Homemade Crackers

Crackers are one of our family's favorite snacks.  When we decided to start eating cleaner the crackers got cut from the grocery list.  I did not have a hard time giving up the crackers but hubby on the other hand was struggling.  So I whipped up an easy cracker recipe with only a few ingredients that are clean and pantry staples.

Easy Homemade Crackers

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix flour and salt then slowly add in the water until you have a doughy consistency. (see pic below)

Flour your counter top and rolling pen.  Roll dough out until it is cracker thin.  

Once it is rolled to desired thinness place on a cookie sheet and cut with a pizza cutter desired cracker size.  Place in oven on 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. 

After crackers come out of the oven break them up and place in an air tight container.  They pair deliciously with hummus!

 

A Cleaner Clean with NO SCRUBBING!

When we bought our house we knew that it would be an adventure of renovations and cleaning up.  You don't buy a 1950's house and expect it not to have a little "character".  One little piece of our house that adds to the character is the bathroom.  Originally it had pink and gray tile... PINK TILE.  It was the first thing to go, click here for that adventure.  However getting rid of the old iron tub was not an option.  I have scrubbed that tub to sparkling white  but something that is hard to clean is the bright white caulk until I discovered this little trick!

BEFORE

Here is the thing, I am a super clean person, and I am scrubber.  So scrubbing my tub clean and not being able to clean this mess was driving me crazy!!

AFTER

Amazing right??  My little trick is to twist up a paper towel and dip it in bleach.  Lay the soaked paper towel across your trouble area for a couple of hours.  When you remove the paper towels it will look like mine bright white again!  So easy and no scrubbing!  

Here is the  side by side comparison.

Amazing!!

Baby Puffs with Only Two Ingredients!

I can't believe baby Colt is already old enough to eat solid foods, but now that he is, I wanted to be very intentional about introducing him to wholesome clean foods. 

After our first experience introducing him to finger goods, I quickly learned two things: 

1.) They needed to be easy to eat 

2.) They needed to be tasty enough so that his hard work (of picking it up) paid off.  

Several people suggested starting with  baby puff snacks, but I really wanted to avoid processed food, and not to mention they are pricey. This started my quest for the perfect baby puff recipe.  After finding several recipes that had either a ton of ingredients or ended up using (boxed) baby cereal, I decided to develop my own recipe. I've shared it below, for other mommy's who want to avoid processed foods and who want to save a little bit of money. 

Easy Baby Puffs – Sweet Potato

1 c. mashed sweet potato

1 c.  old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350.  Measure out oats and place in a food processor until oats have a flour consistency. 

Mix in mashed sweet potatoes.  

Roll into small pieces and bake for about 3-5 minutes.

Yes it really is that easy! I'd love to hear your feedback. If you make these, comment below and let me know what you and your sweet baby think!

Baby Colt Approved!

Mamaw's Peanut Butter Pie

I was blessed with two amazing grandmothers and they both are amazing cooks. One of my favorite childhood memories are of Sunday lunches with Mamaw.  All of the delicious food, time around the table, and, my favorite, DESSERT!  This recipe is easy and always a hit on the homestead.

Peanut Butter Pie

1 tub of cool whip
4 oz of cream cheese
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 graham cracker crust
1/4 c. crushed peanuts

Let the cream cheese and cool whip soften.  Whip together the cool whip and cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually add in the peanut butter and whip until smooth.  Pour into the graham cracker crust and sprinkle with crushed peanuts.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 



This recipe really is that easy!  One could even say it is as easy as pie!

Party of 2... I mean 3!

Big news on the homestead!  

Baby C joined the homestead in August
 and isn't he just the cutest!

My husband I were blessed with a healthy baby boy in August. Yes, I know that was 7 months ago, but for those of you who have children, understand the struggle is real.  I am lucky to even know today is Friday. It is Friday, right? <jk>

Baby C is now 7 months old. He's a curious little boy, strong and smart. He's already got a mind of his own, disregarding "early-childhood normalities" and pulling himself up onto his feet. No, we haven't seen him crawl yet, but maybe he's skipping crawling and heading straight for walking? 

