Rachel's (Soon to Be) Famous Tater Soup!

So, once again, winter is quickly approaching and the nights (and even the days!) are getting colder!  Time to break out the soup pot and make some delicious soups, stews and chili!!  I love soups in the winter first because they warm me up and second I can make a HUGE batch for cheap and freeze the leftovers to use on a night that I don't feel like cooking (or feed my entire family which is a feat in and of itself with 3 teenage brothers!).  So, here is my new potato soup recipe...  DH (dear husband) RAVED about this last night, so I figured I'd better share it with y'all!

Rachel's (Soon To Be) Famous Tater Soup

1-2 pounds of potatoes (I used red taters, but you can use whatever you have on hand or prefer!), cubed
1 large yellow or sweet onion, diced
4-5 slices turkey bacon (you can use pork or beef bacon if you prefer)
1-2 Tbs oil
salt and pepper to taste
6+ C chicken stock (I make my own stock and I swear that's why this soup was better than previous batches!)
1-2 cups of milk
1/2 C heavy cream
1 small bag frozen corn
Chopped chives, grated cheese, sour cream for garnish (or anything else you like on your tater soup!)

Heat oil in large soup/stock pot; cut bacon into small strips (I use my kitchen shears) and add to hot oil; start to brown then add onion; add taters and salt and pepper and cook until onion is tender and semi-translucent.  Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until taters are fork tender (20-30 minutes roughly), add corn, milk and heavy cream (can add more seasonings here too if needed).  Bring back to a simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes until heated through.  Serve with your choice of bread and garnishes and enjoy!  I garnished ours with chopped chives.

Enjoy!

Homemade Natural Soft Scrub Cleaner

Ok, so I found this on someone else's blog (Thank you EcoKaren!  I will link to it at the bottom of this article!), and tried it today and I'm happy to say it worked!!  I don't know about you- but I LOVE the cleanliness of my bathroom when I use the store bought Soft Scrub...  however, I DON'T care for the smell, the fumes, the chemicals in it OR the fact that when I use it, I have to be careful not to get bleach on my clothes!!  So- when I found this, I knew I HAD to try it on the stubborn stains, residue etc in my bathrooms.  And the smell is nice (make sure you get the PEPPERMINT liquid castile soap, or, a scented castile bar that you like the smell of!) and there's NO bleach in it!!!  Genius!!

All Natural Soft Scrub

about 3/4 C Baking Soda
about 1/4 C Castile Soap (BUY Peppermint. You can thank me later.)*
about 2 Tbsp Water
about 2 Tbsp Vinegar

I didn’t use this “exact” formula – that’s why the amounts say “about”. Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. When you add water and soap to baking soda, it will get kinda hard. But keep mixing as best as you can. Then, add the vinegar. Adding the vinegar LAST is kinda important as that’s what makes it creamy. It will bubble up when you add the vinegar but it’ll get smooth and frothy when you mix it – kinda like face cream-like consistency. You can add more or less of the vinegar, depending on how thick you want the scrub to be. You don’t have to add that much.

If you don’t use it up, the leftover will get hard. Just add some more Castile soap and vinegar, mix thoroughly, and you are good to go!

Happily scrub away with this minty, all-natural soft scrub, without the awful commercial soft scrub smell.

Resist the urge to brush your teeth with it as it’s not proven to be safe for brushing your teeth. But do use this on the counter, toilet, and even on the faucet where you need some non-abrasive scrubbing action.

If your bathtub seems to drain a little slow after cleaning with this scrub, baking soda might have settled down in the pipe. Add about 1/4 C of full strength vinegar, pour hot water immediately afterwards and cover the drain. Do this ONLY if water doesn’t seem to be draining. By the way, this is the natural way to unclog drains. So this is a great time to unclog, while you are cleaning your bathtub.

*MY note: I used bar castile soap and shaved enough to make 1/4 C... but I think the original poster meant to use liquid soap.  I bought a tea tree bar, and really liked the scent... I just hope my hubby doesn't mind it- he HATES the smell of tea tree!!

Enjoy!!

Here is the link to the original post: http://www.ecokaren.com/2011/09/natural-soft-scrub-and-weekend-round-up/

Gluten Free Granola Bars

Ok- so its finally here... I found my gluten free granola recipe and have a few minutes to type it up for you! :) Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly (I will note my changes in parentheses next to what I changed!) and I made it into bars instead of just regular granola.

Grain-Free Raw Coconut Granola

You can totally play with this recipe!  This recipe yields around 22 cups of granola.  You just want about 19 or 20 cups worth of your favorite seeds, nuts and flakes total, so measure out your desired ingredients.

