by Esther Henry
We were at the store the other day, and they had pineapples on sale. We bought 4 of them, brought them home, and spent the afternoon preserving them. I am going to explain how we did it, and show you ways to use every bit of the pineapple without waste, including making a powerful pineapple... Continue Reading →
WE ARE HOMESTEADERS. This doesn't mean that we are coming into the season where we can sit around a cozy fire singing "Kumbaya" 24/7. I wish. There is so much to do in late fall, early winter: making sure enough firewood is stacked, saving enough water from our rain barrels to last the chickens throughout... Continue Reading →
Roasted lamb has been an Easter tradition in our household for many years. After the Easter holiday, lamb usually goes on sale at the grocery store. It's a good opportunity to buy it then, put in in the freezer and use it later. When we roast a leg of lamb, we take it out of... Continue Reading →
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." And it's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas in many kitchens across the country as well! At this time of year cranberries begin to go on sale at discounted prices, apples from the fall harvests are needing to be used up, and so this Cranberry-Apple Sauce... Continue Reading →
Perhaps the header picture is a bit deceiving: we are not using a campfire to cook the popcorn this evening, we are using a gas stove indoors. However, the principles of making the popcorn are the same. We stopped using microwave popcorn several years ago, and now only cook it over the fire as my... Continue Reading →
I am a stickler for safety in the kitchen, but don't always follow the rules and demands of the "experts." Call me a rebel. Maybe I am. But what I am about to share with you, I must put in a disclaimer, so here goes. DISCLAIMER: The USDA has not recommended canning butter or dairy,... Continue Reading →
With the prices going up on groceries, cans of cream of mushroom [or chicken, celery, etc], are flying off the shelves at two and sometimes three times the price you'd pay for them only 6 months ago. It's a tragedy. Many comfort-food recipes may call for up to 4 cans of the stuff, and if... Continue Reading →
I'm not new to dehydrating. But I am new to this new commercial dehydrator we recently purchased. I am used to using really old, round, vertically stacked dehydrators without the ability to control the temperature. I had to constantly watch it to make sure the contents on the bottom rack didn't burn, rotating the trays... Continue Reading →
Corned Beef is a staple around our household. The prices have gone up and up in recent years, but they still go on sale around St Patrick's Day every year. This year we took a "quick run" to the grocery store the weekend before, just to grab a few things. (Yeah, right!) We were not... Continue Reading →
I haven't met anyone yet, who doesn't like beef stroganoff. Because of the rich creamy base, I always thought it was exclusively a French classic, but the name "stroganoff" didn't sound French. I was curious about the history of this dish and found a well-written, concise article about stroganoff's history. You can find the article... Continue Reading →
Simple Home and Hearth 