Recently I learned about foraging American persimmons and then, (like magic!) came across some when visiting my in-laws.
Continue readingHow to Forage the Perfect American Persimmon
Category Archives: food
Holiday Apple Cider Sangria Recipe
Did you know the food and beverage cartons found in your pantry and fridge are recyclable? I like to consider myself a gal with a low waste lifestyle, but I admit, I had been throwing my cartons in the trash. I just didn’t know until the Carton Council reached out to me. So many products come in cartons like dairy and plant-based milk, creamers, and broths– all holiday staples.
By making the simple choice to recycle my cartons, I can help reduce household waste and provide manufacturers with the fiber they need to make new paper products like toilet paper, tissue and paper towels. Remember how wild we all went for toilet paper in March?
One of my favorite holiday traditions is going to a local hotel, ordering a cider and sitting by their giant fireplaces. Unfortunately I won’t be doing that this year, so I decided to whip up my own apple cider sangria recipe to get in the holiday spirit. This recipe uses wine in a carton, which is found at most grocery stores and is a more sustainable packaging option.
Continue readingGrandma’s Sweet and Spicy Salsa
Lately I’ve been pretty unbalanced in the kitchen. I’m either making all the meals or eating frozen pizza for a week. On one of my COOK ALL THE MEALS days, I decided to write down my Grandma Phina’s sweet and spicy salsa recipe. I love her recipe because it’s got a little bit of heat, but it’s sweet enough to please a crowd too. (Remember her Pueblo Feast Day cookie recipe?)
Since I grow my own tomatoes in my DIY greenhouse, I had a mix of tomato types (German Johnson and Romas). Growing your tomatoes isn’t necessary, but I recommend trying this recipe when tomatoes are in season and buying local, if you can. Tomatoes grown in a greenhouse don’t taste nearly as good and make a big difference in the recipe. I like to make a big batch and then freeze it for later in the season.
Continue readingPueblo Feast Day Cookies
I’m not a big cookie person. To be honest, I’d rather go elbow deep in a bowl of buttery, salty popcorn, but it’s almost Christmas, which to me means making feast day cookies.
Feast Day cookies are a Pueblo tradition handed down from my grandma, to my mom and then to me. (My Grandma also has the best salsa recipe.) Feast Day cookies were made on feast days like Easter, Kings’ Day and Christmas.
These cookies probably aren’t traditional “cookies.” They aren’t what you’re used to. The Pueblo Feast Day Cookies are similar to snickerdoodles, but they aren’t very sweet. These are the cookies of poor people. To give you an idea: I once asked my grandma what The Depression was like on the reservation and she said she didn’t even know it happened, that’s how poor they were. When I bake these, I think of her.
Continue readingHow Much Money Can a Small Garden Save You? An Update
This is an update on a post I published over a month ago when I thought my plants were done producing. Guess what? They weren’t done! And I’ve saved more than I thought initially! I’ve updated all the prices to reflex my bumper crop 😉
Remember when I thought I couldn’t grow anything. Remember?! REMEMBER?! Well, I am beyond excited to report that my brown thumb has turned green, ya’ll. And today is your lucky day because I have a run down of the costs of my garden and, AND the cost if I simply went out and purchased the food. I am on fire.
| Price of Seeds | Cost at CSA* or Harris Teeter | Amount Produced | Price if purchased |
| Heirloom Tomatoes ($1.79) (unavailable at Home Depot, link to similar product) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 53 | $79.24 |
| Squash ($1.35) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 0 | $0.00 |
| Zucchini ($1.19) | $2.99 (for 2)* | 16 | $23.92 |
| Bell Peppers ($1.59) | $1.99 (for 2)* | 133 | $132.34 |
| Banana Peppers ($1.59) | $0.43 | 151 | $64.93 |
| Onions ($1.59) | $1.27 | 2 | $2.54 |
| Pumpkins ($1.43) | $6.99 | 3 | $20.97 |
| Cucumbers ($1.35) | $0.79 | 21 | $16.59 |
| Sunflowers ($1.35) | $2.29 | 7 (about 2 cups) | $2.29 |
| Brussels Sprouts ($1.59) | $3.49 | 0 | $0.00 |
| Supplies | |||
| Potting Soil (used sparingly to start seeds, previously purchased) $0.00 | |||
| Gloves and a trowel (given as birthday gift) $0.00 | |||
| Plow (borrowed) $0.00 | |||
| Fencing to keep out critters ($34.97) | |||
| Garden Safe Insect Killer ($5.79) | |||
| Garden Safe Fungicide ($5.47) | |||
| Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Fruits and Vegetables Granules ($12.47) | |||
| A cucumber plant when my other cucumber plants died (gifted from my FIL) $0.00 | |||
| Tax | |||
| $5.14 | |||
| Total Spent | Total Produced (plus tax) | Total Savings | |
| $78.56 | $366.82 | $288.26 |
Additional Notes:
Garden Start Up Costs
I kept my start up costs very low. I didn’t create raised beds and my garden was by no means
“pretty.” I can’t keep up with Martha here. This isn’t rural New England!
Quite a few people around the blogosphere make a big deal about the start up costs of gardens. There’s very low start up costs if you keep it low. And yes, there is no guarantee that anything will sprout (just look at my squash!), but if you are successful, growing a garden can be a fun way to save on grocery costs.
Store Pricing
I used my CSA’s veggie pricing when available because I think it more accurately reflects the pricing of local produce. When not available, I used the pricing of a local grocer, Harris Teeter. (Yes, I know veggies might be cheaper somewhere else, this is just a good estimate, ya’ll!)
Novice Gardener
I think it’s also important to note that I am totally a beginning gardener. This is my first time keeping anything alive– including houseplants! I know there will be bad years and good years, but I believe with experience my vegetable gains will increase, thus increasing my savings.
