Homemade Sausage

Hello dear friend,

We're so glad you have come for a visit. Please have a seat at the kitchen table while we mix up a favorite receipt here at Slowing Down Cottage. Would you like a cup of fresh brewed coffee, tea or would you prefer something else? Relax. We do hope you enjoy your visit with us today.

Since becoming "sugar intolerant" I have to watch what I eat. My family loves sausage. But since we became reading labels a little better than we were, we noticed lots of unwanted and unneeded additives, i.e.: dextrose and MSG. While they enhance the the flavor a bit, we have discovered that one can make these foods and enjoy them just as well. And often times cheaper than the overly-processed stuff.

Here's our receipt for a great sausage patty:

Pork Sausage
5 pounds ground pork*
4 teaspoons sea salt
3 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 teaspoons poultry seasonings
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup cold water**

First you'll need a large pan or bowl. I use a shallow roasting pan.

Measure the seasonings together; mix with the water. Put the ground pork in the bowl/pan. Now pour the seasoned water mixture over the meat. This part takes the most time, but be patient and mix - mix - mix! Once you've got the seasonings mixed in to your liking, you may stop. *smile*

Next pinch off a small amount; form into a patty. Fry in a cast-iron skillet with a wee bit of pork lard. If it is not spicy enough for you, you can add more seasonings at this point.

Now divide the sausage into 5 equal portions. I like to roll them into "logs" and wrap in freezer paper. You could make it more air-tight with plastic wrap, if you chose. Freeze the sausage until you need them.

This is just like the bulk packs of ground sausage. You can fry it up into patties for breakfast or mix with ground turkey, chicken or beef for meatballs or browned for casseroles, etc.

"EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It":
* You can buy this already ground or buy a pork butt and grind it yourself. If you buy pork pre-ground, make sure it is 100% ground pork with nothing added.

**I got this idea from Maggie, the original Hillbilly Housewife (www.hillbillyhousewife.com). Maggie said, do not omit this part, "the water makes the meat softer and easier to blend with the seasonings. If you leave the water out then the seasonings will stay in peculiar clumps, stubbornly refusing to blend in with the meat." Maggie is right. I find it truly does help.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Blessings to you and yours~
Paula

Bloomin' Onion

One Sweet Herb Baked Bloomin' Onion

1 Onion
1 - 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (not margarine)
1 teaspoon Dried Italian Seasonings
1/8 teaspoon Dried Rosemary
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Parsley and Paprika, optional and to taste
Foil
Small oven-proof Bowl/Dish

Pre-heat oven to 425ºF. Cut the top off of a sweet onion; peel onion. Cut into vertical wedges to form a 12 to 16 vertical petal blooms, do not cut through roots. Place root side down into a foil lined small oven-proof bowl/dish.
Top with butter, herbs, sea salt and pepper. Cover onion with foil and pinch to close tightly. Place in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until tender and cooked but "petals" still have some bodyand stand upright. Sprinkle with parsley and/or paprika.

These may be stored still wrapped in foil, in a warm place until ready to serve for up to 1 hour.

That's Better

For the past year, my focus has been about getting me and my home healthy. When I decided to start a blog, I had a difficult time choosing a name. But the "healthy home healthy me, well, it just hasn't felt right. So I walked away from the blog until I could decide why it didn't.

It seems each year God will give my a Life Word to learn and live. This pass year, I keep running into "Slow Down". When I decided to listen to the still, soft voice within. I realized that I had no idea what those words truly mean. To me, slow is a negative. As is down! Slowing down to me, is like death, laziness, and sin all tossed together to make a bitter tasting wasted life.

Since my health failed me in 2008, I have not been physically able to do very much. I find I get exhausted very quickly. I have lots of time to just stop, look and listen to really see and hear what God wishes to teach and show me. HE truly is awesome! HIS creation has so much to teach about slowing down. And hopefully I will be smart enough to truly listen and learn. That's where this blog comes in.

I truly hope this all makes sense. One of my health issues is fuzzy thoughts. What makes sense to me, right at this moment, may not later today or next week. I beg patience and understanding. Thanks.

Until next time...
Shalom, Paula

Weekend Linky Love

I would like to share some great blogs...

Mia, she is an aspiring homemaker. She and her family are a truly inspiring family.
They have been Preparing for a Season of Simplicity (Dec. 11-25, 2009) at
http://aspiring-homemaker.blogspot.com/2009/12/preparing-for-season-of-simplicity.html

Dustin has a great post on The Best Things Made at Home in 2009
http://onlydustinthewind.blogspot.com/2009/12/best-things-made-at-home-in-2009.html

Emily is the hostess at Under $1000 Per Month, How A Family of Five Happily Thrives on Less Than $1000 Per Month. She has posted More Christmas Crafts at http://under1000permonth.blogspot.com/2009/12/more-christmas-crafts.html

I began with Mia and shall end with her (smile). Mia of natural decorations at at http://aspiring-homemaker.blogspot.com/2009/12/natural-decorations.html

Until we meet again...
Sincerely, Paula

Welcome to Healthy Home, Healthy Me blog.

I'm Paula. I will your hostess here at Healthy Home, Healthy Me blog.

I hope to use this blog to keep track of things I am learning and doing to create a healthy, inviting, cozy and comforting home environment for my family and anyone else who happens by. What I am learning and doing in order to create a spirit of hospitality. What I am learning about healthy living. I also hope to post crafts and the like. And last but not least, I hope to post old-fashioned skills that I am learning.

So in reality this blog, is more than just a way for getting healthy and having a healthy home. It's all about learning old-fashioned ways to take care of the family and their health, the home and hearth, hospitality and oh so much more!

Thanks for reading and I hope to share more in the future.

With Kindness,
Paula