Kitchen Know Hows: Cooking Pinto Beans

In the south, we love pinto beans. We love them with onions and ketchup on top. We like eating them with cornbread and cole slaw. We like them in chili beans and taco soup. Pinto beans in a can are okay, but they are much better and healthier if you start with dry pinto beans. The only problem is how to cook the perfect pinto bean. 

It has taken me years to perfect the perfect cooking method for pinto beans. I have tried many ways of soaking them. I have followed the advice of the older women in my life. I have read other professional cooks advice and tried it. I have researched ways on the internet and tried them, but the pintos never came out just right. They were either mushy or still hard as a rock. However, over the past year, I have found the method that works for me. 

Here is my method for cooking pinto beans and what you will need. 

• dry pinto beans
• a large bowl to wash them in
• a large bowl to soak them in
• a large pot ~ preferably a cast iron or enamel pot

Pour the amount of pintos you want into a large bowl. Fill with water and stir a little. Hand full by hand full lift pintos out of bowl looking for blemished pintos and sorting out the broken beans, then place in the other large bowl. 

When the pintos have been washed and placed in the other bowl, pour water into the bowl making sure the pintos are covered with 1 to 2inches of water. Soak for 8 hours. 

After 8 hours, pour the pintos and water into a colander to drain off the water, then rinse off the pintos with clean water. Pour the pintos in the large pot. Cover the beans with 1 to 2 inches of clean water. Place pot on a burner and turn on high to bring the pintos to a boil. When they come to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with the lid. Let the pintos simmer for an hour and a half. After a hour and a half, remove the pot from the burner and allow them to sit for 30 minutes, then you will have the perfect pintos to eat or add to a dish. 

This is the best way I have found to cook pinto beans. If you have a foolproof method or a tried and true method, I would love to hear it. I have found my way to be the best for me, but the pintos can still turn out mushy. So I am forever looking for ways to perfect pintos! 

Living life simply and enjoying simple dishes like pinto beans and cornbread! Enjoy!

Kitchen Know How's: Charring Bell Peppers

Over the next few days, I am going to share some kitchen know how posts. These are know hows are just simple little things that any wife and home cook should know how to do. Some of them, I have just recently learned myself. I also have a board on Pinterest filled with charts, measurements, ideas, and tips that have I saved to help me run my kitchen more efficiently ~ Kitchen Know Hows.

For years, I have watched people on their cooking shows char bell peppers on their gas stove top. They talked about the flavors its brings out in the peppers and that charring was a good way to help reduce the indigestion factor that is common with bell peppers. This was a great interest to me, because bell peppers is one of the things that cause DH to have indigestion and we eat a lot of them. The only problem was we didn't have a gas stove and I really didn't know that it could be done any other way. However, one day while watching "Pati's Mexican Table" the solution to my dilemma was solved by Pati Jinich. She said if you didn't have a gas stove you could char bell peppers under the broiler in your oven. A solution so simple, I am ashamed I didn't think of it. 

I was learning all of this as last fall as our bell peppers in the garden really started coming in. So I set about roasting peppers. It was surprisingly easy to do. It also did help cut down on some of DH's indigestion problem. 

Here is what you will need: 

• bell peppers
• a baking sheet 
• a baking pan that will fit over the baking sheet
• tongs to turn peppers with

To start with, you will need to turn the broiler on in your oven and get it good and hot. 

Wash off your peppers and arrange them on the baking sheet. When the broiler is up to temp, place the baking sheet in the oven. When the peppers turn black on the side facing up, turn them over using the tongs. When the peppers are charred black on all sides, remove them from the oven, then place the baking pan over the top of them for about 10 minutes. This helps them to sweat and will allow the thin skin on the outside to easily peeled or wiped off. 

All charred and ready to be sweated.

A pepper mostly peeled. 

When the thin skin is removed, slice the pepper in half to remove the seeds. They will come out easily by using a knife to scrap them out. 

Now the pepper is ready to be sliced and used in any dish. Or sliced to be put in a freezer container for use in the future. 

All sliced and ready to use.