22 1-cup servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Bake time (if you're making bars): 15-20 minutes

6 cups coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups raw honey (I reduced this and found they were plenty sweet and moist!)
1/4 cup Raw maple syrup and/or molasses (I used molasses)
1 cup coconut oil (can use olive oil)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt (can use sea salt if you like)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecan halves
2 cups almonds
1 1/2 cups walnuts
2 cups sunflower seeds (I used roasted/salted, and they added a nice salty flavor to the sweet!)
2 cups cashews (I used hazelnuts!)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds (forgot to put these in- but will for sure next time!!!!)
1/2 raw sesame seeds (I used hemp seeds and added more- they have quite a bit of protein in them!) :)
2 cups flax seeds (I omitted these)

Set aside 4 cups of the coconut flakes.  Put all wet ingredients and spices into a pan.  Warm over a very low heat and stir to blend the flavors.  Do not use a high heat.

Chop the coconut flakes into the size of oats.  Add the chopped coconut flakes to the liquid.  Turn off heat.

Chop the nuts if you want to make a breakfast cereal substitute (or bars!).  Add the wet portion to the remainder of your dry ingredients, and stir until it's well blended.  Store in an air tight container.  It will keep for weeks, if it lasts that long! :)

To make bars:  follow all instructions above.  Preheat oven to 425.  Press mixture into a jelly roll pan (I used my large stoneware bar pan from Pampered Chef).  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm and it holds together.  I baked mine too long, and the bottoms got a little burned...  Just keep an eye on it! :)  Remove from oven and let cool.  When cool, cut into bars (whatever size you like!), wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a ziploc bag.

Enjoy! :)

Original recipe from http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/index.cfm/2011/2/2/grain-free-raw-coconut-granola

MIA

So, apparently I keep forgetting about my blog...  I've "created" several recipes since my last post, but unfortunately, I can't remember them at the moment... So, if they come to me, I'll post them... if not... bummer dude!

So, growing up I was always a tom boy... and I HATED having to cook or work in the kitchen.  When dad bought the cows, and we started renting the ranch, I was always the one out helping with the cattle and my sister was always helping in the house...  (I later found out that she didn't appreciate that arrangement very much!)  I LOVED being outside, working with dad... the smells, the sights, the sounds, the feeling of working with my daddy, side-by-side and accomplishing something that needed to be done!  So, I didn't learn a whole lot from my mom in the "domestic" department.  Sure, she taught me to do dishes, vacuum, clean the bathroom, cook basic meals etc., but it wasn't until I was in my late teens that I started paying attention to what she was doing when she was cooking.  Most of what I've learned in the kitchen, I've kinda taught myself.  That's why I have this blog... to share my experiments, successes and failures as I progress on my "Domestic Diva" journey.

Now, like I said, I HATED being in the kitchen as a kid (and I still HATE doing dishes...).  But, the last couple years I have learned to enjoy it, and have actually started canning and preserving food for my family.  Last year was a great experience- late (and I mean LATE) nights canning tomatoes, salsa, spaghetti sauce and fruit with my neighbor down the hill.  We'd get her 3 girls and my daughter down to bed, then I'd head down (usually in the dark!) to finish our canning that we'd started earlier in the day.  While jars were processing in the canner, we'd sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine, or on occasion a shot of Petrone!  It was great!  I got to know an amazing woman, and have some "me" time and provide food for my family all at once.  That's where my "love" of canning and preserving food really began!  (Thanks, Sara!)

So, this year, I've branched out... I've learned and tried new recipes and I'm doing more.  Of course, with the HUGE garden Sara and I planted, how could I NOT experiment and try new recipes!  So, this year I've added applesauce, apple butter, dill pickles, dill pickle relish, pickled beets, dilly beans and this weekend, I'm going to try my friend Heather's zucchini lemon butter recipe!

I love the fact that I am providing food for my family to get us through the winter and some tasty treats for us!  And honestly, I even enjoy the process!  So, I will keep canning, freezing and drying veggies and fruit...  and when I'm done, maybe, just maybe I'll have more time to blog and keep you all updated on this cowgirl mama's kitchen happenings!

So until next time, does anyone know where to find the dish fairy?!  I have a PILE of dishes that need done and my hatred for dishes hasn't changed since I was 8! ;) :)

Enjoy! :)

Beef "Mock-ganoff"

So, the other night I "accidentally" came up with this recipe.  I did not know what I was making until was done, and when I tasted it, I realized it tasted like Beef Stroganoff!  We all like it- even Arianna!  So- here's the recipe!

Beef "Mock-ganoff"

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 package short cut pasta (I used penne)
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
1 1/2 (more or less) cups beef broth/stock
1 1/2 (more or less) cups milk
Salt/Pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Drain, reserving about a cup of the pasta water.

Brown onion and ground beef in a skillet.  Remove from skillet.  Melt butter in skillet that you used for the ground beef.  Once butter is melted, add flour to make a roue.  Add beef stock and milk to your taste and to your desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add beef and onion mixture to gravy.

Once pasta is drained, return it to the pot and add beef gravy.  Mix thoroughly- add pasta water if you need it.  Serve.

Enjoy!