Drool Worthy Smoked Beef

Hello again! We're back with a quick recipe and an update! It's been a long long time, and I have been uber busy. But I haven't forgotten to snap pictures along the way! We had lots of fun and hard work last summer and even some sadness. We said goodbye to our beloved cat Hanz...
 He was a delightful blonde maine coone who spent most of his time acting like a dog and cuddling with us. He was the absolute best cat. But sadly our neighbors dogs didn't think so and they got him during a sun nap. It was a hard goodbye. But we are thankful for the time we had, however short it was. Other things we were up to this summer included camping and building and cooking and learning about herbs and I have all sorts of things to share with you through the cold months. I also wanted to sneak in an update on our store! We've just finished stocking it for this friday so go have a look! (click on either of the links to our etsy shop or our hyena cart store ~ both stores offer different items!)

Now we'll start off short and sweet with a quick recipe.

Drool Worthy Smoked Beef (Hanz' favorite :-)

 

 1 large steak

2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

1/2 cup green olives

1/2 cup sliced onions

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Take 1 large family sized steak and slice it in the middle, not quite all the way through, like you are making a butterfly, and lay it open. Then spread it with a mixture of stone ground mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Then sprinkle it with chopped green olives and sliced onions. Now you will close it up and tie it off so it stays together. You can wrap the whole thing in foil to make it easier if you like. Then you are going to set your BBQ to the hotter "smoke" setting and smoke it for 1 to 2 hours or until done. If you smoke it just right, you will get that pink outer edge! Beautiful. (A pink inside means it's not cooked) When it's done cooking, take it off the heat and let it rest to absorb all the juices again. Then slice it thin and serve! Enjoy!

28 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of YHWH thy Elohim, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that YHWH thy Elohim will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: ² And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of YHWH thy Elohim. Deut. 28:1-2

Blessings,
Staci

MYO: All Natural Baby Powder or Dusting Powder

This fun little project was so quick and easy I'm certain anyone can do it in just minutes! It's as easy as 1.2.3... Just think- you can  make your own apothecary creations! It's so much fun, I'm going to share with you and I hope you will give it a try!

First you need to have a baby powder shaker! I just saved my old one, a travel size bottle from a gift pack that was given to me because I'm a packrat frugal! But you can buy one, or just get a clean empty spice bottle with a shaker lid. 

1. Gather Supplies.

The next you need to do is gather your ingredients! Put them all out on your work surface to make it easier. 

 You will need:

2. Measure and Whisk together.

 3 T Arrowroot powder

4 T Cornstarch 

2 T Cosmetic grade clay

Essential oils as desired.2-4 drops.

                                                                           Then use the recipe to measure out your ingredients. Stir them well with a wire whisk. 

Then... 

Wait for it...

3. Pour into shaker.

                                                                            Use a funnel to pour your HOME MADE ALL NATURAL BABY POWDER in your shaker. Don't forget to label it, with ingredients in case you forget. 

Go ahead, laugh out loud at how simple that was! (and try to refrain from kicking yourself for not doing it earlier!)

 

 Now go find an adorable baby butt and sprinkle some on!

Here are a few tips: 

*If you want it scented you can try adding a couple drops of essential oils. Lavender is a good one for babies. But take it easy- start with 2 drops and go from there. You can always add more but you can't take it back.

*Keep in mind that if your baby is sensitive to new products their could be a reaction, so know your baby, know their skin and act accordingly. 

*For a slow healing rash or other skin issues, you can even add powdered herbs like comfrey to help it heal. Try the herbs in a separate batch and stick with the basic batch for every day use. Use about 1-2 tsp of each powdered herb, depending on their strength, for this size recipe. 

*You can use the same basic recipe and concept above with mint oil, just a drop or two, for a cooling deodorizing dusting powder for mama to wear in the summer heat! I love it!

So there you have it- Fast - Fun- Refreshing- and Cheap!
 Home made body products for you and your family that are good for you and good for your wallet!

"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands." Proverbs 31:13 KJV

Blessings,

Staci

Depression Pie

AKA - Pinto Pie - This is a neat recipe. Probably from the south. Definitely discovered or made popular during the great depression. I'm not sure this exact recipe would have been used by the poorest of families, but at the very least a variation of it. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. And well when all you have is beans, you find a way to make them go down and stay there. As funny as that may sound, eating beans day after day gets difficult, and you find yourself choking them down or going without because you can't stomach it. Well at some point a very creative mama came up with a way to help with that. Here is the recipe:

Pinto Bean Pie

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs beaten
1/3 cup butter
1 heaping cup mashed, cooked pinto beans
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
whipped topping or ice cream
Beat until creamy the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and butter. Add pinto beans; blend well. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 375 deg. for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 deg. and bake an additional 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping or a scoop of ice cream. Optionally you could add a cup of walnuts or pecans. This will give it more of a pecan pie taste.

