Monday, September 30, 2013

Homemade Applesauce


     Applesauce is so simple to make that it has dropped off my grocery list completely. Homemade applesauce is also much healthier than the store bought variety which contains high levels of sugars, including high fructose corn syrup. This post will focus on making homemade applesauce for serving, and a second post later will provide instructions for canning it for enjoyment during the off-season. 

While applesauce can be made with some spice like ginger or cinnamon, I prefer to keep mine fairly basic by letting the apples be the predominant flavor. Certain apples are naturally sweet, and so by selecting these varieties I can reduce the amount of sugar I need to add. A great chart for selecting apples can be found at Pick Your Own. When we have apples in the pantry, it's usually Galas which work well for sauce as well as eating. For my husband and I, I will use about 2-3 apples to make sauce. (The following instructions are for two servings, and so you may need to make adjustments to the quantity if you're serving more people). 

Peel and cut the apples into small pieces. The smaller the pieces the faster they will cook. 


Place in a pot and add about 1/4 c. of water. (The amount doesn't have to be precise. You're not boiling the apples like you would potatoes. The water is just to get the pieces cooking.)

Continue cooking until the pieces easily mash with a fork. For chunky applesauce, use a potato masher to blend. For smoother sauce, a Stick Hand Blender  is wonderful. (I rather like the chunks of apples, so I just get it mostly smooth.)


If you wanted to add sugar, cinnamon or any other flavors then add them now. Whether you add additional flavors or not, the final step is to simply chill and then serve. Enjoy!

Up Next: Canning Homemade Applesauce

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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Small Business Saturday Link-up #5


  Do you have a monetized blog, etsy shop, ebook, company, service or other endeavor which would be of interest to the Reviving Homemaking readers? If so, then add your site or product to the list below! 

     Each Saturday, Reviving Homemaking will be hosting a link party specifically for small businesses. I personally believe in the small business and entrepreneur spirit, and want to support that effort on the Reviving Homemaking blog page as well. The link-up is great way to get the word out about your business or product, and well as find fantastic places and people for whatever you're shopping for!

     Take a moment to link-up, browse and shop from the many fantastic small businesses available to you! 

     A separate link-up for blog posts will be available mid-week. Please submit the appropriate link to each link-up. If you link up your site or product, please share the Small Business Saturday link-up in some form. Thank you!

*Note: I reserve the right to accept or reject submissions. I maintain a priority of protecting the interest of the blog and readers by displaying only information or products that I can truthfully endorse and recommend onward. 


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Pregnancy Update: 16 Weeks

{Today actually marks Week 17. I didn't get the Week 16 update posted last week} 
This baby deep inside of me, ever so small, is a child of God. A child that God gave to me to take care of whether for a day or for years. That care began at conception. Whether he or she lives or dies each day I am with him or her is a gift and has a purpose with eternal consequences. My baby is now a part of my life, my testimony. -Brenda Rodgers, "New Rules for Announcing a Pregnancy"
How far along: 16 weeks!

"The bones that are now in place in his ears means he can probably hear your voice. ... thanks to his developing facial muscles, your baby is capable of making a few expressive frowns and squints, even at this early stage. ... And his eyes are finally working, making small side-to-side movements and perceiving light (although the eyelids are still sealed)." -What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th Edition

Baby size:  "three to five ounces, and he's four to five inches in length" -What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th Edition

Gender: We'll find out when he/she arrives in March!

Belly: The baby belly is growing! The change is exciting to watch. I'm amazed to see "the bump" become more prominent in only a two week time period.

Sleep: Sleep is ... well, it is what it is. I'm so thankful for the ability to rest or nap during the day when needed!

Clothes: I'm in the place of having outgrown my regular clothes, but not grown into maternity sizing yet. Nonetheless, I'm lagging behind in getting clothing in order considering how quickly it's getting chilly where we live. I'm slowly but surely tackling the list of maternity skirt sewing (post to come). I can currently make most pieces in the closet work, but very soon I'm going to need to be prepared with more appropriately fitting clothes. (My frugal self though will likely stretch what I have for as long as I can!). 

