I have to admit, I have a much stronger stomach than I did when I was younger.  I used to gag at everything and when I was pregnant with my children, it was 100 times worse!  Raising kids and farm animals can toughen your gag reflexes in no time, but I must say, chickens still make me gag.  There is nothing a chicken won't eat, including each other.  Yes, they are cannibals!  Trust me when I tell you that you really DON'T want to follow that hen and try to find out what she has hanging from her mouth and wonder why all of the other chickens are chasing after her!  You just don't want to know!

Chicken Reality!

So here I am back in the land of the homesteadbloggers. Yes we did take our young grandson down to his daddy. He is still there and will come back up here on Sunday.
I have been shown what to do with the sewing of the  diaper covers and diapers my friend is making and now I am too.
It is her business though. These diapers are a one size fits all from newborn to potty training. (that is if you are not one of those who potty trains at five years old!!) The diaper covers fit over any other cloth diapers or paper diapers. They will fit over training pants too. They are "sew" cute!! We make them from pastel colours to many varieties of patterned fabric. The diapers are one hundred percent cotton. and slip into the diaper covers. There are no pins needed. They are not bulky either. Have been baby tested too. Oh well my sales pitch. The webpage fro these diapers etc. Should be up and running soon. They are not any other companies diapers they are designed by my friend and we are the only two sewing them. At present I have sixteen diapers cut out and ready for the sewing. And close to fifty diaper covers. Have made a few reusable baby wipes. It has been busy here at the ranch to be sure.
On Wednesday i baked (cause I still do baking for folks) five dozen wholewheat buns, seven dozen baking powder biscuits, and seven dozen Angel Biscuits (many thanks to a1health for the recipe everyone loves it) two Mince Pumpkin Loaves(for us) and Moose stew I was fortunate enough to have some frozen fish soup that our youngest daughter and I made up last summer from salmons.
And for those who are wondering just what to do with all that frozen cougar meat in the freezer maybe you could make Spanish Rice. I use some bacon and put the cubed frozen already cooked cougar meat with it and made the Spanish Rice with peppers celery onions canned tomatoes and a little frozen corn added at the end. A salad and presto zappo supper!! You can put whatever spices you like in your sauce.
The first day of SPRING has reached us after a sparkling clear starry night. The sky is looking rather grey but so far the sky has a high ceiling. The big old crows are cawing cawing. Chickadees twitter back and forth. The ground is frozen solid. We know though that by afternoon there will be puddles where the ice is and the ground will become soft with the road getting muddy. Our driveway is getting trickier and trickier to get in and out of. The Canada Geese honk their way around the air space over the river and meadows. They can now actually find the odd open water.
My week-end will be spent organizing (okay don't laugh) the sewing area upstairs and sewing!
I managed to get the rabbit cage with the three caught bunnies it it cleaned out yesterday afternoon. I need to block the tunnel the new batch of bunnies made but I have to make sure they are all in the greenhouse before hand. That could be some wild action. Herding bunnies is a little harder than herding cattle. Oh and cattle dogs are not very good bunny herders by the way.


A time to gain,
  And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
  And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
  And a time to sew;
Ecclesiastes 3:6-7

Spring thoughts on my mind
Praying God's Blessings be upon
each and everyone one of you
Roxanne

This week's Featured Blogger was also nominated by her fellow bloggers.  Please stop by Rosie's Country Home and congratulate her for being this week's Featured Blogger! 

While you are there, be certain to check out her delicious sounding recipes like: Teriyaki Steak & Quinoa and No Yeast Whole Wheat Bread.

Congratulations Rosie!

 

Please help me choose the next Featured Blogger.  If you have a blogger you'd like to nominate as our Featured Blogger of the Week, send me an email at senioreditor@homesteadblogger.com .  Keep in mind that Featured Bloggers must be at least 18 years of age and their blog must be encouraging, uplifting, and/or inspiring. 

Who knows, you may be our next featured blogger ! 

Blessings!

   As always, we continue to learn new things :) As promised, I am here to share our experiences and adventures and keep up this blog once again:) Sooooo, here goes!

   Our newest little adventure since coming here is tapping Maple trees! I can tell you, I was nervous about the whole thing. Like anything else we learn for the first time, we began our in depth research to make sure we were doing it all the right way at the right time. We searched and searched and searched but each place we found sites with printable pages only to find that it would make a booklet with no more than 4 pages. Surely there is more to it than this? So we searched more and more and more, always coming up with the same enemic information. Little pictures identifying the bark of Sugar Maples, Red Maples, Silver Maples and Boxelder trees. All tappable and all edible. Drill a hole, tap a spile in until it flows (or drips quickly), hang a bucket with a lid to keep out the debris and rainwater and empty once a day! It CAN'T be that easy!

