Eat at Home (Weekly)

My Secret to Growing Great Tomatoes

Tiffany — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:00:25 +0000

In all the years that we’ve grown tomatoes, we’ve had great luck all of one time.

Yep. Just one year of fantastic success. But before you write me off as someone who doesn’t know what she’s talking about (I admit, that’s a possibility), hear me out.

Eighteen years ago was our year of tomato success. I remember because I was pregnant with our oldest son. We planted 4 tomato plants in the backyard and they yielded tomatoes like crazy. We were still picking lots of tomatoes (and giving them away) when my son was born on Oct. 31.

What did we do that worked so well? A modified Japanese tomato cage. This was something that was in our local paper all those years ago. The original idea had a large fenced in circle with the tomatoes planted on the outside of the circle. Inside was a large pile of manure (composted so it doesn’t stink). You water the manure and it runs down to the plants, providing all kinds of nutrients.

We didn’t do the circle of plants, but instead poured a pile of manure in front of our plants. Same effect. And the results were wonderful.

The next year we moved to a house with a very shady yard and could never get the tomatoes to grow. We’ve tried growing them at our house now, but haven’t had good luck. But we’ve not tried the manure again until this year.

And I believe it’s going to work! Here’s my evidence:

The photo above was taken on planting day. Derby day is the traditional day for planting in Kentucky and that was the day this garden was put it (May 5). You can kind of see the row of manure in front of the tomatoes.

Now here’s the garden today, less than 3 weeks after planting:

See how the plants are taller than the chicken wire? They’ve grown a lot! And the stems are strong too. Not only that, they are full of blooms and one plant even has quite a few tomatoes on it.

Manure! It works!

I’m anxious to see how the tomatoes keep growing. If you’ve got tomatoes, go get yourself some manure. It’s pretty cheap and it can’t hurt. Who knows? You may end up with a prize winning harvest!

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Comments

I have got to try this – does it work with horse manure? Our ... by LubbyGirl
Yes, weather does play an important role. that's for sure! ... by Tiffany
Beautiful garden! Reminds me of one of my favorite saying about ... by The Better Baker
Looks like it's shaping up to be a great harvest! Are you ... by Kare
From one city girl to another, Lowes is where we got it by Tiffany
Plus 4 more...

How to Make Chocolate Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Tiffany — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:01:07 +0000

I have two fantastic no-bake pie recipes coming up for you next week, and since both have chocolate graham cracker crust I thought I’d share the how-to.

You are going to love both of the pie recipes I’ve got for you. They are perfect for summer, not only because they’re no-bake, but they are also served cold. First up will be Coffee Toffee Ice Cream Pie with a Ribbon of Fudge. Save room for the next one too – Peanut Butter Fluff Pie.

But first, we need to make a crust. Here’s what you’ll need:

How to Make Chocolate Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Yield: 1 pie crust

Easy homemade chocolate graham cracker pie crust.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbs. sugar
6 Tbs. butter, melted

Instructions

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour into pie plate.
Use the back of a spoon to press crumbs into place.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Notes

I used about 1 1/2 sleeves of grahams to make crumbs for one pie. Use a food processor, if you have one. If not, put the crackers in a zip top bag and roll over it with a rolling pin until you have very fine crumbs.

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Comments

YUUUMMM! Now that my piecrusts are ready…I am more than ready ... by The Better Baker

Ingredient Spotlight: Garlic 2012

Tiffany — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:00:09 +0000

I love a good short cut. When it comes to garlic, I’ve learned that the best short cut is to get a good garlic press instead of using jarred garlic.

Fresh garlic can be a pain in the patootie if you don’t have a good press. But the fresh stuff packs so much more flavor than the kind in the jar, it’s worth purchasing a quality garlic press. You won’t even have to peel the paper off the cloves if you have a good press. Mine is from Pampered Chef, but there are many great brands out there.

We love garlic at our house! It goes well with our love of pasta. Here are a few of my favorite recipes that use garlic:

Time to share your recipes! Link up any recipe that uses garlic. Feel free to link as many as you like. Be sure to link back to Eat at Home in your blog post. You can use the button below, if you like.

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Comments

It's pretty much wonderful. by Bethany
I love the “Death by Garlic” recipe you linked. Oh my! by Tiffany
Recipes with garlic? So many to choose from!! Your garlic ... by Bethany
[...] Eat at Home, “Ingredient Spotlight” My E-Cookbook ... by Confetti Chicken Pasta
Thanks for hosting! Have a great day!! by Lisa @ Lisa's Dinnertime Dish
Plus 5 more...

Peach Pound Cake with Peach Nectar Glaze

Tiffany — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:15:36 +0000

You may have noticed over the last few days that my site has been slooooooow. I couldn’t even get it to load for me in order to write a post or approve a comment. So frustrating. But I’ve switched hosting companies (switch should be complete sometime today) and hopefully, the site will work fantastically from now on. Thanks for your patience while we were having problems!

