Natural Homemade Living

I knew it was the perfect time to try this old family favorite recipe when the temperatures dropped to 15º last night and snowflakes covered the patio. Comfort foods are my favorite when the weather is changing. Stay warm!! ❄❄ Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup onion, chopped 1 can chili beans in sauce, 15 1/2 ounces 3/4 cup barbecue sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 package corn muffin mix, 15 ounce Directions: Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Cook beef, peppers and onion over medium heat in a frying pan, about 15 minutes. Drain the grease from the ground beef.  Add the chili beans, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper. Heat until the mixture starts to boil. Spoon it into a 9 inch square baking pan or dutch oven. Prepare the corn muffin mix using the instructions on the box.  Pour it over the meat layer. Bake 30 minutes. Makes about 6 servings. Enjoy! Love and peace. Tammi

Pumpkin pudding with a ginger cookie on the side 😊 Homemade pudding is still one of my favorite childhood desserts. I love to make my own pudding and experiment with different flavors. A perfect fall flavor is pumpkin. This pudding is creamy and has all of the pumpkin pie spices. Try this awesome recipe if you love pumpkin and pudding! Ingredients: 2 T cornstarch 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1-3/4 cup milk (I used 2%) 2/3 cup canned pumpkin 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp allspice 1/8 tsp ground ginger 1 pinch ground cloves 1 pinch salt 1 tsp vanilla extract Directions: Whisk brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium pan. Cook over medium heat. Whisk milk and egg then gradually add to the above mixture. Continue whisking the mixture until it boils, it'll take a few minutes. Boil for 1 minute and keep whisking. Remove from heat and whisk in the pumpkin, spices and vanilla. Place pan on burner over low heat. Whisk for another 2 minutes.

This morning seemed like a great time to make a favorite bread from the past. This recipe makes 2 loaves. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 cup softened butter 2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 cups buttermilk 4 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda Cinnamon Topping: 1/2 cup white sugar 2 tsp cinnamon Cream butter then add sugar and eggs. Beat until blended then add milk. Mix in flour and baking soda. Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans (9x5 inch) until they are 1/4 full. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon topping over the batter in each pan. Spoon the rest of the batter over the top of cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon mixture over the top. Use a knife to gently swirl the cinnamon mixture throughout each loaf. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes then remove from pans. Slice and enjoy! Love and peace, Tammi and Angie

For me, homemade applesauce is another one of those items that once you've had homemade, the stuff in the jars just doesn't cut it! Both of my grandmas made applesauce without a recipe. I had some notes from them that helped me remember the process. I used organic ingredients, but you don't have to. I would recommend using sweeter apples so you don't need as much sugar. This is super delicious! Ingredients : 6 pounds apples (about 12-16 medium apples) peeled, cored and sliced 1/2 c water 1/2 c white sugar  1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp ground cloves Directions : I used organic apples, honeycrisp and gala. Peel, core and slice the apples and put them in a large pot. Add the water and sugar. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the spices and simmer over low heat until the liquid has cooked into the apples. Remove from the heat and cool for about an hour. I like to use jars to store the applesauce in the refrigerato