New Items at Veda Marie's!

Oh yes....and while I was stitchin', plantin', cleanin', and cookin', I also added a few new items to the shop!!

Have a peek! <3

http://www.etsy.com/shop/VedaMaries?ref=si_shop

Fresher Fave Foods- Homemade Applesauce

Along with the carrots that weren't getting eaten as quickly as they should, I had a few apples that were going to get away from me if I didn't use them up. Yesterday, while reading the blog, Huckleberry Prairie, I came across a recipe she posted for homemade apple sauce. (I just tried to go back to her site and find the recipe to link it here but the site is not working!? I will have to check back later. Hope she didn't delete her blog...it was super cute and I was really enjoying it!). My son LOVES applesauce and we go through quite a bit of it so I thought I would give this a shot and see how he liked it!

Homemade Applesauce

4 apples, peeled and diced (I used Gala apples)
1/4 cup sugar (I actually used Splenda Granulated)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup water

• In a medium sauce pan, combine water, sugar, and cinnamon. Add your diced apples and mix well. 
• Cook for 15-20 minutes over medium high heat. (be sure to check your water level while this is cooking and add a smidge more if needed...but, do remember (because I didn't) that this will release the apple juices when you mash and adding too much water with make it too "soupy"
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Mash with masher (I don't have a masher...so I used one of my hand held mixer attachments)
• Either serve immediately or refrigerate. 

This will make you house smell AH-MAZING! So good that my little one did not want to wait long to eat some of mommy's cooking. He ate a little bowl of barely mashed apples and he really, really liked it. 

Fresher Fave Foods - Fresh Roasted Carrots

Here is a recipe I made last night to go along with the beef stroganoff. I buy a lot of bulk fresh carrots from my local Aldi and peel them and keep them cut up for snacks in the fridge. However, last time I got a bit overzealous and they weren't getting eaten as fast as they should have so I thought "Instead of making canned cooked carrots, why not use up these fresh ones?" Seems silly and obvious, I know, but I am just keeping it real here, peeps....I will be the first to admit that I have not always turned to fresh foods vs canned but I am trying really hard to get away from that when possible. I keep the canned in my pantry but when something is discounted or in season, I would definitely rather go the fresh route. (I closely based this recipe off one found on Pinterest). So far, I have used this method for carrots and zucchini and both have been great. It is also very similar to the way I cook fresh asparagus which is is Pioneer Woman's recipe which can be found here.

Fresh Roasted Vegetables 

carrots, peeled and cut into 3" slices

olive oil

salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning blend - I used a seasoning blend from Aldi that's called simply "Steak Seasoning" - I actually use it on my grilled chicken and then vegetables and it is great for them. 

• Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• Place your sliced vegetables in a bowl and add about a tbsp (it doesn't even take this much) of olive oil and toss to coat (Trick- use a plastic bowl with a lid...that way you can put the lid on and shake the fire out of it to evenly coat the vegetables without making a mess!). 
• Add seasoning of your choice and toss to coat. Place vegetables in a single layer on baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are starting to turn golden brown. Be sure and turn half way through for even cooking. 

Enjoy!! 

Fitter Fave Foods - Hamburger Stroganoff

Around my house, I used to cook a lot of Hamburger Helper. Husband loved it and it was fast when we were running short on time for dinner, etc. However, in an effort to eat a little bit better and to eat less boxed dinners, I have been trying to find some super delicious homemade ways to make them instead. Last weekend, nothing was sounding good so I whipped up the one box of helper that I had left in my pantry...the flavor? Beef Stroganoff which was one of husband's favorites....I say was because well...

it was disgusting. 

One bite in and my husband said "You should get mom's stroganoff recipe to make. it's really good" and I knew I would never make boxed stroganoff ever again. Challenge accepted. Now, normally, I would do exactly that and just get her recipe to redeem myself but she is on a very well-deserved vacation and I was not about to call her about something as silly as a recipe! :) So, I did a little research and tried to come up with one to make on my own. Risky...but I did it. I was trying to find something that could be "(almost) as good as momma's" but kind of healthy to fit in to our healthier eating plan. The recipe I made was based off of a Cooking Light recipe, found here. (I made quite a few changes to make it husband friendly-he doesn't like mushrooms so I left that our and added some Worcestershire sauce for flavor)

Homemade Hamburger Stroganoff

8 ounces egg noodles ( I went wrong here...I didn't have enough so I used just macaroni noodles.not as good!)

