The Spring “Weeds” are here!

Posted on May 4, 2023 by okieranchwife
Volunteer plant in one of planters.
More volunteer plants in my garden

The Spring “Weeds” are here! Many people run to get the herbicide to spray the heck out of those darn weeds. I run to get my foraging basket to gather as many as I can find to make a wonderful spring tonic. But that’s just me. It’s the way I roll.

There are so many beneficial weeds/greens growing at this time of year, it was difficult to choose one to discuss today. But choose I did. And my choice is lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album). Chenopodium comes from the Greek language and means goosefoot hence the other names it is commonly known by – goosefoot and fatfoot. Album means white and refers to the white dusty underside of the leaves. This white dusting is full of minerals from the soil.  A large patch of lamb’s quarters can look very dusty since the flower clusters have a white hue also.

This annual has a mild spinach flavor and is delicious prepared in the ways of spinach and Swiss chard. Tender leaves can be eaten raw in salads, steamed, sautéed, made into a pesto or even made into a delicious soup. Recipe will follow.

Considered a bothersome weed by some people here in America, lamb’s quarters is one of the few wild greens that has been analyzed  for nutritional content. It is listed in the USDA National Nutrient Database, Data Type: SR Legacy Food Category: Vegetables and Vegetable Products FDC ID: 169244 NDB Number:11244.  It is exceptionally high in calcium and Vitamins A and C. Lamb’s quarter packs a huge nutritional punch.  In 100 grams there is 4.2 g protein, 1.2 g iron, 116,000 IU Vitamin A, 80 g Vitamin C and 309 g calcium.  This plant is appreciated in Europe as a nutritious potherb. A traveler can even find bundles for sale at local farmers markets in France.

Harvesting lamb’s quarter is best done in spring and early summer when the leaves are most tender. You can harvest during the heat of the summer but limit yourself to taking the tender new leaves at the top of stalk. You may have to pick the leaves individually. The larger mature leaves have a higher concentration of oxalic acid that is why the young leaves are better suited to eat raw. Mature stalks can reach six feet tall.

All parts of lamb’s quarter can be used roots, leaves, flowers and seeds depending upon when and what reason you are harvesting. The roots contain saponin and when mashed can be used to make soap. The mashed roots can also be used as a tea infusion to aid elimination of toxins through a laxative effect. In addition to eating the leaves straight away, they can be dehydrated and ground to a powder for use in soups, smoothies or other dishes.  The flowers can be used in similar ways to the leaves. The seeds can be prepared and used like it’s cousin quinoa.

Used as a tonic lamb’s quarter is a gentle detoxifier. The high chlorophyll content will bind to the toxins and will be eliminated. The spring tonic recipe I use will follow.

Lamb’s quarter is widely distributed in zones 4 to 11 in North America, Europe and Asia  . It will grow wherever it can find a niche. I had a large plant grow in a crack in my concrete apron at the front of my shop where the overhead doors are. There is no need to cultivate as it is a prolific selfseeder. If you do want to cultivate try the Magneta Spreen Lamb’s quarter sold by Baker Creek Seeds, www.rareseeds.com.

For further research into this very useful green I highly recommend all of the books by Susan N. Gillmore – “The Backyard Herbalist”. She is a certified Master Herbalist and certified Master Mittleider Gardener. Her books include, “Medicinal Weeds”, “First Aid Kit Herbs”, Making Herbal Remedies and the Healer’s Art”,  and  “Culinary Herbs and Spices”. These hard copy, spiral bound books are an invaluable addition to your SHTF library.  She can be reached at sue@LDSPrepper.com.

  • My spring tonic recipe –
  • ½ cup packed fresh Lamb’s Quarter leaves
  • ½ cup packed fresh Dandelion leaves.
  • 16 ozs boiled filtered Water
  • 1 Tbsp Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Raw Honey to taste

In a quart jar pack the lamb’s quarter and dandelion leaves. Add the boiled water. Steep for 15 minutes. Remove the leaves and give to your chickens or put in the compost. Add apple cider vinegar and honey to taste. Enjoy!

The soup recipe is on page 230 of “Forage, Harvest, Feast” by Marie Viljoen, Chelsea Green Publishing, Vermont 2018. This recipe is easily doubled.

  • 8 ozs (227 g) Lamb’s Quarters
  • 4 cups (1 L) Chicken Stock
  • Salt to taste, your choice Sea, Kosher, Pink Himalayan, Redmond Real Salt
  • 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 2 large uncooked Egg Yolks
  • Fresh ground Black Pepper to taste
  • 2-4 poached Eggs (optional)
  • Bacon crumbles (optional)

Blanch leaves in boiling water for 1 minute. Strain leaves out and plunge into cold water. Squeeze and rough chop. Bring stock to a simmer. Taste and add salt if needed. Add lemon juice. Add leaves and cook for 3 minutes. Stir. Cool slightly and transfer soup to a blender. Pulse briefly. Transfer by to pot and heat. Do not boil. Whisk in egg yolks and season with salt and pepper. As soon as the soup is hot, it is ready to eat. Add pre-cooked poached eggs and bacon to individual bowls. This is excellent served with Irish Soda Bread and creamy butter.   Enjoy!

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Creamy Asparagus and Potato Soup

Posted on April 24, 2023 by okieranchwife

My asparagus patch is a hot mess right now. I’m working it.

So far I have harvested about 3 pounds of asparagus from my garden. Asparagus from the garden is so good. I was able to clear out the dewberry vines so I can now actually see the tender stalks. I may allow the remaining stalks to go to seed to ensure I have asparagus next Spring. Back in 2011 I posted an asparagus soup that was just asparagus. In this version I have added potatoes for a bit more caloric content and flavor.

  • 1 ½ pounds Asparagus, trim off the tough ends, cut in 1 inch pieces but set aside the tips
  • 3 or 4 medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 medium Onion, diced
  • 2 ribs Celery, trimmed and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted Butter
  • 1 box (32 ozs) low sodium Chicken Broth or Home-made
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour or Wondra
  • Sea Salt or Kosher Salt to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dill Weed, dried
  • White Pepper to taste
  • Crispy Bacon, shredded Cheese or Chives to garnish

Melt butter in a medium size soup pot. Add onions and celery and sweat over medium high heat until onions are tender but not browned. Add chicken broth and asparagus pieces. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. 

While the asparagus mixture is cooking, in a separate pot cook the potato cubes until tender. Set potatoes aside. Process asparagus mixture in a blender, food processor or puree with an immersion stick blender until smooth.  Return to soup pot when blended. In a small sauce pan heat the milk and whisk in the flour to make a smooth roux. Add a bit of the warm pureed asparagus soup to the roux. Blend well. Add the roux to the soup pot. Stir constantly until well blended.

