I have these beautiful handmade baby blankets that I was given as a baby, used while my kids were babies but have a long way to go before my grandchildren will need them. I hate to tuck it away in some storage container for the next 20 years. So I was tooling around on Pinterest and found an earring organizer that someone had knitted. Hmmmmmm now I can't knit but I do have a lovely square of knitted blanket that just may work. I also have an obsession with junk/costume jewelry. I tried it and it looks wonderful. What do you think? I hung the pairs with backs along the bottom with the back intact so they could be displayed also. Now I can admire the blanket and my obsession.
Creative Chaos
We have a lot of things going on in our lives all the time! Farming, baking, raising children, gardening, crafting, cooking, preserving, creating! But it's no fun unless we get to share our experiences with others and stroke the ego a bit while we're at it. So this will be some of our adventures!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Upcycle baby blanket
I have these beautiful handmade baby blankets that I was given as a baby, used while my kids were babies but have a long way to go before my grandchildren will need them. I hate to tuck it away in some storage container for the next 20 years. So I was tooling around on Pinterest and found an earring organizer that someone had knitted. Hmmmmmm now I can't knit but I do have a lovely square of knitted blanket that just may work. I also have an obsession with junk/costume jewelry. I tried it and it looks wonderful. What do you think? I hung the pairs with backs along the bottom with the back intact so they could be displayed also. Now I can admire the blanket and my obsession.
Canning Pork and Beans
Canned Pork and Beans |
That's a LOT of beans |
You will need:
a pressure canner
8-9 pint jars, with lids and bands
2 lbs dried white or navy beans, rinsed
2 onions chopped
about 4-6" of slab bacon or salt pork cut into cubes
3 pints plain tomato sauce (canned or homemade)
2 Tbsp molasses
1/4 brown sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard
Put a kettle of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Keep it nearby.
Sterilize the pint jars, lids and bands by bringing them to a boil in a large pot of water.
Getting all my stuff together. Look a that bacon. We send out our pork to a local smoke house. Amazing! |
While waiting for the water to boil heat the tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, mustard and 3 cups of water in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat until the sugars dissolve and the sauce comes to a simmer. Once the sauce simmers you can turn it off but make sure it stays hot for when it comes time to add it to the beans.
Remove the jars when ready and place them on the counter. Put about 1/2 cup of dried beans in each jar. Then evenly distributed the chopped onions and bacon chunks amongst all 9 pints. Finally ladle in about 1/2 cup of the hot tomato sauce into each jar of beans.
each jar has 1/2 cup dried beans, 2 Tbsp chopped onion, 2 pieces of slab bacon |
The tomato sauce and water is added and they are ready to go |
There they are! |
Fill the jars to one inch below the top with the boiling water in your kettle. Be sure to wipe the rim of each jar and wipe each lid to make sure you get a good seal. Put the band on tight but not super tight and add them to your pressure canner. If you need detailed instructions on how to use a pressure canner consult your manuel or an other source for more information. My canner is from the 60's-70's so my steps will be slightly different. What will remain the same is that you set the the canner to 10 lbs of pressure and keep it there for 70 minutes. turn the heat off and allow the canner to come back to 0 pressure on its own. Wait 10 minutes longer and remove the Jars from the water bath to cool completely. That's it! See how perfect? I am so proud.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Baked Oatmeal with Toasted Coconut
I know right??? How good does that sound? This is a great weekend morning meal that will please everyone and makes a great snack too. If you like a chewy texture you can make it in the morning but if you want it more cake-y let the unbaked casserole sit overnight and then bake. However you decide to do it is good. You can modify this recipe a lot too! Add pumpkin puree instead of banana and leave out the coconut and chips and you have pumpkin pie oatmeal. Add apples, apple sauce and dried cranberries or raspberries, white chips and almond butter for some oh la la or chopped dates, cashews, coconut and diced peaches...You get the picture. So here it is.
You will need
2 cups old fashioned Oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips( optional)
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup brown sugar or 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar (add the liquid sugars to the wet ingredients though)
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp melted coconut oil or butter or nut butter
1/2 chopped nuts of choice
1 cup berries or 1/2 cup dried fruit (divided) I used unsweetened coconut flakes
1 banana sliced if using
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix oats, chips if using, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. If using berries add 1/2 cup and if using dried fruit add a 1/4 cup of it now to the oat mixture.
