I've really enjoyed using my Dutch Oven this winter. I'm made quite a few meals with it. I wanted to share 3 simple and delicious meals with you.. The first one is Roasted Chicken. I could not believe how moist and delicious this roasted chicken was. I don't plan on roasting chickens any other way in the future!  Dutch Oven Roasted ChickenDelicious & Moist! Season a 3 to 4 lb chicken with your favorite seasonings. Wash & cut up a few potatoes Put half the potatoes on the bottom of a Dutch oven. Place whole chicken on top. Add remaining potatoes around chicken. Put the ..read more

    All Purpose Muffin Mix 18 cups flour, whole wheat pastry or white flour or a combination of both 5 cups sugar or cane juice crystal’s 2 ¼ cups powdered milk 6 T baking powder 2 T baking soda 2 T salt 3 T cinnamon 3 t nutmeg Combine all ingredients into a very large mixing bowl. Stir until everything is mixed evenly. Spoon the mix into either gallon size zip type bags or empty and clean coffee cans. To keep this mix fresh it needs to be stored in the freezer. To make 2 dozen muffins:In a large bowl mix: 3 eggs 3 t. vanilla 2 cups water ½ cup butter (melted first) or oil o ..read more

  It's no secret to those who know me, I am not a fan of winter! I don't like being cold, I don't like the long dark gray days we can have here in the Pacific Northwest and long nights. Each year I seem to go into a winter funk. Last year I decided to try something new and that is, learn to embrace each season for it's uniqueness and difference from the last. Find the positive, find the blessings. As long as I continue to tell myself I don't like winter, I won't see anything different. Here is some of what I have discovered. Winter is a lot about resting. The trees that look dead are ..read more

 Thanksgiving has always been a big gathering at my house with family. This year it will be smaller because so many of my children live out of state. But no matter how many people you plan to be gathering with this holiday it helps to have a plan.  I wrote out this plan many years ago and it has served me well. If you need a little planning assistance perhaps my Thanksgiving Planner will help you out!  I'll be sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you over the next couple weeks.  Thanksgiving Planner     3 weeks ahead of time  Figure ..read more

  Daily life is made up of routines. Those simple things we do that make life flow during the day. I've thought a lot about routines since hubby retired almost a year ago now. We have our morning routines. Hubby starts the fire to warm things up and I get the coffee made. After that we sit by the warmth of the fire, sip our coffee and talk about our plans for the day. He usually has some project he's working on or weather providing he is outside doing various tasks. I have home things I work on, chat/text with family, work on YouTube videos. And so the day begins for us. In the after ..read more

 It's fall time so let's make an apple pie!!  Apple pies and fall time are a great combination! I'm sharing my favorite apple pie recipe. I also have a link to my Never Fail Pie Crust recipe.  Below the recipes is my video showing you how to make this delicious pie!  ************************* Our Favorite Apple Pie 5 to 7 tart apples (5 cups) 1 Double crust pastry shell ½ cup sugar 3 to 4T flour (use the higher amount for juicy apples) ¾ tsp. cinnamon Peel and core apples and cut into slices. Put them in a large bowl and sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the a ..read more

  Not only is fall time a great reason to have some delicious soups but soups are a great way to use up your leftovers. You don't always need a recipe to make soup. Here is my tried and true method for making soup, no recipe needed!  (From The Family Homestead Archives) ******************* Making Soup without a Recipe Crystal Miller When I make soup I will occasionally follow a recipe, but not always. I have found that often times the most frugal use of my food can create some yummy soup combinations. Taking a few of last nights leftovers and adding a few more ingredients fro ..read more

  I love these pumpkin cinnamon rolls!! I hope you do to. A great fall time treat! :) This recipe makes 2 9x13 pans or 1 large jelly roll pan. If that is more than you want the recipe can be cut in half.  Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Crystal Miller   2/3 cup milk ¼ cup butter (half of a stick or cube) 1 cup pumpkin puree ¼ cup honey 1 t salt 2 eggs 1 T yeast 5 1/4 cups to 6 cups flour** Butter Brown sugar Cinnamon **Options: you can use half white flour and half whole wheat flour   In a sauce pan combine milk and butter.  Heat until the milk is hot and the butter almost ..read more

  These cookies are a family favorite! With fall time here I decided it was time to do a little baking. I haven't made this recipe in a long time! It hit the spot for a little sweetness on a cool fall day.  Below the recipe you see my YouTube video showing you how to make them.  ******************** Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup brown sugar ¾ cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 t. vanilla 2c. oats 1 ½ cups flour 1 t. baking powder 1 t. baking soda ¼ t. salt In a mixing bowl (a stand mixer works best) cream butter, peanut butter and Suc ..read more

  Beans are a great way to stretch the grocery budget. Black beans have been a favorite in my family for many years. In this post I'm sharing a few black bean recipes from The Family Homestead (my previous website). You can add meat to any of these recipes or serve them meatless. ***************************** Black Bean Burritos 6 cups cooked black beans 2 cups salsa 1 cup shredded carrots 8 oz. cream cheese 6 to 8 whole wheat tortillas 6 cups cheese This recipe makes a large 11x15 casserole. If this is too much for your family I would recommend that you make 2 of them in a 9x9 ..read more