Friday, December 31, 2010

Another Happy New Year Wish To you

I want to wish all of you who wander in here a very Happy New Year!   Be careful if you get out there on the roads.  Me, I'll be staying close to the house.  See you all next year!
                ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Winter Blues

I am having withdrawals. I need sunshine, crave it really. I'm not a big fan of winter. I never have been and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Winter is honestly my least favorite season of the year. Of course it would be easier to take though if the sun would shine more than it doesn't shine.  This is my very first "whole" winter living this far to the north.  Hey, stop laughing! I'm from Texas where there are really only two seasons.  Summer and Almost Summer. This ol gal isn't used to it getting cold and staying that way for a few MONTHS.


  In the classic movie "A Christmas Story"  Ralphie's little brother Randy is bundled up in sweaters and snow gear so deeply he can barely move much less walk.  That's ME. I have spent the last few weeks  or so learning the finer art of layering. I get cold easy. Oh and did I mention....  I NEED SUNSHINE!! ( which means fewer layers)  I finished up the scarf that I had been working on and have been wearing it every day! And here I thought I wouldn't have it finished before spring! Right now I'm working on another hat and I have plans for making another scarf too. I'm pretty sure it won't be finished in time to  wear it this winter but....
  I was reminded that when we move to Arkansas the weather will be just about like it is here. It gives me an idea of what to expect. I think I'm going to be needing some long johns. I am already dreaming of springtime and Sunshine and its not quite January yet!  I would rather think of it like this...   Only a few more weeks of winter.  Spring will be here before too long now!


Before the dreaded winter season I was  talking with a friend about some different ways to make a little extra money.  One of the ideas we came up with is to grow "starter" plants for those folks who don't want to start their veggies from seed. Tomato and pepper plants for sure.  Maybe a few others, but we haven't really decided on what those might be yet. Does anyone have any thoughts on what you think might be good for "starter" veggies?  

I was thinking that we could sell them at some of the little Flea Markets they have around here. I would like to  try and sell some homemade soap as well.  And then there are the birdhouses Mars has been messing around with.  He has 6-7of them ready to be "decorated" right now and materials on hand for at least twice that many more.  They are made from pallets we picked up for free. Here is the Backwoods article he got the idea from.  Isn't that just too cute??  Oh and if anyone has any ideas for little "signs"or other decorating ideas for the birdhouses, please feel free to leave them in the comments.  It looks like most of the "decorating" is being left up to me and I could use all the help I can get.
                      ~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Hey... I'm Just Sayin'

Well, Christmas is over.  We had a nice day with great company and good food. MrsM made a wonderful prime rib roast that was literally good enough to drool over, as was the homemade bread.  I baked deserts this year which was a first for me.  I made Snickerdoodles and Oatmeal cookies, tried my hand at a Lemon Meringue Pie, and baked my very first New York Style Cheesecake. I had a near disaster with the Lemon Pie and although a crisis was diverted it didn't really turn out the way that I had hoped.  It's all good though.... it's edible and mostly you can't tell that anything was wrong.  Mrs M says that is how you become a good cook! She should know, she IS one. The cheese cake was absolutely wonderful.  I'll post the recipe for it soon. 



I found it hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year. One of the reasons is the craziness of the government and the destruction of what was once a great nation.  Oh, I've seen it coming, many of us have.  We have expressed our anger in our emails and phone calls to our elected representatives, who in turn vote to do exactly the opposite of what we want.  We have blogged about it, made YouTube videos, posted to hundreds of forums, marched and protested, all of which have had no apparent effects.


The lame duck session is finally over and now we are left with what they have done.  The insane disregard of what WE THE PEOPLE have loudly expressed our wishes cuts me to the quick. The passing of the Food Safety Act is much more evil than it appears. Those who say that this Act is not intended for the small farmer and the backyard growers have obviously not been paying much attention to what has happened to our freedoms over the past few years.  How the passing of seemingly harmless laws have changed the very fabric of what this country once was seems to have escaped the notice of those who will say it will not affect us. Monsanto will soon be in complete control of the crops and the food. There are those who say that 75% of the foods we eat are already genetically altered. Processed foods seem to be the rule rather than the exception these days.
It only makes me want to try harder than ever to raise our own vegetables.  I want to thank one of my dear readers for his generous donation. I will be able to purchase of some of those seeds I have been drooling over now!  Thanks again FK!


I won't even go into the passing of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.  I personally  feel that all this publicity was just another way for them to take the attention off of the other evil things they have passed.  A false flag with which to distract us while they pushed through more things to take our freedom from us.  

A New Year is upon us and it is yet to be seen just what will come of it all. I am still waiting to hear word on my Disability judgment.  If I do get it I have to wonder just how long it will last.  The powers that be are talking about making some serious changes to the Social Security system and none of us know exactly what that will mean. I just hope I will still be able to realize my dream of getting out in the country, as far away as I can from the craziness that surrounds us.  To raise a good size garden, some chickens and rabbits and maybe even a couple of milk goats is still a dream I hope to realize.
                                
                       ~~~  Hey ...  I'm Just Sayin'  ... ~~

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

More This and That

The weather we are having all over the country is truly amazing.  There are folks all over the country that are having record breaking snow and cold. Nothing like that here now. We are blessed with sunshine and temps in the 40's.   But it's times like this that make you realize that being prepared is a whole lot more than just preparing for a huge disaster. I wouldn't want to have to be worried about being snowed in and have to brave the weather just because I didn't have groceries enough to last for a few days.  Having your kitchen well stocked will help you avoid having to "run to the store" in all this nasty weather.  You will be warm and dry while your clueless neighbor will have to weather the storm.  You don't want to keep up with the Jones' . You want to be ahead of the game.  Yet another reason to prepare. 

I've been listening to a pretty cool internet radio station for awhile now.  It is a Patriot station  called  The Watchmen . Some of you might be familiar with a couple of the hosts there. But one of  MY favorite shows is hosted by Canadian Patriot.  Her show format is Prepping.  She covers all sorts of interesting prepper topics and there is Chat as well.  I love that because it really makes the show interactive. She is a truly down to earth person and you can tell it.  You can hear the passion in her voice.  Anyway, she has a Monday- Friday show from 3PM-4PM Central Time so if you get a chance pop in and give her a listen. I don't think you will be disappointed!

I've been checking out some seed catalogs.  This is the time of year that I love to sit and drool over all the things that I would like to try and grow.  MrsM got one in the mail a few days ago that is nothing but tomato's and peppers.  I had NO idea there were that many kinds of tomato's!  I've been oohhing and awwwing over all the choices.  To bad I can't afford to try all the ones that look interesting. Hey, if you would like to help me out there is a Donate button up on the right!!  You know when I think about  it.... If  you can afford to do it, wouldn't it be a great idea to order every one of the seeds you think "Oh, That's neat... I should try it".   They just might come in handy one day and really how can you ever have too many seeds? And now that the Food Safety Act has passed,  it might just get a lot harder to find good non-Monsanto seeds than ever.



I found some green bell peppers on sale the other day and so I picked them up and am drying them right now.  Drying bell peppers is easy to do.  Just cut them in even pieces and lay them on your trays. Don't let them touch if you can help it. Dry them at 125 degrees until they are dry and hard.  Let them sit somewhere for a day or so to make sure they are quite dry and then store them in a vacuum sealed jar.If they aren't quite done, just pop them back in the dryer for a couple of more hours.   They are great in all sorts of cooking. Most anywhere you would use green peppers will work.

