First things first. This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link within this post and then purchase something, I receive a percentage of your purchase total as a commission. This does not cost you anything extra, but it sure does bless my family and my blogging efforts…and we totally appreciate that! I purchase turkey around the holidays when it’s at rock bottom prices. At what other point in the year can you get meat for .50 cents/lbs or cheaper?! You get the meat, plus you can make a fantastic broth with the carcass. Canning meat kind of weirded me out, to be honest. I’ll eat tuna fish, but I’ve never been able to enjoy canned chicken breast or other meats. And in my mind, they pretty much all equated to Spam. ::shudder:: BUT, I kind of got over that after reading many other mamas talking about how much better home canned meats taste than store-bought, and obviously since you’re canning them at home, there are no weird unpronouncable ingredients to worry about. So, I decided to give it a try. I had 2 turkeys. A 16 pounder and a 20 pounder. This yielded me about 20 pints of canned turkey, plus lots of broth. I froze the excess broth that I didn’t need for canning. Raw Pack vs. Hot Pack? It’s possible to raw pack turkey. I was tempted to go this route because I thought it would make my life easier. However, I read several sources encouraging me to roast the turkeys one day, take all the meat off the carcass once it cooled, and then on Day 2 […]
Smokey Lentil and Hominy Soup
I’m really not a huge fan of lentils. I try to like them. I try lentil recipes now and then because they’re so healthy and so darned affordable. But honestly, I’ve never been much of a fan. This is a soup recipe for people like me…who don’t really like lentils, but who WANT to like lentils. It’s also a tastey and filling meatless dish, making it perfect for Lent. Print Smokey Lentil and Hominy Soup Author: Ashley M. Recipe type: Soup Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 45 mins Serves: 6-8 servings Ingredients 1 cup lentils 6 cups water (or chicken stock) 2 bay leaves 2 lg garlic cloves, or 2 tsp garlic powder 1 T chopped cilantro 1 T smoked paprika 1 medium onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 2 cans diced tomatoes, drained 1 15 oz. can hominy, drained Salt and pepper to taste Optional: Grilled chicken or browned italian sausage is great in this soup if you want to add meat. If using water instead of stock, consider adding 2-3 bouillon cubes while cooking lentils. Garnish with fresh cilantro and/or a squeeze of lime. Instructions Rinse lentils Cook them in water or stock, bay leaves, garlic, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside, DO NOT drain. In a 6-7 quart soup pot or dutch oven, saute onion, carrots and celery in oil until onions are translucent. Add in diced tomatoes, smoked paprika, and hominy. Add lentils and cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 20-30 minutes. Optionally garnish with lime and a bit more […]
No Knead Sandwich Bread
When you’re making all of your bread by hand for a larger family, it can become quite a chore. It can be a huge blessing having those curious hands wanting to help, spending time together, playing together, and creating those memories that a mama hopes will last a lifetime. I would say that’s the case quite often. However, there are also times when mama’s tired, kids are cranky and trying to sweep the flour onto the floor every chance they get, and you really just need to not need to knead the bread. Did that make sense? 😀 Sometimes you’ve got a teething infant who wants to nurse nonstop, and a child who needs help with their math lesson, and a toddler scaling the walls, and a dog that just won’t stop barking at every. little. thing., and a child pulling on your shirt asking in the cutest possible voice to be read to. Again. You know the bread needs to get baked, or else there won’t be any for the lunch or dinner you have planned … but actually getting the bread made seems like a monumental task. I feel ya, tired mama. This is what’s working for me, and I hope it’ll work for you, too. A sandwich bread recipe. That doesn’t need to be kneaded. And you can even make the dough the night before if you want. Or even a couple of days in advance. But you don’t have to. Flexibility is what it’s all about here. This recipe makes enough for 1 loaf. I usually double it. Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups of bread flour (although all purpose […]
London Fog Recipe (AKA Earl Grey Latte)
Fall is in full swing now. Here in New York, Fall consists of a lot of drizzly, cold days. Many days of the week we get this rain/snow mix thing going on. Hail too. The bane of my husband’s existence (he works outdoors). While those days are no fun to work outside in, they are the perfect day for cuddling up with a cozy drink and a good book…assuming the littles will cooperate with something like that. Most days they do, as I’ve been very territorial over quiet/naptime over the years and they just *know* that mama needs her quiet time. So most days (though certainly not all), I get an hour of uninterrupted peace and coffee. I’m a coffee lover. Everyone knows that. I drink 2-3 cups a day usually. But every once in a while, I want something different. When I’m pregnant or nursing (which is quite often the case), I try to keep the caffeinated drinks to 1x per day. Lately I’ve been making myself a London Fog (aka Earl Grey Latte) with decaffeinated Earl Grey tea. If it’s not something you’ve tried before, I highly recommend it. It’s sweet and creamy and frothy. Everything a comforting naptime drink should be. Even if you *think* you don’t like tea…give this a try. You won’t be disappointed. Ingredients: 1 Earl Grey tea bag 8 oz milk (whole, almond, your choice) 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp. sugar Directions: Brew your tea in about 6-8 oz of hot water. I usually brew mine for about 5 minutes so that it’s nice and strong. Warm your milk (microwave is fine). Mix the vanilla […]
