Treats and Spring

It is a beautiful day here today!

Spring is here early with a sunny 67 degree day. And now that she is here REALLY I hope frost does not come back. Our usual last frost date is not until April, so I am a bit nervous. Our beautiful plum tree is flowering away, and I would hate to lose the wonderful plums (my fav!!!).

One day soon I will have better pics, I promise ;-)

This morning I wanted a semi- healthy easy sweet treat to munch on, so I made this

Like rice crispies but I used this

Have  a great Monday everyone!

No more tortillas today.....

I love Mexican food. I am sure my idea of Mexican food is more Americanized then authentic, but hey, its delicious either way.

Yes, I was a little messy with the flour this time.... Oops.

Tortillas are so easy to make they are worth the small amount of effort that goes into them.

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1 cup milk
1 t salt
1 T oil
1 1/2 t baking powder


Mix all together. It should form a smooth not sticky dough. If it is sticky add more flour until you reach this consistency.

Let it sit for 20 or so minutes, then separate into balls, between 8-10 of them. Roll the balls out into flat, thin tortilla shapes (Or if you're like me any shape , since it will be far from perfect) and put on hot, flat surface.

A few minutes each side until they look done. No need to grease the pan. I use my stove top grill pan, turned over to the flat side. But really any large flat pan will work.

I use them for wraps and thin crust pizza too! You can make double or triple batches and freeze them until you need them.


Things I am thinking about doing today:

Fixing this

So I can finish this

Doing some of this

And playing with this guy

Have a great Saturday everyone!

White Bread

I like most types of bread. Be it white smushable stuff, or a crusty Italian, or a wheat chocked full of healthy grains and nuts.

HH does not. He likes plain white bread. Period. The softer, the better. My home made bread works great for him as long as I do not put anything else in it. Just good soft white bread. He has told me that this bread is so good, that he even craves pizza made with it! (I love pizza, he does not, so for him to request pizza for dinner is a miracle) .

Since I am attempting to make more of our day to day products homemade, I have been experimenting with different bread recipes. My favorite by far came from here.

I modified it a little bit. I do not buy different types of flour. I am a bit too cheap and lazy to do that. To me it is much easier just to buy good ol' AP flour and be done with it.  AP flour does not contain the necessary proteins that bread flour does that gives it a more spring when baked (For better slicing, it still tastes great, just falls a part a bit too much). To fix this I substitute about a half cup of vital wheat gluten in for the flour. I keep it around for making my own meat substitutes, no uni-taskers in my kitchen.

It works great!!! And it adds in some good healthy protein.

For those of you out there saying "I thought gluten was bad for you?" No. Its not, at all. Only people suffering from celiac disease need to avoid gluten. They have a gluten intolerance. If you do not suffer from celiac disease gluten is just fine.  Do research on proper nutrition and you will see how many of the fad diets are just ridiculous. (The next crazy one I bet they tell us to cut out protein).

Anyway... enough of my ranting about crazy diets.....

The ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup hot water
1/3 cup oil
1/6 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cup cold water
3 cups flour
3-4 cups flour

Directions:

In a small bowl mix 1/2 c warm water, yeast, and 1 T sugar. Let it sit 5 minutes.

In a mixer (or a large bowl if you do not have a mixer) mix the hot water, oil, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved.

Add cold water to the mixer, then add yeast mixture. (Add the cold water so the hot does not burn the yeast).

Add in 3 c flour (Or 2 1/2 c flour and 1/2 c vital wheat gluten) and let it rise 30 minutes.

Add in rest of flour and mix. Add enough flour to make a dough that is not sticky. This last time I had to add a considerable amount more flour then I usually do, so just add enough until it looks right. Knead until smooth. I used the mixer, but finished it off by hand.

Let rise 30 minutes.

Form into 2 loaves. Oil loaf pans, then put the loaves in. Let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size in warm area covered by a damp tea towel.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.

The directions to me look more intimidating then the recipe actually is. It is pretty easy, and there is plenty of time in between to do little projects. Such as make tortillas!

Sugar Sugar, smooth legs.....

I always joke about becoming a hippy, but I am still vain enough to want beauty products! My husband appreciates when I stay up on the beauty regimen as well...