MrsM has an old boat that she has converted into a raised bed. The soil in it really needs to be "worked" and new soil added.  She has a whole bunch of leeks in there that Mars is moving to another spot in the yard.  They are perennials and so they really need a new home.  That way we can plant other things in there this spring. We are hoping to have lots of places ready to grow stuff by spring.


I was finally able to download my pictures from the camera.  This sharing the computer really has some downfalls.  Mars is very "picky" about what goes on it.  So I have to do without some things that I am accustomed to having, like my Yahoo Messenger.  Oh well, some computer is wayyyy better than none right!


~~~  Hey ...  I'm Just Sayin'  ... ~~~

Sunday, December 19, 2010

I AM FURIOUS

By Alexander Bolton - 12/19/10 07:55 PM ET
The Senate unexpectedly approved food safety legislation by unanimous consent Sunday evening, rescuing a bill that floated in limbo for weeks because of a clerical error.

The Senate passed the Food Safety and Modernization Act on Nov. 30 by a vote of 73-25. But the bill was later invalidated by a technical objection because it was a revenue-raising measure that did not originate in the House — Senate staff had failed to substitute the food safety language into a House-originated bill.

A coalition of groups supporting the bill sent a letter Sunday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) calling for action on food safety.

“Our organizations are writing to support attaching S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, to the Senate's proposed short-term continuing resolution,” the groups wrote. “Strong food-safety legislation will reduce the risk of contamination and provide FDA with the resources and authorities the agency needs to help make prevention the focus of our food safety strategies.”

The American Public Health Association, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union and other groups signed the letter.

Democrats first attempted to attach the food safety bill to the two-and-a-half-month spending measure but Republicans balked because they wanted to keep that measure clean, according to Senate aides.

Republicans, however, later agreed to pass it by unanimous consent.

Reid announced he would send the legislation — this time properly attached to a House-originated measure — back to the lower chamber for final approval.
“Our food safety system has not been updated in almost a century. Families in Nevada and across America should never have to worry about whether the food they put on their table is safe," Reid said in a statement. "This is a common-sense issue with broad bipartisan support.
"Tonight we unanimously passed a measure to improve on our current food safety system by giving the FDA the resources it needs to keep up with advances in food production and marketing, without unduly burdening farmers and food producers,” he said.

The legislation is a high priority for Reid and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).

Reid’s staff earlier in the day had told a coalition of groups supporting the legislation that it had a chance of passing but the prospects appeared to dim as Sunday wore on. The swift approval by unanimous consent caught some aides and lobbyists working on it by surprise.
Sen. Tom Coburn, the outspoken conservative Republican from Oklahoma, had been blocking the legislation. He lifted his objection at the final moment.
Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/food-safety/134447-in-sunday-evening-surprise-senate-passes-food-safety-bill-by-unanimous-consent

Lighten Up

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs... It's especially nice after a hard day of fighting the Christmas crowds.  Give it a listen and see if it doesn't bring a smile to your face!!


                  Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!!
                      ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Daylight Nightmare

Man, I hate days like today. Warning!!! This could be seriously boring and detrimental to your sense of peace, so if you are not prepared and/or would rather pass then now is the time to do it. See that big X on the upper left hand side of your screen?    Going once... going twice...

First of all I had to make the drive into The Big City for a Doctor's appointment.  You would think that would have been enough. But... no... that was just the beginning of a daylong nightmare. I got a call last week that my CT scan had finally been scheduled and to be there today at 12:30pm.  No problem. Except that at that time of day apparently they are taking their lunch break.  So I wait until they get back at 1.  That's when they tell me that my scheduled appointment isn't until 2:30. They can't do it sooner because the guy that does the test won't be back till after two.  Then she smiles (all evil like)  and hands me a bottled of flavored (badly) chalky substance and tells me I have 15 minutes to "Drink Up and enjoy the best you can!" ( yeah, she actually said that)  I've never had a CT scan before so I didn't really know what to expect. Now I know it involves nasty tasting barium solutions and I.V.s (oh and bruises too)   They try to cover the flavor of that shi "stuff" with some sort of Berry Flavored label.  Yeah, right.  That concoction  is downright nasty!  I'm also thinking that I have all sorts of poisons floating around in me now.
I was supposed to have had another appointment with another doctor today, but having received the call about the scan, I called to reschedule.  The receptionist told me that since I lived so far out of town to just come by after the scan and she would work me in.  Yeah, that worked out well.   NOT!  I showed up around 4:00 and waited and waited and finally got in a little after 5:00. 

I know I've mentioned that I have had to "re-do" alot of the things that have been done already at the other doctors office but I didn't tell ya about the new doctor not wanting any of the "old" doctor's lab tests and such.  Well, today he wanted to do MORE tests that I have just recently had done.  I had a total melt-down and threw a full fledged  tantrum.  I don't know how else to say it.  (except maybe that I showed my a$zz)    I didn't see any point in having to go through all that over again and made my feelings quite clear.  Not only is it the $$ involved but it also has to do with the 50+ one way drive(s)  for "do-overs".  All the sudden he seemed more than willing to take a look at my "old" records.  Go figure!   So I finally get out of the office a little after  6:00 thinking I will just stop and get the new prescriptions filled.  Oh no, of course it wasn't going to be that easy! 
I get to the pharmacy and I'll be danged if they weren't out of the dosage of the new drug.  So then of course the phone calls started.  Eventually it was straightened out and I was on my way home. I made pretty good time though and was pulling into the drive at close to 8PM.  Nothing like a full day of  fun in the sun, right?  
If  you are still reading this then I applaud your tenacity. (Or boredom as the case may be)  I promise that next time I will try to bring something to the table just a bit more "fun".  Now I just need to come up with something.... Any ideas?

                               ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Dehydrated Carrots (How To)

MrsM got her catalog from Emergency Essentials.  They had a couple of really good sales on  this month. I am not affiliated with them at all but they are a good place for your long term storage foods.  The best deal (in my humble opinion) they are offering this month are their Freeze-Dried Tomato's.  The # 10 cans are on sale for $15.00.  They usually run $39.95. I didn't do the math but the ad says that's 62% off the regular price. You will have to buy 6 cans to get the deal but it is worth it for sure.  They also have Freeze-Dried Cooked Shrimp in # 10 cans for $28.99.  This is the same shrimp that MrsM bought last year for $59.95 a can so the savings on this one is 50%.   She said the shrimp is really good too.  Oh, in case you might be wondering ( I was ) this is not Gulf Shrimp.


I got a great deal on 10 pounds of carrots the other day at the grocery store.  So of course I just HAD to pick some up to dehydrate.  I know that many people have gardens and are able to grow their own vegetables.  For those that don't, there is still NO excuse for not being able to can, dehydrate and freeze your own veggies.  Even if you don't have a garden you can find good deals on fresh vegetables to put up.  I know some people think that putting up food is hard to do but I can honestly say it really isn't.  And it really isn't a lot of hard work either.  Folks who put up their own foods will tell you that the toughest part is getting the  foods prepped and ready to put up.  The actual canning or drying is a pretty simple process.


You will need a few "tools" of course. For dehydrating you  really don't need to much in the way of tools.  all you need is a dehydrator.  You can buy them new or find a good used one.  Check out the thrift stores, freecycle, and your local Craigslist.  I know quite a few people who have found dehydrators for free or really cheap with just a bit of looking. Heck, with just a bit of imagination you can even make your own solar dehydrator.  Just do a search on the internet and you will come up with lots and lots of designs.  You might even be able to drop a hint to Santa and if you have been good this year.....well who know!


