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The final post for 2016 and for the mini-Christmas series is our go-to food list -

Since my memory can be absolutely terrible sometimes :) {especially a year from now when I try to remember exactly what I made}

Christmas Eve Dinner
Italian Beef - prepared by my MIL.
Cheesey Potatoes - recipe coming soon

Christmas Morning Breakfast
Blueberry Muffin French Toast - This is one of my favorites and was featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. A few years ago, I decided I would make this for Christmas morning. To simplify things {because that's always essential around here!}, I make it the day ahead and use a 12"x3" round cake pan. First thing after the kids wake us up Christmas morning, I preheat the oven, place my DIY bake-even cake strips on the outside of the pan, and bake for a little over an hour or until the center is fully cooked.

Christmas Day Brunch
Biscuits and gravy - I was able to make my gravy ahead of time in my new enameled dutch oven {thanks to the Mr. for deciding we should exchange our gifts before Christmas morning!}. For the gravy I used 1 lb of sausage and 1 1/2 batches of the gravy. As for the biscuits (2 1/2 batches), I tried for the first time to make them ahead of time and they turned out pretty good {definitely worth not making them the day of}, but this is something I will not start doing on a typical basis.

Breakfast Pizza and Breakfast Burritos - prepped the day before by the MIL.

Christmas Day Snack
Buffalo Chicken Dip - Bake until bubbly and serve with tortilla chips. I've been using this recipe for YEARS as it was shared with us by a sweet hometown friend shortly after we finished college and started life in the 'real-world'.

Fruit Pizza - prepared by one of my SILs ... I have willpower against over consumption of chocolate, but this stuff, oh dear me, NO WAY!

Christmas Day Dinner {If we still have room in our stomachs by this time}
Dagwood Sandwiches - A quick, easy, and light go to dinner around here. Salami, ham, roast beef, and lettuce on ciabatta rolls. Additional topping options: bacon, avocado, tomato, horseradish, mayo, ranch, mustard, and anything else that suites your fancy.

New Years Eve and Day Snacks
Spinach Artichoke Dip - recipe coming soon
Chipped Beef Sandwiches - recipe coming soon
More Buffalo Chicken Dip

And then a few additional things just to have on hand: granola bars (recipe coming soon) and caramels.

Homemade Dry Shampoo

Well this may be a complete stretch, BUT I decided I am going to include homemade dry shampoo as part of my Mini-Christmas Series. And why you might asked? Because we could all use a little extra time during the Christmas Season and what easier way to do this other than finding a way to stretch the number of days between hair washings! {Please note I didn't not say between showering/bathing days, heehee ... but of course you are welcome to your own interpretation and choice on that matter   ;-p}

I've been wanting to try this for a while now and when my sister shared with me one of the last times we chatted how she just had ... it was all I needed to take the plunge :)

Homemade Dry Shampoo

make-up brush (an old one is just fine)
1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder (baby powder would be another option if on hand)
cocoa powder for tinting (optional)
container (I love using this size of mason jars and these lids would be really convenient)

Place the cornstarch in container. If adding cocoa powder for use on darker hair, I would suggest start by adding 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder at a time until you get the desired color. Use the make-up brush to apply at your roots. Once applied use your fingers, brush or comb to evenly coat if necessary, then take the extra 5-10+ extra minutes to use as you please!

And with that I feel the urge to not only remind myself but all of you also while we all scurry around attending to our own busyness that we will witness so many snapshots of the Christmas season (the Nativity scenes, the Christmas lights, the presents, the family gatherings, the hustle and bustle for the last minute prep) but we must not forget to take time to read the story behind all of those snapshots!

Jesus is the reason for the Season! :)

Homemade Apple Butter

And the mini-fall series continues ....

Thus far we've made -
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pumpkin Puree
Pie Crust
Pumpkin Pie
and now apple butter

It's not too often that I can get a morning post in but since today is a celebratory vacation day so I could support our high school at the state volleyball tournament, it allowed for a few extra hours this morning to finish up my apple butter and enjoy some with my breakfast!

