Start Seedlings Now

I enjoy summer, but I don't enjoy the humidity.  One thing that I am looking forward to is my garden.  I don't grow more than we need, but I grow enough to eat on during the summer and to can for the winter.

Even though the weather still isn't as cooperative as we like, it's a great time to start seedlings in doors.  I like to buy the little kits that has 48 or so peat pellets in it and start my seeds.

 Here are some of the seeds that have started

and are ready to transplant to a larger container.

 Keep those 2 liter bottles and milk jugs!

Clean them and cut them and half and they make

excellent containers for starting plants.  I roll up

a couple of balls of aluminum foil and put in the

bottoms of each one to help with watering and

drainage.  Plus it gives the roots a chance to breathe.

 I use every available window that has good sunlight

and put the plants there.  I also label each container

with what is growing inside of it.

On the far left, I have Boston Pickling Cucumbers,

in the middle I have Mini Sweet Peppers, and on

the right, I have Heirloom Cucumbers.

Here is a close up of a container of Mini

Sweet Peppers.  I usually plant 2 plants

per container.

 

 



Here, I have cut milk jugs in half and put the

aluminium foil balls in the bottom and planted

2 containers of Roma Tomatoes and more peppers

and cucumbers.

 

 

When the weather turns nice for good, I'll start introducing these plants to the outdoors and sunshine for a few hours each day, gradually increasing the hours until they are ready to be outside permanently and ready to be put in the garden. 

 

By starting your plants indoors from seeds, you're able to save a huge amount of money.  A packet of seeds costs between $1 and $2 and a single plant can cost between $2 and $5.  What are you waiting for?  Give it a try!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Things have been a bit hectic lately.  We had our 7 and 9 year old niece and nephew for a week during their Spring Break last week, and I didn't get much done.  We had fun though.  We went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum (I highly recommend going if you've never been), Chuck E Cheese, a cowboy store and so much more!

This week I am back on track.  I have vegetables started and they are coming along wonderfully and I just ordered a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid!

My husband, who does not like chicken, had three piecesof this recipe last night.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:
4-5 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were partially thawed because I put them in the fridge the night before, but you could use frozen as well.  Be sure to cook the chicken longer if you use frozen).
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
Insert your slow cooker liner into the slow cooker.  Place the chicken in the slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, mix the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic powder and red pepper flakes.  Mix well and pour over the chicken.  Turn on low and bake for 4 hours.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

In 2012 last year, it was 83 degrees.  Today, our high may reach 30.  Mother Nature never fails to amaze me.  One year we may have a drought and the next year floods.  If you're a farmer, your lively hood depends on the weather.

On cold nights like tonight, I like to come home to a soup that has been in the cooking all day in the slow cooker.  Not only is it good, but it warms me up and makes the house smell good.

Growing up, I use to despise Vegetable Soup.  Those cooked carrots just grossed me out, but as an adult, I can pick and chose what I want in my soup.

Here's my Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup:

Ingredients:
12 oz bag of frozen sweet corn
12 oz bag of frozen green beans
12 oz bag of frozen peas
1 small can of tomato sauce
2-3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
Chuck roast meat, precooked and cut into pieces
2 T beef bouillon granules
Water

Directions:
In your slow cooker add the first six ingredients and stir.  Next add the two Tablespoons of beef bouillon granules and enough water to cover the vegetables.  If you want more of a tomato base, add a second can of the tomato sauce and less water (which is usually what I do).  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

You can also add other vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, etc.  The possibilities are endless.

Ingredients for Vegetable Soup.

DIY Foaming Hand Soap

There is nothing more I enjoy than foaming hand soap in the bathroom and the kitchen.  The problem is that I go through really fast.  Since we live on a farm, we wash our hands many times a day.  Bath and Body Works foaming hand soaps are a favorite of mine, but I don't like to pay the prices.  Like many of you, I wait until they go on sale and then stock up.

One day while searching through Pinterest, I came across a way to make my own!  Here is a quick recipe that I'm sure you'll be able to follow!

Ingredients:
1 bottle of some sort of liquid hand soap
1 emptied and cleaned foaming hand soap bottle

Directions:
Take a marker and mark the dispenser 1" from the bottom of the bottle.  Next, pour in the liquid hand soap up to the 1"line.  Slowly (by this I mean trickle) fill the rest of the bottle with tap water leaving an inch of head space at the top.  Put the lid back on and gently tip the bottle upside down and side to side letting the soap mix with the water.  Prime your bottle and you're ready to go.

***Note - for my kitchen refill, I add 3 drops of Dawn dish soap.

 

As you can see, I used liquid hand soap from Kroger that was a 10 for $10.

 

 



Mark your dispenser 1" from the bottom of the bottle.