Charring peppers do enhance their flavor and give the dish a hint of a smoky taste, which I like. Charring also seems to have reduce DH's indigestion a little. It is an easy thing to do and can be done when you are doing other things in the kitchen. Charring peppers is just one of those simple kitchen know hows every wife should know how to do!

Our Garden/Storage Shed And Cat House

Our garden/storage shed and cat house was once attached to our old mobile home and served as our laundry room. When we moved into our new home, DH saved our laundry room and with the help of my daddy attached to our outside storage shed, creating a bigger building with two separate sides. The old laundry became my garden/storage shed and the other building became the lawn mower shed. Years later when our rescue kitties came into our lives, it became their house where they sleep at night tucked safe away from the coyotes. With the help of DH's carpenter skills and my organizational skills, our garden shed has become a very functional tool in the caring of our simple home place. So today, I thought I would give you tour of the shed and how we organized it to work for us.

As you walk through the door, you will see a set of black metal storage shelves. We had used them in our old laundry room and were a perfect fit for our shed. I use these shelves to store a variety of items. I use various items to contain items. On the top shelf, you will see a coke crate full of small clay pots. We have an old radio to use outside. This is also where I store the cats canned food, which they get every night when I call them in for the night. The next shelf holds old glass bottles and other glass containers for fresh flowers to put the house. I have some of the small repurposed containers standing in old cake pans. I put old towels in the bottom to help them not wobble around too much.

The next shelf has seeds containers and gift wrapping supplies on it. I also have plastic containers that can be used for various things. The wooden box holds citronella candles for when we host an event outside in the summer. The pink crated holds old towels, sheets, and blankets. The cardboard box holds old dish cloths, kitchen towels, cloth napkins, hand towels, and wash cloths to be used for whatever they may be needed for.  

The bottom shelf is full of old coke crates that hold old sheets and pillowcases. It also house our rash can. A bucket for any leftover garden soil I haven't used, yet, and a bucket to hold the scooped litter from the kitties litter boxes. I have an old clothes basket stuffed full of old linens to provide a cozy spot for the kitties to curl up in. 

 

Underneath the window, between the black shelves, and the storage shelves DH built, he built me a potting table. As with most other areas I use, I have made it pretty and filled it with things that mean something to me. 

My sweet niece gave me the "Live, Laugh, Love" sign that is attached to the window, for my birthday last year. I love how it compliments the area ~ color, birds, and all. I found a pretty water can that sits on the window sill all year round. DH nailed some nails into the wall that separates the storage shelving from my table, so I could hang up all of my garden tools. 

On the right side of the table top, I have flower pots DD has given me as presents over the years. The watermelon one holds measuring spoons for measuring out flower food, etc. The bigger blue one holds garden markers I use to mark the veggies I sowed. The other small pot holds the cats' hair brush. 

On the left side of the table, I have two flower pots stacked on top of each other. The colors really don't well in our home, so I use them for tool storage. I lined the top one with old kitchen towels, then added my pruning scissors, pruning shears, and a other little items. Other either side are things I won when we were playing cards. I like candles in place I may need to see if the power goes out. The other jar holds a pair of old scissors and pencils. The little butterfly sat in my childhood room and just seemed to find a new home on my potting table. 

The potting table has a shelf where I have plastic storage containers that hold miscellaneous items and all of the baskets I use for gardening. The basket on the bottom with the orange towel in it is the basket I carry around with me as I work. I place all of my tools in it, as well as old hand towels to wipe dirty hand on and a bigger towel to place on the ground when I need to sit. The other baskets are what I carry to the garden when I gather produce. Below the shelf is an old toy scooter that belong to my brother. I am not sure how I wound up with it, but I put it to good use by storing Seven Dust, Miracle Grow, and clay pots one. The big white bucket holds dry cat food, which they nibble on all day long.

 

The storage shelves DH built are sturdy and hold a lot of boxes and tubs. All of our Christmas, winter, Easter, and fall decorations are stored here. The lowest shelf holds tubs that are covered with old towels, because the kitties like to sleep on top of them.  

