Tammy's Recipes

I had a chicken in the oven, and some carrots for a vegetable, but I needed another side to go along with my meal. I wasn't in the mood for egg noodles. I was out of potatoes. There wasn't time to make a yeast bread.

In less than ten minutes' time, I had mixed up a pan of Quick and Easy Breadsticks! I added parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder to the dough. I pulled the chicken out of the oven, turned the heat up to 450 (I was in a hurry -- the recipe calls for 425) and put the bread in. Fifteen minutes later, dinner was on the table.

The hot bread sticks were buttery and just salty enough. We were quite hungry, and our family finished the whole pan of them at that meal!

While the bread sticks do have a different flavor from yeast breads (they're made with baking powder), they're so fast and yummy! Joshua decided that he'll call them "buttery biscuit sticks" so that he can mentally enjoy them even more. ;)

At any rate, the bread sticks made a so-so dinner into a real treat! :)

This week, our compost pile was moved into a compost bin. The transition was quick, easy, and frugal, since we used items we already had on hand to make a composting bin! Read more for details and pictures of our bin, along with a few composting links and tips to get you started! :)

We love pizza. Joshua made this yummy deep dish pizza last week! We're having guests tomorrow, and pizza is on the menu. Oh, I can't wait...

I may feel guilty about serving hot dogs for dinner, but I never feel guilty about homemade pizza. It's just so tasty! And of course, we're having asparagus with ours.

It was warm and sunny today, and there was work to be done outside. Spending the day outside meant that I didn't get much done in the kitchen. So, I thawed out some hot dogs, used buns from the store, and cooked up some baby carrots (on sale at Aldi's this week). I re-warmed some leftover asparagus, too.

I know, I know. It's just so appetizing, isn't it? As we were sitting down to eat, I told Joshua, "I think I'm going to take a picture of this. Just to prove that I'm definitely not super woman!" :)

The meal, though certainly not one of my more appealing creations, tasted okay. Even hot dogs can be a treat of sorts, if they're only served once every 3-6 months!

Ever notice how grapes first start going bad where they're attached to the stem? Joshua mentioned this to me one time, and ever since then I always feel compelled to look at where the grape was attached to the stem, to see just how good it really is.

And sometimes the grape doesn't look so good there at the top. But it's easily remedied by a sharp knife (I prefer serrated): just cut off the very top of the grape and eat/serve as normal. :)

To participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Post a kitchen tip in your blog, with a link to this post. Then come here and add your name, tip subject, and URL to this post! Links must be family friendly, as always. If you don't have a blog but would still like to share a tip, just leave a comment here with your tip! Everyone's ideas are appreciated. :) Note: Please link to your individual post, not your blog's main/front page! Thanks for participating! :)

Our weather is still fluctuating between warm and pleasant, and downright cold! I'm taking advantage of the last few days (weeks?) of being able to bake casseroles to take the chill out of the house. :)

Lunch today was saucy broccoli and chicken, and some fried asparagus on the side. I'm drinking a cup of hot Yogi Echinacea tea, and then I'll start washing dishes in some hot water. :D

Oh, and if you haven't already requested a free sample of Yogi tea, you can do so on their website! I really love their herbal teas. Our local Big Lots store carries them on occasion and they're such a treat!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms who visit here! :)

I celebrated by going to bed early last night. ;) As soon as I got up this morning, I mixed up two big loaves of challah. We headed out the door shortly before noon to go to my grandmother's house (with the fresh loaves of bread!) to eat and visit with relatives.

Yehoshua and Eliyahu (and the rest of us, too!) came home exhausted! After a quick snack-y supper, we brushed teeth and got ready for bed. :)

Tomorrow is going to be another catch-up day for me. Laundry, cleaning, thank-you notes... :)

I love blogging, but the really good part is taking things into "real life".

A hundred recipes on a website don't really do any good if my family is eating PBJ for dinner. A motivating post about homemaking is useless if I spend all my time and energy staring at a computer screen thinking about doing things instead of actually doing them.