Ok, now back to the carrots... I get to rambling sometimes!  Here's how I dry my carrots.

                                 DEHYDRATING CARROTS


Peel your carrots. (don't forget to put the peels in your compost pile)
Cut up the carrots in even pieces.  I cut mine into round circles. You want to cut them all approximately the same size so they will dry evenly.
Blanche your carrots for  3-5 minutes and rinse in cold water to stop the "cooking". 
Place your carrots on your dehydrator trays in single layers. It's ok if they touch each other but you want to make sure they are not laying on top of each other.
Set your thermostat at 125- 130 degrees and dry for 10-12 hours, or until they are hard and have no moisture in them. 
Store them in and air tight jar.  I like to vacuum seal my jars for longer shelf life.
To rehydrate, pour enough hot water to cover the carrots well and let them set until they are back to "normal".  This usually takes about 20-30 minutes (sometimes a bit longer)


When you are dehydrating most vegetables you can follow these same directions.  Some of the blanching times will vary though.  That is why it is good to have a decent book on dehydrating.  Most dryers come with an instruction booklet that will walk you through all the steps. I don't have any one particular book to recommend but there is a great website called Dehydrate2Store on dehydrating foods here. If you have never checked it out before you ought to give it a look.  I highly recommend it.    

                        ~~~ ... Hey ...  I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Friday, December 10, 2010

Learning Valuable Skills

There are all sorts of folks who prepare in all sorts of ways and for all sorts of reasons. It seems everyone who does has their own reasons for doing so.  What ever the reasons, I am just happy that they do. When I first started prepping I was just trying to stay ahead of the price of groceries.  I'm still trying.  The problem is that now it is getting harder and harder to stay ahead. That is where having and using skills comes in handy.  

I think one of the most important things we can do is to learn everything we can.  The more we can do for ourselves the less we will have to depend on others to do them for us.  There might even come a time that the things you have learned may well help  keep you alive. Besides, learning new things can be alot of fun as well as being useful.

Is there something that you have always been interested in but don't know how to do?  Why not try your hand at it? Make a list of things that you would like to learn.  Things that you want to be able to do. Then just pick one and go for it.  Some might require that you take some classes but I guarantee that there are plenty that  don't.  These days with the internet right at your fingertips there really isn't much of a reason not to try your hand at learning something new.  There are great places to find out how to do a million things. Heck,  there are even places like YouTube that can show you step by step how to do tons of things.  There are forums on just about anything as well. Most of the forums  would be happy to answer any questions you might have.  I am living proof that even an old dog can learn many new tricks.   I look back now and am amazed at how just setting your mind to doing something can make a "want to"  into a "can do". 

I'll give you a couple of examples.  Since I first knew Mars, every year he's grown at least a couple of tomato and pepper plants. Of course these days that has expanded but... back then we would eat all the fresh stuff we could and the rest ended up being given away or it would just go to waste.  Now it just broke my heart seeing it go to waste and so I decided I wanted to learn how to put them up.  So I asked a few questions and did some research.  I even found a free online canning class. I started with the easier methods and gathered up the "tools" I needed to begin.  That year I taught myself how to do Water Bath Canning. I learned how to put up pickled peppers and tomato's that year. I was so excited that I had learned a new skill! Then  I decided I wanted to learn to put up other things. So I did some more research and I started saving my money and the next year I bought a pressure canner.   I learned how to put up lots of different kinds of vegetables.  

Since then I have learned lots of things that have helped me tremendously in my prepping.  I consider all  these skills valuable. I also truly enjoy doing them.  I still have a list and am still learning new things.  I guess what I am trying to say is why not take some time and learn a new skill? It may really come in handy some day.  And heck, even if it doesn't,  you will be all the wiser for having learned something new.

                              ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Hamburger Rocks ( How To)

How would you like to be able to store hamburger without having to freeze it?  How about being able to take advantage of a good sale without having to worry about how much freezer space it is going to take up?    What if you could  keep it for a couple of years or more just sitting on your shelf?  What if you could have it already cooked and ready to use in no time at all and with no thawing involved?  If this sounds like something you would be interested in,  then boy do I have some good news for you!  They are called Hamburger Rocks and they do! (Rock, that is!) And the best part?  Simple, easy to use and you can do it right in your own kitchen.
  There are countless recipes you can use with hamburger rocks.  Now with that being said, there are a few things that this stuff won't work for. You can't really "form" it so you won't be able to make things like meatballs or hamburger patties.  Other than that your imagination is your only limitation. Use it for things like taco meat,  spaghetti sauce, soups, chipped beef, meat pies, and  pizza toppings. Even Hamburger Helper just got even easier!!   Anything you usually use "crumbled" hamburger for, you can use hamburger rocks for.
Here's how you do it.

1. Brown your hamburger a skillet.  While you are cooking it be sure to break it up well. You don't want large chunks in your pan.
2. Once your hamburger is browned, drain all the grease from it.  An easy way to do that is to use a colander.
3. After you drain as much grease out as you can, rinse the meat with boiling hot water until the grease is gone and let it drain again. You want as little as possible in your meat.  Grease will make your meat go rancid pretty quickly.  You want to avoid this at all costs.
4. After you have the grease out and the meat is well drained, put it in a clean skillet. Season your meat with whatever you choose to use. I use salt, pepper onion powder and garlic powder.  Season it to your own taste. (You could make up different batches like "taco meat" or any other flavor)   Continue cooking until all the moisture is gone.  You want to get it as dry as you can without burning the meat.
5.If you are using a dehydrator, place your meat on the trays.  I would use screens or fruit roll up trays so the meat doesn't fall through.  If you are going to be using your oven, put the meat in a baking pan about 1/2 inch or so deep.  A cookie sheet or something similar works well.
6. Dry at 165 degrees for approximately 15 hours in your dehydrator.  For your oven (if you can't set it at 165 degrees) you may need to it at its lowest temperature. Put a spoon or something like it in the door to prop it open slightly.  This will allow the moisture to escape as well a lower the temperature slightly. 
Stir every few hours to make sure it is evenly drying. When it is done, the meat will be dark brown and hard (like little rocks) with no moisture in it.
7. Store in air tight jars. You can use your vacuum sealer or o2 absorbers to draw out the air.  
 

To re-hydrate, place the meat in a bowl and cover with boiling water.  As with most dehydrated foods the rule of thumb is 2 parts water to 1 part meat.
And there you have it.  A really simple way to store hamburger meat with minimal effort.

                     ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Meandering or Babbling? You Decide

I love days like today for a change of pace  in the wintertime. The temperature was just about perfect at 53degrees.  A little bit of layering and not having to wear a coat makes my day. I finally realized that the weather here is just about the same as it will be in the area of  Arkansas we have been looking at. Yeah, yeah, I'm a bit slow sometimes. But I can see first hand what we will be dealing with if/when we make it there.

We had some pretty good sales this week at the local grocery store. Knowing how cheap....errr...  uhm...  frugal I am, of course I had to take advantage of a couple of them.  They have pork loin halves for $1.99 lb with free cutting and wrapping so I picked up two of them.  I stuck one in the freezer to either put on the pit.  You just can't beat smoked pork loin!   I had them cut the other one into thick slices about 3/4" for some nice chops later on..  That ended up being 3 meals for the 4 of us for a little less than $3.00 a meal.  Now THAT is a great deal!!