DH's part of the storage shelves is much smaller than mine, but they contain a lot of items. His side doesn't always look that neat. I straightened them up before I took pictures. You can also see the cat have use of part of his shelves too. 

In the bottom picture, you can see a clean litter box and a little red wagon lined with blankets. I try to provide a lot of comfy, different places for the kitties to sleep. Underneath the wagon is another basket full of linens for them. In the right corner, you can see a little bit of white showing. It is my old play table that we keep around in case we need it. I store buckets and containers underneath it. I also separate the cats plates when I feed them at night. Miss Bashful gets her plate on top the table. Miss Cooper gets her plate underneath the table. 

I truly believe in decorating and making the places you use a lot pretty and meaningful. It makes work a little less of a chore when you are happy to be there. I even add decorative touches to the door of this room for different holidays. During the summer, I have a cute little welcome sign on it that puts a smile on my face. 

Well, that completes the tour of our garden/storage shed and cat house. This little shed and the pretty inside are just a simply good place to have at you disposal!

A Peek Inside Our Refrigerators Or Frigs

Yesterday, I showed you a peek at what I keep in my pocketbook. In keeping with that theme, I am going to share the inside of our frigs. We have two of them; one in the kitchen and one in the laundry room. 

This is our freezer section of the frig in the kitchen. It isn't usually this empty, but I have been trying to use as much as I could out of it to help save on the grocery bill. I will have to restock soon.

Door of the freezer. I have gotten lazy and stopped making Italian Bread. We don't eat as much as we use to and it is just easier to warm up a bread stick. I buy biscuits for the simple fact that I can NOT make biscuits. They never turn out tight, never. Bottom shelf contains walnuts, frozen coconut for a coconut cream pie I am making this weekend. There is meat in the Ziploc bags; a roasted pork tender lion and baked chicken.

Door of the refrigerator section. The door is where I store our eggs, butter dishes, soft butter, pickles, jams, jellies, bacon bits, and...

other condiments. Yes, we use all of these regularly.

The shelf above is what I think is called the meat drawer. It usually holds our leftovers in Pyrex containers, and fruit that DH takes to work and DD eats for breakfast. The Laughing Cow Cheese is mine. The half empty applesauce cup is Miss Oakley's. Somehow, I missed taking a pic of what was in the meat drawer and no, it isn't meat. I keep the extra butter, the slice cheese, and blocks of cheese in there.

The drink shelf beside the meat drawer.

The middles shelf and bottom shelf. More leftovers, bacon thawing for supper, salad, salad spinner full of lettuce from our garden, and a sandwich from the deli at our local store for my lunch.

In the crisper drawers are carrots, peppers, and a cucumber hidden underneath the pepper pack to prevent it from freezing.

The other drawer only has grapes in it this week.

This is the freezer door in the frig in the laundry room. The ice packs are for our work lunchboxes and the fabric thing is a herbal wrap for neck or shoulders. You can warm it up in the microwave, too.

The freezer section. This is where I store all the foods I put up and freeze from the garden and where I store leftovers to use in other meals; as well as some meats. It is emptier than it has been in a while. However, as soon as our peas start coming in, it will fill back up. There are also trays for making ice.

The door of the frig is used to store extra blocks of cheese, a container for eggs, and DH's Slim Fast,...

as well as other bottled drinks for DD's lunches.

This is the middle shelf and bottom shelf. The pan is to put meat in that we are thawing out in. We keep plenty of bottled water on hand and yes, all we drink is Cheerwine or water. I keep any extra fruit in here like the watermelon. Missed taking a pic of the top shelf, but is where I store all of our extra eggs and other items like blocks of cream cheese.

Well, that is a peek inside of our frigs and their freezers. The frigs aren't usually that full and our freezers aren't usually that empty. I took these pics right after I got groceries and I have been trying to use what we had in the freezer for meals.  To answer you next question, yes, they are always that neat, well, most of the time, anyway. That is how I roll and what my OCD tendencies demand. What's in your frig?

Living life simply and blessed by doing so!  

