How to make those cheap-o Jiffy Corn Bread packages taste like heaven!

I don't know about you all, but those cheap Jiffy Corn Bread packages come in handy for a side, but not really -- because all of us are typically sitting around with the look of swallowing a bitter-pill after having a bite. Because that's what they taste like: age old, bitter pill, corn meal YUCK!

I have yet to enter an American kitchen that doesn't have at least one package of this in their cupboards. So I know I am not the only one that -- often regrettably -- makes them on occasion.

Well my step-daughter Crysta and I (Crysta is my home-style-kitchen-road-dog these days. She hangs with me at every meal. She's my sous-chef, my assistant, and by-far: the best cooking pupil to-date. She doesn't argue. She doesn't ask dumb-or-obvious questions. She just does and gets-em-done. And I rarely have to tell her anything twice, or if I do, it's just a refresher, because she KNOWS the basics after one lesson! She's rocking! OK enough blowing up of Crysta's ego, let's get to the point) figured out tonight a way to make the cheap mix taste sweet, and like a home-made cornmeal cornbread.

Follow all the directions on the Jiffy box, and while your batter is "resting": thin slice a fresh jalapeno pepper. Half it, rib and de-seed it, the slice into 1/4" strips. For our larger family we used two boxes and a whole jalapeno. For smaller servings use one box and one half a jalapeno.  Mix the thin-sliced jalapeno into the batter and let it rest at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, cooking-spray a large muffin pan.

After your batter is all fluffy-big, and you have deposited it 3/4 full into each cupcake/muffin cup --

ADD ONE TEASPOON OF FRESH, REAL, 100% HONEY (we LOVE Orange Blossom honey around here) TO EACH CUP ON TOP OF THE BATTER.

Bake per usual, and ZOMG, enjoy! REALLY TASTY CORNBREAD MUFFINS!

Punk Rock Farm APPROVED!

Also, another household tip, as previously stated on facebook: GAIN LAUNDRY POWDER removes ages old soap scum from bathtubs. I honestly cannot believe how much it's removed and it was just an accidental discovery from having to hand-wash laundry in our old, old bathtub! I didn't even attack the scum properly yet -- it just vanished slowly, but surely -- after a few loads of laundry!

So it's been ages, my darling waffles . . . let's catch up!

On July 1st, 2013 us two city-raised kids moved onto a five acre farm North of Spokane, WA. With four of our kids. Two girls turning fourteen this year, and entering high school come September. My eight year old daughter and five year old son.

I'd like to give a disclaimer here to say that we're not completely out of our ability. Pedro was born on a farm-stead on one of the islands of the Azores. I worked on a horse ranch every weekend when I was in 8th grade, and also grew up tending a large cattle ranch with my father for many weeks out of the year (long story, some other time). So it's not hopeless! We have some idea how things are done (alright, alright, Pedro more-so than I). We also take a lot of great ideas from the folks over at Punk Rock Homesteading.

Thus far: it's been an amazing experience.

A little about the farm: as you know we have 5 acres. We have an old dilapidated barn that needs some serious work. The house itself is a hot-mess on the outside, but fairly clean on the inside. It needs some cosmetic work inside, and I'll be happy to take you on that journey as we fix it up. The house is actually a 1964 mobile home on one part, and built onto over the years to become quite expansive. There's 3 bedrooms, and even a hot-tub room, with hot tub. Pedro plans to move the tub and turn that room into my studio. So while it's not pretty to look at from the outside, it's thus far cool in the summer, and has a large woodstove to keep us warm through the winter.

We have approximately 20 old-growth fruit trees. Many variations of apples. Pears. Plums (2-3 varieties). Apricots. Prunes. There's a lot of other old-growth, non fruit baring trees, mostly pines or evergreens.

We have two large old-growth grapevines.

The one crop we know that was raised here in the last 15 years is garlic.

And lots of hay-grass. Lots and lots of hay-grass.

We're building a chicken coop in part of our shop/laundry/out building storage space.

We've put dibs on some piglets. I'm also considering sheep. Since neither of us have raised sheep, that might be a year in the coming, and at least one child schooled in a 4-H program.

Our nearest neighbors raise rodeo bulls. Which is pretty fantastic, and absolutely hilarious (and frankly, a bit scary) when their largest bull broke down our fence and decided the grass on our side of the fence was greener. This "xtra-large, wandering bull" business went on a good 24 hours. Other neighbors came in to help, even trying to wrangle him with the use of a quad. All to no avail. Alas, the high-pitched screams of my daughters were the only sure deterrent . . . and now we know how to get rid of wandering bulls!



There's plenty of amazing wildlife around here. Deer, moose, elk, coyotes and even wolves.

Every day is, if not a natural adventure, an adventure in homesteading, fixing up, learning-on and parenting kids in a very rural and fantastic way!

So please stay-tuned, we have a lot more to talk about, a lot of fantastic recipes, parenting snafus, wildlife snafus, and how to have fun in the middle of freakin' nowhere. Even if "nowhere" happens to be your living room. ;-)We hope to at least entertain all of you.

KC & Pedro