping jetliner engine switches.

My chicken coop is a pigsty this winter.  Can't wait for a warm/dry day to clean it for them.

Seeing a low supply of cut/split wood is like a baby about to have a crying fit.

Putting on aloe infused snowman slipper socks is like being given the ticket to pretend you are snowed in, curl up with a book, blanket and candles lit (which oddly my even happen today).

Receiving a hand written letter in the mail is like receiving a surprise gift.

Waking up to a clean kitchen is like sunshine on my face.  There is no sunshine in my face this morning.  Daughter got a bored and baked cupcakes (not that we need them), and promised to clean her dishes.  Didn't happen.  I hope her boyfriend's family likes cupcakes.  She made a lot.

Applying nail polish in winter is like buying a new purse - fun, exciting, relaxing, something for me, which doesn't happen often.

I just got this order and oddly I love the color.  It's chemical free, and not cheap, but guess what?  Youngest loves it too!  Painting my nails is a very, very rare occasion.

Taking my cozy slippers off to go to town is pain-staking.  Our weather is ba-zerk!  Snow started in last night and into today, woke up to sleet, and it is said to be followed by rain, followed by freezing rain.  Gotta love this state we live in.

Our family meal gathering was canceled, so we will be throwing together what we had planned to take, along with a casserole for dinner.  Updates to follow.

I think we have gotten about 3 inches, but north of us got more and at the MI border they were to get 7-8 inches.  Right now I do not hear any vehicles on the country highway we live on.  Not even a snow plow.  It should be an interesting day for sure.