Simple Organized: The Rainbow Organizer & Other Closet Organizing Tips

Who knew the colors of the rainbow could become an organizing tool? If you think about it, most clothes stores use the colors of the rainbow in their displays.  The arrangement of the colors catches the eye and is found to be attractive. Using the same technique in your closet will not only be pleasing to your eyes, it will also help you plan outfits a lot easier. Arranging your clothes by the colors of the rainbow makes it a breeze to put them away and find them.

Another great and practical organizing tip, that most everyone uses already, is hanging the same items of clothing together. Hang all of your pants together, all of your shirts, skirts, etc., etc. I go a step further in my closet, which I will explain shortly.

Here is how I go about arranging my clothes in my closet: 

My side of the closet. (Notice all of the white hangers.)

When arranging my clothes by colors of the rainbow, I start with all of my whites and work my way to violet. This is the order I use: white, browns, grays, blacks, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples. In putting my pants in order by color, I arrange them from lighter hues to darker hues. I hang all of my capris of a particular color together then all of my long pants. I try to hang all of my jeans together then all of my jogging pants.  After my pants, I have all of my shirts. My shirts are arranged from darker hues to lighter hues. I start with all of my short sleeves, then my long sleeve shirts and 3/4 length sleeve shirts. My sweat shirts come next.  My skirts and dresses are arranged in the same way.

DH's side of the closet.

On DH's side of the closet, things are a little different but still arranged by color. I hang all of his sweat pants together, then his jeans, then his dress pants. His shirts are arranged by knit shirts, dress shirts, then sweat shirts. His suits come next. 

I know all of these tips may seem excessive and the rantings of an OCD addict, but they are proven tips and techniques used by me for a long time and by other people who teach organization for a living.  All of these tips make it ease for me to put away clothes because I know exactly where their place is. It also makes it easy to find an item of clothing I am looking for. So, if you aren't using any of these techniques and tips, give them a try and see how much easier it makes your life.

Anything that can save me a little time is a simply perfect thing for me!  

Simply Organized: Plastic Colored Hangers

DH has a big laugh over this next tip I am going to share. He says it is proof that my OCD is out of control, but it really has helped me with the laundry. My next tip to keeping organized in plastic colored hangers, a color for each of the kids and one for the parents.

Here is how it works at our house. DH and I have white plastic hangers for our clothes. DD has blue plastic hangers for her clothes. Each of us are responsible for seeing that our empty hangers get to the laundry room. As I am getting clothes out the dryer, I put them on their hangers. If I don't have a hanger for an item of clothes, I know which closet to go to look for the hanger. If we all used the same colored of hangers, it is possible I would have to make two trips to both of our closets to find the empty hanger. With colored hangers, I know which closet to go, thus saving myself some time.  

This idea happened by accident. I wanted to find an alternative to wire hangers. I hate wire hangers. They don't hold their shape. They are easy to bend. They leave odd bumps and humps in somethings. They were easy to get tangled up and I was just tried of dealing with them. So, I started looking for other types of hangers. I found these Mainstay plastic hangers at Walmart, tried them, and liked them. Over the next few months, I started buying hangers for DH and I. When all of ours were replaced, I started buying DD some. I choose blue for the color of her room. Little did I know that buying her a different color hanger would be a time saver for me. 

I know this could become an expensive project for a big family. To make it a little less costly, you buy a different colored hanger for each closet instead of each child. Also, it doesn't have to happen all at once. It took me several months of buying hangers when I had a few extra dollars. 

This colored system of hangers really works well for me. It has saved me time when I have to go hunt down hangers to hang something on. Plastic hangers are simply a good thing when it comes to organizing!  

Simply Organized: Plastic Shoe Boxes

When you live in a double wide mobile home, storage space can be an issue. So you learn how to organize the spaces in ways to maximize on the space you have. Plastic shoe boxes are one of those ways we maximize our space. 

We have a big closet in our master suite, but it doesn't have a lot of shelving and the floor space is being used. That lack of shelving and floor space forced to get creative when it came to finding space for shoes. DH solved his shoes storage space by keeping the under the bed he sleeps in. That left my shoes. 

