The Homestead acquired a new appliance a few weeks ago.
An electric Smoker. We should have bought one at least 25 years ago, I probably spent as much money as a smoker on store bought smoked gouda over the years.
By now you can guess what was the first thing that went into the smoker, yup, CHEESE.
I love cheese. Who doesn’t love cheese? (If they don’t, they are weird)...
Yup. Growing season has commenced! Things are right on schedule in the seedling world. So much so that I had to give the pepper plants a haircut to promote bushier growth as opposed to wanting to be giant bean stalk height. They have been under a grow light since they sprouted and have just gone crazy.
The tomatoes are now well on their way. I started them a full month after the...
Time for what you say?
Seed planting time!!!!!
Seeds have been ordered and delivered, planting pots and trays are out of storage and at the ready. All I need is a bag or two of seed potting medium and I am ready to roll!
Hurry up February 15th!
That is the day I start my peppers seeds. Let...
Remember Fuerig? The black baby alpaca fibre I received back in the early Spring? Well after a couple weeks of washing, carding and spinning 2 ounces of his lusciously soft and silky fibre, it turned into a gorgeous jet black skein of yarn just begging to be petted and smooshed. Trust me, ask anyone who knits or crochets what they do when they pick up a pretty skein of soft yarn and you will understand...
Last weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving, and as is the norm after cooking a 10lb bird for 3 people (actually I cooked for 4, but my daughter is a vegetarian), there are oodles of leftovers…..leftover. This soup is hearty and has a good zip to it with the addition of the canned tomatoes with chiles (ie. Rotel).
First order after removing the remaining meat from the bird was to put the carcass in...
I have done this dye job once before, but didn’t document it very well so figured I would have a virtual record of it this go round.
Dyeing fibres with onion skins is amazingly simple. You don’t need any mordants (Che icals that affix the dye particles to the fibres) and you can use your regular kitchen utensils (but, if you are going to use other plant based dyes or chemical dyes,...
For those knitters and fibre enthusiasts out there, you know the feeling of completing a KAL with a great bunch of like minded folk. For those that aren’t into fibre-arts, you are missing out!
For the month of September, I signed up to knit a shawl for a KAL group on Ravelry, which by the way, if...
I had a pretty good garden crop this year, especially the tomatoes. A bumper crop of the luscious round globes had me eating them in a variety of ways, especially with the extended summer heat of September. The thought of having to prepare and cook a hot meal on days where the mercury climbed above 30C had me melting into a puddle. Salads became a staple for lunches and dinners.
A favourite is this super simple and super...
Not just to me, but to my loyal readers and I hope some new ones as well. After fighting with an apparent “push” by Facebook that has derailed my newsfeed (and with no fix, reason, explanation, or CARE from FB), I will no longer be using that site.
Instead, I have invited new and old friends to receiving updates either via subscribing...
I love eggs. One of Nature’s wonders of the food world. I would love to eat them everyday, but my family history is peppered with heart health issues so I only indulge when I really, really, really have a craving for them.
Yesterday was one of those days. I came back from a bike ride and while cooling down from the physical exertion, I started having a hankering for egg salad for...