Au Gratin Potato Casserole

One of my favorite dinner recipes is Au Gratin Potato Casserole. This is a hearty dinner, that can be made in many variations, and is super easy to make. Here is my step by step recipe.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

10 Medium Red Potatoes (Russets will work also, but the reds are a little more tender)
1 can cream soup (mushroom, celery, or chicken)
1 soup can of milk
Any one of the following meats- 1 lbs cooked/browned hamburger or ground turkey, 2 cups diced ham or turkey ham, 2 cups cooked & diced chicken, or a 12.5 oz. can of chicken
2 cups Cheddar/Jack shredded cheese
Parmesan Cheese (basic dried grated type)
Parsley, Sea Salt, Pepper, Dehydrated Minced Onions

Drizzle Olive Oil on the bottom of a large roasting/baking pan, mix cream soup, milk, and cooked meat in a bowl, set aside, slice potatoes about 1/8 inch thin. Put a layer of Potatoes on the bottom of pan, pour half of the meat and soup mixture evenly over the layer of potatoes. Then sprinkle with parsley, a little Sea Salt, pepper, and dehydrated onions. Then sprinkle an even layer of half the cheese, and shake a thin layer of Parmesan cheese on top of the shredded cheese.

Then add another layer of potatoes, spread the other half of the soup & meat mixture over the potatoes, another sprinkle of parsley, sea salt, pepper, and dehydrated onions, then spread over the top the last cup of shredded cheese and a thin layer of Parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake for about an hour- I would check it at 45 minutes to see how it is doing.

I like to serve this with steamed broccoli. To save even more time, I have added broccoli to the layers as well, and cooked it right with the casserole. To make this as a side dish, you can leave out the meat, and you have an easy classic Au Gratin Potato side dish. No need for boxed dinner helpers with an easy and yummy recipe like this!

Crock Pot Lentil Barley Stew

Crock Pot Soups and Stews are one of my families favorite dinners. Every time I make something in the crock pot, the kids and hubby love the smell when they arrive home, and get excited for dinner. The aroma of soups and stews slow cooking through the day is one of those comforting and welcoming home and hearth smells.

Today I made a Lentil Barley Stew, here is how I made it.

1 bag lentils
1 cup dried barley
8 stalks chopped celery
2 medium chopped onions
1/2 bag frozen crinkle cut carrots
about 15-20 mini portobella mushrooms cut into quarters or sixths
1 can low fat chicken broth
salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, cumin, crushed red pepper, garlic powder

I covered the washed and sorted lentils and barley with water, and the can of broth- usually I use more broth but this is all I had- which is really the whole point of soup & stews, using what you have, you could just as easily use veggie broth or beef stock. I let it cook on high for about an hour to start heating, then added a bit more water- you will want to check periodically the water level as the lentils and barley soak it up, and add more as needed to get that stew consistency, then add the onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms and spices. I do not measure spices, I always add spices at the beginning, middle and end of the cooking and taste to determine what I want to add- this is trial and error and is the best way to learn to make good soup for your family- if you are unfamiliar with a seasoning go easy- it really only takes a couple dashes of red crushed peppers to get a little heat- if you like more- add more- same for strong spices like garlic- some people love it, others don't- I only put in a couple dashes of garlic to boost the flavor, since I didn't have very much broth. Pretty much every soup I make starts with Onions, Carrots and celery, with a broth base, if you have these on hand you can always whip up a good soup, crushed tomatoes often find their way in my soups too- tonight I didn't add tomatoes, but I might next time. Cook on high for about 8 hours. I will be serving tonight's Lentil Barley stew with a super quick and easy batch of Bisquick Cheddar Garlic drop biscuits- you can find the recipe right on the box. Great way to feed the family veggies and grains!

Update: This was also yummy as a left over the next day- I added a dollop of Salsa & Sour Cream, gave it a whole new taste, and made a wonderful lunch!

My Favorite Homemaking Magazines

I love magazines, I have enjoyed reading many homemaking magazines over the years, and have found many wonderful recipes and tips. These are my favorite magazines- Backhome, Mother Earth News, Living Crafts, and Mary Jane Farms- they are filled with wonderful recipes, and good old fashioned homemaking ideas. Lots of tips on gardening and self-sufficiency, cooking and crafting. I have read Backhome the longest, this magazine has really inspired me in my homemaking/homesteading pursuits. I have lived in a large city, and on rural property, and now I live in a small town in a house with a small yard- these magazines have helped me grow my veggies, cook and bake wholesome foods, helped with chicken and quail raising, craft, plan my pantry, and most of all helped me to continue to dream and plan my little homestead. I hope you have the opportunity to subscribe to some of these magazines- you can find links to most of them in my favorites list off to the side, or check them out at a library, they are all great and inspirational for anyone homemaking

Why Wooden Toys?

