Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

A while back one of my co-workers posted on Facebook that she was so proud, because she had made and frozen enough crockpot meals to last the whole month. Needless to say I was a bit jealous, and was certainly eager to try out the idea for myself! So, I found a weekend and made a couple of test meals.The recipes I used came from hello glow. I made the Beef and Vegetable Stew, and the Sausage Lentil Soup. There are stacks of free recipes online, as well as cookbooks to be purchased.

The first thing you should do is to write the name and instructions for the meal on the outside of a gallon-sized zip top bag. That way, if you are making more than one meal at a time you won't be confused as to what goes where.















Open your zip top bag an insert it into a container of some sort. A canister or a pitcher would work best, just so that the bag will stand up while you fill it. It also helps if you fold the top over the edge of the container, so that the bag doesn't fall down into it.

Start prepping your veggies. If you have a mandolin slicer or a chopper it will make the process go by much faster.

You may also need to trim, slice, or cube the meats you are using. For the sausage soup I sliced my keilbasa into bite-sized pieces.
















There will also be recipes that will call for meats or other ingredients to be cooked before they go in the freezer bag. I cooked my onion and browned up the sausage a bit, then let it all cool to room temperature before putting it in the bag.















While my onions and meat were cooling I began assembling the rest of the ingredients. All the chopped veggies went in, as well as a can of tomatoes. I sorted out my lentils (and found a rock!) and added those too.

Once all the ingredients are in the bag, squeeze out as much air as possible and seal. You can lay the bag flat to freeze, then it is easier to stack them once they are frozen. Most recipes will call for you to remove the meal from the freezer the night before, and place it in the refrigerator to thaw. When you are ready to cook it up, just empty the contents into the slow cooker and add in the liquid. The best part about a crockpot meal is that you can put it on to cook while you do other things. So, go to work, run errands, clean the house, visit your granny, whatever is on your agenda for the day, and your meal will cook without you!

Here are some links to more slow cooker freezer meal recipes:

Side Tracked Sarah

Thirty Handmade Days

The Krazy Coupon Lady

Crock-Pot Ladies

New Leaf Wellness

Have fun! Happy crock-potting!

Make it Yourself - Ant Bait

As they days grew hotter this year, we began to see more and more ants in the house. Every time we would kill a group, another would eventually turn up. Finally, they invaded Willie's computer room, and enough was enough. He did some research on how to kill the whole colony. Lo and behold, we had the stuff we needed in the house already!

Here's what you'll need for your ant bait stations:

Borax

Powdered Sugar

Bottle Caps

It's pretty easy to do, Mix 1 part Borax to 3 parts powdered sugar. Dispense into bottle caps. Place bottle caps in an area frequented by ants.

It's best to put these bait stations someplace outside, or in the garage or a shed. Try to choose an area that is somewhat sheltered, with a windbreak. It will also help bring the little guys out during the day if the location of the bait stations is shaded. That way you can tell how many are taking the bait home! *insert evil laugh here*

The idea behind this method is that the ants won't be able to tell the sugar from the Borax. They will take it all home to the colony, and the entire colony will ingest the Borax. This will cause them to be unable to absorb water, and they will eventually die.

Can the Sales!

Often times when the subject of canning comes up, the common response I get is that the person I'm talking to doesn't have a garden, so they don't can. The thing about it is, though, you don't necessarily need a garden! Most grocery stores have their weekly ads available online, so why not check out what's on sale and can that? As we have learned in my previous post What to Can, there are a great number of items that can be preserved by canning.

For example, my local grocery stores have the following "cannable" items on sale this week:

Beef Roast (Rump)

I realize that this first one is a little bit of a strange one, but canned meat is fantastic! One of my nursing home residents told me that her husband used to go hunting every year, and a portion of what he shot got canned. Later on, after his health had declined a bit and he was no longer able to go hunting, she would scan the ads to find meat that was on sale, and can it. Grandma always canned a portion of the game that grandpa shot, too. I thought it was a great way to preserve your meat, and it is super easy to use. Some of the best loose meat sandwiches I've ever had came from home-canned meat! Here are some instructions on canning meat.

Roma Tomatoes

Since Roma tomatoes are a paste tomato, it stands to reason that they would be made into tomato paste. Click here for an easy tomato paste recipe that includes canning instructions.

Grapes

Grapes are nice because you can juice them and can the juice, or you can make grape jelly. You could even mash them up to make wine, but then you would need to bottle it, not can it. Besides, that's another blog post in itself.