Drain potatoes and add to soup pot. Add yogurt, salt, dill weed and pepper. Mix well.  Add in asparagus tips and heat for about 10 minutes until soup is thickened and tips are slightly tender. Can serve with crusty bread and creamy butter.

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I am NOT on Pinterest

Posted on April 22, 2023 by okieranchwife

Hello guys! Just wanted to let everyone know that there is someone else using OkieRanchWife on Pinterest. I have never been on that site and have been using my handle since 2011. I guess this comes with the territory of being on the internet, SIGH! Okay. I did just sign up to Pinterest to get my @okieranchwife on there but I will not be pinning or posting anything.

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Keto Ugly Chicken Bacon and Cheese Casserole

Posted on April 5, 2023 by okieranchwife

 I have been pressure canning meat protein like a crazed woman. This is my 921 All American canner with ugly chicken processing. I have done chicken, bone in legs and thighs and deboned breasts, ground beef, ground pork sausage, and pulled pork butt. I have had an All American pressure canner for about three years. It was gift from a very good friend. I was afraid of it. It sat in my dining room with an accusatory attitude, like “come on, go big or go home”! With the state of the food industry and grocery food that you buy now and preserve will be a saving and money in your pocket. I don’t believe the cost of food will come down anytime soon. So I went big. I started right in on meat. Totally by passed all the veg recipes. I want shelf stable meat protein in my pantry. I have been hot water bath canning acidic foods for many years and am very comfortable with that process. Now I am confident with my pressure canner.

Since I am a newbie to pressure canning I would not presume to give directions how to do it. However, there are several YouTube channels that were invaluable to me.  They are Late Bloomer Homestead (Kaye Kittrel was learning how to use her new canners) , Sutton’s Daze and North Texas Vegetable Gardening and Cooking. I also used the recipe book that came with my All American and a couple canning books that I own.

I hope you enjoy this chicken casserole that is low carb, high fat, KETO friendly recipe. And you probably have the ingredients in kitchen already!

  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray or Coconut Oil Spray
  • 1 quart canning jar Ugly Chicken (I pack 2 bone in legs and thighs in a quart jar) You can also use a pre-cooked deli chicken.
  • 1 small head Cauliflower, broken into small florets and stems chopped
  • 8 ozs Cream Cheese, sliced into cubes
  • 12 ozs  Bacon , cooked, chopped and drained (I love bacon)
  • 8 ozs Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese , shredded and divided
  • 2 Tsp Sweet Paprika
  • Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Spray the casserole dish with olive oil or coconut oil.  A casserole dish measuring 13 x 9 inches will accommodate this recipe. Shred the chicken meat off the bones. Save the bones in the freezer for homemade bone broth.

Place the cauliflower florets in the casserole dish. Add shredded chicken, bacon and one half of the shredded cheddar cheese to the casserole dish and mix with the cauliflower. Sprinkle the mix with paprika, salt and  pepper. Top with the cubed cream cheese. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheddar over top of cream cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and cooked.

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King Ranch Chicken Soup

Posted on February 14, 2023 by okieranchwife

Ohhhh, it is a windy, blustery day here in East Central Oklahoma. In this state the wind is a physical entity! This morning one of my cats was playing with a page I tore out of a magazine. It was from Southern Living magazine from November 2015 and featured King Ranch Chicken Soup. It is a rift on the tasty Tex-Mex casserole. Bingo, I know what will be today’s main meal. I made a couple of changes to the Southern Living recipe. I didn’t have a deli roasted chicken. With a town run being a 40 mile round trip event, I used three 12.5 ounce cans of chicken. Their recipe called for a green pepper. I substituted two pablano peppers. I believe they have a more interesting flavor for a Tex-Mex dish. And instead of just putting the tortilla strips in the soup to thicken it, I reduced the amount of chicken broth and toasted the tortilla strips to use as a crispy garnish at serving. Several years ago I posted my Red Dirt Cooking version of that famous casserole. It was messy but good.  I hope you like this soup and of course make it your own.  

  • 2 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 cup chopped Yellow Onion
  • 2 Pablano Peppers chopped
  • 1 Garlic Clove minced
  • 2 (10.5 oz) cans diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
  • 1 (10.5 oz) can Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1 (10.5 oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 4 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1 whole deli roasted Chicken, skin removed, de-boned and shredded (or 3 (12.5 oz) canned Chicken don’t drain)
  • 2 Tsp dried Oregano
  • 2 Tsp Ground Cumin
  • 2 Tsp Chili Powder (I used Spice Hunter New Mexico Red Chili Pepper Powder)
  • 8 ozs Shredded Cheese of your choice
  • 8 six inch Tortillas (corn or flour), cut into ½ inch strips cut in half (use soft or toast in oven until crispy)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Optional Garnishes Sour Cream, Cilantro Leaves, Green Onions  

Melt butter in a large Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add onions and peppers. Sauté for 6 or 7 minutes. Add garlic. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes and both soups. Mix completely. Add chicken and spices. Mix until thoroughly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. If you are using the soft tortilla strips, add them now with the shredded cheese. Season to taste and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat, serve into bowls and add your garnishes. If using crispy tortilla strips garnish on top.   

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Spicy Sweet Slow Cooker Kielbasa

Posted on January 31, 2023 by okieranchwife

This dish started with a 2.5 pound package of Earl Campbells smoked kielbasa I found at the local grocery store. Normally $8.75, I bought it for $3.00 as a quick sale. I love these great buys. And the meal prep can’t be any easier. Everything else was in my pantry. I do apologize for the messy bowl. I wanted to get the photo and eat quick!

  • 2 lbs Smoked Polish Kielbasa, sliced in ½ inch rounds or you can quarter the slices to stretch the bits of meat (Think peasant cooking)
  • ½ cup Dark Brown Sugar (I used Goya Mexican Piloncillo Sugar)
  • ¼ cup Spicy Brown Mustard
  • ¼ cup Koops Arizona Heat Mustard
  • 1 medium Onion, small dice
  • 2 Tbsp Hot Sauce
  • 1 TBsp Liquid Smoke (I like mesquite or hickory)
  • Your choice of cooked rice for serving

Mix all ingredients in a slow cooker. Stir to coat kielbasa. Cook on low for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Can be served over rice as a meal or a party snack.

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Loaded Potato Cauliflower Soup with Bacon

Posted on January 28, 2023 by okieranchwife

As usual in Oklahoma the weather has been changeable. Right now it is seasonally cold and windy. It’s a great day for a big pot of yummy soup. I had some quick sale cauliflower, potatoes and a package of bacon. They were my starting point. I decided to go all in with the bacon. Most soup recipes use 6 slices of bacon used as garnish. Not me! I had a 12 ounce package. That is one serving in my book.  LOL.

