Applesauce Cake

When was the last time you had cake?  I used to love cake when I was younger.  I'm more of a pie lover these days but I DO love a good cake from time to time.  I'm not talking about a cake mix out of the box either.  I like cake made from scratch. I was looking through cake recipes over on Allrecipies.com. I was surprised to find that many of the recipes posted there called for using cake mixes to start with. What in the world is up with that?  Anyway, I found this cake recipe awhile back and never remembered to post it here.  I really like this one!
         
Applesauce Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan; set aside.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nuts and raisins in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Cream butter or margarine with sugar. Add applesauce; beat well. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tested done when a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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

My "Field of Dreams"

Well it finally happened.  We signed the contract on Monday and I am now officially a Land Owner! I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it feels to finally have done it.  It has been a long time coming and a dream has finally been fulfilled.  
      I just realized it has been almost a week since I wrote anything here.  I guess it's a good thing I'm not trying to make a living doing this!!  I would probably have been fired by now...  Then again, if it was work, I'm not sure I'd still do it.  So I would to say thanks  to all of you who come here and read my ramblings.  I know you don't have to, but I'd like you to know that I appreciate it.
    Now, on to all the things that have to  be done.  It's always something right?  The best part is though,  from here on out we can strive for more and more self-reliance and do it on our own terms!
  The first thing we are working on is getting the electricity hooked up.  The new breaker box came in and we've got it ready for them to hook up.  Once that is done and we have power we will hook up the well pump and all the stuff that goes with that.  Mars assures me there will be water soon.
   When we get all that in place we will be able to move the RV out there and commence to "living on the land"!  We could actually be out there by next weekend if all goes well.  I'm really excited.  Can you tell???  I've been floating on air all week!
      It has been almost a year since we came here to stay with my friend Mushroom and her husband.  They have been so good to us.  I have learned tons and tons of things while I've been here. I feel as though I have a new family because that is how they have made me feel.  I'm sure going to miss them both!  The good news though is that even though we are moving about 60 miles from here,  it's still not to far to come and visit often! 
   We may still have a shot at a spring garden this year.  I know we are going to try anyway!  Our last frost date is April 15th. It seems a bit late to me but hey it is Oklahoma.... There are still lots of things that we can plant for the season.  I don't remember if I mentioned it but I took a soil sample to the County Extension Agency and they did a soil test for us.  It looks like we have some decent soil to start with.  It needs a bit of nitrogen and such so we will be planting a large crop of blackeyed peas and some other nitrogen boosting veggies.  Why the blackeyed peas?  Because we LOVE them!!!   LoL
We have a whole bunch of tomato plants that we started from seed.  About 60 of them as a matter of fact. I want to get them in the ground this coming week if at all possible.  We are going to have tomato's coming out of our ears if they all take off (and it looks like they will)  That's ok though.  I want to can some whole tomato's, diced and quartered.  If the hot peppers do well I'd like to make some "Rotel" type tomato's too.  I would like to try my hand at making some tomato sauces.  I'm looking for some good recipes if anyone has any they would like to share.  Just drop them in the comment box or email me.  I'd love to hear from you!
     I've never made ketchup before.  Neither of us are really crazy about it.  But for some reason lately I've been using it more than before.  I might as well try my hand at putting up a batch! I'm pretty sure we are going to have plenty of tomato's for it.  :o)
 Another thing I haven't tried but am going to do this summer is to put up some Italian sauce. A basic sauce to start things off with garlic and onions and Italian seasonings.  Something I can pull out of the cabinet to whip up some spaghetti or lasagne or something like that. 
     I'm also going to be drying tomato's.  What I will do is to dry them in pieces.  That way I can use them in soups and stews and such.  If I want to make some tomato paste all I will have to do is to grind them into powder and then add water until I get the consistency I want. 
      We are hoping to find someone locally to come out and plow up the garden area.  Then we can pull out all the grass and such and Mars will till it up.  Getting the soil right in a garden is really important.  I think I've found a place to get free chicken and cow manure that has been "aged" a bit. That will get us started.   Once we get our chickens and the rabbits we will be able to use our own.  We really need to get all this done pretty quickly though or we will end up having to wait for a fall garden.
Since I have started just giving things over and not stressing over the things that don't go my way, it seems life has become so much easier. 
~~~~    Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...   ~~~~

Wood Stove and Canning Jars

I don't know how to tell you just how amazed I am at the things that you can find on Craigslist.  We have been keeping an eye on it lately looking for things that we need for the new place.  Dare I call the new place The Homestead?  Ya know, I think I will!  I think it qualifies as such for us.  Anyway....
     Mars spotted an ad for a woodburning stove on Craigslist.  Now I know that someone is going to be wondering what in the world we would do with a wood-burning cookstove living in an RV.  But (there is always a but,right?)  It is something that we both have been wanting for quite awhile.   Besides, I have plans, remember?  LOL
