Canned Hoppin' Johns

Hi, reader friends!! I hope today finds you happy and well! Have you seen the exciting news on my YouTube channel, My Modern Homestead?? If you haven't, here's your spoiler alert!!

We now have over 1,000 subscriber friends!! That is so amazing to me! I never even dreamed I would get 200, so I feel incredibly humbled and blessed to be where we are. If you are one of those subscribers, I want to give you my sincerest appreciation.

Since we can't sit and enjoy our favorite warm beverage together to celebrate, how about visiting over the newest canning recipe I just posted over on our channel? 😊

Today, I give to you how I canned Hoppin' Johns! You can view the video with stove top instructions by clicking here to go to our YouTube page.

Ingredients

2-1/2 - 3 lbs dry black eye peas, soaked overnight

8 cloves of garlic, minced

3 medium onions, minced

3 bell peppers, minced

1 bunch of parsley, chopped fine

1 can of petite diced tomatoes

8 slices of bacon, cut as desired

1-2 tsp Chicken broth base powder or bouillon per jar

1/4 tsp chili powder per jar

1/4 tsp paprika or smoked paprika per jar

1 pinch to 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper per jar

Boiling water

To clean pint jars (this will yield at least 16 pint jars), add 1 cup of peas. Divide the onions, garlic, and parsley evenly among the jars. Add 1 tablespoon of tomatoes to each jar. Add 1/2 slice of bacon to each jar. Add the seasonings, including the powdered chicken broth base. You may adjust seasonings according to taste. Add boiling water to one inch headspace. Debubble and wipe the jar rims clean. Seal jars with a lid and ring just to finger tight. Process in a pressure canner at 10 lbs PSI (adjust for your altitude) for 75 minutes for pints.

To cook on the stove:

1 lb soaked dry black eye peas

1 onion, chopped fine

1 bell pepper, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1/4-1/2 bunch of parsley chopped fine

1 can of petite diced tomatoes

2 slices of bacon, cut as desired

4-6 tsp chicken broth base powder or to taste

1 tsp chili powder, or to taste

1 tsp paprika, or to taste

1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

Salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a pot. Cover the ingredients with water. I like to start with about an inch of water above the ingredients. Bring the ingredients to a boil. Turn the heat down and cover with a propped lid. Simmer until the peas are done. Watch carefully so the peas do not run dry and burn. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking. I like to cook most of my water out and add back just a little more if needed to have thick beans. Many people like their beans with a lot of pot liquor. Add liquid to your personal taste.

I hope you have enjoyed our visit today! And remember! For the safety of your food, always do your own research and follow safe canning guidelines issued by the USDA through the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Always do as they say, not as I do sometimes. 😊😉

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!💕

Canning Sloppy Joes

Hello all my beautiful reader friends! I hope today finds you surrounded by blessings!

We have been supper busy the last few weeks putting away peaches and lots veggies. I took a day to use some of those veggies to make sloppy joes to can. I thought maybe some of you would be interested in trying it yourself, so today, for your viewing and canning pleasure, I present today's recipe! 😁🥰

Canned Sloppy Joes 

6 lbs. ground beef
1-2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/2- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped bell peppers
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cups tomato sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/8 - 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
2 - 3 teaspoons Better Than Beef Bouillon

Brown meat and drain. Cool onions, peppers, and garlic until it starts to soften. Add meat back to the pot. Add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Mix well.   When vegetables are soft, add the remaining ingredients. Mix well and bring to a boil for five minutes. Stir often to avoid burning. Ladle the mixture into hot jars leaving 1 once headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rims with vinegar. Seal the jars with lids and rings. Process pints for 75 minutes at 10 lbs psi for a weighted canners or 11 lbs psi for guaged canners. Make adjustments according to your altitude.

You can use your favorite beef broth in place of the two cups of water and bouillon paste, if you would like.

If you would like to watch my video of me making this recipe, just click here.

There you go! Short and sweet! I hope you have been enjoying your summer. I know many of you have been struggling just survive this brutal heat! Maybe you just want to tuck this recipe away for a cooler day. Who could blame you for that? 

I would still love to hear from you? What have you been up to this summer? Leave a comment below if you would like to share. 🥰

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

*Remember to always follow safe canning guidelines issued by the USDA to ensure the safety of your food.

Chicken & Bacon Burritos in a Jar

Hello all my beautiful reader friends!

I hope today finds you happy and well! What amazing- or ordinary- things have you been up to lately?

I have been busy trying to tame my garden. I am afraid that is a losing battle in many areas there, but the side where my green beans are growing is doing really well. I will tell you more about that in a later post, though.

For today, let's get to what I know you came here to see- the recipe! 🥰 Click here for the video!

