A sheet pan recipe my brother-in-law made recently inspired me to try this easy variation on my favorite skillet hash.

My favorite cookbook, Vegetables Illustrated, has an awesome recipe for Red Flannel Hash, which I typically make often in the fall or winter. The problem is, even in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, it still ends up sticking like the dickens by the time it's done, which is frustrating and leaves a crusty mess to clean up.

After my brother-in-law roasted some butternut squash and Brussels sprouts in the oven with bacon with delicious results, I thought I would try adapting the hash recipe to a sheet pan for easier cleanup. It turned out excellent, and much easier than making it on the stovetop! From now on, this will be my usual method of making hash.

Side Note: I realize this recipe is not very springy, but we're trying to use up our butternut squash before summer, and had a few beets left as well, so I made this on a cool spring evening when we were in the mood for a hearty and healthy dinner.

This makes a good meal by itself with fried eggs, but could also make a good side dish to go with a roast or chicken. Since it's cooked in the oven, it doesn't need much tending, and the hardest part will likely be dicing the butternut squash. If you complete the steps in the order listed below, you should have it on the table in 40 minutes or less. Check out the recipe below, and maybe bookmark it for the fall season!

Welcome back! I'm feeling back to normal, and have been trying to catch up on everything I got behind on while I was sick... I've still got a couple of weeks to go before I'm back on track, but it's definitely nice to have my energy back!

I was planning on doing a homestead update post for you today, but I ran out of time, and so I'm sharing a simple and healthful recipe with you instead. You may be aware of my passion for fermented foods, but long before I ever got started making kimchi, sauerkraut, or various fermented beverages, I was making my own yogurt.

Yogurt is by far one of the easiest fermented foods to make at home: All you need is milk, yogurt culture (or a cup of plain cultured yogurt from the store), and a jar! Of course, you can also get "fancy" and get a yogurt maker like I did (mine was cheap and I've had it for over 10 years and it still works fine), but I started making yogurt in mason jars well before I ever splurged on a real yogurt maker. The process is basically the same, but I will explain both below.

Now that we have a source of local raw milk, I've been making yogurt more regularly than ever, and over the years, I've learned how to make it turn out perfect virtually every time!

Despite my love of all things fermented, it's been a while since I posted a recipe, so I thought this was perfect timing - especially since it's fall, so we have an incredible abundance of delicious purple Chinese mustard greens in the garden!

My husband actually turned me on to this recipe, but as the version he sent me called for a specific type of Chinese mustard, I am actually sharing a slightly different recipe, which says it can be made with just about any type of mustard greens, or radish or turnip greens.

I haven't tried this yet, but plan to do so soon - it sounds so delicious and I've been craving fermented foods since my summer cabbage didn't turn out that well, so I haven't made any kimchi or sauerkraut in a while!

Whether you're a fan of pickled mustard greens, or just looking to try a new ferment, you may find this recipe of interest.

Although I am not by any means a baker, there's something about winter that just makes me want to pull hot, crusty loaves of fresh-baked bread out of the oven! Although wheat (especially bread) does cause some digestive issues for me, so I don't eat it a lot, I have done some experimenting over the years with homemade breads.

I grew up eating homemade fresh-baked whole wheat bread almost every day. My dad would rise at the ungodly hour of 4:30am to grind wheat berries into flour, then mix and knead the dough, set it to rise, knead it again, let it rise again, and so forth. Most mornings I would wake to the smell of fresh bread baking, or the sight of my dad kneading dough at the kitchen window. So homemade bread is "baked" into me in some ways, I guess! Maybe that's why store-bought breads (even the "fresh baked" kind) just don't really do it for me...

Anyway, over the years, I've tried making numerous variations of homemade bread - made in a breadmaker, using homemade sourdough, various combinations of whole wheat, white, and bread flour, and so on.

There is some sort of myth out there that making bread is difficult or complicated, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of the kneading? (Which is actually very easy, and also kind of fun!) Or the time required? (Which is mostly just time spent waiting for the dough to rise - which you can spend doing whatever you want.) Anyway, the truth is bread is actually one of the easiest things to make. All you need is flour, water, salt, and some type of yeast (techniques may vary depending on whether you're using purchased dry yeast, or a sourdough starter), some time, and an oven to bake it in!

If you're not into kneading dough, or just don't have that much time to fuss with your bread, I would suggest trying the super easy recipe below. It's incredibly simple, and makes absolutely delicious homemade artisan-style bread with just 5 minutes of work!  (Okay maybe 10 - max.)

Happy Halloween! :-) 

'Tis the season of everything pumpkin, and if you're a pumpkin pie fan, you're probably eagerly looking forward to your first creamy, spicy bite...

Whether you're waiting until Thanksgiving, or getting in some pie-making practice beforehand, why not make your own pumpkin pie spice this year? It's simple, easy, and will taste much fresher than the store bought stuff that's been sitting around on the shelf for who-knows-how-long. Plus, you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry already, so why go out and buy another bottle to clutter up your spice shelf?