Over these past few months, I've come to realize we have a new life. An enhanced life. With our boy by our side, we see the world in a whole new light. I'm not only learning more about my son and husband, I'm also exploring myself as a parent. I've been trying out new and old parenting theories (elimination communication, anyone?), rediscovering the joy of gardening and attempting to live a more holistic lifestyle. I'm starting Nashville Homestead back up, and I hope you'll follow along and learn from my attempts, successes, projects and fun!

Storing up for Winter: Basil Pesto

Basil is one of the easiest herbs for me to grow, especially since I have figured out it loves full sun. With this new found knowledge I have had an abundance of basil and there is only so much Caprese salad I can eat.  With all the excess basil growing I am on a mission to save it!

The best way to preserve basil is in pesto form, but what I have learned is that pesto doesn't last long jarred. (It last about a week refrigerated). So I have moved on to finding a new way to preserve and boy have I found it! FROZEN BASIL CUBES!

Basil Pesto

2 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. cashews (or walnuts or pine nuts)
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive Oil

I use a small food processor to chop up the basil, garlic, cashews, and Parmesan.  After the ingredients are pureed I slowly add olive oil until it becomes the desired consistency.  Once the pesto is at your desired smoothness add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the pesto is finished spoon into a plastic ice cube tray. I measured it out by tablespoon so I will know how much is in each cube for recipes later. Once you have filled the trays drizzle a little olive oil over each section in order to keep in the freezer.  Once frozen solid, pop out of tray and store in a zip-lock bag.

It was so easy and now I can't wait to have fresh pesto in December!

Gardening for the Busy Bee

Something I have been meaning to do as a new homesteader is start a garden.  Actually I doubt you would even call me a homesteader since I am lacking that important little piece homestead... a garden.  So this past fall I started the task of a garden.  I should also mention that our neighbors on both sides are master gardeners.  

This means two things:
 1)  Their yards always look amazing
 2)  A free resource of tips and advice on gardening (flowers or veggies!)

When I mentioned to our neighbor that I was wanting to start a garden but had no idea where to start he recommended a method called layer gardening.  So here is our journey to monster tomatoes, salsa all year round, and bell peppers that are so delicious we can't keep them around.

Layer #1

I did not prep the ground in any way.  I looked around our yard at different times of day to see which spot would receive the most sun since I planned on planting tomatoes and peppers.  The first layer is cardboard laid flat.  Be sure that your cardboard is wax free and all the postage or tape has been removed before laying flat.

Layer #2

After the cardboard was down I started the layering process.  The next layer is leaves and/or grass clippings.  We used both.  If you have a yard full of leaves its nice not to have to bag them all.

We ended up putting a little chicken wire fence around our garden because the pup was very nosy about what we were mixing up.

Continue to layer, layer, layer throughout the fall and winter.  Don't worry about piling it to high over the winter and spring showers it dwindles down and leaves you with a bed of lush compost.

Layer # 3 (optional)

After spring rolled around and we were preparing to plant we added in compost from our compost pile.  This is not necessary since you've been essentially composting all winter.

This is the garden before planting!  Needless to say the flimsy chicken wire did not hold up against our 70 pound golden retriever .

Lets Plant!

Now we are ready to plant!  This garden is great for any kind of vegetable you want to plant. We chose tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos. 

The garden quickly grew and turned into a jungle!  

We had tomato cages when we started but the plants quickly outgrew their cages and we had to tie them up to 8 feet dowels!

Our first little harvest!

Now we can hardly keep up with all the tomatoes!

Whoops! How to whip cream in a Mason jar

When I started this little Sunday afternoon project I had big plans of making my own homemade butter.  I researched blogs, books, and called family members to get some ideas on how to make my own butter.  It seemed so simple I wasn't sure why I haven't made my own butter before!  All you need is a mason jar, whipping cream, and salt. Easy right?!  Well I guess I was still in a weekend state of mind because I made one tiny error... I bought heavy whipping cream!  Apparently there is a difference when making butter.

  

So I learned something new!  How to make whipping cream.  