Chicken & Bacon Burritos in a Jar

1/2 cup dry black beans 

1/4 cup uncooked brown rice (white or Jasmine work, too.)

2/3 c chopped bell pepper, onion, and whole kernel corn mix 

1-1/4 c cubes of partially cooked chicken 

1/4 c chopped crispy bacon 

4 T Rotel tomatoes 

1-2 T taco seasoning 

Chicken broth  

Layer ingredients in the order listed into a quart jar. Fill the jar to one inch headspace with the chicken broth. De-bubble the jar. Wipe the rim of the jar with white vinegar. Seal jar with a flat and ring. Place the jar in a cold canner. Continue filling desired number of jars. Process the jars for 90 minutes at 10 lbs psi for weighted canners or 11 lbs psi for guaged canners. Make sure to adjust weight according to your altitude. 

This is not a tested recipe. As always, you always can at your own risk. Always do your own research before canning any item or recipe. Never take my word or anyone else's for it! ❤️

If you decide to try it, leave a comment to let me know how you liked it!

Thank you for stopping by!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! 💕

Canning Ground Beef

Hi reader friends!

It has taken me a while to get to this post. I guess I have been unsure of just how to present it. About a week ago, I used a large part of my day to work on some things for my pantry. I needed to get some ground beef canned, and I wanted to get some things I knew I wouldn't use within a year put away in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers so they wouldn't go bad. There was a lot going on in the kitchen that day. If you would like to see the video, click here.

The biggest part of my focus was on the ground beef. Ground beef is very easy to can. If you would like to view the video tutorial, click here. I started by cooking and draining the grease from my meat. Then I lightly packed the meat into pint sized jars to one inch headspace. I like to add a dollop of Better Than Bouillon Beef Paste and then add boiling water to one inch headspace. The paste is not necessary, though. You could use plain water, beef broth, or tomato juice. The air bubbles should be removed from the jars and the jar rims wiped clean with a little vinegar. Seal the jars with a lid and ring, place them in the canner. The jars should be processed for 75 minutes for pints at 10lbs pressure after the canner has been vented for ten minutes. Make sure to adjust the pressure for your altitude.

I hope you get the chance to try canning your own ground beef! Having some jars on your pantry shelf sure helps when you really need to pull together a quick and easy meal! 

What do you like to have on your shelf to make meals quick and easy? Let me know in the comments!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Things That Help My Day Be More Productive & Ways To Teach Children Be More Productive

Hi reader friends!!

I took a half day to fully focus on some things I needed to do in the kitchen, and I thought I might share some things that have helped me through the years.

When I was younger, I hated the kitchen. Cooking made huge messes, and it took so long to clean up. After being married for so many years, I came to realize it was because I was never taught how to manage my time and resources in the kitchen. If that sounds like you, don't dispair! You can learn the skills you need to make the kitchen and other parts of your home your friend instead of that avoided enemy. I am far from perfect. There are plenty who have their act together much better than I, but I'm in no competition with anyone other than myself! I am just here to give you hope that you can be one who gets a lot done in the home, too. 

One important thing I have found that helps me is to really think through what needs to be done and prepare for success. Laundry need to be done? What can I do between loads? Maybe a room or part of a room can be dusted. What am I cooking or doing? What do I need to get that done? (This goes for any area in life, right?) What food, spices, pans do I need? Have them ready to go. Then I try to dermine if there is waiting time involved. If so, I try to fill that void with another quick task or two. Often, that time is simply washing dishes that were dirtied during preparation. I almost always wash as I go! There is nothing worse than spending your precious energy on a meal only to have to get up from the table to wash a sink and countertop full of dirty dishes. That's the worst, right?? No thanks! Let me do a few at a time as I work. That is not something that comes natural for some like me. It is a constant task that must be practiced over and over until the habit becomes second nature. In the beginning, it's much easier to just leave them for something that seems more interesting or relaxing like sitting on the sofa and vegging out on the phone or TV. But is that really satisfying when in the back of our mind the mess is taunting us? Get into the habit of stopping and doing what needs to be done as soon as you see it. A piece of trash on the floor? Stop and pick it up. That's not where it belongs. Mail in your hand. Sort it immediately. Don't lay it down for later- thanks for teaching me that one, Carla! Later may take a week if you sit it down. Taking a shower? Pick those clothes up immediately! You've got to walk over or around them anyway. Take those two seconds to bend over and pick them up, and put them where you keep your dirty laundry! 

Teach your children to do the same right from the start; they love having jobs and helping when they are little. Let them learn from an early age (this applies to many household chores) how to do these simple things. They will develop the skills they need to be clean, neat, and organized early when you give them the tools they need. You will high-five yourself later when you don't have to travel all over the house to track down dirty clothes. 

While we're here on this topic, let's have this discussion. It's perfectly okay and healthy to give your child these little jobs around the house! Why?

