How to make homemade butter with a Kitchenaid mixer. This also makes buttermilk that can be used for pancakes or biscuits. Although we are just over two weeks into January, we haven't really started back into our routines. My kids haven't had much school work, and the bad weather means that Caleb's therapy has been cancelled several times. David just started college yesterday, so we had a two week break after Christmas. That means that we've had two glorious weeks where we didn't have much to do. We played board games, watched an entire season of The Big Bang Theory, and I got through my almost full DVR. I also had time to tackle my "want to do" list. These are things that don't need to be done; I just want to do them or try them. One of the things that I wanted to do was make homemade butter and buttermilk. As I've talked about before, we are homesteading on a 12 acre farm. We have livestock, an orchard, and grow a big garden.
How to make DIY reusable wipes from flannel cloth. Use these wipes for baby wipes, for cleaning, or to make disinfecting wipes. We're trying to reduce the amount of waste that we produce. I do buy paper towels, but we only use them for really gross messes or oily messes. Otherwise, we use these DIY reusable wipes. I am not proficient with a sewing machine, but luckily my daughter is. She is 12-years-old and loves sewing. Lately, she's been making skirts and some items that I need for the home, like these cloths. These are so simple, even a beginner can make them. We don't have a serger, so these are made only with a sewing machine, although you could hand sew them if you wanted to. They are just the right size for cleaning up small messes. When you're done, just toss in the washer with your regular laundry and reuse them. I use them for cleaning. I have several in the cupboard for general cleaning, but I also have some sitting in a jar to use as
Save time and money with make ahead freezer meals. These 49 freezer friendly meals can be made now and freeze leftovers or make them just for the freezer. I am fortunate that I have a stand up freezer. I save a lot of money by stocking up on meat and other foods when it's on sale and freezing it for later. I also use my freezer to prepare make ahead freezer meals. I either make a meal just for the freezer or, more often, I double what we are having for dinner and freeze leftovers for later. These 49 make ahead freezer meals aren't specifically for the freezer, but they all freeze well. If you have a small family, you can make one batch and freeze leftovers for another meal. We have five in the family, so I usually double these recipes and freeze an entire meal. For soups, I make one batch and freeze leftovers in smaller containers for lunches. This list of freezer meals has casseroles, pasta dishes, main dishes, sides, and even breakfasts.
Disinfecting your home without chemicals with this DIY homemade disinfectant spray recipe. It has essential oils to kill germs naturally. Cold and flu season is upon us. One major benefit to homeschooling is that my kids don't pick up as many germs. We are still in public for shopping, karate, and scouts, so we are exposed to germs. I started cleaning my home naturally more than 10 years ago. In the winter though, I want to make sure the germs are gone. I'm not taking chances because Caleb gets very sick each year. When he was an infant and then again a year old, he had RSV and was hospitalized. Each year after that, he would get pneumonia. Now that he's older, he still gets sick, but thankfully it isn't as bad as it used to be. Disinfecting spray was the last cleaner that I started making. I thought that I needed to buy a commercial project if I wanted to really kill the germs. Then I started doing some research. You don'
Learn how to make common cooking substitutions so you can make your favorite dish even if you are out of one ingredient. I live in a rural area. There are several dollar stores near me, but they don't have the best food selection. I have one local chain grocery store close to me, but it's crazy expensive. Their prices are about three to four times what Aldi and Walmart charge! If I am cooking and run out of an ingredient, I can't just run to Aldi or a decently priced grocery store because it will be an hour trip by the time I drive there and back. I've learned several common cooking substitutions that I can use so I cook what I had planned without going to the store. These cooking substitutions also help when I'm cooking for friends with food allergies. I have friends who can't have milk or eggs, and I want to be able to make homemade foods that they can enjoy. Common Cooking Substitutions Please note that these should only be used when yo
