Seasonal Hand Trees -kid art

The change in seasons is not getting along with my sinuses, so I'm a little under under the weather. No pun intended, that's just how I talk. As a result, it completely slipped my mind that I needed to finish working on my homesteading post last night. Oops. Sleep made it much worse, so I just don't have the clarity of thought to write a new quality post. I decided to pull a post from the archives of my old blog to share today instead. I hope you enjoy.

We had an early snowfall at the beginning of the week. The leaves hadn't all changed colors and fallen from the trees! I was planning to do the autumn version of this project anyway, so we ran with it and talked about all the seasons. The little hands are all Quinn's (3) projects and the larger hands are all  Zeke's (4). For this set, I did most of the prep work, but simply handed them the supplies to decorate the trees (one season at a time) and watched to see what they did.

We made an almost special trip to the craft store to search for things to decorate our spring and summer trees. I lucked out and found these and other supplies on sale and clearance.

If you have any questions pertaining to the projects shown, please ask in the comment section or send me an email and I'll get back to you within a few days.

Summer Vegetable Stew in a slow cooker

I first started making this recipe in college. I was running on the treadmill while watching Food Network and Rachel Ray came on with a total drool worthy Giambotta. I watched the show and then tweaked it to my preferences. One of my room mates was not a very adventurous eater, but absolutely loved this recipe. Back then, I made it in a stock pot, but when I started having kids, I no longer had time to stand in the kitchen for an hour or more supervising a pot.
The cooking times for this recipe will yield al dente vegetables, if you prefer yours softer, cook on high instead of low or increase cooking time.

You'll need:
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 onions, diced
2 medium-large red potatoes
1 large eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1 red bell pepper
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
2 C stock*, chicken or vegetable (if you want it vegan)
1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
pinch of pepper (or to taste)

Turn slow cooker on high and place oil, garlic, bay leaf, and onions on bottom.

Chop potatoes and add to slow cooker.

Peel and chop eggplant and add to slow cooker.

Chop zucchini and add to slow cooker.

Remove seeds from pepper, chop, and add to slow cooker.
Do NOT stir.
Reduce heat to low and cook 4 hours.
Stir in the tomatoes and stock.
Continue to cook 1-2 hours or until ready to eat
If you're not ready to eat yet within a few hours, turn the slow cooker to warm.

Serve with a crusty bread.
Enjoy!

*If you're using vegetable stock, make sure it is a flavorful, high quality stock or your stew will require additional seasoning. Most chicken stocks will taste great.

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That wraps up Zucchini week (I ran out of zucchini). For links to the other recipes, check out this week's meal plan here.
This recipe originally appeared on 8/3/12 @ oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com. I wrote, edited, and transferred it here.

Baked Ratatouille

 This is not a traditional ratatouille. I was inspired to make this from one of our family favorite movies, but it's really more of a cross between a vegetable tian and ratatouille. I go ahead and call it Ratatouille, because it looks like the dish from the movie and it's close enough.

Ingredients:

1-2 red skinned potatoes
1 medium eggplant, peeled
1 medium zucchini squash
1 medium yellow summer squash
2 C tomato based sauce (whatever your favorite is, but I usually go for one with peppers and garlic)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F
Thinly slice potato, eggplant, and zucchinis (you'll want approximately the same number of slices for each and they should be about the same thickness- a mandolin slicer works well for this)
Spread the sauce on the bottom of your baking dish.
Place alternating slices in baking dish, sprinkle with spices, and cover with parchment paper.
Bake 45- 60 minutes until potato slices are cooked through.
Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Enjoy!

Handy Hints:
This works best with long narrow vegetables, but, I make do with whatever is available.
To prevent browning, put the slices of potato and eggplant into a bowl of cold water until they go in the baking dish.

Have you been inspired to create something after watching a movie?

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Zucchini week continues! Are you enjoying all this zucchini as much as I am? We have been gorging ourselves on zucchini all week. Check out some of the other recipes here.

Ingredients:
6 oz ground sausage
2 zucchinis
1 medium carrot, grated
1/4 C diced onion
1 clove (1/2 tsp) garlic, minced
8-12 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F
Allow a baking sheet to warm up in the oven as it preheats.
Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat

 Meanwhile, cut zucchinis in half lengthwise and scoop out the centers (I use a grapefruit spoon and it's super quick and easy).

 Dice the zucchini centers and add it to the now cooked sausage along with the carrot, onion, and garlic. In the picture only half of the zucchini centers were added, because I needed the other half for something else, either way is still delicious.

 Saute the mixture another minute or 2, until everything is warmed through.

 Scoop mixture into the hollowed out zucchinis- they will be overflowing, but just pack it in.

