Cheddar Hamburger Spaghetti

This is suppose to have chicken in it but as I have mentioned before Andy doesn't like chicken so I have to use hamburger instead.

Brown 1 pound of hamburger add 2 cans of cream of chicken soup ( I make my own) 11/2 cups milk 1/2 tea. salt 1/2 tea. pepper.

add 2 cups shredded cheese

add I package ( 16 oz) cooked spaghetti ( I break them in half before I cook them) mix well.

pour into a 9 x 13 pan If needed mix a little better.

Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top

 

 

and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheddar chicken hamburger spaghetti

1 package (16oz) spaghetti ( broken in half)
1 pound hamburger
3 cups cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tea. salt
1/2 tea pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package. Meanwhile brown hamburger then add soup, milk, 2 cups cheese, mix well. Drain spaghetti and add, mix well pour into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered in a 350 oven for 30 to 35 minutes

C

Make your own Cream Soup Base

Make your own cream soup base and never have to buy canned cream soup again. It is so easy Just put 2 cups powdered milk, 1 cup corn starch, 1/4 cup chicken bullion granules, 2 Tbsp. dried onion flakes, 1/2 tea pepper. In a large bowl. I double mine since I use so much.

 

 

Mix real well

 

Put in a container and label.

 

To use add 1/3 cup mix to 1 1/4 cup cold water. (equally to 1 can)

 

Whisk well cook and stir over  medium heat until thickened. Be sure to keep stirring so it doesn't clump up.

 

This can be used just like the canned soup in your recipes.

I you know you will be needing more in the next few days make how much you need and store in the fridge until needed ( use within a week) 

 

You can also use beef bullion in place of chicken I do this some times since most of what I cook has beef instead of chicken.

 

 

Homemade Cream Soup Base

 

2 cups powdered milk

1 cup Cornstarch

1/4 cup chicken bullion granules

2 Tbsp. Dried onion flakes

1/2 tea. Black pepper

 

Mix well and store in a airtight container

To use mix 1/3 cup mix to 11/4 cup of cold water

mix well cook and stir over a med heat until thickened.

 

 

Mushroom Soup: add 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms.

Celery Soup: add 1/2 cup minced celery.

Chicken soup: add 1/2 cup diced chicken. 

 

300 a Month Challenge, menu and goals

I didn't get the last part of December posted so here is a update on Decembers spending.
The last post my total was 733.28 for the year.
We had a beef butchered which was 436.16
I ordered some spices and herbs from Bulk foods 377.99
Went to Napi and bought 1000 pounds of potatoes and popcorn   164.00
( 14 dollars a hundred)
Ordered fruit from FFA 120.00
A few things from City Market and Walmart 65.00

All total 1163.15
Add         733.28
Grand total of 1896.43

Over 1430.31 for the year I do buy most of my food for the year in the fall so I knew when I started this so late in the year I would be over.

Starting fresh at the first of the year I think I can stay in the budget  since there should be some months I won't spend 300 dollars.( I hope)

I have 3600 dollars to spend for the whole year. I do think this challenge will motivate to become more self sufficient, since I have to be very careful with my spending.
As I said before the daycare expenses, clothes, and my canning supplies are not included in the totals but everything else is.

The menu this week is

Breakfast
Oatmeal and toast
French toast
pancakes
scrambled eggs and toast
yogurt and fruit

Lunch
Grilled Cheese
Chicken Noddle
Mac and Cheese
PB and J
Pancakes
Will have what ever kind of fruit I have and crackers with the soup.
For Andy's lunch he will have leftovers from the night before.

Dinner
Chili and crackers
Stroganoff
Chicken fried Steak and fried potatoes
Navajo Tacos
Green Chili Casserole
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes
Will have a veggie of some sort and bread with each meal.
Saturday or Sunday we will have leftovers.

This weeks goals
Get the oranges, grapefruit and Tangerines juiced and canned.
Dehydrate the peels.
Pour up the lemon vinegar and pineapple vinegar I have sitting.
Make and can beef stock from the bones we got from the butchered beef.
Can some Chipotle chicken.
Months daycare lessons planned. 
Work on finishing Joleen and Katie's quilts.  
Start reentering stuff from last year into QuickBooks, to get ready for taxes.

So what are your goals for the week?

2015 Homesteadsteading goals

Where has the time gone? I can't believe it is already 2015 It has gone by so fast. I was looking over last years goals I didn't get near as much done as I had hoped.  

Here is what we did get done.

We didn't work on the milk shed, wood shed, we did do a little work on the corrals seems like there was always so much other stuff that had to be done those always got put on the back burner.

I have built up the daycare a little more I have put together all the preschool lessons we did a few and I am already to start this year using them.

Got the ground cover put down in the back yard. It is so nice and the kids love it.

We got the green house don't have it sat up yet.

Didn't get any soap sold I was doing good to get enough soap made for us to use.

Have kind of scraped the outdoor kitchen idea for now not sure where to put it and a lot of more pressing things.

