We Like Making Our Own Stuff

Since we love homemade ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and salsa (okay, well I love salsa anyway), tomatoes have become one of our favorite garden plants.  It's so nice having some garden tomatoes in the freezer to cook with all winter long--say, for some good Italian or Mexican food. Since we use lots and lots of tomatoes, it means we must also grow lots and lots of tomatoes.  Growing so many tomato plants, we have always been presented with the problem of what to use for cages or trellises.  You see, tomato plants can grow to be quite large and heavy, which means that if you have no support for your plants, the fruits will wind up developing on the ground--leading to rotting, slug infested tomatoes!  There is nothing more disappointing than having to throw away half of your tomato harvest because pests got to them. Tomato plants that are kept up off the ground typically have better yields, less instance of disease and pest infestation, and are easier to harvest, so w...

Another small batch recipe was in order when my husband and I recently celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary.  I wanted to make him some goodies, just not too many of them! Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting Yield:  1 dozen cookies Cookie Ingredients: 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter 1/4 cup plain yogurt 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon baking soda Frosting Ingredients: 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup butter 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons milk Directions: 1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 2.  In a medium bowl, cream together sugar and coconut oil.  Mix in yogurt and vanilla. 3.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients to the medium bowl and mix well. 4.  Shape the dough into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for an hour or more.  This will make the dough easier to handle for rolling...