Chuck hamburger is also on sale this week for $1.89 lb.  That is one of those deals that I really couldn't pass up since even hamburger has sky-rocketed up around 3 bucks a pound here. I ended up picking up around 25 pounds of it.  I know you are probably thinking WOW that's a big bunch of hamburger meat. Of course I have a plan for it all though.We  put up a few pounds for regular meals and have some set aside so MrsM can teach me how to make hamburger rocks.  I've been wanting to try my hand at it for awhile now.


The rest we are making doggie treats with.  MrsM has been making dog treats for her lil guy for quite some time now. Instead of giving the lil guy  those store bought doggie treats, which are chock full of fillers and chemicals, she makes them herself.  I can't share MY nickname for "the little guy" here... LOL  Anyway, in the long run home made dog treats are cheaper than the store-bought ones and he LOVES them. She takes cuts of meat and slices them very thin and then dehydrates them.  Lately, she has been using hamburger meat for his treats. He actually seems to like the hamburger even more than the other meats. I call that a plus since hamburger, even as high as it is getting, is cheaper than the other.

Mars has been kicking around an idea for a new project he saw over at Backwoods Magazine.  Of course the first thing that needed to be done was to locate some pallets.  There is a lumber yard a few blocks from here that has had a pile of them sitting outside the gate for quite some time.  Yesterday on my way to an appointment I stopped and spoke with a gentleman about them. I sure wouldn't want to get busted loading them up without permission. Anyway,  he gave me the ok to take them. So we took the truck over this morning and picked them up. I'll be sure to share with you all about how it turns out.  

While he was messing around with pallets in the back yard I was picking up pecans in the front yard.  There are still a whole bunch of them yet.  We have picked up a huge bucket of them so far.  When I say bucket what I mean is one the size of a big horse watering bucket.  Several gallons worth.  It won't be long before we all start sitting around and shelling them.  I found a recipe  that I want to try for Sugared Pecans.  If it turns out I will be sure to post it here and take some pictures.  I have a couple of other projects I'm getting ready to get done in the next day or so as well.  Thank goodness!  It gives me something to write about....


I saw this little video and it made me giggle like a 6 year old.  And no comments about that being about the right age either...lol.    
                          


                            
                                             ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Friday, December 3, 2010

Checking In

Just when I thought it was fixed.  My computer is toast. It needs a new hard drive. That's not going to happen anytime soon as there is no money to do it. So Mars and I will be sharing his computer for awhile.  That will take awhile to get used to but we will be just fine. I'm just glad we have one to share!

Mars has been working out in the garden again.  He decided to extend it some more.  Bigger is better as far as gardens are concerned right? He is turning the dirt by hand and trying to remove as much of the Bermuda grass as he can.   Bigger is better as far as gardens are concerned!  We got the soil sample back from the extension agency.  Looks like it will need a bit of phosphorus and nitrogen.  That shouldn't be to hard to do. MrsM has a friend who has cattle so we will go and get a load of  manure to work into the soil.  More on that later.

Mars has been working on the compost pile too.   He's been raking the yard and adding the leaves to the pile. It sure helps picking up pecans alot easier since we can see them better now. I can' believe
We had a good cold snap and the last of the leaves from the pecan trees fell,along with a whole lot more pecans.  We have all been picking up pecans like crazy. Next we will have to start shelling them.  That's the part where I have to try and shell more and eat less!  LOL

I had to make another trip to "the big city" yesterday.  I've been referred to another clinic.  Now they want to do all sorts of tests, most of which have been recently done by the last doctors I was seeing. What I don't understand is why they can't just use the information from the last tests.  Unless, of course, somehow they make their own $$ from it.  Which is probably the case.  The doctor I saw yesterday gave me a hard time about quitting smoking.  I told him I had no interest in quitting.  It's not like it will be what kills me!  It took me a little bit to understand why he did though.  He is trying to get me on a transplant list and if I am smoking then that is just another reason they could deny me.  So it looks like I am going to have to think about quitting.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It looks like there's a new cat in the neighborhood.  It showed up yesterday and has been doing nothing but eat.  And eat.  And eat.  Pretty little tom cat.  Let's just hope he doesn't leave us any surprises in the next few months! The last thing we need around here are more kittens that grow up and turn out to be cats!

                  ~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~


Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Numbers Are In

Well, Thanksgiving is over and now the mad dash toward Christmas now before us.   Black Friday and Cyber Monday seem to have coughed up some good numbers for the retailers. I'm not sure exactly what that tells us about the coming holidays. I can't believe that people are actually buying the story that the economy is on the rise and that things are looking good. I think it is more likely that people are taking advantage of the sales and trying to save money where ever it can be done.

  From the things I have been reading and the folks that I talk to it looks like folks are re-thinking the way they will be celebrating Christmas this year. My guess is that there will be a lot fewer expensive gifts bought with credit cards this year.  There may even be a decrease in those who put Christmas on the credit cards. Of course that would require some forethought and some control on the part of those folks so I guess I'm not going to hold my breath. 

I do know that many folks are thinking of cutting wayyy back on their spending this year though.  There are going to be a whole lot fewer gifts under the tree this year in a lot of homes. You know, I don't see that being a problem really. So many have forgotten what the season is about anyway.  Maybe this year we will focus more on "The Reason For The Season".
                          ~~~ Hey... I'm Just Sayin' ...~~~

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Roots

I was talking with a friend the other day and she offered these words of wisdom.

Your life is like a tree............some people are like leaves on the tree. If the wind blows they blow off.  Some are branches....you put a little weight on them they fall off and break.  But some are roots..........and they are gonna be there.
Those roots go deep.  And if you cut the top of the tree off,  it will still grow, because it has got roots, its grounded.  New branches and leaves come and go... look for what roots.   Water the roots.


Understand the importance of a good root system. Without it nothing grows.
You've gotta till that dirt, and fertilize it, and water it, and watch it grow.

                    ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...~~~

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Pecan Pie

One of the things I love about Thanksgiving are the traditional foods of the season. Turkey and Dressing, sweet potato's with marshmallow topping, green bean casserole, and the best of the best.... The Pies!

One of the things I always looked forward to every single Thanksgiving was my grandmother's pecan pie. Nothing says Thanksgiving for me like her pecan pie.  I asked her once for her pecan pie recipe and she gave me the following one.  I don't have her recipe for the crust, but it probably doesn't matter much anyway. I have found that the only way to make a good pie crust is to practice. ALOT!

Pecan Pie

    1 cup Light OR Dark Karo Corn Syrup
     3 eggs
    1 cup sugar
    2 tablespoons butter, melted
     1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
     1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
   
 Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust.

 Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes . Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.

If this recipe sounds familiar it probably is because of this -  When I asked my grandmom for her recipe, she told me to look on the back of the Karo Syrup bottle.   Who knew!!

                            `~~~Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...~~~

Monday, November 22, 2010

Homemade Bath Soap


If you all recall, I learned how to make Homemade Hand Soap. It is now cured and ready to go!
