Hidden Haven Homestead

This afternoon was a little busy in the kitchen. It was a quiet afternoon and seemed like a good day to get a few things done. We ate up just about all our turkey. It lasted Thursday, Friday and Saturday for lunch. On Saturday evening I took what little meat that was left off the bird and used most of it in a Mexican rice casserole. I mixed about 5 cups cooked brown rice with 3 cups chopped turkey, 1 can spicy tomatoes, a little salsa and put it in a 9x13 pan, topped it with cheese and baked it until the cheese was melted and all was hot. While that was baking I made a double batch of my Cuban black bean patties (a new recipe that is in my Cooking with Beans! eBook). We had the rice casserole, black bean patties and salad for dinner.

Today I took the carcass and covered it with water, added a chopped onion, chopped celery and salt and it is currently simmering on the stove. I will leave it simmering until tomorrow morning and turkey soup will be tomorrow’s dinner.

That still left today to figure out what was for dinner. We are all ready for a break from turkey so I pulled out a bag of cooked red beans from the freezer. There were probably 5 cups of beans with their cooking broth. I also had a ½ lb of cooked hamburger in the freezer (last week I only used a ½ lb in one of my soups and froze the other ½). I added this with the beans and a can of diced tomatoes. I sautéed in olive oil, onions, celery and peppers and added this to the beans along with some chili powder and Tabasco and a little salt.. and voila! Chili Bean Soup for dinner! I am serving it with tortilla chips and a salad.

While I was cooking up my soups Leanne and Sierra made a triple batch of apple cinnamon muffins. I bought a 20lb box of organic Fuji apples on my last Azure order and have been working to use them up. We have eaten a lot of apples, made 3 apple pies and now 3 dozen muffins. The box is almost gone now..

In a medium size mixing bowl combine whole wheat pastry flour, cane juice crystals, baking powder and cinnamon. Add remaining ingredients and stir until the flour is just mixed in. Bake in a 375 oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen

Prayers for Jeanine Taylor and Family

Could you all pray for Jeanine and her family, they were so kind to us when we were expecting Daniel and they are experiencing a miscarriage. This is so hard on the children as well they were so excited as they had lost one baby stillborn in 2007. Their excitedness when we were expecting daniel was shown in pictures drawen and the gifts sent to us. I can only imagine how hard this is on the whole family. Please pray for her to be able to pass everything on her own and that all will be well physically and that the Lord would heal their hearts.

Jeanine, I am here praying if you read this know that I am so sorry and yet I am so thankful to you Sis.

Daddy and His Wine!

As all of you know, my dad suffered a horrible heart attack in August and from here on out, we are on "borrowed time". Years ago when Keith had his heart attack he was told to drink a glass of wine a day and sure enough Daddy was told the same thing. Now I'll be honest and admit that Mom and I aren't so sure "a glass of wine" is all that good for the heart or it's just an excuse to have one but since the doctors did tell them to drink it were not going to argue.

When Daddy first came home from the hospital, he didn't say anything about getting any wine but I guess some his old cronies from the coffee shop have been talking about how much better they feel and they think it's because of the wine. Now suddenly he thinks he needs some and when Mom told me she over-heard him telling one of his friends, "I'm sure one of the girls will get me some wine!" I decided I would be "the one". So, on Monday when Keith and I went to Topeka we decided to make a trip to the liquor store....I might add Keith didn't argue because he decided he needed some too! HA Keith has a palate for wine so knows just what to buy but the only wine my dad has ever drank was forty years ago and that was Mogan David. To be honest, we didn't even know if they still made the stuff. However, Keith found they do and since we didn't know when we might be making another liquor store run (Remember girls, we're not one to imbibe in Spirits!) we decided to buy him a GALLON to make sure he didn't run out anytime soon.

Tuesday when we went to pick up pecans, we took the wine with us. Mom just gasped when she saw how much we bought and she then made some remark about how now he thought he needed a wine glass to drink it from. Of course when I saw one at the Thrift Store, I couldn't resist buying it for him as a joke. Keith had ran into Bob and Daddy at the Sale Barn and he told Daddy he had brought his wine over and of course they gave him a bad time about what kind of son-law he was if hadn't brought it to them at the sale!

