What’s for Dinner: Crockpot Shredded Salsa Beef

It has been a record book winter in Wisconsin. And not in a good way! The low temperatures, along with a few other factors have caused a severe propane shortage for the Midwest. We’ve been trying to drastically reduce our propane usage by wrapping ourselves in blankets, wearing woolly socks, and eating almost exclusively out of the crockpot for the last couple weeks. Boy have …

Maple Poppyseed Vinaigrette Dressing

(gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, paleo) I love maple season! The absolute first sign of spring, making syrup is the first thing we do outdoors after being cooped up all winter. For the past few years we have made our own maple syrup. We collect sap for as long as mother nature allows, then spend an entire day boiling it down over an open fire. A glorious …

Tips for Choosing the Best Tomato Varieties!

“I can find room for one more tomato plant…” Just…one…more…plant. Do you say that every year too? My tomato obsession really took off about three years ago when I began starting my own tomato seeds. The varieties you can find when you buy seeds instead of already started plants are just incredible (at least in my neck of the woods). If you’ve only ever gotten …

Vanilla Bean Truffle-Covered Walnuts for Valentine’s Day

(Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo, Vegan) A gift from the heart and from the kitchen is the best kind of gift, Valentine’s Day or otherwise. I know you homesteaders and whole-food lovers feel the same way. I love everything about these truffled walnuts. Let me entice you… buttery, nutty walnuts vanilla-bean spiked chocolate smooth and silky chocolate truffle coating rustic cocoa powder outside- have I mentioned …

What a Girl Learned From Her Honeybees

I grew up with honey bees. My dad raised several hives for many years and I remember “helping” with just about everything I could. I had a special spot in the yard, my “bee spot,” where I could safely stand and watch from a distance while dad was in his bee suit tending the hives. As long as the hives were not being disturbed we could …

Italian Venison Stew

(gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, paleo) Don’t have venison? Use whatever ground meat you want! I mean it, anything! This is a great recipe to feed to people who don’t like venison, especially those who you might have lied to and told them it was ground beef. You wouldn’t do that though, right? Karl and I crave Italian food all the time. And I use the term …