Simple Suburban Life: SOLD!

When God moves, He MOVES!  And the SSL family is moving, folks!  We knew it was only a matter of time before we moved our growing little homestead onto more property, we just didn't know exactly how it was all going to work, or where we were going to move to.  There are so many details and things that have to happen when you buy and sell a home, it can be overwhelming just thinking about it.  And raising three kids in the middle of it all.  And we have jobs.  And our house is full of stuff.  Oh my goodness.

Several years ago, Michigan (and many other U.S. states) suffered a major recession that we still have not yet fully recovered from.   When we were shopping for our house five years ago, there were only foreclosures available at majorly discounted prices.  It was a great time to buy, but also a very difficult time to buy.  We made many offers on many homes, only to lose them to higher bidders.  It was emotional and draining.

Now flash forward to present-day Michigan.  Things are looking brighter, new homes are being built, and real estate prices are rising.  Springtime brought a seller's market and homes were selling fast and sometimes for more than asking price.  This made us start to wonder if the time was right for us to sell.  But there was one problem.  We could sell our home very quickly, but inventory was low, and homes we really liked were sold before we could even look at them.  Should we buy property and build?  Should we sell and live in our camper while we shopped for houses?  We just didn't know what to do.

Above all else, more than anything, we wanted God's hand in everything we did and His will to be done, not ours.  We prayed, and prayed, and took it one day at a time.  We knew we needed to prepare to sell, and that's about all we knew.  We took advantage of every garbage day and threw out huge piles of junk.  We took road trips with our Trulia app open a few times a week.  And we contacted our mortgage guy to get the ball rolling with a pre-approval.  Let me take a moment to tell you how important it is to have a great mortgage person.  And ours looks exactly like Al Pacino, so that is an added bonus.  He helped us last time we bought, and he's been even more amazing to us now.  If there's anything I've learned over the past few months, it's that real estate is a tough business to be in and you pretty much work 24-7.  Al Pacino answers the phone anytime of day, any day of the week.  We love you, Al Pacino.  You were awesome in Donnie Brasco, by the way.

Eleven days ago, we finally decided that we needed to go for it, and list our house.  We knew there was a chance we could be homeless, because there were literally zero homes on the market we wanted that were available.  So we texted our neighbor who is a real estate agent and a great guy.  He ran a market analysis to give us an idea of what we could sell our home for.  Last Tuesday, I spent my entire day driving the backroads within a 15 mile radius of our house scouring for anything with more than five acres.  I was determined not to come home until I found a home for us.  But nothing.  Dang it all.

I stayed up super late that night looking at all of the real estate apps on my phone hoping I missed something earlier that day.  And listening to the SSL Family Dad snore.  And freaking out a bit, yet still believing God would provide.

And then, at approximately 2:30am I found it.  A home on over 20 acres?  No way.  We could drive out that way tomorrow, but I just knew a house like that had to be already in the process of being sold.

So last Wednesday, we drove out to see it.  We were greeted by a goat and two horses, and did exactly what our realtor told us not to do, we FELL IN LOVE.

We called Al Pacino, made our offer that night, and it was accepted the next day.  We listed our home on Saturday, and it sold on Monday.

We are overwhelmed, and still in shock.  Thinking back over the past week brings me to tears.  We are so utterly grateful to God for His provision.  We can't wait to share more with you.

~SSL Mom


"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."  Psalm 27:4

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Simple Suburban Life: To Move or Not To Move?

When we bought the house we live in now, I said I would never move again.  Ever.  I said I was going to die here.  Heck, we even have a cemetery behind our property.  I was sure I was going to be buried here.  But that was when we were both working two fuller than full-time jobs.  Back when we ate out at least three times a week and thought Hamburger Helper was a home cooked meal.  Before chickens.  Before gardening, composting and bread baking.  Before aquaponics.  Before the ache of wanting more land, more chickens, and milk goats.

We have a great house, we really do.  It needs a minor repair here and there, but it's structurally sound, we have great neighbors and a good size yard for a subdivision (.7 acres).  It's a five minute drive to work, the school, and the gas station.  It was the perfect house for our situation back when we bought it, but our situation has changed a lot since then and we're feeling the restrictions of our tiny homestead.  We want more land to grow food on and more land to feed & pasture animals on.  We want to build a greenhouse, put up a windmill, and what kind of a homesteader has a tent for a barn? Pitiful.