After the debacle of coming home from work to an unplugged crockpot yesterday <insert facepalm>, the Mr. and I spent the later hours of our evening surrounded by the AMAZING aroma of this deliciousness simmering ... talk about the feels of fall! And although I didn't need to rush out of the house this morning, I had that 'Christmas Morning' moment ... when for a split second I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep and then I remembered what would be waiting for me in the kitchen!

after 10+ hours in the crockpot

After a quick spin through the food processor, we had ourselves some warm and fresh apple butter. The taste ... well lets just say if you could eat apple cider this is pretty much what it is like AND for somebody that pretty much loves all things apples, this was exactly what I had been hoping for!

The recipe was straight from Lynn at fresh april flours. The only change I made, other than the amounts do to what fit in my crockpot, was by using all fuji apples instead of the variety she called for. Although I don't think you could go wrong with this recipe no matter what variety of apple, I would love to compare how her version would taste. The next time I will be making a much larger batch and will definitely be trying it with a combination of apple varieties. 

Homemade Apple Butter

9 fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon groung cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon molasses

Mix all ingredients except apples in a small bowl. Place 1/4 to 1/3 of the apples in crockpot. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup sugar mixture. Continue to layer in crockpot. Top with remaining sugar mixture and molasses drizzled on top. Cook on low for 10 or more hours. Use blender, food processor, or immersion blend to process until smooth. If the consistency is not thick enough, continue to cook in crockpot with lid off to remove some excess moisture.

Cost Comparison
Homemade Cost - about $5 for 34 ounces (apples purchased ... image if I had my own tree!)
Store Bought Cost - $3.25 for 28 ounces, Musselman's brand

Time - 20-30 minutes active participation
            just over 10 hours of total time

Homemade Pie Crust

... and of course then some pumpkin pie! 

This recipe originated from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook but was then completely perfected by my amazing sis that lives halfway around the world! She has been the source of my inspiration on more than one occasion and she NEVER ceases to amaze me. A few weeks back I was running low on ideas and quite frankly motivation, in need of a little extra help plugging away at my 365 list, I was chatting with my her on our almost weekly chat {this can definitely be a challenge due to the 10 hour time difference} and had the idea to do some collaborative thinking! Best idea EVER!

So we started brainstorming and before you knew it we had birthed this mini-fall series with all this pumpkin deliciousness and THE absolute best pie crust recipe I have ever used {credit goes 100% to her for perfecting this pie crust}. Back in the days {like pre-kiddos} when I had time to bake pies, I had a go-to pie crust recipe that was 'good', but this my friends is AaH...MAZING! Some absolutely, completely flaky goodness {so good I am thinking about taking this dough outside of the pie world ... croissantish even maybe}. But what's even more awesome than that ... is that my sister rattled off exactly how she made her pie crust is if it were an everyday conversation!


So here you have it, straight from the source-

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Homemade Pie Crust

Iced water

½ cup cold butter

1 ½ flour

½ teaspoon salt

Fill liquid measure cup with ice water and let it sit. Add flour and salt to a bowl. Add butter, cubed (cut stick lengthwise in quarters, then cube). Use hands to mix quickly (you don’t want butter to melt) until mixed thoroughly and the butter is pea-sized  or smaller. Using rubber spatula, mix 1 tablespoon at a time of cold water (up to 8 tablespoons). Mix until it sticks together with no flour left in the bowl but not too moist. Transfer to saran wrap and form into a hockey puck shape. Place in fridge for 10 mins or 10 min in freezer. With a rolling pin, round out with a little bit of flower. Put it in your pie plate and crimp edges. Put in freeze to shock for 5-10 minutes (you want the butter to be nice and cold when it goes into the oven). While the crust is getting chilly, prep your pie filling. 

For starters, I used Mrs. Sigg's Fresh Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Filling 

2 cups of pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

12 ounces evaporated milk

2 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, beat all ingredients together. 

And now for the pie!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Remove pie crust from freezer. Pour in pumpkin pie filling. Bake at 400 for 45 -50 minutes. 

However, next time I am going to try as Mrs. Sigg's recommends and start at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for an additional 40-50 minutes. 

Additional Pie Info - for future reference and fun facts. 

