... and wish I'd read about 5 or 10 years ago!  But, better late than never!

• Nourishing Traditions by Fallon
• Managers of our Homes by Maxwell
• Managers of their Chores by Maxwell

As you can see, I don't just read one book at a time.  I tend to go back and forth between several at a time.  I have actually just completed Managers of our Homes and started Managers of their Chores.  Talk about making sense!  These are, IMHO, a "must read" for parents, no matter what ages your children are!  As for Nourishing Traditions, I know many of you have also read this book, and for those of you who haven't ... you should.  It is truly eye-opening and will make you think more about the food you feed your family (and yourself!).  I've only gotten to Chapter 3 so far and I have already been inclined to make some great changes in our food choices.  Ever wondered if that margarine was actually any good at all for you?  Read this book and you'll realize that your concerns were justified.  But you'll have to read it for yourself.  In the meantime, if there is a book you've read that you wish you had found years ago, feel free to add your own list in my comments!  Share the wealth!

Guten Tag!

Just had to share a couple of photos from our garden.  This is one of the many beautiful lillies in our garden.  My neighbor says it is a double, but it looks more like a triple lily to me.  And here is a picture of the first bloom on the glads in the garden.  There are several more ready to bloom out on this stem, too.

The past two days I have been making bread in my bread machine.  And a few other things (homemade granola, Dutch apple pie, cookies), assisted by my husband and children.  In fact, as I speak, our 10 y.o. is trying his hand at making a batch of my Simply Wonderful Chocolate Chip cookies!  I read off the ingredients, and he's doing the work.  My mouth is watering already ... must be near time to "test" the dough!

But back to the bread.  I have owned a bread machine for a long time and used it only occasionally, because the recipes included with it made, at best, a mediocre loaf.  Edible, of course, but just not the kind that makes you go, "Umm, gotta make that more often!"  But now that's just what the rest of my family and I are thinking, thanks to a great new recipe! 

This is the first GOOD loaf from my bread machine ... probably EVER!  So I'm back on the bread making wagon, especially with the price of bread in the stores these days!  I was so excited, I also made a loaf of FRENCH bread in the machine!  Yes, I said French bread.  It didn't taste *exactly* like a loaf of store-bought French bread, but I actually think it was better.  It had the crispy outer crust and the chewy insides ... well, long story short, it didn't last the evening.  We all loved it!  So I will definitely be making these recipes again and again and again.  Oh, before I forget, I found them at the wonderful Hillbillyhousewife website!  What a great resource!

Yesterday my two littlest darlings (ages 3 and 1) and I made homemade playdough!  I have never done this with them, even though I used to make it for my oldest two when they were 2 or 3 years old.  I have a tried-and-true recipe handed down from Gram that she used when *I* was little ... but I couldn't find it yesterday.  So I hopped online and found the following recipe, which I tweaked a bit (I'm turning into a habitual recipe-tweaker!):

PLAYDOUGH

4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 4 cups water, 4 TBSP oil, 1/2 cup cream of tartar

Mix all ingredients into a bigger saucepan (Here is where I tweaked it:  Don't know about you, but I have cream of tartar in those small little spice bottles, so didn't have anywhere NEAR 1/2 cup of the stuff.  So I added about a TBSP or maybe two, then added 2 TBSP cornstarch for no particular reason.  I also added some food coloring here as I was stirring so it would blend evenly).  Cook and stir over low/medium heat until playdough is completely formed and no longer sticky.  Allow to cool slightly before storing in an airtight container or zip lock bag.

Be forewarned, this makes a big batch.  You might want to half it if you don't want a bunch.  Or at least divide into halves or fourths and color each portion a different color for variety.  We made the whole batch and used one color, not realizing it would make so much!  So we've got a whole lotta blue playdough and have been having a ball with it!

In case you're interested, I think I read somewhere that you can substitute 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 baking powder for cream of tartar when you're in a pinch.  Never actually tried it, though.  If you choose to go this route, you'd use 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup baking powder in this recipe.  If you try it, let me know how it turns out!  In the meantime, I'm gonna give Gram a ring and have her look up the original playdough recipe I know and love ... but for now, this one turned out to be a definite close second!