   After weeks of searching and coming up seemingly empty handed we made a trip out to talk to a fella in BRF that runs a place called Buzz and Brew...he has supplies and information on keeping bees, tapping trees, wine and beer making etc. I asked him what a good book for the information I needed would be and he walks over and picks up a little 4 page pamphlet sized booklet, hands it to me and says..."there ya go!" Huh? I laughed so hard cuz it was exactly the pages I had printed out a few weeks earlier! I asked him if it was really this simple and he said, "yep! It's so easy the trees could do it themselves!" :P He gave me little hints about boiling off the water to make the syrup when we are done and it's simple as that! Soooooo... here's some pictures of our tapping adventure :P I do warn you though...my daughters have teased me ruthlessly about how "girlie" I look when I tapped MY tree :P

   For all their teasing though...my tree is flowing fastest :P

Papa drilling the trunk with a 3/8 inch auger bit to just about 1 1/2 inch depth. The debris is nice and light colored so it's a good tree.

The girls armed and ready for the task.

The buckets were purchased used but  the lids and spiles are new.Miss Mary-Ann tapping her tree (in all fairness if I have to reveal my inept attempt then they have to suffer right along with me:P)Miss Sarah gets hers tapped in.Then girlie me :POnce we got the spiles in just the right place, it starts immediately pouring out. Some faster than others, of course:DJiggle the wire to attach the lids on to keep out rainwater and debris from the trees...bugs get in it anyway but you just strain them out when you pour them into the waiting buckets.And there you have it!I must admit, we do tend to check them every few hours just to see how much we have:P Our first day we must have checked in a couple dozen times to find the next morning that we only got about 1/2 a cup of sap :D

   Since then we have found that it varies by day. The temperatures have a lot to do with it. If it's too warm at night then it won't flow as well in the day. If it's at least 30 at night then the daytime makes a lot more.

   Just yesterday we pulled in over a gallon!

   Oh and don't let it fool you. It sounds like a lot of sap but in reality it will take approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup! There are many more trees on the property that we intend to tap in hopes of speeding up our gathering time.

   According to the experts, a single tree can give you between 15 and 20 gallons of sap and still keep the tree safe for next year:) It is our hope that we will be able to add this to our list of self sufficient and self sustaining life on the farmstead:)

   Hope you enjoyed it as much as we have!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

This is a yummy dinner, with a little "wow" value, but so simple to make.

First, you are going to need to set up some "dipping stations" with three small dishes.

In the first, you will beat together 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of milk.




In the next bowl, you will add 1/2 cup of flour and in the third bowl, you will combine 1 1/2 c dry bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp dry thyme leaves and 1/3 c parmesan cheese.


To make dry bread crumbs, just pop a couple slices of bread in the toaster, and toast. let the slices of toast cool, then tear into pieces, and give a buzz in a food processor. Instant bread crumbs. If you need fresh crumbs, skip the toasting step.


Now, you need one package of the thin-sliced, boneless chicken breasts. Depending on how many slices are in your package, that will determine how much of the other ingredients you need. I had 6 slices, so I need 6 slices of ham, 6 sticks of swiss cheese (about 1/2 inch thick, 3 inches long), and 6 toothpicks.


Now take one slice of chicken, layer on one slice of ham, and a stick of cheese.


Roll them up, and secure by sticking a toothpick straight through it. Repeat with all.


Now you are going to start dipping. Take the first roll, and dip it into the egg wash, coating all over.


Second, dip it into the flour.


Next...go BACK to the egg wash, and dip again.


And last, roll it around in the crumb mixture, coating all over.


Place on a baking stone/sheet. Repeat with all.


Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. The cheese will ooze and get crispy in the edges, and the outside will be brown and crunchy.


Enjoy!







Printable Version:

2 eggs
1/3 c milk
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c dry bread crumbs
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 c parmesan cheese
1 package thinly sliced chicken breasts
sliced deli ham (1 slice per chicken slice)
sticks of swiss cheese (on stick per chicken slice)
toothpicks

In a small dish, beat eggs and milk.
In a second dish, add flour.
In a third dish, combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, herbs and parmesan cheese.

