Wednesday Why: Canning Chicken

I've been asked:  Is it hard to can your own chicken?  Short answer:  No!

Yes, it does require equipment, effort, and time.  But the overall process isn't too complicated.

Equipment Needed:
pressure canner--to do the canning
clean jars and lids--for the canning
spatula--to get air out
towel, dishcloths or paper towel--to clean rims and to set warm jars on
labels/marker--to label jars
timer

To see how I did it:  http://imstillplantingfortomorrow.blogspot.com/2013/02/taste-test-tuesday-canning-chicken.html

Taste Test Tuesday: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

When I first saw this recipe (maybe on Our Best Bites?? can't remember where), I thought really? can you really make good cookies without flour?  Yes.  These Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies turned out great.  I used crunchy peanut butter (that is why you see lots of nuts in the picture of the cookies) and it still turned out fine.

Enjoy!

Saturday School: Games for Homeschool

Ok, so it has been a long while since I have added to this blog.  But, I hope to get back into updating it regularly.  So here we go...

Whether you homeschool or not, the information I am sharing today is wonderful for helping kids have fun while practicing the things they learn.

On the website http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/, there are many wonderful free games!  Games for math, science, history, and more.  These are games that are played while connected to the internet, they are single player games.

I highly recommend this website and the games on it to anyone wanting to have a fun review or practice session.  Some favorites:  Monkey Drive (math), Math Man, Fruit Splat (math), Food Chain Game, USA and World games (geography), and Comma Chameleon (punctuation).  There are so many more that are awesome too, and many that we haven't played yet, but look forward to playing soon.  :)

Have fun reviewing and practicing!  Awesome games!

Taste Test Tuesday: Ham Potato Bean Soup

Got left over ham?  Or simply wanting another way of making it tasty?  I got this Ham, Potato and Bean Soup from my sister.  It is delicious.  It works great to use dry milk powder--use 2 c water mixed with 6 tablespoons of dry milk powder for the 2 cups of milk.  Also replacing cooked white beans with the canned is fine too, or using dried/freeze dried veggies, make it yours and  Enjoy!

Miscellaneous Monday: Honeyville Grain sale

Yeah! another sale at Honeyville Grain!  Also, they have started a new mix & match build-a-case.  This is where you can build your own 6 count #10 can case and instantly get 10% off the 6 items--Wow! And this 10% off is in addition to any sales/coupon codes like the one for this week--so if you buy #10 cans in multiples of 6 (6, 12, 18...) during this Spring sale you get a total of 25% off--awesome deal.  See their website for more details.


The following information came from the email you get if you sign up to receive deals/sales emails--I highly recommend signing up for this email so you can be aware of their sales and deals.  The sales they run (usually a % off your order) does exclude the already low flat rate shipping and there are a few kitchen brands that it doesn't take a discount off--like Sun Oven, see their website for more details on what is/isn't included in the sale.

Starting Today, Monday, April 14th through Friday, April 18th, 2014 you can save 15% on your entire online purchase*. Simply visit shop.honeyville.com, add items to your cart as usual, click the my cart button in the top right, enter coupon code: SPRING15 to see the discount applied to the sub total, then proceed to checkout and enjoy the savings. Introducing Mix & Match Build-a-Case Pricing You spoke, we listened! When you add any combination of 6 #10 cans to your cart, you'll instantly receive 10% off those 6 items. Then, view your cart to see the Build-A-Case discount applied to the subtotal. It's that easy! The best part is, there's no limit to how many Build-a-Cases you can add to your cart. This pricing will never expire, meaning it will be available 24/7 and can be combined with coupon codes for even more savings! What are you waiting for? Shop Honeyville Now!

Make A Plan Monday: Cooking in Winter without Electricity

How was your winter?  Any spring in sight yet?

What do you do when the power goes out and its cold outside?  How do you cook?  I've mentioned before different methods of cooking/baking foods without electricity.  Today I am sharing some more about using the Sun Oven on a cold wintery day--to show it does work to cook/bake even in cold temperatures.

In order to use the Sun Oven there does need to be sun, and little or no wind; but other than that even when it is below freezing outside, it still works!  Simply angle the Sun Oven towards the sun, using the leg.  During the summer there is little to no need for that leg in the back, but during the fall, winter and spring it will cook/bake better/faster if the leg is used to tilt the Sun Oven to an angle that helps direct the rays into the oven.  Then like always, rotate the oven every 15-30 minutes to keep the shadows even.  I've noticed that in the winter I need to rotate it more often than in the summer--usually closer to 15 to 20 minutes instead of upwards 30 minutes--to keep the shadows close to equal on both sides.  It takes about 30 minutes to get between 250 and 300 degrees inside the Sun Oven.   Once it is preheated, it is ready to bake and cook--yeah!

The above picture was taken on a wintery day when the electric was working fine.  But, when the power went out with an ice storm we had around here, having this solar oven allowed us to be able to still bake food because thankfully we had sun after the storm went through.  If we hadn't had sun, and only clouds, well then we would have simply had to just use another method of cooking/baking.

Now is a good time to start saving for big items like a Sun Oven that often come on sale during the summer.  Other great items to have on hand for power-outages in winter/cold weather:  blankets, battery/crank/solar powered radio, flashlights & batteries, warm clothing, board games/books to read, powerless/alternative cooking/baking methods & fuel for them, cash (when power out ATM/card swipers don't work), car charger for phones/etc. or other small device charger if wanted/needed, and definitely a plan!!!  A plan of not only what to have available, but what to do during a power-outage, and where to go if necessary.

Taste Test Tuesday: Warm Spiced Lemonade

The recipe I am sharing today, Warm Spiced Lemonade, I got from my sister.  You can adjust the amounts of any of the ingredients to taste, or make it as is.  Enjoy!