When I began planning my family nearly 17 years ago, I was drawn to many wonderful catalogues with many beautiful children's items. Still in the pre-Internet days, a lot of information could be learned from different children's catalogues and magazines. I love education, and knew I wanted to create an environment for my children that would encourage a love of learning. One of the trends at the time was the Black and White and Red items, which I did have, and the babies did enjoy, as well as other toys claiming to stimulate the young mind. Some of these toys were great, and I would incorporate them again if I had a younger child.

However one day, I was sitting in a nearby chair, watching my two children play amidst a sea of bright primary colored toys, and something about all the colors and plastics was chaotic, and unsettling. If I was feeling this way, maybe the babies were too. I had also been reading a book on healthy homes and knew that plastics might be made of material that was harmful. With the inspiration of a few books and toy catalogues that sold wooden toys as well as Waldorf and Montessori and natural parenting supplies, I decided it would be best to replace my kid's toys with more natural materials. Over the next few months I slowly replaced plastic toys with wooden toys, by the time my son turned two the switch was complete. I had simplified the play area with baskets of books, wooden blocks, various stacking and sorting toys, some wooden puzzles. The one exception to non-natural material toys were the beloved Schleich animals which we had collected one by one on each of our many trips to the zoo.

Over the next few years I discovered many other beautiful wooden toys, once we had Internet, a whole world (literally) opened up, and I was able to find amazing toys. One of our most beloved were the figures from Ostheimer, beautiful, and well worth the expense, I would encourage everyone to add some of these to their play area, as well as seasonal tables, and home decor. Most recently, Etsy has been a wonderful source of beautiful toys, as well as a great place to sell my own felt fairies and gnomes.

We had the joy of having my four year old niece and six year old nephew over for a sleepover last week. Being a house of teens we are not completely set up for small children, so out to the garage I went, to bring in the carefully stored wooden blocks and animals. My living room floor was transformed into a wonderful wooden zoo. When the niece and nephew were back at home, and my kids off to school, I was tidying up the blocks to store them back away, and decided to keep out some of my favorite Ostheimer figures to bring some warmth to a corner of my living room.

As my children have grown up, we have had other toys that were not wooden, both my kids loved their Lego's, and other cool building sets like Pixel blocks. My daughter loved her American Girl doll, and my son enjoyed collecting various action figures. The beautiful wooden toys have, however, always remained- tucked onto a bookshelf, displayed in seasonal decor, or decorating a corner of the living room, always adding warmth to their space.

Turkey Black Bean Enchiladas

A super quick meal to make any night of the week are enchiladas. Our family loves Mexican, Tex-Mex recipes. We usually make our enchiladas with beef and beans and cheese, last night I thought I would try it with ground Turkey and they turned out great so I thought I would post my recipe.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

12 flour tortillas

1- 19 oz. can mild enchilada sauce (medium can larger than a soup can)

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (more if desired)

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 a can of black beans rinsed and drained

salt, pepper, cumin, Cayenne to taste

1-2 Tablespoons of dehydrated onions (I use at least 2 tablespoons maybe even a little more because we all love the flavor)

Thoroughly cook ground turkey with spices and onions added- add black beans and cook until warmed. Set mixture aside. Get out a plate with a tortilla, add a scoop of mixture, and fold like a burrito- put into a large baking pan 10 x 13 that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Continue until you have all the tortillas filled. Evenly pour can of enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Then top with cheese. Cover with foil and put into a 375 F. Pre-heated oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and enchilada sauce is hot. Remove foil for the last 3-5 minutes if desired. Serve with Sour Cream and a Salad for a yummy and easy weekday meal.

Milanesa

Last year Gary and I were shopping at Walmart, and came across an interesting cut of beef that we had never seen before. It was called Milanesa. It was nice looking, very thinly sliced beef, and it looked like it would be tasty for some recipe, so we brought it home.

I went online to learn what it was used for and found a bunch of different ways to make Milanesa. I chose an easy method of preparing it using ingredients I knew I had, and it turned out great. It is now a family favorite, and I make it every couple of months, so I thought I would share the recipe.

Milanesa is made in South American and basically a breaded, shallow fried cut of thinly sliced beef.

