We Like Making Our Own Stuff

Good day We Like Making Our Own Stuff readers; long time no see! Today, I want to share with you my new favorite breakfast.  If you are attempting to eat a more traditional diet, trying to cut out processed foods, or just looking for something different, yet delicious, for breakfast, then this recipe is for you.  Sometimes, I get a little tired of eating eggs (please don't tell my hens I said that), and a little sweetness in the morning is nice once in a while. This recipe is very flexible as far as ingredients and toppings go.  It can be adjusted to fit many types of eating styles--Paleo, Whole30, Nourishing Traditions, autoimmune, gluten-free, etc...  But, you don't need to be following a special eating plan to enjoy this breakfast, because it is delicious ! Warm Butternut Squash Breakfast Porridge topped with cream, raspberries, sliced almonds, and granola.

Squash season will soon be upon us. Yellow Crookneck Squash The time will come when I will make my daily trek out to the garden and be delighted to see that my first yellow crooknecks and zucchinis  are ready for picking...and then there will be more the next day, and the next, and the next. It will eventually get to the point where I have grown weary of eating squash sauteed in butter, I've frozen enough of it to last me the winter, and even dehydrated thin slices of it into chips, and still, it continues to produce, and begs for me to pick it. Which is why I wanted to share this recipe--it was a winner (even my oldest son, who is not much into squash, said that it was good). Summer Squash and Wild Rice Casserole

Children love to forage and collect "treasures."  Send them outside with a basket, in search of all kinds of nature's trinkets: pine cones twigs seed pods leaves stems flowers rocks feathers shells moss The list goes on... Once the children have collected a pretty good haul of Mother Nature's gems, you can use them to make a nature collage: The collage can be a free-flowing, abstract piece, or might make more realistic images, such as this old man, made with milkweed pods, twigs, and corn husks: Outdoor Materials Collage 1.  Collect small items from outside, such as pine cones, small sticks, pebbles, or seed pods. 2.  Use a sturdy material as your canvas, such as cardboard or tag board.  It can be small, like a post card, or large, like a poster. 3.  Older children may be able to use a hot glue gun (or an adult could do the gluing), otherwise, just use regular white school glue.  Be sure that your outdoor pieces...

I check labels carefully before I purchase any food product, and I am not thrilled by what I see on most chocolate syrup or chocolate milk labels: Hershey's Chocolate Syrup Label Nature's Touch Chocolate Milk Label Once in a while, the kids like to have some chocolate milk, or some syrup drizzled on their ice cream or yogurt.  I have been avoiding purchasing any chocolate syrup, however, since most of them contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and other questionable ingredients. That is why I prefer to make chocolate milk at home, rather than using the ready-made stuff.  By mixing my own with syrup, I can control how much sugar the kids are getting, plus it allows me to use good quality milk from pastured cows. Kids love chocolate milk, so why not make it healthier? I found a recipe for chocolate syrup in an old cookbook that is corn syrup free, and found that it turned out wonderfully.  The recipe calls for only five ingredient...

If you are looking for a good way to use up some eggs, try this delicious twist on deviled eggs--these are made with avocados and plenty of savory seasoning.  They are also mayonnaise free, and contain only healthy fats. I have included instructions for hard cooking your eggs because it is important to have eggs that are easy to peel.  That way, you aren't tearing up the whites, which can be quite frustrating!  I have been using this method of boiling eggs for years, and find that the eggs not only peel easier this way, but the yolks will stay a nice bright yellow. Eggs perfectly boiled will have nice, bright yellow yolks.

Most chicken owners know that their full grown hens and roosters should have access to a dust bath.  Usually, if they have enough space to roam outside, chickens will find their own favorite spots to bathe in the dirt (annoyingly, ours picked right in the front yard by one of our big spruce trees--they are lucky I love them). But did you know that chicks need dust baths too?  Chicks need dust bath just as much as full grown chickens.