Now for the cake. This is a peach variation on the Apple Spice Cake. It starts with a cake mix and a can of peach pie filling. The result is a moist cake studded with peaches and drizzled with a sweet, peachy glaze.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Sorry for the blurriness on the ingredient photo. I think I had the aperture set too low.

The can of peach nectar came from Walmart in the juice aisle. They had quite a few flavors of juice in individual cans for just .38 cents. If you can’t find peach nectar, you can substitute apricot or just use milk to make the glaze. You’ll also need powdered sugar for the glaze, which I forgot to put in the photo.

Peach Pound Cake with Peach Nectar Glaze

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
21 oz can peach pie filling
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

For the glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1-3 Tbs. peach nectar

Instructions

Mix cake mix, pie filling, eggs and vanilla together with an electric mixer. Batter should be well blended, but with pieces of peach.
Pour into greased bundt pan.
Bake 350 for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

For the glaze

Put powdered sugar in a small bowl.
Add peach nectar one tablespoon at a time.
Stir with a spoon until glaze reaches the consistency of thick glue.
Drizzle over cake.

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Comments

Hmmm, powdered sugar glaze can be sweet. Try adding a ... by Tiffany
This looks so good, but I am hesitant to make anything with a ... by JP
Yay for getting blog problems worked out. This cake looks ... by Micha

Spicing Up Pre-Made Hamburger Patties

Tiffany — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:00:41 +0000

It’s not like patting out my own hamburger patties is hard, but sometimes I like the convenience of the pre-made kind. The only problem with this is the inability to add flavors inside the patties (like adding onion soup mix or bbq or other seasonings to the meat before patting them out).

Here are a few ways to add flavor to the patties:

Sprinkle it on:

Seasoned salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder
Good old salt and pepper

Slather it on:

BBQ sauce – I’ve been liking a combo of Country Bob’s and Sweet Baby Ray’s. Surprisingly good mixed together.
Italian dressing – don’t save it just for chicken breasts
Hoisin sauce
Worcestershire sauce

Cheese it up:

Cheddar
American
Swiss
Pepper Jack

I’d love to hear your ideas for making hamburgers more interesting. Leave a comment and tell me how you eat them!

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Comments

Jalapenos are really good on burgers, so are chipotle ... by Micha
Kay, ow wow! That sounds beyond amazing! You know how to make a ... by Tiffany
I like to put 2 thinner patties together, with mozzerella ... by kay43026

Saving Money on Family Vacations Tips + Ebates Savvy Living Live Chat Tonight!

Tiffany — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:00:29 +0000

This is my family on vacation a couple of years ago. I’m where I prefer to be – behind the camera!

Vacationing together is something we love to do. Many of our trips include extended family too. In fact, in a couple of weeks I’ll be heading to Disney World with our 3 youngest kids and my parents. Our oldest daughter will still be in China and Jim is deep into a very heavy work season, so they won’t be joining us. Don’t feel bad for them though – we’re hitting the beach later in the summer with my sister’s family.

Vacationing can be expensive, so we are always looking for ways to cut costs. One thing we’ve learned to do is to rent homes from a site like vrbo.com. Many of my other cost saving tips center around food. Here are a few posts I’ve written on that topic:

Judging from the amount of posts on saving and vacationing, this is a topic that is important to me. I’d love to hear your tips for saving on vacation. Tonight at 8pm Eastern, we’re going to be chatting live. Please join us right here on this post or in the Ebates Savvy Living Community. I’d love to hear where you’ve been, where you’re going, and how you save!

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Comments

I'm doing a series on my blog (along with a friend) about this ... by skye @ neathering our fest
That sounds like a fantastic trip together! by Tiffany
Kathy, I hear you on that! I'm trying to get better about ... by Tiffany
This is a great idea, food costs really add up on vacation. ... by Kathy
Several years ago, we took our 3 (adult) children (plus a grand ... by kay43026

Ingredient Spotlight: Strawberries 2012

Tiffany — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:00:04 +0000

Those are the first of the strawberries from the patch in the backyard. If I don’t get some bird netting, they may be the last too. Anyone else having trouble with the birds eating the berries?

My family loves strawberries straight from the garden, dipped in a small dish of powdered sugar or as part of a recipe. Here are a few of our favorite strawberry recipes:

Now it’s your turn! Link up any recipe on your blog that uses strawberries. It doesn’t have to be a recent post, just be sure to link directly to your recipe, not just the main page of your blog. I only ask that you include a link back to Eat at Home in your post. You can link directly to this post or use the button below.

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Comments

[...] Mommy Club, Meatless Mondays, Mix It Up Monday, Monday ... by Fruit Pizza | Real Food, Real Deals
thank you for hosting! by angie
I am running a day late here. This is my recipe for the Improv ... by Loy
Thank you for inviting me to your party! I have linked up my ... by Moore Or Less Cooking
Thanks Tiffany for hosting this sensational strawberry fest. I ... by The Better Baker
Plus 5 more...