Dump the dry ingredients into a well greased 10"x7" baking dish or any 2 quart rectangular baking dish. sprinkle the sliced banana, 1/4 cup of dried coconut or fruit of choice and nuts over the top of the dried ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the milk, eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and liquid honey or agave if using.
Slowly pour the egg mixture over top of the dried mixture. Sprinkle with nuts and remaining coconut or other fruit. At this point you can cover it and put it in the fridge to sit overnight. Or you can gently shake the pan to settle the milk mixture and put it into the oven uncovered for 40 minutes.
You will need
2 cups old fashioned Oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips( optional)
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup brown sugar or 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar (add the liquid sugars to the wet ingredients though)
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp melted coconut oil or butter or nut butter
1/2 chopped nuts of choice
1 cup berries or 1/2 cup dried fruit (divided) I used unsweetened coconut flakes
1 banana sliced if using
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix oats, chips if using, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. If using berries add 1/2 cup and if using dried fruit add a 1/4 cup of it now to the oat mixture.
Dump the dry ingredients into a well greased 10"x7" baking dish or any 2 quart rectangular baking dish. sprinkle the sliced banana, 1/4 cup of dried coconut or fruit of choice and nuts over the top of the dried ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the milk, eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and liquid honey or agave if using.
Slowly pour the egg mixture over top of the dried mixture. Sprinkle with nuts and remaining coconut or other fruit. At this point you can cover it and put it in the fridge to sit overnight. Or you can gently shake the pan to settle the milk mixture and put it into the oven uncovered for 40 minutes.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Cloud Dough
This is a great rainy day project that will keep the kids occupied while you get some much needed housework done. The texture is fascinating, very much like its name and the ingredients simple. But I'm gonna warn you first off because you'd hate to get through half my ramblings and find out this does not work for you! It makes a mess. There is no real way around it. However it is so much fun to play with that it is worth ever second spent vacuuming, which it does do much easier than salt dough and is much easier to scrape up off the kids and the rug. And the essential oils make your hands and house smell good and feel soft. so go for it. what's 15 minutes of cleaning in exchange for at least a whole hour of kid diversion!
You will need:
8 cups flour
1 cup baby oil (if worried about fragrances or sensitivity to essential oil just use pure mineral oil. but not the extra heavy)
How hard is that to dig up?? Put the flour in a large flat container and make a mound with a well in the center. Pour the oil into the mound and mix until the flour begins to stick together. Use measuring spoons and small cups to make little sand castiles. The flour will hold its shape.
You will need:
8 cups flour
1 cup baby oil (if worried about fragrances or sensitivity to essential oil just use pure mineral oil. but not the extra heavy)
How hard is that to dig up?? Put the flour in a large flat container and make a mound with a well in the center. Pour the oil into the mound and mix until the flour begins to stick together. Use measuring spoons and small cups to make little sand castiles. The flour will hold its shape.
Add caption |
see the little mound in the shape of a coffee scoop |
driving his trucks through it..of course. |
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Butterfinger Bark
So I originally tried to make these in bar form but I'm not a patient person and they looked like turds. So I went with the bark version made in my rimmed baking sheet. All it is really is peanut butter, candy corn and chocolate. Who could screw that up right? yeah. I did. The first mistake was try to melt the candy corn in a double boiler. The original recipe calls for melting in the microwave but I hate using it so I did things my own way. They sat there in their original shape for a long time until I buckled. Now I had lots of extra dishes to wash. Awesome. The next mistake was using my own homemade peanut butter. The taste was amazing but that peanut flavored shortening is necessary for texture. So I used Simply Jif and tried to shrug it off. Now homemade may have worked if I added extra peanut oil or maybe coconut oil but I'm not that ambitious. If you do use homemade or all natural let me know how it works out for you.
You will need:
1 bag of candy corn
2 cups of peanut butter
1 bag of milk chocolate baking chips or candy coating (the baking chips will melt faster in your hands)
First you melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or over a pan of simmering water. If using the microwave just use 30 second intervals so you don't burn it. Spread half of the melted chocolate over a parchment covered rimmed baking sheet. You can use a parchment covered 13"x9" pan and your bark will be more like bars. Put this some place to cool for about 20 minutes. This will help to keep the bar layers separate.
