Good Food

Simple Delicious Homemade Chili For Hotdogs

Published June 25, 2014

Though the fourth of July is about a lot more than food, our minds go there out of tradition. The tradition of cookouts (if your from the south) with hot dogs, hamburgers, and every fixing. Along with the ripe watermelons that came in season and homemade peach ice cream.

As I have gotten older I have become especially fond and even picky over the chili that goes on my hotdog. I don’t have them very often, so when I do, I want to savor every bite and have it piled so high that I have to eat all that fell off the hotdog with a fork!

Here is my Simple Delicious Homemade Chili recipe….

1 lb ground beef

1/2 can tomato sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbs chili powder (More if you want it spicier)

salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain off the grease.

Add all other ingredients, stir and simmer. If it is too thick for you add about a 1/4 cup of water until you get your desired consistency.

Then that’s it! Y’all this is so easy and so delicious! Best part is, you can’t mess it up!

Secret…If I have extra which rarely happens then I put in my homemade spaghetti sauce for an extra kick!

Against The Grain (Industrialized food system)

Published March 3, 2014

Photo courtesy of Dan by Free Digital Photos

*disclaimer* Please don’t fuss at me and call me phony if you see me eating a double stuffed Oreo:) Being against the grain is my goal.

Let me start from the beginning and share with y’all where God has taken me to give me the disgust and rebellion I have for our industrialized food system. About 3-4 years ago I took my husband to a farm tour for his birthday. (Seems random but he and I are fascinated by them) It was a dairy farm in SC called Happy Cow Creamery. On the tour he explained where our supermarket milk came from and why they were different. They fed their cows GRASS. Huh? We looked at each other and thought, well don’t all cows eat grass? I know to a lot of people reading this are thinking how could you have not known all of this. Basically comes down to how you are raised, your education, and what is available to you. We knew no different. He began to explain that the milk from the supermarket was from cows who ate a diet of corn feed, received antibiotics due to their confinement and diseases, and were given hormones to increase their milk production. (Though most claim this isn’t true) It’s not just in milk but in all dairy products we use every day. He explained that cows were made to eat grass and the health benefits increase dramatically when the milk is from grass-fed cows compared to corn-fed ones. They gave samples of the milk and oh my word, no comparison, delicious!

This was a huge eye opener for us. We wondered who else knew about this secret. Nobody in our family did. When we got home I began to research where I could buy that same quality of milk around here locally. Turns out there are a lot of people out there who do know about this, it’s just not easy to get your hands on. If any of you are research queens like me than you know one thing always leads to another… Turns out there are also select places with grass-fed beef, pasture raised chickens, grass-fed hogs..etc WHAT??? You mean to tell me this whole time I’ve been eating food that is sub par. My risk of getting food borne illness, heart disease and cancers is all increased due to what these animals are consuming including chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones. I thought I was eating real food that was good for me!

As we all know with most things done the right way you have to pay for it. All of these grass-fed meats and foods that have the least intervention cost the most. As a society we are constantly penalized for going against the grain, rather that be financially, emotionally, or even educationally.

Turns out even a tomato from the store has been chemically altered to give it its shelf life, color, and vitality. It really blows my mind at how much the food system feeding our country is able to get away with, yet it is illegal for me to buy raw milk in NC. Just about every week there is some sort of recall on these foods deemed safe to eat.

We all need to start questioning our own food safety and be our family’s advocates. It is no secret that the leading cause of death is heart disease. This is REVERSIBLE by our diets. It is my opinion that we are being tricked and schemed into a money market as what “healthy” really means. I can remember a time when I used to buy lean cuisines and key lime flavored low-fat yogurt. Unless you have educated yourself these labels look like they are healthy options. THEY ARE NOT! They are horribly processed.

Through all of my research I have had times of being completely overwhelmed at where to start to gain me and my family’s health back. The conclusion I have come to is that this is the most basic and easiest diet to follow. REAL FOOD! I need to mimic not what my grandmother fixed at her supper table but my GREAT grandmother. This includes fruits and vegetables grown in season with no interventions. Meats raised on what they were born to eat and milk from the town near by. They had no minute rice or cream of mushroom soup. They used what was available, local, and what they grew. This may sound difficult but it was an art. To be truly creative in the kitchen and put real ingredients together to make a masterpiece. (Even if that masterpiece was a simple homemade biscuit.)