 Sprinkle 2-3 tsp of grated Parmesan cheese on top of each "boat"
Once the oven is preheated, remove baking sheet, spray with non-stick cooking spray, add the boats, and place back in oven.

Bake 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
Serve and enjoy!

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Have you been enjoying any Zucchini recently?

Cheesy Kielbasa, Zucchini, and Pasta Bake

This recipe is one of my favorites. I used to make it the complicated way of boiling the noodles first, but after rediscovering the beauty of no-boil pasta bakes, I revamped the recipe to make it that much easier. It's fairly forgiving and easily adjusted, so don't feel like you have to be exact with much of anything.

 For this recipe, you'll need:

1 jar pasta sauce with garlic, 1/2 bag/box big pasta, 1 C shredded Italian blend cheese (basic mozzarella is fine), 1 zucchini, 1/2 lb kielbasa, 1 carrot, 1 egg (optional), and 8-16 oz ricotta cheese.
 

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Spread an even layer of sauce (no more than 1/2 jar) on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. I prefer to use glass.
Layer pasta on top of sauce.
Slice and quarter zucchini, kielbasa, and carrot and layer them on top.

Mix egg into ricotta cheese and add dollops on top.
Pour remaining sauce over everything. Fill empty jar 1/3 way full with water and add that on top of sauce.
Use a spoon to slightly mix everything around without separating all of the ricotta.
Cover with foil and bake 35-40 minutes or until noodles are cooked.
Remove foil and add shredded cheese on top. Bake 5 minutes longer.

If it still appears watery, allow it to sit for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

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Have you tried a no-boil pasta bake before? 

 

Zucchini Meatloaf

Zucchini week continues with this amazingly delicious meatloaf that I spent 2 summers perfecting. Did you know that you can freeze zucchini? Simply shred it and stick it in a freezer bag for later. This recipe works great with the frozen stuff, though you do need to thaw it first.

This zucchini meatloaf recipe is delicious. It keeps it's loaf shape, but is extremely moist and easily eaten by even the littlest of meat eaters. (Wyatt was eating this before his first birthday). It's also healthy enough to please me, while still being traditional enough to please my husband (and have him tell me to make it more often). This meatloaf is easy to make and will have you anxiously awaiting dinner once the aroma fills the room about half way through it's cooking time.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
2 eggs
3/4 C quick oats
3/4 C shredded zucchini
1/3 C* + 1/4 C ketchup, divided
8 tsp dried minced onion
4 tsp beef bouillon (4 cubes crushed)
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp pepper




Preheat oven to 350 F
Grease a standard loaf pan and set aside.
Mix beef, eggs, oats, zucchini, 1/3C ketchup*, dried onion, bouillon, onion powder, and pepper together in a large bowl until well incorporated.
Pack the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
Spread the remaining 1/4 C ketchup on top.
Bake for 1 hour** or until cooked through (may take an extra15-20 minutes).
Allow to cool 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!


*the 1/3 ketchup in the meatloaf mixture can be substituted either partially or entirely for tomato sauce.
**if you need to speed things along a bit, bump up the temperature to 400 anytime after the 30 minute mark.


This recipe originally appeared on 8/21/13 @oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com. I wrote and transferred it here.

Don't forget to check back all week as I share more of my favorite zucchini recipes!

Do you freeze zucchini?

Zucchini Stuffing Muffins and Tasty Tuesday Link-up

I don't know about you, but I love a good stuffing. I rarely make stuffing, because well, it's really just bread and I can certainly eat enough of that without having to do the extra work or get the extra calories.
These little muffins are not really stuffing, but they taste just like it and will make you want to keep eating. The best part is they are primarily zucchini, so not only can you use the produce from your garden, but you can feel ok about eating the entire recipe...which I have not done...I share, like a nice mom and wife.

Yield: 24+ mini muffins, about 6 servings (or 1 really big one)
You'll need this stuff:

1 C shredded zucchini
1 small onion, diced

2 eggs (I realize only one is pictured, sorry)
1/2 C cheddar cheese
1/2 C Italian bread crumbs
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a min muffin tin and set aside.
Squeeze the excess moisture from zucchini. (use paper towels, a small strainer, or your bare hands)
Combine all the ingredients.
Pack the mixture into the muffin cups
Bake 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from tins and enjoy.


This is a great recipe to let the kids help with. Zeke loved stirring the mixture and spooning it into the muffin tins.

This month, Tammy from Creative K Kids, Dina from My UN-Entitled Life, and I are running this party on our blogs!    

