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!
Showing posts with label homemaker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homemaker. Show all posts
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!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
A New, Fresh Morning
As I woke this morning and began trying to plan for the day, a thought came to me: "Goals are great, but I really have no clue what the day will hold today." My list of things to get done today is so long that I wouldn't be able to accomplish it in a week even if I didn't have a 1 month old who is exclusively breastfed and doesn't like me to be out of his sight as well as a 2 and 4 year old who are currently in "destructo" mode. The house is a mess, groceries are calling to be put away, food needs prepared, gardens weeded, laundry piling up, and children need attention, love and direction. All of this calls to me every moment of the day and screams for my constant attention. Where should I start and which path should I pick to walk down today? I am feeling overwhelmed!
This week I've been hearing a lot about how stressful life seems to be. As a homemaker, wife and mother I feel like I have more than my share of stress to get me through each day. Trying to keep up with housework, boys and having some semblance of a relationship with my husband often takes every ounce of energy out of me... and that's before breakfast! (smiling) How do we make it?
As I started my day today, the familiar voices of uncertainty and self-criticism began to flood my thoughts. "You'll never get it under control, why even try!" "Why is life so overwhelming for me? What's wrong with me?" "Why don't I get help?" "Why can't I keep up with my kids," ETC... What is it about doing the best job in the world... the thing I love doing the most that is so hard every day? Why does every day seem to be a battle that I'm tired of fighting?
There are so many remedies out there for "streamlining" things and making our homes "effective." There are so many rules, objectives and expectations that sometimes we feel like we're drowning! It's time for it to stop! It's time for us to realize that running and organizing our homes is nothing like a project deadline. It is not something that we accomplish or fail at. It is a way that we live. It is something we DO every day! It is a process and a joy like no other. If I can not relax or enjoy life in my home at least some each day, where else can I enjoy life?
There is no secret or special answer to this seeming dilema, but for me it seems to lie in the area of attitudes and habits. This is what this blog is all about! I would like to share my journey, no, my adventure as a mother complete with the good days and the bad. I'd like to share my efforts to seek the Lord and get His wisdom for each day and His insight into which pursuits I need to make to keep my "workplace" running at an even keel. I would like to share my joys about being a mother as well as my miserable failures. I know that this blog is not the answer to YOUR dilema, or even inspiration for your adventure, but I hope that by reading it, you'll gain insight, perspective and maybe an occasional recipe or two (wink)!
I sure hope you all enjoy!
This week I've been hearing a lot about how stressful life seems to be. As a homemaker, wife and mother I feel like I have more than my share of stress to get me through each day. Trying to keep up with housework, boys and having some semblance of a relationship with my husband often takes every ounce of energy out of me... and that's before breakfast! (smiling) How do we make it?
As I started my day today, the familiar voices of uncertainty and self-criticism began to flood my thoughts. "You'll never get it under control, why even try!" "Why is life so overwhelming for me? What's wrong with me?" "Why don't I get help?" "Why can't I keep up with my kids," ETC... What is it about doing the best job in the world... the thing I love doing the most that is so hard every day? Why does every day seem to be a battle that I'm tired of fighting?
There are so many remedies out there for "streamlining" things and making our homes "effective." There are so many rules, objectives and expectations that sometimes we feel like we're drowning! It's time for it to stop! It's time for us to realize that running and organizing our homes is nothing like a project deadline. It is not something that we accomplish or fail at. It is a way that we live. It is something we DO every day! It is a process and a joy like no other. If I can not relax or enjoy life in my home at least some each day, where else can I enjoy life?
There is no secret or special answer to this seeming dilema, but for me it seems to lie in the area of attitudes and habits. This is what this blog is all about! I would like to share my journey, no, my adventure as a mother complete with the good days and the bad. I'd like to share my efforts to seek the Lord and get His wisdom for each day and His insight into which pursuits I need to make to keep my "workplace" running at an even keel. I would like to share my joys about being a mother as well as my miserable failures. I know that this blog is not the answer to YOUR dilema, or even inspiration for your adventure, but I hope that by reading it, you'll gain insight, perspective and maybe an occasional recipe or two (wink)!
I sure hope you all enjoy!
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