I don't know where I got it from, but I am really just an old-fashioned, back to land, make it from scratch type gal. I wasn't always able to be like this, but I think that it's always been right at the center of my heart. Why am I drawn to the "old-fashioned" lifestyle? I'm not entirely sure. It could be that I lived on a sub-tropical island for a good portion of my adolescent life, or maybe it's the satisfaction that comes after a good day of old-fashioned gardening, slaving over the stove and scrubbing the floors. Then there's the realization that just because something is "advancing" it doesn't necessarily mean that it's better.
I'm not exactly sure why, but a lot of my journey as a wife and mother has been filled with finding ways to do things from scratch! It has been a long hard road, and I am just starting to get to the point where I can look back and actually see some meaningful accomplishment in this area. I'm really enjoying what I'm seeing! Gone are the days when dinner comes from a can and is heated up in the microwave! Now we eat dinners made with whole foods that are cooked from scratch. Recycling containers for using in unique ways, making homemade clesning products, gardening, making lots of homemade food items (bread, broths, tortillas, seasoning mixes, sausage, etc...)are some of my favorite hobbies!
I'm definitely still continuing to learn and grow in this lifestyle and loving every minute of it! Hopefully I'll be able to take the time over the next few weeks to share with you some of the hings that I've learned along the way, but until then... God bless!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sage's Birthday Dinner
My husband is one of the most steady, sensible and frugal men you would ever meet. Needless to say, birthday presents and celebrations are always a hard one for me on Sage's birthday! This year, I really wanted to do something that would show him how much we loved and appreciated him without overdoing it (he does not like things too over the top!). What could I do?
Finally, I decided to make him a home-cooked meal of his choice (I do this every night so this didn't seem special to me, but it was to him), get him a barbecue (he enjoys bbq'ing, but hasn't wanted to shell out for one since we moved here), and get him tickets to see Steve Martin and his bluegrass band play. I was really apprehensive about all of it because it's so hard to tell what he wants or if he'll be more stressed about me spending the money. I decided to chance it. I invited a few friends over and went for it.
In preparation, the boys and I worked very hard to get the house company-ready and cook Sage's birthday meal. His choice: home made Mexican! Monday evening we prepared fresh, home made salsa and soaked the beans for refried beans. Yesterday morning we got up and started cleaning: first the mountain of dirty dishes left over from the weekend. Next, taking all of my sewing projects back down to my sewing closet, shopping for lunch and presents, sweep/mopping, vacuuming, and a TON of laundry. We also cooked the beans, prepped the guacamole, cut watermelon, and made tortillas.
I couldn't believe it! We actually pulled it off! All of the food was prepared, the house pretty clean and the presents prepared on time! Yahoo! Everyone loved the fresh, homemade food and asked for recipes. Sage was really pleased with his presents and had a great time fellowshipping with friends. Dare I say it??? SUCCESS!!!!
I figured that I'd share some of the recipes here just in case anyone was interested. I am consistently amazed with how easy it is to cook things from scratch. All it takes is the right ingredients and a little planning!
Fresh, Homemade Salsa
8-10 fresh roma tomatoes, diced (can used canned, diced tomatoes as substitute)
1/2 jalapeno seeded, chopped finely (or to your taste)
1 whole globe of garlic peeled and chopped finely
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped to size of your preference
1 Tbsp. Sea salt
Mix all of the above ingredients together in a container with a lid. Stir. Place in refrigerator overnight for maximum flavor.
BTW, this recipe has a lot of room for manipulation. This is a very basic, mild salsa. There is no heat whatsoever. Add herbs or spices as desired for different flavor. fresh corn, black beans or fruit can be added for a variety. Etc... Play with it!
Homemade Refried Beans
1lb beans (pinto or black beans usually)
2 quarts water
Rinse and sort beans. Place in a large stock pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Turn stove off, cover and let set at least 4 hours or overnight. When you're ready to cook the beans pour off fluid, rinse and cover beans with water by abt. 2 inches. Simmer beans covered about 90 minutes adding water as necessary. Cook until beans are soft.
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
cumin
chili powder
garlic powder
sea salt
Run beans through your blender or food processor adding a little water (either cooking water or fresh water) to give them the right consistency. Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in a pan with a little bit of olive oil until cooked through. Add beans and spices to pan with onions and garlic and gently "refry" until mix and heated through. Add more spices as desired to taste.
Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas
(all measurements are approximate)
3 cups organic whole wheat flour (white flour works too)
1/4-1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
water
pinch of salt
Add flour and saltbto a medium mixing bowl. Add 1/4 c. oil and stir to moisten flour. Add water slowly until dough is workable, but not sticky. (Should be halfway between the consistency of pie dough and biscuit dough) Add more oil, flour or water as needed to adjust until dough reaches desired consistency. Turn out onto floured surface and knead a few times. Pinch off balls of dough and roll out VERY thin or use a tortilla press. (I do not worry about my tortillas being round!) Cook tortillas one at a time in a non-oiled skillet over medium heat on one side until you see bubbles in the top. Turn and cook on other side until cooked through.
None of these recipes actually take a ton of effort or time if you just plan ahead! Hope you use them and enjoy! I would love some feedback on what you liked/didn't like as well as any changes you made!