Also from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for pies that use pre-baked pie crust. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Follow the pie crust recipe as detailed above. Cover the pie crust with a double layer of tin foil. Push it down (this will keep it from rising OR you could use pie weights). Make sure oven is hot and ready to bake the crust quickly so that your crust doesn’t get soggy. Bake for 8 minutes or until the pie crust looks dry and not moist. Remove the tinfoil and continue to bake for 6-8 minutes to make sure it’s cooked completely. Then use your freshly baked pie crust "aaaas yoooou wiiiiish." :) 

Random, I know but there are some phrases that NO matter how they are used, my brain only hears them one way and then gets sidetracked thinking about the movie it's from, like this one from The Princess Bride. And I think this is where I need to call it a night ... before my tangents get WAY to far off course! heehee.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Fall Mini-Series - Post #2: Pumpkin Puree

I don't know about you but I could hit repeat on the fall season and stay here forEVER! Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the others (the glistening snow and Christmas decorations ... budding flowers and the smell of freshly cut grass ... barefeet pitter-patter and the SUN) BUT there is a peace that fills my soul seeing the slowly changing colors of the leaves, the aroma of hot apple cider, toasted marshmallows over a campfire, cool fall breezes, and my old, oversized, chunky knit cardigan!

Today's post overall really couldn't be any easier, but it does take a little bit of time.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

1 pie pumpkin (not your ordinary jack-o-lantern pumpkin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pumpkin into quarters. Spoon out seeds (set aside if you are up for lightly salted roasted pumkin seeds, yummmmm!) and stringy fibers. Place quartered pumpkin cut side up in a 9 x 13 dish. Bake for about 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Scoop out pumpkin flesh and place in food processor. Blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or freeze. 

Now I will say I've heard from multiple sources (one being my sweet sis, who knows her homemade make from scratch stuff) that homemade pumpkin puree may carry too much water and need to be drained. A couple suggestions to remove any excess water from the puree would be cheesecloth OR 2) a coffee filter lined colander. So far I haven't noticed any excess amount of water in the pumpkin puree that I made, but only time will tell when we try it out in some pie!

Cost Comparison
Homemade Cost - $2.49 for 12 ounce
Store Bought Cost - $1.99 for 15 ounces, Libby's brand

And of course I couldn't go without taking advantage of
the pumpkin seeds. Just rinse them and spread them out in a
baking dish, sprinkle them with salt and roasted them
right next to the pumpkin quarters!

Time - 15 minutes active participation
            1 hour and 15 minutes total time

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Welcome to the Fall Mini-Series - Post #1!

After a few weeks off to get things tidied up and back into a somewhat normal routine {not sure if that ever really happens with a family of 6 .... but I sure like to try every now and again :)}, I decided with fall fully upon us it would be fitting to add a little pumpkin pie spice to the mix and cross another item off my list! So simple, I am not sure why it's taken me this long but here it is ... short, sweet and to the point since I have been a slacking and need to make up some ground!

It really is just a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves. and allspice ... so kinda like a taco seasoning you can go heavier on the flavors you are head over heals for and light on the ones you are not.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 cup cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all the ingredients. 

Since I am all about multi-functional, I began to wonder what would be some other great uses for pumpkin pie spice ... oh world wide web, you amaze me! Thanks to The Kitchn here are 7 other ways!

Cost Comparison
Homemade Cost - $0 for 1 ounce
Store Bought Cost - $4.89 for 1.12 ounces McCormick brand
Time - 5 minutes

Upside Down Pizza

Because I finally remembered to take a picture!

Upside Down Pizza

1 lb ground beef

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 tablespoons spaghetti sauce mix

1 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 refrigerated crescent roll

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

Brown hamburger. Add tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce mix. Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream and milk. Pour over shredded cheese and meat mixture. Top with unrolled crescent rolls. Spread melted butter over crescent rolls and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes prior to cutting. 

Starting point and inspiration came from my grandma's recipe in our family recipe book.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Well, I can say I have given tomato sauce made from garden fresh tomatoes a fair chance! This has been done a couple times over the course of this summer ... I have tried a couple different processes, but after cooking up about 1/3 of the tomatoes Momma Bear brought me I made only 3 quarts of sauce {NO WAY, really?!? all that work for 3 jars, hmmph!!}.

I know, I know, part of the reason for the minimal amount of sauce compared to the amount of tomatoes used was because the majority of tomatoes were beefsteak tomatoes which have a high water content compared to a roma in addition to having a preference for a thicker sauce, but still! Please, any die hard homemade tomato sauce makers out there, feel free to convince me my time is worth this result. :)


On a positive note, I made lasagna earlier this week with store bought sauce followed by some Upside Down Pizza this evening and the Mr. was a big fan of tonight's tomato sauce flavor.

