Pasta Meals Made With Hamburger

We have 2 meals that this family loves, and we eat it often.

The first meal is Meatballs in a Sour Cream Sauce served over pasta. I did start adding a sharp Romano cheese to the sauce and it makes it so good. I make a whole box of pasta and a whole pound of meatballs and freeze half.

Sour Cream Sauce

4 T Butter
4 T whole wheat pastry flour
1 c milk
1 c water
2 bullion cubes, or 1-2 T chicken broth powder
1/2 c sour cream

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add milk, water and broth powder and bring to a boil, stir until thick. Remove from heat, add sour cream and Ramona cheese. Add meatballs and place over low heat until everything is warm and thick. I also add some dried or fresh parsley to give it more color. KL does not care for meat, but she does eat these 'Spaghetti Balls' and always asks for seconds.



The second meal we eat almost every Monday is Hodgson Mills Macaroni & Cheese. I was able to find a great price for it on Amazon, and I will have it shipped to my house every 2 months. We always add 1/2 pound of hamburger to it to make it go farther, and also the taste.
I have always been a fan of Creole Seasoning and got my husband hooked after we got married. We find it hard to eat mac and cheese without the creole.

Farm Food

I love Wednesdays. It is the day we drive out in the country to purchase milk and eggs. I always stay pretty stocked up on meat that is antibiotic free/hormone free/stress free/humanely killed. I love getting it all home to place in my freezer and think of meals to make with it. We are very picky about the meat that we eat, and I am so grateful that I found a farm where I actually can meet these animals and see them grow throughout the spring and summer before they end up on my table. KL has not put it together that we eat these animals. She will one day, but I would not be surprised if she grew up to become a vegetarian. She does not care for meat, and loves all animals dearly.

First Time To The Movies

We took KL to the movies for the first time! We took her to see the double feature of Toy Story in 3D. She was so excited she could hardly contain it! She made sure she brought her Buzz and Woody toys with her. She was so adorable sitting in the theater with her very own popcorn, pop and candy. We could not make it to the 2nd feature because she started falling asleep, but she very much enjoyed the first one.

Random Thoughts/Random Shots

The other day I made toast, bacon and eggs for lunch. I cracked an egg and a double yolker came out. Those are always fun since you hardly ever see them. 2 more eggs after that were also double yolkers! It was fun and Ty had never seen one before. So I snapped a shot of them.


I have a large 'Get Ready For Winter' to-do list. First thing on the list was to go through all the tubs of clothes for my girls. I was able to clothe KL for this winter just from the clothes in the tubs. Thanks to all my sister-in-laws in Indiana! The only thing I needed to purchase for KL was snowsuit, snow boots, and tennis shoes.
So I hauled all the tubs upstairs and went through them and I separated them by summer & winter. It was actually a very long job and one that I had been putting off for a awhile, but it is now done and I just need to get them back downstairs.



And this next shot we just call 'Milk Drunk'.

My Favorite Time Of Year

As a child I remember the weather turning colder and that was a sign for my family to start preparing for winter. My dad taking the pickup truck out in the woods to find firewood. Bringing it home and then my dad getting out his chainsaw and cutting the wood and all of us kids piling the firewood on pallets. My mom getting everything from her garden that was still there, canning and swapping out summer clothes for winter clothes, and weather proofing the windows. Getting outside toys put away for another winter. I loved getting ready for winter as a child and that has carried through to adulthood/mommyhood.
For the last week I have been going through my girl's closets and swapping out summer for winter clothes and reorganizing bedrooms. Getting the hats and mittens out and ready for colder weather. Purchasing new furnace filters, window weather treatments and new weather strips for the doors, making sure I have plenty of feety jammies for the girls, we all have a good pair of slippers, and I purchased a nice warm blue robe for my husband.
Another thing I do to get ready for the cold weather is hitting all the second hand stores and purchasing new movies, toys and books and putting them away for when it is too cold to go out and KL is feeling restless. I have also purchased lots of craft stuff from the Dollar Store and put it away. She loves doing crafts and it really keeps her busy. I purchased construction paper, new crayons, scissors, stickers, glue and stamps.
I will be going to the second hand stores after Halloween and purchasing any leftover costumes to put away in her dress up tub. I will be getting more wands, crowns, jewelry, boas, and fake makeup from the Dollar Store for her dress up days.

This is KL's room. She does not have a dresser, but she has a fabulous Closet Maid and we really put it to good use. I would recommend one of these to everyone. I love it!


This is VJ's dresser and closet. I have many more clothes, I just ran out of hangers, and the rest are still in Neb and I will get them in November.



Getting extra blankets out for my girls!


KL has been enjoying picking berries off of our bushes. She knows she can't eat them, but she puts them in piles on the sidewalk for the birds and the squirrels.





A sound I hear constantly now is the squirrels on the deck, the tree next to the deck and the swing set chewing open walnuts and leaving the remnants behind. I hear it all day long and I love it. It is just another sign that winter will soon be upon us.

1st Time Bowling

Today we took KL bowling. We found out that the local bowling alley has Bumper Bowling on Thursdays. For $5.00 she gets a full game, shoes, fries and a drink. Any extra games are $2.50. What a fun way to spend Thursday morning.