Peaches or Nectarines

In my family someone always had a peach tree, so there were always peaches to be canned in the fall or winter. While the obvious choice would be to preserve peach slices in a light syrup, you could also make them into jam, jelly, or pie filling, and can that. Nectarines can also be used in place of Peaches, since the only difference between the two is that nectarines lack the fuzz that peaches have.

Plums

I had never considered it before, but you can make plums into jelly or jam. Although I've never tried it, I think it would be an option worth exploring!

Asparagus

Asparagus is an fairly easy vegetable to can. If you have tall, thin jars you can preserve the spears whole, if not, you can just as easily snap them and preserve them in another type of jar. All you need to can asparagus is a little salt and some water, but if you're feeling daring you could always pickle it! Either way, the instructions are here.

Pineapple

Although I had never considered it before, I came up with the idea that one might be able to can pineapple at home several months back, and I spent an entire workday obsessing about the idea. When I got home I finally had the opportunity to research the subject, and was quite satisfied at how easy it is to can pineapple.

Carrots

  You can either can your carrots on their own, or you can use them to compliment other items, such as pickled jalapenos. Likewise, you can pickle carrots and can them.

Apples

  I love apples because there's just so much you can do with them! The top "cannable" items to be make with apples are, for me, apple jelly, apple butter, apple sauce and apple pie filling.

Don't forget! If you have any questions about canning equipment, boiling water canning, or pressure canning, I've got info to help you! Please note that the boiling water canning link sends you to a recipe, but at the bottom of that recipe is boiling water canning instructions.

Cotton Ball Fire Starters

So, I've already taught you how to make egg carton fire starters to get your campfires started, but suppose you don't have any with you. Now what? Not to fear! I will teach you how to build a fire using another means!

I was trying to decide if I should make my fire "from scratch" or demonstrate one of my methods of fire-starting from my day pack. I chose the latter.

Here's what you'll need to make your little cotton ball fire starters:
Cotton Balls
Petroleum Jelly
Zip-top Bag

Put a few handfuls of cotton balls into the zip-top bag, add a dallop of the jelly, seal, and knead until the cotton balls are coated. If they don't quite all get a dose of the jelly, just add a bit more and knead again. So easy! Now you can put them in your day pack, along with your steel wool, magnesium bar, and sparker.

So, I set up my fire pit with some chunks of wood we wanted to get rid of. On top of that I placed some pine cones. Small, rough items such as pine cones or bits of bark with allow your flame to "catch hold" and grow. Typically you would start with very thin, papery items such as dry grass, moss, papery or fiberous bark, or thin wood shavings. Since our cotton balls are taking its place, we won't need papery items, just something for the flame to hold onto.

Take a few of your greasy little cotton balls and spread them open a bit. The spark will ignite the dry cotton you've uncovered by spreading it open, and the petroleum jelly-covered parts will act as a torch to keep the flame burning long enough for you to add kindling.

I attempted to use my sparker to ignite the flame, but I was using the notched edges on the side, which didn't throw off a very big spark. Willie took over and used the flat edge at the top to produce a spark large enough to start the fire. 

Check out the video to see how easily these little fire starters ignited!

Make It Yourself - Taco Seasoning

I've had this recipe for quite a while, although it is not mine. This one was written by Bill Echols and can be found on allrecipes. Please be sure to visit the original recipe and give it a 5-star rating! I looked it up one day when I discovered that I was out of taco seasoning. I had also discovered that I didn't want to drive into town to get more. Luckily enough, we always have a well stocked spice cabinet. Not only do I want to teach you how to make this delightful concoction, but how to use it as well!

Recipe:
1Tbsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

Just combine your ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container if you are saving it for later. I typically use the whole batch when I cook, but you could cut it in half if your family likes a milder taco meat.
So, to use this with ground beef (or turkey, if you desire,) brown the meat in a skillet, and drain if it is greasy. Add the seasoning (whole or half, whichever you prefer) and 3/4 c water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the water is gone.

Alternately you can use taco seasoning to make shredded chicken for tacos, quesadillas, or flautas. You can either simmer on the stove, or put it in your crock pot. Take 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts and place them in the bottom of a sauce pan or pot. Pour in enough chicken broth to cover almost completely. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over top. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. If you are using your crock pot, do the very same thing, but set to low and let it cook for 6-8 hours. I like to start it before I go to work so I can shred it when I get home. You can use frozen breasts or thawed, either way it should work out fine.

There you are! Happy taco-ing!