To find ourselves not knowing if we should move again is not a fun place to be in.  I mean, how do we pass by fruit trees for sale and not buy them?  And how can I even think of renovating our kitchen if we're just going to move?  What about the girls' treehouse we've been promising them?  The stagnation that comes from not knowing is a bit frustrating.

But at this point in time, we just don't have peace about moving yet.  We believe we're right where God wants us, and when He wants us to move, it will be so abundantly clear to us.  "for God is not a God of confusion but of peace" 1 Corinthians 14:33  

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Simple Suburban Life: New Job and Failing Health

The Bible tells us that there is a time for everything and our family has been in a season of significant changes over the past several months.  Some are good, and some are not so good.  But we know that we are to count it all joy and trust our heavenly Father with it all.

The good news first.  At the beginning of September, I (the SSL mom) accepted the position of preschool director at our church.  Todd and I have been serving for several years together on the elementary side of the children's ministry and when this position opened up, we knew right away it was something we were being called to do.  We are five months into it and we have been so blessed by the people we have been able to meet, serve alongside and grow closer to.  Our entire family serves the Lord together, side-by-side, and it's amazing to be a part of it all.  But it did take some time getting used to our new roles, readjusting our schedules, and reevaluating our priorities.   And preschoolers are a WHOLE lot different than elementary kids.  Wet noses, wet pants, you name it, they do it.  And if you think just because you had kids of your own that you could do it, think again, they're a force to be reckoned with in high numbers.

More good transitions, we have a high schooler!  While it is bittersweet watching her grow up so fast, we are grateful for the young woman our oldest daughter is becoming.  She loves her sisters, the Lord and sports.  AND she starts driver's ed next week, so look out.  Since we know these next few years are going to fly by, we try to remind ourselves how much we are going to miss her clothes all over the floor and dishes strewn about her room when she moves out on her own.  We are also in the middle of her bedroom renovation, so everything she owns is all over the house, literally.  But thankfully, Todd is mudding her room as I type and we will be onto the plywood flooring very soon.

The difficult news is that my mom was officially diagnosed with ALS in October.  ALS is tricky and there isn't a definitive test for it, but we knew something was terribly wrong with her.  A little over a year ago, my mom started to have difficulty walking, talking and swallowing.  She progressively got weaker and weaker over the last year and we got the heartbreaking news in October.  She now communicates to us with her phone by texting and it will speak for her.  She eats through a tube in her stomach, and is almost exclusively confined to a wheelchair or her bed.  A ventilator breathes for her at night.  Our family is now in a season of caring for her, showering her with as much love as we possibly can, and doing things for her that she can no longer do herself.  This is perhaps the worst disease I have ever heard of.  It takes everything away from you.  She can't eat the foods she loves, we will never hear her voice again, we will never hear her laugh again.  My daughters can't play Just Dance with their grandma on her Nintendo like they used to. She is the best grandma I could ever ask for to my girls. They miss her voice, they hurt to see her so helpless, and they are trying so hard to process it all.  We are bearing down, pushing forward, and putting all of our hope and trust in God. While we don't always fully understand, we are confident He is working good into this situation.  And we know He is a God who heals.

We hope this update helps to explain some of the random projects Todd has been working on over the past few months.  The candy canes for the church's children's play, the bedroom renovations for our oldest (we've been promising her closets for years and realized time is running out!) and the wheelchair ramp and video doorbell for Mom.   We love sharing our way of life with you all and are so blessed when you send us your comments and pictures.  They mean more to us than you could ever know.

Your friend,
Lisa, the SSL Mom


"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."  Genesis 50:20

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Letterboxing: A Fun & Free Outing For the Whole Family

  

 

Several years ago, my wonderful sister-in-law introduced us to the hidden world of letterboxing.  Letterboxes are little secret boxes tucked away all over the world, found only with clues.  Over the years, we have found dozens of letterboxes.  It has been such a fun activity for our entire family and has become a tradition on every trip we take.  Letterboxing is great for all ages, it gets you outdoors, and it's FREE. 

 

  

 

 

So exactly what is letterboxing?  Think of it like a treasure hunt with the treasure being the letterbox.  The boxes are hidden by people, who then log their boxes and clues by location on various letterboxing websites such as letterboxing.org and Atlas Quest.  Then people like us search the websites to find letterboxes in their area.  Print out the clues and the hunt begins!   Boxes are usually hidden in state and metro parks, so hiking is usually required.  But we have found them right in the middle of town before, too. 