In order to simplify things I knew I wanted to make a straight tomato sauce in which I could then flavor up to my liking depending on what was cooking, but what would be the best way to make a smooth and thicker sauce? With this only being my 3rd time making sauce from fresh tomatoes, I knew I would need a LOT more practice before this would be share worthy, but for the purpose of making note of what I have tried ... here goes!

A friend shared with me a recipe from Foodist Approved and I had come across this article/recipe by Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats, both sharing some great tips and recipes! I would also like to add a big THANKS to my SIL that accompanied me in the kitchen and provide some great help in the process along with having a grand time chit-chatting!

Homemade Tomato Sauce 

15 lb garden fresh tomatoes, washed and halved

olive oil

sea salt

rosemary 

thyme
food mill

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Place tomatoes cut side up in any kind of baking dish you can get your hands on. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and herbs sparingly. Bake for 1 hour or until their skin begins to crispy but not burnt {however, there were a few that got slightly more done than the others for me and it wasn't a problem since the skins were removed through the mill}. Discard excess water from pans. Transfer to food mill for no seeds and skins OR a blender/food processor (multiple batches may be needed depending on your quantity).  If the sauce is still too watery for your preference, then pour pureed sauce back into pans and continue to bake until desired consistency is reached {sorry no pic for this part ... totally forgot to snag one}. Check every 10 to 15 minutes to ensure to not over bake and burn your precious sauce!

Once, the sauce is ready to be canned,  can be transferred to clean prepared jars, topped with lids and rings, and water bathed for 10 minutes.

Cost Comparison:
It cost me nothing other than my time to can these 3 jars (about 100 ounces total) of tomato sauce but I probably used about $1 worth of ingredients and lids. To compare this to the $3 - 105 ounce can of tomato sauce I usually buy at Sams Club, it's definitely a savings in money ... time not so much ... flavor, BIG step up ... but was it all worth it? I am still debating that! ;)

When Life Gets Crazy

... think 1%. 

Francesca Battistelli "Before the Crazy Kicks In"

I love the days when even before I roll out of bed, through usually sleep deprived eyes, I make time for my daily devotion. This is nothing extraordinary or extravagant, but simply simple, yet it's truly all Jesus needs from me ... simply me. After the way my Sunday ended I needed these few moments to be still and listen to get me through my Monday. 

Now my weekend was not terrible, if anything it was quite productive, but a short version goes like this {first did anybody else realize Friday was a full moon!?!? uuhhh, I could have told ya without once looking at the moon! WOAH!} ... 3 eye appointments ... 1 regional baseball game ... grocery shopping and dinner planning for the week ... double meal prep on Saturday so I didn't have to worry about dinner on Sunday ... Church ... almost 7 dozen cookies baked and frosted ... all of this busyness ending with Sunday's what could have been a delicious dinner and the perfect ending to a great weekend on the concrete in a pile of glass {let us take a moment of silence for the lost life of the meatloaf, sigh} ... improtude dinner ... tears shed ... moment of exhaustion and defeat ... JUST. NEED. TO. GO. TO. BED. ZZZzzzz!

Then I awoke to a new day, read through my devotion ... which may or may not have been forced, either way I knew I needed to start there. With this I then followed through with my normal routine of rolling out of bed, turning on Pandora, and going about getting ready as normal. As the Saturday evening happenings started replaying in my mind, "Before the Crazy Kicks In" came on and I had that moment where I still wanted to be mad but you can't help but laugh! I have lived in these moments of the first few lines of these lyrics ... 

Here I go tip toe into the kitchen
And don't you know, crash goes the coffee cup
My only chance to be still and listen
Lord, don't let, don't let the kids wake up
A little time with You, the only way to get me through the day

While everybody's crazy looks different, my crazy today started with putting my hair gel on as lotion ... twice {WHAT?!?!?! it's always a good morning when you have to take 3 showers, right?}, we can all relate to the desire for things to go as planned, the satisfaction that you are doing this thing call life like a rockstar, and of course the longing for those quiet moments to just rest. 

