Encouraging Hearts and Home 07.30.2020

Lacto Fermented Dilly Green Beans, Greek Chicken with Salad, and Aqua Fresca are this week's featured posts.

Hello and Welcome!

At camp just like at home, I use the grill as a means to get a meal or even just a recipe completed, quickly. And of course, the best part of this getting done quickly is that I don't woman the grill, it is manned by my hubby! Getting your hubby (or any cooking partner for that matter!) involved divides the work, and everyone gets to contribute to the effort of getting dinner on the table. The roasted onion salad I am sharing with you today is the combined result of our working together to get dinner done! This grilled salad is delicious and leftovers are great on sandwiches or burgers...

Roasted Red Onion and Grape Tomato Salad with Feta and Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Roasted Red Onion Salad and Grape Tomatoes with Feta and Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

by the seat of my pants!

1 large red onion, sliced into 4 thick slices

olive oil to brush on the onion slices

1 c grape tomatoes, halved (or a large handful)

1/4 c Feta Cheese Crumbles

1/4 c Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Roast onion slices over moderate heat, until crisp-tender. Taking care not to char too dark or burn (onions have quite a bit of natural sugars)

Place roasted onion slices on a serving plate. 

Arrange the cut grape tomatoes over the top of the onion slices. 

Drizzle with the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette, garnish with the Feta Cheese. 

Offer additional vinaigrette when serving. 

#campfood!

Tagine of Chicken and Olives, another delicious Instant Pot meal.

Looking for something a bit different, that the family will enjoy? If so, you will want to make this Tagine of Chicken and Olives, a delicious old-world flavor in a quick-to-fix pressure cooker (Instant Pot!) meal...

Slow Cook or No Cook Favorites for these hot days of Summer!

Are you looking for a Slow Cook and No-Cook meal plan? These offered selections are sure to please the family and are definitely easy on the cook! 

No matter how hot it gets, dinner still needs to be cooked. After the third day of burgers and dogs (and believe me, there is nothing wrong with those family favorites for dinner!) everyone might be ready to enjoy something else for dinner. Why not make it just as easy on the cook by enjoying this slow cook and no-cook menu plan? 

How to make a Homemade Wedge Pillow.

How to Make a Homemade Wedge Pillow because purchased wedge pillows are hard! This pillow project may appeal to a few people or possibly none at all, which is OK. Many folks and not just me live with ongoing issues from an ulcer. But a comfortable pillow will help you sleep better...From the DIY Homemade Household side of the blog!

Encouraging Hearts and Home 07.23.2020

Strawberry Snaps, Chocolate Chip Pie, Summer Squash Lasagne, and DIY Shopping Bag are this week's featured posts!

Hello and Welcome!

Today is granola making day! I try to eat oats every day. I divide my breakfasts between granola, baked oatmeal, Scottish oats, and occasionally a serving of overnight oats. The easiest of these is cooked oatmeal. A pan of oatmeal is cooked and served throughout the week with the help of the microwave to get it good and hot. Sometimes I cook oatmeal with raisins, sometimes not. Sometimes I make poached dried fruit to enjoy on top along with a dab of butter, and a drizzle of honey. 

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Granola, in the works!

But the granola is a different issue! It is crisp, baked to a golden brown, and always enjoyed! I have two basic flavors Honey Almond and Maple Pecan that I enjoy and here recently I have been playing around with a new flavor of granola, one inspired by a childhood favorite - Pop-Tarts! Yes, you read that right, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Pop-Tarts were a favorite when they came out in 1964. And I am old enough to remember that day because when my mom went shopping, a box came home! And I never forgot that flavor combination and now I enjoy that same flavor in my newest granola flavor...

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Granola

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Granola, tastes just like Pop-Tarts! Another easy to make granola your family to enjoy. When granola is this easy to make, why buy it?

Breakfast Menu Favorites for July!

