I LOVE Making Soap!

Recently I have been on a new kick... making soap! This is a photo from a batch I made and posted the DIY video on YouTube.

I have contemplated making my own soaps for several years now. I collected several books, read other blogs and watched countless videos about it. However, I was a bit nervous to take the plunge and try it myself. Actually, I was a terrified!

Making soap is not complicated. All you really need is 3 ingredients, fat, lye & water. Simple right? The thing that made me hesitant (as many of you might be) was the whole lye/acid thing. That is dangerous stuff! You can purchase melt and pour but that isn't really making soap now is it?

I have kids, dogs and occasionally a cat in the house. Not to mention my not so graceful husband. The idea of mixing up lye and having someone or something accidentally get harmed was sobering. Not something to take lightly. Then I thought, a lot of what we do on our homesteads have a certain amount of danger and risk to them. There a many ways that people or livestock could be injured on a daily basis. That doesn't seem to stop me though. So, why this? Why be frightened of making a bar of soap? Women have been making soap (and their own lye) for thousands of years! I needed to stop being such a chicken!

So, I set my mind to do it! I gathered supplies, banned my family from the kitchen, confined the pets and just did it! You know what? It was easier than I thought and now I am hooked! I am pouring through books and blogs looking at all the different recipes for all the various uses for soap. If I wasn't so busy this time of year I would probably be making soap every day!

I just got to use my first bar from my first batch of castile soap. I LOVE IT! It feels so good on my skin and hands. Basic soap with no scents or additives from natural ingredients. I'm in heaven! I believe this is becoming an addiction.

If you have been hesitant as I was to take the plunge into soap making, my advise to you is to take a deep breath and jump in! Start simple with a basic soap recipe like THIS. You will be glad you made another step towards a healthier life. It may just become an addiction for you too!

I LOVE HOMEMADE SOAP!!!

Tina:)

A Week of Budget Friendly Family Meals

This months "Make it Monday" is going to be a little different. Instead of a project, I want to share some of the meals that I make for our family that are budget friendly. Money seems to be tighter than ever these days which makes it even more important to serve economical meals.

By budgeting, meal planning & shopping 2x a month, I have been able to cut our grocery bill in half in addition to building up my long term food storage. I will be covering a lot of these topics in future blogs/vlogs. Some of the recipes have come from online while others are from cookbooks (which I purchased at the thrift store of course) or old family favorites. All are approved by even my picky eater! You will notice that almost everything is served over rice. Reason being that it makes meals go farther inexpensively. Also, here on the farm the extra carbohydrates come in handy! We usually have enough leftovers to reheat for lunch the next day.

 

 

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook    

Slow-Cooker Chili

Makes 10 servings                             

---

Ingredients

• 1 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
• 2 16oz cans red kidney beans, drained
• 2 14 1/2oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 to 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt                                    

---

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
  Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.
   
• NOTE:
  
  Use leftovers over lettuce and other fresh garden vegetables to make a taco salad.
   
• VARIATIONS:
  
  For more flavor, add cayenne pepper or a jalapeno pepper before cooking.

       Add 1 cup chopped green peppers before cooking.

Thrifty Stories    
F.A.D. Chicken Crockpot

This recipe was so incredibly easy that I dubbed it “Forget About Dinner” chicken crockpot. Really. I dumped it all in and walked away for hours. It was fabulous.

---

Ingredients

• 1 (2.5 – 3 lb) bag frozen chicken (recipe called for tenderloins, I used breasts -worked fine)                                                                     
• 1 block cream cheese                                                                     
• 1 (15 oz.) can of corn (drained)
• 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 (10 oz.) can of Rotel tomatoes (generic is also fine)

---

Instructions

• Dump everything in the pot in this order, select anywhere from 4-6 hours and happily skip away.
• Shred chicken in the pot.
• Serve over rice.

 

 

 

Once a Month Meals    

Southwest Rice and Beans

Servings: 4            

---

Ingredients                                        

• 2 cups cooked rice (leftover from previous meals)           
• 2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed if canned               
• 1 cup corn                                        
• 0.5 cup salsa               
• 1-2 teaspoons cumin                                      
• .5 cup shredded cheese (optional)                                                    

---

Instructions

• In a bowl, mix rice, beans, corn, salsa, and cumin. Scoop into a baking dish and sprinkle with cheese, if using. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and rice is warmed through. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro or a dollop of sour cream, if desired. Serve as a side dish, or spoon into warmed tortillas and eat burrito-style.

---

Notes

Freezing Directions:
In a bowl, mix rice, beans, corn, salsa, and cumin. Scoop into a baking dish and

sprinkle with cheese, if using. Cover with foil and freeze.

To serve: Bake from frozen at 350 for 1 hour or until cheese is melted and rice is 

warmed through. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro or a dollop of sour cream, if 

desired. Serve as a side dish, or spoon into warmed tortillas and eat burrito-style.