The time factor
Yes, growing a garden (even a small one, like mine) takes time. Most weekends I was out there pulling weeds. I watered the plants almost every day (unless it rained). P.S. We have well water, so there was no cost for the water. But growing something, ANYTHING, keeping it alive, then eating something I grew with my own two hands has been one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done. EVER! And that includes getting my Master’s degree.
Have you ever planted a garden? If so, were you successful? Do you think it saved you money? Did you make an insane chart like I did? Let me know in the comments!
love,
melanie
Mama’s Famous Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
So my mom’s famous chocolate chip banana bread is actually from a recipe! She does make a few tweaks to the recipe (like the addition of chocolate chips!!!) and she uses honey instead of brown sugar for a moist bread. I gotta give the woman some credit. She also has a secret trick–after she butters the loaf pan, she dusts a little sugar on pan so when baked, the outside of the bread has a sugary crunch. So good.
This bread takes me back. Way back. I’ve been eating this bread since I was a wee thing. Home to me smells like freshly baked banana bread. Unfortunately, I don’t eat it now because of the wheat, but I love giving it as a gift. A small loaf of bread is such a good gift, don’t you agree? This is also a great recipe to use up those too brown bananas. It’s super versatile, ya’ll.
This recipe makes two small loafs or one large loaf.
Notes: Try honey instead of brown sugar, add 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of nuts and make sure to dust that pan with sugar! We don’t want to be too healthy 🙂
Do you have recipes that remind you of home? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
love,
melanie
Adventures in Wine Making
I’m calling this post “Adventures in Wine Making” instead of “Homemade Wine Recipe” or “DIY Wine” because really, I can’t believe this wine turned out half-way decent. I also don’t want to share a recipe just yet because I may have just been lucky with my first batch. And I don’t want to be liable for poisoning you all. I tried using this recipe from All Recipes, but the portions were off, so I just heated up some sugar with water, threw in the yeast after it had cooled, mixed it with Aldi-brand fruit juice and went with it.
Five weeks later, the balloon deflated, I filtered out the yeast with coffee filters and BAM! I had drinkable wine. It was a little too sweet for my liking, but my friend, Gabby loved it. It also helped that we called it “toilet wine” and thoroughly researched “How to Make Prison Wine” while drinking it. Did you know prison wine can be made with fruit cocktail, ketchup and bread? I HAD NO IDEA. This wine would be perfect for an Orange is the New Black party.
Have you ever tried making your own wine? How did it turn out? When I perfect it, I’ll have a recipe to share!
love,
melanie
Refrigerator Pickles and Banana Peppers
For someone who has a black thumb, I sure can grow banana peppers. I have them coming out of my ears, as they say. In fact, I had so many I couldn’t eat them fast enough. And although I had a bumper crop, it still wasn’t enough to make the effort and learn how to properly can. I also had a couple of large cucumbers that were looking less than fresh. So refrigerator canning seemed like the perfect way to eat up those veggies! Here’s the how to:
Ingredients
- 3 cups of white vinegar
- 6 or so banana peppers
- 2 cucumbers
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 2 tbsp of minced, peeled garlic
- 6 cloves
- 2 jars with lids
Wash veggies thoroughly. Slice. I used a pair of scissors to cut my banana peppers and that made it super easy. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes. Once brine has finished simmering, let cool. Ladle brine into jars, covering the cucumbers and peppers. Add the cloves. Brine for at least 24 hours in the fridge. Keep for up to a month.
How easy was that?! Have you ever made refrigerator pickles? Talk to me about it in the comments!
love,
melanie
Easy Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore
I know, I know, it’s kind of too hot to break out that Crock-Pot, but sometimes a busy girl has to do what a busy girl has to do. And sometimes that means cranking up the Crock Pot to make Chicken Cacciatore as the thermometer climbs into the 100s. It’s just too easy to use the Crock-Pot on those days when you know that 5,000 things will need your attention and you still have to work out and sleep and be a person. This meal is great for those days because you can throw everything in the Crock-Pot at breakfast and it will be ready for dinner or throw it in the Crock-Pot the night before and take it for lunch. It’s just good planning, people.
(Stupid) Easy Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 1 lb of chicken, cut up in pieces
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
- 6 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 -4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Throw everything in the Crock Pot and let cook for approximately 7 hours on low. Serve over pasta, rice or quinoa if you wish. I just eat it plain. No time for all that.
love,
melanie
Protein-Packed Pancakes
I’ve yet to find a protein powder that doesn’t taste like chalky chemicals or dirt. I’ve tried the organic, pea proteins, the body builder proteins, I’ve tried the ones that taste like “cake” (aka toilet bowl water) and the ones that taste like “cappuccino” (aka toilet bowl cleaner). I’ve yet to try a protein powder that I can drink just mixed with water. But not wanting to be wasteful and knowing I couldn’t gag down another smoothie (there’s only so much berries will cover up), I started making protein pancakes. God knows what Pinterest/blog/Internet hole I fell down to find my original recipe. But here’s the one I usually use. It’s not quite your usual fluffy pancake, but it gives you almost 30 grams of protein and doesn’t taste like dirt, so that’s an improvement!
Ingredients
1.5 scoops of vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 tbsp of all-purpose gluten-free flour
2 eggs
A splash of milk
2 tbsp butter
Cinnamon and honey or maple syrup for topping
Melt 1 heaping tbsp of the butter in a pan over the stove top on low. Mix the 1st 6 ingredients together in a bowl. Put about 1/3 of the batter in the hot pan. When batter begins to bubble, flip over the pancake. Repeat until batter is gone. To finish, top with butter, cinnamon and honey or maple syrup.
Easy right?
Is there a protein powder that you love? Let me know about it in the comments!
love,
melanie