I have seen several recipes where the vegetables were roasted. That’s what I did with the cauliflower and carrots. That step added a wonderful and rich flavor to the finished soup. Also I have started to use Redmond Real Salt mined in Utah. The Redmond Salt adds a distinct flavor to dishes. The salt comes from an ancient sea salt deposit and has a great taste. This soup would pair well with sour dough bread. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

  • 1 pound (approx.) Cauliflower broken into florets
  • 3 small Carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch rounds
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 12 ozs Smoked Bacon
  • 1 cup chopped Yellow Onion
  • 6 Green Onions, sliced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, peeled and pressed
  • 1 pound Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 pound Gold Yukon or Red Potatoes, peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces
  • 4 cups Chicken Broth or Stock, homemade or store bought
  • 6 sprigs fresh Thyme or 1 Tbsp dried
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper to taste
  • 8 ozs softened Cream Cheese
  • Optional toppings – Green Onions, Chives or grated Cheese of your choice

Preheat oven to 400F. In a mixing bowl toss cauliflower and carrots in the oil and scoop into a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle cauliflower with salt. Roast for 40 minutes. Let cool, place into a blender and puree with the milk. Set aside.

Cut the bacon into bite sized pieces. Over medium low heat cook the bacon in a large Dutch Oven until crispy. Leave the bacon in the Dutch Oven. Remove some of the bacon grease or leave the entire amount in the pot. Add the yellow and green onions to the Dutch Oven. Sauté for 5 minutes and add the garlic. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, thyme and bay leaves to the Dutch Oven. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to low. Add the cream cheese to the Dutch Oven. Mix in to mix and melt. Add the cauliflower/carrot puree to the Dutch Oven. Stir until the soup is mixed and warm.  Serve in bowls with your choice of toppings and bread.

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Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Anytime Treat

Posted on December 6, 2022 by okieranchwife

I really love Greek Yogurt. I regularly substitute Greek Yogurt in place of sour cream in recipes and people do not notice. Even the ones who say they HATE Greek yogurt. I  recently bought an instant pot and I will be making yogurt in it. Just this morning as I was eating my Dave’s Killer 21 Whole Grains and Seed Bread with peanut butter (I know, I should be eating my own multi-seed bread) I noticed my peanut butter next to the Greek Yogurt container. I immediately thought yogurt and peanut butter. Don’t know why I never thought about that combination before.  I did a quick recipe search and found many recipes using peanut butter powder. I am not a big fan of the powder just because it is expensive and just one extra thing to buy. Also I am not concerned about the fat content in regular peanut butter. Sooo I moved ahead using the peanut butter I had.   This is a starter recipe that can have many variations. Use your imagination. I try to use products featuring the “non-GMO project” label.

  • 1 cup unflavored Greek Yogurt I prefer full fat yogurt but I had nonfat in my fridge
  • 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter, creamy or crunchy
  • 1 Tsp Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Tsp Sugar
  • ½  Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ Tsp ground Cardamom

Mix all ingredients together. Use a hand mixer if the peanut butter is a little difficult to whip into the yogurt. To serve, spoon into bowls, sprinkle a little pink Himalayan Salt and add any toppings such as berries, bananas, chocolate bits or  nuts. Enjoy!

Messy bowl with yummy treat!

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Garden Greens and Sausage Strata

Posted on June 3, 2022 by okieranchwife

No joke. The grocery prices are in the stratosphere. So I went shopping in my deep freezer for lunch again. I adapted this recipe from the book, “A New Way to Bake” by Martha Stewart. I didn’t have a loaf of artisan bread but I did have 10 ounces of croutons I made from quick sale everything bagels. I found a pound of home style sausage in the deep freeze and a hunk of manchego cheese I bought in June 2020. It is still wonderful. I added 2 teaspoons of rubbed sage to the sausage as I browned it. I do love sage sausage. The onions and the greens are the first harvest from my garden. Yes!!! Eggs are from my hens. The yolks are so orange. I thought about adding mushrooms but didn’t. Maybe next time. You can use ham instead of sausage. Then skip the browning process. Make this strata your own!

  • 1 pound Sausage
  • 2 tsps Rubbed Sage (optional)
  • 3 Shallots or small Onions Sliced
  • 1 pound assorted Greens, stems chopped, leaves chiffionade
  • Salt and Pepper to your taste
  • 10 ozs Crusty Bread or large croutons
  • 2 ½ cups Milk
  • 7 large Eggs, beaten
  • 3 ozs (1 cup) Cheese of your choice, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Select a 13 X 9 baking dish.

In a heavy skillet (I use cast iron) brown the sausage over medium heat. Season with sage, salt and pepper. Cook time will vary from 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove sausage from skillet and place into the baking dish. Add onions and stems to the skillet. Cook until the onions are translucent about 3 minutes. Add the greens to the skillet and allow them to wilt, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. Add a small amount of water and scrape the bottom of skillet. Stir and season to taste. Place the onion mixture into the baking dish and mix with the sausage.  Spread this mixture out and top with the croutons or bread.  

In a large bowl mix beaten eggs and milk. Pour evenly across the top of croutons or bread. Top with grated cheese. Cover and chill in fridge for 10 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some milk. At this point it can be refrigerated overnight to bake for a breakfast meal. Just allow the dish to come to room temp before you put it in the hot oven.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, checking to make sure the strata is set in the middle.  

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Italian Style Potato Salad

Posted on May 5, 2022 by okieranchwife

This recipe started with my quick sale purchases, as most of my recent recipes do. I found the base recipe over at Epicurious but I made it my way.

  • 2 ½ pounds medium size Red Potatoes
  • 5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 10 oz Cherry Tomatoes, halved
  • 1 Red or Sweet Onion, very thinly sliced
  • 24 Black Olives, halved
  • ¼ cup chiffonade Basil
  • 2 Tbsp drained Capers
  • 3 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
  • ½ Tsp dried Oregano
  • 3 hard boiled Eggs, diced

Cook whole potatoes in boiling salted water for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Peel (or not) and cut into 1 inch pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add oil and toss to coat potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes and serve.

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Tuna Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing

Posted on May 2, 2022 by okieranchwife
Double batch!

Right after I graduated from college, I made this salad quite often because it is very economical. Also I was a terrible cook then. I have redeemed myself on that score. Now I make this dish because it is something quick to eat if I am spending a lot of time in my garden. And  it’s economical.  I used to make the salad with Newman’s Own Italian. Now I make my own dressings. The store bought ones, even the more expensive ones, are filled with soybean oil, vegetable or canola. All of those oils are terrible for your health. I don’t even buy the individual packets to which you add oil, water and vinegar.  The ingredient list on those packets is like reading a chemistry lesson. Citric Acid, xanthan gum, guar gum, maltodextrin, sugar. I don’t want those things in my salad dressing.  Naturally occurring citric acid does come from the peel of citrus fruits, but more commonly it is produced from black mold or corn. This type is cheaper to manufacture. Most companies will use the cheapest ingredients. The store bought salad dressings also may contain GMO or bio engineered  ingredients. I don’t want to consume those either.