The solution I came up with was plastic shoe boxes from Walmart. They are relatively inexpensive and sturdy. I use the 6 quart size, which my shoes fit in nicely. Of course, I don't wear high heels. If I did, I would use the 12 quart size. The 6 quart is about $2.00 and the 12 quart is about $3.00. I don't have a lot of shoes, so I didn't need a whole lot of the boxes. I also bought the over a period of time, when I had a few extra dollars. I also had some on hand, because these storage boxes are also good for storing Legos in. 

Most of my shoes, except for the 2 pairs of shoes I wear all the time, have their own box. They are stackable and don't take up a lot of room (especially the 6 quart ones.) An add plus is that any dirt or debris that may be left of the shoes after wearing them, will be contained in the box making any clean up easy. All you have to do is dump out the box next time you put on the shoe.

My plastic shoes boxes. They are stackable and keep things clean.

Plastic shoe boxes are just of those tools I use to keep our home simply organized!  

Getting Organized

When you run a household, staying organized just doesn't apply to schedules, making lists, and cleaning house. It also means keeping all the stuff you have organized. This essential for me because of my OCD tendencies. If our house and its stuff is organized, I feel calmer and at peace. If our house is in chaos, then I am in chaos. There is really something to the old adage ~ "A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place." 

With that being said, I am starting a new series on how I get organized. I will share some of the tips and techniques that I use that have worked well for me and helped me keep all our stuff organized and in its proper place. Some tips are so simple, but work so well. Some of the techniques will be things you may have heard of, but weren't sure they would work. Some of them may be so over the top that you might say ~ she has serious ODC problems. LOL! 

I would also love to hear from you. If you have a tip or a technique you use that makes storing your stuff and keeping it organized easy, I would love to hear from you. So, just leave me a comment and share them with me. 

Getting organized is simpler than you think!

My Cookbooks: Cook's Country Cookbook

The Cook's Country Cookbook has a really long title ~ The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Cookbook. It is based on the Cook's Country TV show that is shown on PBS stations. It is one of the newest cookbooks in my collection and one I have wanted for a long time. I received it as a Christmas present from my MIL & FIL. 

This cookbook contains all of the recipes from the tv show and is updated every year. I have the season 9 cookbook, which is the latest addition. The book also includes all of the features of the show; such as ingredient testing and equipment ratings. Some of the other interesting things in this book are short histories of how some of the recipes came to be. They also include helpful tips on how to avoid some of the pit falls that may come when making a particular recipe. Valuable tips on how to prepare certain ingredients can also be found. 

There is a great range of recipes in this book; from old fashion favorites to ones with international flare. Grilling recipes have a devoted section all to itself. Breakfast recipes can also be found. I recently fixed one of the breakfast recipes ~ a Dutch Baby Pancake. It was yummy and something a little different. I have many, many more recipes marked to try. 

The Cook's Country Cookbook is one of those cookbooks you will want to add to our collection. The recipes are easy to follow. They also provide reasons why the recipe will work and things to avoid. It is simply a good thing! 

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If you having been following along all week, I hope I have shared a cookbook that might be of interest and helpful to you. I would love to hear some feedback from you, so, please leave a comment. If you have a favorite cookbook, I would love to hear about it, too. Finding and trying new recipes is one of those simple pleasures for me!  

My Cookbooks: Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook was a Christmas present from my youngest BIL and I love it. It is so Martha. It is laid out beautifully and crammed full of baking know how, but you wouldn't expect anything less from Martha Stewart. 

The first few pages of the book contain general baking tips, baking equipment, and techniques. The equipment section has pictures and what each piece is used for. The same goes for the technique pages, plus great insight from Martha's years of baking. 

At the beginning of each the recipe sections, there is information and tips on how to bake that type of baked goods. What type of equipment needed to make that particular baked good is covered, as well as a variety of helpful tips. The instructions are very well laid out and go step by step. I have never had any problem following any of Martha's recipes(...well, I did once because I didn't read the recipe all the way through before starting. My bad!) and everything has turned out well. I have tried only one recipe from this book to date ~ Chocolate Scones ~ and we liked them. I have many, many more marked to try. Now, I just have to find the time to get to baking.

