A "Little House" Day

Sometimes I like to pretend I'm a Pioneer Woman and a friend of the Ingalls Family. I think Laura would find me too stuffy, but maybe Mary and I would get along. Maybe. 

While I don't butcher pigs or milk cows, I still find shopping for a week's worth of groceries deliciously satisfying. And of course I buy good and wholesome foods, like bacon. Oh, and dried cranberries. (And bacon.) And almond milk. (And bacon.) And frozen green beans and a package of Persian cucumbers. (And perhaps bacon again.) 

Don't worry, I only bought one package of bacon. 


Then to come home and lay bacon slices on a tray to freeze, because, you know, winter is coming (in 8 or so months). Or because I can only eat so much bacon before it spoils in the refrigerator! Even better is putting a tray of lemony-garlic onions, potatoes, and chicken in the oven to roast. (And freezing the leftover pieces of chicken, 'cause, well...winter, right?)

Didn't Ma do something similar? Except she probably slaughtered, drained, and plucked the chicken herself. And she set it to bake with Rye n' Injun bread and a pan of beans. 

OH WAIT. 

Wrong Mom. That's "Mother" (Almanzo's) who always did that.


Don't forget the sour pickles, quivering salt pork, piles of mashed turnips, and that final slice of pumpkin pie. Yeap, it takes a lot to feed a growing boy.


It takes a bit to feed a girl who-won't-grow-much-taller, too. 

While my cooking does not always turn out tasty, I still enjoy the weekend when I have time to shop and play "Little House" in preparation for a busy week. 

And there's something so fun about wrapping meat or slices of cake to squirrel away in the freezer for  later. 


Can I name my freezer "The Attic"? 


I need strings of onions! 


But I'll pass on the headcheese, thank you.

Simple Saturdays

I'm beginning to savor my Saturdays again. 

Rather than filling my weekend with half-hearted homeworking,

I leave the house and search out a grassy lawn.

You know,

the kind of lawn on which you can sit and color pictures.

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...And sometimes I find little treasures.

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What sort of treasure do you find?

Lovin' Spoonful(s)

Some Saturday mornings call for something deliciously creamy and comforting to eat...

 

This Saturday morning was no exception. 

I was glad to find several recipes online for dairy-free rice pudding. 

(My tummy was glad, too.)

Here's the final version of the recipe I adapted from here. 

(I cut the recipe in half and replaced the water for almond milk.)

Dairy Free Coconut Rice Pudding

• 1/4 cup basmati rice (rinse)
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 cup almond milk (or soy milk/rice milk/cow milk) 
• 3 Tablespoons sugar (I used brown sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• pinch of nutmeg 

1. Combine rice, coconut milk, almond milk and sugar in a saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. 
3. Remove from heat and add cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and the pinch of salt. 
4. Although you can eat the pudding right away, it tastes best when slightly warm or chilled.


Serves 2 or one extremely hungry bear
(Fills one soup bowl full of pudding)

Enjoy!

 

Co-Sleeping...

Feline Style...

Yes, my cat likes to sleep next to me at night. 

In fact, she decided that her body MUST be touching some part of my body. 

I'll often wake in the middle of the night to a cat snuggling inside the crook of my arm.

...Or paws batting my face.

Or a little tongue licking my cheek.

Cats have rough little tongues!

(If you look closely, you can see the tiny nick in my cat's ear. I've grown rather fond of that nick. It's how we tell her apart from her twin, too.)