by Texas Homesteader ~
When we invite my folks to supper, RancherMan often tosses some meat on the grill and I’m left to make a couple of sides and a dessert. The sides can be as simple as opening up a couple of cans of veggies, or I sometimes I Roast Fresh Vegetables (mom’s fave). But buttered rice with fresh sage is an easy yet delicious side option too and it comes together so quickly.
by Texas Homesteader ~
When it’s blustery outside, a cup of hot Chai tea really hits the spot. Silky smooth, sweet and wonderful. Aaaaahhhhh….
My wonderful SIL makes the best Chai tea mix, and I’ve been the lucky recipient of her gift. She was sweet enough to share her recipe. And today I’m going back into the blog archives and bringing that recipe back so you can enjoy it too!
by Texas Homesteader~
Most mornings RancherMan & I engage in what I consider to be an intense conversation about any number of hot-button social topics. In the past these topics have included religion, law, politics, elections, etc. (groan…) Thankfully most of the other’s thoughts are met with an energetic nod and the words “Exactly!”. So we’re typically on the same page but WHEW! Intensity sometimes reigns at during these conversations!
But a recent topic? Life’s regrets.
I’ve been reading lots lately about how to make sure you’re living your life so that when you come to the end of your life you have no regrets. But it seems I have no such regrets! Really? Hummm…
by Texas Homesteader~
We were recently invited to a family gathering. Now in my family invitations to a shared meal happen often. Since it’s so common & also so that the burden doesn’t fall on the hosting family, each family in attendance brings something to contribute to the meal. There’s always lots of good food at our family gatherings!
This time I wanted to bring something snacky. So I offered to bring some homemade hummus. (If you haven’t seen my Stupid-Easy Hummus Recipe, you should totally check it out!) Of course I’ll need something for dipping but I hate how expensive that little bag of pita chips is! Hummm, I wonder… I decided to make my own pita-type chips. Let’s see how it goes.
by Texas Homesteader~
Several months ago I found a very used 100-gallon galvanized trough at our metal recycling place. It had interior rust, a few small holes & was missing the plug. So wasn’t being used to water livestock anymore. But it would be perfect for my vegetable garden. I’d love to fill it with soil and garden plants. I love the look – seems I’m obsessed with galvanized metal, y’all!
And it should also certainly ease harvest in this section of my vegetable garden. I’m not getting any younger, ya know! I’m constantly looking for ways to simplify my garden tasks.
So I asked if they’d sell it to me. For $10 it was mine! But to plant this huge 100-gallon trough, I first needed to put something at the bottom to allow for drainage. In a potted plant you can add broken pieces of pottery and such. But I needed something much larger & chunkier for this much space. I decided to make up a few ‘ecobricks’.
by Texas Homesteader ~
The cold winter months typically mean we’re enjoying some pretty soup-heavy meals in our home. Although we eat soup all year long there’s nothing like a hot, nourishing bowl of soup when the weather’s blustery outside. But y’all know I don’t enjoy being in the kitchen. So my homemade soups need to be quick & easy, yet delicious & comforting.
Are you looking for a quick and super-easy soup idea for supper tonight? Well you’re in luck. Check it out, here are several different faves in our household. The links to each of these recipes are in the titles. Enjoy!
by Texas Homesteader ~
I usually make plans for the day and work towards implementing them to keep things running smoothly. And then things change. Wanna see what a day on our Texas Homestead is like?
I’d already made all the preparations for my homemade Chicken & Dumplings supper. The cooked chicken was pulled from the freezer and the dumpling dough made in advance & stored in the fridge. Heck even the Homemade Broth was made & canned weeks ago. So all my advance preparations meant that supper tonight would be quick & easy. But then…
by Texas Homesteader ~
RancherMan & I are able to live & work right here in a place we love. We hated city life, long commutes, office politics and the daily grind. But now living this life in the country means we need to be extra mindful of our financial resources.
The good news? It’s super easy and isn’t a sacrifice at all. It’s just a different way of looking at various circumstances.
Take this week for instance. Here are 5 frugal things we did to effortlessly save money.
by Texas Homesteader ~
Several years ago our children requested no new toys for our grandbabies. They already had way too many toys! So RancherMan & I opted to gift them Experience Gifts instead. The experience gift option has been an absolutely wonderful solution for several years now. And what a win/win too. We get to spend precious time with our grandkids and create MEMORIES with them instead of giving them just another toy.
In past years we’ve taken them Rock Climbing and to a Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course. We’ve taken them to the Ft Worth Stock Show & Rodeo and to Museums. A couple of times we’ve taken them to Live Production Plays – Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life. Each one was so much fun for all of us.
But this year we decided to take them to an escape room. An escape room experience is where you’re placed in a room and you’re challenged to solve the clues one by one to find the key to escape. Come see the fun we had!
by Texas Homesteader ~
So you say you’ve had lots of company over the past few weeks? Like most of us I’m guessing between Christmas, New Year’s and other gatherings you’ve really had some foot traffic on your carpets, huh? I hear ya. So what now, do you need to call a carpet cleaning company?
Well, maybe. But RancherMan & I have a small carpet machine that we use to spot clean our carpets. In our case it’s typically cleaning pet stains but I hated to buy an expensive and chemical-laden commercial cleaning solution. I wanted something less toxic. So I researched & found an easy yet effective homemade version.
To celebrate Throwback Thursday (and to help you along your ‘saving money‘ New Year’s resolution), today I’m sharing the oh-so-simple homemade carpet cleaning solution we use here on the Homestead.