There is the issue of time spent on gardening or money spent at farmers markets. When you think about it… it sure does cost a lot of money for your stent or cancer treatments and it’s an awful lot of time wasted in the hospital or not feeling the way we were meant to feel.

God didn’t design us to eat the way we have been eating. We know what to do but we put our heads in the sand just because it’s easier. It’s time we go against the grain and feed our bodies what it is meant to have, REAL FOOD! The good thing is we can start off small and work our way up. Start by not having fast food. We all know how terrible it is for you and you can save money. Dig in and start finding information to encourage you and show you the benefits of eating real stuff you can pronounce. The truth is we have all been starving ourselves. Not of calories but of vitamins and minerals essential for living, this is all a form of malnutrition. Let’s feed ourselves again!

Did I mention the food from real ingredients taste 100 times better? Even the Oreos don’t taste as good anymore:) Any one else with me? Interested in joining the food revolution? Did you have a moment like we did that stopped you in your tracks and got you thinking? If so, subscribe and share!

Here is part I of my series: Against The Grain (Birth Control)

I will be adding more to this series, so subscribe so you won’t miss it!

Sharing this with: The Prairie Homestead, A Mama’s story, Raising Arrows, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, Growing Home, Time Warp Wife, Thankful Homemaker, Mamal Diane, Teaching What is Good, Mom’s the word, conerstone cofessions, A proverbs 31 wife, Some of the best things in life are mistakes, Let this mind be in you, A Wise Woman Builds her home, Deep Roots at Home, Graced Simplicity, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Hope in Every Season, Jill’s Home remedies, Little Natural Cottage, Our simple country Life, Raising Mighty Arrows, The Purposeful Mom, Happy and Blessed Home, Homemaker by Choice, Your Thriving Family, My Joy Filled Life. New Life Steward, Hometead simple, Let this Mind Be in You,

Family Day

Published February 12, 2014

I’m sitting here so excited about the day ahead. I have no special plans, no date night planned, no time to myself today. TODAY is all about my family. My husband comes home from the fire station this morning and he will be with us all day. I guard these days very carefully because they don’t happen often enough. If they were a continuous occurrence, like most things, I would take it for granted.

When he is here we are complete. The normal routine of the day goes right out the window. There is a lot more running, screaming, tickles, and laughter when he is here, and the kids know it! The house gets messier, I snack a lot more, and we do less real school. It’s like a mini vacation day when dad is here.

I usually fix something a little better for supper when he is here. Tonight it will be…

Split Pea and Sausage Soup – I got the base for this recipe off the back of my grocery store’s green split peas bag, and of course added extra of all my favorites.

1 lb kielbasa sausage
2 cans of beef broth
1 large onion chopped
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups split peas
salt and pepper to taste

Cut sausage into bite size cubes. Reserve 1/4 of sausage and place other 1/4th in blender with about 7 ounces of beef broth and puree.

Pour remaining broth in your pot. Bring to a simmer while adding your diced onion and sausage cubes. Add your pureed mixture, the bay leaf, and your salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add your sliced carrots then continue simmering another 10 minutes

Add split peas into the pot. Simmer till soft not mushy.

Of course you can’t have soup without cornbread🙂

Enjoy! What are your family days like? Any special recipes?

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Even Better

Published October 4, 2013

It is no secret to any one who knows me well that I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth. Homemade Chocolate Chip cookies have to be my all time favorite! I follow the original Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love these so much and make them so often that I buy the ingredients in bulk and keep them stocked. Over time I have learned a few tricks on how to make these amazing cookies taste like heaven. Below I will put down the ingredients listed on the back of a bag of Nestle Toll House chocolate chips then in bold I will add my little adjustments.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt ( I used sea salt with an extra pinch) I can’t even put in to words what this does for these cookies!
1 cup of butter 2 sticks softened (I completely melt the butter) This makes flatter cookies with a crispy edge. When taken out of the oven at just the right time they will still be soft in the center.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips (I add an extra 1/4 cup) You can never have too much chocolate!
1 cup chopped nuts (I usually don’t add these)

– Preheat oven to 357

– Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.

– Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large mixing bowl until creamy.

– Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition.

– Gradually beat in flour mixer.

