Go Steelers!

You have arrived! You made it to the big game! I am excited for....

food.

Please don't tell anyone. That's really what this day is about for me.

But I want you to know, Steelers, I am cheering for you!

Why? Well, you see, it's a little complicated.

Actually, it's not complicated at all. It's more.... delicate. Yes, delicate.

You, Steelers, were my first real boyfriends favorite team! I remember his Steelers baseball cap, his Steelers big armed tank top that showed his entire side and when I got to wear it, I had to wear a regular tank underneath less I .... uh.... fall out.

I was 16. It was my sophomore year of high school. His name was Jesse. He had blonde hair, a little longer in back and it was naturally curly on his neck. Thinking of it now, I guess it was a "modern mullet." Eeek! Is there such a thing? Anyways, that's really it. Shorter on tops and sides and longer and curly but it couldn't touch his collar at the school we went to so it wasn't "long."

He was cute and sang baritone in choir. His parents lived in an amazing historic house with a wrap around porch. Gorgeous hardwood floors, wood accents around the doors and the molding was beautiful!!! His mom and I shared the same first name.

And the Steelers were his favorite team. So, tomorrow, they are my team. Monday, we'll go back to being Denver Bronco fans.

Oh, and Jesse? Well, I haven't seen him for years but I hear he's not doing so hot. It's really sad. There are some bad things out there and they just mess people up. Meth is one of those things. :(

But, this is a post about FOOD and The SUPER BOWL! So,

GO STEELERS!!!

I Would NEVER post this...

I have just connected with a very funny gal in West Sussex, UK. I have no idea where West Sussex is but there is a picture of her on a beach and it's sunny and for that, I wished I was there today.

Not the point - what is the point???

Well, her writing style is a little different than mine. I read this post by her and have to say, "While I would NEVER in a hundred years write about this, I have wanted to!!!"

The Queen Doesn't Have to Do This! but perhaps should be, "The Queen SHOULDN'T Have to Do This.....

I hope you find it as funny as I did. I'm still chuckling.

The Canning Pantry

Yesterday's post on my main pantry was getting long so here is my canning pantry that I wanted to share with you.

This pantry is cement and dark - perfect for home-canned goodness. Here, take a look:

You can see above my tomatoes. I use these for everything I use to use store bought tomatoes for! Chili, Spaghetti Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Casseroles, etc.

Top Shelf: Spaghetti Sauce, tomato juice AND poultry stock. I do not add salt to my stock; which I LOVE having on hand. 2nd Shelf: Green Beans - no salt added, more stock and peaches. 3rd Shelf: Soley green beans. 4th shelf: Applesauce Bottom Shelf: Apple butter, Carrots, Pickles, Zucchini.


Jelly and Jam! Missing shelf in picture has my pear syrup! We use that on our Amish Friendship Pancakes I told you about yesterday. Delish!!!

Not all the canned items are "organic" but they were raised using organic methods. My garden flopped last year but I had nice family and friends who shared with me their abudance. God is Good!!!

This pantry has lots more shelves. These constist of canning jars and equipment (canners, lids, rings) and also junk. Things I need to go through. It has the tendancy to be a catch all area of things we don't know what to do with. I'm sure none of you have these areas and I'll just say, "good for you!" I, however, have many areas that are catch alls. I'm still working on the "reduce" part of the 3 R's!!!

My Pantry

I'm really trying to hold myself accountable on my priorities this year. What seems to happen is I start the year with the best of intentions but well, you know where that road leads to right? I've given you one update so far. This post is to give you a peek inside my pantries, yes you read that correctly, and show you the progress I have made! I have always had a fully stocked pantry - what I am doing is converting to organic; as much as I can. Take a look:

North Wall - all glass jars are organic.

Top Shelf - organic noodles. Spices on the right in glass jars are organic.
The small glass jars are garlic powder, cumin and onion powder. Quart jar is chili powder - all organic. I use these to make my own organic taco seasoning.

This self contains my non-instant organic milk powder (left), oats, polenta, corn, green split peas, lentils, yellow split peas - all organic.

L to R: black beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, instant potatoes (gluten-free soup thickener and my emergency instant baby food.)

L to R: Jell-O (not organic at all), multicolored popcorn, hulled barley, elbow noodles, rice.
Not organic - pizza dough mix I need to use up, salt, instant milk powder.

Top shelf of South Wall: organic chips! The small bags in middle are the gluten-free ones that I keep on hand for family get-togethers. Keep in mind that I order these once a month and my order just came Saturday so it looks like a lot. These will last me through the month, counting Super Bowl, after church snacks and all the Mexican meals we eat.

Here is a view of the whole pantry. Facing East.
You got a shelf by shelf inventory or the North (left) wall.
The wall that's strait ahead (East) is slowly being purged to organic. The far left shelves consit of old mixes, seasoning packs, cans of soup - processed foods.
The middle shelves are cake decorating supplies (top), organic flours and grains (middle two), organic pasta sauces and canned diced green chilies, jalapenos and the like.
The shelves on the right are more baking supplies - some organic some not. Crackers, and mostly organic spices and sugars. Peanutbutter (organic), mayo (organic) and ketchup (not).

The South wall is where our chips are, drink mixes, bottles for making drinks, and things like the popcorn popper, food processor, blender go. Also any paper or plastic (GASP) things go here, too. Ziplocks, tin foil, you get the idea.
That's my main food pantry in a nutshell.

This is getting long, so I'll show you my other pantry another day. It's a fun one filled with all my home-canned goodness!

It should go without saying that the more you cook from scratch the farther your food budget will go. I am living proof of this! There have been months where I got by on less than $500 with 8 of us in the house. I also didn't buy groceries for a month and blogged my experience here under The Island.

I "go grocery shopping" once a month from Azure Standard; which is where I get the bulk of my organic staples. It's also the majority of what I buy. I also order once a month from Melaleuca for our household safe cleaning produts, vitamins and other health products. I go to Costco when needed for produce or paper products but try to limit this to once a month; as well. This leaves the grocery store for other items like Creamer for my DH and meat. I get my bread, usually organic, at the dollar store for $1.25/loaf. I buy 10 loaves at a time and freeze it. I also have a Amish Friendship Start going on my counter that I take from to make cakes, bread and our infamous pancakes that DH makes and they are the best I've ever had! Seriously.

Simple Gluten Free Potato Soup

Here is a very simple gluten-free potato soup made without a recipe. Though I'll try to spell it out so you can make it, too! The reason I specify it is gluten-free is because many potato soups have gluten in them or, are thickened with flour; thus adding gluten. Most of my ingredients are organic but you can use whatever you have on hand!

Simple Potato Soup

Potatoes - peel and dice them (Cut in 1/2, then take 1/2 and cut that in 1/4, repeat with outher 1/2) How many depends on how big a pot you want to make!

1 Quart Chicken Broth - I always use this amount but if I am making a huge pot (12 qts) I use water for the remaining liquid.

3-4 minced garlic cloves

1 1/2 Cup milk - or one can evaporated milk (not the sweetened stuff)

Bring broth to boil and add HALF the potatoes. Add some salt and boil til you can mash them up. Once done, mash them in pot with broth.

Taste and see if you need any more salt added. Since I can my broth, I don't add any salt to it so on a recipe like this, I have to add some. If you're using store-canned broth, you may not need to add any!!!

Bring mashed potatoes and broth back to a boil. Add the rest of the diced potatoes and the garlic. Sprinkle in some black pepper. These are going to give you the potato chunks while the mashed portion will give you the girth and thickness so desired in potato soup.

Once boiling again, put lid on and turn heat down. You don't want it to scorch. (Stick to the bottom and burn.)

30 minutes before you want the soup served, add the milk.

Serve with thick bread.

For sustainable living, these are ingredients am I not without. So, it's an easy supper with the most time consuming part being peeling the potatoes! Should you need to thicken the soup more and want/need to keep in gluten-free, you can add instant potatoes to the soup and that will give it more girth, as well. Sometimes I end up doing this because I added too much or too little of something. The important thing is being brave and trusting your taste buds to steer you in the right direction!!!

Did I mention this was a very economical soup? Boy is it ever!!! And, it heats up well the next day - and the next... we should know! ;)

Enjoy!

Vermicomposting!

I ordered my start-up sytem from Azure Standard and couldn't wait to open my worms! Everything I've read about composting says the best way is composting with worms. Redworms, to be exact. Did you know they can consume up to half their weight in "food" a day? So my 1,000 red worms weigh about 1 lb and can consume 1/2 lb of scraps a day! WHOO HOO!!!!