 

 

 

 

When you finally do find the letterbox, here's what you can expect.  Almost always, they are slightly hidden in stumps or under leaves, so you really have to look.  Boxes also need to withstand the elements, so they are also almost always in a plastic food container of some sort.  Inside usually contains a log book and a stamp.  The log book is like a guest book so the people who planted them can see who has found them.  We always write the date, our names and where we are from.  The stamp is for you to use in your own log book, if you have one.  That part is optional, but it is fun to keep a log book of all the letterboxes you've found.  And don't forget to hide the box when you're done.

 

 

 

 

The pictures are from our hike last week where we found the letterbox we planted last fall.  Even though we have yet to log the clues online, our little book was filled up with people signing in to say they found it.  Someone was even generous enough to add a lighter to our little box!  Letterboxing has been such a rewarding experience for our family and something I hope our girls do with their own families someday.

 

 

 

 

P.S.  There is also something called geocaching that is very similar and requires a GPS.  I have family members that geocache and love it, but we have never tried it.  I'm sure it's just as fun though.

 

To learn more, here is a great article:  http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2010/07/letterboxing_its_like_geocachi.html

 

 

 

 This post has been shared at:  Homestead Blog Hop, Country Fair Blog Hop, HomeAcre Hop

 

 

 

 

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Garbage 201: Non-Plastic Alternatives For Around The Kitchen

 

It all started with the Paper or Plastic? debate.  A couple months ago, we decided it was time to purge items containing plastic from our home.  We also decided that it's pretty much impossible, so we prioritized and started with the area of our home where food is stored & prepared.  While we know it's a never-ending battle, I'm happy to say we did find some great non-plastic alternatives to use around our kitchen and food.

After we recycled our plasticware, the SSL Family Dad and I took a trip to some of our local thrift shops.  We just love utilizing thrift shops for a number of reasons.  First of all, they are way cheaper than buying brand-new.  But I also love buying second-hand items that didn't end up in a landfill somewhere.  And they are almost always locally owned and we always try to support local businesses as much as we can.  So thankfully, we found some stainless steel spatulas and glassware for 60 cents for each item.

After we brought our pre-owned haul home from the thrift shops, we set a budget and hopped online to find non-plastic replacement items for our kitchen.  We had a couple rules of thumb to follow.  First, no plastic parts (as much as possible).  And secondly, try to find items made in the USA (unfortunately this was extremely difficult). 

We also learned how to use some items we already have a little differently.  And after two months of using these items, I can honestly say we are still very happy with each purchase we made.  Here's what we found.

Food Storage



Instead of plastic storage containers, which we had tons of, we now use Mason jars and glass storage containers.  I have always hated the fact that you can't use canning lids again, so this is a great way to reuse your lids.  And although these Pyrex glass storage containers do have plastic lids, they almost never come in contact with our food.

School Lunches

School lunches were a little challenging for us.  We pack the girls' school lunches everyday in reusable lunch boxes, but every piece of food we packed was almost always wrapped in plastic or put in a plastic container of some sort.  Thankfully, we found some nice alternatives to use. 

These stainless steel containers work perfectly for sandwiches.  We just love these containers.

We also found these waxed paper bags.  We are amazed at how much food can fit into each bag, they are definitely big enough to hold a large sandwich. 

Since we no longer buy water in single-use plastic water bottles, the girls take stainless steel reusable water bottles to school.  The only problem is the spout is still plastic.....still hunting for that perfect water bottle.


Before we move on to more replacement items, let me just remind you again why we are choosing to downscale on plastic.  EVERY SINGLE piece of plastic that has ever been created and thrown away is still in existence today.  It does not decompose.  It leaches chemicals into our food, bodies and animals.  It is also cheaper, faster and easier to make.  And Lord knows, anything that comes easy and cheap ain't ever good for us.  Okay, moving on......


Food Preparation

We just love, love, LOVE our new stainless steel measuring cups and measuring spoons.

And these silicone spatulas are my first experience with silicone and they are wonderful.  They have a steel core so they are very sturdy.  There are also coated with silicone with zero seams so there are no cracks or crevices for food to get stuck in. 

 

 

 

 

These stainless steel bowls are stackable and the sizes are all perfect for our needs.

 



 

 

Here are some very well-made, heavy-duty stainless steel items (whisk, grater, & spatula) that we just love using everyday.  The spatula is just gorgeous, so shiny I didn't want to use it!  They all clean easily and the handles are sturdy and do not bend. 

 



 

 

And here is part of our cast iron cookware from The Lodge.  We love our cast iron especially this brand because it's family-owned, made in the USA and a great price.

