We Like Making Our Own Stuff

Another summer has come and almost gone here in central Wisconsin.  The night temperatures are now regularly dipping into the 40's, signaling the impending arrival of fall.  This summer has proved to be challenging, mainly because we've hardly gotten any rainfall!  Thankfully, our area is only considered to be "Abnormally Dry," so it could have been much worse. However, we were still forced to water quite a bit this year, and many of our garden plants did not do as well as we had hoped--most notably the squashy plants, like the pumpkins, butternut, zucchini, and crookneck.  These plants are finally setting fruit, but I have my doubts as to whether or not they will reach maturity before it gets frosty. But what may have saved the rest of the garden was our wash water and other gray water saved from the house.  My husband has rigged the washer machine discharge hose up to some large barrels outside; the water is then pumped through a hose and into the garden....

This cheese dip recipe is always a favorite at family functions and potlucks, and is so easy to make.  It comes from, of all places, the owner's manual of my Kitchen Selectives slow cooker (though I have modified it slightly).  It can be served with chips, veggies, pretzels, or anything else you can think of to dip in.  Also, this recipe is easily doubled if you'd like a bigger batch. Crock Pot Cheese Dip (Printable Version Click Here) Ingredients: 2 cans (4 oz. each) diced green chilies 4 green onions, sliced 1/4 cup salsa 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Jack cheese 1 cup sour cream 3 ounces cream cheese Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on high for 1 to 2 hours, until melted and hot.  Stir before serving.  Serve on low heat, stirring occasionally. Additions/modifications: Add 1/4 pound cooked ground beef Try different types of cheeses, such as mozzarella, Pepper Jack, or muenst...

Those taco shells you get out of a box are okay I guess, but if you want something really fresh and delicious tasting, you need to try making your own from scratch!  Making tortillas is not as labor intensive as it may sound, and it requires very little in the way of ingredients (three ingredients to be exact). And not only are there few ingredients, as far as equipment goes, you can get away with what you have on hand if needed.  Now, you can use a tortilla press if you have one--they do speed up the process--however, a tortilla press is not a necessity.  You can use a rolling pin, or just smash each tortilla under a large, heavy plate.  Whichever method you choose, you will find that sandwiching the dough between two pieces of lightly greased (I used coconut oil) parchment paper will work well for flattening your tortillas and preventing them from sticking.  And as far as cooking the tortillas, I prefer to use my cast iron pan, but any pan...

Whether you grow your own beans, or would just like to save money by buying dried beans, freezing cooked beans, legumes, and lentils is a great idea.  It is as convenient as having a can of beans in your pantry, only less expensive !  It's a bit more work to prepare, but the savings are worth it in my opinion. When I grow my own beans, such as black beans, I will allow the beans to stay on the plants in their pods until the pods have turned yellow and crumble easily.  I have learned the hard way not to wait too long to harvest the beans--if you leave them on the plant for too long, the pods will split open, and your precious beans will be on the ground.  Great if you want them to self-seed, but not so awesome if you were planning on storing them for food use! These black beans have a ways to go before they are ready to harvest . Purchasing Dried Beans If you are not growing your own beans, you can purchase dried beans from many sour...

Beans, beans the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you...  Well, you know how it goes. Despite all the silly poems out there about beans making you "musical," I went ahead and planted some in the garden this year (it helps that I found out adding a pinch of baking soda to the water when you soak them will alleviate some of your "musical" talent).  I have black beans and tongue-of-fire beans planted, and they are currently growing quite nicely. Since I will have some fresh beans from the garden, I started searching for recipes to use them.  I found a site called Frugal Granola that had some really great recipes.  I found this recipe, that included not only black beans, but many other veggies and herbs that we have in our garden. Black Bean Wraps 1 Cup cooked black beans 1 Cup diced fresh tomatoes 1 Cup fresh corn 1 cucumber, diced 1/4 Cup diced red onion 1/2 Cup diced bell peppers 1/4 Cup chopped herbs (fresh basil, cilantro, parsl...