I can't recommend Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook enough. It would be a great gift for a new bride to be or the budding baker in your family. Martha's Baking Handbook, as she would say, is simply a good thing!  

My Cookbooks: Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook

I grew up reading the Little House books and watching "Little House On The Prairie" on tv. I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and the life she lived. I wanted to be a pioneer. So as an adult, I was thrilled when I came across "The Laura Ingalls Wider Country Cookbook." 

This cookbook is full of recipes that Laura fixed for her family from the things they grew on their farm. It also contains recipes using special ingredients that would have been expensive at the time, such as citrus fruits. All of the recipes are simple, hearty, country, home cooking. The potato pancake recipe I use comes from this cookbook. However, there is so much more to this cookbook, especially for a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. 

"The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook" is a book filled with stories about her life on the farm with Almanzo and Rose. It is full of pictures of their farm in Missouri. There are pictures of the inside of their home and pictures of their adventures around the farm. It talks about her writing for a local newspaper and how she would write down recipes on whatever she could put her hands on at the time. If you are a LIW fan, you will just enjoy reading this book. I have read it numerous times and will read it a few more times. It is simply a good thing! 

My Cookbooks: The Joy Of Cooking

If you are looking for an all purpose cookbook or a cookbook for a new bride, I highly recommend "The Joy Of Cooking." It is crammed full of valuable information and tons of recipes. First published in 1931, "The Joy Of Cooking" has been updated several times to reflect the current cooking knowledge. 

While I haven't used many of the recipes, this is my go to cookbook if I have a question on how to prepare something or how to cook/bake something. It has a whole section called ~ Know Your Ingredients. Here you can find 5 1/2 pages of equivalents and substitutions for common ingredients which is VERY helpful. This section also has measurement equivalents and conversion charts. You will also find tips on how to grow, harvest, dry, freeze, and use herbs, as well as how to use spices. Other chapters include; "The Foods We Eat", "Entertaining", and "Menus." 

As for recipes, you will find everything from drinks, to game, to pies, to cakes, to pickles, and relishes. I have a lot of recipes marked in here to try and even found a new favorite of ours homemade potato chips. There is a cheese blintzes recipe I want to try but I haven't worked up enough courage to try making crepes, yet. 

Not only is the cookbook a great tool to have on hand, there is also a "Joy Of Cooking" website that corresponds with the cookbook. Just don't expect to find all the recipes from the book on the site, however, you will find some new recipes thrown into the mix. It also has a ingredient and technique page you will find helpful. The site also gives a history of how the cookbook came to be and the history of it over the decades. It is one of those sites, you will want to bookmark for future reference.

"The Joy Of Cooking" has become a staple in my cookbook collection and in my cooking/baking efforts. I highly recommend it and think it is simply a good thing!  

I Love Cookbooks

I love cookbooks and not just for the recipes. I love to read them. They give insight to the history of recipes and the regions they come from. They also tell stories about the authors or surrounding how a recipe came to be. They also contain a lot of valuable information on different cooking techniques, tools for cooking/baking, and how to go about preparing certain cuts of meats. They are just a great resource to have on hand. They are also a great shower gift for a new bride to be. So all this week, I will be sharing some of my favorite, go to cookbooks. 

The books I will be sharing have helped me out a lot over the years as I grow in my cooking/baking skills. They have helped me branch out of my comfort zone to try new recipes and new techniques. Some of them, I love because of the story and history they tell. All of them I think would be welcomed by anyone that has a love for cooking/baking or a bride (or new couple) setting up a new household. All of them are simply perfect!

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Lime Marinade

Since we like Mexican inspired food, I am always looking for new recipes. My searching lead me to find this lime marinade in a owner's manual for the new Oster DuraCeramic Electric Skillet. (I am going to have to do a simply perfect product post on this electric skillet, because I love it.) The lime marinade is part of a recipe called Easy Beef Fajitas. If you like Mexican inspired food, you will like this recipe and will find other uses for it. Of course, I made changes to the recipe to fit our family's taste.