1 pint heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Pour heavy whipping cream into a mason jar and shake for fifteen minutes. (Just consider it your daily arm workout)

After shaking for fifteen minutes your cream will look like the picture above.  Light and fluffy.  Slowly stir in vanilla and sugar.  Store in the refrigerator.

Even though it was completely by accident I think the cream turned out great!  I have used it in coffee as well as a dessert topping.  It makes a great topping to my apple crisp! (click here for the recipe)

I think I will give butter another try but in the meantime I am enjoying my homemade whipping cream.  Just in time for Thanksgiving pumpkin pie!

A Scouts 5 Essentials for Day Hiking

Growing up a scout and spending every spare afternoon and weekend backpacking it is no big task to head into the woods for a  hike.  However, when my wife asked me to teach her "outdoor stuff"  I thought I would take an opportunity to take things back to the basics. Usually I would head right into weekend long backpacking trips, but considering that my wife grew up "camping" in a cabin with electricity and running water taking it back to the basics was probably the best place to start.  One thing I know about my wife is that when she wants to do something she wants to do it big.  Our conversation started while drinking coffee together one morning when she told me, very matter of fact, that we should hike the Appalachian Trail.  Considering this came from the same person who asked me "do you punch a black bear or a grizzly bear to scare it?" I thought it was best to start out slow with some light day hiking.

Getting ready for a hike

  So here are five Essentials for a day hike:

1. A Map - The first thing you will want to put into your day bag is a map of the area or trail if it is available.  Some places will not have maps available due to the high usage of the area.  It may be that sign post have been erected that will point you in the right direction.  Other areas might employ a method known as trail blazing.  In this method small symbols are used to mark the direction of the trail generally these are color coded if there is more than one trail.  They are easy to miss and generally used in areas where there is high traffic but the trails are mostly natural material.  If a map is unavailable than be sure to familiarize yourself with the trail you are using before beginning.  If your still in doubt use your phone and take a picture of the map at the beginning of the trail head.
2.  Water - Water is easy to overlook if you are taking a jaunt into the woods.  If you have plastic bottles fill them and take them with you.  Another good idea is to take water purification tablets.  This will ensure that if you run out of water then you can make stream water safe to drink.  Humans can survive up to three weeks without food but only three to four days without water. Why deprive yourself on your hike?  Water makes for a safe hike and will make it much more enjoyable.
3.  Rain gear - You may already know what the weather is going to be, but better safe than sorry.  Nothing ruins a hike more than rain.  Take at the very least a raincoat.  The weather is a fickle thing and the weather reports are more often wrong than right.  I highly recommend taking a rain coat as well as suggest rain pants if you have them.  the coat will keep you mostly dry but the water dripping of that will soak your lower half in record time if you don't' have pants.  Most rain gear now a day's are easy to store, they make them fold neatly into a pocket with a reversible zipper.  Umbrellas are bulky and can get old if you are carrying them.  
4. First aid kit - You should never go far from home without one. I personally keep one in my car and Ashley's car.  This is a "just in case" safety measure. These don't have to be big and just a few basic supplies will go a long way. I generally use an old band-aid tin or you can even fit a small first aid kit in an Altoids tin.  These are small,light weight and can generally carry everything you need.
5. Snacks -This directly relates to how far you are hiking.   If you are like me I like a little snack now and then when I am hiking.  Something easy to open and eat.  It is nice to have a little pick me up during the hike. The longer you are hiking the more you will want to bring.  If you are out all day say 10+ miles plan on bringing lunch and at least two other snacks.  Trail mix and Nutri grain bars are easy to eat and not a lot of weight. Just be sure to pack out your trash. 

With these five essentials a day hike can be a very fun experience.

Oh and if you do run across a bear (black or grizzly) on your hiking adventure don't punch it in the nose.  It generally isn't a good idea to punch any kind of bear.