 Now, thinking in true desperation mode, you can cut back up to half of the sugar and it will still be palatable, serve without toppings, and use any wild harvested nuts. This is the way things were done, making do with what they had.

" ⁴Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." Psalm 100:4 KJV

Blessings,
Staci

Snow Cones!!! - the natural way! - MYO snow cone syrup

Snow cones are a favorite summer time treat! And any kid loves a snow cone, even if their parents are slightly crunchy! The store bought syrups are made with corn syrup or sugar, artificial flavors and artificial colors -YUK! Who wants to eat that? So our solution is simple, make a natural snow cone! YESSSS!!!! The cool thing is when you make your own syrups YOU get to decide what flavors you like, what goes into them, AND you save money! Have you seen the price on those syrups!? So to kick off the fun, why not ask your kids to come up with flavors they'd like to try! The crazy ones can be the tastiest of treats so go ahead and let them imagine!

Here's how to get started...

First you're going to make a syrup...

Using your own favorite recipe, or the one below make a syrup, or several syrups and let it chill. This is the super fun creative part! It's also the messy part, but hey, sometimes having fun means making a mess!

My recipe:
1 cup honey (raw is best)
1 cup water or 100% natural fruit juice
1/2 teaspoon 100% natural flavoring, or a couple of essential oils that are edible.

Mix honey and water/juice over low heat, stirring consistently, until well blended, so the honey is completely dissolved. Don't cook it, just warm it so the honey will mix in. Then remove from heat and add your flavors/ essential oils. Adjust the amounts to your own taste. If you really want colored syrups and are not using juice, you can purchase truly natural food colorings from a health food store or online. They're made from food, like beets make red etc.

A couple tips

• If you use juice you can leave out the flavors or blend flavors and juices to make them super cool!

• If you'd rather use natural unrefined sugar you can do that, either using 1 or 2 cups sugar, depending on how sweet and syrupy you want it. 
• For younger children lean to the simpler side on flavors.
• For an adult party you can get really complex flavor combinations and really wow your guests!

Beside, the typical flavors, here are a few more flavor ideas:

• hazelnut espresso
• blackberry lavender
• lemon lime mint
• watermelon pomegranate
  
• pineapple coconut
• green tea pear

Once your syrups have chilled put them in neat bottles like these, they look pretty and are easier to poor from. You could also use ketchup style squeeze bottles, used for candy making or picnics from the kitchen 

or cake decorating supply section at any department store.

Now that your syrups are ready, it's time to bring on the fun!

Shave your ice using a blender or ice shaver. Put the ice into cups and pour the flavors over the ice!

The only thing left to do is enjoy your cool sweet treat that you made yourself! (Oh and don't forget to share with the kids)
 The best thing about these is that although they are a treat, they're not nutritionally empty like the sugar syrups made from white refined sugar!

Tune in next time, we'll show you how to make your own home made juices! We're also going to teach you how to make herbal syrups! Did you know that Lemon Balm can help to calm super rowdy summer crazy kids! Learn how to have fun with your kids using herbal syrups that they'll love!

"And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 28:2 KJV

Blessings,

Staci

The Depression Era and a recipe for Poor Mans Cake

A dear friend of mine shared some info on depression recipes. And well, as much as people want to say we're not that bad off yet. I think it can never be too early to start preparing and remembering. I listened to a story of a dear old lady who ate stale bread to remind herself of the suffering during the depression. So she would never forget. I'm guessing so that she would always be thankful. Another reason not to forget, is so that we won't forget how to survive and even thrive in those times. Many of the depression survivors are gone home, but there are still many that remain, and most of them are willing to share what they know if we'll listen. Seek them out and ask what they know. Then practice what you learn! Do it now while you don't HAVE to. If depression era recipes, and ways of living are part of our normal daily life, using them when we have to will not shock our bodies or minds so much when it becomes a necessity. So without further ado...

