sustainable

A New Look

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With all of the change in my family lately, I have tried to take a step back and really look at my life a bit more carefully.  Time goes by in a simple blink doesn’t it?  And when I really stopped to think about it, I have been writing this blog for almost four years now.  And when I looked at the format of this space, and the picture that was its backdrop, I realized the little girl peering into the water has grown up.  And my other daughter, who was too tiny to even be found on the dock in the picture, is now just as tall as my oldest, and she cannot be found anywhere else but beside her sister.

So, in keeping with my mantra to try new things, I hope you like the new format of Making of a Home.  And I thank each of you for visiting this space, which I have come to hold so dear to my heart.

An Afternoon Project

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As we prepared to begin our homeschooling adventure last week, I needed to do some pretty hefty cleaning and organizing.  Our crafting space in our basement needed some extra special attention because it had gotten a bit out of control over the course of the last two years.  (Yes, I am sad to say this is how long it had been since I organized this space.  And maybe how long it had been since I had cleaned it too.  Ooops.)

Anyway, while organizing my hovel, I found a ton of scrap fabric that was just asking to be used for something quick and fun.  So I pulled out one of my favorite crafting books, The Rhythm of Family by Amanda Blake Soule and her husband Stephen Soule, and got to work on the handkerchief pattern.  I love using this pattern to make cloth napkins so as to not contribute more waste to the landfills with paper napkins, and it also helps me to get rid of lots of scrap fabric.  It’s a win win.

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Dietmeier Apple Pie

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Every time we gathered at my grandparent’s house in southwestern Wisconsin, homemade apple pie could be found at the center of the dessert table.  (Yes, there was always a dessert table.  It was amazing.)   My grandma and grandpa took turns making this family favorite, but it always tasted the same:  deliciously tart, yet creamy, with a hint of cinnamon underneath a crunchy sugar-layer.  To me, this pie is the quintessential fall dessert, and now that we have made the first one of the season, it seems that fall is truly being ushered in.

(The pie recipe is the same as my peach pie recipe that I shared here, and I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as you did the last.)

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Dietmeier Apple Pie

I make my own crust (recipe found here).  Place the crust in a pie plate (I love using this Stoneware pie plate because it does not burn the crust, and it looks great table side.)  Then I fill the crust with tart sliced apples.

Add about 10 tiny dollops of butter on top of the apples.  Then create a mixture of 1 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Scoop this mixture over the apples and butter so the entire pie is coated.  Then add just a touch (about 1/4 cup) of water to the pie.  (Just sprinkle it over the top of the sugar mixture.  This creates a delicious custard-like consistency when it bakes.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake for an additional for 45 minutes.  Allow to rest at least 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

*A note about all my recipes: I use all organic ingredients, local when available. I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified. All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished. All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.

Late August In the Garden

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As summer wanes, and the expansive days of summer fade before our eyes, I am beginning to feel that same briefness in the garden.  While we still have a great deal coming out of our garden, and the tomatoes are finally beginning to come along, I feel a pull towards the space inside our home.  At this time of year, my body grows weary from all the hours spent out in the garden.  And while I still adore being in this space, I look forward to the days of nestling in with a cup of coffee, good book and some crocheting.  I often think this is why God gifted us with the seasons.  They allow us time to recharge our minds and bodies before venturing out again.

This past week in the garden has been quite bountiful.  Our second round of strawberries are still coming in the door, along with our long-awaited raspberry crop.  The tomatoes are starting to ripen and we have been eating them fresh off the vine, most of them never even making it over the threshold.  The lemon verbena liqueur that I mentioned a couple weeks back, is now completed and I look forward to the cocktails and baked goods we can make with this citrusy elixir.  More herbs are being dried, and beans frozen.  But perhaps our greatest delight of the week has been our apples.  As I shared before, the Japanese beetles have devoured the leaves of our apple trees.  We reached a point this week that there were more dead leaves than living and I feared if we didn’t pick our apples now we may lose them.  So pick we did.  And pie we made.  It was a great week in the garden.