So this morning after God and I had our little chuckle fest, I reminded myself that life needs to be tackled 1% at a time. Much like one step at a time. Do what you can in the moment. While some days will be aces and others nothing you want to have in the record books, but if you can change today by 1% then we have made a difference. 

Homemade Jalapeno Jelly

Last year's jalapeno crop did fairly well, but this year we've only had enough for the summer luxury of being able to walk out to our own garden and grab a jalapeno here diced for tacos, a few there for our delicious PB jalapeno burgers, and a handful every once in awhile for poppers.

only a small portion of the harvest :)

The in-law's garden, on the other hand, has been producing these about as readily as our garden has been producing cukes! So of course we have done some garden swapping; and I knew exactly what I was going to do with the first bucket full ... my MIL's borrowed recipe from Tried and Tasty.

Jalapeno Jelly

4 cups finely chopped jalapenos (2 dozen or so whole)

1 cup white vinegar

5 cups sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 box (1.75 oz) pectin

8 pint size mason jars with seals and rings

Halve and deseed peppers. Finely chop prepared peppers (food processor is an option, just be careful not to over chop). Combine everything in a saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat. Boil for 15 min or until 220 degrees (here's a great resource for when it comes to getting your jam to set correctly). Pour hot jelly into clean, hot pint jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Add seals and rings n. If water bathing is desired process for 10 minutes. 

Just a few disclaimers: 

1 - When working with jalapenos I would strongly encourage the use of rubber gloves. Now, I usually am TOO lazy to take note of my own tip although I'm fully aware of the hazards that can come with cutting up jalapenos; however, after the fact I almost always regret my lack of caution. You can be careful enough to maintain the oils from the jalapenos by touching NOTHING other than the jalapenos until you are completely done handling them AND wash your hands umpteen times while using a scrub brush to make sure you have gotten ALL of the oils out from under your nails (otherwise you will oh so be in pain the next morning when you go to put your contacts in) as wells as a final rinse using some milk and vinegar OR you could just use gloves. Needless to say, but after a few times of suffering to consequences I know have a pair of gloves specifically for cutting up jalapenos {SO much simpler and smarter}. 

2 - If you are dead 'set' :) on having your jam turn out, well, like jam, then the resources link in the above recipe is VERY helpful. The last two batches of jam I have made have not set as well as I would have liked primarily due to (again getting lazy or quite possibly because I didn't want to take the few extra minutes when it was already hours past my bedtime ... zzzz!) and not cooking it long enough. While I followed to time suggested in the recipe, I didn't follow the tale-tell sign that the jam has passed the sheet test. Both of these batches have not and will not go to waste and honestly we have become quite fond of the not-so-set jalapeno jelly as it allows for a few more options as a dip, as a topping, and as a spread.

<insert picture of final product ... not sure how I forgot to grab this one at the time, the final product pic is the easiest one!>

COST COMPARISON: homemade 8 oz jar - $0.70 vs. store bought 10 oz. jar - $4.49 ... yeah it's definitely worth it! Even if you buy new jars it's still only about $1.80 for a 8 oz. jar. 

Be More

 

Photo Credit: Wisdom 4Winning

Over these past couple weeks as we’ve transitioned back to the school routine and into yet another phase in this thing we call life, I’ve taken great notice in the responses of our kiddos.

Our sweet ‘n sassy trailblazer (#3) started kindergarten this year and as I watched the excitement continue to grow in the weeks before the first day of school, I was prepared for the enthusiasm she would take with her, but I could not have predicted just HOW MUCH this little girl had in her! As the Mr. captured one more picture of each one of the kiddos with the school bus fast approaching, he caught {in a single moment} every bit of happy that has ever run through this girl's veins.

Without one ounce of hesitation, she raced off to the school bus and fearlessly boarded with her big sister and big brother; and in a blink of an eye they were off and the mom thoughts started racing … I wondered how it was going, I wished I could be a fly on the wall to take in every candid moment that was taking place {I love catching the moments when they are completely unaware that somebody is watching, it’s during these times you can see straight into their tender hearts :)}, and I hoped her excitement would last FOREVER!

