Quick Weeknight Chili

This is my recipe for what I call a quick chili. It’s quick because it can be assembled and be eaten in a shorter period of time than a regular chili. 1lb ground beef seasoning blend: paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, marjoram 1tbsp Tomato paste 2 small cans … Read more

Cardboard Weed Barrier and Mulch

When my former workplace sent me to WFH during the early days of 2020 and COVID I decided to rip half my backyard out and turn it to garden. The year before I’d had a successful run of growing tomatoes and peppers. I needed more space for more veggies. I used a no dig gardening … Read more

Vacuum Sealers

Over the years we’ve had a few different vacuum sealers. We were initially gifted an “As Seen On TV” one from my MIL who had bought one off QVC or somewhere else in the 90s. It worked okay but struggled to suck and seal anything but the thinnest bags. We didn’t like it. Then my … Read more

Bone Broth

When we buy an easy chicken (what we call a rotisserie chicken) we save the carcass. That goes into the crock pot or stock pot with carrots, celery, and onion and a little salt. All rough chopped. If I have herbs I’ll add them. But generally I leave this stock pretty plain and add seasoning … Read more

Meal Planning and Costco

My wife and I used to have a Costco membership, it was gifted to her from a family member. We let it run out because Costco was a pain in the rear to get to. We just never went. And at the time we didn’t have the chest freezer. My parents years ago insisted we … Read more

The Week Long Paper Gather Experiment

The first batch of pulp made 29.5 small briquettes and 4 fist sized briquettes. Each one burns for about 20 to 30 minutes in the pellet stove and leaves behind a fine white powdery ash. Fly ash and air borne particles seem to be at a minimum. The second batch made another 20 small briquettes … Read more