1. When they are little, it is not a job! It's fun for them to do what they view as grown-up things. Be a great model for them!

2. Everyone lives in the home, and everyone is on the same team. It teaches the child to be a team player in taking care of the home.

3. Teaching the child these basic skills teaches the child life skills! A child most likely won't live at home forever. That child is going to need to know how to take care of a home. Knowing how to care for oneself and a home is a confidence builder when the child is ready to leave the nest.

4. These basic skills will build cleanliness and organizational skills. If a child is learning from an early age not to leave a mess and put things where they beling, not to walk around things that need to be thrown away, and clean what is dirty immediately, those skills just become ingrained in who the child is.

But how do we do all that?? First, we MUST make it a part of who we are as a parent if it's not already! Children learn best by watching others. If that is not who you are naturally, you have the gift of learning right along with your child. Secondly, do these things you want your child to do with him or her! Make it fun; turn it into a game! For example, when I taught school, I liked to help our janitor by leaving my classroom as clean as possible at the end of the day. At the end of the day, we would play "The Magic Piece of Trash" game. The students would frantically scoop up all sorts of loose items from the floor. They knew I would let them know when the magic piece of trash had been picked up. I would let them know, and the person holding the magic piece would be rewarded. I let the game continue until the floor was clean. By the middle of the year, we would have to find new games to play, because the students had become proficient at cleaning up the classroom by then without me having to make much to-do over it. Children are only little for so long. Treasure these precious years. Don't sit and order your child around. You and your child will enjoy the time spent being silly and having fun together. Your sweet little one won't even realize the learning that is taking place. 

I hope something here inspires and helps you.  I have used these things for my own self, and have taught them to my children, too. None of us are perfect, though, and sometimes life gets crazy. That's okay. At least we have the skills to get right back on track before things get too far out of hand in the house! You can do it too! I believe in you! 

Go tackle the world, Tiger! --Well, at least the space you call home. 🥰

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Making Smoked Sausage

 

Today (Saturday) was our first time to try making sausage! It took us forever, but I was surprised at how easy it was to do. 

Last year, my husband had asked what I wanted for Christmas. I couldn't think of anything I really wanted, so I just tried to think of things we could possibly use around the house. In my search, I found a grinder/meal/sausage making kit for my KitchenAid mixer. I got it for Christmas, but it has been sitting on the shelf until today.

Over the last few months we have been gathering things we knew we needed to make sausage. We have also spent hours researching the process. We finally gathered the supplies we needed and found a weekend day free enough for us to try our hand at it. We recorded the whole process. You can find the full video here on my YouTube channel, My Modern Homestead.

Basically, to make sausage, you begin with your desired amount of meat and sausage. There is a bit of science behind that. We determined that we would use 15 pounds of meat with 3 pounds of added fat. This first time, we used our own meat plus some we bought. We also bought sixty pounds of fat that we separated into three pound portions for future projects. 

We kept that meat as cold as we could and ground it with a coarse grind plate and then a fine grind plate. Those came with the kit.

Next, we placed all the meat along with the spices, cure, and water into our 20 pound meat mixer from LEM. We did our best to mix it well without over mixing. That step is in the video, but unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture.

The next part was a little tricky. We had natural hog casings soaking in some water. I had to figure out how to separate one and get it loaded onto the stuffing tube. I eventually got it done, and we began stuffing the sausage. Both the grinding and the stuffing took forever with the equipment we were using, but after 10,162 hours, we got done!

Then we placed the sausage into the smoke house for a cold smoke. The house doesn't get hot enough to cook the sausage through. 

We then took the sausage down and bagged it up four links to a bag. The bags were placed in the freezer until we are ready to cook the links for a meal.

We ended up with fourteen bags.

Before we make more, we are going to invest in a bigger, heavier duty grinder and a different stuffer. What we used would be fine for a really small batch, but it just wasn't practical for the amounts we will be doing. I am now excited to try it again! We have our ingredients ready for our next batches but we will wait for our new equipment.

Do any of you make your own sausage? My husband wanted to make a sausage he could smoke and that could just hang in the pantry similar to how a salted country ham hangs, but he couldn't find any definitive information on that. Perhaps someone out there can offer him some wisdom and advice on the subject.

What have you been up to in your corner of the world? I would love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment down below.

I hope you enjoyed following along with us! I tried to include as much of the process as I could without making the post and video too long for you.

This is the information for the company from which I ordered our mixes. They have much more than spice mixes, though! Just call them to request a free catalog.

Home Butchering Supplies, LLC
715-623-0055

Love you all!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! ❤️

How to Can Sweet Potatoes

May I start by saying that if you like canning sweet potatoes, bless you!

