by Texas Homesteader~ 

RancherMan’s a huge ice cream fan. He would eat it every day if I’d let him. LOL

But since he enjoys it so much I try to find ways to give him healthier ‘ice cream’ options more often. Tasty ways such as my Homemade Fudgesicles. Their chocolaty deliciousness has a yogurt base. So they’re filled with healthy probiotics.

I also make a sugar free Ice Cream Substitute using frozen fruit. A few frozen bananas for sweetness and maybe a handful of berries. Just blend and enjoy!

But sometimes, ya just want real, honest-to-goodness ice cream!

I had some fresh peaches that needed to be used up before they went bad. So I decided to give ‘er a try.

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Have you ever heard of zucchini boats? It’s a hollowed-out zucchini filled with hearty deliciousness and baked until tender. What a great idea for a little something different when the zucchini in your garden threatens to take over the world! LOL

Recently I found myself with some fresh zucchini. Now ordinarily I use zucchini as a veggie side dish. But I was looking for something a little more substantial this time. Something different.

I decided to make zucchini boats with them. I’ll make ’em hearty too by stuffing them with meat & cheese. Then I can use them as the main entrée.

I’m very happy to say it was not only ridiculously easy, but delicious too!

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I’m always cooking dried beans. It’s a pantry staple in our home. Beans are cheap, healthy and easy to make. I wrote recently about how I often Cook 2-Lbs Of Beans At Once in my Instant Pot.

WHAT? 2 lbs??!! That’s crazy. There are only two of you in your home, right? Won’t you be tired of pintos by the time you eat them?

Go ahead & check out the article, I show how I easily served those pintos in different ways for several days. Our palates never got bored!

But most of the time when I’m cooking up a batch of dried pintos I’m cooking them as a main dish for supper or as a side. If that’s the case I just season them with my own Pinto Bean Seasoning. Since I’ve been asked to share my seasoning recipe, read on dear friends!

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by Texas Homesteader~

While out tending the garden, I spied a few volunteer cilantro plants. I love cilantro and I always allow it to go to seed in the garden. Although I’m not a big fan of using coriander (aka: cilantro seed) in my cooking, it virtually guarantees that I’ll have volunteer cilantro plants in my garden the next spring.

Cilantro has a pretty short growing season. It bolts and seeds at the very first whiff of heat. Here in zone 8 that happens pretty early. So when it’s growing, I make sure to put fresh cilantro to good use. I love this Cilantro Rice recipe. And it’s so easy too!

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

With the buying frenzy going on in many of our grocery stores these days, more and more people are having difficulty finding fresh bread. The good news is – bread can be very easy to make, even for the novice baker!

There’s a traditional light & fluffy sandwich bread, or a simple recipe for a bread machine. Heck, there’s even mix-n-pour beer bread. I thought I’d share a list of our favorite bread recipes. The links are included in each title. And there’s something for every baking skill…

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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.

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