– Stir in chocolate chips

– Drop by the spoon full onto ungreased cookie sheet

– Bake 9-11 minutes. I bake mine for 9 minutes. When they come out of the oven you want them to look like you should possibly stick them back in the oven for another minute. Since they are already hot they will continue to cook for the perfect cookie. Right when they come out of the oven I take them off the baking sheet and put them on my counter top to cool. I have found that they get too hard if left on the cookie sheet.

At this point I have usually had a glass of milk sitting in the freezer to let it get those ice crystals on top. Nothing is better than a homemade warm cookie straight out of the oven with a glass of ice-cold milk. AMAZING! *Saying this in my high pitched opera voice* 😉

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

Published September 4, 2013

This recipe is one of my families favorites. I have given this as part of birthday gift, Christmas gifts, and have also given it to a new momma. It looks so enticing in a mason jar with a cute ribbon on the lid. We usually have this granola as our cereal in the morning. Other options include using it as a topping on your yogurt, pancakes, or even just eat the stuff plain. It is much cheaper than store bought granola and taste delicious!

Yall, this is so easy…

Melt together

5 TBS butter
3 TBS coconut oil
3/4 cup of crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4-1/2 cup of honey
1 TSP of vanilla

Pour over 5 cups of oatmeal in a greased casserole dish and stir well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stir a bit, then put in another 10 minutes.

Once it has completely cooled add in some mini chocolate chips. Or… you could be like us and get yourself a small bowl while its warm and let the chocolate melt in the granola. At the end you’ve got you some good old chocolate milk when your cereal bowl is empty:)

Easy Special Breakfast

Published July 19, 2013

Although I am a morning person, cooking an extravagant breakfast is not my thing. I am a cereal and granola type of girl, thus so are the kiddos.

At times, on special mornings I will put in the effort to make something delicious and filling. This recipe is my husband’s favorite. He calls it his, “Cracker Barrel Breakfast.” Since it was just Father’s Day that is what he got! It’s pretty simple and fail proof.

Apple Oatmeal Bake

4 cups whole milk
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups oatmeal
2 eggs slightly beaen
2 cups of chopped Granny Smith Apples

In saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt into the milk until sugar has mostly dissolved.

Mix in eggs, oatmeal, and apples.

Dump over into greased 8×11 baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Once baked scoop in bowls and add a thin slice of butter, a splash of milk, sprinkled brown sugar, and some chopped pecan. MMM! Cracker Barrel aint got nothing on this!

If you have leftovers and want to reheat them just stick it on the stove and add a little milk to keep it from sticking.

Linking this recipe to Let This Mind Be In You

Homemade Cornbread

Published June 24, 2013

All right y’all, this cornbread recipe is awesome. The kids beg me for this at least once a week. This is an Aunt Debbie favorite as well.

I usually fix this cornbread with some pintos that have been cooking in the crockpot all day and some homemade coleslaw. This is by far one of our favorite meals. Can you say cheap??

– 1 cup whole wheat flour

– 1 cup yellow cornmeal

– 1/2 cup sugar

– 4 tsp baking powder

– 3/4 tsp salt

Mix together

Then add

– 2 eggs

– 1/4 cup oil

– 1 cup milk

Don’t over stir!

Pour into greased 9×9 baking dish at 425 degrees for 27 minutes.

Don’t forget to slather your butter on:)

I linked up this recipe Let This Mind Be In You, Be Different Act Normal

Pancakes for Supper

Published May 30, 2013

We had a wonderful day at the zoo for Zoe’s third birthday. They ran from one exhibit to the next laughing and jumping with excitement. Mostly Zoe talked about snack times, lunches, and what we were going to have for supper that night. Bless her heart, you’d think I never feed the child!

When we got home yesterday we let the kids swim in the baby pool on the deck while I made her favorite…whole wheat buttermilk pancakes. AMAZING! They are so light that we usually end up eating 4 a piece, except my husband. We won’t even go into how many disappear off his plate! Here is the recipe for all family and friends.

In large bowl whisk together:

-1 1/2 cup ground whole wheat flour

-3 tbs brown sugar

-1 3/4 tsp baking powder

-3/4 tsp baking soda

-dash of cinnamon

– dash of nutmeg

In separate bowl mix:

-1 1/4 cup cream

-1/4 cup lemon juice

Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes

Then slowly add: