Dana Marie's Country Living Blog

Do you want to know how to make the easiest herb drying rack ever? It doesn't cost a thing except for twine and it looks really nice!  First you need to find a long stick. Next wrap a bunch of twine around one end and string it out enough to reach the other end leaving enough in the middle to hang it with. Secure it to the other end of the stick, and hang it up. Now tie some twine around the stems of your herb bunches and hang each of them from the branch. Easy peasy!  I have always dried my herbs above the kitchen sink. Not only is it pretty but oh gosh, they make your kitchen smell so very nice! In the photo I have lavender, cinnamon basil, pineapple thyme, and rosemary.  I love it!! Dana ~ Easy Herb-Drying Rack Supplies a long stick or branch twine herb bunches Instructions 1 . Wrap twine around one end of the stick and secure it with a knot. String it out to the other end of the stick, leaving enough in the middle to hang it with. Wrap the twine around the other end o...

My name for these little wonders is Shower Fizzles! What you do is set them on the corner edge of your tub or on a shelf while you take a shower. It turns shower time into a spa experience! It smells amazing when the steam completely soaks into the tablet. It will bubble up and fizzle until it dissolves releasing the amazing aroma. You can throw them directly on the shower floor but if I have flowers in them I prefer to put one on a small dish in the corner of the tub. That way I don't have flower petals going down my drain.  I made these lavender because I have a bunch growing in my yard so I have lots of lavender around. It's such a relaxing experience right before bedtime.  Lavender Shower Fizzles Ingredients 4 cups baking soda 2 cups citric acid approximately 3/4 to 1 cup witch hazel approximately 60 drops of lavender essential oil Instructions 1 . Add the baking soda and citric acid to a large bowl. Then using a large sifter, sift the mixture into another large bowl. That...

I made these delicious cookies today with semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and Peanut M&Ms.® It's kind of one of those cookies that you use what ya got. They are great! You can't tell in the photo but they are big!  For Large Cookies Step 1. I use an ice cream scoop for the big scoop and a regular-sized cookie scoop to add another scoop to the top of the ice cream scoop. Step 2. Then push down slightly on the stacked scoops. By doing this you will make your cookies nice and ooey gooey in the middle and crunchy on the outside. Look for my new cookie cookbook, My Olde Country Home: Vintage Cookie Recipes , coming out soon on Amazon. You can get a sneak-peek of the book  here . This big cookie is not in it, so I will share the recipe with you.  M&M®, Semisweet and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients 1/2 cup salted butter 1/2 cup shortening 1-1/2 cups brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking ...

I got lots of planting done today!! All seeds. Let's see - I planted three kinds of tomatoes, which will stay indoors for 2-3 weeks before I take them outside.  And there were pickling cucumbers, two kinds of squash, two kinds of pumpkins, peppers, basil, dill, cinnamon basil, sage, chives, thyme and zinnias. I planted all of the herbs into the decorated tin cans I made. I will let them get to 2-3 inches, and then transplant them.     Everything else I planted into foil baking pans. I buy several of these pans in the spring to start my seeds in. It works well. If you get them at the dollar store, it's very affordable. The grocery stores will charge you around $3 for the same thing.     Another tip I'd like to share is that I keep dated bags with the seed packets I've already planted for the year. That way if I need to go back and read the instructions again, I can find them easily. This is especially helpful during transplanting time for those seeds.   ...

I cannot wait for canning season! If you haven't already, it's time to get your seeds in or start searching your local nurseries for plants. I have to tell you all - nothing is more satisfying than preserving your own food that you have grown yourself! Most of us who "can" are growing our own fruits and vegetables, but I want to mention that if you can't have a garden, remember your local farmers market. They should have a large amount of fresh produce ready for canning later this summer. I go to mine often, to find items that I don't have growing in my garden. Strawberry Jam, just out of a hot water bath canner If you don't know how to can, I urge you to learn how it's done. I think it is time again for us all to start growing our own food, for a couple of reasons. There may come a time in our economies in which there is a food shortage. And we surely do not know what chemicals are on our produce bought at the grocery stores. If we grow our own food, ...

Homemade ice cream sundaes from scratch!  I have had a hankering for ice cream lately. I really enjoy making it at home with ingredients I can pronounce. No fancy machine needed! I like to embellish my sundaes a bit with homemade chocolate ganache sauce or strawberry sauce. You can stick a chocolate caramel turtle on your chocolate sundae as well. Yum!  Am I eating them all myself? No! I always share with my family, of course!  I made them just in time too because I started to get a sore throat last night. This ice cream really feels soothing going down. It's so creamy and smooth.  With the recipe for the vanilla ice cream below, you can use it as a base for whatever kind of ice cream you want to make. Just add fruits and sauces to change the flavor. You can add peanut butter too. The sky's the limit. To freeze, I put the ice cream in Glad® plastic containers. They come with lids and keep the ice cream fresh. You can find them next to the freezer bag aisle at your gr...

Exciting news! The updated version of my Christmas Desserts cookbook is available as an ebook on Amazon ® for only $9.99! It contains many of the old traditional recipes that have passed down through generations in my family. Baking has always been an important part of Christmas for me. There is nothing better than to see loved ones delighted to receive special home baked goods made with love by you!  Margaret Meier I dedicated this cookbook to my Grandma Meier because she was the one who taught me my love of baking. Included in this book are some of her vintage recipes compiled while she was in a baking club in the 1950's. Many have her handwritten notes on them. They are so special to me. In the book I also share memories of my grandma at Christmastime.  A big huge thank you to my editor Amanda Steves for all her hard work helping me get this done. Couldn't have done it without her! Here's a sample recipe from the ebook. My Olde Country Home: Olde Fashioned Christmas Des...