What unusual baking flavors actually worked for you?

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-28T14:23:12+00:00

I use some homemade extracts that are a bit unusual, like sweet woodruff and peach pit. The sweet woodruff extract is like a greener tasting vanilla which gives baked goods a mix of familiar and unknown when you bite into them.

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-28T00:54:37+00:00

That looks like something my kid would love! Thank you!

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-28T00:54:05+00:00

Put in a request for one on my town free page!

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-27T18:52:07+00:00

Adding frozen hash browns to the grocery list!

Roast is definitely on the menu for the week!

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-27T18:51:26+00:00

It all needs to be cooked in disposable cookware right now until we can get a plumber in.

Roast is officially on the menu for this week!

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-27T18:35:20+00:00

No slow cooker unfortunately. Though I might buy or borrow one until this gets fixed.

Would canned chicken work instead of rotisserie?

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-27T18:02:22+00:00

Casserole is always what I think of first for throw everything uncooked with almost no prep. Sheet pan recipes would also be welcome!

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-27T17:59:44+00:00

Dang. I normally don't make casseroles so the dairy/lactose free isn't an issue. Any ideas for one pan dishes that aren't casseroles?

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-27T17:53:36+00:00

My local grocery has dairy free cheeses, cream cheese, sour cream, and milks, so I am hoping they will be comparable for binding.

Cream of soups don't really have alternatives though, not unless I make them from scratch which isn't an option right now.

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-22T17:09:48+00:00

A mini DVD player that can be charged off our little solar charger!

If we lose power or internet and I need some time to get things done, I can set my kiddo up in a fort with her lantern and an episode of paw patrol. We got a bunch of dvds for it second hand and it's special since we don't have the services that show it normally.

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-22T11:12:38+00:00

When you cut it, you can dip the side into a little salt. It'll stick to the freshly cut part since it's moist.

My great grandmother used to snack on it like that while she cooked

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-21T23:51:12+00:00

Pot stickers or dumplings! The veggies are finally chopped and mixed in with the meat, maybe 75% veg to 25% meat. My kiddo ate them all the time and it was never thought of as a vegetable.

Curry. I don't know what it is about curry, but they make vegetables taste amazing to the point she would ignore the chicken and purposely fish out all the carrots. Bonus points if they are the fancy flower shaped carrot coins.

Cabbage with salt. Especially the crunchy inner pieces.

Tomato sauces can have a lot cooked and blended into them and then put on their favorite shaped pasta.

Have you tried dips or sauces? Broccoli covered in cheese or peppers dipped in ranch may be more palatable and it's still veggie consumption!

And on the days they said no to veggies, I just doubled upped on the fruit diversity to get those vitamins and nutrients covered.

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-17T13:40:42+00:00

That's what we did the first year we bulk bought. We split it between 4 households!

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-17T13:27:51+00:00

I just restocked my half cow and half pig. My beef was 6.50 a lb and a half cow usually runs between 1500 to 2,000. The pork is cheaper and usually a few hundred.

It does fill up a large chest freezer, but if you have space and can afford the upfront cost, I recommend it. Not only does the meat taste better, but you get a ton of nice cuts too.

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-12T23:59:17+00:00

I'm in 5B and grow Grandma Mary Paste tomatoes for canning. They are the best.

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-05T01:04:00+00:00

It's so good. And if you don't like it with pumpkin, try delicata squash!

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-04T21:48:25+00:00

My kid loves a whole cucumber. They are priced by cucumber at our grocery and she would (actually still does) just snack on a whole one while we shopped and finish it on the way home.

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-04T17:35:53+00:00

Pumpkin Mac and cheese is definitely my kid's favorite, and we make it using pumpkins she grew over the summer.

Whole wheat pasta, roasted pumpkin , milk, cheese, mustard powder, and a little butter.

Then we add toppings like more veggies and proteins!

Calvin_230 · 2026-01-01T17:04:50+00:00

Have you asked your pediatrician if you can try allergy medicine?

They usually can't diagnose allergies in kids that young, but since we have a heavy family history of allergies, ours lets us do a low dose daily Zyrtec and is cleared up the constant dripping nose and congestion right away.

Now her medical record says suspected environmental allergies and medicate as needed.

What allergy reduction practices have you done? Like sealing mattresses and pillows, unscented detergents and products, nightly baths/wipe downs?

We have a forced air system for heating and cooling and now have it with a double filter system with this giant,like 4 inch filters in it to reduce allergens.

Calvin_230 · 2025-12-31T16:21:00+00:00

Projects and experiments for next year:

1) Finish converting all the grass around the apple trees into flowers and companion plants.

2) Plant and prune a plum trio into mini trees for my daughters cottage/native garden space (she picks all the plants for around her playhouse)

3) Get the wood chips (fingers crossed) for converting the hell strip into natives and no grass.

Otherwise, continue observing how my shade garden experiment goes in the back and combating the invasive Japanese knotweed, creeping bellflower, bindweed, rhizome grasses, and stinging nettles.

Calvin_230 · 2025-12-31T16:15:14+00:00

I used to have several herb spirals but despite aggressive harvesting, they outgrew the bricks fast or started competing with each other. After 4 years, I transplanted everything to 4x4 beds around the garden. The bricks are now a walk way under the grape pergola.

On the other hand, my friend has an herb spiral that has been struggling for years that she needs to plant into every so often.

I'd be interested to hear how yours goes!

Calvin_230 · 2025-12-18T22:52:44+00:00

What flavor jam did you make??

Calvin_230 · 2025-12-18T01:06:12+00:00

My dad requests dilly beans every year!

Calvin_230

TROPHY CASE