Zucchini Chips

A friend gave us some zucchini from her garden, so I decided to try out making zucchini chips.  Here's what I did:
Slice about 2 zucchini thin, about 1/4" slices.
Pour the marinade (recipe to follow) on the zucchini and mix around until all the pieces are covered.
Lay your slices on dehydrator trays.
Dehydrate for 14-20 hours or until they are crispy enough for you.

That's it!  Easy!

Marinade recipe:
4 T. lemon juice
2 1/2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. cayenne
2 1/2 t. onion powder
2 1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. oregano

I made the first batch with this recipe, but some members of my family thought it was too spicy.  So, I made a 2nd batch just like this but without the cayenne.  They were good too!  One of my sons said that they taste like vinegar chips.  I think he's just tasting the zucchini.  We'll continue experimenting with zucchini chip recipes, but both of these were tasty.  I just ate a bunch of the spicy ones and figure I must have eaten about half a zucchini worth.  A great way to eat zucchini!

I ran the dehydrator for about 14 hours, and the chips are crisp, but the 2nd batch kind of gets stuck in my teeth some.  Next time, I'll run it longer.  See what works for you.

Reformed quote

"I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient."
--Hudson Taylor

You can go to http://dailyreformedquote.com/ to read a daily quotation from the reformed reader.

Spring Garden

We dug up potatoes from the garden last night. It's always fun to see what "hidden treasure" is underground.

Covered in dirt!

Some of you have asked where we buy our wheat for grinding into whole wheat flour. Well, last year we found the best deal at Emergency Essentials at beprepared.com. We order several Superpails and split the order with someone else in order to split the $12 shipping/freight charge. An 18-wheeler pulled down our street and in front of our house to deliver the Superpails of hard red wheat (and oats and honey that we also bought). It was exciting for the family to watch. If you scroll down to the bottom of my blog page and click on my affiliate link called Buying Wheat: Hard red wheat, it will take you to Emergency Essentials.

The loss of my estate will be nothing...

John Hull, a Puritan and one of the first merchant princes of Massachusetts, lost his ships to the Dutch and took consolation in God's providence, saying, "The loss of my estate will be nothing, if the Lord please to join my soul nearer to himself, and loose it more from creature comforts." (from Worldly Saints by Leland Ryken)

So, I pray that the loss of my "creature comforts," be it health, success, or earthly goods, would be nothing, if the Lord please to join my soul nearer to Himself.  He is good and trustworthy!

Bread, cinnamon rolls, & baking mix

I've been feeling too lazy lately to grind wheatberries for whole wheat flour, but I got everything out and just ate that frog!  (I'm referencing a book I read recently: Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time)  I actually ground extra flour so that I would have enough for everything:  a homemade baking mix to freeze for making waffles and biscuits, homemade whole wheat bread, plus fresh cinnamon rolls using the aforementioned baking mix.  My Baker Bug helper and I actually got all of this accomplished today. 


I ground outside because it's loud and somewhat messy



This will be the cinnamon rolls plus my youngest's "baby one"

We couldn't believe how "perfect" these looked



I took this pic of the final product



My Tie-Dyed Rainbow daughter took this better shot of the final product

She enjoyed her baby cinnamon roll

I took this of the bread cooling



Tie-Dyed Rainbow took this better shot as well

This did not take but a few hours total, and there was a lot of time to do other things (during rising and baking time) like laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, and potty-training the little one (I have lots of excitement in my life).  I'll try to put these recipes on here soon.  But if not, I'll at least link to my Baker Bug's blog where she'll surely have these up soon.

Learn to do almost anything at home!

Maybe 10 years ago, we decided to do more things at home.  This began as we bought our first house, and my husband planted a garden.  I wanted to learn to can the produce from the garden, so my Christmas list for extended family that year was a canner and several books I had picked out.  The best book by far has been The Encyclopedia of Country LivingI've found recipes for canning pickled beets, planned how and when to plant, studied raising farm animals (for the future, Lord willing), and chosen which breeds of chickens to buy for eggs and meat. On the front of the book, it says, "Practical advice, invaluable information, and collected wisdom for folks and farmers in the country, city, and anywhere in between. Includes how to cultivate a garden, buy land, bake bread, raise farm animals, make sausage, can peaches, milk a goat, grow herbs, churn butter, build a chicken coop, catch a pig, cook on a wood stove, and much, much more." It truly is an encyclopedia of country living! So, look up whatever you're thinking of, and make it at home!