A Day for Cooking

Today was a cold, gray day. A perfect kind of day to spend in the kitchen.

The day started at 5:30 this morning, when I got the hankering to make homeade buttermilk biscuits from Greg's Southern Biscuit recipe  found at allrecipes.com.  They didn't rise like I would have liked, but the flavor was incredible. I think I rolled them out a little thin, which probably explains the lack of leavening.  I made a batch of homeade sausage gravy to go with them.

Tanner decided they were so good they made his eyes cross. 

This afternoon I decided to whip up a pot of split pea soup. Let me say that as wonderful as this soup tastes, it is NOT pretty.  But paired with my Hawaiian Sandwich, it is incredible.  

Here is my recipe:

Amy's Split Pea Soup

2 1/2 cups split peas

8 cups water (or broth)

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced ham

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a soup pot, bring to a low boil, then decrease heat and cover, stirring occasionally until peas are cooked completely.  

Hawaiian Sandwich

1 Hawaiian Sandwich roll, or 2 slices Hawaiian bread

2 slices havarti cheese

2 slices ham

1 pineapple ring

Arrange ham, cheese, and pineapple ring on bread. Butter outside surfaces of bread and grill in panini press or skillet until cheese is melted and bread is toasty.

We enjoyed a lovely cold weather meal, and then my daughter and her friend decided they wanted to get in the act and bake some chocolate peanut butter chip cookies.  I think there was more goofing going on than there was cooking but they sure had a fabulous time.  

The highlight of my day occured when I received my mail for the day.  Happily tucked into the box were the books that I've been waiting for for about 2 weeks.

The first, More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with Straw has me daydreaming about building my home... again.   The second is How to Build Small Barns and Outbuildings.  I love to sit with my books on these nippy winter evenings. Can't wait to curl up with these tonight. In fact, I think I'll go and do that now!

Survival Bags... check

In a previous post I mentioned checking my Bug Out Bag (or BOB for short), and had forgotten that not everyone is familiar with what one is, or why they are a good idea to have handy.  So I decided to write a little about them this morning:

As many of us strive to become more self sufficient, we feel empowered and in greater control of our lives. But lets face it. No matter how much control we have over our environments, things can still happen that leave us feeling helpless and in danger. Natural - or not so natural -  disasters, financial collapse, civil unrest, or any number of  things, probable or not, are POSSIBLE.  Sometimes we get too comfortable and forget that things can go bad in a hurry. Take, for instance, the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan)  The purpose of a BOB is to make sure that if/when they do, that you have increased your odds of survival. (Additional bags can be made to keep in your vehicles. How many times have you been stranded in a broken down vehicle with nothing to eat, drink, or keep you warm? Not fun.)

You want enough of any item to last  you approximately 72 hours. This is more easily managed and portable. Your personal choices of inventory will be dependant on effectiveness, preference, and the size of the bag you want to carry. The base components of your BOB include water, food, shelter, and first aid.

1. Water: This can mean bottled water, purification tablets or iodine, water filters, or any number of other options.

2. Food: Again, you can make this as simple or as complicated as you would like.  I like to include protein bars, vacuum packed tuna packets, trail mix, etc.  Some people choose freeze dried foods, MRE's, or other food that requires some preparation. I choose not to, because many of these require use of water to prepare, fire, utensils, etc.

3.Shelter: Again, depending on the size of pack you want to carry, you can take something as simple as a poncho, a tarp, or a emergency blanket; or you can pack a tent on a frame backpack, so many options.  Eventually I will put a blanket and rope with each pack. I learned how to make a hammock from a blanket and rope on a diy video, and since I sleep in hammock when I'm camping, these seemed the simplest to me. That combined with a tarp in case of rain... Mind you, I don't live in a very cold climate, although it CAN get well below freezing once in a great while. Additional seasonal clothing can come in handy too.

4. First Aid:  I always make sure to carry feminine hygiene products since they are dual purpose. Pads are great for pressure bandages on heavily bleeding wounds. I carry Coban (vet wrap is cheaper) to secure thick bandages. Tampons can be used for bloody noses, etc.  I will also pack triple antibiotic ointment, needle and thread, super glue (yes, you can glue cuts back together, and is basically the same as skin glue), assorted bandages and gauze, and medical tape, an ace wrap, oint for rashes (ie caladryl), peroxide, or normal saline. Ibuprofen, anti-diarrheal meds, etc.  The list can get long and complicated. Personalize your list to your needs. (I.e. - if you aren't allergic to poison ivy/oak/sumac, leave out the caladryl)

In addition to the basics, you can add whatever items you think you may need.  Common items include:
1. flashlight/batteries or windup... if battery operated, you'll need batteries too.
2. emergency radio
3. fire starter kits
4. Bug repellent, sunblock
5. whistle
6. compass
7. survival knife
8. fishing lures/line
9. signal mirror....

Remember to check your bags every few months for problems, leakes, and make sure everything is in proper working order.Make sure your knife didnt rust from a leaking bottle of water, your food isn't out of date (if it expires), your bandages are clean, etc.