This is my mix recipe. Feel free to tweak it to your taste. You can also use more black pepper or cayenne for a zesty version.

Italian Dressing Mix

  • 2 tsps Garlic Powder
  • 1 tbsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning  
  • 1 tbsp dried Parsley
  • 2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 2 tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp dehydrated Red Bell Pepper powder or flakes
  • ¼ tsp Thyme
  • ½ tsp dried Celery Flakes or Celery Seeds

Mix together and store in a jar.  To make the dressing put .7 ounce of the dry mix into a jar. Add ¼ white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons water and ½ cup oil. I use extra light olive oil. St aside to allow the flavors to meld.

Tuna Salad

  • 1 12 oz can Tuna packed in water, drained
  • 1 15 oz can Chickpeas, drained (I freeze the bean liquid to use in my vegetable soups)
  • 1 15 oz can Dark Red Kidney beans, drained
  • 2 Carrots, peeled and shredded
  • 1 medium Red Onion small dice
  • 2 Celery ribs, small dice

Mix together in a large bowl. Add the Italian dressing. Place in a storage container and chill for at least an hour. Make a double batch. This is devoured quickly.

Posted in emergency cooking, herbs and spices, main dish, salad, sides | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Cheesy Potato Cauliflower Soup

Posted on April 29, 2022 by okieranchwife

This soup came about, as usual, from my quick sale produce. I bought two 10 pound bags of russet potatoes for $1.00 each and a head of cauliflower for $2.00. The cauliflower was a bit more expensive than usual but I bought it anyway. I cooked and mashed the cauliflower as a side for some mini meatloaves several days ago. I used the leftover mash in the soup.  I had a gallon bag of chicken bones and skin in my freezer that I would simmer to make a chicken stock as the soup base. Yesterday was a little cool. A perfect day for a big pot of soup.  

  • 6 cups Chicken Stock, store bought or homemade
  • 6 ozs Bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 large Onion, chopped
  • 3 ribs Celery, diced
  • 5 cups peeled, cubed Potatoes
  • ½ head Cauliflower broken into bite size florets
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 8 ozs softened Cream Cheese
  • 1 cup Whole Milk, Half and Half or Heavy Cream
  • ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
  • Shredded Cheese, chives or sliced Green Onions to garnish

In a Dutch Oven or heavy bottom soup pot cook the bacon until well crisped. Remove from pot and crumble. Set aside in a large bowl.  In the same pot add onions and celery and sauté over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Allow the mix to slightly brown. Remove from pot and add to the bowl with the bacon.

Add the chicken stock to the pot. Leave any fond in the pot. It will dissolve in the chicken stock and add more flavor. Season with salt and add potatoes and cauliflower. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.  When the potatoes are fork tender add the onion celery and bacon mixture, cream cheese and milk. Stir to melt the cream cheese.

Put the AP flour into a soup bowl and  add ½ cup soup liquid  to the bowl. Whisk the flour into the soup liquid. Set aside.  When the cream cheese is melted add the flour mixture to the soup pot. Simmer for 10 minutes to cook the flour and thicken soup. Season to taste.

Serve and garnish with cheese, chives or green onions.

Posted in cast iron cookery, main dish, soup, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Asparagus Bacon Mushroom Quiche

Posted on April 26, 2022 by okieranchwife

This recipe came about because I harvested asparagus from my neglected asparagus patch. I had a quick sale crumbled Chevre goat cheese in the fridge. I had a package of bacon in the deep freezer and today I scored a small package of quick sale button mushrooms. Yup, today was the day to go into town. To date I only spent $30 in diesel for the month. I am driving a one ton dually diesel. I try to only go into town once a week since it is a 44 mile round trip. I would try to go into bi-weekly but I do have to pick up mail at the post office. The pie edge is not perfect but it will eat good! Anyway….I hope you enjoy the recipe. It is yummbly.

  • 1 store bought or homemade Pie Shell
  • 4 slices Bacon, sliced into one inch pieces
  • 8 ozs Asparagus sliced on a diagonal into one inch pieces
  • 4 ozs Mushrooms, quartered
  • 8 Eggs, beaten
  • 2 ozs crumbled Chevre Cheese
  • 2 ozs your choice Cheese, grated
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the pie shell in a deep dish 9” pie dish. Set aside. Cook sliced bacon in a heavy bottom skillet for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and asparagus. Cook until the bacon is browned and crumbly. Salt and pepper to taste, but remember if you are using Chevere cheese it is salty. As is the bacon. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the pie shell. In a medium mixing bowl beat the eggs. Add the Chevre cheese to the beaten eggs. Pour the egg and cheese mixture into the pie shell. Top with grated cheese. Bake for 35 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Expanding Okie RanchWife’s Garden

Posted on April 25, 2022 by okieranchwife
Seed starts enjoying the sun

Wow, have you seen the headlines regarding food scarcity, food production facility accidents, lack of fertilizer? Not only have they been in the alternative media, but also they have gone mainstream. Tucker Carlson and Dan Bongino have talked about it. Azure Standard HQ, one of the largest organic food distributors was destroyed by a fire. The Honeyville Company has more out of stock than in stock items. Now just this weekend Indonesia has banned the sale of edible oils i.e., palm oil and probably coconut oils to foreign countries. It is concerning. Not in a hair on fire, what am I going to do fear filled way? But in a calm quiet I am going to get even more self reliant way. OHH and bonus I have little tender lambsquarters coming up. More foraged salads!

Now that I am retired and I have loads of time to work my garden I have decided to expand my garden. Right now it measures 20 feet by 50 feet. It will be 50 feet by 50 feet when I have enclosed the additional ground.  As usual, I went shopping in my outbuildings. I found a roll of four foot high wire fence. It must have been leftover from the first garden fence 12 years ago. Thankfully, it was out of weather and is in great shape. Other than dirt dabber nests which are easily washed off when I unroll the wire, it is in perfect condition.  I also found several T posts to support the new length of fence that will run east/west. I will reuse the existing fence and T posts that currently run north/south. I found wire clips from our barb wire fence fixing activities. I’ll use them to attach the wire to the T post.

We had rain all day yesterday so the next couple of days will be the best time to get the T posts out of the soft ground. That is on my To Do list for this week. I am also able to use rainy days more efficiently since I know I will be at home on the sunny week days to get outdoor chores complete. Just yesterday when it was rainy and cold, I sewed new curtains for my living room. I had that fabric for about six months. The new curtains are hanging and the old curtains are on the west window in my bedroom. Yea! I finally have curtains on that window. It wasn’t a real concern. The closest neighbor is a mile away.