I discovered a unique, but speedy, idea for a Halloween centerpiece or decoration. An easy Halloween pumpkin made with a roll of toilet paper and a square of fabric. I was going through some Halloween stuff that used to belong to my hubby's grandma, and came across a cute little pumpkin.  I set it aside, thinking I'd use it to decorate the kitchen table, and started decorating the yard.  While I was busy at work, one of my toddlers found the pumpkin, and took it upon herself to dismantle it. I was surprised to find that the pumpkin was actually nothing more than a roll of toilet paper wrapped in fabric!  I thought it was a neat idea, especially if you needed a last minute decoration.  Even if you didn't have any orange fabric on hand, I think other colors would work, and maybe even tissue paper could be substituted.  All you need is: 1 roll of toilet paper An approximately 18" inch square of fabric A small brown paper bag, or other brown or gree...

Lard (fat from a pig) has been used for thousands of years as a culinary ingredient.  Indeed, the fat from any animal was considered just as important as the meat (as well as the organs).  During the early 20th century, something changed in the United States however; delicious lard, along with other saturated fats, were labeled as being "bad for you."  Things like shortening and margarine became the new healthy fats of choice.

My interest in roses, and maybe medicinal herbs in general, probably got started way back in my middle school years (this may sound unrelated to roses, but bear with me).  I did a report on the famous scientist and supposed predictor of the future, Nostradamus. You may have heard of Nostradamus, and his famous book Les Propheties , which supposedly predicted future events. Why am I rambling on about Nostradamus? Because whether or not he predicted the future, he did indeed create something called a "rose pill," which was a lozenge he made using rose hips. These rose pills were used during the time of the plague , and helped many people, probably due to the high vitamin C content. I remember learning this as a kid, and finding it fascinating that something so simple as a rose plant could heal a case of the plague! Many years have passed since that middle school report, but still, I like to experiment with plants and herbs. We moved a couple years ago to a ...

I am in love with another old cookbook (I think this is #2,759). This one is called Farm Journal's Country Cookbook , and I found it at a garage sale buried in a box of old books.  It was marked for $2.00; normally, that would be too expensive for a used book, because I'm such a cheapskate.  But, it's not just an old book.  It's an old COOKBOOK .  The cookbook itself was published in the 1950s, but all the recipes in it came from Farm Journal Magazine editors and readers, which has been around since the 1800's. The recipes in this cookbook come from a time when most food was still "real," and things like butter, cream , and egg yolks were considered nutritious.  Personally, I fell off the "low-fat" bandwagon some years ago, and I fell hard.  I now eat all kinds of butter and cream (plus lard, tallow, avacados, and coconut oil), and of course, plenty of eggs, since our pretty hens share with us.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) contain plentiful amounts of Vitamins A, B, C and D, iron, potassium, and zinc.  The entire plant has an active biochemistry that has made it a valuable medicinal for centuries, from flower, to leaf, to root.  The root in particular is high in phenolic acids (which protect against oxidative damage) and inulin (a prebiotic that encourages beneficial bacteria to grow in the gut). 1

Few things can top the taste of homemade Fettuccine Alfredo, made with fresh noodles.  It is one of my family's staple meals.  But we eat all kinds of fresh pasta here, from spaghetti and meatballs, to lasagna, so pasta is something we make frequently. Why make pasta when you can just buy it? Good question.  It takes more time than picking up a box of it at the grocery store, doesn't it?  My reasons include: 1.  Fresh pasta tastes better. 2.  We like thick noodles.  Thick and chewy, slathered in a sauce of some kind. 3.  We can use healthier flours (whole grain, sprouted, freshly ground) and avoid unhealthy additives (synthetic vitamins, like niacin, iron, and folic acid). 4.  We just like making our own stuff. Whatever your reasons are, I'm sure that you will find pasta easy enough to make.