 I've been using it for a couple of months now and I just love it. I used coconut, olive and canola oils in it. I also made one batch that I added pure coco powder in. It made really interesting looking bars! Those are the ones in the picture that look.... well chocolaty!!

  Pure soap. No additives or ingredients that you can't pronounce.  It lathers up nicely and rinses off clean. The coconut and olive oils also make it a nice moisturizing soap.  I have dry skin, especially in the winter, and it really helps with that.  I thought I would offer it here on my blog for anyone who is interested.

 The bars are all between 4 - 5 ounces. I checked into the shipping costs and was amazed at the costs though. The prepaid  boxes seem to be the best way to go.  So I was thinking that what I could do is to send you 4 bars, with the shipping included,  for a donation of $18.00  


I also have some bars that aren't quite as pretty that you might be interested in as well.  



If you are interested or have any questions, drop me an email at preparetopreserve@yahoo.com and I will get back with you! 

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Saturday Stuff

I haven't posted in a few days due to computer issues. I don't know exactly what happened but whatever it was sure was bad.  I sure am glad that Mars knows his way around computers because I don't know enough about them to be of much use. I can't "speak" the geek"!   He had to reinstall the Operating System (ouch!!) which means I have also been spending time re-installing all sorts of things.
 At least this time I was able to save pictures and files and things like that.  I can't tell you how badly it SUCKED when I had the crash a couple of years ago and lost EVERYTHING.  Lesson learned, back up your stuff!  Don't be like me and lose things like pictures that can never be replaced. It can be heartbreaking. I love digital cameras.  They have really changed the way people take pictures. Not having to buy film is great and you can take tons of pictures with minimal cost.  The drawback is that if you don't back up your computer or burn them to a disk its really easy to loose them. 

The garden has been hand turned and Mars has tried to get the largest part of the Bermuda grass out. That should help some but the Bermuda grass war will continue to rage I am sure. With some amendments to the soil will be ready to "winterize" soon.  We took a soil sample down to the county extension agency and should have the results back in a few days. Then we can go from there as to amending the soil.  Just out of curiosity I want to know what the aluminum levels are. I won't go into the whys for that but I AM curious. That is one of the reasons I have been seriously considering starting another blog. There are things going on around us these days that don't really "fit" in this blog.  Anyway....

The first seed catalog came in the mail this week. I just love flipping through the pages and dreaming about all the cool things that we could grow. They make excellent reading material in the bathroom too!   Does anyone else have a weakness for seed catalogs?  Mushroom told Mars to feel free to plant where ever he could find a place to grow something.  With the cost of food rising at an alarming rate, growing your own food just makes sense.  Besides that, there aren't many things more satisfying than eating something that you grew with your own hands.

Mars and Bud are replacing one of the living room windows this weekend. It's a job that has really been needing to be done for awhile now. They had to special order the window and it finally came in.  I am sure it will help make the house warmer!

Thanksgiving is almost here.  I know, time flies right?  The holidays are one of the best times of the year for catching really good sales on all sorts of things, especially baking products like sugar and flour and such.  I try to take advantage of these sales to stock up my pantry and "grow" my food storage.  Gotta love cheaper... errr  frugal ways to shop and to prep. 
                           ~~~ Hey... I'm Just Sayin'... ~~~

Monday, November 15, 2010

I Am the Democratic Liberal-Progressive’s Worst Nightmare

I was reading over at Kronic's Musings the other day.  he had posted a letter written by a friend.  I  really enjoyed it and thought that you all might like it as well.  Thanks Kronic!

I Am the Democratic Liberal-Progressive’s Worst Nightmare.

I Am the Democratic Liberal-Progressive’s Worst Nightmare.
I am a White, Conservative, Tax-Paying, American Veteran, Gun Owning Biker.
I am a Master leatherworker. I work hard and long hours with my hands to earn a living.

I believe in God and the freedom of religion, but I don’t push it on others.
I ride Harley Davidson Motorcycles, and drive American-made cars, and I believe in American products and buy them whenever I can.

I believe the money I make belongs to me and not some liberal governmental functionary,Democratic or Republican, that wants to share it with others who don’t work!
I’m in touch with my feelings and I like it that way!
I think owning a gun doesn’t make you a killer; it makes you a smart American.
I think being a minority does not make you noble or victimized, and does not entitle you to anything. Get over it!
I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac or any other item, you should do it in English.
I believe there should be no other language option.
I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her God when and where they want to.
My heroes are Malcolm Forbes, John Wayne, Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers, and Willie G. Davidson, who makes the awesome Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
I don’t hate the rich. I don’t pity the poor.
I know wrestling is fake and I don’t waste my time watching or arguing about it.
I’ve never owned a slave, nor was I a slave. I haven’t burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks, and neither have you!
I believe if you don’t like the way things are here, go back to where you came from and change your own country!
This is AMERICA …We like it the way it is and more so the way it was …so stop trying to change it to look like Russia or China , or some other socialist country!
If you were born here and don’t like it… you are free to move to any Socialist country that will have you. (And take Barack Hussein Obama and his group with you.) Massachusetts started the ball rolling. Keep it going.
I believe it is time to really clean house, starting with the White House, the seat of our biggest problems.
I want to know which church is it, exactly, where the Reverend Jesse Jackson preaches, where he gets his money, and why he is always part of the problem and not the solution?
Can I get an AMEN on that one?
I also think the cops have the right to pull you over if you’re breaking the law, regardless of what color you are, but not just because you happen to ride a bike.
And, no, I don’t mind having my face shown on my driver’s license. I think it’s good…. And I’m proud that ‘God’ is written on my money..
I think if you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don’t want you deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in the world for the next four years.
I dislike those people standing in the intersections trying to sell me stuff or trying to guilt me into making ‘donations’ to their cause…. Get a job and do your part to support yourself and your family!
I believe that it doesn’t take a village to raise a child, it takes two parents….
I believe ‘illegal’ is illegal no matter what the lawyers think!
I believe the American flag should be the only one allowed in AMERICA !
If this makes me a BAD American, then yes, I’m a BAD American.
If you are a BAD American too, please forward this to everyone you know….
We want our country back!
My Country…..
I hope this offends all illegal aliens.

My great, great, great, great grandfather watched and bled as his friends died in the Revolution & the War of 1812. My great, great, great grandfather watched as his friends died in the Mexican American War. My great, great grandfather watched as his friends & brothers died in the Civil War. My great grandfather watched as his friends died in the Spanish-American War. My grandfather watched as his friends died in WW I. My father watched as his friends died in WW II.
I watched as my friends died in Vietnam , Panama & Desert Storm. My son watched & bled as his friends died in Afghanistan and Iraq . None of them died for the Mexican Flag. Everyone died for the American flag.
Texas high school students raised a Mexican flag on a school flag pole, other students took it down. Guess who was expelled…the students who took it down.
California high school students were sent home on Cinco de Mayo, because they wore T-shirts with the American flag printed on them.
Enough is enough
This message needs to be viewed by every American; and every American needs to stand up for America .
We’ve bent over to appease the America-haters long enough. I’m taking a stand.
I’m standing up because the hundreds of thousands who died fighting in wars for this country, and for the American flag.
If you agree, stand up with me. If you disagree, please let me know. I will gladly remove you from my friends list.
And shame on anyone who tries to make this a racist message.