I found out long ago that planning our menus out for 2 weeks or more at a time helped keep us from going through the drive-through or wandering aimlessly through the grocery aisles when we should be sitting down to a nutritious meal.  SOOOO, I thought, "Others share their menu plans, so why not me, too?"  I have one large calendar dedicated to menu plans and I fill in 2 weeks (sometimes more) at a time, then make my grocery list from that, combining as much as possible with loss leaders at local grocery stores.  Sometimes we deviate from the plan (switching one night's menu with another or making a different meal with the same general ingredients), but at least there is some structure and that's what counts.  So without further ado, here is what's on the menu at our house this week:

Monday 

Pork Chop Romance with Oven Baked Yellow Rice

http://chefmom.com/recipebox/recipes/1315.htm

http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotporkchops/r/bl77n1.htm?p=1

Tuesday - Chicken Noodles, Peas, Bread

Wednesday - Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Macaroni & Cheese

Thursday - Mexican Night:  Chips 'n' Dip

Friday - Chicken Fried Rice, Toasty Bread

Saturday - Grill Out!  Steaks, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans

Sunday -  Family Outing, so we will Eat Out

I've listed the sites for the two newest recipes I'm using (sorry I haven't quite got the hang of tiny url's here yet!), and the other menu items are either family recipes or just quick versions using some ready-made ingredients.  If you're interested in a particular recipe, just send me a message!  I'll be happy to share - there's nothing gourmet here, just GOOD food!

Just tried out a new recipe and, though *I* think it still needs a little something (I like to "tweak" recipes to suit us even better), thought it would be nice to share.  I don't recall where I got the recipe (I hand-copied it in one of my notebooks - I'm always finding recipes and such, especially if I have to sit in a waiting room - and copy them down to try).  I am posting it as I copied it, but will say that I substituted a little, and when I make it again, will do more substitutions to "tweak" it.  So here it is, without further ado!

Lemon Cheesecake

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese

2 cups milk, divided

1 pkg (3.5 oz.) instant lemon pudding (I subbed French Vanilla here)

1 - 9 inch graham cracker pie crust (make your own or buy ready-made)

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy.  Add 1/2 cup of the milk, a small amount at a time, blending after each addition til mixture is very smooth.

Add remaining milk and the pudding mix.  Beat for about 1 minute or until well mixed.  Pour into crust.  Chill one hour.

That's it!  Easy!  I will probably try adding some sugar next time, and maybe just a bit more cream cheese as well.  I LOOOOOOVE cheesecake, as does DH.  This one was good - we spooned cherry pie filling over it - but it could always be better!  Let me know if you use the recipe and tell me if you "tweaked" it as well! 

I just read a short article in the Sunday paper that I thought was interesting, mainly because my family and I already employ most of the ideas.  Why?  Because we're misers?  Below poverty level?  No, because we are homestead-minded!  In a nutshell, here are the suggestions the article listed:

1.  Look at your cable bill. Are you paying $5 per cable box for several rooms?  Give up premium cable packages.  [Hmm, let's see.  We don't even HAVE cable!  Where we live (big city for now) it costs right at $50 per month for BASIC CABLE (and that's BEFORE taxes and fees are added). Hello?!?!  IMHO, there is just not enough "good" tv on those cable stations to justify that kind of dough!]

2.  Use as directed (meaning your detergents and cleaning supplies).  [Yep, got that covered.  I make my own window and all purpose cleaners as well as laundry soap.  Still, it is amazing that, even though we want/need to save money, we sometimes just pour out whatever looks good instead of using the directed amount.]

3.  Consider eliminating your land-line phone and use only your cell phone if you live in an area that gets good cell phone reception.  [Done. When we moved the last time, we determined to use only our cell phones to cut costs. The basic land-line phone bill in this area is never less than $75/month - and that doesn't include long distance! Ridiculous!]

4.  Plan weekly or monthly menus.  [Please, that's a rule in our house!  We have done the "run to the store for just what we need for a couple days" deal, and we ALWAYS end up spending more than if we shop for 2 weeks at a time.  It truly pays to think ahead!]

5.  Consolidate errands and activities into one trip wherever possible.  [We usually do this as much as possible already, but when gas prices went over $3 per gallon, it became a bigger deal.]

6.  Map out your drive to be sure you are taking the shortest route.  [Well, this would make sense and be obvious for a road trip, but it also applies to running around town. I've lately been quite upset at the amount of "running around" we have had to do in order to find an item we need in the city. I have started calling ahead to a store/stores to be sure they carry the item I am looking for if I haven't noticed it there before. I also try to find a store that is close to other errands I need to run. A phone call is much cheaper than a gallon or two of gas!]