There are three shelves in my kitchen overflowing with cookbooks. Many of these cookbooks are what I call "old church cookbooks." They are generally found at garage sales and thrift stores, and most of them that I find are from the 1950s-1960s (though I have many from as early as the 1920s, and plenty from the 70s and 80s).    These cookbooks are real gems, and whenever I see one, I make sure to snatch it up.  Religion has nothing to do with it, so it doesn't matter your faith or lack of; these cookbooks made by the church's "Recipe Committees" are full of vintage wonderfulness.  They are a real snapshot of American housewives in the mid-century 1900s.  Often times, the previous owner of the cookbook has made notes in it, or has saved other recipes clipped from magazines and newspapers and tucked them inside (as seen in the black cookbook above).  There are always a few surprises to be found.

This post is written especially for my homesteader friends--maybe you are raising pigs, or going in on a pig with someone--make sure you get that lard, and render it!  Not only is it great for cooking, but it also makes a nice bar of soap. Properly rendered lard should be white and fairly odorless.

Father's Day is this weekend!  Did you find the perfect gift for that special Dad in your life yet?  If the Dad in question has a sense of humor and likes to smell good, then I have a great idea for you: Smelly Balls Sounds gross, right?  Don't worry, it's not what you think!  These balls are made out of clay, and they actually smell good. You can infuse these balls with your favorite essential oils, and then use them to freshen any space.  They work great for dresser drawers, closets, cars, lockers, bathrooms, or even in shoes.  They are so fast and easy to make, and your favorite dad will likely get a good chuckle from the silly name.  They can also be personalized for the recipient; when I made these for my husband, I had each of our children dip a finger into some cinnamon, and then press it into the clay, so that each ball would have a child's fingerprint on it.

Whoopie pies, made popular by the Amish, are a dessert sandwich made by enclosing a vanilla frosting between to chocolate cake-like cookies.  This recipe has been modified somewhat from it's original Amish version however, mainly to substitute a healthier fat for the shortening that was initially called for.

Graham crackers have been on my "To-Do List" for quite some time, so I finally decided to tackle the project.  Fortunately, it wasn't even much of a project; graham crackers are surprisingly easy to make. By making your own graham crackers, you can avoid some of the less desirable ingredients used in most grocery store shelf, boxed products--namely the high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils.  You also have the ability to adjust : The type and amount of sweetener used .  For example, you can use all honey if you'd like, or substitute molasses, which is a sweetener that would complement a graham cracker well. If you decide to try a different sweetener, keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amount of flour.  The type of fat used.   You could try coconut oil, lard, or tallow in place of the butter.  Perhaps you'd like to try olive oil?  Or even substituting half the fat with a fruit puree, like bananas or applesauce? ...

I purposely made extra meatloaf so that I could try this recipe out, it sounded so delicious.  It combines two of my favorites:  meatloaf and fried breading. The recipe should be useable for any meatloaf, as long as it holds its shape once chilled, so that it can be sliced and breaded.  The recipe we use is my husband's, and it came from his Betty Crocker cookbook .  He has modified it over the years, perfecting it for our family's tastes (the most important modification is the topping--ketchup, bbq sauce, and honey). So, the next day, when your leftover meatloaf has chilled into a firm lump, you can slice it up, bread it, and fry according to the recipe.  I served the meatloaf with a basic beef stock gravy, but I would imagine that a white country gravy would be just as tasty.  It also would be delicious served on homemade buns for sandwiches.  The recipe can be halved, double, tripled--whatever you need to do to get the right proportions for the ...

Are you a procrastinator like me?  There's nothing like last minute.  Luckily, time crunches can inspire great ideas. This Valentines Day card is very simple, requires minimal supplies, and above all else, is creative and handmade.  The ultimate display of affection is assembling something with your own massive, callused, hairy hands. All you will need is: Heavy paper (Use what you have:  card stock, a cereal box, a manilla folder, even construction paper will work in a pinch) Newspapers, magazines, junk mail (Anything with lots of big letters printed on it) Scissors Glue Markers  The assembly is quite simple: First, fold the heavy paper in half to form a card. Next, cut out letters from newspapers and such to make a message of your choice.  Since the card has a ransom letter look to it, you may want to make your message pretty ransom-ey. Cut out hearts from any kind of paper you'd like.  I used a combination of construction p...