1 pound extra lean ground beef

2/3 cup finely diced onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup fat free beef broth (I used what I had on hand which was "Chef's Cupboard Beef Broth" from Aldi

3/4 cup fat free sour cream

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and drain. Set aside. 
• Brown beef in non stick skillet over medium high heat until brown. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook for about 4 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.
• Sprinkle beef with the flour and cook 1 minutes; stirring constantly.
• Stir in broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Add salt and pepper to taste
• Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Toss sauce with pasta and serve. 

I served this with some fresh roasted carrots (other recipe in next post) and all in all, it was a hit. I think where I went wrong was the noodles. While the elbow macaroni were fine, it is just one of those things where this tastes better with egg noodles so I will be sure and do that in the future. I also think you could get away with using less hamburger here...like even 1/2 pound instead and save the other half for another meal. This dish makes a LOT and even though Husband and I ate probably more than we should have, we still have more than plenty left over for me to have for lunch today and probably tomorrow. If you are cooking for just two people, you might even half this recipe if you aren't big on eating leftovers (Husband is not).

Turns out cooking homemade is just as fast as making the "convenient boxed stuff" and the taste is no comparison. Lesson learned!! 

DIY Tips and Tricks- Homemade Cleaners

Here are a few tips and tricks I have picked up along the way and put into use in My McCarty House: (most of these were probably found on Pinterest but I cannot remember so, if these are your ideas/recipes/etc please, please let me know so I can probably reference you! I will be sure and make note from now on...)

• Cleaning a Glass Cook Top Stove:
• if you have burnt spots on your glass cook top stove, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply to those areas. Let sit for about 30 minutes or so and then rub with fingers to remove tough spots. 
• Cleaning a metal sink - 
• baking soda and a couple of squeezes from a fresh lemon are the way to go! Just sprinkle baking soda around in your sink and add some fresh squeezed lemon juice and clean away! 
• Homemade "All Purpose" Cleaner
• Mix equal parts distilled white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use it to clean surfaces. 
• Homemade Tub Cleaner:
• Mix in a leftover spray bottle (I have been using up my old store bought cleaners and then saving the bottles to re-use), mix 1/2 cup Dawn dish soap with equal parts vinegar and water. The article I read I believe said to just use the dawn and vinegar but I only had about a cup or so of vinegar left and filled the bottle the rest of the way with water and it seems to still work great. I used to use "Scrubbing Bubbles" to clean my bath tub but the smell was so strong and it just didn't seem to be working as well in our new house where we have hard water. With this cleaner, you just spray it on, allow to sit for a few minutes then just wipe it off and it works MUCH better than the bubbles without all the yucky fumes.

That's all I have for now but I have been trying to research some germ killing cleaners that are a little bit safer to use so I will let you know what else I find! 

Momma McCarty

Here lately, we have really been looking at our budgeting, lifestyle, spending vs saving, waste, etc. Not necessarily in a "Go Green" save the planet kind of way, although, we do love Earth and would like it to continue to be nice for Son then his sons then their sons, etc but, in an old fashioned homemaking sort of way...what would you call that? thriftiness? being frugal? self sustainable? who the heck really knows what to call it but what I mean is this.....less waste, less spending, more saving, less junk (do not confuse the word "junk" for "treasures" because they are NOT the same thing!!), etc. I think it stems from several different things and here are a few small examples of them:

*this momma got sick of throwing out a week's worth of leftovers every trash day...it was like lighting twenty dollar bills on fire every week, and child, that's just silly

*trying to keep a 3 year old (SHOCK-yes, sweet baby is almost three *snifffffff*) out of what you are doing so you can scrub and clean the house with "stinky chemicals" was making me crazy...there had to be a better, more affordable way to clean without putting him at risk of asphyxiation...and honestly, that baby boy loves to help me clean...loves it and I think it is good for him to learn at a young age to clean up after himself a bit, etc

*the need to save more....there have been a few recent life events that have dwindles our emergency fund down to well, none, and if you know me, you know that sends me into a PANIC...P A N I C. because just like that, life happens and you gotta be a little bit prepared for it! oh, and, son needs to go to college someday too...