1. Start with a nice size tote with holes drilled in the bottom and sides.
2. Add some dirt on the bottom - sprinkle with water so it's moist.
3. Add moist shredded newspaper on top of the dirt. (see below):


4. Get about a pound of redworms, 1000 count.

5. GENTLY dump them in the bin on top of the paper:

6. Watch them dive for cover!
7. Add some food for them to start eating!

8. Put lid on!

9. Set in isolated dark area that doesn't freeze nor an area that will bake the little crawlers. (We choose a corner in our pantry that works for us.)

10. Bury the food under the paper and then just work clockwise around and by the time you do that, you can just keep going!

Other things:

~They don't like vibrations - washer/dryer for example

~ The bedding needs to be kept moist but not wet.

~ Don't bother them too much!

~ Under the tote, place tin to catch any water - or something to keep it from making a mess.

What to feed them?

The easiest answer is what NOT to feed them. Same as a compost pile outside.

NO meats, fats or dairy!
All fruit and veggies plus grains.

They LOVE coffee grounds and filters AND tea bags!

NO metal or other noncompostable material.

Yes to dryer lint but that can be thrown in the garden and tilled in, too.

I'll write about how to separate the worms from the compost and also how to expand your worm popluation to increase production - later.

This compost is SO valuable! You will use it in your garden, beds and anywhere you are planting something!!! Plus, you are decreasing your footprint by sending less to the landfill and saving money by not buying mulch or any other planting soil!

Questions? Suggestions? Let's here 'em!

Making Butter! and Cutting Back

I showed you how to make yogurt at home and now I want to share with you a new website that I have just fallen in love with! I want to introduce you to One Green Generation by having you check out what looks to be the easiest way to make butter at home. I know I should have made this first and then told you how good it is - how easy.... but I was raised on homemade butter and I KNOW how wonderful it is! And I want you to know, too.

So, I am going to see if I can find me some organic heavy cream and get to making some butter!

This is where I made my cranberry sauce for Christmas - that was to die for!

And while I love the recipes, there are many cool discussions on ways to be green. I also have a neat button on my side bar challenging you to buy sustainably.

Did any of you sign up for the Freeze Yer Buns Challenge? It's going well for us. We decided to keep the core of our home at 70 degrees and I think it's working well. We ran into some snags when we had the heat on 64 and then tried heating with the wood stoves because it varied too much and with the babies and my elderly parents here, well, it just didn't work too well. We are going to move the thermostat so we can crank up the stove here in the kitchen so one area can be toasty; while keep the core around 70.

With many folks trying different things to save $$$, check out my TIPS and see if there's anything you can try. Let me know how it goes!

Also, don't forget my Green Moma series. I would love to talk to you about how you can SAVE $$$ on household items.

And if any of you really wonder if canning is worth it, you gotta read this!

"The days of the $300 jeans are gone,"

If I watch the news, it's my fault/your fault our economy is such dispair. Why? Because I'm not spending as much as I should be! Or so they say...

I say:

It's about time we, THE PEOPLE, stopped buying $300 jeans.

It's about time we, THE PEOPLE, had one black dress instead of three...

It's about time we, THE PEOPLE, gave to the poor, the sick and the needy.

It's about time we, THE PEOPLE, stopped eating so many meals out and actually cooked at home!

It's about time we, THE PEOPLE, did what previous generations have done before us and save more than we spend!

Ahhh, now there's a novel idea.

The End.

Priorities Update

Here's a quick update on where I am on my priorities for this year:

#4 - I joined the Spanish Praise Team for our church and am playing the keyboard and singing! This will BOOST my Spanish greatly! Thank You, Jesus for opening these doors!

#7 - I sewed 7 cloth napkins yesterday, with the help of my good mother. We used them last night! WHOO HOO! The girls are learning easy ironing skills by us going cloth napkins, too. In fact, they were excited! I'll make the most of it while I can, it won't last. ;)

#12 - Started a prayer journal.

Small steps! Thanks for the encouragement to keep going.