Onion and garlic rows one month ago

I have been working the existing part of my garden for about a month already. I am trying to push the season.  A 10 foot row of garlic plants are about 7 inches tall. Twenty feet of sweet onions are taller since I bought onion starts instead of just bulbs.  The onions are planted four across. Fingers crossed, I will have a lot of onions in the fall. Currently I am hardening off my seed starts on my back porch. It faces south and it is warm for the starts snuggled up against the house. Last Saturday I weeded 32 feet of welded wire cattle panels I use for pole beans. The yard long green beans and yard long Chinese red noodle do really well on the panels. I top dressed that row with donkey poop (Gomez makes a lot for me), crushed egg shells and Epsom salts. The rain on Sunday did a nice job of watering the additions into the soil. I don’t till the soil. Rather I loosen the ground with a pitch fork and pull the weeds. I haven’t committed to no till yet. I am reading up on that technique. I have 10 feet weeded for my okra plants but I won’t put them in the ground until the end of May or mid June. I need to weed 10 more feet for the okra. Gumbo, fried okra and pickled will be in my future. Okra like very warm soil to flourish. White and blue potatoes are pushing a lot of leaves. I have three 20” pots three fifty pound horse feed sacks with white and blue potatoes. I add more soil to the pots and sacks as the leaves grow up. Some sweet potato slips are on the kitchen window sill growing roots. I should have enough in a couple weeks to get them in the ground.

The asparagus patch needs some of my love. I harvested enough to make a quiche. That is an accomplishment because I have neglect that patch for the past two years. Now I have to put on overalls and denim jacket to cut down the dewberry vines. Ohhhh, I hate those sticker vines. I let a mound of them grow along my driveway. I do like the berries in pies. Unfortunately, they will take over wherever they can.

Two books I have been reading are “Gaia’s Garden, 2nd edition” by  Toby Hemenway dealing with permaculture and “Biodynamic Gardening” by Monty Waldin. I also blew the dust off “The Edible Flower Garden” by Rosalind Creasy. I have no connections to any of these authors and I do not have any affiliate links on my blog.

My front porch where I relax and read gardening books. My late husband’s cow dog keeps me company

I will keep you updated on my progress. My gardening activities has had a negative influence on my cooking and posting recipes but it will work out in the end.

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Foraging in My Yard for Spring Salads

Posted on April 20, 2022 by okieranchwife
Flowers from dandelion, violet and henbit for my salad.
Wild Onion Grass that grows my my front porch.

Food is freedom. Control the food, control the people.

Wild onion grass, violets and Dandelions! It is Spring in Oklahoma.

And my hens are producing more eggs since the daylight lasts longer. I have 10 dozen in my fridge right now. When I was working I would take eggs for my co-workers, now that I am retired I use a lot of eggs. They are a great protein to add to breakfast frittatas or quiches and when hardboiled,  they are a quick snack. But back to my yard.  

Even though we had a mild winter a Spring tonic salad is just what the herbalist ordered to get your body cleaned out.  

I don’t spray anything on my yard so everything I forage is pesticide free. When I am gathering for my salad I use a plastic veggie bag from the grocery store. I fill it with a variety of large and small dandelion leaves some blossoms, violet leaves and violet flowers. I have cleaned wild onion grass in my fridge so no need to gather more. Unfortunately, I have not seen any lambs quarters yet. There is a lot of henbit taking over parts of my yard, but the leaves are a little too old for a salad now but I can probably use some flowers for color. I will make this salad again for Easter Sunday lunch.

After I have washed and dried the greens I toss them with the chopped wild onion grass, flowers and dandelion petals in a large bowl. I posted a recipe for PA Dutch hot bacon dressing back in August 2011. It was one of first blog posts. I’ll summarize the recipe here. This is a wonderful dressing for a slightly bitter Spring salad.

  • 3 slices of Bacon (or more to your taste) well cooked and crumbled
  • 1 Tbsp all Purpose Flour or Wondra
  • 1 whole Egg, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 cup Water

Cook bacon and remove from skillet and set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the skillet. I like to use a cast iron skillet for this recipe. In a small mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Add beaten egg, vinegar and water. Whisk until well blended. Cook in bacon drippings until the liquid thickens. Pour over your salad. This is a great dressing to use for crisper greens like frisee, radicchio and dandelions. Serve while still warm. It can be reheated in the microwave but is best fresh.

I do hope you have food in your yard! Happy foraging.

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Hrudka – Eastern European Easter Cheese

Posted on April 13, 2022 by okieranchwife
Easter Dinner 2021 Hrudka cheese is between the deviled eggs and ham slices

My family is from Eastern Europe. My mom always made this egg cheese for Easter. And I have been making this for more than 20 years. It is an easy cheese to make at home no special procedures or rennets.  If you have backyard chickens the cheese will take on a wonderful orange color if you let your chickens free range. All you really need is milk and eggs with only a couple additions.  The photo is from last Easter. I will make my cheese this Friday. Most of it will remain for Sunday lunch.

You will need cheese cloth and twine to complete this recipe. You can also use a leg from clean pantyhose or knee high stockings. I use cheese cloth.

  • 12 large fresh Eggs
  • 1 quart Whole Milk
  • 1 Tsp Kosher Salt (use ½ Tsp if you use fine salt)
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla

Using a heavy bottom 2 quart pot, add all ingredients and beat thoroughly. Cook slowly over low heat. Stir constantly. This will take at least 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t hurry the process. You will appreciate the end product. The egg mixture will separate into what looks like yellow cottage cheese curds and liquid whey. Keep the liquid. You can use it place of milk in waffles or pancakes.

Line a sieve or small colander with the cheese cloth. The sieve should be over a large bowl to collect the whey. Be careful to keep the edges of the cheese cloth above the lip of sieve so you don’t lose the egg curds. Gather the edges of the cheese cloth to form a ball and tie off with twine. Suspend the cheese cloth ball over the bowl and allow to drain. I tie the ball off one of my cabinets. Let it drain for about 2 hours. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate overnight. To serve, remove the cheese cloth and slice. This fresh cheese will last about a week in the fridge.

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OkieRanchWife Chicken Rice Soup

Posted on April 13, 2022 by okieranchwife

So I had a lot of leftover basmati rice from a previous meal. Since I never want to waste anything, I went shopping in my deep freezer this morning. We are having a cool rainy day and I thought soup would be great.  I found a gallon baggie of chicken leg quarters I bought in July 2021 for $5.99 for 10 pounds of chicken.  A baggie of quick sale grape tomatoes. Don’t know when I froze them because I didn’t put the date on the veggies. Six homegrown sweet banana peppers from the deep freeze. Frozen in September 2021. A baggy from the deep freeze of my own home grown  yard long green beans. Freeze date August 2021. I had a half head of green cabbage and a baggy of baby carrots from quick sale veggie tray in my crisper drawer. Just the other day I bought 10 ounces of baby spinach for 39 cents. I love an inexpensive meal and this one was made for pennies.

