Happenings... Blog Silence

I am so sorry for the blog silence lately. It is a busy season in our life right now. Number One put new flooring and a new toilet in the bathroom. He is also doing some maintenance to the house. Spring cleaning and organizing is always necessary after wintertime. Things get moved around and packed into our small domicile all Winter long. Lots of gloves, hats and outerwear have to be packed back up and properly stored again until next season. Tools need to be put back in their place, so we can find them when we need them.

Our neighbors have sold their home and are consolidating what they have left after moving to their new home in  Alaska. They, for obvious reasons, cannot take everything with them. They had already purchased many items for their new home when they moved. We were gifted this cool lamp. I really like it. It's very unique. They are also giving us their very nice BBQ grill. It is a propane grill that we can use during a fire ban. We have been in a fire ban all Winter. We will pick it up right before they close on their house.  

They also brought us some fish that they had caught in Alaska and they gave us some frozen beef and chicken from their giant freezer. They did not have enough room in their coolers to fly it all home. We ended up with 7 large roasts and several pounds of chicken. They bought a cow last year and had it processed, so they have a lot of beef to fly home. Our chickens ended up with expired crackers and boxed cereals. Happy chickens!!!

I cooked a chuck roast in the Sun Oven today. Number One will slice it on the slicer and use it for lunchmeat. It is time to bake bread too. We are out. It's hard to bake or cook in a construction zone, so we have been out of bread for a week or so. 

So, that is what we have been up to for the past two weeks among other things. We have been watching the things of this world unfold. How much crazier can it get all at once? It is non-stop with the crazy. I hope all is well with you and yours. Be safe and take care.

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith

 

Copycat Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage... Beef Breakfast Sausage

Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage is a favorite of ours, so I decided to make a copycat version. I also decided to make the sausage out of ground beef, since we don't eat pork and turkey sausage has become expensive and elusive at the grocery store. Making sausage is nothing new for us. We love making all types of sausage from all types of meats. We have made sausage links and patties from chicken, turkey, deer, buffalo, elk and now beef.

Pancakes and beef sausage patties.

Spices

1 pound ground beef

Using a mixer breaks up the ground beef into a finer grind or  run it through a meat grinder. It was only a pound, so using the mixer was the best option for me.  

Mix ground beef with the spices until spices are thoroughly incorporated.

Place sausage mixture on top of a sheet of plastic wrap.

Form into a rough log.

Tightly compress the sausage with the plastic wrap until it forms a sausage roll. 

Place the sausage in the refrigerator for several hours before slicing into patties. 

Slice sausage into patties and fry until fully cooked.

Enjoy with your favorite breakfast foods.

1 Pound ground beef or other ground meat

1/2 Tsp Cayenne pepper

1 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Garlic powder

1/2 Tsp Parsley (Finely chopped or dried)

1/4 Tsp Sage(rubbed or ground)

1/4 Tsp Black pepper

1/4 Tsp Red pepper flakes

1/4 Tsp Ground thyme

1/8 Tsp Ground coriander

1/8 Tsp Oregano

Notes:

 Add more or less pepper flakes and cayenne to adjust the amount of hot spice you desire.

 Add maple syrup if you want maple flavored sausage.

 The more fat content in the meat you use will give the sausage a more authentic texture and taste.

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith

Homemade Kimchi...

Napa Cabbage, Wash thoroughly.

                                

I used fresh ground chili paste, but you can use ground Chinese chili powder.

Sea Salt

Completely salt every leaf.

Let set for several hours. Rinse thoroughly. 

Cut into bite sized pieces.

Chop green onions and garlic. 

Add to the rinsed cabbage.

Add chili paste. This stuff is hot, be careful!

Mix well.

Place mixture in a jar with a loose fitting lid. Place in a bowl and let ferment 3-5 days.

Store in the refrigerator. 

That's it. Simple and cheaper than store bought. You will have to determine the amount of ingredients by the size of your Napa cabbage. My cabbage was small. This batch turned out very hot. Next time I will use less chili paste.

Enjoy!

Mrs. Smith