Church Chicken

In the crockpot before turning on

 

The past 2 Sunday's I've started this in the crockpot before we went to church & by 2:00 it is done.  Add some potatoes or rice and a veggie & you have a delicious Sunday dinner.

Place chicken in the crockpot (bone-in breasts is what I used because they were on sale)  Leave the skin on or not, you're choice.

Place some sliced onion & garlic on top of chicken.

Sprinkle with any seasonings you like.

Cook on high for about 6 hours.

Remove chicken to a platter & slice.

You can use any combination of seasonings you have on hand. 

Here are the ones I've done before:

*onion, garlic, basil, salt & pepper
*onion, bell pepper, Cajun seasoning blend
*sliced lemon, salt, & lots of black pepper
*garlic, salt & pepper, fresh rosemary

Have fun with it & enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups sugar
1 T. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 T. cinnamon

In a BIG bowl mix together zucchini, oil, sugar, & vanilla.
Then add in  the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon & salt.
Mix *by hand* until all blended.

Divide into 2 greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350* for about 45 minutes or until center is done!

*This is really good & it freezes well too*

Soup base/starter

We've still got some tomatoes & peppers coming in.  So yesterday, and again today, I'll be making what I call soup base or starter.
Put in a big pot some fresh tomatoes, and any other veggies you may have laying around.
This round I put in tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, zucchini, garlic, and some fresh basil.  Any seasonings you like as well. I used some chicken bullion, salt, pepper, & parsley.  Allow to simmer about 30 minutes to an hour. (As thick or juicy as you like it) 
Let cool and then package in freezer bags. 
You can use this for vegetable soup, chili, or pasta.
For a quick dinner I will probably bring it to a boil and add in some type of noodle like little shells or egg noodles.  (Veggie soup)
Cooked Italian sausage or hamburger is good added in too if your husband is like mine & thinks you need meat for it to be a meal.  ;)
*lay the bags flat to freeze & you will save room*

Sugar Cut-Outs, Just Because

I try to make a home baked goodie for my husband & son to take to work with their lunches.  They both work at the machine shop. 
Anyway, I usually make cupcakes or drop cookies. In fact I think I make sugar cookies about 2x a year.  Christmas & Valentine's day.  I'm not sure why I don't make them more, but I just don't. 
After seeing a picture on Pinterest I decided to bake some up.

*I just love these old cookie cutters. They were my Mom's and the rolling pin was my Grandma's*

Recipe:

Wet ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla

Combine well with mixer.

Then add in the dry ingredients:

1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
5 1/2 cups flour

Mix it all well.

Roll & cut out on floured surface.

Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes.  They will not look completely done but don't over bake.

Frost with a mixture of powdered sugar, milk, & food coloring, if desired.

*I used hot pink*

 

Funny thing is when the kids came in they were wondering what the occasion was...  I said just because I love ya'll!  :)

Pan Fried Squash

2-3 Yellow squash or zucchini
A.P. or fresh ground wheat flour
Cajun seasoning
Salt & Pepper
Coconut oil (or oil of your choice)

Heat oil in a skillet.  You want enough just to cover the bottom of the pan.
Chop up squash in bite sized pieces. 
Toss in flour mixed with seasonings.
Place in skillet & fry until golden brown all over.
Drain on paper towels & sprinkle with a little more salt.

This is my entire family's favorite way to cook squash.

Very simple & a delicious side dish!

Home Canned Tomatoes

I wanted to show you newbie canners something.

 Look at the 2 jars.  The one on the left is crushed tomatoes and the one on the right is tomato sauce.  Both are crushed but the difference I wanted to show you is the "water" on the bottom of the left one.

  Both are just tomatoes that I've crushed.  The reason for the "water" or "juice" on the bottom is the amount of time you cook the tomatoes BEFORE processing them in the canner. 

For just crushed tomatoes you only cook them on the stove for about 30 minutes the sauce for a couple of hours.  The water cooks out of the sauce but not the crushed tomatoes.  So, your jars will look like the left. 

There is nothing wrong with this, just wanted to show an example so you won't think you did anything wrong.

Happy Canning!

Homemade Tomato Paste???

Certainly!

Here's how I do it:

First wash and core a bunch of tomatoes.
Put them in a blender & then pour into a crockpot.
When your crockpot is full add some salt & pepper. (You could also add basil or garlic powder if you wish)
Put crockpot on high until it begins to boil.
Turn down to low & allow to cook for about 12-16 hours.
Stir occasionally. 
When it's good & thick pour into ice cube trays.
Freeze and then pop them out and put into a freezer bag.
There you have it... homemade tomato paste from your fresh garden tomatoes!

Zucchini Relish

This recipe starts the night before.

12 cups shredded zucchini (peel left on)
4 cups chopped onion
3 cups chopped bell pepper (red, green, or both)
1 cup finely chopped celery
6 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. turmeric
salt

The night before you want to make this, shred your zucchini & put in a big bowl.  Pour on salt & mix around.  Then set a plate or something a little heavy on top & place in the fridge overnight.
The next day drain your zucchini (you may rinse the salt off, but I didn't)

Then put everything into a big pot. Bring to a boil & then simmer for about 30 minutes.

Ladle into 7 pint jars.

Pressure or water bath can according to your directions.

*There are many charts online to tell you how long to can foods and at what pressures. Just look on the search engine of your choice.*

Summer on the Homestead

Here in Louisiana we get quite a long summer season.

By the time the first official day of summer is here we're in the 100's with extremely high humidity.

So what do we do in the summer?

All of the feeding & work tends to get done in the morning.

I also try to do any baking or canning in the morning or evening hours when it's cooler.

I change my laundry schedule to 1 load a day done usually in the evening. (When the dryers on the air conditioning runs more) $$

Reading, movie watching, and of course lots of swimming!

 

Our gardening season can be pretty long depending on how much you want to water & the heat.

So far we've been harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers (several types), cantaloupe, watermelon, & squash. 

I've been canning & it will continue on to today.  I will be making some tomato sauce & relish.

 

I do enjoy the spontaneous activities of summer here but after about a month or so I'm ready to get back into our old routines.  I've already received our homeschool curriculum for the 2013-2014 year and I'm having fun looking over & planning that too!