All morning while #4 and I anxiously awaited for the bus to bring them home, I caught myself taking multiple glimpses at this moment of sheer excitement and pondering how this priceless image truly captured what it meant to be childlike. Maybe the saying should be everything you ever need to know in life can be learned from a kindergartener… heehee! Well, on that day in that moment, our 5 year old did remind me of everything that is good and true in this world around us.

The first day of school has since been more than a few weeks ago and even since that moment, I have taken notice in my own reactions and emotions. It has made me realize that as our kids have gotten older and I have seen (in them) some of the not so pleasant side-effects of the way I react to situations and that I really needed work on reigning some of these in, like over-reacting in frustration, worry, disgust, anxiousness, impatience, fear, judgement (I say over-reacting because all of these emotions are normal and we all deal with them on a daily basis, so I have been very cognitive not to discount any of these emotions in myself or our kiddos because it’s not about minimizing or ignoring these but instead working through them and knowing how to handle them).

Nonetheless, as I have worked hard to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19) in order to set a better example for our kiddos in how to handle these more ‘negative’ emotions, there have been times when I have be slow to share in the joy, the happy, the fun, and the excitement when instead at times like this my reactions need to be immediate! 

Seeing of our baby girl's immediate reaction to her first day of school, hit my heart like a mother-load reminding me I need to make sure I never let go of the child within that is trusting, curious, natural, fearless, simple, resilient, forgiving, kind, guileless, happy, naïve, sincere, engaged, honest, frank, energetic, candid, fun-loving, innocent, artless, and unguarded. Of course, there will be times when life will try to stifle these, but in those moments be sure to let your child out and don't hold back!

Homemade Relish

With the garden in full swing and our kitchen counter looking like the produce aisle, I've been trying to bring purpose to every last veggie that has entered our home from our own garden or another's!

A couple weeks ago after making our first round of pickles this season, I had a bowl full of leftover cucumber chunks after needing to cut a few of my cucumbers to fit lengthwise in the jars, so I decided what better way to use these than some relish.

So I went a googling and found a recipe from Jim and Mary at Old World Garden Farms ... and to be quite honest it was 90% for the name of their farm and 10% for their recipe ;) Either way, they have an inspiring story and some delicious relish {and you know it's delicious when I can convince the Mr. to try it and he's up for trying it on his Chicago Dog!}.

Other than omitting the celery seed (only because it's a very prominent favor that's not overly appreciated by a few in the family) and having to improvise on the process because I was multitasking and didn't read the directions very well the first time through {whooooppsss!!!}, I followed their recipe to a 'T' and was very pleased with the process.

Homemade Sweet Relish

3 to 4 pounds of cucumbers (great resource for measuring vegetables without a scale)

1 onion

1/4 cup pickling salt

3 cups white vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated

2 teaspoons dill seed

2 teaspoons mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Cut cucumbers lengthwise and remove seeds. Chop cucumbers and onion in food processor, being careful not to over process them. In a glass bowl, combine chopped veggies and salt. Allow to sit for 2 hours. Strain liquid off, pressing to remove excess moisture. In stockpot bring remaining ingredients to a boil. Add veggies. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer relish to clean jars. Store in refrigerator for up to a month. Or can using a water bath for 10 minutes. Makes about 4 pint size jars. 

Cost comparison: 

Price per jar - $1.11 homemade vs. $1.49 for store bought

For 1st timers (based off of Meijer Prices) 

cucumbers - free or ~$3

onion - $1.19

pickling salt - $1.59

vinegar - $2.69

garlic - $0.50

dill seed - $3.49

mustard seed - $2.49

turmeric - $5.89

pint mason jars w/lid - $7.69 12 ct. 

TOTAL - $23.53 not including cost for cucumbers before tax

For next time, I will try using the celery seed and maybe cider vinegar instead of white. 

Homemade Celery Salt

Who uses that? Anybody? Well, we have never but will be now.

The other day I ran across those amazing Chicago Poppy Seed Buns and I instantly started reminiscing and craving the Chicago Style Dogs I always enjoyed at the ballpark when the Mr. coached in a collegiate summer league before the kiddos came along. SO of course what was my first instinct? To start googling Chicago Style Dogs and what all goes on them!

I knew the basics: poppy seed bun, hotdog, onion, relish, pickle, tomatoes, but I knew there was something special ... like a secret ingredient and sure enough there was! Any guesses? That's right ... CELERY SALT. 