So now that you're thinking about it, what items would you put in your bag?

Housekeeping day

Today was a busy, productive day.  I took advantage of the fact that I had a couple days off to start on some housekeeping that should have been done a long time ago. First I transplanted some herb seedlings (cilantro, parsley, and oregano) that I started a couple of weeks ago for the kitchen.  I reused some peat pellets, so I'm not sure how well they'll do, we shall see. I'm obviously only halfway through  in this picture. Forgot to take a picture of the completed task.

Next, I cleaned out my indoor greenhouse and moved it from the warm, dark living room, to the much lighter laundry room. Hopefully that will give the little guys the little extra to make it.

When I cleaned out the greenhouse, I found my pot of seed packets and inventoried what I had. By the looks of it, I'll only need to buy tomato and bell pepper seeds this year, if everything sprouts.  I know it seems awful early to be planning my garden, but one can never plan too much.  My favorite crops so far are my Black Beauty zuchinni and armenian cucumbers.  I've yet to have a very successful tomato or bell pepper crop. Maybe this year will be the year. (Fingers crossed)

By the time I finished with those tasks, the cleaning bug had hit full force. I cleaned out the kitchen cabinets and got rid of  lots of very useful but seldom used kitchen appliances so that I could find the things I actually do use. I'll be posting on our local Freecycle group to give them to some who needs them. If you're not familiar with freecycle, its a wonderful way to keep your things out of the landfill, and find things that you can't buy.  I think most communities have freecycle web groups.

This afternoon, a friend took a drive with me to  look for property.  Seems that land here in central oklahoma is running about $3000-$5000/acre on average.  Now I just need to decide if I want to buy a smaller piece of land and own it, or finance a larger piece of land.  I'm leaning toward owning a smaller piece. The last thing I want to do is sink a bunch of money into something and be at the mercy of the bank if my grooming shop doesn't make it.  (Terrible that I'm planning for possible failure when I haven't even opened shop yet. Not pessimistic, I say. Just realistic.)

This year I plan on making all of my christmas gifts (except for the kids' gifts). I'm hoping to get a start on that Monday with my first batch EVER of hot process soap.I've made cold process, but like the hot process SO much better.  Funny thing, but after I used homeade soap, I can't make myself buy commercial soaps or body wash anymore.  The one thing I don't think I'll ever give up is my shampoo though.  But who knows. Anyone have a great shampoo recipe?.

Getting in the Spirit

In spite of the fact that I'm feeling a little under the weather, its been a lovely evening. The kids came home early enough to put on a little christmas cheer with me so we spent the evening decorating. I decided to let them put the tree up all by themselves this year. I tend to be a bit of a control freak, so kudos to me! I only made a couple of suggestions, but shut up when they decided to do it their way lol. Most of our ornaments are hand made with love.

Even Lucky got in the Christmas spirit... or at least he was dressed like it!

And what cold Autumn night is complete without homeade hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream?

The lights were stretched on the shrubs... not sure if I'll get anything else done this year.  

And when all the work is done, we got to sit back and enjoy the beauty of the season.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Natural Building Techniques

For quite some time I 've been reading up on various natural building techniques, including Cob, Adobe, Earthbag, Cordwood, and Strawbale.  With the possibility of being able to buy land soon looming, I have become more pressed to make decisions about what I want, and how I'll achieve my goal.

My primary goal is to build a home with my own two hands (and those of some friends), that is molded from all natural materials, off grid, utilizes passive solar techniques, and incorporates both indoor and outdoor living areas.

 Some time ago, I thought I had settled on earthbag construction.  I fell in love with the curves, circular designs and the fact that they are very inexpensive to build.  I found these pictures at Cal-Earth. One of my favorite sites to study for earthbag building is Earthbag Plans.  There are so many neat ideas, many not realistic for me, but fun to look at just the same

Recently I have begun reading more about straw bale homes. What I love about them is the use of thermal mass to insulate, faster erection of walls, and availability of straw, since I live here in rural Oklahoma.  In addition,  you still have the creative freedom to sculpt your home through the plastering process. I found a lovely site that shows the process in detail at House of Straw.

I realize that my biggest challenges will be the actual cost of building, and the manpower of getting the job done to make it the most economical choice.  

My plan is to first find a piece of  land.  When I find the piece that speaks to me, I will spend a year just  observing the land during the seasons for changes - become familiar before building, spending plenty of time there simply absorbing the landscape. I know this will help me not only make better decisions, but will also give me the time to begin saving the money to do the actual building.  

Of course, seeing as I'm still learning this whole process, this plan may change many times between now and the completed process. But I promise to keep you posted along the way!

A change of direction

My journey to change the way I live my life has taken me in a new direction. I have decided to make a dramatic change in careers.  After 17 years as a nurse, I have begun apprenticing as a dog groomer in my mothers shop. This is the main reason I haven't posted in such a long time.  Between working as a nurse full time (weekend double shifts), and grooming dogs 4 days a week during the week, I have been pretty busy.

