Love these old fashioned services

Remember the tool sharpening truck? His loud bell, and how he would come around about once a week? We still have one in our neighbourhood  but I only hear him about once a month. Why don't we do more if this? Isn't it so convenient? Why don't we bring back the milk man? I would probably say it's because everyone works now. There are no housewives home with the kids to receive said milk when it's delivered. I'm here! Deliver it to me! It would be so much easier than lugging 3 kids to the store...
I say, bring back the SERVICE in the service industry. People to pump your gas,  bring you groceries and ice cream. General Repair men...not contractors. I know they still exist, but it's not the norm anymore.
Makes me a bit sad.

Bettie!

New pin from my friend James.
You know you are jealous.
It's ok. I would be too.

It's FRIDAY!!!

well, here i am...and apparently, i didn't realize that i needed lipstick this morning!! ugh.
Oh well...it's ok, because it's friday....one of my FAVE days. why you ask? partying? weekend? payday? nope...it's grocery special day!!!! i know. i'm a huge nerd, but it gets me all excited. not living in the U.S, means that those "crazy coupon ladies" can't be me. not to mention, the things that people usually get coupons for are just garbage. i don't need 86 bottles of sport drink, or 114 boxes of energy bars. we just don't get coupons here in canada the same way y'all do in the U.S., so i have to do things the old fashioned way. (YAY!!) I have to wait till the stores have a great sale, and then SOCK UP!! be it pantry, canning or freezing, i have to figure out a way to keep that sale going for as long as possible. because, who wants to pay full price in february when you can buy it for next to nothing in september? not this chick!

As you saw on my last post, there is a fabulous sale on 10lb bags of potatoes. i mean...come ON!! .99¢? how could i not come home with a whole bunch? but i was good...i didn't buy more than i thought i could handle right now. 30lbs should suffice until i figure out a great way of using them and freezing them. mwahahaha!

i'm just waiting for the apples to go on sale...that's the next big thing. applesauce!! i LOVE applesauce, and having 3 kids means we go through a LOT of it in our house. delish! can't wait for apples.

well, if you see a good sale, stock up and think of me. :) i'll be in my kitchen trying to figure out my potatoes. cheers!

Potato call!!!

http://instagr.am/p/PRzpAelLOX/

Who knows what to do with potatoes?! Preserving I mean. At .99 cents for a 10 lb bag I had to hold myself back from buying more!!! I promised myself I would return before the sale is over IF I can figure it out. Lol! I am going to make home made potato wedges...that's a given. I might just try my hand at gnocchi. And if I can find a good deal on ground pork I will whip up some shepherds pies for the chest freezer...but am I missing something? What else can these incredible, bountiful, CHEAP veggies do?! Help me! I want to buy more! Lol!

Making butter. No churning required.

I'm a notorious sale shopper. I learned it from my mom and it is one of my greatest talents. I recently bought whipping cream on sale with the intentions of yummy deliciousness...but it didn't happen...SO to use the cream without wasting a drop, I made butter! A 2 cup container will yield about 1 cup butter and 1 cup buttermilk. And it's SO simple.

Let cream come to room temperature and chill your metal mixing bowl. Then put the whisking attachment on your mixer and let it do its thing! Just let it go. You may want to cover so you don't splash. Then just watch it as the magic happens! It will turn to frothy gorgeous cream, then it will start to curdle and separate. At this point I switch to my paddle beater and continue to mix on medium. It will start to splash as the butter separates from the buttermilk but if that's the worst that happens, who cares?! Pour off the milk (KEEP IT!!!!) And now rinse your butter. Yes...rinse. add ice cold water to the bowl and mix again. Slowly. Let it mix a bit, and pour off. Do that till the water runs clear and you have no more buttermilk on the butter as it will speed spoilage.
Make sure you get as much water out of your butter after your last rinse, by smushing it with a rubber spatula and pouring off the water that comes out. That's it!!! Enjoy your butter!

an eye opening moment

when you get called something long enough, you begin to believe it. well, this holds true today. i have been asked more and more lately if i'm nuts...crazy...a FREAK. not just by strangers who hear about the way that i live, but by family and friends. my husband and i choose to live very modestly, and old fashioned. very 50's inspired. it's something we enjoy and something we feel is important for our children. we eat home made food. we preserve food in summer to eat during winter. we fix things that are broken...we don't buy new. I sew clothing. we have never been on an airplane...ever. we love spending time together at home. we hike...we don't buy gym memberships. we don't buy things we can't afford...you get the point. but seriously...with all this taken into consideration, WE are the crazy ones? really?!! wow...i feel bad for "normal people".
here we are, teaching our children and ourselves to live a simpler life, all the while, being bombarded with "you need stuff to be happy" commercials and the "keeping up with the Jones'" mentality. it's a daily battle, and it's really hard some days to agree with myself on keeping up this lifestyle, but i know in the end it's what we want. it teaches our children to earn things by saving and hard work. it teaches them pride in what they have, because they have done so much to earn it. this lifestyle allows me to be a work at home mom, and stay home with my kids, and raise them myself. it's what we want, and i am starting to think that waving this freak flag is a badge of honour. something I'VE earned through the struggles and choices we have endured.
so, if you, like me, are tired of the "stuff makes you a better person" and if the busy busy busy lifestyle drives you crazy, come along...wave your freak flag along with me and my family. you'll be glad you did!!

I'm BAAAAACK!!!

i've been gone too long. having a baby, mixed with running a home based OOAK toy business during christmas meant i didn't have time to blog...but, new year, new focus. glad to be back in the kitchen.

I just recently found a recipe for an amazing Chai Concentrate. you can find the recipe HERE.

Now, I enjoyed this thoroughly in my tea. it makes a beautiful cup of warm, spicy chai tea, without paying a premium for the really nice, name brand tea bags. but, where i come in for this recipe, is here...this morning (and most mornings) i make myself a nice big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. but i never do the pre-packaged, pre-flavoured crap they sell in a box. no thanks. i buy myself a big bag of quick oats, dump a nice 2/3 cup in a bowl, boil my water, add whatever flavouring i want that day (brown sugar, maple syrup, apple cinnamon jelly, apples, raisins, etc.) and ta DA!! breakfast. but this morning, i had (as my son says) a LIGHTBULB moment...add the chai concentrate to your oatmeal, and make chai oatmeal. WOW. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. i can't tell you how delicious this is. i added raisins, and a heaping spoon of the chai concentrate, and added my boiling water. it is so good, you will wonder how you ever ate the pre-packaged crap.

try it out, let me know what you think.