I was attempting to find somewhere closer to my house to buy sugar wax. I prefer it to regular wax, it is a little bit more gentle and water washable. The water soluble part is huge! No worries if it gets in the wrong spot, just rinse it away.

In doing so I discovered a recipe to make my own! Yay!
The wax is not expensive to begin with, but if I can spend less then 1$ (and save myself a trip to the store) for something that I would normally spend around 10$ on, and make it with natural ingredients, yes mam I will!

All you need to start is:
2 cups of sugar ( I used refined sugar, but a less refined sugar should work well too!)
1/4  cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice

And a heavy bottomed pot to boil it in.
 Mix them together and bring to a simmer stirring occasionally. Let simmer 20 or so minutes. The color change will be how you judge done-ness.

Getting close, but not there yet...

This is the color you are looking for! Be careful! This is molten sugar at the moment, it will burn you if you get it on you.

Give it a few minutes to cool and pour into microwavable plastic containers. I used my empty store bought wax jar, and a food storage container.

These will be hot for a while as well, so again, be careful.

To use: 

(No pics for this part, eew)

You will need a Popsicle stick, or anything that will spread a very thin layer. 

Cut cotton or linen strips (a old sheet works well for this)

Microwave the container for 25 seconds. Stir, if is malleable enough to spread with out burning use it. If not microwave for 5 second intervals until you reach that point. 

Spread a thin layer with the grain of your hair. Immediately apply cloth strip, rub three times in the same direction, and then pull from the bottom against the grain. 

Keep a cool damp wash cloth to apply to area after waxing to reduce irritation. Also, holding down you skin at the base where you are pulling helps too. 

I have read that applying cornstarch to the skin prior to waxing also reduced irritation, but I have never tried it. The pain has never much bothered me. 

If the wax mixture is too hard to use, microwave it  until it is very soft, add a tablespoon of water and stir in. Allow to cool completely and use as directed above.

***Heads up, it took me a bit longer to get the hang of doing this then with the commercial version (which makes me wonder what kind of stuff they put in it? Eek...) so just mess around until you get it right!

Duties - (haha, I said duty)

How do you have the household duties separated in your house?

DO you have them separated? Do both spouses work, or does one stay at home? In school?

This is a conversation that came up playfully this morning between my husband and I. Recently we decided that I am going to go back to school. I have been there before, working full time and in school.

Its doable. But hard. 

I don't have any appropriate pics to go with this post, so here are some from a marketing program I have :)

My work has been slow here of late, so I have actually had the luxury of doing things around the house, and not being exhausted when I do it.  I'll admit it. I really enjoy all things at home, when I have the time to do them. Cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, bill paying, (well may I don't enjoy bill paying, but its not as stressful when I have the time to sit, think and plan while I do it).

I do not enjoy being the sole bill payer, shopper, cleaner, and cooker when I work long hard hours. Throw school on top of that and its  a no go.

I have had this conversation with my husband before. I need help. I work as much (some times more) then him. It is not fair. He claims I am better at (insert whatever he does not want to do here)  then he, which is true, because he refuses to try. Or blatantly does a bad job so I will not ask him to do it again.

Not fair.

Pretty pretty please do something....

I have recently seen this same situation from a different perspective. My young married niece and her husband of just over a year have this same problem.  The husband moved straight from his parents house to living with his wife. While I love that they waited until marriage to live together, I also know there was no adjustment period for him. He never learned how to do these things for himself. Or just how much of a pain in the butt it is. She didn't expect to become wife, mother, maid, personal shopper, accountant, butler, and laundromat to him.

Now they are having a baby. She is in a panic. She works, is in school, handles their bills, chores, cooking, shopping, and still manages to find time to be good to her family. She is quite a girl. And she can't figure out how to get him to do his part. He is ecstatic about the baby, since its just a wonderful new addition to him. Not an addition of chores and duties.

What happened that this generation of women was chosen to not only be a partner in supporting the household financially, but also the sole homemaker as well? I realize there are many couples that have this worked out to mutual satisfaction (If you are one please tell me how to do it!!!).

