DIY Tin Can Sterno Stove

I did this post for the incoming winter weather. Go buy up all the milk and bread at the stores :) just kidding, ain't nobody got time for that! I took a big tin can (mine is a green bean can from Sam's). I made holes every 2" around the bottom with a can opener.  I made 4 holes at the top of the can - so I could slide the cut wire hanger in for a rack. Take the pliers and bend in sharp edges.  Lite Sterno, put homemade stove on top and get to cooking. Use responsibly :) it is a flame!! If you are extremely clumsy just eat granola bars and drink canned soda. If you have an old stove top coffee percolator this is a perfect way to make coffee, or heat up a can of soup if you are without electricity. Tip: The brand name Sterno is a little more expensive ($2-$3-about 6 hours) but last longer, Dollar Tree ($1-lasts 2 hours).

  

 

Simple Recipes for Homeschool - Home Economics

Kitchen rules

Rule #1: Put your hair up (in the bathroom not around the kitchen).
Rule#2: Wash your hands!
Rule#3: If it's not good - Daddy will eat it anyway.

Easy Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
1cup milk
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup of sugar
1 large can of sliced peaches with juice

Preheat oven 350°. Put the stick of butter in a 13X9 baking dish and let it melt in oven. In a mixing bowl whisk together milk, flour, and sugar. Pour the mixture in the dish over the melted butter, then pour the whole can of peaches with the juice over top. Do not stir or mix. Bake in oven till light brown on top (around 40-45 minutes). Eat with cool whip and/or vanilla ice cream.

Melt in Your Mouth Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 Pint of heavy whipping cream
2 cups of self rising flour (It's going get messy!)

Preheat oven 450°. Stir ingredients until forms a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured & clean counter top. Don't forget to get your hands floured, if you forget this step you can always play monsters with your fingers :). Sprinkle a bit of flour on the top of dough and flour the rolling pin (it's best to roll from inside to outside). Roll the dough until it's about half inch. Take a biscuit cutter, if you don't have a biscuit cutter use a glass. Start cutting your biscuits (Don't forget to put your cutter in flour). Place the cut biscuits on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 8- 10 minutes. They are really good with chocolate gravy or just a mixture of honey and butter.

Framed Eggs

Ingredients:
Butter
1 egg
1 piece of bread

Cut a hole in the center of bread. Butter both sides of the cut bread and the circle.  Put the circle aside. Put the cut bread in a skillet on medium. Crack egg inside circle (I whisk my egg in a bowl and pour it in the center). Throw a little salt and pepper on it. Cook until bread is toasted. Flip it and fry the other side until - how you desire the wellness of your egg. After your framed egg is done,  I like to toast my cut circle in the skillet. Who wants to waste some good ole buttery toast. Serve it with a side of bacon and maple syrup.

I’m Not the Typical Homeschool Mom

I’m not the typical classical homeschool mom. I do not have my hair in a bun, I wear PJ’s most of the day (who wants more laundry by changing clothes) and I do not plan out every learning experience by the book. I consider music class as how to play cups to the cup song and watching The Weather Channel for geography. We have homeschool books but we veer off course a lot. If the kids wake up and say, “Can we make Duck Tape purses or cook all day?” How can I say no to that? I don’t! So now that I told on myself for not being perfect I will proceed to tell my experience when I took my 4^th grader (Freckles) to her achievement testing. The instructions sheet said, “Bring: ruler, scrap sheets of paper, calculator, and 2 # 2 sharpened pencils, and a snack with a drink.” I packed her a ruler, scrap paper, calculator, 6 #2 sharpened pencils, a soda, bag of chips, and a bag of cookies. She walks into a class room filled with about 20 other homeschool children, and begins testing. Freckles had to take the test for 3 consecutive days. The first day she comes out wet and looks at me and says, “I opened my coke during snack time it exploded, thank you for packing me the tissues. My book got wet and my pages stuck together and I messed up my bubble sheet on math because my pages were sticky.” I apologized and we went to the store to get a different drink not soda. While shopping she proceeds to tell me that she was the only one who brought a soda and the only one with a bag of chips. The other homeschoolers had hummus dip, apples, bananas, and sandwiches in cooler bags; Wow, I was thinking mother of the year award right here! I asked, “Well did you want a healthier snack to take tomorrow?” Freckles said, “heck no, those cookies were good except I think the all the other kids were drooling over them.” So by the 3^rd testing day they said Freckles messed up her math and the bubbles were off. I was like oh well her teacher isn’t going to get mad if her results are low. Luckily this did not seem to upset or traumatize Freckles in anyway. One month later we received her test results and they weren’t that bad. Her math scores were low but I wasn’t expecting them to be all that considering I sent her in the testing center with a loaded soda bottle. She scored her grade level in math and in reading 10.7 grade level. Proud momma! It felt good to know that I don’t have to take the straight path to homeschooling for learning to happen, it can happen on a curvy dirt road.

Dryland Fish Mushrooms

These mushrooms are found in moist wooded areas around April/May (in Tennessee). They are hard to find, it is like searching for Waldo :) but that's the fun part. I soak them in salt water overnight. Cover them in a batter of milk, egg, cornmeal, and flour. Fry them up! Yum!

On the Go - Go to Meal

Tacos Salads

This is what we eat on our busy days. I do not like to eat out all the time so this is our on the go - go to meal!

Ingredients:
Small bags of corn chips
Seasoned cooked taco meat
Refried beans
Shredded cheese
Lettuce
Sour cream
Diced tomatoes
Spoon or fork (we use disposable)

Open the bags of chips, spoon in meat & all the fixings (don't over flow). Eat on the go, no dishes & no mess. It's a requested favorite by my girls.

Cooking Bacon Spinach Potatoes with Freckles

Freckles came to me and said, "Mom I want to be a gardening chef, if I'm going to cook I need to grow my own food, right?!" So here we go! We started an indoor herb garden and bought seeds for her to grow an outdoor garden for spring. Here is the recipe she cooked.

Spinach Bacon Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 pound of bacon cut into 1/2" pieces
7 to 8 potatoes peeled & chopped into 1" cubes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 chopped green onions
4 cups of baby spinach leaves

Parsley

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain. Leave bacon grease in the skillet, add potatoes, salt & pepper to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently until they are brown & crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain. Add onion, parsley, & spinach leaves (put a pinch of salt on top of spinach) cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in bacon & potatoes top with cheese. You can serve as is or with sour cream. As Freckles says, "Throw some more cheese on it!"

Food was wonderful. We had so much fun. We will see how long this profession last. Squirmy still has not mentioned what she wants to be, her natural talent is to be a comedian.

Silkie Rooster Crowing

My 4 month old <: Silkie rooster (Chicken Little aka Stewart) started crowing. He was letting his 3 ladies know that I had opened the coop and the coast was clear. Maybe soon my pretty ladies will start laying.