Well of course, I didn't have any of this on hand BUT I did have some celery seed from over ten years ago {sad, I know, but herbs and seasonings can be outrageously priced so it pains me to throw them out and really do they ever go bad?!? if they do, please do not share this with me ... I am okay staying naive in this area. hehehe!} so I figured it was worth a try. After a quick google search, I realized it was as simple as celery seed and salt ground up.

  Homemade Celery Salt

1 part celery seeds

1 part salt

Grind in a mortar and pestle until fine. 

 This is a great job for the kiddos. "Is that good enough, mom?" "No, keep going ... a little more ... take turns." You get the idea ;)

And then of course there's the Chicago Style Hotdog complete with garden fresh tomatoes, banana peppers, homemade relish, homemade pickles, and a dash (yes, only a dash ... too much of a good thing isn't always a good thing!) of homemade celery salt. 

And every one of our kiddos where 100% on board with loading their dog up just like this and devoured the whole thing! 

Marinated Pork Burgers

WOW ... it's been WAY TOO LONG!!! There's nothing really outrageous or out of the norm about tonight's post but I promised myself I was going to get back in the swing again since the summer is almost to an end {que the tears or the celebrations ... I know there are always these two extremes that come with the mention of school starting back up}. We are a split household here with a current teacher, a former teacher (who is only slightly ready for a normal routine ... if there ever is such a thing in a family of 6, BAHAHAHAH!), two returning to school, and one getting ready to start kindergarten so we are a prime example of both of these! 

So like I said, I was bound and determined to get a post in and since an evening that involves a home cooked meal (other than frozen pizza, lunch meat sandwiches, or hot dogs) as been few and far between on these summer nights, I decided my efforts for dinner was post worthy ... even if it was just to get writing again!

First was my detailed (not even close) meal planning which consisted of grabbing the local grocery store ad to see what meat was on sale AND would be quick. At $1.99/lb ... pork burgers it was. On a fly-by to the grocery store on the way home from dropping #1 off at open gym it was in and out to grab the pork burgers and some buns {and of course along with a few other items, because really how often do you exit a grocery store with ONLY what you went in for ... for me it's rarely! Unless I have done my homework and my mealing planning is spot on which SO has not been the case this summer :) }. Best part about the pork burgers, they were from Steidinger Foods in Fairbury, IL. OH YEAH! I am going allow myself a little proud moment here since my maternal grandma was a Steidinger from Fairbury, which makes these pretty much from family AND absolutely delish!!!

Marinated Pork Burgers

12 pork burger patties

2 to 3 cups open pit barbeque sauce

1/2 to 1 cup honey

buns

Preheat grill. In a grill-safe pan (foil-lined optional), mix the open pit barbeque sauce and honey. Place pan with marinade on preheated grill. Grill pork burgers until fully cooked. As each one is finished cooking, add it to the marinate pan and let simmer for a 5-10 minutes. Remove marinated pork burgers from the pan to a serving dish as needed to make room the remaining burgers. Cover with foil until ready to eat. Enjoy marinated pork burger on a bun of your choice. 

Along with a side of steak fries and fresh cucumbers, we can call it a complete meal. YUM!!

COST - 

Pork Burgers - $6.23

Buns - $1.50

Honey - about $1.25

Open Pit - about $0.75

Cucumber - $1.01

Steak Fries - $1.80

TOTAL - about $12.50 for complete meal

Feeding Capacity - 4 adults and 4 kids 

Strawberry Topping

Strawberry Topping

It's the time of year for strawberries and ice cream! But the best part about this stuff  sauce topping {sure wished I could come up with something more fun for a name:) }, we've used it on our PBJs, waffles, Grammy Lou Lou pancakes (aka skinny pancakes ... almost like a crepe), and ice cream. 

This is really just a variation from my Pectin-Free Strawberry Jam but I combined it with the Happy Money Saver's "Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam" recipe admittedly because there's just something about using a recipe that has 'old fashioned' in the title :)

I started with about 2 pounds of strawberries and we ended up with 12 - 8 ounce jars. For the fresh berries, sugar, jars, lids, and rings the total cost was under $20 and didn't take much more than a few hours ... both well spent in my book.

