Homegrown & Homemade
These are really really good brussels sprouts… about as good as you can hope for a brussels sprout to be. They’re crispy, salty, full of flavor, golden brown, and delicious. We love all things Brassica (that’s the cabbage-broccoli-kale-brussels family) in this household, so it’s no surprise we’re a couple of brussels sprouts fans. And if you’re not, might I gently suggest it’s because you aren’t …
Wassailing- you did what?! This is something I think is so cool. And something that also makes me feel like a huge dork, if I’m being perfectly honest. At least the Maple Bourbon Wassail recipe turned out AWESOME! There are two parts to this: the act of Wassailing, and the drink Wassail. Wassailing is a medieval Christmastide ritual that used to be (and actually still …
I love learning new skills in the kitchen, especially ones that are “old-fashioned” … as in, something people really don’t do anymore that used to be part of everyday life, like rendering lard, cooking dried beans, or making homemade candy. (If you love to learn new skills too, make things from scratch, and give homemade gifts… read to the bottom of this post for 6 …
I love pumpkin pie– people have been baking forms of pumpkin custard for centuries. Its roots go deep, and I love that. Somehow “Squash Pie” doesn’t sound quite as appetizing… though I can tell you that I don’t think I’ve ever even made a pumpkin pie with an actual pumpkin. Botanically, all pumpkins are a type of squash. And there are many different types of …
I’m a dip person. I want to dip stuff into other stuff, all the time. And this Homemade French Onion & Herb Dip is one of my favorite dips- so that’s saying a lot! I think I love it so much because it combines two classics- it’s a little bit of a cross between a creamy ranch dip and a french onion dip. And it …
This has been the year of the fruit leather, and my favorite so far is this plum and crabapple fruit leather… it’s sweet and tart, with a gorgeous color, plus it is very pliable and tender (a great quality for fruit leather, as some can end up as tough as… well, leather). I’m on my third batch already and it seems I haven’t even made a …
For years I’ve tried making pickles- everything from bread and butter refrigerator pickles to classic dills… and for years I’ve never found a recipe I have fallen in love with, until now. I didn’t realize how much my general lack of pickling skills was weighing on me- I mean, a homesteader should be able to make a great pickle, shouldn’t they?! Well, I feel like …
I’ve always thought sweet potatoes were only okay- I’ve never been crazy about them… even the beautiful glowing purple ones we grow in our own garden. And Karl is simply just offended by sweet potatoes, maintaining that they are indeed “not a potato.” I had to start calling them Yams, just so that he would consider eating them! Yes, it worked. They really are a …
Do you ever notice how certain dishes always taste better when somebody else makes them? Chicken salad was one of those things for me. That is, until I really thought about what it was that I liked about other peoples’ chicken salads, and set out to finally nail down the perfect recipe. What I came up with was this: Sweet Apple Chicken Salad! It’s perfect, and it …
This is autumn in a crockpot. You know how I know that? Because it’s autumn… and I went right outside and harvested the sage from my herb garden. We picked the apples from our tree and the onions from our garden just a couple weeks ago! And because when I walked into the house and was hit with the smell of herby, apple-y, slow-braised meat, …