Lime Marinade

• juice of 2 limes
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1/4 tsp of salt (I used garlic salt and left out the minced garlic.)
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (I used less.)
• black pepper to taste 

Combine the ingredients above in a bowl. Add beef and allow to stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you use this to marinate chicken or fish, I wouldn't leave it at room temp. Drain meat and discard the marinade, then fix meat as desired. 

 

We weren't use to using a lot of lime in recipes, so we were pleasantly surprised by how good meat was marinated in it. Who knew lime marinade was simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Spice Rub For Pork Or Beef

McCormick use to make Southwest Marinate available in a pack that you added oil, water, and vinegar to. It made a delicious marinade for grilled pork chops. A few years ago, they stopped making it. So I started looking on the internet for a homemade replacement. I finally stumbled across this recipe and it is a very close match. It can be used as a rub or turned into a marinade. I have gone back and looked for the original recipe, but can't seem to find it, but this happens to be one of those recipes I really didn't make many changes to it. 

Spice Rub For Pork Or Beef

• 2 Tbsp of oil (I use olive oil.)
• 1 Tbsp of chili powder 
• 1/2 tsp of oregano
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper 
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1 tsp of garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp of cumin
• a few red pepper flakes (this is the one addition I made to the recipe.)

Stir together, cover and refrigerator for 15 minutes, then rub on the meat to coat all of it. 

 

We have tried this rub on a pork roast and it was good, but we really like it made into a marinade for pork chops. 

 

Spice Marinate

• all of the spice rub above
• 1/4 cup of oil (I use olive oil.)
• 2 Tbsp of white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp of water

Mix all the ingredients together, then add the meat to be marinated. Marinate for 30 minutes or longer for a deeper flavor. 

 

This spice rub is easy to make, can be used for pork or beef, and easily turned into a marinate. It is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Italian Dressing

While I don't like or use Italian dressing on my salad, I do like to marinate chicken that we are grilling in it. It helps keep the chicken moist and makes it very flavorful. We use to use Kraft's Tuscan House Italian Dressing (and still do in a pinch.) However in our continued effort to eat healthier, I went looking for a good homemade Italian dressing recipe. I found one at "The Family Homestead." Like most recipes, I have adjusted it to our taste. You can find the original recipe here. 

Italian Dressing

• 1/2 cup of olive oil (I use a little less than a 1/2 cup.)
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (I use a little less than a fourth of a cup.)
• 1/2 cup of water (I use a little more than a 1/2 cup.)
• 1 Tbsp of maple syrup (I use about a tbsp and a half.)
• basil, garlic salt, seasoning salt, onion powder, parsley, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes all to your taste

Mix all the ingredients together. If the olive oil taste is still too strong, add a little more water. 

 

I don't know how good this dressing in on a salad, but it awesome to marinate chicken in. I love making a big garden salad and topping it with grilled chicken marinated in this dressing. It is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: BBQ Sauce

DH and DD like to eat BarBQ pork sandwiches made out of a Boston Butt Pork Roast and BarBQ sauce. We also like chicken baked in BarBQ sauce. So when I started looking for alternatives to store bough, I came across this recipe on a fellow homeschool mom's website The Family Homestead. It is a good substitute, but as with any recipe, I adjusted it to our taste. 

BarBQ Sauce

• 6 oz. of tomato paste
• 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of ketchup 
• 2 tsp of dry mustard (I use yellow mustard.)
• 2 tsp of salt (I use garlic salt.)
• 1/2 tsp of chili powder 

Mix ingredients together in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to blend the flavors. 

 

In addition to the ingredients, I add a tsp of black pepper and a tsp of onion powder. I also use garlic salt instead of plain salt because I like the flavor of garlic. I also use yellow mustard instead of dry mustard. I just squirt two good squirts of it in with the rest of the ingredients. I also use a heaping 1/2 tsp of chili powder.

