http://countrylife.lehmans.com/category/baking-and-cooking/page/3/ This link discusses how to render lard. One suggestion was to buy lard directly from a butcher because they probably have a lot on hand. I would think it would be relatively inexpensive if purchased this way. This was an interesting subject and helpful now that I know how much butter comes from a half gallon of whole unhomogenized milk. It was not a lot but we do not drink a lot of white milk. We also don't eat a lot of toast for breakfast so I would like to save my butter for baking. I plan to make a little up each time we get milk and then store it up for future use.

I made sugar cookies last night. I have started using honey in place of sugar and am looking at other alternatives such as sucanat or rapadura in place of sugar. I am investigating the cost of this.The cookies turn out very nicely if they are chilled for a couple of hours before baking and have a beautiful color.  

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1137790528&channel=853640882

The link above shows a chef making butter and buttermilk from whipping cream. IT is very interesting. I can't wait to experiment with this.

Has anyone ever made chicken nuggets using mased potatoes for the breading? I am trying something new and making chicken nuggets that will be gluten free. I didn't have any potato flour so I had to use some mashed potato flake that I had left over. I don't know if it will turn out of not but I am saying my prayers. They are taking a while to brown in the oven but I am curious to see what will happen.

It has been a long time since I logged in. I am sorry about this but since we have moved I am having to spend quite a bit more time watching the children when they are outside. We have some new neighbors that are not so good at doing this and the children need to be protected. We have had a dirt yard for so long and the kids love to play in the dirt. We just had to put seed and fertilizer in and the neighbor children are having a hard time staying out of it.

The Lord is teaching me to be more protective of my children. They are great kids and are in allignment for great work.

I need to get back to my chicken nuggets. I will let you know how they turn out.

Prior to my wedding, many ladies invited to a shower provided gems of wisdom about how to be a good wife. Often written was "be forgiving" or "never go to bed angry" but the word RESPECT was never used. I believe they were all trying to suggest this but sometimes we have trouble using the right words to express what we mean.

How many of you say little hurtful comments to your husband? I didn't mean to be hurtful. I had this idea in my head of what my husband should do to help with the packing before we moved and he didn't do what I thought was the correct thing to do. A couple of times I caught myself thinking "Girl, hold your tongue. He is trying. He just has a different way of doing this. After you get settled in the new place it won't matter if things got lost anyways. Things will always get lost in a move." Other times I heard myself saying out loud, "You should have taken more time off and then we would have had more packed before the movers got here." My husband is helping his parents move some things and has been gone overnight but when he gets back I will find a time to take those hurtful things back and apologize. He was trying. In fact, he did more this time than he has done in the past and I am grateful for what he did do. Many husbands would have done nothing and let the wife do it all. We also would have had a lot more to do in the end if he had not helped with the things that he did.

I am blessed to have such a wonderful husband. In I Peter 3:8 the Bible talks about how to react when someone does evil towards you. It says to react by blessing them, and in so doing you will receive God's blessing. I don't know about others but I want God's blessings. Things are magical when God gives his blessing. I have seen them. I need to work at doing my job more so that I can receive more. I would love to hear anyone else who wants to share their thoughts about this.