We all arrived back at the house about the same time and the first words out of Daddy's mouth were, "Where's my wine?" Keith went out to the garage and got it and of course Bob said, "Ok, bring out the glasses!" So, I washed up the wine glass and Mom got out a "Pimiento jar" (Remember girls, we're poor ole farmers so we save everything...This was one of those little glasses Pimiento spread comes in!) and we proceed to pour the wine. Naturally Bob and Daddy went on about how we hadn't bought enough wine for a good glass full and then Daddy asked how much it cost. When Keith told him he said, "For that price I can take a bottle of that Welsh's Grape Juice and pour some straight alcohol in it". I told him we might be poor but we aren't that poor and I would make sure he always had wine! Daddy hasn't had any Mogan David wine in forty years but he said it tasted just like it used to (Like they had suddenly changed their way of making it!) and Bob said if we had brought more he could have had a real taste! HA

For over an hour we sat there while those two old men drank their glass of wine and we laughed at all they were saying. On the way home the tears just rolled down Keith's cheeks and he said, "Do you know what precious memories your making with your folks?" I told him I felt that way every time I went over. And of course now I'm sure we've started a new "tradition" for Daddy....I'm sure he will be having his daily glass of wine with any old friend that stops by so Keith is going after more wine and I'm taking him real wine glasses!!!!! It doesn't get any better than this! Hugs, Sher

It's Time to Relax!

At last I am finding the time to draw a long breath and let it out. I'm sure most of you can relate to how I'm feeling. While I love having all my family home I'm going to be honest and admit I'm glad to see them go home too. I guess I'm just getting older and need some peace and quiet....As though we ever have any of that in this household!!!!

I think one reason I'm so tired this year is because we had such a busy week before Thanksgiving dinner. It started off Monday when Keith and I took off for Topeka to pick up a few new outfits for the kids Christmas program at school and to do a little Christmas shopping. I guess it was because of the economy but we found lots of good buys and very little shoppers. No standing in long lines which was heavenly!!! Of course that didn't mean we had a stress free day. Once again, our age is against us and climbing in and out of that van was more than our old bones could take. And then once we got home we had it all to lug in and put away. Not an easy feat when you consider we had Christmas gifts on top of the $300 worth of groceries from Sam's Club!

Tuesday I started in on Drew's room as soon as the little ones got on the bus. I had just got everything tore out (Including putting about a million and one VHS tapes in the middle of the kitchen table to be rewound!) when mom called and told me to get over there....She had more pecans for me to pick up! HA This really wasn't that much of a surprise because she had told me Sunday there was a chance she might have found more but it sure wasn't much notice. Keith was yelling he wanted to go along and if I would let him he'd take us both out to lunch. Needless to say, that got him "invited"! HA So, off to Mom's to get her and then on to Garnett. Once we got to the place where we were picking up, Keith dumped us and then he headed for the Sale Barn. For over an hour we crawled around on "all fours" picking up nuts as fast as we could. We had just finished up when Keith came back (He had a bought a load of firewood which made me happy!) and from there we went to our favorite place to eat, "Denise's Cafe". As usual, the food was heavenly. From eating we went to our favorite Thrift Store and I ended up with tons of Paula Dean magazines for fifty cents each.

I guess crawling around on "all fours" Tuesday was more than this old body of mine could take. I spent all night Tuesday & Wednesday moaning and by Thursday, I don't think there was a spot on me that didn't hurt! Yesterday started out at 6:00 a.m. with getting the turkey in the oven and it was after 5:00 before I ever got to sit down. {Is it any wonder I was feeling so bad???} There we several thing we were wanting at the "Black Friday Sales" but thanks to our Seth they were bought and we didn't have to stand in the long lines and cold.

This afternoon is "relaxing time" and I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying it. I'll be doing BBQ wings and Chili Fries for supper and other than that the day is my own. So, on that note I'll sign off. I pray all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and counted your Blessings. You know when we gave thanks you were all included, as well as being thankful we had another holiday with my parents. Hugs & Love, Sher

What to do with Turkey Leftovers

Do you have leftover turkey meat to use up and need some ideas? We usually eat Thanksgiving dinner the day after but by the 3rd day we are ready for something different. I find just about any recipe that uses cooked chicken works quite well with cooked turkey. The recipes below are actually chicken recipes but you can just sub turkey meat in place of the chicken:

Turkey Enchiladas This recipe is for the enchilada sauce. Fill corn or whole wheat tortillas with chopped up turkey and cheese. Roll them up and place in a 9x13 pan (or 9x9 or 11x15 pan, depending on how many people you are feeding). Pour enchilada sauce over all, top with more cheese and bake at 350 until all is hot and bubbly and cheese has melted.