 

This BarBQ sauce is also good to make cocktail wienes in the crock pot. I just add a few tbsp of maple syrup to the mixture and I have even used strawberry syrup. They are always at hit at our holiday gatherings. 

 

Homemade BarBQ sauce is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Taco Seasoning

All this week I am going to share some of the miscellaneous recipes that add spice or seasoning to other dishes. Most of these are tried and true recipes that I have used for years. The very last one is one that I just came across recently. All of them have been a hit at our house. 

We eat a lot of Mexican inspired recipes, so we go through a lot of taco seasoning. As I began to try to cut out preservatives and chemicals out of the foods we ate, I started looking for an alternative to the store bought taco seasoning. I finally came across one that we like in a cookbook written by a homeschool mom know as Marmee Dear. The name of the book is "Martha's Family Cookery Book." It is easy to make and uses herbs and spices most people have in their cabinets. 

Taco Seasoning

• 6 tsp. of chili powder
• 2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I use garlic salt.)
• 4 1/2 tsp. of cumin
• 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
• 5 tsp. of paprika
• 3 tsp. of onion powder

In a bowl combine all of these ingredients. Store in an airtight container. This is a stronger mix than store bought packs, so add in small amounts to your taste. One store bought pack usually contains about 4 tbsp. 

The recipe calls for garlic powder, but I use garlic salt because I felt it needed more flavor. I also use less cayenne pepper than it calls for, because I can't take a lot of heat. Just adjust the amount to fit your family's taste. 

Homemade taco seasoning is simply a good thing!

How To Make An Easter Egg Cake

Maybe, I should clarify the title. I am going to tell you how to make what I call an Easter Egg Cake, but it isn't one you can eat. It is an easy, yet pretty way to add to your Easter decorations. I have mine sitting in the middle of our dining table and have received a lot of compliments for it. I can't take the credit for the idea, because it was a Pinterest pin that inspired me to create my own. 

This is my version of the Pinterest pin that I call an Easter Egg Cake.

Here is what you will need:

• A clear glass cake plate or cake stand.
• A clear glass cake dome that will fit your cake plate or stand. 
• Easter grass used for Easter baskets of some kind. (I like the crinkle cut shredded paper from Hobby Lobby.) 
• Various sorts of Easter eggs, in all sizes. (I used styrofoam glitter eggs in all sizes. Some I bought from Hobby Lobby. Others from AC Moore's.)

First step is to turn the cake dome upside down and put a little grass in the bottom. 

Next, add a layer of eggs.

Add more grass and then more eggs, until you fill up the cake dome up almost to the top.

Finish it off with another layer of grass to the top of the cake dome. 

Now flip the cake dome onto the plate or the stand and your Easter Egg Cake is finished. 

I just love simple decorations like this that you can make using things you have on hand and ones that you spend very little money on. I think this Easter Egg Cake is simply beautiful! 

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If you decide to make one, let me know how it turns out! 

How To Make A Cross Cake

If you are like me, holidays mean family gatherings and food. These gatherings give me a chance to try out new recipes or come up with creative dishes or desserts. However, creative can often mean time consuming. So, if you are looking for something easy yet creative to take to a family gathering this coming Easter weekend, then this cross cake may be right for you. 

You will need to bake a cake in a 9" X 13" cake pan. I used my favorite white cake recipe. It makes a very thin cake which works really well for the construction of the cross. Let the cake cool completely before cutting it up and decorating it.

When the cake is cool, cut in half lengthwise. Next cut of the halves into 2 pieces; making one 2 inch piece and one 11 inch piece.

On a big piece of cake board, place the uncut piece vertically near the bottom. Next take the 11 inch piece and place at the top end of the vertical piece perpendicular so it is evenly spaced on either side.  Take the 2 inch piece on top of the perpendicular piece so it is in line with the vertical piece.

Now that the cross is assembled, it can be iced and decorated. I use icing on all the ends where the pieces meet, so it will help them stick together to help the cake maintain its shape. 

A cross cake is simple to make but still pretty and appropriate for this upcoming Easter holiday!