Layer a ham slice onto a chicken slice. Place a stick of swiss cheese on top, and roll up, securing with a toothpick. Repeat with all.

Coat one chicken roll in egg, then flour, then egg again, and finally crumb coating.
Place on a baking stone/sheet. Repeat with all.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

* * *

Conni is an army wife and homeschooling mom of three, living in North Carolina. You can find out more about her on her blog: MamaHen

For the longest time now, I have wanted to dip my own candles.
Reasons?
A: I love learning new skills
B: I enjoy burning candles frequently, but buying 'good' candles are pricey.
C: I want good candles, not the dollar store variety.
D: Beeswax candles burn clean and smell sweet like honey.
E: Learning how to make candles just adds to my list. My list is a mental list I keep of things I wnat to learn to do for myself and/or my family.

So I gathered my supplies.
You need some type of double-boiler.
You need your wax.
You need wicking.
You need somewhere to hang the candles.

Melt your wax in your double-boiler.
This can take a while unless you have the wax cut up in smallish sections.
You want your inside pot to be a bit tall so you can make longer tapers.
The shorter the pot, the shorter the candles will be.

Next, measure your wicking and double it with an extra inch or so. You are going to fold it in half and dip two candles at a time.
Make sure your place to hang the candles to dry is tall enough also, so your candles don't hit the counter-top.

There is no easy way around it, it takes a while and every little bit adds up to the final product... so you just have to keep at it.
Dip it, hang it, dip it, hang it... over and over til you get the candle you are looking for.
When you have achieved what you are looking for...
Then in the evening, it gets even better...
Simply beautiful!
I have my all-natural beeswax candles in my etsy shop right now if you are interested in having some in your home.
Have a lovely day!

 

I got to go to graduation for Basic, but just couldn't make it for this graduation Thursday afternoon.  I am so glad that pictures were forwarded to me.   I wish I could have gone!   

He now has his blue beret, and a stripe too!

I am so proud!

The hard part is that Tom isn't coming home now.  He is staying on base and doing paperwork.  He then will ship out to Japan for two years.  It will go by fast, but  I still will miss him! 

Before all the snow melts and they change the ice rink into the roller rink, Becky had me take she and her friend to the Rec center for some ice skating.

The next day, amidst melting snow, we sent Belle off on her date.   Tom pointed out that it might be good to stagger them in such a way that maybe Veronica would give birth while Belle is away.   As long as she doesn't drop at night when it is stil cold.  You can see her milk starting to come in too. She is just patiently waiting.

The days are warming up.  The daffodils and daylillies are coming up.   I did a lot of yard work yesterday with it being warm.   I started my seedlings a week ago, but thanks to the felines, they knocked over the tray and messed up all the seeds.  I just scooped them back up and leveled them off in the little pots.  I guess it will just be a surprise what they are and if they come up now.  I might try again in a week or two if I don't see anything.  I do have another tray but it doesn't have the variety of veggies that this one did.

The warmth melted the snow slowly, but very painfully for our pool.  The weight pushed down on the return part and dragged it down the side of the pool.  We have about a foot of water left. We just paid $600 last year for a fill.   Tom and I will be taking it down this year.   We just can't afford the $800 or so for a new liner and a pool fill again this year.

You can tell that the weather is breaking because the township was out grating the road.   The girls took advantage of it the other day and took the horses out for a quick road ride.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't mind ground turkey how about you?

I hope you enjoy these recipes and find something you like

Happy cooking from our home to yours

Blessings sisterbrenda

ground turkey recipes..

25 Ground Turkey Recipes To Tempt You

This week’s Recipe Hit List is a collection of tempting recipes for ground turkey that I’ve found online. Substituting ground turkey for ground beef is a popular trick for dieters since it’s an easy way to shave fat from your diet (and you won’t even notice a difference in taste for many dishes). Altering recipes for ground turkey can be a bit tricky (so the dishes aren’t too dry), but I’ve found plenty of recipes that claim success and look so tempting and delicious: meat balls, meat loaves, lasagna, soup, burgers and plenty more ideas. Enjoy!

