freezer Archives - Page 2 of 3 - The Sparrow's Home

Homemade Ice Cream Anyone Can Make (Because You Don’t Need Any Special Equipment!)

June 14, 2017 by Susan 4 Comments

You don’t need special equipment to make homemade ice cream. This easy recipe can be customized to make your favorite flavor. It’s the perfect summer treat!

What are the lengths to which you will go to enjoy your favorite ice cream? My husband, being from the south, is a big (BIG) Blue Bell Ice Cream fan. We don’t have Blue Bell here in Minnesota. (Boo, Minnesota!) When we visited my mother-in-law in Texas, we toured the Blue Bell factory. And can I say, touring an ice cream factory is a great way to spend a day.

Visiting Tennessee in April allowed us to indulge all week long. (And we did! At one point our freezer had 5 containers.) We even packed a cooler full of ice and Blue Bell to bring home…no kidding. In case you’re wondering, Pecan Praline is our favorite, and the kids would probably say Birthday Cake.

And while it’s no Blue Bell, I’m here to tell you today how you can make homemade ice cream in minutes. Minutes! Well, minutes is all the time it takes to mix it up…of course there are a few hours of freezing time.

All-Star Hot Dog Chili

January 31, 2017 by Susan 2 Comments

Easy hot dog chili recipe to make the best chili dogs ever! Equally delicious as chili cheese fries. And it freezes beautifully!

One of my kids would live on hot dogs and chips if we let him. (We don’t let him.) But when he gets to pick what’s for dinner, hot dogs is usually on the menu. In the summer, hot dogs on the grill are a fun treat. But in the fall and winter, chili dogs hit the spot.

Hot dog chili is different from a chili you would eat on its own (ideally topped with sour cream, onions, cheese and a square of cornbread). Nope. Nothing like it. Hot dog chili is not chunky, and usually doesn’t have beans. It’s really more of a condiment.

Freezer Apple Pie Filling

October 11, 2016 by Susan 52 Comments

This apple pie filling for the freezer is beyond easy! Freezing apple pie filling is an easy way to preserve apples for a warm & gooey apple pie all winter long.

Apple pie filling can be used in far more than apple pie, you know. Crisps, turnovers, with pancakes, oatmeal…loads of things! That’s why I love to keep a couple of bags in my freezer -ready to go– during the winter months when a warm, gooey apple dessert tastes best.

It’s so simple, you can put up several bags in no time!

How to Preserve Basil

August 8, 2016 by Susan 12 Comments

Freezing basil to add to recipes year round is so easy! All you need is basil, olive oil and ice cube trays. It’s my favorite way to preserve summer.

There’s nothing like walking out onto your deck and picking fresh basil to add to a recipe. But sadly, for much of the year in Minnesota, that is not an option.

I am a terrible gardener, but I’ve always been successful with basil. It grows gangbusters for me, for some reason.

Several years ago, I looked into various ways to preserve my harvest. To maintain freshness, I decided against drying. I found a number of different methods of freezing herbs. Some involved water as a base, some oil. I tried both methods and have settled into what I like best. Olive oil.

This is such an easy process, y’all.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cake… and the Best Reason to Be Exhausted!

July 13, 2016 by Susan 31 Comments

This oatmeal breakfast cake is dense and satisfying. Use quick-cooking oats and they’ll dissolve into the batter, use old-fashioned oats for more texture. We like it best with chocolate chips, but it’d be delish with your favorite fruit baked in, too!

I just walked in the door from an impromptu trip to Nashville, TN (I live in Minnesota, remember).

This is the fourth year that my eldest son has participated in a week long service oriented mission team. In past years, they’ve served in Louisiana, South Carolina and Indiana– and this year they are in Nashville.

The group’s focus is threefold:

They serve at the host church, doing projects like putting in sidewalks and building sheds.
They visit various ministries in the area and not only learn about them, but serve with them. (Yesterday, they worked at a community garden and harvested over 1,200 pounds of potatoes!)
They have classes that help them dig in to how God has made them, and how they can step into service and leadership in their home church and community.

A week before the trip was scheduled to begin, the lady who has always done all of their meal planning and preparation had to have emergency surgery. Since my college roommate and dear friend is one of the leaders of the trip, we were chatting about it and I mentioned that I couldn’t come for the whole week, but could come down and feed them the first few days, and get meals prepped for the rest of the week.

So that’s what I did.

Recipes That Use Up A Lot of Eggs (Bonus Pudding Recipe!)

June 2, 2016 by Susan 35 Comments

A collection of recipes for how to use up eggs. Desserts with eggs, dinner recipes with eggs, you name it! Use up an abundance of eggs in delicious ways. This collection of recipes will give you lots of options for when you find yourself with too many eggs on your hands. Sweet, savory, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and perfect for customizing to your taste. Plus, a bonus recipe for the best pudding ever!

Backyard chickens are fantastic entertainment. They run like little old ladies holding their skirts up, and they always assume another hen has something better than what they’ve got.

Aside from all this free entertainment, they also provide us with a multitude of fresh eggs.