Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am by no means an expert at posting recipes, but I keep getting questions on how to use a whole chicken!  So here is an excellent soup that uses not only the meat from the bird, but the broth that was created when you cook the chicken!  And I'll tell you how to recook the chicken bones to create nourishing stock!

First, chop a whole large onion and a few peppers (we had green from our garden, but you can use any color pepper!).  Add them to a large stock pot with a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Along with the onion and peppers add a bunch of fresh garlic, chili powder, cumin and crushed hot red pepper.  Turn stove to med-high and let cook.

While that is all cooking, start tearing your cooked chicken apart.  All we did was put the whole chicken in a pot of water around lunch time and cooked on medium for a few hours.  Don't dump the broth!!

 Add all your chicken meat to the pot of veggies and spices.

Next, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a can of Rotel.  Rotel is just chopped tomatoes and green chilies...you could use fresh if you have it.

 Then add 6 cups of your reserved chicken broth.

To give the soup added protein, add some beans.  We had black beans, but you could use any kind you like.  Let it all simmer on low for 20-30 min to allow the flavors to blend.  That's it!

We like to top ours with shredded cheese, cilantro and corn tortillas cut into strips.  Avocado and sour cream are other  great toppings!  YUM!

All the leftover chicken bones can be cooked again to make nourishing stock.  Here is how easy it is:  Put them in a pot of cold water with a splash of apple cider vinegar (this helps draw the nutrients out of the bones).  Add any veggies you have for nutrition and taste...onion, garlic, carrot, celery, etc.  Simmer on low for a minimum of 24 hours.  I like to let mine go for 48 hours.  Remove all bones and veggies (feed the veg to your chickens if you have some!!) and strain the stock.  Store in glass quart jars in the freezer for future soups!  It's that easy and it's full of nourishing goodness!!  And if you think about it, you're getting 2 meals out of one chicken!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 large onion chopped

2-3 green, red or orange peppers chopped

1 tbspn chili powder

1 tsp cumin

5-6 peices of fresh, crushed garlic

pinch of red pepper flakes

4-5 tbspns olive oil

meat from 1 chicken

6 cups chicken broth

1 can Rotel or 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes and green chilies

2 tbspns tomato paste

4 cups cooked beans

This post linked to The Homestead Barn Hop #114

Easy DIY Natural TICK Repellent

Ticks are rampant in our area, especially this time of year.  Last summer our 4yr old Graycie was infected with the lyme bacteria from a tick bite.  That was some scary stuff.  You will know within a week or two if you've been infected with lyme. Graycie's body broke out in a bulls eye type rash...first it started with one bulls eye at the bite site, then it just spread.  And the rings got bigger each time I examined them.  She also had a vicious fever at night, on and off for more than a month...the fever only lasted for a few hours each night, but it had her whole body shaking, and sweating.  She would also yell in her sleep out of nowhere.  Yes, I understand most children talk in their sleep, but Graycie never had (and I know this because she has slept in bed with daddy and I since birth and still does ;)).  In the middle of the day, she would fall dead asleep on the couch for hours at a time, which is very unlike her.  We did the typical antibiotics as soon as we discovered what she had, but believe it or not, that treatment did nothing.  She was herself for a few months, then ALL the symptoms reoccurred, except for the bulls eye rash.  We decided to seek further help and sought out a holistic doctor.  After he did his testing on her, he confirmed what we already knew...the bacteria was still present in her system.  That was November. He gave a remedy to rid her body of the bacteria, which is very interesting how it works for those of you don't know anything about healing holistically.  Our bodies have been created with the capability to heal IF it has the right nutrients, for the lack of a better word, to pull from.  Her body was lacking in several, so his remedy included those.  Along with the herbal remedy we since then have had hands laid on her and had her prayed over by friends from church.  I believe, without a doubt, she has been healed!  She has not had anymore symptoms since November and has truly been herself.  We did what we could in our power by seeking out help for her physically, but ultimately... Praise God for His healing touch!  

So...this spring I want to do what I can to PREVENT anymore tick bites.  We have always done the usual check at shower time every night, but I wanted to find a way to keep those nasty disease carrying varmints off my kids!!!!  

***You really should do a daily check of yourself and your family...I have read on several different websites it takes atleast 24 hours for the tick to transmit any bacteria.  The daily checks will prevent many infectious bites for sure!  Unfortunately with Graycie, the tick that bit her was sooooo tiny I had missed it.  I still remember pulling it off.****

Enter, the tick repellent!  Herbs are powerful if used correctly.  They are God's way of helping us!  

Eucalyptus is a proven insecticide

Lavender is a sweet smelling oil that repels ticks and prevents tick eggs from hatching

Peppermint oil's strong, clear smell deters the pests

I'll take that over DEET any day!!!

TICK REPELLENT RECIPE

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

20 drops Eucalyptus EO

20 drops Lavender EO

15 drops Peppermint EO

Make sure you give it a good shake before you spray it!!  Apply to feet, ankles, wrists and neck if you want.  You will have a sour vinegar smell, BUT I WILL TAKE THAT ANY DAY OVER ANOTHER BACTERIA INFESTED TICK BITE!!

