Sharing Recipes for Extras

I really enjoy cooking from scratch and that includes making my own seasonings, sauces and such. It is comforting to know exactly what we are eating, right down to the extras, so I thought it might be nice to share links to some of my recent favorite finds.

Grace at Queen of the Red Doublewide has a great recipe for homemade Seasoned Salt that I use all the time. She also has a recipe for Homemade Seasoning for Breakfast Sausage that even works well with ground beef.

Since I shared a recipe for Seasoned Salt, how about the one I use for Seasoned Pepper? I have been using this recipe for so long that I don't even remember where I got it, I think from a magazine years ago.

We really like this recipe for Ragu Style Pizza/Pasta Sauce from Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth. I took her suggestion and made extra for the freezer. :)

I recently went searching online for a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce and found a truly wonderful recipe for Red Enchilada Sauce at gimme some OVEN. I can't believe how expensive canned enchilada sauce is, especially after learning how easy it is to make! Make sure to use chile powder and not chili powder in this recipe. Also, I used a milder chile powder (Tampico brand ground California chile pepper found at Walmart) for my second batch, the first was so hot we could hardly eat it.

Speaking of Chili Powder, I found a really nice recipe at The Kitchn awhile back. I left out the cayenne and coriander and reduced the chipotle powder to one teaspoon.

I have even tried a couple of homemade syrup recipes recently. This Molasses-Cinnamon Syrup from Simple Bites is heavenly and there are a couple of more yummy sounding recipes included in the link.

Two of my favorites that I have shared before are Homemade Flavored Coffee Creamer and Spreadable Butter. They are indispensable around here!

Do you like to make your own "extras" for cooking and baking?

Sharing with Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Le Cafe des Chats

Bert and Ernie and the neighbors' cat enjoying supper together. :)

Sharing with the Rurality Blog Hop.

Tuesday's Tails - 10/29/2013

Well, Red Dog is a Kelpie after all and they were bred to be sheep dogs but I don't know why he had to steal my Serta Counting Sheep from off the bed!

He seems to be a bit of a klepto. So far, he pilfered my sheep, he came home with somedog's bone, he procured a little stuffed animal dog somewhere and brought it home ("But, Mom, he followed me home, can't I keep him? Please, please!"), and last night, he wanted to bring in a dead bird that more than likely belonged to the barn kitties...I drew the line at that one!! ;)

Unplugged

Sorry I haven't been around much the past couple of weeks. I have been feeling the need to 'unplug' and work on some crafty things. The baby sweater is coming along nicely, I have both the front pieces finished and the back is started. There is actually hope of being finished in time for Christmas! Woo-hoo! ;)

The weather has cooled off here and we are really enjoying it. Jerry actually needed a blanket early this morning and we even got to dig out some long-sleeved shirts this weekend.

I am on vacation from my baking this week as we are headed to Ruidoso, NM this coming weekend to visit our friends and attend the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium. We are really looking forward to it and I plan on taking lots of pictures to share with ya'll. :)

Random 5 Friday - 09/20/2013

1.  I never tire of the view from our front porch. The mountains always look different depending on the time of day, clouds, etc.

2.  Two weeks ago, Nancy posted a 'recipe' for a DIY shower cleaner. I tried it and must say...it is by far THE BEST shower cleaner I have used in years, homemade or commercial! It is easily made and, because of the lemon juice, it isn't stinky like some I've tried. Thanks Nancy!! Here is the recipe from Nancy:

Simple: Fill a spray bottle half-full with white vinegar; add 1/4 cup lemon juice, then fill the bottle the rest of the way with dish detergent. Shake well then spray on and leave for about 30 minutes, then wipe off.

3.  I found a cute pattern online for a knit Baby Kimono that I'm going to make for grand-daughter Jaycee for Christmas. I probably should get started, huh?!

4.  Here in the next few weeks, we are going to get electricity installed down at the barn. It will be nice to have real lights and an outlet in my milking shed for a heater and/or a fan.

5.  Jerry took Red Dog with him to the horse auction last Saturday and met Red's former owner. I kind of figured that might happen living in a small town and all. Come to find out, the fella raises pretty high-dollar stock dogs and Red was one of his 'breeders.' Initially, he offered to buy him back but when he found out that we had to get him neutered to adopt him from the animal shelter, he changed his mind. He was glad the dog is okay and has a good home and had Jerry out to his ranch this past week. He also gave Jerry some literature on the commands to use. So, you really, really never know just who you are getting when you adopt a dog from the pound! ;)

Joining Nancy for Random 5 Friday and Jan and Jer for Friday's Fences.

Pear Ginger Crisp



We harvested the fruit from our Kieffer Pear tree last week. We ended up with 20 pounds of pears from our little, 8-foot-tall dwarf tree! :)

I used some to make spiced pear jam in the slow cooker (works GREAT for the PB&J cookies), we have been eating them fresh, I gave some away and I used some to make this crisp last Sunday. What a lovely recipe! Between the maple syrup, fresh pears, dried cherries and oatmeal topping this is a fabulous dessert for fall!

The original recipe, from Simply Recipes, is for a pie but I didn't have time to properly chill the dough for the crust that afternoon so I decided to just go with a crisp. The only other change I made was to add about a cup of dried cherries, dried cranberries would be nice too.

The Bisbee Farmer's Market has a pie baking contest every fall and I put some of the pears in the refrigerator to keep so that I can enter this pie in the contest. Actually, I never told ya'll, but I WON the pie baking contest last year for a Peach Blueberry pie. It was my first week attending that market and, honestly, I was a little embarrassed about winning. LOL!!

Linking up with the Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Wordless Wednesday - 09/18/2013