Happy Hiking

-Travis

A Different Kind of Trail Mix

One of the endearing things I found about my husband was that he is an adventure seeker. Hiking, climbing, swimming, backpacking, you know, very manly activities.  Watching animals in the wild, never knowing what is down the trail, beautiful scenery, living off what you can carry on your back (even if for a short time.)  Ahh the great outdoors!  Who wouldn't enjoy such adventure?  Me.  That's who.  I know, I know what's not to love? But, I seriously cannot get excited about wandering through the woods, sleeping on the ground, and possibly being eaten by a bear.  Okay maybe that last one was a little dramatic. However, this fall I am determined to fall in love with the great outdoors... slowly.  So this weekend begins my courtship with the great outdoors, just a quick day hike through the mountains of Tennessee.  My contribution is, of course, food. Whereas I cannot start a fire with flint and steel I can make a mean trail mix.

The best trail mix you will ever have

The Best Trail Mix Ever

1 c. wasabi peas

1 c. shelled pistachios

1 c. roasted peanuts

1/2 c. roasted almonds

1 c. sesame sticks

1/2 c. pecans

1/2 c. cashews

I bought my ingredients at Publix.  They have a great selection of organic ingredients.  I dumped all the ingredients in a gallon size bag and shook it up.  Tomorrow is the big hike!  Stay tuned for updates and play by play pics on Instagram.

Dirt Pudding Cups

With Halloween over and Christmas being forced onto us already I thought I would hold onto fall a little while longer.  Apple cider, roasted pumpkin, and spooky desserts are still making appearance in our house at least until mid November.  I am always looking for easy desserts that I can whip together for a last minute get together, and chocolate dirt cups are a big hit.

You can buy the pudding already made (I did since I was pressed for time) or make it yourself, crunch up some chocolate cookies, and slither in some gummy worms. This makes an easy, quick, and cute dessert for any spooky (or fun) occasion. 

Baked Apple Crisp for Two!

Every fall we make a little trip down to Hazel Green, Alabama to visit Scott's Orchard. We have such a blast, they sell apples, cider, pumpkins, and apple cider vinegar.  I usually buy way more apples that I could ever eat and I am then scrounging for ideas on how to save my apples before they rot.  This recipe is delicious and easy to make.  

Apple Filling

2 Apples of your choice (I used yellow & granny smith)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Crisp Topping

1/4 c. self rising flour

2 tbsp quick oats

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Apples will bake for 10-15 minutes.  

Crisp Topping:  mix self rising flour, oats, brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon.  Cut butter into cubes and slowly cut into dry mix till a crumble consistency.  Set aside.

Apple Filling:  Peel and chop 2 apples .  Add apples, butter, sugar, and cinnamon into a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until tender

Chop the top of two apples and scoop out the core using a spoon in order to add in the filling.

Fill apples with  apple filling and sprinkle crumb filling over the top and bake!

This recipe makes two stuffed apples.  Ice cream, whipped cream or caramel sauce make the perfect topping. 

Coconut Oil Popcorn

Popcorn is it's own food group in our house.  Movie nights, afternoon snacks, and Sunday night dinner's popcorn is a staple.  In a recent attempt to eat more pure, I went on a search for a good health homemade popcorn option.  Below is a recipe that I worked up for our us.  Warning! It makes a ton of popcorn but the recipe can be cut.

Coconut Oil Popcorn

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 c. popcorn kernels

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet to melt and slowly add kernels.  Keep temperature on medium high until kernels start to pop.  Do not leave unattended!  Because my recipe make so much popcorn I start scooping out popped corn to make room for more.  Salt or season as you like and enjoy!

Make your own Taco Seasoning!

Every family has their go to meal.  Something that is easy and tasty.  Our go to meal is practically anything with a Mexican flavor.  With that being said we buy taco seasoning like it is going out of style.  I can generally buy a package of taco seasoning for about $0.48 which isn't that expensive but with the quantity and the amount of preservatives it was about time to find my own recipe.

Taco Seasoning

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp onion salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

Shake all ingredients together in an airtight container for easy access.  1 tbsp is equivalent to a package of taco seasoning or add to your preference. 

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Fall is my favorite time of the year simply because of the pumpkin flavored everything.  I can hardly believe we are half way through October and I am just now starting my pumpkin baking!  One of my favorite and easiest recipes are pumpkin spice cookies.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. pumpkin puree
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 Tbsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp ground nutmeg
1 c. self rising flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
This recipe will make about a dozen cookies.  

Cream together sugars, egg, butter, pumpkin, and vanilla extract.  