Movement: Okay, so my  Pregnancy Fitness dvd is still sitting. We have at least gone for walks around the neighborhood a few times. It has been way too nice outside to choose a dvd over taking a walk!

Baby Movement- Still waiting to feel him/her move. Maybe soon! Who knows?

Food aversions: I don't think there are any anymore. Anything and everything sounds and tastes fantastic. 

Food cravings: I seem to have taken a turn towards the ability to eat and eat and eat. I'm pretty much loving anything I'm familiar with and can eat in large quantities. I thought one day that I should write down all that I eat in a day because in the future I'm going to look back and laugh at the quantity! A challenge has also been waged between hubby and I of who could eat more. I might could take him. Hahaha!

What I'm excited about: We've decided on names! Since we're not finding out the gender until he/she arrives, we're prepared with a name for each. If the baby is a girl the name will be Annelise Belle, and if the baby is a boy the name will be Tennyson Lawrence. We wanted names that were really unique but not too far out there. We also wanted something rather classical. I think we came up with names that will be perfectly fitting for our family!

Comparison posts/pictures:
10 Week Post                 /                        12 Week Post                    /                   14 Week Post

*Note: Some of the products listed above contain affiliate links to Amazon.com. Reviving Homemaking is an affiliate of Amazon.com, and as such receives compensation for each purchase made through the links. 

Monday, September 23, 2013

3 Ways to Use a Whole Chicken & Homemaking Link-up #4



     Purchasing a whole chicken is the most economical way to meet the need for the majority of our uses . I can get three different purposes out of the one purchase. Furthermore, I can spend a few hours preparing and packaging the products for future use. When I'm short on time, the ability to simply pull out of the freezer the baggie of what I need is fabulous! Did I mention that it also saves us money? I'm all about saving time and money without compromising homemaking or wholesome foods. 
   
      I spent a few days recently preparing two chickens. From these two chickens I was able to put in the freezer: 4 uncooked chicken breasts and tenderloins, 5 quarts of stock, and 7 cups of cooked chicken shred. I can use the chicken breasts for whatever meal necessary. The stock will be great to have for soups and such as that this winter. Finally, the shred is great to have on hand for chicken enchiladas, chicken pot pie, pizza, soups, etc.

1) Chicken Stock


Ingredients:
*Note: The ingredients listed below are estimates. I rarely measure stock ingredients. Making stock is essentially tossing in whatever I happen to have on hand. 
1 whole chicken
3 carrots
3 celery stalks (I have used dried celery seed if I'm out of celery)
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
about 8-10 whole peppercorns 
couple of teaspoons to tablespoon each of dried thyme, parsley

Directions
1) I prefer to cut the breast and tenderloin meat off and freeze it separately. 
2) Roughly chop the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and add to 7 quart pot. Add remaining ingredients.
3) Add enough water to cover the chicken plus an inch or so more. 
4) Simmer until meat pulls away from leg bones or chicken falls apart when lifted from pot. 
5) Allow to cool. Remove chicken from pot to cool some more. 
6) Strain stock and pour into labeled baggies or freezer containers. 


2) Uncooked Breast Meat

     While the stock is simmering, I wrap each piece of breast meat in aluminum foil. Then, I simply place all in a gallon size freezer bag. Whenever I have a meal requiring chicken breast, I simply take the appropriate amount out of the freezer to thaw the night before or morning of use. This would be the equivalent to those big bags of chicken breasts sold in the grocery at a higher price and lower quality. 

3) Chicken Shred

      Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, I pick all the meat off the bones. I then portion about a cup of meat per baggie. I prefer to do a cup at a time because many meals like chicken pot pie, enchiladas and others only require a small amount of chicken. If I need more I can always pull out more than one bag. It's easier to do it this way than to thaw two cups or more of meat and not need that much. 

 The result:

One chicken produced 2.5 quarts stock, 2 uncooked breasts, and four cups of shred. 
 From two chickens I was able to put in the freezer: 5 pints & 2 quarts of stock, 4 uncooked breasts, and 6 cups shred. That should give me a good start to preparing future meals!



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      Welcome to the Weekly Homemaking Link-up!   

