Getting Through Tough Times: Skills To Learn NOW

Look at this… πŸ‘€ https://pin.it/6FL0nVJ

At this point, I am sure we know that the economy isn’t going as well as the news channels are brainwashing people to believe. There are talks of $100 plus barrels of oil and there are CEOs leaving their jobs, again. I don’t watch the government propaganda channels. Because they are full of bullshit and hot air. Below will be a list of skills we(you and I) should learn immediately.

1. Learn howto live frugal now. Knowing how to stretch your money through a month will be important going forward. Sometimes it’s essential.

2. Learn to cook outside. Yeah! Learning to cook over fire is going to be important. Yet it’s something I struggle with. So, the only piece of advice I can offer is invest in cast iron cookware.

3. Reduce how much electric you use. If you’re not in a room shut off all items. That is if you’re done in a room. After I make my bed and raise the blinds, I am done in my room. Now need for lights or tv going in my room.

4. Cook at home. Save money for a special night out by cooking at home. Explore Pinterest for recipes that are cheap and easy to cook.

5. Stay warm. Layer clothes if you’re single. If not cuddle up. Share body heat.

6. Grow food. Learn to garden. I have had numerous failures here. That won’t stop me from trying.

7. Preserve food. I have shared numerous post here on canning. There are other ways to perserve food. Invest in some books from ww.Thriftbooks.com. This site is awesome for used books at prices that you can afford.

8. Sewing. I have been teaching myself to sew. It’s been an adventure. However, I did haveto teach myself to can using a pressure canner so I have no doubt I will learn to sew. Besides, I have YouTube and Pinterest.

That’s where I am stopping.

Kavardak! Russian Beef Stew

Look at this… πŸ‘€ https://pin.it/4x7FSO2

It’s that time of year to get your cast iron pots out and get ready to crank up the oven. I am talking about winter. What says winter like Russia? Or any country with Artic access. Yeah! Let’s lookat Peter’s Kavardak (ΠšΠ°Π²Π°Ρ€Π΄Π°ΠΊ). We will lookat this stew by categories.

PROTEIN: Beef or lamb. Which ever is either available or affordable. I am going to put the beef stock here.

VEGGIES: Onion, carrots, potatoes. What beef (or stew) is complete without potatoes? I don’t know.

SEASONINGS: Garlic, salt/pepper, coriander, and cumin. Sounds like an earthy flavor combination to me.

Cooking…. I would brown the meat off to seal in flavor and put it in a crockpot or in the winter, put your oven on 200Β° and let it cook all day.

What to serve with this stew? Crackers are okay but a nice rustic bread would be awesome. Maybe a veggie plate with raw veggies with dips.

30 Simple French Fall Recipes

Look at this… πŸ‘€ https://pin.it/3IZmyHL

I am always looking for new Fall recipes. I love Fall because it’s the beginning of temps which you can turn your oven on and save on heating cost. Yeah! So, here I will go through the recipes by categories.

APPETIZER, SALAD, OR SOUP: This soupcould easily be a meal into itself. You got a protein, veggies, and lots of flavor. Serve with a salad and bread sticks.

MAIN DISH: Every cook needs a wonderful roasted chicken recipe in our line up. This French Roasted chicken won’t disappoint. There’s a lot of flavor in one pot. Yeah! You bake the potatoes in the pot. Yes!!!!

SIDE DISHES: The French are known for utilizing veggies at every season. It’s important to remember that the French shop different than Americans do. They walk to the market each day and build the dinner menu around what looks best and appeals to them. Haricots Verts or Green Beans. Green beans with garlic would be incredible. The garlic would be cooked so you don’t get the raw taste.

FRENCH POTATO DISHES: Yep! This veggie gets it’s own post on the site linked above. So why not here to. Rosemary Garlic Roasted Potatoes. Here we go with rosemary and garlic. OMG! This flavor is in the chicken, greans beans, and here. Of cources if you do the main dish then extra potatoes wouldn’t be neccessary and you could use turnips or parsnips instead.

BREAD: Here a nice rustic bread which everyone tears off a piece would be awesome. Or you could use a rustic bread dough and make individual loaves.

DESSERT: Fall is prime apple season. Cinnamon Apple Crepes would be perfect. You could make the crepes early and heat them up when your ready to serve.

There you go. A beautiful French Fall menu that would make anyone happy.

Annie’s – Crochet, Knitting, Quilting, Sewing & More

https://www.anniescatalog.com/

Here’s a great site for crafting. Rather you knit or quilt, you will love this site. Some things are expensive on the surface. Example, the Yuletide Quilt kit is $129.00. That’s marked down from $479.88. Here’s what comes in the kit, EVERYTHING! Except the videos to complete the project. Those and digital directions you get access to once you have puchased the kit from their site.

Sales! Yeah! They have all kinds sales. I am finishing up the Vintage Christmas Table Topper that was originally $40 and I paid about $13. That’s over half the cost I saved. Right now they have a 70% offof Fall Fabrics sale. It’s everything Fall and Holidays related.