AMERICANS, stop giving away Your RIGHTS !
Let me make this clear! THIS IS MY COUNTRY !
This statement DOES NOT mean I’m against immigration !
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE, IN MY COUNTRY, welcome to come legally:
1. Get a sponsor !
2. Learn the LANGUAGE, as immigrants have in the past !
3. Live by OUR rules !
4. Get a job !
5. Pay YOUR Taxes !
6. No Social Security until you have earned it and Paid for it !
7. NOW find a place to lay your head !
If you don’t want to forward this for fear of offending someone, then YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !
We’ve gone so far the other way . . . bent over backwards not to offend anyone.
Only AMERICANS seems to care when American Citizens are being offended !
WAKE UP America ! ! !
If you do not Pass this on, may your fingers cramp !
Made in the U S A & DAnn PROUD OF IT!!!!!
Author 32tudor






                              ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Uses For Dryer Lint

Just about everyone has dryer lint.  I suppose most people just toss it out in the trash. But I don't.  I've been saving dryer lint for what seems like ages. I happen to know that there are lots of other folks out there that do the same thing.  How do I know this?  Because not only have I had LOTS of people actually admit that they save lint, I have seen it with my own eyes.

  Walk into most laundry rooms and you will probably see a pile of lint somewhere.  On top of the dryer, in a separate trash bag, in an old coffee can and some even have a "special container" just for lint saving.  I'm one of those.  I have an old trick or treat bucket stuffed to the rim with dryer lint.  Somewhere I even have ANOTHER container to dump the bucket into when it gets full. 

I was thinking about it one day (yeah I do tend to think of off the wall stuff sometimes)  and asked myself just what in the world I was going to do with all that fluffy, multi-colored recyclable material. I don't know why I even started saving it to start with.  I just kept thinking " There must be something I can do with this stuff".  I also decided to ask around and see what others had to say about the stuff.  The number one answer, hands down, was to use it for firestarter. 

I started searching around and came up with a few  other things that dryer lint can be used for. I'm kind of glad I did too.  Somehow it makes me feel better to know that I'm not alone in my "harvesting" of lint! 

 Here is where I have to put in a serious warning.  Dryer Lint is EXTREMELY flammable.  Which is, I suppose, one reason that the #1 use for it is for starting fires!

You have to be careful when you burn dryer lint as well.  Remember that how it burns depends on what the lint was made out of.  Things that are man-made will melt and/or smoke. It might smell like burnt plastic or even put out fumes.  Cotton, wool and linen dryer lint will work just fine.  If you aren't sure about what's in it you might want to take it outside in an open area and burn some.  If it morphs into something ( like little beads etc) don't put it in your fireplace or bbq pit.

  Some of the things people use it for call for caution and a bit of common sense.  If you decide to use any of these ideas please use your head and remember just how flammable this stuff is ok? 

Alrighty then....  We have the warnings out of the way.  Now on to some of the interesting things you can use all that harvested dryer lint for......

Here are a couple of  ways to use that fluffy stuff as a firestarter.  I like a couple of these ideas because not only does it call for using your dryer lint but also some of the other things just laying around the house "just in case".

 Try using it instead of lighter fluid the next time you fire up your BBQ pit.  Lay little pieces around your briquettes to start your coals.

 Lint also makes a good woodstove or fireplace tender.  Just ball up some of the soft lint and place it in your starter kindling. They should ignite quickly and get your fire started easily.

   Take an empty toilet paper or paper towel roll and stuff it with old newspaper and dryer lint. Close up the ends and you have a great firestarter.  Use it in your fireplace or put a couple in your stash for your next camping or hiking trip.

 This idea seems to be one of the most popular in the searches I've done.  Take a cardboard egg carton and stuff lint into it.  Then, using old candles, paraffin, or even used crayons, Pour melted wax over each cup on top of the lint.  Use one or two of your "lint eggs" to start your fire.

 Make firestarter "kisses".  Take a small piece of wax paper and wrap lint and little wax bits in it. Then twist the wax paper ends like a candy wrapper.  Put them in your stack of wood and light the end of the waxed paper.  This would be a good way to use up some of those little bits of crayon pieces that the kids have laying around too.

Something else I ran across while reading about lint is to use it when making small dolls and teddybears as well as the batting for quilts.  Stuff your home-made cushions with it.  I saw where someone used it in their old farmhouse for insulation against drafts. Personally I'm not sure I would want to do this though because of the possibility of it catching on fire. I only mention it because it actually would work.

You could leave some out in the yard somewhere for birds to make their nests from as well as using it in your worm beds. Again, I would do a bit more research before trying one of these ideas. 

How about using it to make a draft stopper? It would work well on a tile floor, especially if you have a metal door or one of those metal kickstopper on the bottom of your door. You could use a tube sock and stuff it with dryer lint and then sew the end closed to keep the drafts from blowing in under the door.

You know that nesting box material you pay an arm and a leg for at PetSmart for your hamsters and guinea pigs?  Try using dryer lint instead. Warm, clean, cuddly and cheap!


How about using it for packing material?  It can't be any worse than using those dang peanuts that get everywhere when you open up a package. 

Use your artistic abilities and make a  masterpiece from old dryer lint. Use it for kid's craft projects.  You can shape the lint into almost anything or even use it to replace cotton for things like snowmen or clouds.  Just glue the "shapes" onto construction paper.  How about using it for things like  hair or even fur for your craft projects!   You can make some dryer lint clay from it or even make paper out of it.  There are several places to get recipes for either of these projects on the internet. 

You could make candle wicks from it, as well as rope.  Just roll it the same way that the Indians used to make rope from plant fibers.  It would take a bit of time but it would work!

You could use it to help with growing your plants.  You don't want to put the lint on the soil next to the plant.  It could mold.  But you could use it in the bottom of your pots.  It will keep the soil IN the pot and let the water OUT.  If you are going to do this though you might want to be careful with what kind of lint you use.  Some fabrics and some laundry detergents have chemicals that you might not want on your plants.  But if you use the dryer lint from natural fabrics like cotton and linen and eco- friendly detergents it should work just fine!

Here's another use.  Use dryer lint to soak up used motor oil.  Before you change the oil in your car, put down a "sheet" of lint under the car and on the sides of the front of the car.  If you spill oil, cover it with another layer of lint and firmly step on it so it soaks it up well.  Be sure to discard the lint carefully. 

So there you have it!  Some actual uses for that stuff that seems to magically "grow" without much help. 

                                ~~ Hey... I'm Just Sayin' ...~~

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thank You

First of all I would like to thank all of our Veterans for all they have done for us. I would not be able to write this blog without their service to our country. We should all take at least a moment today and remember those who have served and died for our liberties.  Thank you all and God Bless. I think that Shy Wolf's wife Jenn summed it up beautifully here at Wolf Tracks.
Thank you and God Bless.

I woke up super early this morning.  The last thing I remember last night was laying down to watch a movie with Mars.  I think I made it through  about 15 minutes of the movie before I was sacked out.  It's not often that I go to bed at 7 PM.  I had every intention of watching the movie and then getting up to get a couple of things done. I guess I didn't realize just how tired I was.

I had a Dr's. Appointment in Tulsa yesterday morning so I had to be up by 5:30am to make it there by 8.  I didn't realize that there still WAS  a 5:30 am!  I hate making that trip more and more each time I have to take it.  The good news is though that most of the construction has finally been finished.  I didn't have to fight alot of traffic anyway! 
I had planned on doing a couple of things while I was in the Big City but by the time I had finished up with the doctor it was already after 1PM.  One of the reasons for the visit was to have him sign a letter for me but he wouldn't do it until after I have a CT done.  Grrrrrr, another trip to Tulsa in the next couple of weeks.  Oh well, it has to be done. 

