Stuff Around The House

Today was an eclectic day for us on our little homestead. First thing, we went to Tractor Supply for chicken feed and such. Next, we went to WalMart for some plastic containers. Then, we went to Lowe's for a valve. Then, we went to the flea market to buy veggies and fruits. Then, we stopped for a lottery ticket (can't hurt once in a while). Then, we went home.Woo Hoo! Home!

After lunch, we went outside to feed the chickens. They were pretty hungry by now. And we built a worm farm. Yes! I did it! A worm farm. That's what the plastic containers were for. We put a valve on the bottom one for the wee wee to come out of. We drilled holes in the bottom of another which fits inside the bottom one. Then we drilled some holes in the top for ventilation. Then, we built a stand and put it out of the way in a cool dry place. Now, we have to go worm shopping! They say Red Wigglers are a good variety to buy. The ones from the ground are not. Otherwise, we could use the ones in the compost heap. That should be fun to explain to people. Mr. Store Owner: Why do you need so many worms? Are you going to throw them in the lake and wait for the fish to come up so you can scoop them out? Har! Har!  Me: Well. If you must know...(pregnant pause)...I'm going to farm worms for compost and fertilizer. This way I won't have to come back to your fine establishment for fertilizer and fishing worms. Ha! Ha! (ka-ching!...saving money)

I fixed some soup with potatoes, ham, cabbage and dumplings for dinner tonight. It turned out pretty good considering I've never had anything like it before. Yes. I like to make up dinners. I also baked a pound cake from scratch. It goes well with the next item.

We went outside and picked about a pint of strawberries. I had some left over from last night's picking. We pick them just as they've turned red and they ripen over night. I sliced last night's up and put some sweetener to them. It's just about time for STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!

Then, we went outside to pick off some rats. Missed them tonight. I guess I'm not that good today.

I hope you had a great day.

Take care.

Meatball and Sauerkraut Soup

Today was a first for me. I made Meatball and Sauerkraut soup. It doesn't look exceptionally tasty, but it really is! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com but modified it for what I had. Take a look at the recipe here. There is a picture with the original recipe. Below is how I made it. It was really easy to do.

SAUERKRAUT SOUP
Heat about a quart of water to boiling.
Take 3 tablespoons of butter and melt.
Add 1/2 chopped onion. This wasn't in the original recipe. I use this for extra flavor.
When the onions are transparent, add 1/4 cup flour. Stir together until all the butter is soaked up.
Add the water and whisk vigorously.
Add 1 can evaporated milk. NOT the sweet milk! Whisk some more.
When the milk gets hot, but not boiling, add some precooked meatballs and sauerkraut.
Simmer on low until all is hot. This will take about 30 minutes.
If you need to thicken the liquid, do so.
Salt and pepper to taste.

I made about 4 servings because I had a dozen meatballs on hand.

This is really a yummy recipe, but, like I said, it doesn't look that yummy.

If you try it, let me know. I'd be intrigued to see if you liked it.