A Weekend of Homemade

This weekend, we decided to stay in and save some money. However, we did try to sell a few things off our acreage in order to clear the land a bit. The land we have is my father's, but we are getting ready to buy it and put a house on it! It's very exciting and also very daunting; especially when I go out there and see all the work that needs to be done. In the end, I know it will be worth it. Learning to love the process is the hardest part for me.

Friday night, I made Jordan and I a special dinner to celebrate us making it to Friday; I like to celebrate the little things. We had chicken parmesan with spaghetti and garlic toast. Jordan felt pretty spoiled. After that, we went on a really long walk around our neighborhood and watched some Mad Men.

Saturday, we met a few people in buying some things off our farm (and old trailer and a truck). No luck, but we met a very nice shop teacher that seems to be a lot like Jordan and I. The thing I like most about people from small towns is that they are kind and usually very helpful. Below is a picture of a '57 Bel Air on our acreage. I just love taking pictures of all the sunbaked metal that we have on our 23 acres. That place is seriously a jungle, but also holds so much wonder for me every time I visit.

Sunday, I decided to make something special for Jordan's lunches the rest of the week and also have a really nice Sunday night dinner. I made Irish stew and Irish soda bread from Bob's Red Mill. We really love Irish soda bread and Bob's Red Mill products never let me down. I have all his gluten free flours/meals and I use them for all my baking needs. I feel so much better about making and eating muffins, brownies and cookies when they are made with quality ingredients that are also good for my body. Anywayyyy...I made the stew in our 7 quart crockpot that I got at my bridal shower (I can thank my sister-in-law for that one). I added canned peas and corn, stew meat from Hyvee, diced red skin potatoes, sliced fresh carrots and beef broth. Further into the cooking, I took some of the sauce from the Crockpot and added a few tablespoons of cornstarch to give it more of a stew-like consistency.
The stew was a hit with Jordan and he is really excited to bring it for his lunches this week. He really likes to bring homemade food he can easily heat up at work and have a nice little break in the middle of his day. I also like knowing that he is eating something he enjoys and at least part of his day is going well (read: that he is eating something that is fairly good for him). The Irish soda bread was a little dry, but I assume that is how it has always been made. Next time I will add some applesauce or extra vegetable oil to the mix as it seemed to crumble apart. I advise that if you make it, eat it with a napkin or plate underneath. You'll thank me later ;) All in all, Jordan was quite impressed with the meal. I made the bread on Saturday night and had the stew in the Crockpot all day and he still couldn't guess what I was scheming up. He really likes surprises and isn't as nosy as I am, so he doesn't analyze things as much as I do. This coming week, I will try to take better pictures and improve my blogging skills. I am always a work in progress.