Poor Mans Cake

An egg-less, dairy free cake. A great spice cake used to stretch a budget or even for those with allergy considerations.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 1/2 cups coffee or water
• 1/3 cup fat drippings or oil
• 2 cups dark raisins
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine sugar, water, vegetable oil, raisins, and spices in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Take pan off heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Dissolve baking soda and salt in 2 teaspoons of water and add to raisin mixture (it will foam).
4. Blend in the flour and baking powder. Mix well.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 9 inch square pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick unserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let cake cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

For your reading pleasure... I also found a neat article on living in the depression. It contains lots of neat info, a video about depression cooking, as well as a link to more information on depression living. You can read it HERE.

^"6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Mathew 24:6 KJV

Many blessings to you all!

MYO- "white", brown and powdered sugar!

Yes, you can MYO "white", brown, and powdered sugar!

 I am really excited about the recipes I'm going to share with you today! Why because we need them! In todays world it is very hard to come by truly healthful food. I own and love the book called Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. If you've never heard of it you can have a look here. 

In her book Sally talks about sugar and sweeteners. She talks about their effect on our bodies and reccomends we stick to natural sweeteners in their natural form, used in small amounts. While I haven't exactly mastered the "small amounts" part. I do use natural sweeteners and not processed. For example we use raw honey, raw agave nectar, fruit pulp (home made), and dried fruits. Now for cane sugar, she recommends ONLY using Sucanat or Demerara. Well they both taste fine, but taste isn't always enough. Sucanat is atrociously expensive, and Demerara is too coarse for use in a lot of baking. (I mix it in with the liquid ingredients to dissolve it, for bread and cakes) IE the chocolate chip cookies I was dying for the other night. So like they say, necessity is the mother of invention right. Well, I NEEDED those cookies, but didn't want to resort to white sugar and well demerara doesn't go over well in cookies, they're overly crunchy because of the large crystals which don't dissolve. So I made my own "white" sugar, and then used that sugar and molasses to make some brown sugar too! The cookies turned out great and satisfied the need without loading my body up on white sugar. (Brown sugar is simply white sugar mixed with molasses. Even when you buy it from the store.) So, I know you're all drooling to know how to Make Your Own "white" and brown sugar.

Here you go...

For the "white" sugar:
you need a blender and some demerara sugar. That's it! Take your blender and put about 2 cups of the demerara sugar in. It will hold more than that, but won't grind it well so don't try. (I did try this in my flour mill once, and it hurt the finish on the burrs, not a good idea, stick to the blender)

Now you're going to put the lid on and hit the "grind" setting, which was on the high side, above the middle button for my blender. Only grind for a few seconds. Stop and stir well.

Then grind again. Do this a few times until the granules look smaller and similar to white sugar. The sugar will turn to powder if you're not careful, so take it slow.

Stop and stir, stop and stir until it's relatively uniform. Now Pour it in your sugar canister and make some more until your sugar canister is full of "healthy white sugar". Make sure you tap your pitcher well to get all the fine sugar off the blade and out of the bottom or it will stop up the blender. It only took me about 5 minutes to fill mine.

For "white" powdered sugar:
Use the same process as above, only grinding it longer to a fine powder. Now some recipes for "confectioners" sugar say to add corn starch to it. If you want to that's fine, it won't hurt anyting, but I usually don't bother with it. So that's it, fill your powdered sugar jar with this and next time you want to make frosting you can do it with healthy (er) sugar.

Now for the brown sugar:
All brown sugar, even from the store, is made of white sugar with molasses mixed into it. So take your new "white" sugar and place it in a mixer, I used my kitchenaid, and add a little molasses to it. Let it mix well with the paddle until it's all uniformly brown and there are no more little balls of molasses. The biggest thing I need to point out is that this is a time for patience! I start out with the mixer on 2 then turn it up to 4 ONLY AFTER the sugar and the molasses are blended. Otherwise you will have a mess. Then just let it work the molasses into the sugar and stand back and marvel at yourself! You just saved a ton of money and a trip to the health food store! My approximate measurements were about 5 cups of MY "white" sugar to about 1/4 cup molasses, for a medium brown sugar.
If you'd like to see the actual process of brown sugar, here is a great tutorial my dear friend Jamie made. *But note that her ratios are different,* because she is using true white sugar. We are not. Our sugar already has some molasses in it naturally so we'll have to add less molasses and more sugar to make it light. Notice that she offers ratios for golden, light and dark brown sugar. You can do the same with yours. Just adjust the amount of molasses. More molasses makes a darker brown sugar and less makes a lighter brown sugar.