Breakfast is an important meal for everyone. Some folks like to eat right away, while others may need a bit of time to get ready for the day and that includes eating breakfast. Fortunately, both styles are correct!

Encouraging Hearts and Home 07.16.2020

Easy Southern Pickled Okra, How to Single Crochet, and How to Cook Dried Beans are this week's featured posts!

Hello and Welcome!

We are home on our 2-day leave from Camp Hosting and it appears the cat has missed us! While he has been a stubborn one most of his 17 years, this time back home is different. He is cuddly, and a solid lap cat should I take a moment between laundry and other chores to sit for a minute. 

When we traveled for a year volunteering at National Parks, he went with us! It was quite an adventure for us all, as he had never been further than his own backdoor for a little sunshine! But we made him a hide-y hole in the storage under the bed, where he could come and go as needed/wanted, and he took to travel lickity split! But for our current adventures, we have a much smaller trailer and he is too fat to fit in the current storage space! 

Since we home share with our daughter and son-in-law, he is really never alone. Plus we are home twice a week for him to get plenty of treats and love, should he be in the mood! Cats are funny, they run hot and cold on attention, but he seems to be softening in his demands for things to be given on his agenda...

Favorites to remake in July Menu Plan

Some recipes are too good to make only once. And that is the problem with food blogging! But we have a fix for that...

Here at Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household, I have always felt the need to share something NEW from my very first day of blogging! But here lately I have come to realize that many of the delicious dishes we have enjoyed in the past are calling out to be made again. And so we shall...

Mark Bittman's Black Bean and Mango Salad

With the markets full of beautiful fruits and vegetables, now is the time to enjoy this unusual but delicious Black Bean and Mango Salad! It is the perfect salad to serve with your favorite grilled meat for a quick and easy dinner. Who knew a can of beans and a piece of fruit could result in such an enjoyable salad?

Encouraging Hearts and Home 07.09.2020

A Rock Rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, Grilled Pork Kabobs, Volunteerism, and DIY Memo Board are this week's featured posts!

Hello and Welcome!

Today I am knee-deep in dirty laundry! When we come home from Camp Hosting for our two days off, there is laundry to do, bread to bake, and a few other assorted chores to take care of before we return to camp. It is funny really, even in the summertime, life keeps humming along on the chores we must do each day! 

I thought I would offer a glimpse into our campsite and the beauty of the Bitterroot Mountains...

Honestly, this volunteer life is not so bad! We get some exercise, lots of fresh air and the best part is the wonderful people we get to meet while being of service. 

Encouraging Hearts and Home 07.02.2020

Planning A Staycation, Brown Sugar Peach Ice Cream, Mosaic Garden Art, and Simple Embroidery for Beginners are this week's featured posts. 

Hello and welcome!

Our time at camp is going well, we have met so many nice people from all over! Most of the campers are from our own state of Montana, but we see more and more license plates for surrounding states as well as one from as far away as New York...which as it turns out is a state we hope to visit someday.

I have been working on different dried fruit (so easy to pack and store when camping!) poached in black tea and honey syrup. I have to say, it is so delicious, even though when I poached the dried figs I had in the camping pantry, they were not very pretty. My second attempt was with home-dried plums and those little jewels were delicious spooned overcooked oatmeal. The method couldn't be simpler, and it is perfect for just about any dried fruit you have in your pantry. You could even change out the tea flavor if you choose. 

Black Tea and Honey Poached Dried Plums served for breakfast over oatmeal.

Tea and Honey Poached Fruit

by the seat of my pants!

2 black tea bags

2 c water

2 c (loosely packed) dried fruit

2-4 T honey (if your fruit is sweet like figs, use the smaller amount) as desired

dash of salt

Place water, tea bags, and fruit in a medium-sized pan. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let "steep" until room temperature. Remove tea bags (do not squeeze out, the tannins will affect the flavor), bring back to a boil, add honey and simmer until half of the liquid has evaporated. 

Let cool. Enjoy!

#campfood!