African Pulled Beef Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker with Yogurt-Mint Sauce

Tiffany — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:01:10 +0000

Part of my family is heading to Disney World in a couple weeks. Because I’m in the group going, I can’t seem to stay away from the Disney stuff. That means I’ve been avidly reading the Disney Food Blog. Disney and food are two of my favorite things.

The other day, I ran across this review of a new sandwich found in Animal Kingdom. I new I had to try to create this! Of course, I have no idea what it tastes like, other than the way it is described in the post. Maybe I’ll get to sample the real deal while I’m there, so I can compare my version and Disney’s.

However, I have to say that the review was a great inspiration. My version turned out full of flavor and tender. My family loved it too. And the fact that it uses the slow cooker is a bonus. There’s just enough spice to make it interesting and give the meat a lot of flavor, yet it’s not burn-your-tongue hot.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these sandwiches:

African Pulled Beef Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker with Yogurt-Mint Sauce

Serving Size: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

2-3 lb. chuck roast
3-5 cloves garlic, 1 whole and peeled, others crushed
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 onion, diced
1 jalepeno, seeds removed and diced
15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

For the sauce

10 oz Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp. dried mint
Pita bread

Instructions

Cut one garlic clove in half and rub roast all over with it.
Place roast and whole garlic clove in slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients (except for sauce) to the slow cooker, sprinkling spices directly on meat.
Cover and cook on high 5-6 hours or low 7-8 hours.
Remove meat from crock and shred with a fork.
Return meat to the crock and stir to combine with juices from cooking the meat.
Stir yogurt, cucumber and mint together.
Serve meat in pita bread with yogurt sauce.

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Comments

[...] a huge fan of slow cooker meals but sometimes they can ... by Weekend Linkage May 19 | Cookin' Mimi
This looks amazing Tiffany. I will be making this soon. by Micha

Menu, Grocery List, Recipes Year 3 Week 27

Tiffany — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:09:42 +0000

There’s a lot to love with this menu. Two slow cooker meals, plus a meal to stock your freezer (the 50s Prime Time Meatloaf will make 2 loaves). There’s a 15 minute meal and one our family favorites, Vietnam Fried Rice.

Oh yeah, and the dessert is a winner too!

Serving suggestions are included in bold on the menu and in curly brackets {} on the grocery list.

Here’s what’s on the menu this week:

Vietnam Fried Rice, egg rolls from the freezer section

Bowties with Italian Sausage and Bell Peppers, salad

50s Prime Time Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes with Onions, salad

Chicken Fiesta with Black Beans in the Slow Cooker, chips and salsa, salad

Easy Pepper Steak in the Slow Cooker, angel hair pasta, favorite green veggie

Chicken Florentine Pizza, carrot sticks

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cake with Strawberry Icing

To print, click here: menu year 3 week 27

This menu is part of Menu Plan Monday at The Organizing Junkie.

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Weekend Links & Highlights from Ingredient Spotlight: Ground Beef

Tiffany — Sat, 12 May 2012 11:00:32 +0000

This has been an eventful week. First, we sent our daughter off to China. Thank you so much for all of your comments. I loved hearing about others who have kids overseas and those who have gone overseas themselves. It’s hard to let our kids grow up, but that’s the goal, right?

We got a surprise phone call from Meredith yesterday morning when she arrived in Shanghai. She was able to make a Skype call from her phone. I love technology!

Our family had another hard goodbye this week. Our wonderful next-door neighbors had to move to Kansas. We are going to miss them so much. Our kids played together all the time. They homeschooled too, so they didn’t think we were weird for homeschooling. We borrowed ingredients from each other when we needed to. Someone in Kansas is going to get fantastic neighbors.

Luckily, I still have quite a few neighbors that I borrow from (and they borrow from me too). I think it’s rare these days to be blessed with so many friendly and helpful neighbors. What do you think? Do you have “borrowing” neighbors?

Ingredient Spotlight Highlights

There were so many good recipes shared in I.S. this week – 79 so far and there’s still time to link up yours. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Italian Sliders from Pocket Change Gourmet look great. That’s the photo of them at the top of this post.

Amish Cheeseburger Soup from The Better Baker sounds like a winner.

One of my sister’s favorite casseroles when she was young was Chowmein Casserole. This version from Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish looks great.

This homemade taco meat from Many Makings looks easy and good.

Compassion in Tanzania

I’ve been following along with The Nester on her trip with Compassion in Tanzania. I loved this post about how she met the young man she sponsors.

And this one, where she talks about visiting another home of a Compassion child. This really makes me want to write to my sponsored children more often.

I love how Nester makes a whole lot of friends using a bottle of blue nail polish.

There are more posts and links to the other bloggers who are also on the Compassion trip, but those are enough to get you started. Go read them. You’ll be glad you did.

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Comments

Thank you! And happy Mother's Day to you too by Tiffany
Hi Tiffany, I had an email crash awhile back and seem to have ... by Loy
Bless your sweet heart Tiffany! I'm so tickled you mentioned my ... by The Better Baker
Thanks for including our sliders, Tiffany! I read about your ... by Liz@PocketChangeGourmet