Your product artives in a reasonable time. If there’s a problem with part of the directions they will let you know. Plus they have books and magazines.

Make It Do or Do Without! Ration Recipes from The 1940s

Look at this… πŸ‘€ https://pin.it/1A0K1S5

Given the chaos we are witnessing in the world or at home here in America, this post screamed share me.

First let’s look at when and why the rationing happened. First, rationing started in 1942 and went until 1947. (In Britain the rationing started in 1940 and ran till 1954.) Why? We we were recovering from the crash of 1929 and entetring WW II. Rather citizens here wanted to be in WW II or not. But once we were dragged into it, items had to be rationed to make sure that there was enough to go around. And still provide for our soldiers. I can remember my late mom telling about little coins for each item like shoes.

Back to the subject. Victory gardens (including keeping small livestock like chickens or rabbits) were encouraged. Kind of ironic that this was encouraged then, where as it’s today it’s tightly regulated to a point of not being allowed in some areas. Of course there was propaganda encouraging people to turn in those using more than their “fair share” of anything. Of course, there was a black market.

Lisa included many recipes from this era. Her post is full of recipes from this era along with the 1950s which is what she specializes in.

Fall Charcuterie Boards! πŸ

https://thehouseofhoodblog.com/fall-charcuterie-boards-19-ideas-for-inspiration/

What does Fall bring? School, sports, and holidays. So who has time for an all out meal to have friends over? NO ONE! This is where Charcuterie boards are perfect. You have all your essentials on one board.

What do you think of as Fall Flavors? Nutmeg, sage, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and ones that scream warmth. These boards have these flavors. Chelsea has a wonderful choice of boards. Breakfast to dessert.

Bag & Tote Tutorials

This is a wonderful playlist. Especially if you are new to sewing. Jennifer started Shabby Fabrics as a lover of quilting. From nothing the girl has built a awesome business. Jennifer has a staff of folks with different talents and life experiences. They come from a multitude of back grounds.

The projects in this playlist are incredibly useful and the tutorials are very thorough. I found them to be easy to follow. Plus some of the projects are free downloads or available as kits.

Palestinian-Style Stuffed Savory Cabbage Rolls

https://www.all-thats-jas.com/stuffed-savoy-cabbage/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug

*In support of the innocent children in Palestine and the over all Middle East, I am posting this recipe. I hope y’all enjoy.*

MEAT: Here’s what is awesome about this recipe. You can use what ground meat you have. If you make this in a traditional Muslim way, then skip the pork.

SEASONINGS: The seasonings here are incredible. Fragrance would be incredible. Here’s the line up of the 7 spices: allspice, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, cardamom, cumin and nutmeg. Sounds like heaven. Of course, old faithful, salt and pepper.

VEGGIES: Onion, garlic and tomatoes if you choose to include them. Parsley. I almost forgot parsley. Potatoes. Okay! This is new to me. What about you?

WHAT’S DIFFERENT? Here’s what’s different ablut these cabbage rolls. One, bread crumbs and 7 sipce mix. My late mom made cabbage rolls and they were never this amazing sounding. Also these rolls are baked instead of steamed.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THESE ROLLS? There are so many Arabic sides you can serve with them. I personally think a beautiful Iranian Jeweled Rice would be awesome. If you want to use the usual American sides than that would be good to and mashed potatoes is recommended.

Reusable Grocery Bag

Look at this… πŸ‘€ https://pin.it/1GzUcIz

Have you noticed how weak the mass produced reusable bags are? I have. You can pay a lot for a sturdy bags. Or you can learn to make them.

Here’s a diy guide to doing that. Plus go to Shabby Fabrics on YouTube and look under their playlist for Totes. Jennifer and her staff have fantastic videos on making reusable bags.

How To Serve an Easy Afternoon Tea

Look at this… πŸ‘€ https://pin.it/4IQ20vK

With holidays on the horizon, I thought abput doing a post on having an afternoon tea as a quick, easy, and affordable option would be great. We are all feeling the stress of corporate greed, better known as inflation.below will be a list of things you will need for a tea and I bet you already have everything.

FOOD STANDS: Yeah. Use what gou have. Pinterest has a lot of great ideas to take what you have and make the most out it.

TABLEWARE: I am sure you have a set of dishes you rarely use. Now get them out and get them ready. Or you could purchase plastic ware which looks pretty damn fancy.

CENTERPIECE: These can be a beautiful addition or a major distraction. I personally am not a fan of centerpieces. Most of my life they have been an annoyance than anything. So I prefer to put decorations on the outer perimeter of a room.

TEA: Your tea shouldn’t dominate the whole experience. It should harmonize with the meal.

SANDWICHES: This isn’t a huge meal. Small danty sandwiches will be fine. Pinterest, as usual, is a great resource.

From here out, I recommend hitting Pinterest. There are thousands of ideas.

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started