Ground Turkey Recipes

*Note: Descriptions below are quotes from the recipe sites

 

 

 

1. Moist and Tender Extra-Lean Turkey Meatballs: (as seen in picture) When opting to use all white meat in this recipe, my fear was that the extra lean turkey meat could have the tendency of drying out. So the challenge was to find a way to keep these babies moist and tender. And guys, I am proud to say, “Mission Accomplished”! o today I share with you my, “How-To-Keep-Your-Lean-Meatballs-Moist-and-Tender” Tips. Recipe & tips from Dani Spies.
2. Asian Meatballs With Sesame Lime Dipping Sauce: This was a very enjoyable meal and I will make it again. The meatballs were very easy to assemble. I used a 1/4 cup to measure the amount for each meatball. Then they baked in a very hot oven for just 15 minutes, emerging juicy and full of flavor. The tangy lime, sesame seed, and soy dipping sauce elevated the flavor–and added a fun factor. I love dipping sauces. Recipe from What Did You Eat?
3. Turkey Meatballs: Thank goodness for ground turkey. I just get a pound of it, season it with lots of fennel, red pepper, rosemary, and garlic, and form it into little balls. I usually brown the meatballs then simmer them gently in sauce to finish cooking. This whole meal takes less than an hour to make and eat, which is perfect for the middle of a workweek. Recipe from Where I’m Cooking From.
4. Curried Turkey Meatballs: Adapted from Indian Food Made Easy, by Anjum Ananad, this recipe originally called for lamb and cilantro, but I had turkey and parsley in the refrigerator and the turkey made for a much lighter dish. The meatballs and gravey were delicious as is, but you can serve them over basmati rice or noodles, or stuffed into a pita sandwich. Serves 4. Recipe from The Perfect Pantry.
5. Spaghetti With Turkey Meatballs And Sundried Tomatoes: This recipe was simple to make and great fun to eat. The meatballs were juicy and full of flavor, due to the chopped sundried tomatoes mixed into them. Meatballs freeze beautifully and I like to have them on reserve, to pull out a few to eat when I’m feeling a little hypoglysemic. And they’re handy for when I don’t feel like cooking. I served these with pasta, but they’re wonderful with rice or (my favorite) a big chunk of crusty bread. Recipe from What Did You Eat?
6. Chiptole Turkey Burgers: Do you have recipes that have you convinced that the dish is healthy, virtuous, practically spa-worthy because it involves a certain ingredient? Because I’ve got tons of them. Come summer, the turkey burger is at the top of that list. Swap out the ground sirloin for ground turkey and, voila, you’re on a diet! Never mind the fact that the generous canopy of cheese, the giant bun and the smears of condiments remain. It’s a turkey burger: eat it with reckless abandon. From The Kitchen Sink Recipes.
7. Grilled Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers: Take a break from traditional burgers. Lots of spicy chiles, Monterey Jack cheese and salsa mix with ground turkey breast for burgers to serve to a crowd. Recipe from Betty Crocker.
8. Thai Turkey Burgers: They were quick to come together and had all of the great Thai flavors that my husband and I love so very much. All of the flavors worked perfectly together which resulted in a very flavorful burger. I topped the burger with a Cilantro Lime Aioli which lent itself perfectly to the flavors of the burger. Honestly, this is one of the best burgers I’ve personally had; I absolutely loved it. Recipe found at Le Petit Pierogi.
9. Mediterranean Turkey Burger Pitas: The burgers themselves are filled with feta cheese, onion, garlic and pesto, which smells so good when it grills you’ll be glad you made them before you even take a bite. Recipe from Culinerapy.
10. Turkey Meat Loaf: Today’s recipe is Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf. I originally found this recipe in Real Simple and I was surprised. As much as I love the magazine, I usually find their recipes a little bland and they leave a little to be desired. But this one made the cut and I wanted to share it with you. Recipe from Christa Wagner.
11. Turkey Meatloaf: When I saw this recipe for turkey meatloaf I was intrigued. It is certainly healthier than the version I usually make using ground sirloin, and it is an Ina recipe – she’s never let me down before, so I gave it a shot. Good thing I did because we both agreed this is even better than my old meatloaf. The flavor was fantastic and I honestly didn’t really notice a difference in taste due to the turkey. It was also a lighter meal so I didn’t feel overly full after dinner which I appreciate. I guess we can kiss the old recipe goodbye! Recipe found at Annie’s Eats.