You can make up a batch and store it in a glass jar in cool, dark place (you can re-use an empty spice jar for this), and you'll be able to enjoy pumpkin pies all season long! Personally, I prefer sweet potato pie to pumpkin, and this spice would work great in that as well.

Or, you can get creative and use it in some homemade pumpkin pie-spiced ice cream (which goes great on top of apple cake, pumpkin bars, or yes, even pumpkin pie), to make pumpkin bread or muffins, or even in a warm cup of spiced tea or chai latte - yum - makes me feel all cozy!

 Apple cider vinegar - also commonly referred to as ACV in natural health circles - is often touted to have many health benefits, from digestive support to blood pressure modulation, weight loss aid, and more. Whether or not all this is true, the fact is that apple cider vinegar can be a very useful ingredient to have around the house for cooking, cleaning, pickling, and more.

It is also useful as a natural health support for chickens (ours get a tablespoon in their water once or twice a week during cooler weather) - they love it, and it is supposed to help keep them healthy and improve their digestion.

While it's not all that expensive, if you use a lot of it, it can definitely be more cost-effective (and fun!) to make your own apple cider vinegar at home. Plus, you'll be amazed at how easy it is - and it's a great way to put those peelings and other apple scraps to good use! (Now that I know apple trimmings tend to give our chickens the runs, I'll be using them in this recipe instead after making our annual batch of apple cider this fall...) See below for a super simple and easy recipe that anyone can make at home - no special equipment required.

Thai food is my absolute favorite cuisine! With its bright, fresh flavors, and the combination of sweet, salty, spicy, sour, and umami created by simple ingredients, it's not hard to see why I love cooking Thai food whenever I can. Even better is when I can incorporate plenty of veggies from our garden into a recipe - like this one, below.

This classic Thai dish is accented in this case by plenty of fresh veggies - including bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, and lots of Thai basil. While it has been a strange garden season, and not all crops have fared so well, our basil has been ridiculous! We are completely overwhelmed with both Thai basil and "regular" or Italian-style basil - to the point where I've finally given up and am just letting it go to flower. The waist-high bushes are so vibrant and leafy they are more like incredibly fragrant shrubs! So any recipe I can find that calls for a lot of basil is welcome.

To top it all off, this recipe takes less than an hour (30-45 minutes if you use your prep time wisely), which is a big plus in my book!

This week, I've got an interesting recipe for you...

With the plethora of eggs we've had this summer, my husband and I have been interested in all ways of cooking, eating, and preserving them. The molt is coming and we know they'll be slowing down soon, so finding ways to preserve some of them for the less plentiful months is top-of-mind right now.

There are a number of ways to cure and preserve eggs - from pickling, to freezing, and more, but one of the more interesting methods, in my opinion, is salt-curing. Salt-cured egg yolks are purported to be reminiscent of Parmesan or other hard cheeses, and may be used in a similar manner.

While we have not yet tried this method just yet, we are planning on making some soon, and since this recipe was tried by America's Test Kitchen, I figured it's hard to go wrong! :-)

We are back from our short and rainy beach vacation and busy catching up on things. It's so lovely to see all the flowers starting to bloom and green buds popping out everywhere! Still, we have a few weeks to go before the last vestiges of winter are gone, so I'm trying to pace myself with the spring planting...

One thing we are blessed with this spring is lots of tasty fresh greens! Our kale and collards made it through the cold winter just fine thanks to nearly constant snow cover (although the voles devoured a lot of the kale, which is apparently their favorite winter snack), and have been growing quite vigorously in the warmer weather for the past couple of weeks.

Our chickens have also been busy laying up a storm, so we are always looking for tasty ways to enjoy eggs, and I came across this yummy soup... It's full of tasty veggies like kale, potatoes, carrots, and celery, and the eggs add a satisfying richness to the delicious broth, without being too heavy. For a more substantial meal, add a side salad and some warm, crusty bread.

This recipe would be great in the winter as well, but since we have lots of greens and eggs this spring, we'll be enjoying this on one of the upcoming cold nights that still remain! I hope you enjoy it as well.

Welcome to your March freebie! This month, we've got a great recipe book full of delicious recipes that are packed with healthy ingredients that have powerful healing benefits for both your gut microbiome, and your brain. These two areas of the body are intimately connected, and modern medicine is just beginning to realize how important this connection truly is to our overall health.

As we have recognized the connection between oral health and cardiovascular disease in recent years, the medical establishment has begun to prioritize oral health in preventing future cardiovascular problems. In a similar fashion, I believe that in the years ahead, the health of the gut will be emphasized in maintaining good brain health, and even possibly helping to treat existing mental issues such as depression and addiction.

You can get a head start on a healthy brain by downloading this free recipe book and incorporating these nutrient-dense healing recipes into your regular diet!