The kitchen is where simple living comes to life. It’s where home cooking meets food preservation—where you turn garden harvests and pantry staples into nourishing meals for your family. In this space, you’ll find from-scratch recipes made with whole ingredients, along with trusted techniques for preserving food through canning, fermenting, dehydrating, and freezing. Whether you’re making soup from fresh vegetables, putting up jam, or planning a pantry that supports your values, these resources will help you slow down, cook with purpose, and make the most of every ingredient. Because feeding your people well doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to be real.
We have a new favorite meal/snack here at our home….meatloaf muffins. Until about a month ago I had never made meatloaf and most of my children had never tasted it. Why? Because Carl doesn’t like it. Now, this is huge because with the expection of pickles and mustard, Carl will pretty much eat anything. It’s …
Yes, it IS possible to make crispy French fries at home! With this delicious homemade French fries recipe you can have a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior oven fries for dinner any night of the week. I’ve been making these easy homemade fries in the oven for over 25 years and our family loves …
Throughout history honey has been used as a sweetener and medicinally and for good reasons, it tastes delicious and has many antimicrobial and healing properties. Over time we’ve figured out ways to alter and standardize it for the for purpose of making the processing faster and increase profits. This has lead to some confusion over …
The other day Josiah was “mentioning” that we didn’t have any food in the house…only things to make food with. He was right, I’ve been a little preoccupied with things like tiling a floor and haven’t done a good job of keeping of our homemade snacks in the house. So Saturday I set out to …
If you’re looking for a simple, natural alternative to commercial cleaners, a lemon vinegar cleaner is one of the easiest DIY sprays you can make at home. Made with citrus peels and white vinegar, this non-toxic cleaner cuts through grease, removes dirt, and leaves a fresh scent behind — without artificial fragrances or harsh chemicals. …
Yesterday, I made a batch of lemon extract in my attempt to use as much of the lemons as I can. This was super easy, the hardest part was getting up the courage to go into the local liquor store. I did take the “clergy” hanging sign off my rear view mirror, you know, just …
Every Christmas we make a family favorite cookie from Carl’s childhood. We call it a cookie, but really it’s a candy. It’s so fun to see Carl’s parents and brother oooh and aaah over them and hear the stories that get told about Christmases long past. My children have stories of their own pertaining to this …
I used to think it was silly to preserve lemons because they were available year round at the store whenever I happened to need one. Then I tried my first Meyer lemon and preserving lemons became a necessity. We have an amazing lemon tree that gives us several hundred pounds of lemons each year. So, …
Protein bars can be quite pricey and most are filled with ingredients that would not be considered “real food”. By contrast, homemade protein bars can be customized based on what flavors your family likes and are filled with real food ingredients. Years ago I read High Protein, No Powder by Tiffany Crumbs which is a …
Using a dehydrator or oven is a quick way to make homemade dried lemons to use for food, seasonings, beverages, and crafts. While dehydrating lemons is not hard, there are a few tips you’ll want to be aware of before starting. During the winter, when citrus is in season, spend a little time making dried …
Yesterday I made homemade caramels. I’ve made caramel sauce before but never caramel candy. oh, my, it was fabulous!
Can you freeze lemons? Absolutely! In fact, freezing lemons is a great way to ensure you have that bright, fresh lemon flavor even when lemons aren’t in season. We have an amazing Meyer lemon tree that came with our house. Each year we try to freeze lemons to last the year. I like to use …
During the winter months, my kids love to make hot cocoa. Actually, they would probably drink it all year long. So, I created a healthier hot cocoa recipe that feel good serving them whenever they want a hot treat. Tip: Keep Milk From Scorching This recipe uses real liquid milk and is a stove top …
I have a confession to make, during the school year I get into a rut with cooking. Now, my family is great and they never complain about eating the same things over and over. But there was more than one “yay” when they found out I was trying this new Ranch Roasted Chicken, and no, …
ok, I know that apples are amazing by themselves. There is so much variety in flavor that I believe there is an apple to please everyone. But occasionally we make a dip for our apples, usually it’s when we’re having a party or I make something lame for dinner and I need a quick dessert to make …
Roasted Potato and Onions is a dish that we have at least once a week at our home. It’s super versatile and really, really easy. I have a 24″ cast iron skillet that I usually use in the oven because we like the “crispies”. But you can do this in a baking dish in the …
This easy pie crust recipe will have you making sweet and savory pies all year long. This is the only pie dough recipe you need for all your pie making adventures since it is truly a no-fail pie crust recipe. I’ve included gluten-free variations below. Believe it or not, there are some people who do …
One of my children’s favorite recipes is stuffed pretzels. They don’t really look like pretzels but they taste like them. Whenever I make stuffed pretzels, I like to make a double batch and freeze some. These make a really great snack or lunch for my guys to take to work with them. These are super …
Looking for the best venison jerky recipe? This simple method works with either a dehydrator or oven. Using a flavorful homemade marinade — soy sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and black pepper — you’ll learn how to make chewy, smoky, shelf-stable deer jerky. Perfect for preserving your harvest, stocking your pantry, or enjoying as a high-protein …
Last week I spent a few days filling my freezer with cooked food. I’ve written several times about trying to keep my teenagers fed. It’s never ending. Someone is always asking, “What’s there to eat?” While most people focus on freezer meals, I really focus on freezer snacks. I find that snacks can really make …