 

 

Our new cutting board is also made in the USA and especially beautiful when freshly oiled.  I love keeping it out on the counter.   This picture doesn't do it justice, trust me.

 

 

We also included something fun for the kids that they just love, these stainless steel straws.  They use them almost every single day.  I wash them in the dishwasher, but they come with a long brush to clean them with, too.

 

 

 

And last but not least, our favorite purchase is our new coffee pot.  The entire inside is stainless steel.  No plastic parts touching hot water.  The other non-plastic coffee pot options were just way too expensive for us. 

This pot contains a stainless steel filter and included several paper filters that fit this model with an order form to order more filters.  But we found our regular coffee pot filters fit just perfectly, we just have to pop a hole in them which is done very easily.  This saved us money because their filters were a bit more expensive.

I hope this article doesn't give anyone the impression we're too good for plastic.  Or worse, too good to visit our friends and family who cook with plastic spatulas.  We still have plastic items in our kitchen that we use everyday, lots of it.  Most of our groceries come in plastic.  The choice to be conscious about plastic is one we've decided to make for our family, and if our story inspires you, or the information helps you on your journey, awesome.  Please, please let us know if you have any suggestions on these items or any others.  Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!



"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"  Romans 14:17



This post has been shared at:  HomeAcre Hop, Homestead Blog Hop, Country Fair Blog Hop

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Why Everyone Always Has Room For Dessert

I've been a stay-at-home mom now for about two and a half years.  When I worked, I never really thought of myself as a cook but more of an assembler.  I bought pre-packaged meals, processed food and lots and lots of frozen food.  We also had carry-out several times a week as well.  With me being home and not working, that way of life just wasn't sustainable anymore.  We spent almost three times the amount on food each month that we're spending now and I cook all of our meals at home now.  I went from dreading cooking to actually enjoying it.  I love it that I can help us save money, and at the same time, provide my family with healthier food.  I get great satisfaction from cooking now, and to be honest, it's shocking to me that I cook almost every single one of our meals from scratch.  If my friends and family are surprised, I would have to agree with them.  It really surprises the heck out of me, too, that I'm cooking as much as I am now.

With all that said, my dear children finally solved a great mystery for me.  I've always wondered why, even though they are completely stuffed full with dinner (yeah right), they ALWAYS have room for dessert.  My girls explained to me that their stomachs have a "dinner side" and a "dessert side".  Can you believe it?  All these years I've been starving their poor dessert sides.  Because it took all I had just to put dinner on the table for the past couple years, I rarely made them anything for dessert.  Their "poor" little tummies.  Although not the most accurate explanation, it got me thinking.  And I decided it was finally time to start including a dessert into my dinner plans. 

And not just once in awhile, I wanted dessert to be required just like their vegetables. 

You see, everybody LOVES dessert.  It's special.  It is always the highlight on those rare occasions when we get to eat out.  Dessert tastes GOOD.  I want my girls to remember how special it is when we all sit down for dinner together.  I want them to know how special they are to us.  I want to create memories and traditions they will want to share with their own families someday. 

About three weeks ago, I told everyone we were going to have dessert after every dinner.  I cannot tell you just what that small change has done to our dinnertime.  Everyone, including me, looks forward to that special treat afterwards.  And it's a great motivator to get everyone in the "clean plate club", especially our three year-old.  It has also given me the opportunity to venture out and try new recipes I've never tried before. 

Some of our favorites that are super easy to make:

Ice Cream
Apple Crisp
Cinnamon Rolls
Cookies
Frozen Organic Blueberries and Milk
Greek Yogurt with Granola

After only three weeks, I think this tradition is a keeper.  And desserts can be healthier if you try to keep them organic and made from scratch.  To make it easier, I also try to make enough to feed us for a few days.  No one ever complains when we have dessert leftovers!

This post has been shared at:  HomeAcre Hop, Homestead Blog Hop, Country Fair Blog Hop

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How to Make Flour Tortillas - Only 5 Ingredients, So Easy!

 

 

When I found out how easy it was to make homemade flour tortillas, it revolutionized our taco life.  I told you before how much the SSL Family Dad loves tacos.  Well he loves them even more on homemade tortillas.  They're softer, they taste better and they only have five ingredients.  We've said goodbye to the remaining 15 chemicals that are in our store-bought tortillas forever and that makes me one happy cooking mama.