12. Autumn Turkey Loaf: What I love about this dish is that it incorporates pretty much everything I’d like for a turkey dinner all into one easy loaf. And it actually comes out tasting like all of those things at once, too! Recipe from The Red Kitchen Project.
13. Turkey Pasta Soup: This quick soup has such a great flavor that everyone I’ve shared it with has added the recipe to her list of favorites. It also simmers up well in a slow cooker. Recipe from Taste Of Home.
14. Black Bean and Turkey Chili: The awesome thing about chili is that you can do whatever you want to make it your own. Recipe from We Are Not Martha.
15. Quick Quinoa & Turkey Taco Stew: Recipe from GreenLiteBites.
16. Grown Up Sloppy Joes with Ground Turkey and Avocado: I swapped out ground beef for ground turkey to lighten things up, added a little kick of Tabsaco, and topped it all off with some avocado. I was pretty pleased with my new rendition and decided to throw them to the wolves when my lady friends came over last night. Judging by the empty tray at the end of the evening, they were too. Recipe from Feast On The Cheap.
17. Ground Turkey Tacos: I have cooked with ground turkey before… and the result was not the greatest, but I’m happy to report that this turned out well! I was also a little afraid they would be too spicy for my husband, but they tasted almost exactly like the store bought packet of taco seasoning minus all the extra sodium! Recipe from Oh, My Restless Soul.
18. Turkey Tacos with Cinnamon and Cumin: I saw this recipe several years ago on one of those fat-guy-learning-to-exercise-and-eat-right shows… I don’t remember what show it was. But my mouth was watering as they were making this so-simple meal, and the next day I got some taco shells so I could do it too. Not only is it low-fat and full of flavor, but it’s super-easy and quick to make, too! Recipe from Joyful Abode.
19. Turkey Spinach Lasagna: Recipe from The Cottage Loft.
20. Ground Turkey Stroganoff: Yes; it does have Cream of Mushroom Soup in it. But I’m no food snob, and I am short on time, and I happen to have a husband who adores the stuff. While I know there are recipes out there to make the soup from scratch, and believe me I have plans to try doing so, this meal hits the spot when you have a bit of time, a hungry family, and a huge to-do list. It’s in our meal rotation because like I said Brad loves it. Plus it can be made with ground turkey, which I often use in recipes that call for ground beef because it’s less fatty and better for us. And the best part? When all is said and done you can’t tell the difference in this dish. Recipe from Confabulation In The Kitchen.
21. Ground Turkey Shepherd’s Pie: I started working on this shepherd’s pie recipe after ordering an amazing plate of it in a nearby pub and vowing to recreate it. Half a dozen tries later, and I think I’m pretty happy with the final product, which is mostly a mix of a Joy of Cooking recipe (the best cook book for simple base recipes) and a Rachel Ray recipe I caught the last half of on TV. Recipe from Brood.
22. Unstuffed Cabbage with Ground Turkey: My mom and I really enjoy this recipe — I have made it with beef in the past, but it works just as nicely with the ground turkey. It is an easy way to use up a cabbage, something I get a lot of from our CSA. There’s only so much coleslaw a person can eat. Recipe from Chick In The Kitchen.
23. Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms with Ground Turkey and Nuts: I saved the artichoke bottoms because I wanted to try this artichoke recipe from the book The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden. Called Mahshi Kharshouf, Roden claims this dish is an old classic in the Arab world. It was good! Instead of ground beef, veal or lamb, I used ground turkey meat. I also added crushed chili pepper for my husband who likes dishes spicier. Recipe from Cafe Nilson.
24. Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps: It’s like a copy-cat version of the lettuce wraps from PF Changs, it looks like a chinese taco to me. I served this along with brown rice, and some steamed potstickers. It’s a light and refreshing and super easy meal to make and it also helped that I had fresh mint available growing in my garden to use. Be sure to have your napkins ready, you will get messy! Recipe found at Mrs. Regueiro’s Plate.
25. My Fried Turkey Dumpling/Potsticker/Guotie Recipe: Making potstickers/dumplings involves a special frying technique that is a combo of frying and steaming. I’m not one who gets picky about exact amounts. Turns out that dumplings are pretty forgiving. Recipe from The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.

