Napa Cabbage & Radish Salad with Butter Toasted Nuts

(gluten free, paleo, vegetarian, grain-free, easy side dish) There is an “original” version of this recipe. You’ve probably had it at a potluck, birthday party, or family reunion. You’ve probably wolfed down four servings and then demanded the recipe. My recipe has all the same flavors, but uses only whole foods and garden fresh produce. No refined sugar, no rancid oils, and no Ramen noodles fried …

Char-Grilled Zucchini with Basil and Gouda

(gluten-free, paleo, grain-free, easy side-dish) And char-grilled it is. Or rather, maybe just charred. Karl and I like our food grilled hard! If you like your food with less flavor black marks, by all means grill it less. You could even bake or sauté the zucchini… In summer, our grill is indispensable. We use it more days than not. It heats up quickly and doesn’t heat …

Old Fashioned Duck-Fat-Baked Potato Chips

Old-Fashioned. Homemade. Duck Fat. Potato. Need I say more? You don’t have to use duck fat; lard or olive oil with also give you incredible results! We’re partial to duck fat here on the homestead, plus- duck fat was made for potatoes… What’s So Great About Homemade Baked Potato Chips? They are thick-cut and crispy, covered in a simple spice and salt blend, and baked in the oven …

Smothered Farmhouse-Chicken

(gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, easily dairy-free) No live chickens were actually smothered in the making of this blog post. I don’t know if it’s because spring is almost here and our chicks will arrive soon, or because our ducks finally started laying eggs– but I just can’t stop making (bad) fowl-related jokes. Chicken is the quintessential homesteader’s meat. You can raise chickens just about anywhere, you …

Homemade Smokey Taco Seasoning that Makes the Most Velvety Taco Meat

(gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar free, paleo-friendly) How’s that for a title? Homemade is always better, right? Well, I can think of just a few things that I actually prefer store-bought, and for a long time taco seasoning was one of them. Maybe it’s because I grew up on taco meat from a packet, or maybe I just loved the saltiness and the velvety, luxurious-textured meat …

Simple Baked Fruit

(gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, vegetarian, easily dairy-free and vegan) Is there anything better than a warm fruit cobbler? Not really… But this recipe, by definition, is not a cobbler. It is not a crisp, a betty, or a crumble. And definitely not a pandowdy. Or a clafouti. I can’t even say clafouti… This is simply fruit, with a little added spice and honey, that is baked in …

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 …

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 …

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 …