I made this batch just over a month ago and as you can see, some of our first batch made their way to into being a cute gift for some 'berry' special people in our lives :) Due to my days as the student council advisor and one of our council's jobs being teacher appreciation week, I just can get enough of all the punny sayings!

Breathe

I missed last week and I was hoping to get something up on the blog tonight but the post I've been working on just isn't ready, so it's going to have to wait. But I can't go another week without acknowledging an amazing feat we have been able to be part of these past few months. 

Our baseball family has been on quite a journey over this postseason as they brought home the 2^nd place Class 2A IHSA State Baseball trophy on Saturday, the first state baseball trophy ever in school history ... such an exciting time! So proud of these young men, sad to think this same family will not play ball together again, yet excited to think what next baseball season will bring!

I have to send a HUGE thank you to all the support that was poured into this baseball family of ours from the parents, the community, former players, and the list goes on! It truly is a family and it just keeps growing, each year births a new group of young men we get to share our lives with and although the season may only last just over 3 months they are forever a part of who we are. These guys give their heart and soul, day in an day out!

I wish I could type more but my emotions, my patience, and my attention span are shot, my reserve tank is on empty, and I have officially crashed from my adrenaline rush from these past few months. Apologies to anybody that had to deal with me over these past few days because I know I was not all with it! I feel the need to add that if you happened to see me and I seemed to be cool and calm on the surface that was only Jesus's love encompassing me and holding me together because underneath I was an emotional wreck ... all that is good within me comes from Him and I can take no credit!

Homemade Steak Seasoning

Steak seasoning was a great post for this week since I've been wanting to share my recipe for my cashew chicken and steak seasoning is my secret ingredient for the butter sauce I make to drizzle on top of our fresh steamed green beans and cashew chicken with rice. 

The secret ingredient was discovered by complete accident when I tried to remember {my memory is terrible when it comes to remembering how I make something ... which is one of the main reasons for starting this blog in the first place!} a recipe for Outback green beans off of Pinterest that I had made multiple times, but was too lazy to pull it up. I knew there was one ingredient I always had to substitute for and for whatever reason steak seasoning was what I thought I always used. 

My go to steak seasoning is of course from Aldi, 1) because it's inexpensive and 2) because it's  delish so here is my first attempt at coming up with a recipe that compares to this!

Homemade Steak Seasoning

2 tablespoons salt (coarse salt or sea salt is best)

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper

1/2 tablespoon crushed dill seed

1 teaspoon cumin or 1 tablespoon crushed coriander

1 teaspoon crushed celery seed or 1 tablespoon fennel

1/2  teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

Now for the cashew chicken. I do have to admit this is usually a throw together meal but the basics are the same and it's easy to tweak to your own liking! I also have two version detailed {when I don't have the basics} and simple {when I do}. 

Homemade Cashew Chicken - detailed

Rice - 
3 cups long grain white rice

5 cups water

Put water in sauce pan. Bring to boil. Add rice. Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes until majority of the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. I always go for a moister rice. 

Chicken -

2 tbsp olive oil

2 chicken breast

8 ounces cashew halves

1 1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water 

   + 1 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch

4 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoon rice vinegar (wine vinegar or regular vinegar would work just fine)

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoon honey

2 cloves of garlic, finely grated or minced

1/2  teaspoon hot sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toast cashews for 5—6 minutes. Split and slice chicken breast. Heat oil in pan and fry until fully cooked. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl. Add sauce and toasted cashews to skillet and cook for 5 minutes. 

Butter Sauce

8 tbsp butter

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon steak seasoning

1 tbsp worchestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic

½  tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Melt butter in sauce pan. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. 


Serve chicken and cashews over rice drizzle with butter sauce. A side of fresh steamed green beans is always a must for us. :) 

Simple Cashew Chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

2 chicken breast

8 ounces cashew halves

1 to 1 1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 to 1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (optional - usually make my own, but recently just found some at Aldi and tried it out) 

1/4 cup oyster sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toast cashews for 5—6 minutes. Split and slice chicken breast. Heat oil in pan and fry until fully cooked. Add remaining ingredients and toasted cashews to skillet, stir,  and cook for 5 minutes.

We aren't big rice (or pasta) eaters around here, but this meal as become a favorite ... especially since my accidental steak seasoning mix-up :)!