Seed Paper

For a while now I have been thinking about dandelions as a food source. They are hardy, easy to grow, and nearly the entire plant is edible. I've already published a post about eating dandelions as a salad. The thing I've been trying to figure out is what the best way to cultivate them might be. Their wispy little seeds do a fine job of spreading the plants far and wide, but what if you are looking to plant them all in one spot? What if you want them evenly dispersed over a specific patch of dirt? I found my solution the other day while exploring the Fireflies and Mud Pies website: seed paper! This way the dandelion seeds should all be stuck in a biodegradable sheet, and would stay wherever you plant them. Genius! In addition to dandelions, you could make this paper for any type of flower with wispy little seeds. I really enjoy Western Salsify plants, so I could make some seed paper to plant them in my flower garden. Likewise, you could make it with sowthistle or prickly lettuce seeds. Both sowthistle and prickly lettuce are, like dandelions, edible greens, and make good animal fodder.

Here's what you'll need for the project:
Wispy Seeds
Scrap Paper (Junk Mail, Newspaper, etc)
A Food Processor or Blender
Cheesecloth or a Flour Sack Dish Towel
An Embroidery Hoop
A Bowl of Similar Size to the Embroidery Hoop
Water
A Rubber Spatula

First, use your embroidery hoop and cheesecloth (or dishtowel) and make a sieve for forming your paper.










Locate a bowl or dish of similar size to your embroidery hoop. This will catch the water as it drains off of your wet paper.










Either a food processor or a blender will work for this project. Don't worry about ruining your equipment, as paper breaks down easily in the water and will wash out easily if you clean it right away.















I used prickly lettuce seeds for this demonstration, but any sort of wispy seed will do. Dandelions or sowthistle if you're growing for animal fodder, Western Salsify, Marigolds, Daisies, or Black-Eyed Susans if you're growing for a flower bed.







Just look to your "to be shredded" bin for paper to recycle! Remember that junk mail or newspaper can be used, but avoid paper with a waxy coating or receipt paper. Regular old dull paper will break down easier in the blender, as well as in the ground.







Tear the paper into small pieces before adding to the blender.

Add water and begin to process. Continue adding water until the paper is broken down into a pulpy paste.










Place your embroidery hoop sieve over top of your bowl.











Spread about half of the paper pulp onto the "sieve." You might need to tighten your dishcloth or cheesecloth at this point, as it will likely sag under the weight.
















Sprinkle your seeds evenly over the top of the paper paste.











Use the remaining paper paste to cover over your seeds.











Allow the seed paper to drain until it is dry to the touch, then move it to a warm area to continue drying. I put mine on top of my clothes dryer for a few days. Once it is completely dry you can store it in an envelope or zip top bag until you are ready to  plant! When you are ready to plant, just put it where you want your plants to grow and cover over with soil. As you water, the paper will break down and allow the seeds to germinate.

Wax Paper Stained Glass

Often times when I tell people about my recollections from childhood they are astonished at just what I remember. This is the case with Wax Paper Stained Glass. When I was in kindergarten my family lived in Evanston, Wyoming. The school I attended was large, and had a lot of interesting programs and activities. We always had good crafts and projects in my class, and as near as I can remember, this was one of them. I've been meaning for quite some time to recreate this childhood activity, so here's how I did it!

First things first, I gathered my tools and materials together. I found my used crayons and vegetable peeler at the thrift shop. I also brought a paper plate, wax paper, construction paper, an iron, and some patterned scissors into the equation.

Your first step will be to select the colors for your stained glass, and peel back the wrappers a bit.

Cut some pieces of wax paper. Honestly, the bigger the pieces the easier it will be to make.

If you are planning on making a large stained glass, or a lot of small ones, it might be beneficial to scrape off a lot of wax with your peeler, and collect it on a paper plate.

This was a big mistake. This is waaaay too much wax for this sized piece of wax paper. It escaped off of all the edges. It was a huge mess. Remember, a little goes a long way.

Sprinkle just a little of your crayon shavings onto the wax paper and cover it with another wax paper.

Cover your crayon/wax paper sandwich with a piece of fabric and set your iron to low.

Iron until your wax is melted and spread all out.

Take a piece of construction paper and measure out a frame. You will need a front and a back. 

Don't forget that you can trim your "art" to make it easier to frame if necessary. 

Using white glue, fix the front and back of your frame to your "art."

Find a pair of patterned scissors, if you have them, to trim up the edges and make it cute.

Punch holes in either of the top corners. This is for your hanger.

Using a piece of ribbon or string, make a hanger.

That's it! Find a sunny window in which to display your artwork!