With winter approaching, I am preparing and putting by. Today I took advantage of what is known as the 10 lb meet sale at my local supermarket. The sale works based on quantity. If you buy 10 lb packages of meet, you get a steep discount. This go round I bought ten pound packages of Chuck Steaks, Chuck Roast, and Ground Beef.
When I got home from the market I divided the ground beef into 1lb sections, bagged, and vacuum sealed them. I then cut the roasts into roasts that will fit in my crockpot, bagged, and vacuum sealed them as well. Finally, I put each chuck steak in its own bag and vacuum sealed them as well. Owning a vacuum sealer is very important to preserve the quality of the meat and help prevent freezer burn. I buy my vacuum sealer bags on Amazon because I can buy them in bulk cheaper.
Have you ever started a baking project to find you are out of baking powder? It is easy to make your own and save that last minute trip to the market. Follow the recipe below to make a bulk container or follow the ratio adjusted one just to get by until you buy a fresh container. Either way, making your own baking powder is simple and easy.
You will need:
1/4 cup Banking Soda
1/2 cup of Cream of Tartar
1/4 cup of Cornstarch
Need to just make a teaspoon or two? Use this ratio:
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/4 teaspoon of Cornstarch
Mix together well and store in a small mason jar sealed tight for freshness. I like to reuse cheese shaker lids because they are a convenient when added to a small, wide mouth jar and I can measure out just what I need through the convenient lid.
We have gotten so used to buying commercially produced baking items that it is easy to forget we used to make our own. Happy Baking!!
The weather has changed. Old Man Winter has made his way into my neck of the woods. It was a chilly 22 degrees this morning and I don't think it will get much above freezing for this entire week. When the weather changes like this I like to have dinners that are warm and filling. 15 Bean Soup made in the crockpot and served with fresh baked bread is just the ticket to beating the chill. This soup is one that morphs over time of trial and error. Sometimes I change it up by changing the ham to bacon ends or even add chicken instead of ham. I used a can of Rotel this time that added a spicy kick, but you can make it without the peppery flair. Really it is an adaptable recipe with a few core components. The best part of this easy recipe is that it is made in a slow cooker so you don't have to fuss with it. Just put all the ingredients in and enjoy the wonderful aroma all day. Stir it once or twice if you are around just to see all the great colors of the beans, but if you cook it while you are out running errands or at work, it will still cook just as well. Serve it with a nice loaf of freshly made bread with butter and a side salad for a complete and healthy meal. Effortless dinners that are easy to cook and satisfying are the very best in my book. One of the best things about this recipe is the left overs can be used for lunch the next day or another meal. Repeats your can't beat!
15 Bean Mixture
Ingredients:
1 bag of 15 bean soup (sold in the bean section of your local market)
1/2 lb of the meat of your choice (I used bacon ends this time but like ham and chicken too)
1 can Rotel Tomatoes with Chili's or Plain Crushed Tomatoes if you don't like spicy
Salt and Pepper
Water to cover beans plus 3 cups
How To:
Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies makes a spicy soup.
All the ingredients are in. Now just allow time to cook.
RINSE your beans under running water to wash.
ADD the beans to the cooker and then cover with water. Make sure there is EXTRA WATER to allow the beans to absorb without the risk of the pot drying out. DO NOT ADD THE TOMATOES JUST YET.
CUT the meat you wish up into chucks. ADD to water/bean mixture.
SPRINKLE in a little salt and pepper.
COVER and allow to COOK for 5 hours or UNTIL beans are done.
DRAIN Rotel or Tomatoes and ADD them to the pot. STIR and allow one more hour to cook. Add water if needed.
SERVE with fresh bread or rolls. Serves 8 people.
This soup is economical and feeds a large family with ease. This would also be a great soup to share at a potluck or with those in need during the cold season. Freeze some for future enjoyment and just reheat it in your microwave.
Happy Mason Jar Monday everyone. Today I have an experiment to share with you. I have heard tell that lemons will last 4 to 6 months if stored in the refrigerator in a jar filled with water. I have decided to try it out seeing as how lemons never last long in my house. Typically I store them in a bowl with other fruits and veggies. I rarely have them for longer than a week, maybe two, before they need to be tossed. While at the store the other day I found the most decadently smelling lemons I have found in a long time and decided to buy a bag. Knowing I won't use them before they spoil, I decided that we will use them to find out if the old wives tale is true or not.
I love canning. I love the idea of putting by and, even more, I love the idea of being able to eat good, hearty food when times are rough. Learning to can and preserve is indispensable on a homestead as a way to preserve and extend the harvest. There are three key components to canning jars: the glass jar itself, the sealing lid, and and the ring. The rings and the jars can be reused, but the traditional aluminum canning lid cannot. Tattler Reusable lids are the answer to replacing lids year after year. They are also green because you purchase them one time and are not disposing of them each time you open a jar.
Tattler lids come in two parts: the plastic lid and a rubber gasket seal. Combined they make an excellent seal and each rubber gasket will last approximately 20 canning cycles. The seals are super reasonable (about a quarter a piece) to replace. They are BPA free and made in America too! If you buy in bulk you can save even more.
I have added 200 regular and 500 wide mouth Tattler Reusable Jar lids to my wish list along with some replacement seals. You can find them at the companies website http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/, and find many of their products sold with a discount if you choose to buy in bulk.
Have you used Tattler lids? If so, what do you think are the pros and cons of using a reusable lid?
I am a big fan of provident living or, as I call it, puttin' by. I believe that preserving part of the harvest and planning for lean times in advance is just wise living. I poke around the web frequently for recipes to help with variety in my pantry. I came across Lynn's Kitchen Adventures where Lynn had experimented with different recipes to make your own "Rice-A-Roni" like side dish.
Loving Dinner!
I mixed up a batch, but only had half the amount of chicken bouillon that the recipe called for, so I added half beef builion to it. I cooked it up tonight when we had Bunless Onion Burgers and Pasta Salad. My granddaughter could not get enough! I have to say, it was very good. It only takes 1 cup of the mix to make side dishes for 4. I made enough of the mix to make two full quart canning jars. I vacuumed out the oxygen from one of the jars and (dropped an oxygen absorber in there too) and kept the other unsealed to use it first.
In a prior post Help I Have Fallen and I Can't Get UP I listed a comprehensive list of items to include in a first aid kit for those who live a distance from "civilization." Today I took another look around the 99 cent store again. I decided to see how many of the items on my list could be purchased at the 99 cent store or any similar dollar store. Here is a photo of today's haul and a photo of my first aid kit as it stands right now
The weather has changed. Old Man Winter has made his way into my neck of the woods. It was a chilly 22 degrees this morning and I don't think it will get much above freezing for this entire week. When the weather changes like this I like to have dinners that are warm and filling. 15 Bean Soup made in the crockpot and served with fresh baked bread is just the ticket to beating the chill. This soup is one that morphs over time of trial and error. Sometimes I change it up by changing the ham to bacon ends or even add chicken instead of ham. I used a can of Rotel this time that added a spicy kick, but you can make it without the peppery flair. Really it is an adaptable recipe with a few core components. The best part of this easy recipe is that it is made in a slow cooker so you don't have to fuss with it. Just put all the ingredients in and enjoy the wonderful aroma all day. Stir it once or twice if you are around just to see all the great colors of the beans, but if you cook it while you are out running errands or at work, it will still cook just as well. Serve it with a nice loaf of freshly made bread with butter and a side salad for a complete and healthy meal. Effortless dinners that are easy to cook and satisfying are the very best in my book. One of the best things about this recipe is the left overs can be used for lunch the next day or another meal. Repeats your can't beat!