Did get the bottom front yard planted. Do want to add a couple more things this year.

We got 4 windows replaced and have 5 left to do.

I got a solar oven for Christmas ( so excited to start using) the wonder over I haven't got made yet.

I wasn't as self sufficient as I would of liked need to work on that a little harder this next year.

Didn't get the shop built but did get a big portion of the materials bought.

We did get the bathroom remolded.

Last years personal goals.
Totally failed at most of these sad to say.

I didn't really start keeping up on the bookwork until the middle of the year although when the computer got that virus I can't access any of it so I now have to start all over. I did start a paper copy of some of it when I started keeping up so that is going to help a lot.

Well as you can see I didn't post on the blog as much as I would of liked really want to do a better job of that.

I did work on learning the mandolin a little, for Christmas I got a dvd to help with that.

Did do some scrapbooking but not for myself. We put a book together for my Dad and Mom for Christmas. So now I have all the stuff out and the girls are wanting to do it to so maybe we can work on that a little more.

Did find some history on Andy's Moms family. He has a cousin in Oklahoma that has most all it so Now I can work on his dads side.

Working on the debt free not as far along on it as I would like had a couple unexpected things come up that put that back a little.

And the old exercise more I did a little and have lost 20 pounds still working on that.

Here is the goals for 2015
Homesteading Goals

The rest of the windows put in.

The area east of one of the sheds ground covered laid and some raised beds put in.

The area right behind the house groundcover put down. I have grass planted now but it is so full of weeds, and I would like to have some lawn furniture out there.  If I put a ground cover down we will be able to use that area more.

Need to do some work on the outside of the chicken coop it is pretty ugly right now.

We found 2 more windmills the same as the one we have so hoping we can get enough parts from all three to make one work.

Continue working at becoming more self sufficient. I will have to really work at this in order to keep up on the 300 dollar a month challenge.

Continue working on becoming debt free in a year or two.

Remodel the laundry room and build a linin closest.

Take the dishwasher out and put in a couple shelves.

Continue working on a shop.

Build a wood shed.

Cut our utilities in half.

Do most of my summer cooking in the solar oven.

Get the green house put up.

Build a small green house on to the side of the house to be able to access from in the house.

I am still wanting to get a place set up so we can start milking or at least get a milk goat. We do have a lady we are going to start  trading hay for milk.

If we don't find another place to farm this spring we will have a little more time to get some of the things done around the house.

My personal goals are

I have 30 more pounds that I want to lose.

At least four to five post a week on the blog.

Take a online herb course I have a couple picked out just need to pick which one.

Keep up on the book work and make hard copies of everything then if we lose stuff on the computer it won't be such a big deal.

Have preschool lessons every day.

Do more sewing.

Do more scrapbooking.

Get the family history on Andy's Dads side of the family.

Get better on the mandolin.

So we will see how much of this we can get done this year.
What are your goals for the new year?

300 A Month Challenge, Menu and Goals

Been busy getting all the stuff moved home from where we were farming, got the last load last night. Kind of sad to close that chapter of our lives. We were able to fine a couple of places to go with cows for a little bit, so hopefully it will give us some time to find something else so we don't have to sell off a bunch of cows.
I have an area north of the house, I was wanting to do some pallet and raised beds. I got a ground cover put down and ready for wood chips.
We have still been hunting, just not very much with having to get all the stuff moved.

I did get my Christmas list done and everything bought for the homemade gifts and a few of the bought gifts bought. I told Andy I was going to be all ready 2 weeks before Christmas he just laughed. So no matter what I have to be ready haha.

This weeks menu

Lunch
PB&J
Pancakes
Mac & tomato
grilled cheese
Chicken Noodles

What ever fruit I have and crackers with the soups.

Dinner
Elk Steak, Cheese potatoes
Swiss Steak , Mash potatoes
Stew, crackers
Stroganoff,
Beans,

What ever vegetable and bread we want to go with it.

Breakfast

Pancakes, French toast, cereal, Scrambled eggs, Oatmeal. 


My canning this weeks was a little short but here is what little I got done.
14 quarts of stewed tomatoes
22 pints apple pie jam
5 pints apple syrup

I didn't do to bad on my spending.
I bought a lot of Halloween candy on clearance sale, milk was on sale for 1.99 a gallon  I got 4 so I could can some of it. Toilet paper, Epsom salt, ginger root, jalapenos, and  horseradish for a total of 117.65

My November total so far is  117.65

Year total 615.63 plus 117.65 is 733.28

I have 466.12 left for the year.

I finally got all the fall decorations put up. I got Joleens cap and gown ordered for graduation ( can't believe she is graduating)  Also got her senior pictures done they are going to be so good.
This week I am hoping to get the November daycare lessons put together(I am way behind), Pineapple canned, and my fridge cleaned out. A friend of mines husband got a deer so I told her I would help her can the meat ( she has never canned anything or used a pressure cooker)

What are your goals for this week?