And while I love sharing bits of our life here in my blog, it's even more exciting to sit down and actually spend time with folks... in "real life". :)

About 6 months ago, I was blessed to meet a local blog reader. Living in a somewhat rural area in NW Ohio, in a (relatively) small town, I think we were both shocked to discover that we lived in the same town! :) We've made good use of living in close proximity, with lots of visits and meals between our families. :)

It's fun to have a local friend who's passionate about many of the same things as I am. :) I'm passing along my love for receiving blanket diapers and homemade cloth wipes, and she's introducing my boys to goats and chickens. Oh, and I swapped some of my excess asparagus for some farm-fresh eggs. I know, I know... I got the good end of that deal! :)

This morning, she and I headed out to some garage sales in a nearby town. Have my regular readers caught on to my budding garage sale addiction this year? It's Joshua's fault for encouraging it, along with the fact that my children keep outgrowing their clothes... ;)

When we got home, it was lunch time. I had some crock pot pizza ready, and warmed up leftover creamed asparagus over pasta, along with some veggies.

Yes, I serve leftovers to guests. Sometimes. Let's just say that the focus was on garage sales, not food. ;) Or, starve your guests and when you finally feed them, they'll rave about anything. Something like that. ;)

Here's what Ruth thought about it all. By the time lunch was over, she was exhausted. :) She's sucking her thumb in this picture -- something she's really fond of doing. She must take after her mommy (I sucked my thumb until 3rd grade).

I just ordered some new (unused) 41-cent postage stamps for 34 cents each. That means that the roll of 100 stamps cost $34.00 instead of $41.00 (includes shipping). How is this possible? Ebay. :)

For some time now (at least a year), my younger brother Phillip has been ordering unused postage stamps from eBay for less than face value. Often, the stamps are a cent or two below the current first-class postage rate. For example, my last roll was 39-cent stamps, and I had to add a 2-cent stamp each time I mailed something. However, the stamps were cheap enough that I was still saving several cents on each mailing.

Since I've never ordered anything from eBay myself, I interviewed Phillip to get the scoop on how he finds these great deals (which he passes on to me!). Read more...

This creamed asparagus over pasta is a favorite from last year that never got photographed and written out. I made it earlier this week and even Joshua (who doesn't go as crazy over pasta and white sauces as I do!) commented on how delicious it was. :)

For some reason, Yehoshua (4) and Eliyahu (2) decided that they don't really care for asparagus this year. I think it's because the longer pieces can be somewhat stringy at times. I have been able to get them to eat a bit more of this creamed asparagus, though, by making sure the asparagus is coated with sauce. And of course they love the pasta part... :)

These pictures were so fun to take. I love colorful meals! :) We ate this creamed asparagus with some homemade pizza.

We're seriously looking into purchasing a grain mill. Since a grain mill is a significant purchase, I've been waiting to make sure I really want one badly enough. (I hesitate to call a grain mill a "need" since we currently live without one!)

I'd love some advice on grain mills! Please share your experience and recommendations! Things like brand comparisons, how fine the flour is, how long it takes to grind enough flour for a couple of loaves of bread (6-8 cups), how noisy/dusty your mill is, and how much of a taste difference you notice between freshly-milled flour and flour that's been sitting around for a while -- I want to hear it!! :)

Our children were given a toy camera, and The Camera has now replaced The Saw as Yehoshua's carry-around-everywhere favorite toy. He "takes pictures" of everything, including... food. Hmmm... wonder where he got that idea? ;)

This was Yehoshua's plate of nachos (without the chips) -- just beans, taco meat, cheese sauce, and some sour cream. Asparagus was served on the side. :)

My kitchen tip for this week: Get in the habit of cleaning your plate! I'm not talking about stuffing yourself when you're full -- I'm talking about getting into the habit of taking small servings and eating every single bite off your plate. Every piece and scoop of everything.

Why do we eat everything on our plates? We're making ourselves think about what we're dishing up, before we put it on our plate, rather than mindlessly filling a plate with food and then either throwing away what's left after we've picked over it or else going to the bother of putting away individual leftovers.

Before we eat, we thank our heavenly Father for the blessing of a delicious meal -- and we demonstrate our thankfulness for His provision by not wasting any of it.

And on a practical note, requiring that each person at the table clean their plate before being dismissed means that the dish washer (me!) doesn't need to fiddle with the compost bucket after meals. My dish water doesn't get nearly as dirty when the plates have been scraped neatly. And that means I can wash more dishes with less water!

To participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Post a kitchen tip in your blog, with a link to this post. Then come here and add your name, tip subject, and URL to this post! Links must be family friendly, as always. If you don't have a blog but would still like to share a tip, just leave a comment here with your tip! Everyone's ideas are appreciated. :) Note: Please link to your individual post, not your blog's main/front page! Thanks for participating! :)

With the abundance of asparagus we have, I've been trying to incorporate some of that yummy green vegetable into nearly every meal!

I think one of my main tips for maintaining an affordable food budget is simply to use what you have or can get cheaply. Whether that's the leftovers in your fridge, the dried beans you bought a year ago and tossed in the back of your cupboard, or the fresh food from yours or someone else's garden (with their permission of course!!). :)

This Poppy Seed Chicken and Asparagus casserole is a recipe I kinda-sorta created this spring. Both Joshua and I love it and are definitely adding it to our regular asparagus menu. ;)

I started with this recipe from Monica's blog for poppy seed chicken. Monica based her poppy seed chicken on another recipe, but changed it slightly to make it healthier.

The original recipe called for lots of sour cream, canned cream of chicken soup, some cooked chicken, butter, and Ritz snack crackers. Now, I am not the most healthiest cook in blog-land, but even I can't in good conscience serve my family cream of chicken soup, butter, Ritz crackers, sour cream, and chicken for dinner.

I liked Monica's alterations, and so I used homemade cream of chicken soup and layered rice on the bottom of the casserole. I tried it with and without the Ritz crackers, and preferred it without. I cut down the sour cream even more, and added some asparagus.

It passed Joshua's taste test for casseroles (why is it that casseroles get such a bad rap?!) and I hope you like it too! :D

I am (hopefully!) pulling out of a few-day cooking slump when nothing sounded good to me and the kitchen was usually a mess so I didn't feel like cooking, anyway! :P We also just finally bought some yeast so we can make pizza and homemade bread again! Pizza is such a life-saver when it comes to dinner and lunches, since Joshua takes leftover slices to work with him. :)

We made veggie omelets which we all love -- and it's a perfect meal when I'm feeling uninspired and nothing was planned. :| Yes, I have those days, too.

Our attempt at garage saleing on Friday morning ended in a downpour and an over-heated car after the second sale, but we managed to make it back home safely. It was dark and rainy all day and I was so ready for a break from the week's work that I collapsed into bed at 7:45pm.

Thankfully, the rain has let up and today is sunny. My clothesline is filled, and as the wind lifts the fabrics in the breeze, my spirits lift too.

We skipped naps today, so the boys will be ready for an early bedtime. I think I'll leave the the bright computer screen and get some chores finished up before it's my bedtime, too!

Lindsay shared about making homemade deodorant, which of course piqued my interest. While I still use and like my deodorant crystal, I still haven't come to any fully satisfactory conclusions about how healthy it is.

This homemade recipe, however, is truly completely natural and harmless. And cheap. Maybe not cheaper than a deodorant crystal (since those last years and years!), but still cheap. :) Read more...

My oven-roasted chicken did indeed warm the house a little, and was a nice surprise for Joshua, as it is one of his favorite meals. :) We also had some oven fries (soggy -- I'll have to do some more experimenting!) and asparagus.

Tonight -- lows in the 20's! Brrr! It's supposed to be sunny and mid-50's tomorrow, so I'll be washing diapers, clothes, and Joshua's work clothes. Dirty laundry and clutter seem to be endless these days... :)

The weather turned cold again, but I'm not turning the heat back on! The upstairs of our house is comfortable, but downstairs it's been 62 all day.

The children and I took early naps, snuggled under warm blankets. Then we got up and popped a chicken in the oven for dinner! It's supposed to be cold again tomorrow, so I'll make a casserole using leftover chicken meat for dinner.

And I'm on my fourth cup of hot (decaf) tea! I should probably just put socks on instead of going barefoot. :)

Joshua's mom gave us this suggestion a few years ago, and we've been doing it ever since:

When making scrambled eggs, add a dab of sour cream (or kefir!) to the eggs before you scramble them. They'll be moist and fluffy and so yummy! :)

To participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Post a kitchen tip in your blog, with a link to this post. Then come here and add your name, tip subject, and URL to this post! Links must be family friendly, as always. If you don't have a blog but would still like to share a tip, just leave a comment here with your tip! Everyone's ideas are appreciated. :) Note: Please link to your individual post, not your blog's main/front page! Thanks for participating! :)