Accidental Homemaker

First Harvest

2010-05-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

My first vegetable ready for harvest. One turnip. What should I do with it?

They can be eaten raw, baked, steamed, sauteed, or boiled. The greens are edible, so I need to figure out how to cook those. I'm leaning towards sauteed with olive oil and garlic.

Garden Take One

2010-03-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have recently started an edible garden. It consists of one raised bed and a few containers. Raised bed gardening is where you designate an area with wood or a kit in your yard and fill it with a dirt mix. This enables you to grow food in places where your soil is poor. I filled the beds with a mix of composted cow manure, peat moss, and mushroom compost. The pots are filled with a mix of vermiculite, top soil, composted cow manure, and peat moss.

I may be being ambitious for my first time out but I am using a trial and error method to see what works in Central Florida.

Roma Tomatoes
Bush Big Boy Tomatoes
Beefsteak Tomatoes
Eggplant
Sweet Pepper
Sweet Basil
Genovese Basil
Italian Parsley
Mamoth Basil
Sweet Corn
Fennel
Bush Cucumbers
Cantelope
Green Beans
Summer Squash
Blueberries
English Lavandar
Turnips
Grape Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Mesclun Mix
Romaine Mix
Southern Peas
Sunflowers

It's early days now but will continue to update with my progress.

Adventures in Chicken Stock

2009-12-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Once a month I make my favorite roast chicken recipe found on cheap healthy good. It is a lemon chicken that is so moist and delicious. It is also economical and healthy which is so important these days.

Not wanting to waste any part of this chicken, I decided to try to make chicken stock. I have never done so before but have read how much more tasty it is than the store bought stuff and did not think it would be all that difficult. I used an Alton Brown recipe found on the Food Network site. The only changes I made was not using a chicken neck because my chicken did not come with one and the lack of peppercorns because I forgot to pick some up at the store. I used ground pepper instead. The recipe makes quite a bit of stock, definitely enough to last my family a few months.

The delicious smell of the stock is still wafting through my house, almost 24 hours after it was cooked. Now I need to come up with some creative ways to use it.

Updates...

2009-06-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

- Worked out on the elliptical trainer 24 minutes.
- Baked a loaf of bread last week-end.
- Finished a book last week.

Planning Day

2009-06-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Sunday is the day when I plan out the meals for the week, grocery shop, and do any bulk cooking that I can.

Day One

2009-06-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

My first Saturday working on my partial list. I plan to start a biga for my one loaf of bread this week. For those that do not know what a biga is it is a pre-ferment used in break baking that gives the bread a light, open texture and a flavorful taste. The recipe I am using requires the biga to sit for 12-16 hours in room temperature. This will allow me to start actually baking my loaf, Sunday morning.

To move forward on my walking goal and to run a 5K, I am planning on walking through my neighborhood to get some exercise.

That may conclude my list activities for this Saturday but I will be thinking of more items to add to get me to the magic 100 number.

- Make a look book with 31 outfits in it (0/31)
- Take a dance class
- Complete a craft

More for the list

2009-06-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

- Bake one loaf of bread per week for three months (1/12)
- 5000 steps per day for six weeks (0/42)

2009-06-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

- Go back to school
- Get involved in local politics
- Be in bed by 10 PM M-TH 30 days in a row (0/30)

101 Goals in 1001 Days

2009-06-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a blog where the blogger posted a list of 101 goals to accomplish in 1001 days. As she completed them, she checked each off. This really inspired me to make my own list.

Cooking:

- Bake an amazing, bakery quality baguette.
- Make great pizza
- Come up with my own recipe

House:

-Paint office

Body:
- Run a 5K
- Weight train 3 times a week for four months

General:

- Read two books a month

Social:
- Join a club
- Be nice

Publix Haul

2008-06-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

I did some grocery shopping today and did pretty well. I spent $68.68 and saved $81.73. It always is exciting to save more than you spend.

The best deal today was the Fusion Shave Gel that my Fiance will only use. By combining a Publix store coupon and Manufacturers coupon, I got these for free. Thanks to the Publix forum at www.hotcouponworld.com for that one.

How I became an accidental homemaker

2008-05-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knew me in college or earlier, would say that I am the least likely person they know to cook, clean, or get married. The typical things happened which changed me, I met the right guy, aging, purchased our first home, and the overwhelming desire for homemade food. So now here I am, a changed woman.

In this blog, I will write about different recipes, cleaning techniques, and my most favorite topic; frugality. Sharing my frequent trips to grocery and drug stores while taking advantage of sales, coupons, and rebates.