  • 4 Chicken Leg quarters, skin on and bone in (or a whole chicken)
  • Water or Chicken Stock to cover the chicken
  • 1 small Onion, diced
  • 3 Celery Ribs, diced
  • 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 2 cups fine sliced Green or Red Cabbage
  • 2 cups Green Beans, sliced into bite size
  • 1 cup Carrots, sliced in rounds
  • 6 Sweet Banana Peppers, seeded and sliced
  • 10 ozs Spinach
  • 3 cups cooked Rice
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Using a large stock pot, put the chicken leg quarters or whole in the pot. Add water or stock to the pot so it covers the chicken by at least an inch. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about an hour. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.

Add the ingredient except the spinach and rice. Season to taste. When the chicken is cool, shred the meat off the bones and add meat to the soup. I keep the bones and skin in the freezer to make stock. After I cook the all of the saved bones and skin, I give what is left to my barn cats. They do love it.

Let the soup simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Then add the spinach and rice. Simmer until the rice is heated. I served the soups with croutons I dehydrated from everything bagels. So good.

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Balsamic Pork Bites with Rice

Posted on January 31, 2022 by okieranchwife

I found two quick sale family packs of boneless pork chops during one of my recent grocery runs into town. I used both packs for this meal but it will stretch over several days. I do like to cook in bulk and eat leftovers. I have a Zojirushi rice cooker that I love. I rinse the rice in the rice pot add that appropriate amount of water for the amount of rice I use. Hit the cook switch and forget about it until I need the cooked rice for my recipe. It automatically switches to keep warm setting when the rice is cooked. So much easier than stove top.

  • 3.5 pounds Pork chopped in bite size pieces
  • 2 tbsp unsalted Butter
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 Garlic cloves, minced or peeled and pressed
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh Rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried Thyme
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth, homemade or store bought
  • ½ cup Balsamic Vinegar, dark or light
  • 4 cups cooked Rice, I like long grain Basmatti
  • Fresh thyme or parsley for garnish optional

Cook rice according to your preferred method.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven. I like an enameled cast iron one for this recipe because of the acidic balsamic vinegar.  Brown the pork bites in batches. Set each batch aside. Season with salt and pepper to taste as needed. Return browned pork bites to the Dutch oven. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme to the pork. Mix well. Add the chicken broth and balsamic. Simmer over medium low heat until the liquid reduces by one quarter approximately six to ten minutes.

Serve over rice and garnish fresh thyme or parsley as an option.

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Pasta with Bacon Mushroom Cheese Sauce

Posted on January 30, 2022 by okieranchwife

This is such as easy dish to make on a Sunday because it will keep wonderfully in the fridge and can be used as leftovers for the rest of the week. I didn’t have fresh mushrooms but I had dehydrated sliced mushrooms from my quick sale purchases. I grabbed two handfuls of the dehydrated ‘shrooms, (yeah, precise I know) I put them in hot water and let them hydrate for at least an hour.

  • 8 ozs Bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 medium Sweet Onion, diced
  • 4 ozs sliced Mushrooms, white button or Baby Bellas
  • 1 sweet Bell Pepper, diced, use red, yellow or orange
  • 4 Garlic cloves, minced or peeled and pressed
  • 1 tsp dried Thyme
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • One 16 oz package of Spaghetti, break in half when it goes into the boiling water
  • 2 tbsp unsalted Butter
  • 2 tbsp of All Purpose Flour or Wondra
  • 2 cups of reserved Pasta water
  • ½ cup Half and Half
  • 8 ozs of grated Cheese that melts easily ( I had 4 ozs of Colby Jack, 2 ozs of crumbled Blue Cheese and about 4 ozs of Garlic Dill Feta left over from a cheese board)
  • ½ cup dry White Wine

In a heavy cast iron skillet, cook bacon, onion and bell pepper over medium heat until the bacon is crispy about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and salt and pepper. Turn off heat. In a large soup pot cook pasta. Cook about two minutes less than package directions. The pasta will finish cooking with the residual heat from the cheese sauce. Drain, but keep two cups of the pasta water. Put pasta in a large bowl.

Using the soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When melted whisk in  the flour. Whisk until smooth. This is actually making a blond roux. Whisk in half and half and ½ cup of the pasta water. Simmer and stir until smooth. Add the cheese. Stir until melted. Add the remaining pasta water and stir until smooth. Turn off the heat. Stir in the spaghetti. Mix until the pasta in covered in the cheese sauce.

Reheat the mushroom mixture in the skillet over medium high heat. The mixture should start to sizzle. Heat the mixture for about 3 to 4 minutes but don’t let the mixture burn. Add the dry white wine to deglaze the skillet. It might smoke a little. That’s okay. Stir the wine to deglaze the fond from the bottom of the skillet. Take off the heat. Stir in the mushroom wine mixture into the pasta and cheese sauce. Mix thoroughly making sure the pasta is not clumped together. You can garnish with fresh or dried parsley when serving. Enjoy! 

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Peasant Cooking for Modern Day Home Cooks

Posted on January 30, 2022 by okieranchwife
Cookbooks from my collection

By peasant cooking I do not mean porridge gruel three times a day. I mean thoughtfully using ingredients to stretch meals. Many home cooks do this instinctually to feed the family.

I am certain that everyone has experienced sticker shock at the grocery store lately. Meat prices across the board have increased. Also fresh produce prices are crazy. My local stores still have mostly stocked shelves. What I have noticed during my grocery and sundries runs are the lack of choice in sizes of various items. While not a food product, I looked for the small three ounce bottle of contact lens solution that I use.  Nope. Nothing. I had to buy the vastly more expensive 12 ounce bottle. That’s enough to last me a whole year. I suppose in the end I saved money. SIGH.

To continue my grocery odyssey. I was blessed with a very productive garden last year. My two deep freezers are stuffed with my own home grown produce.  I do shop quick sales in the meat department so I have meat protein in the freezers. And I want to stretch that meat as far as I can. Several years ago I may have made individual steaks. Now I would forgo the steaks and grind up a couple sirloins to make a large pot of chili. Where I would have one meal for two people, now I have three, four or more  meals per person depending on the amount of other ingredients. I use a grinder attachment for my KitchenAide mixer but I don’t always grind. I also cut meat into chunks or shred the meat after cooking it. It all adds to increase the amount of meat available to feed a crowd. Recently, my meals have been a great New England Clam Chowder and yesterday I made a wonderful spicy Taco Soup. I will post those recipes soon.

I have 160 acres that I call home. I forage, garden and keep chickens right now. Presently I do not hunt but if the SHTF I would to feed us. My chickens live out their natural lives. When they do not continue to lay eggs they just keep on pecking on my property. 

Anyway three books on peasant cooking in my library are “Peasant Cooking of Many Lands” by Coralie Castle, “European Peasant Cookery” and “The Old World Kitchen” by Elizabeth Luard. I also learned peasant cooking from my mom and my Baba (grandmother) in the Northern Blue Mountains of the Northeast.