 

Ingredients

 

2 cups all-purpose organic flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil

3/4 cup milk, room temperature

 

1.  Combine dry ingredients and coconut oil in a mixing bowl and stir.

2.  Add milk and stir.  Dough will form into a ball.

3.  Sprinkle flour on your surface and knead dough for two minutes.

4.  Place dough back in mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel.  Let sit for 30 minutes.

5.  Divide dough in half by twisting apart.  Divide each half into five equal balls of dough for a total of 10 balls of dough.

6.  Place balls of dough on a plate and cover with damp towel.  Let sit for 10 minutes.

7.  Heat skillet on medium.

8.  Lightly flour your surface and rolling pin.  Roll each ball into 8" discs.

9.  Cook tortillas approximately 30 seconds on each side.  Bubbles will form, you can pop them if you'd like to make the tortillas cook more evenly.

 

That's it!  So easy and they taste great.  We use them for sandwich wraps, too.  I usually make a double-batch at a time for our family of five.  They last 5-7 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.  I usually pop them in the microwave before making sandwiches if they've been stored in the refrigerator.

 

Blessings!

Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

 This post has been shared at:  Country Fair Blog Hop

 

 

 

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Garbage 201: Plastic

Knowledge is power and once we know better, we should probably try and do better.  Now that we know the answer to the great Paper or Plastic? debate, lets learn a little more about plastic so we can make some better choices with it.


Before I start talking about the crazy amount of plastic pollution in our landfills or the health dangers plastic poses, I thought we should start off on a good plastic note.  The history and invention of plastic is very interesting and the reason why it was invented is very dear to this animal lover's heart.  You see, plastic came about as an alternative to elephant's ivory, tortoiseshell and horn.  And plastic bags were a successful alternative to paper shopping bags in an effort to save trees back when they were mainstreamed. 


Plastic really is awesome when you think about it, and its qualities are amazing.  But, as with anything cheap and convenient, it comes with a price.  Plastic is made from fossil fuels and is not biodegradable, our landfills are full of it.  Our oceans are full of plastic, too.  Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?  It's a HUGE mass of plastic garbage in the Pacific Ocean the size of Texas.  And plastic poses a health threat as well.  Additives that go into plastic during the manufacturing process, such as BPA, leach into our bodies, food and water.  And the alternatives they use instead of BPA are possibly even more harmful than BPA.  It is estimated that 90% of our adult population has chemicals from plastics in their bodies. What about our kids?  Our babies?  Scary. 


I now know enough to be certain of two things.  One, we want to rid our home of plastic.  Two, we cannot possibly rid our home completely of plastic.  There's too much and it's everywhere.  But we can try!  We can get rid of the plastic that comes in direct contact with our food and water.  We can get rid of the plastic that we know emits chemicals in our home.  And we can choose reusable shopping bags instead of paper or plastic.


We've already started what we're calling the Plastic Purge in our home.  It was inspired by a book written by Mike SanClements.  Over the weekend, we purged our plastic cups, plates, food storage containers, utensils and shopping bags.  We are replacing them with non-plastic kitchenware.   I ordered most of the replacement items on Amazon, and the SSL Family Dad went through my shopping cart to make sure everything was made in the USA.  If you want something REALLY challenging to do on a Friday night, try ordering kitchen gear not made with any plastic parts and made in the U.S.A. 


Once I started looking into non-plastic alternatives, I was shocked at how many options there are if I just looked hard enough.  We are also doing away with Ziploc bags and plastic wrap.  Later on, I will be sharing just what we're going to be using now instead of plastic, what we purchased on Amazon, as well as some items we picked up at our local thrift shop.  We have talked about this for a very long time and are very excited for these changes in our home. 


For those of you who were like me about two years ago, thinking this is a bit extreme, I ask you to keep an open mind and ask questions.  Don't just take my word for it, find out for yourself what is best for you and your family.  Almost always, the fastest and cheapest route is usually not the best, healthiest or safest option.

Sources:

http://www.mikesanclements.com/

http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/conflicts-in-chemistry/the-case-of-plastics/all-history-of-plastics.aspx

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Reflections & Goals For The Coming Year

I really can't believe 2014 is over, I just can't.  It literally flew by!  I cannot remember a year past that was more memorable or more full of blessings.  We just have so much to be thankful for and we recognize it, especially as we've watched some of our friends and family go through a different kind of season in their lives this year.  Some went through true hardships and our hearts and prayers go out to them.

In just a few short weeks, we will be coming up on our one year anniversary of the aquaponics system.  What started as a Christmas present to each other last year (2013) has just blossomed into so much more.  We first heard of aquaponics when we were at Epcot Center in Disney World three years ago.  We couldn't believe how much faster and bigger their plants were growing, and they didn't need dirt!  We knew we had to at least give it a try.