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Meal Plan Monday: Zucchini week

Welcome to Family Living on a Budget's Meal Plan Monday. Join me every Monday for a new and affordable menu. Most weeks they are Dinner plans, but I also throw in other meal plans periodically too. I have 4 kids, ages 5 and under, so you'll find my lists to be relatively kid friendly.

Zucchini is abundant right now, well, not so much in my garden as at the store, so I'm taking advantage and pulling out some of my favorite zucchini recipes, which I'll be sharing actual recipes for this week (I need fresh pictures to complete the posts). My family will not actually be eating all 7 of these plans this week, because we'll have leftovers. I have the ingredients for each though and will decide throughout the week which one or two gets left out and/or moved to next week.

Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bread from Common Sense Homesteading

• Zucchini Meatloaf and Zucchini Stuffing Muffins
• Cheesy Kielbasa, Zucchini, and Pasta Bake
• Barbeque Chicken Kabobs with Zucchini, Peppers, and Onions
• Summer Vegetable Stew (in a slow cooker)
• Ratatouille with Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Bread
• Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Zucchini Parmesan

And zucchini week wouldn't be complete without some extra zucchini treat options:

• Summer Squash Gummy Candy (from Common Sense Homesteading)
• Zucchini Walnut Cookies (from Homespun Seasonal Living) These are a little pricier to make than I usually go for, but they look yummy.
• Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins

What's your favorite zucchini recipe? 
This post is linked up to menu plan Monday

Photos used with permission from respective authors/photographers.

Slate Run Living Historical Farm: Summer 2014

One of the kids' favorite places to visit is Slate Run Living Historical Farm. The farm is located in my hometown, Canal Winchester, Ohio. Going to the farm is like stepping back in time to the 1880s and seeing what farm life was like back then. Even the breeds of animals are specific to the time period. One of my favorite things about the farm is that you can go season after season, year after year and still see new things.

The farm provides a variety of activities to do and see. When you walk along the path from the parking lot up to the house and barns, you'll pass by a few fields full of heirloom garden favorites. As you near the house, there are period toys and games that want to be played with and are appropriate for a variety of ages.

 According to the Metro Parks website, the farmhouse is a gothic revival built in 1856 and later restored. This visit was actually the first that I can recall going inside and it's certainly worth the detour, but I'm already on picture overload, so I'll have to share the inside with you another day. It wouldn't be a summer post though if I didn't show you the summer kitchen. No joke, a summer kitchen is on my dream house wishlist. The summer kitchen is separated from the rest of the house and is in the back.

Merino Sheep

 Of course, my kids would not consider it a farm if it didn't have animals. They have your standard farm animals, but the breeds are all heirloom and at least part of them are fairly rare these days. The thing my kids love the most about the animals, is that you can pet them. I don't recommend trying to pet the geese or turkeys, but the sheep, cows, pigs, and horses love the attention and some will even come over as you walk up.

Poland China Hog

If you've never been to a historical farm, I highly recommend you find one locally to visit, or if you're in central Ohio, you should definitely hit up Slate Run. Their hours are:  
April and May: Tue-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm (Memorial Day, noon-6pm) 
June to Aug: Tue-Thu 9am-4pm, Fri-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-6pm  (July 4, 9am-6pm)
Sept to Oct: Tue-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm (Labor Day, noon-6pm)
Nov to March: Wed-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm

Note: The Farm is closed on Mondays, and is also closed on Tuesdays from November to March. The Farm is closed also on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day

What's your favorite thing to see or do at a farm?

Dillon State Park: Visitor's Center, Dillon Dam, and Playground

Last week we took a short drive over to Dillon Dam part of the Dillon State Park. For reference, it's about 10 miles from Blackhand Gorge Sat Nature Preserve which we visited earlier this summer. We had a slightly late start to our morning, so we didn't get to see everything we wanted, but we still had a great time.

The visitor's center is really nice and clean. It's pretty small, the above picture shows the majority of the areas to look at, but it was filled with neat information and someone is there to answer questions for the majority of the day. The screen in the picture above shows the view of an underwater camera inside the pond.

Outside the visitor's center there is a nice landscaped trail that leads over to the playground, or you can drive right to the playground.

The playground was the highlight of our morning. It's probably one of the nicest playground we've ever been to. The kids had a great time sliding, swinging, climbing, and exploring. There is a long line of swings in the back and several extra areas surrounding the main part pictured above. The kids had a blast and were sad when it was time to move on.

The Dam really wasn't all that much to look at but it was a nice walk and the scenery was beautiful. I hear the fishing is excellent, though.

That's all the time we had for that morning, since I didn't pack a lunch, but we'll be exploring some other free parts of Dillon State Park later this summer. Check out their website for more information.

Have you been exploring your local area this summer?