²⁷"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27 KJV

I pray this recipe and tutorial has been a blessing to you! Now go Make Your Own "white", brown and powdered sugar for all your healthy, natural baking needs!

Blessings! 

MYO Mixes- taco seasoning and chilli powder

At the last MOPS meeting I attended we made taco seasoning from scratch and bagged it up in a decorative bag. I used mine last night and it was great! The whole family loved it! But of coarse being the crunchy mama I am I thought... "there has to be a way to make your own chilli powder too, I hate the nasty additives in the store bought stuff". With a little research I found out that yes you can make it yourself!  Admit it, I know you are all excited to know how to MYO taco seasoning and chilli powder! Aren't you!?

Without further delay here are the recipes! Enjoy!

* T. = tablespoon and t. = teaspoon ;-)

Chilli powder

Ingredients

• 6 dried red chilies, mild to medium heat (like ancho)
• 3 dried red chilies, high heat (like cayenne)
• 1 T. good quality ground paprika
• 2 T. cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. ground Mexican Oregano
• Sea salt as desired

Directions

Heat your oven to 250ºF. Remove stems seeds from chilies. Arrange chilies in single layer on baking sheet and toast for about 5 min. Remover smaller ones before they burn and toast larger ones a little longer, maybe 5 minutes. They all need to be very dry. You can also do this on a BBQ for a nice smoky flavor. Let cool and break into pieces. Pulverize in blender, or grinder, to a powder. Add remaining ingredients and blend until combined. Store in an airtight container.

• Adjust the hot/mild pepper ratio for your taste by substituting equal amounts. 
• Salt to taste or leave out, most store bought chilli powder does have salt.

 Taco Seasoning
   Ingredients
            4 T. chilli powder
            1 t. garlic powder
            1 t. onion powder
            1 t. red pepper flakes
            1 t. mexican oregano
            2 t. paprika
            2 T. ground cumin
            4 t. sea salt
            4 teaspoons pepper



Mix all ingredients and add 3-4 T. to about a pound of meat. This makes a batch good for several uses. 



¹⁰ "Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned." Ezekiel 24:10 KJV

I hope these recipes are a blessing to you, and to anyone you want to share them with. Feel free to link back to my blog if you'd like to share this post!


Blessings!

New Blog Series - Make Your Own! recipes and tutorials for MYO everything!

I love knowing how to make EVERYTHING, even if I don't do it every single time, or even if I just know how but haven’t done it. I love knowledge. As a homeschool mom and a practical person I tell you this... If you spend any time in any endeavor, let it be knowledge that is useful. Know the Lord first and foremost, let your knowledge begin there. Then gain knowledge of how to take care of your family well, how to feed them and heal them and clothe them. I believe this knowledge is more important that stock-piling dry goods or medicine, or shopping for a good bargain. Why? Because no matter how much you store, someone can always take it away. Most everything has an expiration date and will go bad, clothes get worn out and outgrown. But when you know how to make the things that are usually purchased, when you know how to help others, that knowledge will last your lifetime. Things you think you don’t need to know may end up being a blessing to someone who needs to learn. Be a blessing to your family and your friends, or even to strangers, learn to do for your family and teach others to do the same. 

³The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

 ⁴That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
 ⁵To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.  Titus 2:3-5 KJV

 MYO- mixes
One of the skills I enjoy is making home made mixes. I have many reasons for making them, but here are a few ...

• When manufacturers purchase ingredients for products the main focus is their bottom line. That’s not good news for us. When you make your own mixes you control what goes into your mixes. Be it natural, organic or home grown, with MYO you can have the time saving benefit of mixes without sacrificing the health of your family.
• You know exactly what ingredients are in them, so you can use homemade mixes for ANY special diet needs...
• They're easy to use and much lower in cost than store bought mixes, which means you can have the convenience of mixes without the cost!...
• They're made with your own fresh and natural ingredients, so your mix is far superior to store bought both in quality and taste...
• You can save time, money and energy making your mixes ahead at least a few batches at a time. (make it once use it thrice!)

I think mixes are so beneficial that I decided to start a blog series labeled MYO (make your own) sharing recipes and tips for MYO everything! I’m starting with make your own mixes, featuring everything from spices to soups to baking mixes. The series will continue on, as I learn more to share, so if you're looking for just those, click on the MYO blog tag to the right! Other recipes will be under the recipes label. But please feel free to poke around and enjoy the whole blog! We love visitors too so feel free to share and link back to my blog. And thanks for stopping by!

Be Blessed!