 

 

Serendipity & Spice    
Hamburger Hash Slow Cooker Recipe

Serves 4

---

Ingredients

• 1 lb cooked ground beef                                    
• 4 medium Red Potatoes diced                                                                 
• 1 large Vidalia Onion diced                                                                     
• 1 cup Carrots diced                                                                     
• 1 can Cream of Onion Soup                                                                     
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes                                                                     
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese (I like to use Colby Jack but Mozzarella is good too)

---

Instructions

• Toss all ingredients except cheese into the crock pot, stir well, and cook on low for 6 hours.
• Once veggies are cooked to desired softness add in the shredded cheese and cook additional 15 minutes.
• Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Notes: I buy such lean ground beef that to give extra flavor I add a couple of beef bouillon cubes.



Fix-It & Forget-It Cookbook    
Lemon Honey Chicken

Makes 4-6 servings            

---

Ingredients

• 1 lemon                                    
• 1 whole roasting chicken, rinsed                                                                     
• 1/2 c orange juice                                                                     
• 1/2 c honey

---

Instructions

• Pierce lemon with fork. Place in chicken cavity. Place chicken in slow cooker.
• Combine orange juice and honey. Pour over chicken.
• Cover. Cook on Low 8 hrs. Remove lemon and squeeze over chicken.
• Carve chicken and serve.

---

Notes:

 

         Serve with a salad and homemade rolls.

 

 

 

 

Fix-It & Forget-It Cookbook

Red Beans & Rice

Makes 8-10 servings            

---

Ingredients

• 1 lb pkg dried red beans (16oz)                                    
• water                                    
• salt pork, ham hocks or sausage, cut into small chunks                                    
• 2 tsp salt                                    
• 1 tsp pepper                                    
• 3 to 4 c water                                    
• 6 oz can tomato paste                                    
• 8 oz can tomato sauce                                    
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

---

Instructions

• Soak beans for 8 hours. Drain. Discard soaking water.
• mix together all ingredients in slow cooker.
• Cover & cook on Low for 10-12 hours, or until beans are soft. Serve over rice.

---

Notes

Variation:
Use canned red kidney beans. Cook 1 hour on high & then 3 hours on low.
(These beans freeze well)

Six Sisters Stuff     

Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Makes 8 servings             

---

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) pork roast (I used boneless)                                    
• 1 (12 oz) can root beer                                    
• 1 (18 oz) bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 8 hamburger buns

---

Instructions

• Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place roast inside slow cooker and pour the root beer over the meat. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours (or until meat easily shreds).
• Take the roast out of the slow cooker and shred using two forks (it should just fall apart). Drain the root beer out of the slow cooker and place the shredded roast back inside. Stir in the bottle of BBQ sauce. Keep warm in the slow cooker until serving.
• Place meat on hamburger buns and serve.

As you can see, I use my crockpot almost every day. Especially this time of year when I am so busy. It keeps me from having to worry about stopping whatever project that I am working on the homestead to cook dinner. I love the convenience! I cook long grain rice in my steamer and make up some homemade cornbread or biscuits in my cast-iron skillet. And don't forget your veggies!

At any rate, this should give you an idea of how to economize on your grocery budget. I have lots more recipes that I may share later but this should get you started. Have a great day!

Blessings!
Tina:) 

 

Homesick!

Lately I have been a little homesick.

We moved to Idaho from Washington 20 months ago. Although I know that we were lead to move here and it has been a wonderful adventure, I am missing my family. I come from a very large and close knit family. It has been one of my greatest blessings! I love them so much and am sad at times that I can't see them.

Our three oldest children still live in WA as well. I think that is the hardest part! When we decided to move we talked to them and asked what they thought. I made it clear that we would not go if they wanted us to stay. They were all supportive and encouraged us to go because they knew what a dream this had been for me for so long. It was one of the hardest things that I think I have ever done, saying goodbye to them. You mommas know how hard it is to let go of your babies. Even if they are adults.

So, as I said, it has been hard lately. I think the last video that I made for our son Joshua for Memorial Day kind of made me think about how precious life is. (You can see it here.) Even though we are very happy here building up our homestead, at what cost are we doing that. We did move specifically to this area to be closer to my husbands family. Although they are wonderful, I still miss my kids.

Gregory has visited several times and Janie came once which is nice. I haven't been able to see Joshua since we left. My mom recently came to visit recently too! That was super fun! We have all Skyped on holidays which I love! It's better than a phone call by far!

Why am I sharing this though? Well, for those of you who are considering homesteading yourselves, this is something that you really need to consider when you are searching for the perfect place! It is sometimes hard to find it close to were loved ones are living. If you decide to relocate a great distance from family & friends there is a lot that you will miss out on. You may miss birthdays, weddings, holiday celebrations, school plays and dance recitals.... plus just the odd Friday night get together. Can you do that? It's a high price to pay!

That is what has been hard for me. Hubby reassures me that we are right where we are supposed to be and although I know that he is right, it doesn't make it easier when you are missing friends and family. So, just think about it. Doing what you are called to do is not always easy but it is very rewarding! We are establishing something that can definitely benefit our kids one day. I have comfort in that!

I will be traveling out to visit my family this summer and I can't wait!!!!

Give Hugs & Kisses to those close to you!
Tina:)