Finally, I decided to make him a home-cooked meal of his choice (I do this every night so this didn't seem special to me, but it was to him), get him a barbecue (he enjoys bbq'ing, but hasn't wanted to shell out for one since we moved here), and get him tickets to see Steve Martin and his bluegrass band play. I was really apprehensive about all of it because it's so hard to tell what he wants or if he'll be more stressed about me spending the money. I decided to chance it. I invited a few friends over and went for it.
In preparation, the boys and I worked very hard to get the house company-ready and cook Sage's birthday meal. His choice: home made Mexican! Monday evening we prepared fresh, home made salsa and soaked the beans for refried beans. Yesterday morning we got up and started cleaning: first the mountain of dirty dishes left over from the weekend. Next, taking all of my sewing projects back down to my sewing closet, shopping for lunch and presents, sweep/mopping, vacuuming, and a TON of laundry. We also cooked the beans, prepped the guacamole, cut watermelon, and made tortillas.
I couldn't believe it! We actually pulled it off! All of the food was prepared, the house pretty clean and the presents prepared on time! Yahoo! Everyone loved the fresh, homemade food and asked for recipes. Sage was really pleased with his presents and had a great time fellowshipping with friends. Dare I say it??? SUCCESS!!!!
I figured that I'd share some of the recipes here just in case anyone was interested. I am consistently amazed with how easy it is to cook things from scratch. All it takes is the right ingredients and a little planning!
Fresh, Homemade Salsa
8-10 fresh roma tomatoes, diced (can used canned, diced tomatoes as substitute)
1/2 jalapeno seeded, chopped finely (or to your taste)
1 whole globe of garlic peeled and chopped finely
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped to size of your preference
1 Tbsp. Sea salt
Mix all of the above ingredients together in a container with a lid. Stir. Place in refrigerator overnight for maximum flavor.
BTW, this recipe has a lot of room for manipulation. This is a very basic, mild salsa. There is no heat whatsoever. Add herbs or spices as desired for different flavor. fresh corn, black beans or fruit can be added for a variety. Etc... Play with it!
Homemade Refried Beans
1lb beans (pinto or black beans usually)
2 quarts water
Rinse and sort beans. Place in a large stock pot and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Turn stove off, cover and let set at least 4 hours or overnight. When you're ready to cook the beans pour off fluid, rinse and cover beans with water by abt. 2 inches. Simmer beans covered about 90 minutes adding water as necessary. Cook until beans are soft.
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
cumin
chili powder
garlic powder
sea salt
Run beans through your blender or food processor adding a little water (either cooking water or fresh water) to give them the right consistency. Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in a pan with a little bit of olive oil until cooked through. Add beans and spices to pan with onions and garlic and gently "refry" until mix and heated through. Add more spices as desired to taste.
Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas
(all measurements are approximate)
3 cups organic whole wheat flour (white flour works too)
1/4-1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
water
pinch of salt
Add flour and saltbto a medium mixing bowl. Add 1/4 c. oil and stir to moisten flour. Add water slowly until dough is workable, but not sticky. (Should be halfway between the consistency of pie dough and biscuit dough) Add more oil, flour or water as needed to adjust until dough reaches desired consistency. Turn out onto floured surface and knead a few times. Pinch off balls of dough and roll out VERY thin or use a tortilla press. (I do not worry about my tortillas being round!) Cook tortillas one at a time in a non-oiled skillet over medium heat on one side until you see bubbles in the top. Turn and cook on other side until cooked through.
None of these recipes actually take a ton of effort or time if you just plan ahead! Hope you use them and enjoy! I would love some feedback on what you liked/didn't like as well as any changes you made!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Mother's Day
In light of Mother's Day...
I am so thankful to be a Mother. Being a Mother is not all that I ever thought it would be. It is not all cuddling beautiful smiling babies and bathing perfectly behaved toddlers. It's not being a mommy duck with all of my little ducklings following my every move while I guide them perfectly down the path of life. In fact, it is the complete opposite. Now when I think of that wonderful word, "Mommyhood," one word comes to mind right away-- Adventure.
Adventure is something that I have always loved. When I was a child, anything out of the ordinary was a great adventure! From exploring the woods next door, to taking long drives to nowhere with the family, I lived for adventure. I used to struggle so much with resentment towards motherhood not fulfilling my dreams, but now... I see it as a wonderful adventure. Sometimes the adventure is exciting like when I would make discoveries. Sometimes it's tough like climbing that hiking trail to get to the top of a steep hill.
I am just so thankful to be on this path and to be able to enjoy the Adventure of being a mommy!
I am so thankful to be a Mother. Being a Mother is not all that I ever thought it would be. It is not all cuddling beautiful smiling babies and bathing perfectly behaved toddlers. It's not being a mommy duck with all of my little ducklings following my every move while I guide them perfectly down the path of life. In fact, it is the complete opposite. Now when I think of that wonderful word, "Mommyhood," one word comes to mind right away-- Adventure.
Adventure is something that I have always loved. When I was a child, anything out of the ordinary was a great adventure! From exploring the woods next door, to taking long drives to nowhere with the family, I lived for adventure. I used to struggle so much with resentment towards motherhood not fulfilling my dreams, but now... I see it as a wonderful adventure. Sometimes the adventure is exciting like when I would make discoveries. Sometimes it's tough like climbing that hiking trail to get to the top of a steep hill.
I am just so thankful to be on this path and to be able to enjoy the Adventure of being a mommy!
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