A delightful recipe for Ginger- Raisin Bread

Why not bless your family with some warm Ginger- Raisin Bread on a cold day! This bread has an elegant combination of candied ginger and golden raisins. It's only lightly sweetened and it's got that warming sensation that's great for cold weather.

Ginger- Raisin Bread
2 c. flour (any kind) 1/3 c. oil
1 1/2 t. baking pwdr. 3 eggs
1/2 t. baking soda 2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt 1/2 c. Bulgarian buttermilk
1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 c. naturally dried golden raisins
1/4 c. sugar (I used demerara)
1/2 c. brown sugar

Mix first 4 dry ingredients well. Add ginger, raisins, and sugars, stir. Add oil and eggs, mix. Add vanilla and buttermilk and stir until smooth. Pour into greased bread pans (1 large or several small) Bake at 325' F for maybe 20 - 30 min. or so. Until a toothpick comes out clean and the bread "smells" done. Slice butter and enjoy!
Recipe created by Staci Schwarz

27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

Ginger although used as a spice, is also an herb. It's useful for a wide variety of symptoms and is very easy to find. It is warming, stimulating, improves circulation, good for muscle cramps and spasms, good for colds, flu and congestion, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, supports healthy menstruation and is also good for gas and tummy upsets. My take on herbs though is to include them in my diet for my health as God gave them for.

²⁹"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Genesis 1:29

Though they are healing, herbs are better used to protect your health.  I used 1/4 c. for this recipe, but you could certainly increase that amount. I probably will because we really like ginger. The raisins I used were naturally dried without oils or preservatives. If you use the same, you will get a much better finished product. The taste difference is amazing! You'll want to be careful not to overcook this bread because the eggs will darken it and the bread will have that burnt egg taste. You're going for banana bread texture. I used whole grain flour and demerara sugar, which is very natural, but you can use which ever you've got on hand. In case you haven't heard of it Bulgarian buttermilk is just a better buttermilk, it has a distinct flavor. But again, you can use any buttermilk. I like the moisture buttermilk lends to the finished product. The thicker consistency of this batter is what keeps the ginger and raisins from sinking to the bottom.

It is my prayer that when you use this recipe you and your family will be blessed with warmth and nourishment during these cold winter days.
Staci

Domestic ARTS and a recipe for Bread Pudding you'll actually want to eat!

There is something so satisfying about making the domestics into works of art! Last Tuesday morning I could have been siting down to cold cereal, but I decided to make it a special day. There wasn't any significant reason, it was just "because". I've found that when you do special things for your children, they feel special and that helps your relationship. It does so much the same way it does when your hubby does something special for you. I would venture to guess you can recall just about every special moment in detail! To this day I can't eat an omelet without remembering my dad and his wonderful homemade breakfast treats!

28 "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." Proverbs 31:28 KJV

I want my children to have cherished memories that reinforce a strong sense of being loved. So when time allows & sometimes when it doesn't, I will make an extra effort to make them feel special. The menu is not what's important, but because they are important to me, I'll consider the manner in which they're served. (And in this principle I devote myself to my husband also.)

4 "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children," Titus 2:4 KJV

So without further ado...
We had bread pudding for breakfast! I laugh at myself saying that with such enthusiaism because I never liked it before. However, my husband loved it so I learned to make it, and over the years have improved it. Now I have improved it well enough to enjoy eating it. One key point is to cover it while it bakes so the top doesn't dry out.

Ma's Best Bread Pudding

several sweet bread end pieces
Cinnamon
real maple syrup
7-8 eggs
real vanilla extract
1/2cup or so milk (evaporated, 2% or half/half)
canned pears 1/2 to 1 cup

Tare bread into large bite size pieces and put into small to medium buttered casserole pan. Top with Cinnamon and a drizzling of maple syrup, to taste. In separate bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla and milk with a fork, add a little more milk if too thick, it should be like custard, not scrambled eggs. Pour mixture over bread pieces and top with pears that have been cut into bite sized pieces. Cover and bake at 350* F for 20-25 min, or until eggs are set. Serve warm with dollops of butter and a fresh drizzle of syrup. Enjoy!

Have fun making it really special for your family. Get out your china (which is FOR SPECIAL PEOPLE - NOT JUST FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS!). Decorate the table fit for royalty! Then wake them with a kiss and watch their eyes sparkle!

*(And if you have an early riser, don't let that spoil your mood! Let them help, make it a game to whisper and "surprise" the others!)

Bless you mamas and thanks for reading!