Maybe its a southern thing? Men here are slower to realize that their mothers, who stayed at home and handled those household duties, stayed at home. They didn't work full time. Or go to school full time. They worked in the home. Which I think is wonderful. However, it is different then being all things at all times. Only one can do that, and it sure as heck isn't anyone here!!!

My husband when I ask him to do something. Oops,  I mean, a gorilla. 

Until recently my husband and I always said that whoever is making more money will be the one to continue to work while the other stays at home when we have kids. Now that children are on the horizon (hopefully) he has suddenly changed his tune. Mm hmm.....

When we get this figured out I'll let you know! And I'll probably become ridiculously rich I find the all in one answer to this question! Hardy har...

You mean I can eat that?

Kudzu! The bane of many a southerners gardens and yards. Did you know that the majority of the plant is edible? 


I think that is pretty darn fascinating!!! The roots can be dug and eaten like potatoes (just discard the skin) the leaves can be used like grape leaves or cooked like greens (Best when young and tender). But, probably the the best part is the flowers! 


Didn't know kudzu had flowers? Me either. Until my friend from Minnesota asked me if I had ever heard of kudzu jelly.  Nope. Sure hadn't.  Which meant I had to google it right then. (What, curiosity get the best of moi?) I pictured kudzu jelly as a green jelly, but it is actually a lovely purple color.  
The flavor is reminiscent of grapes with just  a hint of blueberry.  Now that I had seen pictures of it I had to find it myself. Luckily, when this came up it was July, and the best time to pick kudzu blossoms is August and September so I had time :)


If you are familiar with kudzu you are probably thinking, "I have seen that every summer and never seen a flower"!  Neither had I. But now that you know they are there, start looking for them. Next thing you know every big pile of kudzu will have purple spots all over it (In August and September)! Just don't wreck if you are driving past a big pile, because the police officer won't care if you needed to see a kudzu flower or not.....


When making anything from kudzu the most important step is to make sure that the kudzu you pick is not off a road way where it has been sprayed with chemicals. Almost all kudzu off the sides of the roads has been sprayed, so find some in the woods, or in a field that is well away from any road. 
I found mine if a grassy area next door to a church. (They probably thought that the chick playing with the kudzu was crazy, but, whatever).

Why hello Mr. Stick bug

A lot of times the blossoms are kind of underneath the leaves (I assume is the reason we don't notice them until we are looking for them).  I gathered a bag full. The recipe I used called for 4 cups of blossoms.  I had plenty left over that could be dried for tea!

Make sure you soak these really well and sort them really well to make sure they are pest free. (Watch your fingers when picking them, spiders and ants like to hide in there).


The recipe
It is a simple canning project, however if you are new to canning please review the USDA's guidelines on safe food preservation first here.


4 cups kudzu blossoms (well washed and chemical free)
4 cups boiling water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 package or 1 3/4 ounce pectin
5 cups sugar


Directions

• Place washed and drained kudzu blossoms in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over them and allow to steep in the refrigerator over night (or 8 hours). 
• Strain liquid through a colander into a heavy bottomed pan, discarding blossoms 
• Add in lemon juice (liquid will be a grey-ish color until lemon juice is added) and pectin, bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly 
• Add the sugar, return to a rolling boil while stirring constantly. Boil  for 1 minute. 
• Remove from heat, skimming off any foam.
• Quickly pour into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch room at the top for head space (air space)
• Wipe the rims with a clean cloth and apply lids and metal rings, tight but not too tight
• Process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. 
• Allow to cool 

There it is! Kudzu Jelly! 

Easy, and the main ingredient is free!


I did have a friend who pointed out if you have never eaten or been exposed to kudzu that you may want to have your first taste with someone else in case there is an allergic reaction. Wouldn't hurt, but none of my food allergy prone friends or family are allergic to it so..... Use your discretion. 


If you are particularly crafty you can use the vines to make baskets :) I have not gotten that far but one day maybe!!!

Budget killers and food

So today I had a bit of a budget scare. My car had to be taken into the shop (scary warning light kept coming on) and the estimate I received was around 1500$.  Fifteen HUNDRED. Gulp.

Luckily I have been listing to Dave Ramsey's advice and have an emergency fund set up. That took a lot of the fear out of the situation. But I knew it would still be pretty tight around here for a while.