Recipe:

1 package of Milanesa

3-4 beaten eggs in a glass pie pan (more eggs if you bought a large pack of meat)

2 cups of flour in another glass pie pan

Season the flour w/ Salt, pepper, a little garlic or onion powder 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, cumin 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, a dash or two of Cheyenne pepper

Using a sturdy pan for frying add about 3/4 of an inch of corn oil (vegetable oil is fine too)

A word about seasoning- this is something every home cook needs to learn on her/his own-it is based on family preference- some people love pepper, some people love garlic and want more, some people hate hot spices etc. When you first make something with a spice you aren't used to, go easy, next time you'll know if you want more- after awhile seasoning soups, sauces, breading flour etc. is just something you can do. Smell it, taste it, look at it, and decide. This would be a good skill to teach the kids and have them watch so they can get a feel for it from a young age.

Turn on oven to 200 F. Put a rectangle cooling rack on a baking sheet and set in warm oven.

Heat oil in pan. Coat meat w/ egg then flour- carefully fry in pan on both sides until a nice golden brown- Depending on the size of your pan, and the size of the meat you can do 2-4 pieces at a time. Carefully remove to a plate- test one for doneness-there should be no pink- if there is, return to pan and cook until not pink. Transfer cooked pieces to the pan in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest. When complete- set the hot oil on the back of the oven to cool and serve it up. We have had this with mashed potatoes or Spanish rice and a veggie like corn or any other favorite veggie.

Great recipe to try- super yummy treat!

Fried Dill Pickles

I love to mark special days throughout the year- even the small holidays are very important, as well as the changing seasons. Over the years as my children have grown up, we have incorporated many fun little traditions throughout the year. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and other other major holidays have their traditions, but some of the funnest traditions we have are the small little traditions that happen throughout the year, and are associated with holidays that do not typically have the pressure of a large celebration. We celebrate Epiphany every year on January 6th with a king Cake, one year it was as simple as my daughter using her Christmas gifted Easy bake oven to bake for the family. We celebrate Groundhog Day every year with my Groundhog cookies or with Jelly Donuts (plain and glazed on the outside to represent the still frozen ground, berry filling on the inside to represent the fruit and seeds underground that are beginning to grow in preparation for spring). Chinese New Year in February we eat Chinese food, and I bake brownies every year and put a Chinese paper dragon pick in the center of the brownies. We then laugh at how brownies have nothing to do with the Chinese culture, but we have them every year because they are yummy! And there are many more little holidays through out the year- President's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and more.

This year, and for about the last three years we have also started having a little celebration for Super Bowl. Most people who know me, know that I am not a big sports fan, and for the most part would choose many other activities to do on the weekend other than watch a football game on TV (community High School football games being the exception, I love to watch a live game.)

Anyway, because it is such an American Past-time, it drew me in. So, I usually have to google who is playing- then pick the team I'm rooting for- based on some completely non-football reason-like the State they are from,and what historical event I associate with that state. Then the fun part- Appetizers!

The last couple of years one of the kids or hubby were off watching with friends, but this year we were all here. So we had make your own Taco fixin's, BBQ ribs (Gary's fave), and this year I decided to try my hand at Fried Dill Pickles. I kept hearing about them here and there, and they sounded interesting. So I Googled various methods for making my own at home, and how they are apparently very popular in the South. And came up with my own method- using what I had on hand here. They turned out Great- Us girls loved them- Hubby liked them, Son thought they were interesting, but a little weird-but glad he tried them.

What The Fried Dill Pickles were, even more, was a fun memory that we will all remember. This is something the homemaker can bring to her household- good food, good memories, taking the time to make a day a little bit special, creating traditions, even silly ones like Brownies on Chinese New Year & Fried Dill Pickles.

Here is how I made them-

1 jar dill pickle chips (the round pickle slices w/ridges)

1 egg

1 1/2 c. milk

2 cups flour

Salt, Pepper, and a few shakes of Lawry's Seasoning

1 large bottle of vegetable oil

Mix together the egg and milk in one bowl or shallow pan.

Mix together the flour & Seasonings in another pan.

Very Carefully heat the oil in a very sturdy deep pan- like a dutch oven.

Drain the pickles, and put them into the milk egg mixture.

Then in batches of 15-20 put the pickle chips into the flour and toss to coat.

When the oil is hot enough (I just put one coated pickle in to test, and knew it was hot enough to use when the pickle started to cook) carefully transfer the coated pickle chips to the oil- use a slotted spoon and gently lower them in -careful not to splatter the oil. I use an Asian Spider skimmer to carefully turn them part way through cooking, and then to remove to a cookie sheet covered with a layer of 3 paper towels, when they are light golden in color. Then I start a new batch until I have made them all.

I am always very cautious when frying with oil, No Children or Dogs in the kitchen AT ALL- they may look on from the living room- wear shoes, pick up anything around you first that could cause tripping, and start with a clean work space.

These were great dunked in Ranch, and next time I think I will try a little Onion Powder or Garlic Powder to give them a little more zest. Fun treat, and perfect to snack on during the game!