I don't think I've ever not liked canning something as much as I've not liked canning sweet potatoes!! Maybe if they had been fresher, the process wouldn't have been so bad. I don't know. 

If you DO want to try them, this is the process:

Start with nice, smooth potatoes. Most of mine were not. Scrub them well, boil them 12-15 minutes just until they are barely fork tender, peel them- the skin and yellow layer underneath, chop them into nice size chunks, and pack them into jars to 1 inch headspace. Cover them with boiled, hot water to one inch headspace. Seal the jars and process quarts for 90 minutes, pints for 65 minutes at 11lbs pressure for a dial guage, and 10lbs pressure for a weighted pressure canner. Make sure to check and adjust your pressure for your location.

Click here for my video tutorial on YouTube!

I wish you all the best, and may your experience not be so rough and tedious. 💕

In other news, we got two pigs last weekend. We were supposed to have three, but one got away in the loading process. She has since been recovered by the original owner, and we will be going to get her this weekend. Hopefully, she won't be as skiddish as her sister. Of the two pigs we brought home, only the piglet will come to us easily. She is the cutest little thing and will eat everything we put in front of her except onions. She is so much like a puppy. She "smiles", wags her tail, and grunts as she happily makes her way to us to see what treat we may have for her. She is so gentle and eats right out of our hand. This is her eating some peels from the sweet potatoes that I canned.

Maybe once we get the bigger pig's sister here, the bigger pig will come around, too.

I think, hope, the cold weather is past us now. We've had some wild and crazy weather here the last couple of weeks. The only thing we have put in the garden is corn. Somehow, it is all coming up! I don't know if we've ever had a year other than our first year when we didn't have to fight weather and animals to get it to come up. Praise the Lord! Thank you! Now, I need to work on getting our other things in the ground. I'll be working on figuring out where I want to put things for a little while this morning.

What have you all been up to? I would love to hear from you in the comments! I love hearing what is happening in your world even if it has nothing to do with the homesteading life!

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! 💕

Homemade Taco Seasoning

 

Hey! Kick the habit! The buying taco seasoning packets habit, that is! Let the recipe below allow you to give up the packets! If you would like to follow along on video, click here to go to my video on YouTube!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

3 T chili powder

3 T paprika

2 t salt

2 T dried minced onion

4 t - 2T cumin 😜 -to taste

1 - 2 t cayenne pepper

2 t garlic powder

1-1/2 t dried oregano

Add 2-3 T of spice mix to one pound of browned ground meat.

A while back, my friend Buffi let me know my taco seasoning recipe didn't sound quite right. I was so confused! We LOVE our tacos around here. She kindly told me I didn't even have cumin in it. Huh??? That's my favorite ingredient in my seasoning! 

I did some looking around and realized the recipe I thought she had was no longer on my blog! I can't begin to explain what happened. I didn't purposely take it down. Anyway, I made today the day I remedied the problem! I thought it would be fun to bring you along!

I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Strawberry Pepper Jelly

Hello all my lovely reader friends!

Yesterday, we made pepper jelly with strawberries my little guy and I just picked up at the strawberry patch. Come along and make some with me here on my YouTube channel, My Modern Homestead! 

Here's the recipe:

Strawberry Pepper Jelly

2 bell pepper, finely chopped
6 small to medium jalapenos, finely chopped
1 c finely chopped strawberries
1 T red pepper flakes
6-1/2 c sugar
1-1/2 c apple cider vinegar

6 oz liquid pectin

In a large pot, combine all ingredients except the strawberries and pectin. Heat over high heat until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil for five minutes. Add the strawberries and liquid pectin. Bring back to a boil and boil three minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and let the jelly cool for a minute. Skim off foam if needed. Place jelly in half or quart pint jars to 1/4" headspace. Water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars to a dry, draft-free area, and do not move them for 24 hours. Wash jars and store in a cool, dark area.

I used to be the one to get the big ice
cream. When did that happen without
my permission?

I really enjoyed getting to spend some one-on-one time with my little guy who is no longer little. He, infact, towers over me now. He is still my baby, though. All you parents understand that one. I love the fact that he still wants to go and do things with me. I will never take that for granted.

Next week will be a busy one! I have several videos in the works, and I've got several things that need to be canned. Both of my guys are outside at this very moment getting the garden prep finished up so I can get my stuff in the ground soon. I am so excited! I am praying it does well this year. I am really counting on some things I am out of to produce well for us. 

What are you up to, my friends? Have you got anything exciting going on in your world? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Canning Pork and Beans

 

Hello dear reader friends!