 

 

We also added chickens to our backyard this year and started this blog.  Sharing our knowledge with the online community has allowed us to invite all of you into our home and our lives.  We are so grateful for the many people who have sent us emails, photos and comments.  It encourages us more than we could ever explain when we see someone building their own aquaponics system or a chicken coop of their very own. 

 

 

We keep a list of our future projects and goals and I thought it might be nice to share, in the spirit of the new year and keeping resolutions.

Our goals for 2015:

1.  Build a rain barrel collection system for chickens and the gardens.
2.  Setup a video live-stream of various areas of the homestead on our site.
3.  Add an outdoor fish pond.  Lovingly being referred to as fish "pond-aponics".
4.  Plant more fruit trees (mini-orchard).
5.  Build a homemade wind generator to power parts of our home.
6.  Build the "Ultimate Worktable" for the garage workshop.
7.  Convert our gas generator to natural gas.
8.  Build a greenhouse.
9.  Build a treehouse for the girls.
10.  Add tilapia to indoor aquaponics system.
11.  Add a curbside library to our front yard (www.littlefreelibrary.org)
12.  Tour and partner with local food pantries and churches already growing with aquaponics and educating those who don't.  (This is a passion of ours, we have already teamed up with one, tour coming soon!)

Phew!  Looks like we'll have an even busier 2015 but we couldn't be more excited.  Thank you for sharing in our journey!

Blessings,
The SSL Family Mom

This post has been shared at:  Country Fair Blog Hop, HomeAcre Hop



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Homemade Taco Seasoning

My husband's favorite meal is tacos.  Chicken tacos, beef tacos, taco salads, walking tacos, quesadillas, burritos, you name something Mexican and I'm sure we've made it before.  So when I stumbled upon this recipe for homemade taco seasoning, I ran right to the store to buy the ingredients in bulk. 

Taco seasoning isn't too expensive but I am always trying to find ways to cut down on our grocery bill, and when you eat as much of it as we do, making our own is definitely cheaper.  Plus, the littlest SSL Family Kids are not into spicy food, so making my own seasoning means I can control the heat for them.

My good friend also reminded me that this seasoning is gluten-free, whereas, store-bought is not.  There are hidden fillers, preservatives and MSG in the store-bought packaged seasoning as well.  To me, these are all great reasons why making our own is the better choice, and we're taking another step towards being chemical-free.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

This recipe makes about 3 tablespoons of seasoning.  I usually double or triple the recipe each time I make it.  I also leave out the crushed red pepper flakes most of the time to keep it milder for the kids.  I have found that two tablespoons of seasoning is usually plenty for one pound of ground beef or chicken. 

We store our seasoning in an old garlic salt container.

We love it and do not notice any difference from the store-bought seasoning packets.  This recipe also makes it easy to play around with and modify according to your taste. 

Go ahead and give it a try!  And if you mess up, there's no problem that a bunch of salsa and sour cream can't solve..........

This post has been shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop, Country Fair Blog Hop, HomeAcre Hop

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Bakin' Bacon

So I celebrated my birthday a week ago and my wonderful step-father gave me this card.  Little does he know that I don't fry bacon anymore, and especially not in the nude.  No way, never.  But this card got me thinking that maybe there are people out there that do fry bacon naked.  And maybe, just maybe, those people need to hear about my method of bakin' bacon. 

Baking bacon is so easy.  This method keeps most of the grease away from the bacon, it's faster, cleanup is a breeze, and it frees up much needed stovetop space when making breakfast. 

And it keeps those painful splatters from splattering.

First, preheat the oven at 425 degrees and get out a cookie sheet and the aluminum foil.

Rip off a piece of aluminum foil about 6-8 inches longer than your cookie sheet and wad it into a big ball.

Next, loosely stretch out the aluminum foil and lay it over your cookie sheet.  This folks is where it's at, the aluminum foil makes nice little valleys for the grease to drip into.

Lay your bacon strips out on the aluminum foil and bake for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like it.  We like ours extra crispy, so we leave in longer.  Just keep checking it.  You will also want to turn your hood fan on because it can get a little smoky. 

And since bacon shrinks, I ended up throwing a few more strips onto the cookie sheet after I took that picture.  I can usually squeeze a pound of bacon on one cookie sheet. 

And that folks, is how I bake bacon.  If you have any tips or tricks on how you make bacon, please share, I'd love to hear from you!

Blessings!
The SSL Family Mom




This post has been shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop

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