Making My Own Butter!!!

As Thanksgiving approaches tomorrow I decided to try something new.  I decided to make my own butter for my turkey this year.  I know you are thinking what I did when this thought came into my head, WHY?  Why would I do this when Organic butter is in every store?  Well, quite honestly because I wanted to see if I could.  I also wanted to see what the flavor difference would be.

I bought extra Organic heavy whipping cream, set up my mixer and got ready for butter.  I put the mixer on high and after about 3 minutes it was whipped topping.  I kept going until the mixture started to separate.  I couldn't believe it!  It really happened.  The liquid and solids really separated.

I strained the solids and put them into cheese cloth and squeezed the rest of the liquid out.  TADA, butter!

After showing them, actually dancing them, across the house to show my husband, he called me Laura Engals.  I think he actually said, "Little House on the Prairie Called....."

It came out delicious!  I even went a step farther to get some thyme and sage from the garden and add them in to it so that I can rub down my turkey tomorrow with it.

This was one of the easiest things to make.  I will be making my own butter from here on.
 
Till Next Blog.....

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Burlap Veggie Keepers For LESS

Having our backyard organic garden is wonderful.  I love being able to grow our own food!  I also want to make sure that the food I grow will be usable as long as possible.

I had been looking into buying burlap bags to store my potatoes, onions and even carrots to help  them last.  They were alot more expensive then I thought they would be so.....I decided to do it myself.  I had seen these wonderful wire baskets with the burlap liners in them in a gardening catalog and I decided to try to make those.

I used a 2 shelf wire shelf/basket.  You can get them at Target, Walmart or even check your local dollar store.  The burlap I got from Joann's Fabrics, which if your Sunday paper is like ours, there is a 60% off coupon every week.

I cut and attached the burlap to the wire basket with upholstery thread, leaving a good amount to run across the top and cover as many veggies as I could put in it.  It came out great!!!  It was sooooo much cheaper and now I can store the wonderful things from the garden in a dark cabinet in burlap that will keep them for months!  Hurray!

Give it a shot.  Even if you don't have your own organic garden, it will keep your grocery store potatoes, onions and carrots fresher longer (store each veggie in it's own group).  And we all know how expensive buying organic is!

*for carrots I read that putting damp sand or sawdust in layers will keep them fresh

Till Next Blog................

My Daughter's First Stitches, The Meds Have WHAT???

We had gone to Chicago for a family emergency last week.   While we waited in the family waiting area my daughter decided to listen to her cousin and stand in the back of a big Tonka truck.  The result was us booking it to the emergency room of that hospital for the gash under her chin.

When they got us in the examination room the nurse said she was going to get my daughter some Motrin for the pain.  I told her that she has never taken anything like that in her 2+ years.  Then I saw her dispensing it. It was red so I knew it was the Motrin with artificial color and flavoring.  I asked her if they had the clear Motrin (dye and flavor free) and she said "no, why is she allergic?".  I told her that I don't like her to have dyes and artificial flavors.  So the result was my daughter not getting the Motrin.

Then when the doctor came in she told us that they would not be able to use numbing cream on the wound before stitches because the same manufacturer of the cream also made the spinal shots that caused a meningitis outbreak and all their products were recalled!  Seriously!

Watching my daughter gets the shots to numb her killed me!  Hearing her crying "Ouch Please stop" was so awful.  But she made it through like a champ.

I walked away from this experience so blown away.  How did the hospital not have a clear Motrin?  I cannot be the only parent that knows that regular Motrin contains High Fructose Corn Syrup (GMO) and Red Dye 40 (cancer causing).  This is a hospital for Pete's sake.  They should have a safer option, OHHHH wait!  That's right, they are basically making money hand over fist by pushing those products on us.  After all, the sicker we all get the more money they keep making off of us.  They can't stay in business if we are all healthy and don't need them.

Thankfully, my daughter is doing great.  The stitches are out and I am applying Emu oil on the wound to keep it from scaring.  She was my brave little girl and still has never had Motrin.  I think I will keep it that way!

Till Next Blog....

The Halloween Bait and Switch!

We ended up in Chicago for Halloween for a family emergency.  To which my two year old asked "Mommy do they trick or treat there?"  in horror as she worried about whether or not she could be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz in Chicago.

I had already planned on the "bait and switch" with my daughter's Halloween candy before we got the call to head to Chicago for the family emergency.  So I definitely took my treats with me.

I found a great alternative to the crap that is handed out on Halloween.  The lollipops I found are  Organic, contain no artificial dyes, no corn syrup, no artificial flavors.  They are by Yummy Earth yummyearth.com .  They are seriously delicious!!  I tried one to make sure before she had one and YUM!

So Yes I did.  I was THAT Mommy that gave her one before we started to Trick or Treat.....so having already reeled her in I knew it would be easy to switch up the crap candy she would get while Trick or Treating with the Lollipops I bought.  She loved them and never even thought she was missing out.  

Yes, I did get grief for bringing them up there and doing it, but I don't care.  My daughter did not have anything with Corn Syrup (GMO), artificial dyes (cancer), or artificial flavors (who knows).

I am proud to be THAT Mommy.  I am not trying to fit in, I am trying to do the best I can by my daughter no matter what the holiday is!  Does it make me a freak, maybe?  Do I care?  no way!

Till next Blog.....