I am so glad you're here! I know the recipe is most important, so recipe first! 😊

Click here for a link to the video tutorial on my YouTube channel! 🥰

Canned Pork and Beans

2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
6 c water
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T honey
2 t yellow mustard
1-1/2 t Liquid Smoke
2 t salt

2 lbs Navy beans
1 onions, chopped
1 package of salt pork

Mix ingredients for the sauce. Let the mixture get hot and simmer for five minutes. Place 1/2 c dried beans, up to one tablespoon of chopped onions, and one small (about one inch) chunk of salt pork in each jar. Add one cup of the heated sauce to each jar. Use hot water to fill each jar to one inch headspace. Remove air pockets from the jars. Add more water if needed. Wipe jar rims, and place a lid and ring on each jar. Process jars at 10 lbs pressure for a weighted canner or 11lbs pressure for a guaged canner. 75 minutes for pints or 90 minutes for quarts. Be sure to adjust pressure according to your altitude.

It should be noted that the dried beans should be soaked according to tested method guidelines. Here is a link for proper procedures for canning dried beans. That being given, most people I know use dried beans that have not been soaked. I urge you to do your research and use the method that you are most comfortable with. Never take my word or anyone else's over tested methods. You always can at your own risk in your kitchen. Always follow tested and approved canning guidelines to keep you and your family safe. ❤️

With all that out of the way, it's time to catch up! I hope you had a great week, and are looking forward to the new week ahead! 

A couple weeks ago, my son killed some wild hogs on our property, and we have some hams curing in our refrigerator. My husband has been trying his best to build a smoke house for smoking/curing meats before it gets too hot. Watch for that video to be posted soon.

Other than experimenting with a canned Cole slaw recipe, scrubbing down the kitchen, and continuing to enjoy my new clothes line, I didn't really have much going on this week. Oh! The strawberry patch here opened this weekend. I hope I am able to go and do a couple strawberry projects this week. Fresh strawberries straight from the patch are so delicious!

How about you? Is there anything interesting going on in your world? I would love to hear from you!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! ❤️

Canned Orange Chicken

Hello all my reader friends!!

First, I'm going to throw the recipe out there. I know it's frustrating to have to go through a whole blog post to finally get to the recipe you came for. If you want to watch the video tutorial on my YouTube channel, My Modern Homestead, click here. If you want to catch up, I'll do all the chit-chat catching up at the end, so keep reading if you want to catch up!

Orange Chicken

2lbs chicken cut into cubes (I used thighs this time.)
1 T fresh ginger or 1/4 t ground ginger
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 T soy sauce
1-1/2 T water
5 T white sugar
5 T white vinegar
1 c orange juice
zest of 1 orange

Pour all ingredients except the chicken into a pot. Mix well and heat on low until ready to add to jars. Then bring it right up to a boil- just really hot. While that heats, lightly brown the chicken pieces. It's okay that they don't get done. You are just adding color to the outside. Do this in small batches if the recipe is multiplied. Place chicken in clean jars to one inch headspace. Pour liquid in jars to one inch headspace. Debubble, wipe the rims of the jars clean using white vinegar. Seal jars. Pressure can the jars for @ 10 lbs pressure for a weighted canner, 11 lbs for a guaged canner, for 90 minutes. Weights/time may need to be adjusted for different altitudes. Always check your altitude and appropriate canning procedures before beginning. ❤️

Now! It feels as thought it has been ages since I've joined you here. I have been so focused on getting my YouTube channel up and running that I have neglected my blog! I'm hoping this is the beginning of me being able to multitask and do both at once, because, gracious, do I miss you all and my humble little blog! 

Thanks to a subscriber on my YouTube channel bringing to my attention that I didn't have a written recipe on my video, I believe she helped me figure out how I can easily do both the video and my blog at once. I guess time will tell for sure if I have enough discipline in me!

I hope you guys get to try this recipe. I've not actually eaten any just yet. I'm trying to be patient and wait until I get my slaw to go with it done first. I will be posting that one next, so if you want to wait and let me be the guinea pig first, you have my blessing!

As always, make sure you do your own research before you ever can a recipe and only do what you are comfortable doing in your own kitchen.

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Chicken & Bacon Squash Patties

Hello all my reader friends!

It's been so long since I have joined you here, and I apologize! I have been enjoying learning how to record and post vlogs and tutorials on my YouTube channel and have neglected my first love here. Now, it's time to join the two together!

What have you all been up to? We've been busy here. We have one learning to drive and one about to enter the teen years. The last few weeks we have been working in the garden, taking care of the new chickens, and finishing up school.

