Simple Frozen Yogurt (With No Machine)

Although it's officially autumn,
we're still having temperatures in the 80's,
so we haven't yet traded in our frozen treats 
for hot chocolate and warm cider.

I've been wanting to make this for a while.
We don't own an ice cream maker,
and since we like to keep things simple around here,
don't plan on buying another appliance that performs just one duty.
There were several recipes found online,
but this one was the simplest and easiest.

 This is all you need to make homemade frozen yogurt.
Plain or vanilla yogurt, frozen fruit and a food processor. 
Honey or stevia could be added for sweetening,
but we kept it as basic as possible. 


The method couldn't be simpler.
Place yogurt in ice cube trays and freeze for a few hours.

Add your fruit to the processor first, it helps with the mixing.
(We added about 1/2 C.)
Next, add in your frozen yogurt cubes.
(We used one filled ice cube tray.)
Whiz away!
You may have to process it in a couple of batches,
or even add a dash of your choice of milk to aid in the blending.

before freezing

 We returned the mixed concoction to the original yogurt container
and placed it in the freezer.
You could also add in chocolate chips, coconut, 
crumbled cookie bits or nuts at this point.
Give it a stir every 15 minutes for about an hour.
That's it!

It's good to know that something so tasty
is so easy to make.
Enjoy! 



 



 

Autumnal Equinox

Autumn
by daisy

Welcome Autumn in all your splendor

Changing leaves and crisp, cool mornings.

Coaxing us to get outside

And drink in every fresh, deep breath.

Craft fairs and football games

Invite us to venture forth

To begin new endeavors

And share good times.

The harvest table will soon be full

Of favorites old and new.

Yam casserole and baked corn pudding

Sure to please most every palate.

The scent of fall stirs thoughts of youth

Piles of leaves to pounce upon

Hot cider and buggy rides

Relishing time spent with friends.

Autumn, we greet you with open arms

And thank you for your many gifts.

Be sure to take your time and linger

So that we may savor every moment. 

Roasted Okra

Being a Yankee,

okra was not on the menu growing up.

My farmer friends Faye & Lynn grow the stuff by the gallons

and got me to try hooked on pickled okra a couple of years ago.

I haven't looked back.

With an abundance of okra to harvest right now,

they gave me a bagful to do with as I chose.

One of the nice perks of volunteering at their farm

is that I sometimes come home with goodies!

Their generosity is boundless.

Faye & I picked this okra on Sunday and we showed you our method here.

Although Faye doesn't eat the stuff,

(more for the rest of us!)

she suggested I try roasting it.

I thought I'd give it a go,

as roasted root veggies are one of my wintertime favorites!

The okra was washed and the ends trimmed,

then olive oil, a pinch of sea salt 

and a sprinkling of steak seasoning was used to add just enough zing.

Into the oven at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes, and 

 voila!

The stuff was so scrumptious I could not believe it.

This bowlful was gone in a heartbeat.

When I talked to Faye, I told her 

I may never pickle again!

Some of the roasted pods were cut into bite-sized pieces

and added to our Wednesday night pasta.

Along with some homemade pesto and peas,

it really hit the spot.
It would be great with rice or quinoa,
to make it a gluten-free treat.

I can hardly wait for Farm School this weekend.

More okra to roast 

and the best company anyone could ask for.

Have you ever roasted okra before?

Thrifty Thursday-Wrapper Recycle

Happy Birthday Big K!
We are SO glad you were born!

*******

Living simply means that we try to get the most out of what we have,
and try to find other purposes for common items.
This helps foster respect for the blessings in our lives,
and saves us time and money to boot.

Here's an idea that was too good not to share.

We purchase our recycled paper towels at the grocery store.

We've gotten better about using them less,

and one day I would love to go paperless in the kitchen! 

One step at a time...

In order to get more out of the packaging,

we cut off the top...

and use it to line our bathroom garbage can.

We do the same thing with our toilet paper wrappers.

No need to buy plastic liners,

and the item serves double duty.

Less money to spend,

less to keep track of,

and less waste in the landfill.

The extras are kept in a repurposed tissue box under the bathroom sink.
It makes it easy to pull out a new one
when it needs replacing.
So grateful for others who embrace simplicity,
and keep the great ideas coming!

                     

Ant Invasion! (And our homemade solution)

We've been overrun by these six-legged creatures.
We get ants seasonally,
but this was the worst invasion I've ever seen
since I've lived in Florida.

They showed up about 2 weeks ago
mostly in the kitchen.
We're fairly vigilant about keeping the counters wiped down,
so we couldn't figure out what they were after.
They also hung out around the sink.

Even in the bathroom, where no food is found,
they were making themselves at home.
The third spot they seemed to like
was on our son's bedroom window sill. 
No food or water there,
but there they were, taking over. 

Since we make a conscious effort to keep the toxins out of our home,
we looked for a homemade solution
using common ingredients that would be harmful
only to the critters trying to overthrow the locals.

 First, I tried a dry mixture of borax and powdered sugar.
I left it in strategic places for a few days.
Nothing happened.
So, I researched other solutions.
This time, I added water to the same combination.

The mixture was placed in the locations 
 the ants frequented.  

 
BINGO! 

At first, just to test the concoction out,
we placed it directly on the countertops.
The ants came scurrying within an hour...

and surrounded the sweet slurry.

 We also tried using it on a piece of cotton,
and it worked well.




Since we knew they were attracted,
we decided to use bottlecaps instead.
(This stuff dries after a few hours,
so it made it easier than scraping it up off the counter.)  

Although the ants were quite a nuisance for a few days,
they slowly became less noticeable. 
The idea is that they bring the solution back to the nest
and eventually, they all die off.

Now, two weeks later, there's hardly an ant to be found.
I can't tell you how impressed I am with this stuff.

We also made up a spray solution
that is more of a bug repellant,
which can be used at the first sighting of unwanted critters.

Here are the two recipes we used and their resources.
(The names are our own creations.)

 





Ant B Gone
(Creeklinehouse.com)
1 C sugar
1/2 C water
1 T borax

Let solution sit until sugar is fully dissolved.
Place directly where ants have been seen
(we spooned it into plastic bottlecaps).
Repeat as necessary.

Ant Away
(Mom4Real.com)
Using a small spray bottle,
fill 3/4 full with water.
Add 2 T witch hazel and
12 drops of peppermint essential oil.
Shake and spray.
Not only does this spray repel ants,
your house will smell fresh.

The next time you get unwanted visitors,
(and I'm not talking about your crazy Uncle Bert),
try one or both of these concoctions.

Ants
don't
stand
a
chance!

***Update:  Since posting this, we haven't seen one stray ant!