Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 11

No Knead Sourdough Bread

There's the running joke that since the pandemic began, the fad has been to learn how to make sourdough bread, especially since the supply of yeast seemed to vanish. All joking aside, sourdough bread has been on my to-learn list for a long time. It definitely is a bit more finicky than a regular yeast bread, like our half and half sandwich bread, but after a lot of trial and error, I've figured out a recipe that not only tastes wonderfully sour, it rises, is crunchy and chewy and practically per...

Hot Tubbing

One of the weirdest things about the house we currently live in is that there are no bathtubs. I guess the previous owners didn't have any kids who liked splashing around or needed to soak in hot water after a long day of work, but it sure made me miss our giant tub at our first Indiana home. Maybe someday, we'll update the bathrooms and put in a tub, but that is way down on our possible to-do list. That doesn't ever stop Jack from thinking outside the box and figuring out a different solution. ...

No One Will Run Out of Socks

Jack and I celebrated our fourteenth anniversary this week and though it's kind of like having a thirty-seventh birthday, where it's not one of the huge milestones, it's an important one nonetheless. This year was a pretty low-key celebration, in part because we're in the midst of such a busy time of life. I mean, with six kids and another on the way, we're averaging a baby every two years. They are definitely the life of the party that is our marriage, all day, every day.
When it comes to gifts,...

Cranberry-Orange Chicken Salad

I love myself a good salad and this one is very versatile, flavorful, and easy to put together. It can be served over a bed of lettuce, with carbs like pita, croissants, or hamburger buns, or can be eat plain. I've tried it every way and trust me--it's yummy.
Ingredients:
1 pound cooked, shredded chicken (if you have leftover rotisserie chicken, this is a great use for it)1 cup celery, chopped1/3 cup green onions, choppedZest of 1 orange, about 1 Tablespoon1/2 cup craisins1/2 cup mayonnaise1/2 tea...

The Rehomesteaders' 2021 Goals

See goals from 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012!

Every New Year, I like to set goals for the upcoming year and review how the past year went. 2020 wasn't exactly conducive to keeping the goal I'd set since so many things were closed/derailed/canceled/etc (and we had a lot of unexpected surprises in our family, for better or worse), but you know what? That's okay. I do not for one second think that NOT making goals is the answer--if I don't write things down and make a plan ...

Life at 37

In the whirlwind that's been 2020, I got to wrap it by turning the big 3-7. Although it's not a particularly exciting age or a milestone by any means, it's a rather wonderful time to be alive. I always kind of assumed that by the time I was old (and 30's was old in my child mind), I would be better than I am. Nicer, more patient, basically a saint. Ha! It turns out, I'm still a work-in-progress. I also used to resent being born in December. Does anyone but December babies understand the frustrati...

Sparkling Cranberries

Like a lot of people, part of our holiday traditions include food, and sometimes, that means trying something new. This year, it was sparkling cranberries. They're tart and sweet, and are healthier than eating sugar cookies, so we didn't feel quite so guilty eating a handful every time we passed them.

Family Photos 2020

One thing I wasn't able to cross off my 2019 goal list was to get updated family photos. The timing just wasn't right with our usual photographer and I couldn't find another one to replace her, so it just didn't happen. That meant this year, it became a top priority. The kids change so much in a year and while I can catch some fun photos on my phone of them, it's not the same as someone who really knows how to handle the camera and bring out their personalities. Also, it may be because of the craz...

No Going Back

A little over ten years ago, I was huddled in bed, listening to a raging blizzard outside our Iowa homestead. The power was out, the snow was piling up, Evelyn and Jack were huddled in our bed to try and keep warm, the water froze, and at nine months and two weeks pregnant, I wondered if I'd have to give birth by candlelight in our bathtub. Mercifully, Claire hung on for one more day until the roads were cleared and I was able to make it to the hospital to be induced. She didn't come...

Wickedly Fun Halloween

With this unprecedented year, we weren't sure exactly what Halloween was going to look like, but we decided, no matter what, we were going to celebrate in style. I had a few backup plans for the holiday, in case trick-or-treating was nixed, but in the end, we didn't really need to use Plan B. The first day of October, we drug out our boxes of Halloween decorations and hung and set out every single one of our decorations. You can never really have too many, right? Along with the decorations came t...