Natural Homemade Living

I love strawberries and in the summer I like to go pick them when I can.  I usually end up with more than I can eat before they start getting overly ripe. I found this for freezer jam on the Ball jar box and have been enjoying it all winter. I have also used this recipe with frozen strawberries that I have thawed, when they aren't in season.  I like to put strawberries in my yogurt and in desserts, so I pureed some to freeze and made freezer jam out of the rest.  For the Jam you will need: 4 Cups crushed strawberries 1 1/2 C sugar, I used about 2/3/ c (or to taste) sometimes I use Agave instead of the sugar 5 T Instant Pectin  (optional- for thicker jam more like jelly) Makes 5 (8 oz) jars Stir sugar and Instant Pectin in a bowl. Add strawberries. Stir 3 minutes. Ladle into clean jars. (I like the plastic Ball jars, but the glass jars can be used as long as they are freezer safe). Let stand until thickened, about 30 minutes.  Serve, refrigerate or fre...

Maple Walnut Granola If you're looking for a lower sugar granola recipe, this is a great recipe adapted from Dr. Travis Stork.   This recipe makes 10 cups. Ingredients:  8 c. rolled oats 2 c. walnuts, rough chopped 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 c. canola oil (or melted virgin coconut oil) 2/3 c. maple syrup or honey 1 T pure vanilla extract Combine the oats, nuts, spices and salt together with your fingers. Mix the liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir together until everything is coated. Using 2 parchment paper lined baking sheets, pour half of the mixture on each sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool and store in an airtight container. This recipe also freezes well. Love and peace, Tammi and Angie

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