Today, though, we were in the kitchen experimenting again. I simply HAD to stop and take a few minutes to share the recipe here! I was experimenting with squash patties. The patties I did today turned out so well! They were a hit in this house! I know I have a lot of friends with extra squash growing out their ears, so I thought I would help you/them use some of it up! 😁 Even if you don't have squash growing, I hope you enjoy this recipe. ❤️

Chicken & Bacon Squash Patties

Ingredients:

2 c. Shredded squash: thaw and drain of frozen. Squeeze excess liquid if fresh

2/3 c. Drained canned chicken

3/4 c. Finely diced onion

1/3 c. Shredded cheese of your choice

1/2 c. Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend or flour mixture of your choice

1/4 c. Fried bacon pieces

2 T butter

1 egg

1/4 -1/2 tsp. Ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Goya Adobo Seasoning Salt

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Cumin

1/4 tsp. Salt

Directions:

Place skillet on stove to heat. Mix all ingredients except the butter together in a bowl. Make patties from the mixture once it has been mixed well. This recipe should make eight patties. Add the butter to the heated skillet. Add the patties to the skillet when the butter has melted. Cook the patties on medium to medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side. Keep a check on your heat. Each stove is different. The patties should be cooked low enough to cook through to the center without burning on the outside. Remove the patties from the pan and enjoy!

This recipe was so quick and easy guys! From start to finish, I had this recipe measured out, prepared, and the mess cleaned up in about 20-25 minutes! If you need a quick and easy lunch, this recipe is for you! I hope you get to try it. If you do, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

If you would like to view the video for these patties, please click here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! ❤️

Fried Rice

After all these years, I still wonder at how certain scents, sounds, and even recipes can open the floodgates of memories. Having a love of recipes with meaning and history, often my own recipes transport me to distant memories of my past.

Today's recipe is one such cork in the bottle of time. Each time I make fried rice, I am directly delivered to Mrs. Sheets Home Economics classroom in a newly built high school of my hometown. The moments I re-live are when going through the motions of high school were still tolerable, before the world came crashing down with the unbearable.

Save for a few faces, I don't even remember who was in the class with me as Mrs. Sheets walked us through the process of turning plain rice into something quite pleasant to the palette. I always remember the amazement that I, who never cooked, transformed such plain things, aside from soy sauce, into something so scrumptious. Though the faces have faded except for Kassie who, on a different occasion, made beautiful, perfect pancakes on the first try, I remember this was the common consensus among the class in each kitchen and dining station around the room. As perfect as the moment was, I don't think I attempted that dish again until many years later.

Any-who... let's get back to today's task and summon our inner hibachi chef, shall we?

This is my disclaimer. I still have my high school recipe tucked away in its original box somewhere, but I never use a recipe when I make fried rice. I find the measure of ingredients is not as important as the process. I will give you approximate amounts from my last batch where possible. 

For the rice, I used one large bag and one small bag of instant, boil-in-the-bag rice. Make sure to pay attention to the boxes. I didn't realize there were two different sizes until recently. I cooked the rice in the microwave as directed, drained it, and set it to the side until needed. See! I don't always do things the longer, more difficult way! 😜😁

Fried Rice

Cooked rice

One small onion

4-6 Tablespoons butter

1/2 - 1 cup frozen peas and carrots

1-2 eggs

1-2 teaspoons minced garlic

Salt (I used Goya Adobo All Purpose Seasoning)

Soy sauce

Begin by heating your skillet. I used my large, cast iron skillet. This recipe cooks quickly. It's important to get the skillet hot (not scorching) before adding anything to it. Once the skillet is hot, add three tablespoons of butter. If the butter starts angrily spitting and splattering butter across your cooking space, arms, and face, it's too hot. When the butter has melted, added the onions. Cook and stir until they are tender and starting to turn translucent. Add in the minced garlic. Cook and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute just until the garlic becomes fragrant. Immediately add in the peas and carrots. Use what looks right to you. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes. Just don't overcook the peas and carrots. You still want the colors to be bright. Add the rice plus one or two tablespoons of butter and desired amount of salt. It's best to err on the lighter side. You can always add more later. Continue cooking and stirring to mix everything well and to make sure the rice is hot. Push the rice into a ring around the sides of the skillet, leaving a small space of the skillet exposed in the middle. Add one tablespoon of butter cubed to the exposed skillet. When the butter is mostly melted, crack one egg for 3-4 cups of rice or two eggs for 4-6 cups of rice into the middle of the rice. Stir the eggs as they begin to cook. When they are almost done, stir the eggs into the rice. Turn down the heat. Add the desired amount of soy sauce. Again it's best to err on the lighter side. Quickly stir everything together really well. Taste and adjust salt and soy sauce if needed. Transfer the fried rice out of the cooking skillet.

There you have it! The recipe is such a quick and easy dish to whip up. I hope you enjoy it!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

How to Dehydrate Garlic

Hi reader friends! I hope all is well in your little corner of the world.

We have had some really busy days in the recent weeks, but the work has been satisfying and fulfilling.

One project found me, I didn't go looking for it. I ended up with a lot of garlic I knew I was never going to be able to use before it went bad. I didn't want to throw it away, so I decided to dehydrate it. 