     Each Wednesday will feature an opportunity to link-up your posts, as well as read through many others linked-up here. Connecting and sharing with others is a wonderful way to preserve and grow in the art of homemaking! Topics to consider include, but are not limited to:

  • ·         Simple and economical living (one-income living, frugal ways, simplifying etc.)
  • ·         Food (selecting and preparing various types, recipes, menu planning etc).
  • ·         Kitchen skills/tips (essential tools, knife skills, cooking techniques etc.)
  • ·         Home Organization (small space living, storage solutions, function + style etc)
  • ·         Personal Organization (routines, planning etc)
  • ·         Clothing (sewing, modesty, outfit ideas etc)
  • ·         Sewing (needlework, pattern construction etc)
  • ·         Marriage and family (tips for building strong home, family, and marriage)
  • ·         Cleaning (homemade products, management etc)
  • ·         Christian faith

To enter:
     - Enter the direct link to your post (not your blog)
     - Please reserve links to product sales, Etsy shops, consultant sales or other business 
          related links for the Small Business Saturday Link-up. Links of such content may be 
          referred to this second link-up instead of published here. 
     - When you leave a link, visit the link before and after yours. Let's encourage the 
          homemaking community! 
     - Note: You will be required to enter a back link. (In other words, you must have 
          somewhere on your post that it is linked-up here)The back link will be the 
          web address for this specific post. . Thanks!

*Note: I reserve the right to accept or reject link submissions. I maintain a priority of protecting the interest of the blog and readers by displaying only information and links that are appropriate for the audience (ie obscene or otherwise disrespectful content will not be published). 



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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Small Business Saturday Link-up #4


  Do you have a monetized blog, etsy shop, ebook, company, service or other endeavor which would be of interest to the Reviving Homemaking readers? If so, then add your site or product to the list below! 

     Each Saturday, Reviving Homemaking will be hosting a link party specifically for small businesses. I personally believe in the small business and entrepreneur spirit, and want to support that effort on the Reviving Homemaking blog page as well. The link-up is great way to get the word out about your business or product, and well as find fantastic places and people for whatever you're shopping for!

     Take a moment to link-up, browse and shop from the many fantastic small businesses available to you! 

     A separate link-up for blog posts will be available mid-week. Please submit the appropriate link to each link-up. If you link up your site or product, please share the Small Business Saturday link-up in some form. Thank you!

*Note: I reserve the right to accept or reject submissions. I maintain a priority of protecting the interest of the blog and readers by displaying only information or products that I can truthfully endorse and recommend onward. 


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Homemaking Link-Up #3


      Welcome to the Weekly Homemaking Link-up!   

     Each Wednesday will feature an opportunity to link-up your posts, as well as read through many others linked-up here. Connecting and sharing with others is a wonderful way to preserve and grow in the art of homemaking! Topics to consider include, but are not limited to:

  • ·         Simple and economical living (one-income living, frugal ways, simplifying etc.)
  • ·         Food (selecting and preparing various types, recipes, menu planning etc).
  • ·         Kitchen skills/tips (essential tools, knife skills, cooking techniques etc.)
  • ·         Home Organization (small space living, storage solutions, function + style etc)
  • ·         Personal Organization (routines, planning etc)
  • ·         Clothing (sewing, modesty, outfit ideas etc)
  • ·         Sewing (needlework, pattern construction etc)
  • ·         Marriage and family (tips for building strong home, family, and marriage)
  • ·         Cleaning (homemade products, management etc)
  • ·         Christian faith

To enter:
     - Enter the direct link to your post (not your blog)
     - Please reserve links to product sales, Etsy shops, consultant sales or other business 
          related links for the Small Business Saturday Link-up. Links of such content may be 
          referred to this second link-up instead of published here. 
     - When you leave a link, visit the link before and after yours. Let's encourage the 
          homemaking community! 
     - Note: You will be required to enter a back link. (In other words, you must have 
          somewhere on your post that it is linked-up here)The back link will be the web 
          address for this specific post. . Thanks!

*Note: I reserve the right to accept or reject link submissions. I maintain a priority of protecting the interest of the blog and readers by displaying only information and links that are appropriate for the audience (ie obscene or otherwise disrespectful content will not be published). 



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