 

 

 

Pour the liquid hand soap into the bottle until you get to the 1" line.

 

 

 

Slowly, and by this I mean trickle, water into the container leaving 1" head space.

 

 

Put the lid back.

 

 

 





Gently tip the bottle upside down and side to side letting the soap mix with the water. 

 

 

And there you go!  Foaming hand soap!

 



Marching On!

The last two weeks  have been extremely busy and I can tell that Spring is just around the corner.  Bill and I are back to working on the house and making some plans for much needed updates, but after this summer, I think we'll be done on the inside and can begin working on the landscape outside.

Last night, I started 48 plants indoors.  I can't wait to start the garden this year.  I have big plans for canning more than I did last year.  If you haven't already done so, start thinking about what you might like to have in your garden this year and come up with a layout of how you want it in your garden. 

Additionally, we will have several normal Spring projects including:  washing all the windows inside and out, giving the porch a thorough power washing, cleaning out the chicken coops and preparing for planting season.

Ah, planting season.  I actually enjoy harvest more than I do planting season, but it's all part of the package.  Harmony (9) and Tyler (7), our niece and nephew from Kentucky will be coming to stay with us over their Spring Break and Uncle Bill and Tyler have all kinds of farming plans to get ready for planting season.  They will be cleaning the planter, greasing it, and doing normal maintenance on it to make sure it's ready to go to the field.  Harmony and I are going to stick to more girl things like shopping and painting our nails.  I can hardly wait.

I am hoping to get back to cooking this weekend.  It's been mainly quick meals this week.  I miss being in the kitchen...hopefully I'll have a new recipe for you to see soon!

Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam via the Jam and Jelly Maker

Folks, I am totally enjoying my new FreshTech Jam and Jelly Maker.  I purchased it off of Amazon.com and could not be more pleased!

These Jam and Jelly Makers retail for $99, but you can find them on sale for $89 and I feel as if you will think it is worth the price (not to mention the time) to buy one...especially if you love homemade jam and jelly!


The Jam and Jelly Maker was easy to assemble and I used it for the first time the other night.  It comes with a small recipe book or you can visit their website at www.freshTechJamMaker.com for more recipes.

I purchased some strawberries and decided to make strawberry jam.  It was so simple!!!

Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups crushed strawberries
3 T Ball Real Fruit Classic Pectin, Low Sugar
1/2 t margarine
2 C granulated sugar

Directions:
First, I washed the strawberries and let them air dry.  Then I removed the stems and hulls.  Next, I crushed the berries in a bowl using a potato masher until I had 3 and 1/4 cups.

Next, I sprinkled the pectin evenly over the bottom of the Jam and Jelly Maker, add the crushed strawberries evenly over the pectin and the butter.  The butter will melt, so don't worry about melting it prior to adding it.  Press the "Jam" button on the machine and it starts stirring the ingredients.  In 4 minutes, the machine beeps at you and you add the sugar.  The machine continues to stir and cook the ingredients and you do nothing else until it is done.  You heard correctly!  You don't have to stand over the stove and continually stir, this machine does it all for you!  When it is done, it will beep again and you can ladle the jam into freezer containers or canning jars.  That is it!  So simple!

Here is a picture of the machine cooking and stirring the strawberries!  It was amazing!

Here is the end product.  It was delicious!  You could even eat this as an ice cream topping:)

Heath Cake

Last night I was craving chocloate.  Flipping through my cookbooks, I couldn't decide on what I wanted to make and then it hit me - Heath Cake!  If you like a moist cake that's a little gooey on the inside, this is the cake for you.

Heath Cake

 

Ingredients:
1 box of German Chocolate Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 8-oz tub of Cool Whip
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping
1 pkg Heath bar pieces

Directions:
Prepare and cook the cake according to the instructions on the box (for the 9x13 size) and let it cool completely.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the caramel and sweetened condensed milk and mix well.  Once the cake has cooled, use the end of a wooden spoon to punch holes in the cake every couple of inches.  Pour the caramel and sweetened condensed milk mixture over the top of the cake so that it fills all of the holes.  Next, spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake and then sprinkle the Heath bar  pieces over the top.  Be sure to store the cake in the refrigerator.

Prepare and cook the cake according to the instructions on the box (for the 9x13 size) and let it cool completely.
 



In a medium sized bowl, combine the caramel and sweetened condensed milk and mix well. 

Once the cake has cooled, use the end of a wooden spoon to punch holes in the cake every couple of inches.

  Pour the caramel and sweetened condensed milk mixture over the top of the cake so that it fills all of the holes.

 

Next, spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake.

 

 

 Sprinkle the Heath bar pieces over the top. Be sure to store the cake in the refrigerator.