Oh, I should I tell you that I'm only half-way dressed today? If you can even call it that? I threw on a pair of sweats under my jammies. :( But..... I have gotten lots done in the office for 4th Quarter and December, have a ham in the oven and bread dough rising the counter! And I played on the floor with my boys. It's a give and take around here and today dressing was on the giving side! :)

My Nephew, Brady

When we went to Mexico, my nephew Brady, went with us. He's 18 and my eldest brother's youngest son. Whew, that's a mouthful!

Anyway, when I got home and dowloaded all the pictures we took in Mexico, I found some of them a bit... uh.... odd. Here, let me show you a fraction of the oddness that was on our cameras. I'm a little scared to post these, but without further ado.... my all SELF -PORTRAIT nephew, Brady. Oh, I should add that he was not ALONE when he took these. We were all together or Troy and Reggie were there. Please tell me he's odd. Otherwise, it means I AM!!!

No photoshop! His eyes are truly this gorgeous!!!

Okay, he may have been alone in the next two.
Notice the urinal!!!! You've got to be kidding me!

And another, since one wasn't enough...

and we were WAITING on this kid in the airport!

Another Brady oddity:
Perhaps this was proof that we took this???

As I looked through a bunch of odd Brady shots, I couldn't help but wonder where on earth he got his oddness from? So, I watched. And watched. And finally got PROOF of what I knew all along - his father:

Thick and Chewy Pizza Dough

This is the fastest easiest pizza dough I have found! And it's good! People keep requesting my pizza so here you go:

1/2 to 3/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1 T dry yeast (one pack)
1 t sugar
1 C white flour
1 C wheat flour
1 T oil
1/2 t salt

Combine 1/4 C water with yeast and sugar. Stir to disolve the yeast, and let stand til bubbly, about 5 min.

Put the flour, oil and salt in food processor, and process with the steel blade for about 5 seconds.

And the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and process about 10 seconds or until well blended.

Turn on the processor and drizzle just enough of the remaining water through the feed tube so the dough forms a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl. Process so that it turns around about 25 times.

Put the dough ball onto a large seasoned stone and cover with a glass bowl for 10 mins. (It will sweat.) Pat the dough out and roll it, leaving a little edge for your crust.

Spread with sauce and toppings and bake for 15-20 mins at 425 degrees; until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly!

Dig in!

Compliments of The Tightwad Gazette II, my new best friend.

Living for Jesus in 2009!

I'm never good at keeping resolutions. Why is that? Are they unachievable to start with? Are they done spur of the moment without true desire to achieve them?

In December, I posted ways I want to change 2009.

I don't know. What I do know is my list is different this year. I've been working on it for a few weeks now, maybe a month, and here's what I've come up with:

2009 General Priorities:

Spend more time in my home.
Hug the kids more.
Kiss the Hubby - more.
Read more
Play with the dog
Work outside (yard & garden)
Stay on our budget

This Year I Would Also Like to:

#1 - Get my own chicken flock. This includes having our own eggs and raising some birds for fryers.

#2 - Finish converting my pantry to all organic staples and as many items as I can buy organically.

#3 - Return to having "Coffee with Jesus" each morning. I did this when I was single and need to get back to it. Now. This year. This entails, simply, doing nothing but having a cup of joe with my Lord and Savior, Jesus! If led, scripture reading and always prayer.

#4 - Continue to improve my Spanish speaking.

#5 - Get back on budget and stay on track to live debt free.

#6 - Grown my own organic garden this year! I have started the process by already buying many seeds and have a nice pile composting.

#7 - Convert to cloth napkins - make my own napkins!

#8 - Do one "new for me" thing a month to be as frugal as I can!

#9 - Get a clothes line up and stop using my dryer so much!

#10 - Use my gym membership at least twice a week!! (I wonder when this should start???)

#11 - Learn to sew. This is huge for me. I want to make napkins (see #7) and grocery/shopping/cloth totes.

#12 - Focus on 2009 General Priorities (above). If I don't do anything else this year, I want to grow spiritually and enjoy my family. Everything else is second. By growing spiritually, Jesus will continue to guide me into becoming the wife and mother He created.

What's Been Happening

My big boys came home from college and we enjoyed having them around. It's so much fun to cook for big eaters. They were very busy and rarely here but when they were, meal time was great!

We had a White Christmas and that has been wonderful!

