Beef a roni

I had origonally gotten this recipe from my friend Crystal over at www.thefamilyhomestead.com but took a few ingredients out because it was to overwhelming and my family likes our version much better.


1 lb ground beef or turkey or eve Italian sausage (I use a bit more than a pound at times)
1/2 cup chopped onions (I have to finely chop these or my daughter will pick out each and ever one)
1 1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni


Liquid mixture:
1/2 cup sour cream (sour cream can be made homemade very easily)
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
8 oz tomato sauce (either 1 can or homemade)
4 cups beef broth (the best beef broth is saved from the juices off my crockpot roast beef,yum)
sea salt,pepper

Mix this up in a mixing bowl and set it aside for now.

Brown the ground beef and onions in a pan,drain and return to a large cooking pot,layer the macaroni over the beef. Get the liquid mixture and pour it over the noodles and beef. But do not stir it,turn on the heat and let it come to a boil,then cover it. Turn down the heat and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.

That's it! Quick and simple and yummy!

I have forgotten to layer it and not stir it before and even forgotten to not cook the noodles first and it turned out ok not as good as it would have if I would have followed the instructions but hey it's all good. And there are rarely leftovers of this dish when I make it or is there is they are quickly eaten up the next day. My picky eater (Carissa) even likes this dish.

We usually have this with a big tossed salad and some cut up fruit and garlic bread. It's a very filling meal and it's not to costly a winner in my book.

The Happy Homemaker

MYO: Laundry Detergent

I know there are many versions for this but I wanted to share mine. So here goes...







What you will need....






1 five gallon bucket with lid


2 Cups borax


2 Cups washing soda


1/2 Cup baking soda


1/2 gallon white vinegar


1 bar of soap




grate your soap into a medium sized pan (I use the 6 to 8 qrt size),cover the soap with water and place on stove and melt over medium heat. Stir constantly to avoid it overflowing and making a big mess.


Once it is fully melted,add the borax and stir until completely dissolved (add water as needed),then add the washing soda and baking soda again stir until dissolved.


To the bucket add your vinegar and 4 C of hot water. Add your soap mixture to the bucket,it will fizz a bit adding it to the vinegar and water because of the baking soda. Stir and stir some more to make sure it's all well blended. Then fill the bucket up with hot water. Add the lid and wait 24 hours for it to set.


 1/2 cup per load.


I use baking soda and vinegar in my recipe because of the boosting power they provide. Vinegar kills germs and odors and is a natural stain fighter. Baking soda is a detergent booster making my recipe work harder and your clothes to come out very clean.




Happy Homemaking

Homemade Chili

I made chili last night and it was so good!!!



I use the recipe in Sue Greggs cookbook,Main Dishes.




2 cups dry kidney beans (cook the beans before adding the below ingredients)

add to beans in pot,
2 -8 oz can tomato sauce
1 onion chopped
1 tbs chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp salt


simmer for 30 minutes to blend flavors


*I also add 1 lbs of ground beef or turkey.*




Happy Homemaking


I am linked at: Time-Warp Wife

Yummy Pizza Crust

Yummy Pizza Crust
Tammy Channel




2 1/4 C warm water


3 tsp yeast
4 tbs olive oil


5 C unbleached white flour or whole wheat flour (or a mixture of both)
1/2 C powedered milk
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar


First place liquids in mixing bowl ( I use my stand mixer but you can do this by hand). Let the yeast set for a few minutes about 3 to 5 to activate it.


Start adding the dry ingredients (NOTE: I mix the dry ingredients up in a mixing bowl and set aside until time to add to the wet ingredients.) Add them a little a time. Start mixing on lowest setting or by hand. Keeping mixing until completely mixed and turn up the setting on the mixer or start kneading it by hand. If using a kitchen aide like I have let it knead for about 3 minutes and if by hand about 5. No need to worry about doing the perfectly it's not like making bread.


Once the kneading is finished I take my pans and spray with canola oil, I then divide my dough into 3 portions and set each portion on a pan so it's there when I am preparing the dough for the oven. It just makes it easier for me and seems to keep things moving along smoothly. I roll the dough out and work with it with my hands. The dough should feel nice a soft and smooshy almost more like biscuit dough than bread dough. Work with it until it's completely covering the pan. I take a fork and poke the dough to prevent air bubbles and place it in an oven that has been preheated to 375*F until the dough is not sticky any longer. I take it out and keep going until all my doughs are prebaked. Now I can dress them or freeze them.




Happy Homemaking