Zucchini Bread with No Refined Sugar

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I have been playing around with local honey yet again (as I did in this post), and I am happy to say I have worked out a delicious, ambrosial zucchini bread made with no refined sugar.  A while back I shared with you that I discovered my grandpa’s old recipe box and, tucked beneath oh so many recipe cards, I found one card explaining how to replace refined sugar with honey in baking recipes.  Ever since this card’s discovery, I enjoy playing around with recipes to try to make them free of any type of refined sugars.  Sometimes the recipes work great, other times, not so much.  But I am happy to share with you today a recipe in which the sugar-replacement worked, and I think it’s pretty darn tasty!  I hope you enjoy.

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Zucchini Bread with No Refined Sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Set this dry mixture aside.  Then in a large bowl, whisk together:

1 1/4 cups honey (I love using this great measuring cup when baking with honey because it allows me to use honey, but not have the sticky mess that normally results when doing so.)

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 to 1 1/2 cup(s) grated zucchini

Next, mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture.  Pour into a greased loaf pan.  (For baked goods like breads and muffins I love using the Pampered Chef Stoneware because the yummies not only bake up great, but it allows for toxin-free baking and the pieces are made in America.  For this recipe, I use this Stoneware Loaf Pan.)  Bake in a 325 degree oven for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

*Honey tends to burn faster than refined sugar.  For this reason, your bread may brown on the top before the inside is fully cooked.  If you notice this happening, simply cover the top of the bread with foil and then continue to bake.  This will help to prevent further browning on the bread’s top.

Enjoy!

*A note about all my recipes: I use all organic ingredients, local when available. I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified. All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished. All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.

Mom’s Summer Cucumber Salad

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From the time my mom was given her diagnoses, her constant mantra was, “Please make sure you continue to tell our stories.” It was so very important to her that the stories of our family remain alive in our hearts and continue to be told and retold, even after she was no longer with us. During one of my vigils by my mom’s bedside, I assured her that I would indeed continue to tell her stories.   I assured her I would not only share them with my girls, but with anyone and everyone who would listen. Because it is in our sharing of stories that I believe we truly get to know one another, and strengthen the bond that brings us all together in this great big world of ours. And to be honest with you, so many of my memories and stories seem to revolve around the sharing of food while sitting at a table with those we hold dear to us. I have loved sharing my family’s food stories in the past in this blog space, and it is my absolute pleasure to continue. Today I am thrilled to share with you the story of my mom’s summer cucumber salad.

While growing up, when the days seemed to stretch on forever, my sister and I felt compelled to stay outside all day long, riding bikes all over our neighborhood. It wasn’t until the sky began to turn rosey in the west that we would finally venture home, red-faced and exhausted. We would walk into the house, greeted by a cool blast from the air-conditioner, and find my mom setting the table in the kitchen. On these types of hot nights, instead of heating up the kitchen with lots of pots and pans on the stove and in the oven, my mom would always have a series of cool, fresh dishes waiting for us. My very favorite of these dishes was my mom’s cucumber salad. It was always so cool and creamy, yet tangy and fresh. It just tastes like summer.

Mom’s Summer Cucumber Salad

4-6 medium cucumbers

1 white onion

1 cup sour cream

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dill weed

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the sour cream, apple cider vinegar, dill weed, salt and pepper. Thinly slice the cucumbers and onions. (I use a mandoline to accomplish this task because it leaves you with thin, consistently-cut produce.) Pour the sour cream/vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and onions. Mix until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

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Jackpot

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Over the weekend, my girls and I found a garage sale that seemed as if it was created just for us.  It was awesome.  That is why we went back three separate times.  (Yes, this is true.  Three. Times.)  First off, the sale was located on a beautiful property housing a barn, several out-buildings and a cute little home.  The expansive lawn was dotted with gorgeous antiques throughout it’s beautiful flower gardens.  Very Victorian.  I loved it.  Then as we neared the selling area, we discovered it was filled with two main categories of items:  teaching materials and antiques.  Oh boy.  The three of us Fagan girls were in heaven.

We ended up carting home some beautiful vintage towels and clothes pins,  several cookbooks and gardening books dating as far back as 1952, and we outfitted our entire homeschool operation with books and other school supplies.  I would say it was a huge success.

What were you up to this weekend?  I would love to hear.  Enjoy your week, friends.