Mushroom and I did some things around the house on Tuesday that both of us had been needing to do.  We took a partial inventory in the kitchen and got some cabinets straightened out while we were at it.  Of course while we were doing that there was another list started.  I swear by lists to help remember what all needs to be done.  The problem is that sometimes it seems there are more lists than time to take care of all the things on them.  Mushroom worked on her laundry all day.  She says that if the SHTF that by gosh she is gonna have clean undies!  She cracks me up sometimes...


                                                   ~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

What Did You Do To Prep?

Are you prepping for the future?  Are you prepping at all? If not, you might want to ask yourself why. Think back to last week.  Did you add to your preps in any way?  I'm going to start asking that question of myself every week.  There is NO reason to have to say "No, I didn't do anything" for an answer.  There is always something you can do. I used to catch myself thinking "I just can't afford to do anything this week".  But you know what that is? That is just an excuse. A cop-out.  Because even if you are flat broke you can still be working on your preps.  It doesn't always have to be about buying things. There are tons of things you can do to help with your prepping efforts that cost nothing more than some of your time. 

How, you ask?  One of the first things that comes to mind is research.  Learning costs nothing and yet is one of the most valuable assets available to you. Here are a few ideas just to get ya "kick-started".


Do you know what plants grow naturally in your area? Would you know how to forage for food in your neighborhood?  Would you even know what you were looking for? Look it up.   Learn some herbal remedies.  Speaking of remedies, how about reading up on some basic First Aid? 


Do you have water stored?  If so, when was the last time you rotated out your bottles or containers? 
Have you been thinking about learning to can your own foods?  Why not read up on the process?  Canning is NOT hard to do.  You would be amazed at how easy it is actually.


When was the last time you did an inventory of the things you have on hand?  Do you know where the "holes" in your preps are?  Take some time and think about it. Make a list of the things you still need to get done.
 Do you use coupons to help save money on your preps?  If so, go through them and toss out the expired ones and print out the new ones.


Have you got seeds for your spring garden?  This is the time of year that the new seed catalogs start coming out. Many of them are free.  Have you requested yours yet?  Have you decided what you are going to grow come springtime? 


What new skills would you like to learn?  What old skills could you use some brushing up on?

So you see, even if this week you might not be able to add something tangible  to your preps, you can still add something.
These are just a few suggestions of the things you could have been doing this week.   So when you ask yourself  "What have I done to prepare this week?"  Don't let the answer be NOTHING.

                      ~~  Hey... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~

What Did You Do To Prep?

Are you prepping for the future?  Are you prepping at all? If not, you might want to ask yourself why. Think back to last week.  Did you add to your preps in any way?  I'm going to start asking that question of myself every week.  There is NO reason to have to say "No, I didn't do anything" for an answer.  There is always something you can do. I used to catch myself thinking "I just can't afford to do anything this week".  But you know what that is? That is just an excuse. A cop-out.  Because even if you are flat broke you can still be working on your preps.  It doesn't always have to be about buying things. There are tons of things you can do to help with your prepping efforts that cost nothing more than some of your time. 

How, you ask?  One of the first things that comes to mind is research.  Learning costs nothing and yet is one of the most valuable assets available to you. Here are a few ideas just to get ya "kick-started".


Do you know what plants grow naturally in your area? Would you know how to forage for food in your neighborhood?  Would you even know what you were looking for? Look it up.   Learn some herbal remedies.  Speaking of remedies, how about reading up on some basic First Aid? 


Do you have water stored?  If so, when was the last time you rotated out your bottles or containers? 
Have you been thinking about learning to can your own foods?  Why not read up on the process?  Canning is NOT hard to do.  You would be amazed at how easy it is actually.


When was the last time you did an inventory of the things you have on hand?  Do you know where the "holes" in your preps are?  Take some time and think about it. Make a list of the things you still need to get done.
 Do you use coupons to help save money on your preps?  If so, go through them and toss out the expired ones and print out the new ones.


Have you got seeds for your spring garden?  This is the time of year that the new seed catalogs start coming out. Many of them are free.  Have you requested yours yet?  Have you decided what you are going to grow come springtime? 


What new skills would you like to learn?  What old skills could you use some brushing up on?

So you see, even if this week you might not be able to add something tangible  to your preps, you can still add something.
These are just a few suggestions of the things you could have been doing this week.   So when you ask yourself  "What have I done to prepare this week?"  Don't let the answer be NOTHING.

                      ~~  Hey... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Honey Wheat Bread from Mushroom's Kitchen

I know I have been promising to post this bread recipe for awhile now.  My apologies for it taking so long to do.  My friend Mushroom made this bread a few weeks ago and I have to say it is one of the best Honey Wheat Breads that I have EVER had.  There are quite a few ingredient's in it but trust me, it is well worth trying.  We made 3 large loaves from this and it was gone in just a few days! (Like 3 1/2)  Super Yummy!

Honey Wheat Bread
5 cups unbleached bread flour
4 cups fresh ground white wheat flour
¼ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup oat flour
¼ cup barley flour
2 tblsp wheat germ
4 cups milk
1/3 cup lard
2 tblsp Kosher salt
½ cup honey
1 tblsp sugar
2 tblsp yeast

Mix all dry ingredients except sugar and yeast till well blended. Heat milk and
remove ½ cup for yeast. Add yeast and sugar to milk and set aside to proof. Add
lard, honey and salt to milk and stir to melt lard. When yeast is proofed and lard is
melted add together and pour into dry ingredients. Stir till a batter is made and all
ingredients are incorporated. Dump out onto heavily floured board and knead till
smooth and not too stiff. Do not add too much flour. Should be a fairly loose dough.
Put into a turkey roaster to rise with the cover on. When the dough rises to top of
pan, cut into 3 or 4 pieces and shape into loaves. Cover loaves and let rise till
doubled again. Bake in preheated 375 oven for 40 minutes or till nicely browned
and browned on bottom. It may brown a bit too dark easily, so keep a close eye on it the last 5 minutes or so. Dump out of loaf pans onto cooling racks. Makes 3 large or 4 medium loaves.

Note from Mushroom : This is the bread we made a while back that everyone liked.  If you sift out half of the bran, it will rise lighter.  Bran is heavy and will hold down the bread and make it denser.  Remember that whole wheat flour absorbs moisture more slowly than white flour so don't rush it. 

Mushroom

Give it a try!  If you have any questions or comments for Mushroom, or a topic  you would like for her to address, please leave a comment here. 

Honey Wheat Bread from Mushroom's Kitchen

I know I have been promising to post this bread recipe for awhile now.  My apologies for it taking so long to do.  My friend Mushroom made this bread a few weeks ago and I have to say it is one of the best Honey Wheat Breads that I have EVER had.  There are quite a few ingredient's in it but trust me, it is well worth trying.  We made 3 large loaves from this and it was gone in just a few days! (Like 3 1/2)  Super Yummy!

Honey Wheat Bread
5 cups unbleached bread flour
4 cups fresh ground white wheat flour
¼ cup ground flax seed
¼ cup oat flour
¼ cup barley flour
2 tblsp wheat germ
4 cups milk
1/3 cup lard
2 tblsp Kosher salt
½ cup honey
1 tblsp sugar
2 tblsp yeast

Mix all dry ingredients except sugar and yeast till well blended. Heat milk and
remove ½ cup for yeast. Add yeast and sugar to milk and set aside to proof. Add
lard, honey and salt to milk and stir to melt lard. When yeast is proofed and lard is
melted add together and pour into dry ingredients. Stir till a batter is made and all
ingredients are incorporated. Dump out onto heavily floured board and knead till
smooth and not too stiff. Do not add too much flour. Should be a fairly loose dough.
