Category Archives: Blog Posts

Quick Dessert Recipe: Spiced Rum Fried Apples

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by Texas Homesteader ~

I try to invite my parents to supper as often as I can. There’s just something about breaking bread together that bonds us. Plus it’s much less expensive to invite them to a simple meal at home than to meet them at a restaurant. And it’s much nicer to visit in a home setting too. So recently I invited them over.

I made a plan to cook a simple Instant Pot Roast as the main entree. A side of green beans and breaded Potato Cakes was planned for sides. But dad loves that I serve dessert when I invite them over. So I also planned a very simple dessert. Fried apples… with a twist.

I made a simple dessert of fried apples, with a twist. I added a little spiced rum for extra flavor & moisture. #TexasHomesteader

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What Working From Home Means. (And What It DOESN’T!)

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

If you are a stay-at-home parent, a homeschooler, are self employed or otherwise work from home, you know what I mean. The outside world sometimes has a very wrong idea of how you spend your time. RancherMan & I are self employed so our work is all done from our Homestead. But oftentimes to those around us the perception is that we’ve got all the free time in the world!

Have you experienced the same thing? Yeah, I know…

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How To Repurpose Those Empty Coffee Canisters

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by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan & I love our coffee. We enjoy that hot cup-o-joe each morning. Although I hate plastic, our favorite coffee comes in a plastic canister. Of course when they’re empty I offer those handy containers to others around me who I feel could use them.

But when I could no longer give them away I started looking for ways to repurpose them myself. If you’re looking for inspiration too, come see what I’ve been able to make with them.

Come see different ways I've been able to repurpose those empty coffee canisters. They're handy for so many things. #TexasHomesteader

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Homemade Bread Shortcut: Pre-Mixed Ingredient Packets

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Recently I learned that bread machines have apparently changed for the better. Now I find I really love the convenience. So I tweaked RancherMan’s favorite Honey/Oatmeal Sandwich Bread recipe to make a 2-Lb Loaf for a Bread Machine. I use that bread machine to whip up hot, fresh homemade bread for him several times a week.

Since I’m baking bread so often I went looking for ways to shorten my bread-baking tasks. Let me tell ya, whether using a bread machine or mixing & baking it up the old fashioned way, these shortcuts make homemade bread a breeze!

I've made my own bread machine packets to simplify bread-baking day. My own, inexpensive convenience item made in a flash. #TexasHomesteader

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Easiest Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipe

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I love cheesecake, y’all. I mean really, really love cheesecake. But I’ve always been intimidated to try to make it myself. I mean – water bath in the oven? The top cracking if you didn’t cook it just right? The 2-part pan leaking in the water? It just sounded so… finicky.

So I always enjoyed my cheesecake at a restaurant table #thankyouverymuch.

Then I read someone saying that the reason you bake it in a water bath in the oven is because it must have that moisture. Without that moisture you’re doomed to have a dry, cracked cheesecake. This person said that’s why a pressure cooker is the perfect way to make cheesecake. There’s naturally lots of moisture.

Wow, now that makes sense.

Making Instant Pot Cheesecake turns a finicky dessert into pure simplicity. Come see this easy cheesecake recipe cooked in an Instant Pot. #TexasHomesteader

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Homestead Hack: No-Mess Way To Measure Honey

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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I’m consuming a couple of tablespoons of honey containing ragweed pollen daily to help combat my allergies. But it takes so long using the honey dipper to drizzle 2 tablespoons worth each day. And I was making such a mess trying to spoon it from the jar instead. So I tried pouring it gently from the jar.

Ugh, MESSY!

Luckily I’ve found an awesome solution. Come check out this Homestead Hack.

I needed a way to measure small amounts of honey each day without making a mess. I decided a vintage syrup dispenser fit the bill nicely. #TexasHomesteader

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The Importance Of The Family Supper Table

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by Texas Homesteader ~

When our children lived at home we always sat at the table and ate together as a family. It was an important and non-negotiable family tradition of ours. So much so that there were no distractions allowed during our meals together.

Our rule was that everyone stayed around the table until the last one was finished before anyone was allowed to leave the table. Oh, and no phones were to be brought to the table. If a phone did ring somewhere in the house, it was not answered if we were still having supper.

And even if one of their friends showed up at the front door during supper, the door was not answered. All of that could wait until after we’d spent this important family time together.

Do you know the importance of a family supper table? When family shares a meal together many benefits are realized. See what the studies say #TexasHomesteader

 

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5 Frugal Things – Decluttering, Beverage, Food Waste, Coupon & Gifts

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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Ya know, frugality is really an easy thing to accomplish. And you can even set it & leave it on cruise control too. It just takes keeping an open mind for ways during your typical day to save some money.

Soon it’s not even something you strive for, it’s just part of your everyday life. And it’s often an eco-friendly move too.

Come see 5 Frugal Things I did this week to save money and the environment.

Frugality can be eco friendly too. Decluttering, coupons, gifting, etc. Come see 5 frugal things we did to save money this week #TexasHomesteader

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Instant Pot Makes Homemade Yogurt Even Easier!

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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I’ve made yogurt for years, neigh decades. It was the very first self-sufficient step I ever took. Back then looking at those non-recyclable (in my area) plastic yogurt tubs that I was forced to throw away, I just figured there had to be a better way.

And there WAS.

I started making 1/2 gallon of Stove-Top Homemade Yogurt every week or so since then. I’ve never looked back! But now there’s this Instant Pot craze. So I took the plunge. And there’s a yogurt setting on mine too. Hummmm…

Instant Pot Yogurt - so easy! I'm sharing step-by-step instructions with photos to make your own creamy yogurt. #TexasHomesteader

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Throwback Thursday

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by Texas Homesteader ~

You know those dates stamped on packages of food? What do they mean? It’s confusing alright. Is the food ‘expired’? Is it safe to eat? Will it make you sick if you eat it anyway? I always wondered that too.

Then I did some research and was very surprised at what I found. To celebrate Throwback Thursday I’m sharing these tips today. Come see!

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