Daddy showing her how to bowl.



She did it all by herself!



Mommy and KL wearing our matching shirts. This is the second time this week we wore matching shirts.


She called this 'The Ball Bringer Back Thingy'. Too cute!


I am very picky on what VJ eats, and she is on an eating schedule. But she was reaching for our fries, and I couldn't resist!


Check out those cheeks! They are almost as big as her thighs!


We had such a great time that we are going to plan on doing this every Thursday before daddy goes to work.

Playdate & A Superb Lunch

Today the girls and I got up early because we found a mommy/kids playgroup at one of the schools near by. They meet every Wednesday from 9:30-10:30am. They use the gym and have toys of every kind, and the stage is used for crafts, and they put out tables for snacks. KL had a wonderful time, and we will plan on going back.

I needed to think of an easy lunch for today, so I chose to make a creamy chicken pasta meal with lots of veggies and corn bread on the side.
I had some cooked chicken in the fridge, so I added chopped chicken, carrots, zucchini and onion to the pot. Then I cooked some pasta and added pasta and chicken broth, then I added about a cup of homemade Cream of Soup. It was very tasty!

Cornbread Recipe:

1 stick butter
1 1/2 c buttermilk, yogurt or sour milk
2 eggs
1 c flour
1 t. salt
1 c cornmeal
1 t. baking soda

Put butter in cast iron skillet and place in oven. Turn oven to 400 degrees allowing butter to melt. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs and sugar. Mix well. Pour in melted butter, leaving about a tablespoon in pan. Roll around remaining butter to 'grease' the pan.
Add cornmeal, flour, salt and baking soda to wet ingredients. Mix well, pour into skillet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. You can top with butter, honey or maple syrup.






Recipe for Cream of Soup:

2 cups dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup chicken broth powder
2 T. dry onion flakes
salt, pepper and parsley.

Mix and keep in sealed jar in your pantry.

To use:
1/3 cup cream of soup mix to 1 cup hot water. You can either cook this in a pan on the stove, or put in microwave for 45 minutes. Watch carefully, you don't want it to scorch.

Great Food/Great Finds

Yesterday we drove to another town to pick up our co-op order. I ordered 3 lbs of American cheese, a whole box of my family's favorite suckers, and 5lbs of green lentils. Yes, 5lbs. So, I found some great green lentil recipes, and the one I posted looks absolutly delicious! So we will be having it sometime this week.

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 pound French green lentils (recommended: du Puy)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large)
• 4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
• 3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
• 3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows, or canned broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick
• 2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

After getting back from co-op, we met Grandma Nicholls at our house and we drove to the Salvation Army in Battle Creek. I love the Salvation Army! Great finds, great prices. So we were on the hunt for a Halloween costume for KL, and some fall decor. One persons trash is another persons treasures! I found a great pumpkin candy dish, and a candle holder. They had a great selection of costumes, so I started going through them and KL changed her mind 100 times. Finally, the last costume I held out she fell in love with. I am not sure if I am going to make her into a princess with wand and crown, or if I will put some black tights, black shoes, bumble bee headband and make her the Bumble Bee Princess. Any suggestions?

Nebraska Bound

We are finally making it public knowledge.......... based on when Ty finds a job, we will be moving back to Nebraska. We feel that this is a good move for our family. We have a lot of reasons for going back. We are ready to close the Michigan chapter and open a new one in Nebraska.

A Productive Saturday

I knew I was going to have a super busy day today. Saturdays are usually a very busy day for me because I use them to do some catch up work while my husband is home to take care of the girls. So I started out with a nice brunch for the family. Zucchini muffins, hard boiled eggs, fresh cows milk and apple cider.

After eating, I had my list: Make hand soap, dish soap and laundry soap, make butter, do laundry and clean the house.

I bought Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap at the health food market yesterday. And I planned on just refilling my old bottles

Hand Soap:
2 T Castile Soap-10 T water

Dish Soap:
1 cup Castlle Soap to 1/4 cup water, a few drops of essential oils



Then it was on to laundry soap. This one is pretty easy as well, just a hot job.
You will need a large pan, spoon or wisk, 1/3 c shaved soap (I purchase mine online, and I order goats milk soap) 1/2 c washing soda, 1/2 c borax, and a large bucket. I got mine from a bakery.




Put shaved soap and 6 c water. Cook until the soap melts. Add washing soda and Borax. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.




Add 4 c hot water into bucket (I keep a pot of hot water on the stove until I am ready to use it),
Add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups water. Let soap sit 24 hours before use. And use 1/2 c per load.



I have been making my own soap for about a year now, and I love it. It cleans well, and smells fresh.
I still run my freshly washed clothes through a vinegar rinse cycle to get all extra residue out, but I do like knowing what I am washing my families clothes in.

Next on my list was butter. I am still learning this. I never seem to get as much butter as my milk lady does, but I got about 1/2 lb today. I will have to say that I hate using store bought when I do not have enough homemade. There is a huge difference in taste.

And I am happy to say that I did get 3 loads of laundry done and I have a very clean house.

And that was my Saturday!