Then in another microwave safe bowl heat the candy corn for 60 seconds. Stir and continue to melt in 30 second intervals until smooth. Don't try to use a double boiler for this. It will make you insane. Quickly add the peanut butter and stir to combine.
Spread the warm peanut butter mixture over the cooled chocolate layer. You will probably need an offset spatula or your fingers to push the weird consistency around to all the edges. You can also press down with a spatula to try to make the layer even. Spread the rest of the melted chocolate over the top of the peanut butter. You may need to reheat it a bit to spread it easily. Let the whole thing cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
You will need:
1 bag of candy corn
2 cups of peanut butter
1 bag of milk chocolate baking chips or candy coating (the baking chips will melt faster in your hands)
First you melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl or over a pan of simmering water. If using the microwave just use 30 second intervals so you don't burn it. Spread half of the melted chocolate over a parchment covered rimmed baking sheet. You can use a parchment covered 13"x9" pan and your bark will be more like bars. Put this some place to cool for about 20 minutes. This will help to keep the bar layers separate.
this was after 15 minutes of melting and cursing |
there they are out of the microwave with the peanut butter added |
Spread the warm peanut butter mixture over the cooled chocolate layer. You will probably need an offset spatula or your fingers to push the weird consistency around to all the edges. You can also press down with a spatula to try to make the layer even. Spread the rest of the melted chocolate over the top of the peanut butter. You may need to reheat it a bit to spread it easily. Let the whole thing cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Cheap and Tasty Slow cooker Cilantro Pork
You will need:
smallish pork shoulder roast or pork butt (size is not essential here) cut into cubes
1 cup flour
1 bunch of cilantro roughly chopped, include the stems
1 red onion chopped
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with their juice
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt & pepper
Put the pork cubes into a large zip-lock bag. Add the flour and some salt and pepper and shake it up until all the pork is coated.
Lovely browned pork chunks |
this is what it looks like before you cook it. |
Once all the meat is brown add the onion, tomato, half of the cilantro and spices, including salt and pepper to taste, in that order. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or if you are like me and don't get this together until almost lunch time cook on medium or high until dinner time. about an hour before you are ready to eat stir the stew. serve with remaining fresh cilantro and long grain rice or crusty bread.
this the finished product. hmmmm I can smell the deliciousness |
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Beer Bread
Easiest bread to make and really really good. No kneading, no rising, no crazy steps or obscure ingredients. My sister gave me the recipe and told me her man begged her to make them in bulk on a daily basis. I tried it and he was right. it's worthy of making on a daily basis. All you do is mix the dry ingredients together, pour in a beer, dump into a pan, cover with melted butter and bake. The crust is crispy, the texture is dense and sturdy and the flavor is subtle and hoppi. A perfect addition to soups and stews. It will take longer for your oven to pre-heat!
So you will need:
3 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar (don't have it? see note)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 bottle beer of your choice. (i used IPA but i think a darker less bitter beer would have a better flavor)
4 Tbsp melted butter
pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F
*Note: to make your own brown sugar add a cup of regular sugar to a bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add 1 Tbsp molasses for light brown or 2 Tbsp for dark brown sugar. mix with a fork or with your mixer on low until it comes together..2-3 minutes. I haven't purchased brown sugar in a year. don't have molasses? well you're screwed.
So you will need:
3 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar (don't have it? see note)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 bottle beer of your choice. (i used IPA but i think a darker less bitter beer would have a better flavor)
4 Tbsp melted butter
pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl |
get a bottle of beer. take a sip (optional) and pour over dry ingredients |
when mixture stops foaming stir |
Stir until the dough just comes together. lumps are okay. |
Transfer dough to a loaf pan. Pour the melted butter over the top of the dough. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. |
Slice and Enjoy! |
*Note: to make your own brown sugar add a cup of regular sugar to a bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add 1 Tbsp molasses for light brown or 2 Tbsp for dark brown sugar. mix with a fork or with your mixer on low until it comes together..2-3 minutes. I haven't purchased brown sugar in a year. don't have molasses? well you're screwed.
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