by Texas Homesteader ~
Herbs grow so easily that I always have plenty. I mean P-L-E-N-T-Y! So I’m constantly either harvesting & using or drying and preserving those herbs for cooking all year long. But I’ve found my new favorite way to use handfuls of these herbs and enjoy a delightfully fresh way to make supper easier and more delicious.
by Texas Homesteader~
I often make dried beans using my pressure cooker. I’m a ‘Cook-Once, Eat-Twice‘ cook, meaning I like to cook lots of one item and use it either again later in the week, or as a completely different dish as part of my Planned Leftovers meals. So when I’m cooking dried beans, I usually cook the whole bag knowing it’s way more than RancherMan & I can eat in one setting. Then we’ll either consume it over several days or I’ll freeze the remainder for another time.
But recently I cooked some great northern beans and we enjoyed them as a side dish for that evening’s meal. I served them later in the week as a quick side dish also. But then I wondered… Is there a more exciting way to serve these beans that will have RancherMan smacking his lips? Well yes, yes there is! Check out this Homestead Hack!
by Texas Homesteader ~
*contains affiliate link
I’ve experimented with sandwich bread recipes for several years. I prefer whole-wheat bread for the health aspect as well as the heartier feel of it. But I’ve not been pleased with bread made completely with whole wheat flour. It’s just too dry for our tastes. So I started mixing different ratios of all purpose and whole wheat flour for RancherMan’s Sandwich Bread to get the best of both worlds.
But whole wheat flour is expensive in our area. And I figured oatmeal’s healthy, right?? So I decided to offset a portion of whole wheat flour with whole oats ground into flour when I make my Oatmeal Sandwich Bread. We loved it. It still had the hearty feel that whole wheat offers, but cheaper! You’re not gonna believe how easy this is.
by Texas Homesteader ~
* contains affiliate link
I’ve had several bread machines over the years. The bread was tasty of course, but I always got rid of them. They were just so big, heavy & bulky. It just wasn’t worth it.
But during a recent visit with my dad, he mentioned that he wanted to get rid of his bread machine to clear the space on his counter top for another appliance. He said if I didn’t take it, he was tossing it in the trash. I couldn’t stand the waste so I figured I’d take it home. If I found I still hated bread machines I’d make sure to get it to someone who could use it.
But bread machines are apparently different now and I find I really love it! I’ve even tweaked my own Oatmeal Sandwich Bread recipe to make a 2-lb bread-maker loaf.
by Texas Homesteader ~
RancherMan & I were getting together with my brother & sister and their spouses for a fun sibling vacation to Broken Bow, OK. We were staying in a gorgeous cabin with a full kitchen, so to keep our expenses down we planned to enjoy some of our vacation meals right there at the cabin. All three families were bringing food to contribute to specific meals. I brought Blueberry Muffins to snack on one day, Chocolate Crazy Cake for dessert after one meal, and promised to bring breakfast for the group one morning too.
I decided to make something easy that would transport well. Something I could make in advance & freeze so I could be on vacation too while we were on vacation!
I’ve made these breakfast muffins for RancherMan before & he loved them. So I decided to whip up a batch for our family gathering.
by Texas Homesteader ~
I was baking homemade blueberry muffins for a Sibling Vacation recently. I typically make jumbo-sized muffins for RancherMan. But this time I used my smaller muffin-sized tin because there would be several of us in attendance. It’s easier to eat two small muffins than to waste part of a larger one, ya know?
So I whipped up my Blueberry Muffin batter, placed my silicone muffin pan on a cookie sheet & filled the muffin cups. But there was still about 4 muffins worth of batter remaining.
Do I overfill the muffin cups? Do I bake this dozen and then refill 4 of the muffin cups and bake them separately? What a waste! Ugh, what’s a girl to do?
by Texas Homesteader ~
Several years ago our daughter mentioned casually that she was growing Stevia. Wait, Stevia? You mean, the sweetener? You can GROW THAT!!?? I had no idea!
Excitedly I sat out to find a place to purchase the plant. I found it at a local discount warehouse-type store and brought it home. I plunked it into my landscaping bed as part of my edible landscape. It’s a pretty enough plant, so why not?
I’ve had this plant for a couple of years and it always comes back in the spring. But now that I’m growing my own zero-calorie sweetener, what should I do with it?
by Texas Homesteader ~
RancherMan keeps our chest freezer filled with wild hog meat. I’ve made many dishes with this lean, mild-tasting wild pork. Many of those recipes are listed below. (Although you could use commercial pork instead)
But recently we were preparing for our annual family reunion. We decided to serve pulled-pork sandwiches with some of this wild-hog meat. But RancherMan wanted to smoke it with pecan wood before shredding it for sandwiches. It turned out Aaaaaaaahhhhh-MAZING!
by Texas Homesteader ~
Every year RancherMan & I host a fun family gathering we’ve always called ‘RanchFest‘. It’s actually celebrated on the anniversary of the date we purchased this little piece of paradise. But we consider it a mini-family reunion.
Back when the kids were young (but before we actually lived here) we’d bring our kids and my siblings would bring theirs. We’d have a big celebration & bonfire. Oh how much fun it was to get together, and the kids loved hanging out with their cousins.
But they’re all grown and most have children of their own now. So every year at RanchFest we get together to relive those fun times. This year we’ll be serving pulled-pork sandwiches using meat from the wild hogs RancherMan’s harvested. He’ll smoke the meat, but we needed a BBQ Rub & Mop Sauce. And he certainly found a good one!
by Texas Homesteader ~
RancherMan was in the mood for something sweet. But I wanted to use only ingredients that I already had in the pantry. Hummm, let’s see. There was an older bag of marshmallows (when did we even buy those??) and a partial box of Rice Krispies cereal. Maybe I can make some Rice Krispie treats.
Oh my goodness – somebody please save me from myself! These are absolutely amazing. I found the recipe for plain Rice Krispie treats on their site. (you can use any crisp rice cereal though).
But of course I added chocolate because chocolate makes everything better!