Well I don't use hamburger helper all that often unless I'm in a pinch for a quick meal...

I would like to share with you

Blessings sisterbrenda

hamburger helper

Today, a recipe: Make your own Hamburger Helper. It's so easy, and you'll be kicking yourself for spending $2-3 on those little boxes of chemicals all these years! You can also make this gluten free by using chinese rice noodles and cornstarch.

We can't eat MSG or food dyes, and we would be a 3 box family by now, so this really saves money and health.

Hamburger Helper is basically meat, sauce, and noodles. The sauce usually comes in a powdered form, and is highly processed so that all you have to do is add water. I use egg noodles (plain, yolk free, whole wheat - whatever floats your boat) or no bake lasagna noodles, broken up, work well too. Now you know what to do with those crushed pieces in the bottom of the box! You can scale this up or down: the ratios are roughly 1 lb. ground meat, 8 oz. egg noodles, 16 oz. of sauce (that's two cups). But since YOU are in charge here, not Betty Crocker, you can make it noodlier, saucier, or meatier. Allow 1-1/2 oz. noodles for each adult portion and 4 oz. of uncooked meat.

Basic recipe
Brown the meat (sometimes I get sassy and use ground sausage. I always use ground turkey or turkey sausage, it's cheaper, healthier, and once you throw all the other stuff in you can't tell the difference). Add some chopped up onions if you've got them. Drain it to reduce fat (dump meat in colander, rinse with hot water, dump back in pan.)

I usually use half an onion in a recipe, but I'm lazy, too, so I sometimes chop the entire thing and save half in a sandwich baggie so I only have to wash the knife and cutting board once. Save money on soap, too!

Now, add sauce:
For Lasagna style, add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce, which I get free with coupons or buy the WalMart brand, for $1.00/16 oz. jar. I can't make this same amount of marinara sauce for cheaper than that! My family's big, so I brown 2 lbs. meat and add 2 jars of sauce, or 1 jar sauce and 1 large can of crushed tomatoes. I like the crushed tomatoes, it is thicker than tomato sauce but doesn't have chunks like diced tomatoes. Add garlic and italian seasoning to taste.

For Cheeseburger style, put about a cup of beef broth per pound of meat in a measuring cup. Add a spoonful of flour or cornstarch. Flour will give you brown gravy, cornstarch will give you a translucent sauce; use a small spoon if you go with the cornstarch. Mix it up with a fork until there are no lumps. Pour it into the skillet and bring to a boil.

For Taco style, drain 1 can of diced tomatoes into a measuring cup (15 oz. size). Add beef broth to make 1 cup, add flour, dump broth and tomatoes into pot. Add garlic and cumin, and maybe a spoonful or two of salsa if you prefer. Bring to a boil. (You can add a can of corn or whole pinto beans if you need to stretch it, or make it meatless. Use the bean juice and corn water from the can instead of adding water.)

For Stroganoff, make it like the cheeseburger style at this point, using milk instead of broth. Or use 1/3 dried milk powder mixed into 1 c. broth . Or, you can add in canned mushrooms; drain into a measuring cup and add milk to make a cup. I don't buy canned mushrooms, because they are pretty much expensive and tasteless. I buy dehydrated mushrooms at the Chinese food store (not shiitake, just generic dried mushrooms). You put them in a bowl, add boiling water, and let them sit. Much tastier, easier to store, and you get tasty mushroom water to use instead. Of course, that takes some of the convenience out of the hamburger helper style meal. Put a dash of Worcestershire sauce in if your family like it.

Bring meat and sauce to a boil, stirring often. (For stroganoff, make it a gentle simmer - don't want to have burned milk taste!)

Add the noodles and stir them in. Add more water if needed, so the noodles mix well into the sauce (note: it should not cover the noodles. You are not making soup Just enough water that you can mix the noodles in easily without a lot of clumping or your spoon getting stuck.)

Cover and continue to simmer, stirring often, until the noodles are soft (15 minutes or so down here at sea level for 16 oz. of noodles).

Now, top it off:
Lasagna style, turn off the stove and stir in some ricotta or cottage cheese, or I just sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top. Serve.

Cheeseburger, reduce heat to low, add a handful of cheddar cheese, and stir it in until it melts. Turn stove off, sprinkle more cheese on top, and serve.

Taco, turn off stove, top with cheese - monterey jack, pepper jack, or queso fresco are good choices. Serve.

Stroganoff, reduce heat to very low. Add a couple of big spoonfuls of sour cream and stir into mixture. Cook gently until heated through - do not boil! You can use non-fat plain yogurt as well, but it has a more acidic taste so it won't taste like true stroganoff.

I like this recipe because it is a true pantry recipe (except the stroganoff). Everything can be stocked and stored on a shelf, (My freezer is part of my pantry, so the meat counts as a pantry item too!) It cooks up in one pot. It's quick, convenient, and you can make it without meat for vegetarians or meatless Fridays. (Just add some sort of bean or tofu for protein.) You can easily make it fat free, or whole grain; it works as an organic recipe or regular; you can use stuff from your garden or from cans; you can use up your leftover spaghetti sauce or noodles; you can easily hide veggies in here for picky kids (shredded zucchini, carrots, smushed up white beans... )

Works for me!