Natural Homemade Living

Dad's Ham and Bean Soup Add this delicious soup recipe to your meal plans. This is one of our favorite soups. It's especially great if you have leftovers from a bone-in ham otherwise you can also use cubed ham. You can freeze your leftovers. This recipe makes 8-10 servings. Directions 4 cups chicken stock 4 cups water 1 ham bone and 2 cups cooked ham 2 cups sliced carrots 1/2 medium onion, diced 1 jar great northern beans with liquid 1 tsp celery seed Salt and pepper to taste If you are starting with a ham bone, add it to the stock and water in a large pot over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours. Remove the ham bone from the liquid, cut off the ham from the bone and add it back to the soup. Add more ham chunks if you'd like. (If you are using cut ham pieces you can cook all of the ingredients at the same time). Add the rest of the ingredients, stir occasionally and simmer for at least an hour. I like to simmer m...

These adorable cupcakes are perfect for birthday parties. I let the kiddos pick out the little candies and the flavors and colors for the cupcakes. One of my favorite things about kids is that the little things bring the biggest smiles. This includes piñata cupcakes. Directions: Make the cupcakes by using your favorite cake mix or make the cupcakes from scratch.  After the cupcakes have cooled, using a sharp knife, cut a round section (about an inch) out of the top of each cupcake and cut about halfway into the cupcake. Use the knife tip to gently lift out the small circle of cake.  Save your cake circles and trim some of the cake off the bottom of each circle. You can add more candy that way! Mix your little candies together in a bowl and spoon about a tablespoon of candies into each cupcake hole.  The kiddos chose sprinkles, mini M&Ms and nerds for their candies. Place a cake circle on top of each cupcake once they are filled with candy. Frost yo...

One of my favorite winter meals is jambalaya. It is easy to make and freezes well if you have any leftovers. This recipe serves between 8-10. Ingredients: 1 package (12 oz) Andouille sausage, sliced 1 Tablespoon canola oil 1 medium green pepper, diced 1/2 medium onion, diced 3-4 stalks celery, diced 3 Tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 c. water 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning 3 1/2 c. chicken stock 1 1/2 c. rice (not minute rice) use slow cooking rice 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 2 c. shredded chicken, I use rotisserie chicken Directions: Add oil to medium pan or skillet and heat. Add sliced sausage and browned. Cover pan and keep warm, stirring occasionally.  Add the shredded chicken to the sausage and keep warm. In large pan heat a tablespoon of oil and sauté the celery, onion and green pepper, about 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste, water, seasoning, chicken stock, rice, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Heat until ...

Mantle decorating after the holidays.  I’m always anxious to pack away my Christmas decorations even though I love them. Once they are packed away I realize how much I treasure my space. We recently moved which required some downsizing. The entire moving and downsizing process has also helped me to be more intentional about the items I surround myself with. If you have followed our blog you know that my sister and I don’t like extra “stuff” sitting around. Rather than buying something new I decided to leave my trees on the mantle. They light up at night and look so pretty that I wanted to enjoy them for a little while longer. Our philosophy when decorating is to use the items you love and keep it simple. Love and peace, Tammi

Simple Summer Mantle  Keeping it simple is an easy technique when decorating your home. I’m not fond of the cluttered look so I picked my favorite items to use for my mantle. I love my Magnolia Market baskets, cherry blossoms and metal vase. My candles are set on a timer for the evening hours because I always want the “light on”. Happy decorating! Love and peace, Tammi

I love this time of year when I can finally enjoy some of the fresh herbs and vegetables I am growing and go to Farmer's Market's. This recipe is adapted from Caprese Salad, which I like but sometimes I want it to be more of a meal. On these days where it seems too hot to cook I really enjoy salads. If you aren't a fan of basil, this probably won't be the salad for you, but add what you like and what you have on hand. You don’t have to be exact with the measurements just taste it along the way until it's how you like it. Here's what you need: fresh basil, I just picked a small handful of leaves and cut them into small pieces med to large tomatoes, 1-2 diced, you can use canned I would use about 1/2-1 c drained or cherry tomatoes halved 3 c pasta, I use rotini or penne, but anything about that size works Simply Homemade Olive Garden Italian Dressing  (optional) or you could drizzle it with olive oil or use your own Italian Dressing fresh Mozzarella cheese,...

It is a perfect day to make soup in the Midwest! It’s April and tomorrow is supposed to be snowing, windy and cold. This yummy recipe is adapted from our Aunt Joanne. We adjusted a few things to shorten the prep time. 😀 Ingredients : 8 c chicken stock 2 c rotisserie chicken, diced or shredded 2 cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed 1 c salsa 1 1/2 c corn 2 c shredded Colby-Jack cheese Mix all ingredients except the cheese in a crock pot. Cook on high for two hours. Or you can cook it on the stove in a large pan over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Add the cheese during the last 10-15 minutes. I serve this with crushed tortilla chips, a dollop of plain yogurt (or our Simply Homemade Creme Fraiche ) and an extra pinch of shredded cheese. It’s delicious! Love and peace, ~ Tammi and Angie