Keepers at Home

Titus 2:3-5 (KJV) The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

The passage before us shows how much the honor of Christianity is bound up with the faithful discharge by Christians of the simple domestic duties of life. In truth, the family is the chief seat, and often the main test, of Christian virtue, as it is the distinctive feature of humanity as ordained by God. Source: Pulpit Commentary

Butter Is Better

My Homemade Butter

You can use store-bought, cream-line milk to make a little bit like I did. Just use the cream on top to make butter. It's a fairly small amount. I just placed some cream in a 1/2 pint jar, placed the lid tightly on top, and shook it until a lump of butter formed. Kept shaking until the whey separated from the butter. Poured off the whey, (saved it for other uses) and squeezed it in my hands (or you can mash in a bowl until any remaining liquid comes out). You can lightly salt the butter if you wish. And since this was such a small amount, there was no need to rinse and cool. I used it immediately after making it. 

I have so many memories of women who milked cows, but for some reason I never actually saw them milking. Sad, I'm interested now, but getting too worn out to try it. Sure, there are lots of videos about this, and I love watching them. But it is  still sad to have had the opportunity, and didn't watch or help.

For more info on butter: 

Butter Is Better (Link): Is butter better for you? Sally Fallon Morell, the President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of Nourishing Traditions answers this question.

Eating in Season

Seasonal Simple Pleasures

We've probably all heard of eating seasonally for our health, for our pocketbook, and for environmental reasons. . .but why not just for the simple pleasure in it?

Photo: Pixabay

Marshmallow Cheese Toast

I recently bought a book call Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales. It is a wonderful book! Of course I'm a little prejudice, since I've loved her writings since I was child. Actually, I've grown to love her even more as an adult, because of her attention to details about the home, cooking, and gardening. She truly had a green thumb, and a most wonderful sense of artistic abilities. You can see it in her books of course but even in her yard, farms, decorating and clothing.

 

Lots of things on my mind. . .

Spring. . .

It's one of my favorite seasons. If you can even call it that in this age we're in. Winters are usually not really cold here, spring is beautiful but short-lived, summer is exasperating with the heat, and fall can't be enjoyed for all the misery of the bugs, heat, and rain it brings. (I actually use to be an optimist.) I've honestly been thinking lately that the next season was summer. Ha! 

Sidenote...So, I’ve actually had this post saved as a draft since 2018 for some reason. So as of today, Dec. 31, 2023, I’m posting way ahead of spring, and maybe I’ll get a headstart on it this year... I mean next year! 

Back to the original post (Mar. 14, 2018)

So, I bought lots of seeds to start, plant, and apparently save this year. I've been so excited to plant these seeds and actually started thinking it might be too late to plant some of the flower seeds I bought. I know the Zinnias, marigolds and such will eventually bloom - but I'm pretty sure bulbs and perennials should have already been planted back in the fall. Here I am clutching the seeds, dreaming of beautiful flower gardens, and reality struck a few days ago that it might be too late to plant them. I have seeds for the most gorgeous snapdragon called Apple Blossom. . .

I think I'll plant just a few of the seed and see how it goes, and save the rest until fall. You have to have a back-up plan. 

Collards Greens & Turkey Wings w/Rutabagas

Add abt. 2 qts water, cleaned chopped greens, smoked turkey wings and diced rutabagas to dutch oven, season with salt, add a Tablespoon butter or oil, bring to boil, turn down and let it simmer to desired tenderness. Serving Suggestions: Serve w/cornbread and sweet iced tea.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

"It is more important to live the life one wishes to live, and to go down with it if necessary, quite contentedly, than to live more profitably but less happily. " Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Dilemma

I didn't know my new computer didn't have a slot for my camera card!! So I've been trying to figure out how to use Pinterest, Polyvore (the best, if you can find the pics you need) and other places on the web for finding pics, and posting them. There use to be a button you could download to your toolbar to "Blog this"...so you could blog a picture and article, or whatever from any webpage to blogger....Anybody know more about this?? :(

Link Hopping to Find the Perfect Blueberry Tart/Pie

http://www.cannellevanille.com

Oh the wonders of link hopping...

While looking for a recipe for blueberries, I found this gorgeous website, above! I ♥ it!

That tart looked gorgeous, as well. Following the link for the recipe, Aww, disappointed... I was out of yogurt. Which sent me looking for a substitute...

OK, kick in early morning thinking, with the brain on very little coffee helping it along...Risotta!!! So I searched......But all the pictures I found were not very appealing. 

So, I came up with the idea of a custard tart...Bingo! Well, almost...It was a pie, but it definitely looked like what I was looking for!

http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com

Yet another gem of a website!!! It looked exactly as I had envisioned...While I have a tried and true custard recipe, I wanted one that was a bit firmer for the tart/pie---and this looked like a winner! But...no recipe, only another link to the original.

Martha Stewart

At last...ahhhh!

But wait!!!

Look what else I found!!!

This: Flatbreads with Winter Squash, Cremini, and Camembert

And this:  Tuscan Squash Pie

Oooo, ahhhh!

And curiosity got the best of me, when I kept seeing "CSA" on this website....Hmmm! Soooo, I searched and found THIS. 

Wow, now I'm really rolling....I had been searching for something about starting something like a Farmer's "Co-op" for a long time! No, not a new idea...It's one that's been around forever. But what use to be a simple way/place to buy or trade eggs, fruits, vegetables, etc. has become a modern day craft-artisan set-up. And usually big $$$...I wanted something simple, affordable, old-timey...and this looks like it could be that. May be another one of my dead-end dreams...I'm only one person!!! And it looks like it might take a lot of hands-on help to do something like this, not to mention a little moolah, and some elbow grease! But I'm going to keep investigating and see what I can come up with! 

See what treasures you can find, link hopping!!! Love it! ♥ 

Homegrown Veggies

 

Vegetables from my garden!

Woohoo!

Zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, english peas, onions, basil, salt and pepper, and a little oil. Cover, and let simmer til desired tenderness. I can't make up my mind what to serve it over---rice or pasta??? Hmm

Can we honestly still say this?

Friends, the Retailers of America have just celebrated a half century of progress, a half century of public service and also just completed a week of outstanding cooperation with American businessmen to celebrate this significant milestone. Everyone of us can be proud of the great material strides taken in the last several decades to double our output for every hour we work, and increase our annual income. We've enjoyed a steadily rising standard of living as a nation, and we've preserved all of our precious hard-won freedoms. Yes, our American economic system has brought greater material means for happiness to more people than any other system the world has ever known. So, congratulations to the Retailers of America, for helping to boost the good things in our American way of life. Let's remember, that the better we all produce, the better we all live.

Aired on April 30, 1950, as closing comments of My Favorite Husband radio show.

Looks Like a Winner!

Smoked Beef Bacon (Applewood smoked)

Developed for those who love the taste of bacon, but do not want to eat pork, the beef brisket is cured in a secret-recipe salt and sugar brine, and then smoked with famed Washington State applewood. Can't wait to try it out....Ahhhh, you know how us Southerner's just love bacon!!! And those beloved grits!!!

Nevermind, this could get rather complicated.