For the past month I have been in the kitchen making things I don't make year around... here's a peek at what I've done:

Cranberry Sauce made with all but one organic ingredients! I didn't have organic orange juice but everything else was organic and that excited me! I made it for Christmas Day and it was delicious! And I want to say it was SO easy and fast!!!

You saw my post on this day and here's a real life picture of how that turned out.

Here's my brother, devouring one of my little morsels.

The week of Christmas was a blast! On the 23rd we had DH's family over and I made pozole. It's the most delicious Mexican sopa ever! Okay, that's my opinion. But man alive is it good! And they all thought so too, because there was NONE left!

Christmas Eve my whole family went to the Candlelight Service at church. It was so awesome this year because it was bilingual! See a clip of our service here! I sang "Mary Did You Know" and then my brother Larry and I had a duet of "The Babe in the Manger."

From service, we came to my home where we had our traditional Clam Chowder and Oyster Stew. All of us but my nephew Tyler and his little family were here. We really missed him. His little girl is so cute and it just older than Javier by 6 months. We opened gifts first this year, after our traditional story time, and then we ate!

Christmas morning was my little family's time to open our gifts and share in the excitement of Jesus being born! We read a chapter from Max Lucado's book, God Came Near. I shared some questions to Mary with you on Chirstmas Eve.

From there, our older kids went to other places for the day; we went to my parents home. I made the cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, organic. We had a restful day of just being in one place, hanging out, napping, visiting, eating and watching a movie.

I pray you had a blessed Christmas and are ready for 2009. I am working on what, if any, my resolutions are going to be. I have some goals and Roy and I are working on how we can make some changes in our lives. So, stay tuned!

Epiphany

When I read through this prayer, I found several Catholic themes to it. Though, I am not Catholic, far from it with my Quaker Blood, I am a daughter of the King and know that it is only because He first loved us. Pray with me, please:

Father, we thank you for revealing yourself to us in Jesus the Christ, we who once were not your people but whom you chose to adopt as your people. As ancient Israel confessed long ago, we realize that it was not because of our own righteousness, or our own superior wisdom, or strength, or power, or numbers. It was simply because you loved us, and chose to show us that love in Jesus.

As you have accepted us when we did not deserve your love, will you help us to accept those whom we find it hard to love? Forgive us, O Lord, for any attitude that we harbor that on any level sees ourselves as better or more righteous than others. Will you help us to remove the barriers of prejudice and to tear down the walls of bigotry, religious or social? O Lord, help us realize that the walls that we erect for others only form our own prisons! (Truly, Jesus! Let's be honest here, I know that my attitude needs adjusting.)

Will you fill us so full of your love that there is no more room for intolerance. (Let me be the peacemaker I long to be.) As you have forgiven us much, will you enable us with your strength to forgive others even more? Will you enable us through your abiding Presence among us, communally and individually, to live our lives in a manner worthy of the Name we bear? (I am but a vessel for You, Jesus.)

May we, through your guidance and our faithful obedience, find new avenues in ways that we have not imagined of holding the Light of your love so that it may be a Light of revelation for all people. (Out with old - in with the new!)

We thank you for your love, praise you for your Gift, ask for your continued Presence with us, and bring these petitions in the name of your Son, who has truly revealed your heart. Amen. (I know you hear us, Lord. You have answered me always. Thank You, Jesus!)

New Years Day is Goose Hunting!

We started 2009 off with a BANG! While it was still dark outside, Paco joined his Daddy, Granddad, Uncle Larry, Uncle Mahlon and cousins Erik and Brady for the annual New Year's Day goose hunting expedition!

Paco spent the night with my parents and Dad said that when he woke him this morning with the words, "Do you want to go goose hunting?" The kid bounded out of bed like he had been touched by the hot shot!!!

Here is our little hunter, all decked out in his Cabelas camo:


Is he just not the cutest little hunter you've ever seen?

Paco and his new gun, ready to go get him a goose!

I don't know why Cabelas isn't calling and asking me to use this in their next catolog. The kid is a walking Cabelas ad:Here they are in the field. Can't see them? Good! That's the idea.

My little hunter just came home, all by himself. He made it 2 hours sitting in the cold rain in a muddy field. He's warming his insides with hot cocoa and is excited that we've already got 2 geese.

Tonight, we will have our annual Javanese; which we do on New Year's. I can't wait!