I started by cleaning all the cloves.

Once that was done, I chopped the cloves into coarse pieces and placed them in the dehydrator.

The dehydrator was set at 135° F. I left the dehydrator for several hours. Once the pieces were dry and crispy, I moved the dried garlic to an airtight jar. The dry garlic can be processed into smaller pieces for minced garlic or ground into powder for homemade powdered garlic

What do you do with extra produce you don't want to go to waste? Leave your great idea in the comments below!

If you would like to see the video of the process, you can find it on My Modern Homestead channel on YouTube, here. If you enjoy your visit there, please like and subscribe to receive notifications when new videos are posted! 

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

We're Vlogging Now!

Hi reader friends! I hope this post finds you happy and well! We've been up to all sorts of fun. We've been doing everything from getting ready for fall with some fall decorating to doing all sorts of kitchen projects.

Have you heard the latest news?? I took a great leap of faith...or took the plunge??...and started a YouTube channel! You can now find me on My Modern Homestead. I have a ton to learn, though. I just knew if I waited until I had it all figured out, I would never begin. My vision is for the blog here and my videos there to go hand in hand. I would love for you to visit me there. Don't forget to leave a thumbs up and click the subscribe button if you like what you see there and want to stay in touch.

Today's kitchen adventures will eventually find their way into a video, but I thought I would give you a sneak peek here!

We began our morning by getting a roast sliced up to go into a marinade for jerky. Then we moved on to slicing up what was left of my big log of cheese from Pennsylvania! 

We got over eight 8oz packages of sliced cheese. We got them vacuum sealed and into the freezer. 

The hubby got the jerky into the smoker early this afternoon along with some boudain. All the meats are finally done, and they are sooo delicious!! 

Once we got all the cheese and jerky mess cleaned up in the kitchen this morning, I moved on to working on some extra tomatoes. I had too many to use right away, but not enough to do a canning project with. After we threw the sealed packages of them away, they sat there sadly accusing me. Finally, I couldn't stand their sad pleas anymore. I pulled them out, washed them, sliced them, and put them in the dehydrator! 😂😜 I will grind them into tomato powder when they are dry. I can't waste perfectly good food.

It has been a great day here! I can't wait to get the video finished and posted for you all! What have you been up to today? I'd love to hear about your day! Feel free to leave me a note in the comments, and don't forget to come visit us on My Modern Homestead! 

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

How to Dehydrate Onions

Hi reader friends! Today's post is a quick and easy kitchen project. 

Recently, I found myself with more onions that I knew what to do with. I don't want them to go to waste. My freezer is full, so I decided to dehydrate them to use at a later time. The process is very easy if you would like to try it yourself.

All you need to do is peel and chop the onions into small, uniform sizes pieces, and spread them evenly on your dehydrator trays. Try not crowd them. The more space you can give the onion pieces, the better and quicker they will dry. I had to crowd mine more than I would have liked.

Turn your dehydrator on 135° F and let the dehydrator do what it does best. If you have a lot of trays, you may find your trays need to be rotated a few times during the drying process. Normally, the onions should be done around 10 hours, but mine had to run much longer since I had so many trays and so many onions on each tray. I highly recommend you dry your onions outside. You will know your onions are ready when they sound hard and dry moving in the tray and no longer feel soft. Move them to an airtight container to store them.

Warning! Don't give into the temptation to try one! You may find you aren't left with very many to store away! They are so good! They have the flavor of the fried onions you buy to place on top of green bean casserole. Yum! I only let myself eat a couple so I would have a picture to share with you and so I would have enough left to use in another project that I will try to share with you at a later date. 

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix

Hello, reader friends!

It's been a while since I've visited with you here! I hope life is treating you well with the chaos in our world today.

I wanted to stop in and share a simple and practical recipe with you. If you've been around a while, you know I have a strong aversion to using seasoning packets from a store, so I almost always make my own. I thought I had shared my recipe for my ranch seasoning before, but it turns out I never did, as I discovered after a search for it to share with a friend. So at long last, dear readers, the recipe has arrived for her maiden voyage! I hope your journeys with her her are beautiful and tasty. Don't forget to share your culinary adventure pictures with me!

Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix
1/4 c dried parsley flakes
1/8 c dried dill weed
1/8 c onion powder
1/8 c dried chives
1-1/2 T dried onion flakes
1-1/2 T garlic powder
1 T sea salt
1-1/2 t Goya Adobo All purpose
              Seasoning
1 t black pepper
1 t paprika
1/2 t dried basil 

Add all ingredients to a mini food processor. Process until dry ingredients are broken down well and form a consistent powder.

Use 1-1/2 t to 2 t of seasoning mix to replace a packet of ranch seasoning. Add more to taste.