I couldn't resist posting this picture...he was supposed to be covering his face, but as soon as that cold spray hit him he let loose!! :)

Chicken Coop Cleaner

Last summer we had an issue with a few of our hens having mites or lice...I'm really not sure which is was.  All I know is, it grossed us out!!  We did lots of research on how to rid our feathered friends of such a nuisance.  A soapy bath and a vinegar dip was the simplest, most natural way to get rid of 'em.  So we did it...to all of them.  We also cleaned everything out of their sleeping coop and started fresh.  We haven't any issues again, but we are in the cold months so critters are less of a problem.

 I started thinking, what if we helped prevent those nasty bugs from even wanting to be on our hens?  The one place where the hens always go to, every day and night is their eggmobile...it's where they lay eggs and sleep.  SO...we have concocted a spray that we will use every morning on their laying boxes & roosting sticks when we go let them out for the day.  We could probably spray it on the hens as well every now and then!  

 OUR RECIPE

peels from 2 oranges

handful of cinnamon sticks

white vinegar

Citrus oil is a natural bug deterrent...think of citronella candles

Cinnamon oil repels flies and other insects...so interesting the things you learn when you read books on herbs!!

Vinegar is a natural disinfectant, has antibacterial properties, kills mold and is also a bug repellent.

**Be sure to use PLAIN vinegar, not apple cider...the fruit oils in the apple cider vinegar will attract bugs!!!**

DIRECTIONS

Place your orange peels and cinnamon sicks in a quart size *glass* jar.  Pour vinegar to cover peels and sticks.  Cover loosely and let sit for a month or more.

And that's it!  It will sit in our kitchen with our other fermenting goods for a month before it's ready to use.

The happy recipient of 2 oranges for snack time ;)  Yes, I have big brothers if you can't already tell by my camoflauge!

P.S.  I decided to make one for our home as well.  We use vinegar to clean a lot but I never thought to infuse it with a scent.  

This post is linked to Frugal Days Sustainable Ways

Making Butter

I have always wanted to make my own butter...always.  But for some reason, in my industrialized mind I thought it took special equipment...even if it was an old fashioned churn.  I don't have many kitchen gadgets, not even a food processor, which is what I thought you had to have.  Thanks to some wisdom from my awesome friend Kim we found out all it takes is a jar and a willing helper!!  (duh, Chris!)

We started with a quart size jar and 2 cups of cream.  Whatever size jar you use just be sure to leave enough air space for the skake-shake-shaking!

Ben was the official shaker...he has dubbed himself the Butter Boy!  Love that kid!

 After about 5 minutes of continuous shaking it started to thicken...very neat to watch this happen!

 About 10 more minutes of shaking and you could see the complete separation.

 15 minutes total shaking and it's ready!

 We poured it into a glass jar covered with a cotton t-shirt to strain the liquid out.

Then I had Ben hold it up for a few minutes to be sure all the liquid was run out.  He probably didn't have to do this, we could've just left it sitting, but I wanted him to be actively participating in this part of the process...he's one of those boys who learns better by doing!

 Voila!!  We have butter! I'm sure you could use store bought cream, but we used raw cream from our milkman.  I would encourage you all to seek out raw dairy products.  Here in SC it's legal to buy so we have easy access to it.  It's so much better for you than store bought!!!

 2 cups of cream gave us 1/2 cup of butter and 1 1/2 cups of liquid...I hesitate to call it buttermilk because it didn't have that sour smell.  It tasted to me like skim milk, honestly.  Need to do more reasearch on that part!

Give it a try...it was so easy and super fun!!  And thanks, Kim!!

Healthy Living ebooks via GNOWFGLINS

click HERE and it will take you to the Gnowfglins website....valuable resources for an incredible price!  I can't wait to sit at night and spend time reading through all the ebooks!!...all for the betterment of my family!

Homemade Pizza

Thought we would share a recipe with you all today.  This is one that all the kids can help out with.  Maybe a year or so ago we started soaking our grains as often as I could remember to do it...there are many health benefits to doing this.  All grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer, or bran.  This is God's way of protecting the food.  Soaking the grains allows enzymes to break down and neutralize the phytic acid, therefore making the nutrients more available to us.  You can do it in as little as 7 hours or overnight.  The simple practice of soaking your grains will vastly improve its nutritional benefits.  For our pizza we used spelt, a grain from the wheat family.  We took our spelt berries and ran it through our mill then soaked it in yogurt....8 cups of spelt flour and 2 1/2 cups of yogurt.  We did this part in the morning so that it could soak all day.  It will be very sticky.  We then added another cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt just before making the pizzas.  This amount will make 2 thick crust pizzas or 3 thin crusts.

Christian and Gracyn had fun kneading it!  Then just add your favorite tomato sauce and toppings...we went for a veggie pizza this time and did onions, mushrooms and squash.  Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is browned.  Delicious

Ellie says HI  :)

Cookies

Hi, this is Caitlin.  One of the things I like most about being homeschooled is that I get to spend my entire day with my sisters and brothers.  I especially like spending time with Gracyn.  She is so cute and fun!  Today her and I decided to bake some gingerbread men to share with everyone.  Graycie wants to do everything by herself, so it was a bit messy but it was fun!  Momma taught me a really yummy recipe for frosting and I would like to share it with you.

cream cheese frosting

1 stick of butter, softened

1 block of cream cheese, softened

1 tspn vanilla

5 cups of powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients and spread on cookies!