The End of the Line - Time to Reorder!

We usually purchase our meat in bulk from a local butcher, and with all good food storage we try to use the number one rule of "first in first out"!  Well this turned out to be a real eye opening experience.  When we purchase our meat order the shop sells it as the 30- Day Family Package.  As the title says it is suppose to last a family of four approx. 30 days or so, but usual last us at least 2 months sometimes longer and we have a lot of mouths to feed around here. Well the last 6-8 months we have been "rotating" the new to the bottom of the pile in the freezer and the older to the top for first use, but this summer our upright freezer was needing to be defrosted and cleaned for the year, so I in all my wisdom (being sarcastic here) decided we would just postpone our meat order till we had eaten all the meat previously purchased and start fresh with this order.  I thought it would take maybe two weeks or so, but believe it or not, we are 6 weeks into this project and we are down to our last five meals!  Now I will say this has worked wonders for our food budget, but considering we are "preppers" (people who prepare for the worst and hope for the best) here I'm ready to see a busting full freezer again!  Call me crazy, but a full freezer and pantry make me feel safe.  I know whatever happens, I can still feed my family.

On the menu this week:

• Pork Shoulder Roast - We will cook in the rotisserie and shred for pulled pork sandwiches, etc. 
• Cube Steak- Depends if I'm cooking or Racey! If it's me then of course it will be fried with gravy, homemade mashed potatoes, hot biscuits and I'll find something green to throw in there just so I don't feel guilty for being a true southern cook at heart! (I feel someone smiling down on me =) )
• Chicken- Who knows maybe I'll do a Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole...yum!
• The Pink container is Vegetable Beef Soup from the other day, I froze half for later...it's later!
• Chuck Roast - I'll finish the week off with an easy but wonderful beef roast

Not a bad menu considering it's the last of the last!  I remember the days before I learned how to stockpile and prepare when the last of the last was Top Ramen Noodles, a couple cans of Beefaroni, and maybe a boxed meal kit.

Don't worry I'll show you our meat order tomorrow and the before and after of our freezer on Friday!

Have a good week and enjoy this beautiful COOL air!

Creating a Cozy Home

Have you ever walked into someones home and instantly felt comfortable, sometimes even more than in your own home?  What causes this?  If you were to glance at the magazine rack in the grocery store you would surely see a dozen or more ads trying to show you how to make your home more ______ (you fill in the blank).  All these ads have a purpose and it's not to make your home perfect for you.  It's to constantly make you feel that if you had just one more "thing" you too could have a perfect home.  It really doesn't matter the size of the house, decor, or even your income level.  The 'comfortable' feeling comes from the people in the house and the energy they put into creating a welcoming environment. When I was a kid I could tell if something had come from my aunt's house just by the smell of it, and to this day the memory of sitting on the front porch swing while my grandmother read the newspaper and I laid my head in her lap while she swung us is some of the most comforting memories I have.

This is my grandmother.

Does your family have memories like this, and do they come from your house? If not they can.  All it takes is you creating a secure, loving, welcoming environment with the tools you already have.

First think about your space and what kind of life suits your family.  If you are outdoors people than you will want to concentrate on the yard, porches, patios, and outdoor entertainment areas.  If y'all are the bookworm family then you want to create an area that is comfortable to curl up at, good lighting, plenty of fluffy pillows and throw blankets, and heavens don't forget shelves to hold all the wonderful books!  If you are foodies well then the saying "the heart of a home is in the kitchen" definitely  applies to you guys.  I certainty haven't covered all the types of families out there but you get my general idea and focus here.  Create a home that nurtures your family, a safe haven from the daily stress of the outside world, a place where all is good even when it's not.  A place where there is a warm home cooked meal, clean bed, and plenty of love and support.  When it comes down to the basic survival and success of humanity that is all we need to be happy.

This is McCLane and I last New Year's Eve waiting for the peach to drop.

Vegetable Beef Soup

With the beautiful fall weather we are having this weekend I wanted to show you how I prepare one of my favorite cool/cold weather foods.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes

• Carrots

• Garlic

• Onion

• Celery

• Tomatoes

• Green beans

• Okra

• Fresh ground pepper/salt

• Stew beef chunks or ground beef

• Beef broth approx. 4 cups

• 1 cup cooked barley

I like to use my cast iron skillet to first braise the beef.  I use just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the skillet, and heat till oil is very hot (not smoking but very hot).

Notice the pan is only lightly oiled.

Once skillet is hot I lightly brown the meat on all sides.  While meat is browning sprinkle with salt, pepper, and fresh minced garlic. If you are cooking a large amount you can cook the meat in two batches so you have room to work in the skillet.

I have found if I only lightly brown the meat during this stage it comes out more tender at the end.

Notice the broth that is being created, it will give the soup a good flavor.  After meat is lightly browned on all sides pour into a large pot or dutch oven.

Next you will want to cook the chopped onion and celery till clear and soft.

I used a little broth from the meat to cook the onion and celery in.

Last you want to put all the vegetables in the pot.  I did reserve the okra for the last 30 minutes of cooking so it would not be too mushy.

Give it a good stir and if it needs more liquid then add beef broth/stock till you are happy with the level.  Bring to boil then lower heat and simmer for 1-3 hours.  The longer it cooks the more flavorful the soup will be.

This is truly an old country recipe that has been around as long as people have been growing gardens!  You can always make a double batch and freeze half for another night.  This time, as a last minute thought, I boiled a cup of barley and tossed it in right before serving just to add a little something extra to it.  You can also use ground beef instead of stew meat if that's what you have on hand. I baked a pan of cornbread to serve on the side. Like I said this is truly a old country favorite!