Category: Mama’s Kitchen

Did you know you can cook FROZEN ground beef in the Instant Pot?

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

Ground beef has gotten a bit more expensive here lately but it can still be stretched to make many different filling meals on a budget. I like to throw some in a pot in the morning so that it can be cooked before dinner and quickly made into a yummy dish. I like to add some finely chopped mushrooms to ours while cooking to add a little extra nutrition… the kids never notice!

Frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot

Did you know you can cook FROZEN ground beef in the Instant Pot? Here’s how → sl290.isrefer.com/go/ipbeef/happy2bmyownboss/

Here are a few of our favorite ways to use precooked hamburger meat:

Mrs. B’s Good Easy Pizza (this is a great way to use meat and vegetable leftovers)

45-minute spaghetti sauce (a family favorite)

Crockpot Taco Soup

Daddy Can’t-Wait Casserole

Easy Burrito Casserole

Goulash

Shepherd’s Pie in a Skillet

Mama’s Secret Spaghetti Sauce

Sloppy Joes

Taco Ring

Tater Tot Casserole

Tortilla Bowl Taco Salad

 

What are your favorite ways to use hamburger?

Homemade Sourdough English Muffins

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog4 Comments

We’ve been experimenting with sourdough recipes for a while now and this one has been a favorite of ours. It’s super easy to make but does have a bit of time required for rising so we usually start these the evening before we need them.

You can mix them by hand, use a stand mixer with a dough hook, or even mix them up in your breadmaker… we’ve tried them each way and they all turn out great. I like to put the dough in the oven for its long rise… be sure to leave the light on for it to keep it comfy!

These work great for breakfast sandwiches, mini pizzas, or with a bit of butter and jelly… yum!

This recipe may look a little tricky but once you made it a time a two you could probably do it in your sleep! If you don’t have a sourdough starter you can find tons of easy recipes online to start your own or you can buy some starter like we did HERE.** (Yes, that’s an affiliate link but it won’t cost you a penny more to use it.)

Homemade Sourdough English Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c. active sourdough starter
  • 1 T. sugar or honey (we prefer to use local honey but that’s not really necessary)
  • 1 c. milk (I haven’t tried using milk kefir but it would probably work as well)
  • 1 t. salt
  • 3 c. all-purpose flour (may need a little more or less depending on the climate)
  • a bit of cornmeal of flour for dusting

Directions:

Continue reading “Homemade Sourdough English Muffins” →

Progress towards goals, sweet treats, and a date night

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

This past weekend one of my sisters gave me a special treat… she offered to babysit so we could have a date night! This was unexpected but very much appreciated. Not only did she come down to babysit but she also sent me to get a manicure… something I haven’t done in quite a while.

I tried to resist but I was glad that she insisted because I really did need that little bit of quiet time without anyone else. It allowed me to clear my head a bit and make some plans for the next couple of weeks. I made a few goals to work on and tried to form a plan of action to achieve these goals while I was out and about by myself… I probably should’ve written some of this down but I didn’t.

If the weather hadn’t been so chilly I might have stayed gone for a bit longer but I was freezing by the time I finished at the salon and ran a few errands so I headed back home… little ma’am was happy to have me back and she covered me with kisses when I returned.

Continue reading “Progress towards goals, sweet treats, and a date night” →

The meanest mom in the world as a compliment

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

I have been called the meanest mother in the world so many times that I’ve lost track. This morning I happened across an article that had been printed in a newspaper some time ago… after reading it, I will now take ‘You’re the Meanest Mom in the World’ as a compliment.

May be an image of text

While trying to find a picture of this article I came across this:

The Meanest Mother in the World

This was an interesting post I found regarding this letter.

Broccoli Slaw

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog7 Comments

We love this recipe with many meals all year round… it is so good. Feel free to add your own favorite fruits/veggies or omit some if you don’t like them.

Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds of Broccoli, broken into small pieces without the large stems (or about 3 cups)
  • 2-3 carrots, thinly sliced or grated (we usually leave this out as we have some carrot haters here)
  • 1/3 c. Onion, red/green/white, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 c. Raisins/cranberries
  • 1/4 c. Almonds/nuts/sunflower kernels
  • 1/2 pound Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing:

  • 2 T. vinegar (we use ACV or Red Wine Vinegar)
  • 1/2 c. Mayo
  • 2-3 T Sugar, Monkfruit, or Maple Syrup
  • 1/2 t. celery seed, optional
  • salt, and pepper to taste

Directions:

The broccoli needs to be washed and dried and then cut or sliced into small bitesize pieces.

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Add in the remaining ingredients and toss well.

Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to let the flavors meld together… the longer it sits, the better it tastes but we have eaten it right away and it still tastes pretty good.

broccoli-slawDownload