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Almond Butter, Turmeric and Pumpkin Dog Treats

Posted on January 12, 2022 by okieranchwife

Way back in the Fall of 2015 I posted a peanut butter dog treat recipe. That is still one of the most viewed posts. It is still a good recipe but I wanted to change it up a little. I am still using the basic ingredients but exchanging and adding a couple of items.

Almond butter takes the place of peanut butter. I am a label reader. I noticed more brands are adding high fructose corn syrup and soy or canola oils. I don’t eat those frankenfoods, so I don’t want to feed them to my dogs. I also added fresh ground black pepper because the pepperdine works synergistically with the curcumin in the turmeric.

  • 2 1/2 cups Oat Flour (grind Regular Oats in a blender or food processor.)
  • 2 Eggs, beaten (I have chickens so I use my fresh eggs)
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin, use 100% pumpkin,  not the pumpkin pie filling if you are using store bought
  • 2 tbsp Almond Butter
  • 1 tbsp Turmeric
  • 1 tbsp Flaxseed Meal
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh Ground Black Pepper, needs to be fresh ground

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit or 163 Celsius.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Add a bit of water as necessary to make a workable dough. It will be dry and stiff like a cracker dough. Spread some oat flour on your counter top or cutting board so the dough will not stick. Roll out to about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into size appropriate pieces for your dog. I have an Irish Wolfhound so his pieces would be too big for a mini dog. You can also use seasonal  cookie cutters for a bit of whimsy. The dogs don’t care but I think they are cute.

Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until hard and dry. Remove from oven, let cool and store in an air tight container.  As for quantity, your mileage will vary. I hope your furry friends enjoy these.

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Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet Casserole

Posted on January 12, 2022 by okieranchwife

This so easy and quick. I had everything in my pantry when I decided to make this for dinner last night. Earlier in the day  I went to town on grocery and mail run.  I found some quick sale cuts of beef. I used my Kitchen Aide meat grinder attachment  to grind a pound of the beef. I do not buy pre-ground meat from the store. The rest of the cuts went into my deep freeze. For the oil, I use a mixture for four cooking oils, coconut, extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin sesame oil and avocado oil.  I mix my own Taco seasoning because that nasty gunk from soy ingredients formed in the back of my throat after I ate the store bought packages.

When I add the chopped fresh tomatoes as a garnish I also drizzle a Costa Rican salsa condiment called Lizano salsa/sauce.  It adds just a different and unique taste to the dish. No problem if you don’t have. I recently bought some after I tasted a friend’s Costa Rican rice casserole.  I will have to post that. It is yummy.

  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 1 pound Ground Beef, Venison or Bison
  • 1 Red Onion, diced
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1.25 ounces Taco mix or one store bought package
  • 1 cup uncooked Rice (I use a long grain Basmatti)
  • One 15 ounce can of Black Beans, don’t drain the liquid
  • one 10 ounce can of diced Tomatoes and Green chilies, undrained
  • 1 cup Corn, frozen, fresh or canned
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste
  • Zest and juice of 1 Lime
  • 2 tbsp of chopped fresh Cilantro Leaves, optional
  • 2 cups shredded Cheese of your choice, Pepper Jack, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc
  • 1 Tomato, diced
  • Green Onions sliced
  • drizzle of Lizano Sauce, if you have it

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large heavy cast iron skillet, at least a 12 inch one,  or Dutch Oven.  Add the ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning and mix to combine.

Stir in rice, beans, canned tomatoes and green chilies, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer until the rice is cooked about 18 minutes. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice.

Top with cheese and cover until it melts. Serve and garnish with chopped fresh tomatoes, green onions and Lizano Sauce.

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Country Style Pork Ribs Braised in Spiced Ginger Beer

Posted on January 2, 2022 by okieranchwife

I made this dish with a black-eye Pea Salad for New Year’s dinner. The salad is a Carla Hall recipe.  Here in the sort-of South people eat black-eye peas on New Year’s day for luck, health and prosperity.  These pork bites are so easy to make. And bonus, one pot meal. Don’t fret if the country ribs have a lot of fat. It will render out when you brown the pork. The fat will also make the finished product juicy and not tough or dry. I do not cook low fat dishes. I try to follow a low carb meal plan.

  • 3 -4 pounds boneless Country Style Pork Ribs, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 large Onion, sliced root to tip so they keep their shape while cooking
  • Two 12 ounce bottles Crabbies Orange Spiced Ginger beer
  • tiny Potatoes enough to cover the pork
  •  2 Cutie Oranges, sliced
  • Sea Salt, Kosher or Himalayan and Pepper to taste (I use a 4 color pepper mix I that grind fresh)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Over medium to medium high heat brown the pork in batches in a heavy bottom Dutch Oven. I use an enameled cast iron one.  Don’t crowd the pot so the pieces brown. Season with salt and pepper for each batch.  During the browning process fond will accumulate on the bottom and even sides of the pot. That is great this will be flavor for the finished dish.  Set the browned pork aside in bowl.

Add onions to the dutch oven. Sauté the onions in the remaining pork drippings until translucent about 5 to 7 minutes. More fond will accumulate.  Remove onions from pot and mix with browned pork bites. Turn up the heat for one or two minutes. Stay at the stove because the pot can easily burn if not watched. 

Add one bottle of the ginger beer to deglaze the pot. Scrap the fond from the bottom and the sides of the pot. Reduce the heat so the liquid simmers. Add the second bottle of ginger beer and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add pork and onion mixture to the dutch oven. Cover the mixture with a layer of tiny potatoes. Season to taste. Top the potatoes with the sliced oranges.

Single layer of tiny potatoes
Top with orange slices, cover place in oven

Place the lid on the dutch oven and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Check the tenderness of the potatoes and pork. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove oranges slices to eat or to add to the compost pile. Enjoy!

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Garden Greens and Red Pepper Quiche

Posted on January 2, 2022 by okieranchwife
Golden Brown and Delicious

This a quick and easy recipe for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even breakfast for dinner. You can use a variety of greens in this quiche. Use what you have on hand.  I had blanched kale and mustard greens in my deep freeze. They are part of my garden harvest.

One deep dish Pie Crust, store bought or homemade

1 Red, Yellow or Orange Pepper, diced

1 medium Onion, diced

10 or 12 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, cut in half

8 to 10 ounces Garden Greens, (baby spinach, kale chard etc)  cut  into chiffonade ribbons

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric

6 Eggs (my girls are still producing so I have really fresh eggs)

1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

4 ounces shredded Cheese of your choice, I used extra sharp Cheddar Sea Salt and Pepper to your taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place pie crust in a deep dish pie dish. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork.