 Today, as I sat here at the computer, it occurred to me that this year has just flown away from me.  Last time I posted it was cold and snowy.  Since then we had a turbulent spring, a record breaking heatwave, and unprecedented earthquakes. My weren't those exciting.  No, really!  Having grown up in California, I've actually missed the quakes I'd grown accustomed to.  Now my children have experienced them too!  My son just stood there with a silly smile on his face, and my daughter was completely unimpressed.  She kills me.

I began apprenticing in Mom's grooming shop in July.  It has been alot of fun so far.  

There are days when I wonder if I've just lost my mind. The thought of being self employed is more than a little scary; Especially the idea of not having a guaranteed paycheck. But the pro's are pretty great too, and I think they far outweight the cons. I'm ready to be my own boss!

As for self-sufficiency, I'm am working at that in baby steps.  I am happy to say I haven't bought laundry soap in a year. By making it at home I would estimate than I've saved about $300 this year.  Since my garden never made it into the yard last year, I hope to spend this winter preparing some raised beds, learning to grow mushrooms, and growing fresh herbs in pots indoors.  And of course, research, research, research!  

It's Just Around the Corner!

After several weeks of what has become affectionately called 'Snowklahoma', we have finally been blessed with beautiful spring like weather. So once again, I checked on my beautiful seedlings, watered them, and looked them over. And this is what I found.

My onions are still spindly and laying over. Is this normal? I have no idea, since I've never planted onions indoors before, but I suspect they have not seen enough sun. So I will continue to baby them and attempt to keep them safe from the mice. Orkin man is coming to save me this Friday!

On a brighter note, my tomatoes have finally developed their first beautiful little true leaves. I can almost taste the homeade pasta sauce already!

The collards are also producing their first true leaves like my tomatoes. Keeping up with the Joneses I suppose.  But they are long and spindly and laying down like the onions. Not sure about those since I've never raised these either.

I've heard we are in for another round of snow, which is still disheartening with spring fever already kicked in, but I'm so thrilled to have these little reminders that spring is around the corner.  Happy Planting.

A new beginning

Hello, everyone. Well, another year has come and gone. But where did it go? It seems I ask that every year, and when I reflect on the year, I mean when I truly put some thought into it, I realize it didn't really go anywhere. It was spent creating memories, and growing. And though I am pleased with what the past year has given me (a wonderful new job, a new awareness of myself as a woman, another season of watching my son play football and of my daughter playing softball, a wonderful new furball of a dog, and a puppy that has blessedly grown into a much calmer and loveable beast, a beautiful new guitar, and a renewed joy in my music, and a deeper appreciation of my dearest friends, and an ever widening circle of new ones.)

But even with all of those things to be thankful for, I find myself still feeling like another year has slipped by without having accomplished anything new. I've nurtured what I've already created, but haven't created anything new. So I've decided that this will be the year I embrace my spirit of creativity once more. I think it's time I break out of my comfort zone.

So in the spirit of new beginnings, here are my goals for 2010:

1) To lose weight. (Oh, come on! How many women DON'T top their list with the 'diet' resolution, whether they need to or not?) I'm not going to set a goal weight for the year. Rather I am just going to love myself and be happy with what progress I make. And when I DON"T make progress, I resolve not to beat myself up over it. That's how I got this way in the first place!

2) I will keep my home remodeling and landscaping work going. Having finally paid my home off, I look forward to turning my house into the home I see when I close my eyes. The first project is nearly done. I'm just waiting on the contractor to return to paint and trim it out. I'm so excited. The next indoor project will be quite the undertaking. Next we tackle the bathroom. However, now that my first indoor project is basically done, I'd like to get to work on the outdoor project next. What is it you ask? (OK, so you probably didn't ask. But here it is anyway). I want to get to work landscaping the backyard so that I can get my garden in on time, and begin entertaining friends through the summer.

3) I will learn to become more self-sufficient. From gardening and food storage, to soap making, to whatever else I can learn to do on my own.

4) I will take my children on a memorable vacation this year. It's time we got to do something fun together. It wont be long before my now 9 and 11 year olds are 'too old' to hang with mom, regardless of how cool the activity is. I've already missed out on those years with my oldest, who will be graduating in June. (Again, I ask, where did all those years go?)

5) I will continue to play music, and will kick those creative juices into overdrive. It's time I started writing again. I have a nearly finished romance novel which I havent touched in years, and a short set of songs I've written. I think it's time I let the juices flow.

6) I will love myself more than ever. I will spend less time vegging out on the internet or in front of the TV. I will spend more time reading, doing things with my children, entertaining friends, and enjoying the tranquility of my home. I'll cook more and eat out less. I'll treat myself, and my children to the little things that we don't realize we've missed, like fresh flowers and the joy of dancing in the rain.

This list will most likely grow. I mean, who says we have to wait til the first of the year to make positive changes in our lives. Right? And I thank all my fellow bloggers in advance for the inspiration I've already found, and that which I know I'll continue to find as the year flows by.

May everyone have a memorable, and joy filled holiday season!