     The stove was posted right here in the town we live in.  It was listed as a 6 burner wood cookstove and was in good working order.  The ad said $300.00 OBO (or best offer) so I gave the lady a call and set up a time to go and look at it.
     She's an older lady and from what all I could gather she is also a prepper.  She just doesn't know it!  We talked for a bit and Mrs  M and I checked out the stove. The lady said she had been using it until a few years ago. The stove is in good shape but needs some serious cleaning done. The top's kind of rusty but NOT rusted out anywhere.  It is missing the "lid lifter" and a door handle. With a bit of elbow grease it will be a fine stove.  We dickered on the price for a little bit and finally came to an agreement.  I am now the proud owner of a$225.00  wood stove!
   Wait!  If you thought that was a good deal... It gets better.... We got to talking about canning.  Turns out she had boxes and boxes of canning jars that she wanted to get rid of.  They all  had had food in them that she tossed out but never got around to washing them.  I asked her how much she wanted for them.   She told me that she would give them to me if I wanted to wash them.  Well, of course I said "Oh, well that wouldn't be a problem".   The whole time we are talking I am trying not to jump up and down and hug and kiss her!  End count on the canning jars.... 20 dozen. 
     I wanted to take a picture of the stove while it was all still in one piece but I didn't have the camera with me.  The dang thing is heavy.  Mars and our neighbor had to take it apart to be able to get it loaded.  I'll post some pictures of it soon and then I'll put some more up when we get it all cleaned up and put back together. 

  Oh, one more thing, The sweet little old lady's last name ... Angel.

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

What America has Become Folks!

This is just crazy.  What has happened to the United States of America? 

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

What Are You Waiting For?

In case you haven't been paying attention we are in some serious trouble.  Have you been to the grocery store lately?  Prices have escalated to levels never seen before and all signs lead to even higher prices in the coming months and years. 
     Folks- it is time to re-evaluate our food situation.  If for some reason you haven't already done so, now would be a good time to start stocking up your pantry.  If you haven't thought about long term food storage I seriously think you should start.  I cannot stress how serious this situation is becoming all across the country. 
      Just last month food prices rose 3.9 percent.  That is just one month.  The month before was almost as bad.  According to the Labor Department this is the biggest gain since November of 1974. The increase of the cost of vegetables alone was almost 50%   Bloomberg reported that coffee, sugar and cocoa prices will rise 50-100% by 2014. If those numbers doesn't freak you out I'm really not sure what will.    
     There are over 40 million people in the United States on food stamps.  That is an incredible number and it is rising daily. It is a good representation of just how bad things are getting. People are finding that they cannot afford to eat the way they have in the past.  There are more "meatless" meals being served. There are meals being skipped.  Folks are going hungry.      It is time for us all to take a really good look at what we can do to prepare ourselves for what is coming. It is no longer a matter of "IF" things are going to get worse.  They most certainly ARE going to.  So what can we do?  How about getting up off our butts and getting involved in our own food storage plans. It can be a daunting task if you let it overwhelm you. Just don't let it. Get up, make it a priority. 
     Even  FEMA suggests that you have at three day supply of groceries in case of an emergency.  Personally I think that three days is not nearly enough. Of course it is a start but many emergency situations last much longer.   For instance, we had a snow storm here this past winter.  Nothing was moving.  Even the mail delivery came to a screeching halt.  Three days into it we had another huge snowstorm move through and the trucks couldn't make deliveries to the grocery stores. The local news reported that stores had run out of things like milk and bread.  Because we were prepared this ended up being a "non-issue".  
    A few months ago I wrote an article  (here ) about some of the things that I do to save money when I grocery shop.  There are lots of valuable ideas that can help you while you are doing your shopping.  This doesn't cover everything but it is a good place to start.     There has been a huge resurgence of interest in gardening this year. It looks like some folks are finally waking up. I've heard that there are more people starting a garden this year than there ever has been before.  You can save tons of money by growing your own vegetables.  Not to mention the satisfaction that comes with it. You might be surprised at what all you can grow even if you don't have room for a big garden.  There aren't to many veggies that can't be grown in containers. The cost is minimal.  You need seeds, a place to put the seeds and a little bit of time. 
    Another thing that has been making a come back is home preservation of foods.  Canning and dehydrating foods is easy.  The hardest part is getting up off the couch and just doing it. There is a little cash layout to get started, but you have to remember that once you have the equipment, you will be using it for years and years. It will pay for itself in no time at all. There are even plans online to make your own dehydrator for next to nothing.  Preserving foods like this can save you tons of money and is a super way to get your pantry stocked up for the long run.  Not to mention how much healthier these foods are.  You know exactly waht you are feeding your family.
    I guess what I am trying to say is that if there ever was a need for having a well stocked pantry, that time is NOW.  Make food storage a priority. Think of it as insurance against the  rapidly growing rise in prices and the cost of feeding your family.  I know that alot of you are already doing some or all of these things.  For you guys (I'm talking to myself here as well) I  suggest you pick up your tempo just a bit. What you buy today will only be more expensive tomorrow. 


~~~  Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ...  ~~~