In a heavy bottom skillet, cast iron if you have it, heat a tablespoon of Olive Oil over medium low heat. add red pepper and onions into the pan. Sauté until peppers are soft and onions are translucent. You don’t want to brown them.   Add garlic powder, turmeric, salt and pepper. Add the ribbons of greens in batches and sauté until soft.  Add tomatoes, mix into the greens and remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until smooth and add heavy cream. Season egg mixture to taste.

Add the greens mixture into the pie dish in an even layer. Top with shredded cheese. Pour the egg mixture on top of the cheese. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. The top should be puffed and golden brown. As it cools the top will collapse.

Remove from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy!

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Merry Christmas Dinner 2021

Posted on December 19, 2021 by okieranchwife

Christmas is just about a week away. I am planning to go shopping in my two deep freezers for the Christmas meal just like I did for Thanksgiving lunch.  Inflation is crazy. I was in town a couple days ago because I needed to go to the feed store. Wow, the creep feed  that I buy for the horses and my chickens has gone up three dollars in six months for a 50 pound bag.  

My menu planning includes a whole roaster chicken ($2.00 quick sale), orange zest cranberry sauce (.99 cent bag of whole cranberries bargain from last Christmas sale), English pea salad (canned peas from the pantry and my own pasture raised chicken eggs), chicken liver pate (a one pound container of livers from my  deep freeze), three pounds of homegrown sweet potatoes ( my harvest was six and a half pounds from one pot. I used half for Thanksgiving.)  and a persimmon pecan pie (foraged native persimmons from my property and quick sale pecans from last Christmas sales).

I thought I was going to pay full price for the two oranges I need for the cranberry sauce, however, I found two oranges on quick sale for .39 cents. YES! Sorry, saving money makes me very happy.  I also found four sleeves of reduced celery for .50 cents each.  Reduced sweet onions priced at .79 cents for two large onions.

I admit I will need to buy some brandy or cognac for the chicken liver pate. I also need a nice bottle of Merlot for mulled wine. Oh and a nice bottle of a dry white for the meal. Only my brother and I will be at the Christmas meal, but that’s okay. It will be nice and quiet.  

I will post all of the recipes in the lead up to Christmas so you can try them.

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Green Tomato Pie

Posted on November 15, 2021 by okieranchwife

I am giving you a break from zucchini recipes, but not to worry, I still have a few that I have not posted! Just fair warning. LOL! I found this recipe in one of my mom’s cookbooks. It was an American Heritage, circa 1976, cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens. Some of the dishes are a little dated. I would have to bump up the spices in most of them, but I left this one alone, well mostly. I increased the pounds of green tomatoes to give it a more deep dish look and added ground Allspice. And oh yeah halved the amount of sugar. This tastes like a spicy apple pie.

2 ½ pounds Green Tomatoes
½ cup Sugar
4 tablespoons All Purpose Flour or Wondra Flour
1 ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated Lemon Zest
½ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground Allspice
½ teaspoon Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
2 tablespoons Butter
Pastry for 2 crust 9 inch pie, homemade or store bought (I cheat and use store bought)
Sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Dunk green tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute. Peel and remove core. Cut into ¼ inch slices. In a medium saucepan combine with ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove slices from liquid and set aside. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, zest, nutmeg, allspice and salt into the liquid in the saucepan. Cook and stir until just boiling. Remove from heat. Add butter. Mix. Gently stir the slices. Cool for 10 minutes. While tomato mix is cooling line the pie plate with one prepared pie crust. Spoon in the tomato mixture. Place top crust over the tomatoes and adjust. Seal, crimp edges, cut slits to allow steam to escape from the baking pie. Sprinkle with additional sugar if wanted. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes.

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Dehydrated Tomato Powder

Posted on September 6, 2021 by okieranchwife

During the heat of the summer I try to limit the amount of stove top and oven cooking I do.

I lean heavily on my Crock Pot. I love my gas stove in the Winter, hello cozy kitchen, but in the Summer it can make my kitchen and living room as hot as Hades.

With my central air unit being cranky right now (its 30 years old), I am limping along with a single window unit in the living room.

So much has happened this year, I will deal with it in Spring. I am not procrastinating, I am picking my battles.

So in an effort to not live in a Swedish sauna, I have been using my Excalibur dehydrator to preserve my produce.

My garden has been producing nicely this year, even though it has been very dry in my area of Oklahoma and I have  to water every day.  My water bill is high but it is worth it.

I do dehydrate produce from my garden but the majority of my items to dry come from the quick sale section of my local grocery store.

It is part of an Oklahoma family owned chain. They are not a big box retailer  and can offer quick sale items at a deep discount.

Recently, I scored five pints of grape tomatoes at 39 cents each and two pounds of roma tomatoes for $1.00. Sweet.

I didn’t want to freeze them (I have several quart baggies in the deep freeze already) and I couldn’t use  that many tomatoes for fresh cooking , so my dehydrator was put to work.

I sliced the grape tomatoes in half if they were small and in quarters if they were larger. I didn’t bother to blanch them. I sliced the romas thin, about 1/4 inch slices. I gave the stem end to my chickens.

No waste at my house!

Arrange all of the tomatoes in a single layer on the trays. Try not to let them touch each other. I use 135 degrees F and set the timer for 10 hours. That is way longer than probably needed but I like the dried veggies to be very crispy.

In the past I have had to throw out jars of moldy produce and that is just a waste of time, effort, electricity and money. Best to be sure. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can use your oven on the lowest setting.

After the tomatoes are completely dry, grind into a fine powder using a blender. A food processor will result in more flakes as the final product. Pour into a storage jar with an airtight lid, label it and add the date.

It can last up to 24 months in a cool dry place.

I add tomato powder to many different recipes I make. Soups, pasta sauces, stews, chili’s, even Bloody Mary’s. You can sprinkle it on bread to make garlic tomato bread as a side for pasta. Once you start using it, I am certain you will find many applications for it. The concentrated tomato flavor packs a big punch. Use the powder “to taste” as an addition to a soup or stew. Or  if making a sauce use 1 part powder to 1 – 1.5 part water. Adjust accordingly. Your mileage may vary.

I have seen tomato powder in those big box retailers selling in bulk at $11.95 for 16 ounces or worse 1/2 cup for $8.95. Yikes! That is too expensive for my budget. I have also seen tomato bouillon cubes with “natural flavorings”. Usually that “natural flavorings” include MSG and corn products. No thank you, ma’am.

This technique is budget friendly, nutritious and helps you along the path of food security in uncertain times. In another post I will talk about my adventures with leafy greens.

I do have a couple of favorite books on this subject. The first book was my mom’s. That’s how I became interested in dehydrating. It is,”Dry it, you’ll like it” by Gen MacManiman. It was first printed in 1973. The second book is, “The dehydrator’s Bible” by Jennifer MacKenzie, Jay Nutt and Don Mercer. Between the two of these, I have all of the information I need.

I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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