*I have always been someone who got a great sense of pride in something homemade ...mostly that has been in the kitchen but as I have gotten older and after I became a momma, I started thinking a little bit more about just everything in general...what am I really feeding him? what is really on that surface he is touching now? what kind of person do I want him to grow up to be and how can I lead him there by living that way myself?

So, we are going to be living a little bit more of an old-fashioned lifestyle. A few quotes I have come across lately that have stuck with me are these:

"Make do and mend"

example: Last weekend while son and I were home with the ol' pink eye, I tackled a stack of repairs (missing buttons, etc and also, made my first article of clothing....normally, if a shirt got a hole or something, husband would just get rid of it and go buy something else. Now, while I will never ask him not to buy something for himself (new clothes, etc), I will try my best to keep him lookin' sharp with what is already in his closet ;) and also, I have been learning to revamp clothes I already have to get some different/more wear out of them.

"Eat it up, Use it up, wear it out, or go without"

example: no more buying an ingredient for one meal use and then throwing it out two weeks later when it is a science experiment in my fridge. Multi purpose items from now on....let's get creative! :)

an old favorite of mine "Happiness is homemade"

etc...

So, please join me as I continue my cooking adventures (and some mess ups! but, by golly, I WILL master bread baking....I cannot for the life of me get down how to make homemade bread, etc with yeast...but I will!! it's a challenge to myself), sewing adventures, cleaning tricks and tips, etc. 

Black Thumb Betty

If you have read this blog before, you may have picked up  on something....I have a black thumb....not just a black thumb but more of a black bubble surrounding me where any plant that gets within 5 feet of me, leans over and dies on the spot. I kid you not. So far this spring, I have successfully killed two ferns....actually, my lovely birdy friends killed those but I had a hand in it since I couldn't figure out what to do to keep the stinkers out of my hanging baskets or keep my ferns alive while the little birdies nested in there, one small floral hanging basket..(I seriously don't know what happened. I received two hanging baskets from my lovely mother-in-law for Mother's Day-to replace the aforementioned ferns, of course, and one it thriving and beautiful and the other one completely turned from green to white and dried up even though I continued to water it, had them both in the same location, etc) and, I am sad to admit that even though Son's plant he grew me at school seemed to be doing great for about a week or two there, it too suddenly looks a little "off" and "sickly". Anywhoooo, moral of the story is I cannot grow ANYTHING............

or couldn't.....until now. 

What am I talking about you might ask?

a container garden.

do ignore the grass that is not growing right there...potted plants are my area...the grass? leave that to my husband...I like to call him Hank Hill when it comes to our yard..he LOVES working in the yard and has been working VERY hard to get it in tip top shape and we will be removing/replanting/something with this back area so excuse the "work in progress" there

I know....I know....what am I thinking?? why on Earth would I put these poor seeds through the certain demise of not surviving in my care? Well, to be honest, wishful thinking? maybe a stubborn attitude that tells myself "I WILL grow something successful, dangit! (other than that sweet baby, of course)

and you know what??

THEY"RE GROWING!!

These last pictures were taken a couple of days ago and they have grown even more since! (I will try and remember to take another picture this evening to update)

So, here is what we have growing (or not growing) in our container garden:

Zucchini

Cucumbers

Basil

Green Bell Peppers

Jalapenos

The zucchini, cucumbers, basil, and cilantro were all planted from seeds and the peppers were planted from small plants I purchased at Lowe's. I chose these plants for several reasons. Numero uno, they are all things that my household will eat enough of to make it worth the money spent to grow them. They are all things I purchase weekly either at the local farmer's market or at our local grocery stores so I know they will be something that will be easily consumed at our home (as much as I would have loved to grow some tomatoes, I am the only one in the house that eats them therefore cannot justify trying to grow them) Numero dos, my mother in law inspired me with her "garden". She has container plants in her backyard where she grows yellow squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes and since she lives very close to us, I thought...hmm, I wonder if I can do that? So, I gave it a shot and so far, so good.....well, except for the cilantro....turns out (much to my taste buds sadness...*sniff*) cilantro doesn't like to be hot....should have done some more research on that one...I know it can be grown in our area but I need to go about it differently...turns out when cilantro's soil gets above about 75 or so, it gets cranky, packs up, and leaves town. While I am stubborn in wanting to be a gardener, cilantro is more stubborn and flat out said...nope, not gonna grow for you, lady....nice try. 

So, please continue to join me here for successes and failures of container gardening!! and maybe more!