And finally the last thing I do with my turkey is make Turkey Noodle Soup. I put the turkey carcass (after I have picked off just about all the meat) into a large stock pot and cover with water. I add a chopped onion for flavor and some salt. Bring to a boil and let it cook for a couple of hours. Strain out the turkey bones and remove any meat that is left. Pour turkey broth back into stock pot and add the meat bits. Bring to a boil and add noodles. Taste and season with a little salt and pepper and/or a little chicken broth powder if needed. Serve with some homemade dinner rolls and a salad.

Friday on the Homestead

We had a very nice Thanksgiving. It was just the kids, Tobin and me and Tobin’s dad came too. The food was delicious. We ate dinner at about 3:00 and then I took a nap.. Funny how turkey does that to a person

. While I napped the kids and Tobin played Taboo. Then we moved onto pumpkin and apple pie. Emily was in charge of table decorations and she did such a nice job. Here is a pic of the table and place settings…

Now we are moving into December and the holiday season. I still have several gifts to sew and packages to get out in the mail. I think after house cleaning today I will work on my little grandson Owens baby quilt. I need to get my Christmas box to my daughter and her family out in a couple of weeks. I am adding some fudge to the box and tried a different fudge recipe that was soooo good! I will be posting the recipe for it soon. I have a couple more test batches to make and get some of it in the freezer for my other gift boxes.

Happy Thanksgiving !

We have alot to be thankful for today, I hope that everyone has a blessed day filled with love and the company of family and friends. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well my house has been full of activity, voices chatting and music playing today. The girls and I have been baking and cooking in preparation for tomorrow. We started the morning by putting on Christmas music to give us all a holiday feel.

And it worked.. we rolled up our sleeves and got busy in the kitchen. Amazing what four ladies working side by side can accomplish.

Tomorrow will be a quiet Thanksgiving Day with my family but I am very much looking forward to it. We have so much to be thankful to God for.. His blessings are never ending! May the Lord bless you as you share your Thanksgiving meal tomorrow with your family…

Black Friday Sale at The Old Schoolhouse Store !! You don't want to miss this!

The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine is having an amazing sale on subscriptions during their annual Black Friday Sale November 26 – 30. For those 5 days only, they are actually lowering their new one-year U.S. subscription price to $7.95! That's the price you would usually pay for just one issue at a bookstore!

This is their lowest price ever on the magazine and they want all of you to take advantage of this offer and share the info with your friends.

Please don't miss out. Your one-year subscription will pay for itself time and time again as you receive practical tips and Biblical encouragement to keep going strong in your commitment to homeschooling and to the Lord. Since it's a quarterly magazine, they even have a monthly subscriber's only E-Newsletter called Teacher's Toolbox that will give you seasonal teaching ideas and a free E-Book download! It's like joining a unit study of the month club! The free E-Books alone are valued at almost $250/year. It's really perfect for people who are homeschooling on a shoestring or just wanting to add in some little extras to your teaching.

Plus during the Black Friday Sale, they have all kind of bonus gifts when you spend $50, $75, $100, or $150. Some are electronic downloads that you can download immediately, while other are physical products mailed from various vendors directly to your home.

For Sale or Trade: Faithful Acres Benjamin (purebred reg. MDGA)

Faithful Acres Benjamin : 6th gen . reg. MDGA as one of the first Purebred Mini Nubians in the US. Born 9/23/08. He is eating grain and hay , drinking water so he is ready for his new home. He has excellent breed character , long pendulous ears and is not disbudded. Asking 250.00 with papers

Hidden Haven Homestead

What’s Been Coking in my Kitchen?

Prayers for Jeanine Taylor and Family

Daddy and His Wine!

It's Time to Relax!

What to do with Turkey Leftovers

Friday on the Homestead

Happy Thanksgiving !

Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday Sale at The Old Schoolhouse Store !! You don't want to miss this!

For Sale or Trade: Faithful Acres Benjamin (purebred reg. MDGA)

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