Simply Sustainable Family

Simple, Sustainable, and Healthy Homestead Lifestyle

Best Meatloaf with Grape Juice: Sweet and Savory Meatloaf

by //

Meatloaf is a classic main dish for many families, including mine. It is versatile and forgiving, so I can adapt it to fit the ingredients I have available at the time. However, it has never been one of my favorite recipes. Frankly, I usually find meatloaf pretty boring. The flavor tends to be very basic or even shallow. I end up trying to compensate for that by putting ketchup on it, or serving it with spicy or sweet side dishes. But, this week, my toddler requested “meatloaf” for dinner. It became my goal for that day to develop a meatloaf recipe that was both sweet and savory and definitely not boring. The result was a meatloaf with grape juice, multiple savory spices, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Pin this for Later!

slice of meatloaf in a bowl with a glass of wine in the background.
[Read more…]

The Easy Way to Pick and Cook Dandelion Greens

by //

For cooking, my favorite time of year on a homestead is definitely Summer and Fall. This is the time when the garden is producing like crazy, and I have more fresh produce than I know what to do with. The hardest time of year is the end of Winter into early Spring. This is when I have usually used up most of my canned, frozen, and stored produce. And, it is still too cold for even the early crops to be up yet. I even sometimes resort to buying some frozen veggies from the store (shocking I know – homesteading is supposed to be perfect, right?). But, around the beginning of April, a solution shows up in our backyard. Dandelions are delicious, nutritious, and simple to use. I have developed a very easy way to pick and cook Dandelion Greens. And, they end up being a staple in our spring diet.

Pin to Save for Later!

pinterest pinnable showing the steps to picking and cooking dandelion greens
[Read more…]

How to Make a Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake with Honey

by //

Strawberry Shortcake has always been a favorite dessert for me. It is simple to make, and almost everyone likes it. But, the quickest way to make it, is to whip up a simple white cake. This tastes delicious, but ends up being way sweeter than what I typically like to feed my family on a regular basis. Biscuits work well, but this always takes longer and is definitely a different texture. I finally realized that I should just create a new recipe that made me happy with this dessert. My family had to “suffer through” several trial runs before I was satisfied with my recipe. But, now I know how to make a Sourdough Strawberry Shortcake with honey that is simply mouth-watering. And, it meets all my requirements: digestible for most gluten-intolerant folks, relatively low sugar content, and still keeps that delicious “spongy” cake texture I enjoy so much.

Pin this for Later!

sourdough strawberry shortcake with whipped cream in a brown and white glass bowl

This recipe works well in 2 different ways. You can make it as a sourdough discard recipe, or as a long-ferment.

[Read more…]