Combine the flour and spices and gradually add to the creamed ingredients

After adding the flour spoon out onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Let cool before storing in an airtight container.  Our batch didn't make it through the week. 

Someone has her eye on the prize

Upcycling... well.... "Trash"

I have a great mother.  She was always finding fun activities for us to do when we were growing up, and it almost always involved a creative project.  Coloring refrigerator boxes to be play houses, building tree houses, painting old pieces of wood and lots of coloring books, this was my childhood.  Something my mother has passed on to me is the joy of "upcycling."  Upcycling is a new term meaning creating a better purpose for something that is no longer of use or in this case liked.  Growing up we called it "picking up good trash."  Recently we just finished installing our kitchen banquet seating. (Check it out here!) I finally got the booth I wanted but I was missing a couple of chairs to fit around the table.  I searched high and low for affordable chairs but I couldn't find anything I wanted to spend money on.  The upside of "upcycling" is that you do not have to buy anything brand new you use what you have and you make it better!  When I told my mother what I was looking for she said she would keep an eye out. 

Later on that week my dad sent me this picture....  Can you believe that someone would put solid wood chairs and a table out on the side of the road!?  Me either. They grabbed me the two chairs I needed just in time.  

I took the cushions off the chairs and prepped the chairs for painting.  The wood was nice but it would not go with my light and delicate look for my kitchen.  I prepped the chairs by wiping them down and removing all of the hardware.  One chair had a small hole in the side and I filled it with simple wood fill. 

After putting couple coats of my paint on I was ready to reattach the cushions.  I used Behr aqua smoke for the paint on these chairs.  To cover the chairs I bought two yards of fabric from my local hobby lobby store.  This is a canvas fabric so that it is more durable.  You will also need a staple gun.  I love mine! Best craft investment ever!

The cushions on these chairs were gross and stained.  One of the cushions even had magic marker colored all over it.  I scrubbed the cushions down with a detergent mix to clean them up a bit.  

I cut the fabric to the same measurement of the chair plus an inch on each side to be sure I had enough fabric.  If you are acquainted with upholstery then you might not need as much all the way around.  

After covering my seat I was ready to reattach to the chair. These chairs still had the hardware with them so it was a simple reattachment with the screws and a Philips head screwdriver. 

Boom!  Awesome upcycle and with minimum investment.  This chair redo would definitely make mamma proud. 

SNEAK PEEK!  Look what I found this week....

White on White on White

When we purchased our little gem of a home there was one room that I had no idea what to do with.  It was this very manly cedar room.

Cedar Room of Doom

We took this picture when we did our walk through and I studied it for a long time trying to figure out what to do with it! It was too dark, very dated, and because of its location in the floor plan it became the black hole of our home.  A good friend of mine lives in a home with a room very similar and she painted over the cedar a stormy blue color, genius!  Painting I can do and that idea was much more friendly that my original demolition idea.  After searching around for some ideas on painting cedar I ran across a ton of shabby chic  white on white rooms.  I was sold! The white room would lighten up the room significantly and I have always wanted a white on white room.  Painting cedar paneling was met with resistance by almost everyone on my painting team (my husband, mother, and family friend).  They all cringed when they walked through my painting project.

I started by taping off my ceiling and floors.  Everything had to be painted including the doors and trim.  One thing that I learned very quickly was that covering cedar with white paint was going to be a task...  It took days and a couple gallons of paint to cover the cedar.  After day two of painting the room was deemed the "cedar room of doom."  When it was finally done I loved it!

The Cedar Room of Doom is no more!

 I researched decorating white on white relentlessly.  I love for things to match perfectly, but everything I was reading was suggesting to use different shades and textures of white.  I was hesitant but after making my bedding purchases I was convinced I made the right decision.

If you have an old time pottery in your neighborhood I highly recommend checking out their bedding section for inexpensive pillows.  I really wanted to complete this room on a budget. I searched yard sales and Craiglist for furniture. 

After all of that hard work I finally get to enjoy my white room.  It is my favorite room in the house!  I learned a few lessons from painting cedar and I would not recommend it to those who hate painting with a capital "H" but it was totally worth it to me.