Thank the lord, HH remembered we had purchased the extended warranty and was sure it should cover some.  We had 6,000 more miles before the warranty was voided. The mechanics were nice and spoke with the warranty company and were able to get 960$ covered for us. Wow. That made a huge difference.

It has reminded me why I am making the change to a more simplified existence. I do not want to feel that fear and pain. Ever. Again.  The pain in your chest when you realize there is a lot left to be done and paid, and nothing left to do it with. As much as we work you would think this would not be a problem. But it is.

Not just for us. There are thousands of people and families that experience this everyday. Maybe it takes an amount higher then 1500$ to give them that fear, maybe less. People that have high incomes can easily be swept into high debt and never feel as if they can get their heads above water. Low incomes, or a sudden change in income both come with that gut wrenching feeling of what now? How am I going to pay the bills? Keep food on the table? Gas in the car so I can get to  work and deal with this all over again next month?

I promise I'll have a better camera one day :)

I am done dealing with that.

The year I spent planning my wedding was one of the worst years of my life because of that.

We had gotten used to us both making decent amounts of money, which led us to spend lots of money all the time(with out even noticing). Going out to eat, getting my nails done, movies with the expensive snacks, vacations (one thing we are very good at).  When I made a career switch to my current job, we had saved money and planned for it. Or so I thought. I work in a completely commission based field and put money away to spend on marketing materials and supplies.

one of our more mature couples pics... hehe

Enter economy: stage right-

My husbands seemingly endless supply of jobs suddenly wasn't there.  That took a while to sink in. "What do you mean after you finish this job you don't have any lined up? That last pay check is the last for HOW long?"

Suddenly all the money I had saved went to pay bills. And then out came the credit cards. My dream dress was now a nightmare because I did not have enough room on the credit card to finish paying for it. I was afraid to send out the invitations to my wedding because I didn't know until the month of if we could pay for it or not. My invitations didn't go out until AFTER the please rsvp by date (Only one person mentioned it, which saved me some embarrassment).

Finally my Mom and an Aunt stepped in and helped me with a few of the key things I could not pay for. Which, now that I think of it probably added up to about 1500$. That was how my long-planned and hurriedly executed wedding finally took place. You could not pay me to relive that year of my life.

Now, a year and a half later,  we have cut back. I have slowly but surely cut the fat from our budget. We are slowly regaining some of what we lost during that time. I am working still on paying down the credit cards. And I am done with expensive, frivolous stuff that never made me any happier. Sure, I may be tired at the end of the day, but the 2 or 3 dollars it costs me to make us a home made meal compared to the 20 or 30 we can spend (even at taco bell) for a quick and easy meal is not worth it.  It's just not. I see that now ( Oh if only I had seen it years ago! Stop that now Jennifer. That does us no good).

How do I deal with the days I am exhausted and can't make my brain think of anything to cook for dinner? I am attempting meal planning :) I have yet to be able to stick to the nights correctly, but a little wiggle room does not seem to hurt.

I sit down, think of what I have at home already, and write out the meals I can cook with it. I assign each a night, but usually change my mind the day of.

They are not always culinary delights (pasta from a bag and a canned vegetable? Whats not fancy about that?), nor the most organic, but I am getting there.  And that's what matters.

My redneck looking garden from last year. It will be much larger and better kept this year!

That's why hopefully this spring and summer I will be able to put up a lot of our own produce for convenience foods.  My husband is considering hunting and fishing for his meat. Being a vegetarian, one of the things I love about my husband is he has always had a soft heart toward animals (the only hunting trip he has been on since we have been together, when a deer came in his sight he put down the gun and pulled out his phone so he could send me pictures of it. So freakin cute! Him, not the deer). So we are still not sure if that one is do-able yet, but we will see.



My meal plan for the week:
Tonight: burgers (veggie and turkey), mashed potato patties- a new recipe I am excited about!
Tuesday: HH on his own, I work late. But he has lots of frozen things I got cheap to pick from!
Wednesday: Corn casserole and a meat (fake for me and turkey for him) maybe a salad
Thursday: Lasagna rolls with steamed green beans (frozen from last years garden! I still get a kick eating form my garden)
Friday: Pizza- The sis in law and niece (soon to be mom, congrats Brionne and RK!) are coming over to make soap, so party food is in order

Saturday and Sunday: I tend to leave these pretty open. We always have big breakfasts and snack a lot during the day. I am thinking tacos one day, and chili the other!