7.  Get a membership at a warehouse store.  [We have had memberships in the past, and there are some great deals to be had.  The hard part is refraining from buying things you really don't need or buying more than you'll use.  You must be objective AND aware of price per unit so you can determine if it is *really* less expensive than buying a smaller amount at a regular retailer.  Right now it just isn't the best option for us, especially considering that many stores have started selling the larger warehouse-type sizes in many items.]

Today was one of those days when, at the end of it, you sigh and note how tired you feel - maybe even feel a little sore! - but it's a "good" tired.  As we are still visiting extended family (who live on a farm), it is great training for myself and our little crew to do more "homesteading" type activities.  It has also made me realize that we can do much to prepare ourselves for our actual homestead even before we move there! 

Today Gram went out with Ben and Jim Bob and worked hauling brush and things to a burn pile in the back of the field.  They had a blast while clearing up, much to the benefit of the horses!  Gram even took a head over heels tumble (but recovered nicely) while dragging a particularly stubborn tree.  It was especially comical when we realized that she wasn't hurt-except for maybe her pride! :) 

I bundled up Tiny Precious and carried her in her sling, while Little Precious trooped along in her boots, anxious to take a ride on the small tractor with Ben.  My main objective was to capture the day's activities in photographs (some of which I will try to upload here soon) as well as get some nice ones of the horses.  Mission accomplished!  After finishing up in the fields, Ben even managed to take my camera and get some nice pics of the deer who meandered over to inspect their handiwork!  He was tickled to get pretty close to them without scaring them off.  He used one of the horses as cover to edge fairly close, and then crouched in the grass.  He may have a future as a photographer!

After the outside work was finished and we had fed the animals and "tucked them in" for the night, it was time for supper.  After that began the kitchen escapades:  dishes, of course, but THEN I started Cinnamon Raisin Bread (with help from Jim Bob and Little Precious).  We used a new recipe which started out in the bread machine, then was finished in the oven.  It turned out pretty good - although I've already noted some "tweaks" if I make it again.  (Note to self:  Roll out thinner before adding the butter-cinnamon-sugar mixture!) 

If I'm going to mess up the kitchen after I just cleaned it, I always figure I might as well get several things made at once, so next I started a batch of Vanishing Chocolate Chip Cookies by setting out the butter to soften.  I named them that because they never seem to stay around long.  It is a recipe I got from the back of a Gold Medal flour sack and then tweaked to my satisfaction (and apparently, everyone else's!).  I had plenty of help with this recipe from Jim Bob, Little Precious AND Tiny Precious (mostly "help" with testing the dough, but what sweet help that is!)   

While waiting for the butter to soften for the cookies, we stirred up a batch of Homemade Laundry Soap.  Yep, you read that right.  It was really easy, mostly because there were several of us helping!  Jim Bob grated the Fels Naptha for it, then stirred.  Gram added the other ingredients and supervised the stirring while I nursed Tiny Precious.  

The recipe is simple: 

Take 1 bar Fels Naptha soap (or Ivory if you prefer) and grate it.  Put it in a saucepan and cover with hot water.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, til all the soap is melted.  Then put this in a 5-gallon bucket.  Add 1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (a laundry booster) and 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax.  Stir well.  Then just fill up the bucket with hot water.  Stir well, cover, and let sit for 24 hours.  It should gel up and thicken.  Next day, transfer to old detergent bottles or clean gallon milk jugs - or just leave it in the 5 gallon bucket.  However, if you leave it in the bucket, please cover it securely so little ones and pets cannot get into it.  While the ingredients are natural, it is still a CLEANING PRODUCT!  Safety first.  

(The recipe is one I found online quite some time ago at www.recipezaar.com.) It is supposed to do at least 80 loads, which equals out to very few cents per load.  Very impressive!    If you decide to make your own, there are lots of variations on this recipe out there, and all are similar.  I'd say it is worth a try.  The main reason we decided to try it is not so much to save money as it is to get away from a bunch of chemical additives and things in the commercial laundry detergents.  As a side note, I think next time I make this I will add some lovely smelling essential oils before I let it set up.  I just love great smelling laundry!

As I continue to add entries to my blog, you will probably notice more and more about making our own household cleaners and things, as well as exploring more "back to basics" things.  It is just really important to simplify so that we can enjoy the most important things in life and continue to Always Make Memories!