Put into a turkey roaster to rise with the cover on. When the dough rises to top of
pan, cut into 3 or 4 pieces and shape into loaves. Cover loaves and let rise till
doubled again. Bake in preheated 375 oven for 40 minutes or till nicely browned
and browned on bottom. It may brown a bit too dark easily, so keep a close eye on it the last 5 minutes or so. Dump out of loaf pans onto cooling racks. Makes 3 large or 4 medium loaves.

Note from Mushroom : This is the bread we made a while back that everyone liked.  If you sift out half of the bran, it will rise lighter.  Bran is heavy and will hold down the bread and make it denser.  Remember that whole wheat flour absorbs moisture more slowly than white flour so don't rush it. 

Mushroom

Give it a try!  If you have any questions or comments for Mushroom, or a topic  you would like for her to address, please leave a comment here. 

Friday, November 5, 2010

I Dunno...

I'm not exactly sure what is up with Blogger... The last post I did looked nothing at all like the way it was supposed to when I wrote it.  The thing looks like one huge run on sentence or something. Almost like I forgot to breathe.  All my individual paragraphs aren't. Aren't what?  Well they aren't paragraphs!   I previewed it before publishing and it looked fine at the time.  And something weird is going on with my picture files as well.  Usually, when I open the files I can actually SEE the pictures.  But now?  Nope... nada.  What am I supposed to do?  Guess which ones they are?  I think they are once again messing around with the dang program.  But then I could be wrong.  I mean, I've been wrong before.  Once.  Ok, ok maybe twice but.......
  Anyone else have this sort of thing happen to them before or am I just loosing my mind?  Maybe I was abducted by aliens and just don't remember? Which would be a bummer because I've always wondered what aliens actually DO when they decide to abduct someone.  I've always thought maybe they were just bored and wanted to have a little fun.  Ya know, like "Hey Arnold... watch this!"  Oh well, if this is all that I have to worry about then I say.... Bring it on!!

                                       ~~Hey... I'm Just Sayin' ...~~

Dehhdrating Eggs - Q & A

I've written a few posts about dehydrating eggs.  I did alot of "net surfing" and asked alot of questions.  At the time there just wasn't much information out there. So I came to the conclusion that I should be able to do them myself.  Rather than paying for what I consider expensive powdered eggs I gave it a shot (or two) and found out I was right.    Every instruction that I found called for first cooking the eggs and then placing them in the dehydrator.  I couldn't figure out just why you had to cook them first.  I still haven't found a good explanation for it.  If anyone has one, I would love to hear it.  A friend of mine from over  in the prepper chat room has done them both ways.  He said that taste-wise, after trying both methods, he preferred the eggs that had been dehydrated from raw eggs.  Since he is the only one that I know that has done them both ways I am going to go with his results.        Here is the way I dehydrate my eggs.  Crack your eggs in a bowl and whisk them really well.  Pour the mixture onto your roll up trays.  My trays hold 6 eggs each.  The amount will vary with different dehydrators.  Set your dryer temperature to 165 degrees.  I do this to kill the "bad stuff".  Let the eggs dry for approximately 24 hours.  They will a little "oily" to the touch but that is normal.       Take them off the trays.  Sometimes mine sort of stick a little so I use a spatula to help loosen them up.  Break up the eggs into small enough pieces to fit in your food processor. (You can use a blender if you don't have one)  Process them until they are as fine a powder as you can get.  I store mine in canning jars and seal them up with my FoodSaver.  Store them in a cool dark location until you are ready to use them.  To rehydrate them, I use 3 tablespoons per 1 tablespoon of powdered eggs. alwaystawnya left a comment on an older post about dehydrating eggs.  I thought I would try and answer her questions here.  And of course,  like I've always told my friend Felinae , when blogging- never ever let a post idea go to waste!  Sometimes they are just to danged hard to come by!   Anyway.... alwaystawnya said... so i am curious.... and brought out my dehyrdrater today after being in a cabinet for about 5 years. I've only dehyrdrated a few fruits and made some jerky. Today i am trying to dehyrdrate bacon for a snack for my dog being that she's allergic to most dog treats. What recipe would u use a dehyrdrate egg for. Trying to step outside my box and cook a little more.. Also never thought when making a stir fry to use anything other than fresh veggies. So ur dehydrating them and then.... Pull out the cabinet when ready to cook??? Sorry i may sound a little elementary but like i said just now trying to step outside the box and cook in a more cost effective way.      First I would like to say Congratulations on bringing out your dryer!  There are so many really cool things you can do with one and it can actually be fun too. You can dry almost any vegetable and lots of different fruits.     My friend Mushroom uses her dehydrator for making dog treats as well.  It is a great alternative to buying those processed (and expensive) dog treats.  Those things are loaded with all sorts of nasty stuff that (pardon the expression) you wouldn't even feed to a dog.  I would follow the same rules for making dog treats as you would when dehydrating your own meats.  Try to use leaner cuts of meat if you are storing for longer amounts of time.  Fat tends to make meats go rancid pretty fast.     As to your question about recipes for using powdered eggs, I use them in almost ANY recipe that calls for eggs.  You can use them to make regular scrambled eggs, omelets or other egg recipes.  I use them in baking as well.   You don't even have to rehydrate the eggs as they will do that on their own.   Just toss in the powdered eggs to your mixture.     alwaystawyna  asked a question about stir-frying rehydrated vegetables. I haven't ever tried to use them in a stir-fry as a stand alone vegetable.  If anyone has any experience with it I would like to hear them too.  Now I have used them making things like stir fried rice.  They work great!  I use them alot in soups, stews and casseroles but they are also great as a stand alone dish.   Don't forget that you can dry potato's in lots of different ways too. The uses for dried vegetables are almost endless.     Dehydrating foods is an excellent way to keep vegetables for your long term storage.  Just make sure they are sealed well and kept in a cool dark place and you will have wonderful vegetables for many years to come.                                                  ~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin ... ~~

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

If It Walks Like a Duck

Well here it comes.  Another bailout.  Call it whatever you want to call it- but if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck....  You would think that after trying this over and over again that someone would figure out that it does NOT work. 

It's like that relative that gets in a bind and comes pleading for help.  You help him out and he goes along for a little bit and then runs into trouble again.  So you figure that well maybe this time things will be better.That THIS time he will "get it right".  That he just needs  a "little" more help to get things straightened out.  So you help him out yet again.  He goes on for awhile and you think he just might have things headed in the right direction.  Until.... yeah.... there he is....back he comes again.   Only this time, rather than coming with his hat in his hand and asking for more help, He sneaks in and takes your money and laughs at the fool you apparently are for letting him get away with your money yet again. 

 Sooner or later you would think that you would figure out that the situation is hopeless.  You can toss all the money in the world at the problem and yet nothing really changes.  Except, of course, for the debt.  It continues to grow and grow. 

I am furious about this newest tossing of money into the wind and expecting different results.  The sneaky slimey #*&#*&^$'s even had the nerve to wait until ONE DAY after the elections to pull this crap.  I am beginning to wonder just how much they can push off on us before something actually happens.

  We, as a nation, apparently have no backbone.  We just sit back and let them take more and more of our liberties while we suck on a Diet Coke, eat another poison laden candybar and watch yet another mindless "reality"  tv show.  Sometimes I don't think that we even care about anything other than ourselves anymore.  How does it help ME? What will I get from it?  The question is, and has been for quite awhile now, when is enough enough?   Where is your line in the sand?  Or will you just keep moving the line back every time they cross it, thinking yeah well I dare you to cross this one.....

                                                         ~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin ...~~