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Lemon Basil Shrimp with Pasta

Good day, reader friends!

I hope you are taking care of yourself and keeping yourself healthy during these crazy and trying Corona Virus days.

Have you found yourself in the kitchen more lately? I have! It feels strange having not been to a restaurant in so long. I was going through the freezer yesterday and found a bag of shrimp so I pulled it out to use today. After thinking a while yesterday about how I wanted to use it, I settled on Lemon Basil Shrimp with pasta.

I have to apologize in advance. This was one of those meals I just quickly threw together with no intentions of using it for a blog post. It was just so delicious and people started asking for the recipe, I figured I would write it out as best as I could. There is no "recipe." I will just tell you what I did.

First, I put my water on the stove with a good amount of salt to boil the pasta. As the water heated, I placed my non-stick skillet on another eye to warm. I also used this time to drain the shrimp that thawed in the refrigerator overnight. I also gathered the ingredients and spices I wanted to use. I pulled out bottled lemon juice (I didn't have fresh lemons on hand.), dried basil, salt, garlic powder, and chili powder. Once the water started to boil, I turned up the heat on the skillet to medium-high heat and added two tablespoons of butter to melt. I then added the noodles to the boiling water to boil for 8 minutes. Once the noodles were boiling in the water, I added the drained bag of shrimp to the skillet with the melted butter. I lightly salted it. I stirred it around until the shrimp slightly started turning pink. Then I sprinkled lightly with chili powder. I also added a good amount of basil garlic powder, and lemon juice (I used several good squirts- it depends on your taste). I continued stirring until the shrimp were mostly done. There was liquid still in the pan. Don't worry if this happens with your shrimp. The pasta will absorb any remaining liquids. I removed the skillet with the shrimp from the heat. Once the noodles were done, I drained them well and added the noodles to the skillet with the shrimp. To the noodles and shrimp I added a couple more squirts of lemon juice, a little more basil, and one more tablespoon of butter. I returned the skillet to the hot eye and continued to toss the ingredients until the liquid was absorbed and the shrimp and noodles were done. That's it! It is a very quick and easy dish to whip up! I hope you have a chance to try it!

How to Make Finely Ground Sugar

Good day, reader friends!

Don't stress!! I know it's the holidays and you are busy! I see those recipes you've been looking at that call for ingrients about which you aren't so sure! Here is help for one of those such ingredients!

Finely ground sugar is commonly used in European baked goods and candy. It is ground more finely that regular granulated sugar, but it's not as fine as confectioners/powdered sugar. I've never used it or seen it in a store personally, yet, I ended up needing it for a recipe I wanted to try.

Making it was very simple. I used my coffee grinder for this process, but using a small food processor may work.

To make the finely ground sugar, simply place about a quarter cup of regular granulated sugar into the mill.

Pulse a few times until the sugar is broken down into very small granules. Just be careful not to over-process and turn your sugar into a powder.

Ta-da!

It's just that easy! Repeat the process until you have your desired amount of sugar.

Now, there is one less thing to stress over! Go enjoy your holiday! ❤

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Citrus Peel Candy

Good day, reader friends!

We have been doing our annual Chrsitmas Around the World activities the last couple weeks when we have been able, as we lost a dear family member last week.

One activity I wanted to try this year was to make Stollen, a traditional German Christmas bread. The recipe I wanted to try called for candied citrus peel. I've read that there is no comparison between the store-bought version and the homemade version, so I decided it would be fun to make our own. It turns out, I was correct! I thought I would share the process with you in case you would like to try it also.

I began with organic produce, and I would not make this candy without using organic fruit since citrus is a sprayed crop. The following picture shows the fruit I used. You can use any combination you would like, but make sure to stay close to the same quantity.

Next, cut the ends of each fruit, and cut the rind away from the fruit.

Cut peel into quarter inch slices, place them in a pot, add cold water, and bring them to a boil. Boil the peels for 15 minutes.

Drain the peels and rinse them with cold water.

Repeating this process one or two more times will reduce the bitterness of the citrus rind.

Next, add two cups of sugar and one cup of water to the rinsed pot. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil to dissolve the sugar. I didnt wait for my sugar to completely dissolve.

Add the peels to the pot. Reduce the heat to maintain a slow boil, and stir often so that the peels do not stick or burn.

Continue to boil until the rinds start turning translucent and the syrup is thick.

Remove the pot from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove a few rinds at a time from the pot, letting them drain for just a few seconds. Place the rinds in finely ground sugar.  (Click here to learn how to make your own) Toss them around a bit to make sure they are coated well.

Move the coated peels to a drying rack. 

Let them dry on the racks for one or two days. The peels are now ready to use or store in the freezer.

I hope you get a chance to try them!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!