This might not be the fanciest meal plan ever, but it is nutritious (the way I cook these things) and budget friendly.

Rainbows between storms and sunshine

New beginnings!

Getting ready for the Spring!

HH came home Saturday from work and was upset that I dug up 3 2x5 spots in his beloved grass. When I explained that the vegetables that will be grown int he additional space will feed us, and the grass simply takes, he declared "We are married and have to talk about these decisions first!!!"

Hehe... after he had time to cool down he realized we have a huge yard (almost 2 acres) and MOST of it is grass. Also the corner of the yard he had so graciously granted me to put the extra garden happens to be in shade most of the day.

The book stated to make permanent walk ways so you never step on the garden and compact the soil.
Also to lay something over the walk way to help prevent compaction form the sides. I will cover these with hay soon. 

Oh silly husbands! He is the one, after all, who gave me a gardening book as a valentine (I was thrilled to see how well he knows me :). And it was this book that inspired me to expand!!!

I am working on the deep bed method. They still need to be built up some, but its a start!

I also will be starting school back in the Summer! I know I have mentioned on here that I am wholly unsatisfied with my current career.  HH pointed out that it will be a while before we can afford to live off the land (I have to be able to buy the land first, and the acreage I want will not come too cheap).  With paychecks in my line of work being so irregular, and his not reliable, it is time for one of us to make a change.

I would like to say I am excited about this venture, but, eh.... so so.
It will be 2 years before I am eligible to get  a job in the new field. I know that is not a very long time, but it feels like an eternity!

I really just want to work on the land and sell  things I make and some produce. I figure the money I save us will make up for the loss of income. That is a bit of a dream at this point, but we all have to have dreams, right?

HH sees that as me being a stay at home. We always said who ever was making the most money when we had kids, the other one would stay at home (Yes, I would be fine with a stay at home husband).
Well, we are planning on (hopefully) starting our family soon and suddenly that has changed... Hmm... baby jitters? For the baby that's still just a twinkle in our eyes? Silly husband...

I will admit that since I have always worked, the idea of not working scares the pee-waddlen out of me!!! To be so reliant on another. It is hard to relinquish that control. To this day I still bartend one night a week because of the irregular nature of my paychecks, I like the added security of having a job where I can bring home cash in pocket at anytime.

Did any of you make the transition from 2 incomes to one? How did that work for you? Emotionally and financially?

Anti-wrinkle/blemish face stuff

So if I believe the things I have read about tamanu oil and tea tree oil I may have just made the best facial product in the world! (Insert mad scientist laugh....)

I actually believe many of the claims (mostly from my own sister in law and her personal experience).

Tea tree oil is known for having antibacterial and anti fungal properties. Which is just one of the reasons to keep some in the cupboard. I also use it in some of the natural cleaners I make too.

Tamanu oil is good for acne and wrinkles. My sister in law is living proof on the last one! At 40 she has fantastic skin, that I have seen improve a lot since she discovered tamanu oil.

I already have heard many testimonies on the benefits of coconut oil. Especially for those prone to eczema or psoriasis.

So I though, Hey, lets mix them together! And I did. I am going to use it as a nightly face cream and report the results. From the research I have done, I am hoping to have soft, smooth skin with less fine lines and no more spots then my aggravating 25 year old skin has usually (I though zits were supposed to go away the older I got? Not cool).

Melt the coconut oil, mix in tea tree and tamanu oils. Pour into container and voila!

To anyone weird-ed out by putting oils ON your face, research the "Oil Cleanse method" and you will probably change your mind. I have tried that method and it seemed to work as well as my expensive, chemical filled face wash!

It gets creamy as it sets up 

***Update*** A  few days in and I am LOVING it. My skin looks clear, fresh and firm in the morning!

By the way... My beer should be wrapping ups its first fermentation! I need to find some bottles I can use for the secondary fermentation :-)

Look who decided she wanted to blog too. And why yes... I am still in pj's