Congratulations on the channel's phenomenal growth, Chelsea. It looks like you've increased by at least 25,000 in just the last couple of weeks. Your success is well deserved!
For someone who started with such bashful beginnings, you have have slid seamlessly into your new role as a RU-vidr. Watching you skate around the kitchen in your socks, while never missing a beat if the conversation, just like we all are sitting at your table with a cup of tea in hand is so heartwarming. Your videos, while are very insightful and provide loads of ideas, remind me of being in the kitchen with my mom and learning from her. I only have my husband who works out of state, and is only home 4-5 times a year and our girls, who one is in college and one is a high school senior, but apparently I have been genetically programmed to cook and shop for a family of 20. So watching you prepare and preserve ingredients, meals and insure your hard won bounty or frugal purchases helps me to budget better and teach our girls that taking care of what you have and what you make has value. I look forward to coming home daily after taking care of my patients and just unwind and decompress in your simplicity and realism. Thank you!🎉
I saw that you had broke like 6 or 8 eggs in a different bowl and then put all of them in your batter. The principle of breaking your egg in a different bowl is in case you get a bad one, you don't lose your whole batch, so you're suppose to break them on at the time and dump it in your liquid ingredient bowl so if there is a bad one, you lose only one egg not the whole thing. Just a trick, not a criticisem (pardon my french) I love your show, you're probably one of my favorite these day, keep on the good work
Hi friends, I hope you've had a good day so far. Today was a busy one over here, but it's finally evening, and things have slowed down enough for me to get this video up for you. I hope you enjoy it and I'll see you again soon! 😊 Chelsea
Your channel is far beyond gardening and cooking...it is a reflection on real life...but, I have issue with the comments and suggestions...you have been homesteading for years and all the cracking eggs and need for an apron..well, it's advice that puts doubts in one's own ability...your doing just fine...continue what works for you. I am 70 years old and fiercely independent (not opposed to learning a new way)...but, each person has their own rhythm...their own way of being comfortable with daily life. You are a brave woman and your family knows this about you. Enjoy the coming holiday season!!
I deeply appreciate your thoughts on this. There's many blessings with having my channel suddenly growing quickly like it is, and many challenges. One being that I have to field opinions, feedback and criticisms (thankfully most of it kind and constructive) from people watching me do things that are kind of personal and intimate - like being in my home kitchen. Tied into that is trying to stay humble enough to take advice, while at the same time being confident enough to do my own thing and to stay authentic. I don't think I've found a centered place in myself about this, but this comment did help bolster my confidence a little, so thank you. ❤️
I have to wear an apron or I won't last five seconds 🤣...a tip I learned when baking with raisins is to boil/simmer them just real quick, rinse with cool water and squeeze out excess water, then add the raisins to the recipe. It keeps the raisins from drying out. As always thank you for bringing us along for your cooking adventures. Blessings, -Kate
Hi Chelsea, just a hint with scoping out your wet batch of muffins. use an ice-cream scooper that has the leaver to it and it will come out even as well. Cheers Georgie.
As a trained chef I can honestly say that you never stop learning! My husband was a chef too! We can't cook together because I'm too messy in the kitchen and he is not!! Lol You are an awesome cook! No worries!
Ha! I turn 50 this weekend and JUST learned the table cracking method for my eggs this year. Just goes to show, you’re never too old to learn something new! 😊
My comment is that it would be so convenient for you to have a freezer next to the freeze dryer. You can prefreeze trays to go into the freeze dryer which is so handy when you can prep more trays than you have room to freeze dry. Have you seen Jamerill Stewart’s freeze dryer setup? It’s pretty amazing. She also has a steel table nearby to process the finished food. It is also in her basement, so extra convenient to be able to package up without taking trays up and down the stairs. I love your channel! Thank you for the delightful content.
We currently have 18 grand babies. 9 girls/9 boys. They are such a joy and I enjoy spending time with each and every one of them when I can. Best part of being a parent :-) Also, because items need to be frozen before you put them in the freeze dryer (love ours) it might be more convenient for you to keep the freezer in that place instead of the fridge
Chelsea, I cannot begin to tell you how much your videos mean to me. This year of 2022 has been me and my families worst year ever! We began homeless and we camped for 6 months and I found out how strong we were as a family from that. Then my husband of 28 years was severely injured on the job back in June and he ended up needing emergency brain surgery to the speech center of his brain and now me and our 3 teenage boys are renting a house. Our only problem is we have no refrigerator yet. We have no beds and I have lost way over 100 lbs this entire year as I don’t eat much at all. So much is now happening as we are finally in a house with a roof over our head, our car and truck are both fixed and we are getting the appliances, furniture, beds, clothing from love in the name of Christ as they are gonna help us and I am forever grateful to God for helping me help my family. God Bless you sweetheart. Thank you for your excellent video and for the help you are giving me in cooking.
On one of the channels that I watch, when they can corn they add a slice of ripe tomato on top before canning. This is something her grandmother taught her and apparently it makes the corn taste like you just picked it. Learn something new all the time from all of you. Love your videos
For your freeze dryer space, consider a counter space really close by. I find that when I take stuff out, I dump it into mylar bags or jars right away and try to seal them up and store. Rather than bring stuff upstairs then back down stairs. Another thing I like to do is to weigh the trays after they are done, then give them an extra 2 hour dry cycle and check the weights again. No change means they are dry. I've had it happen a few times where a tray will lose weight and need even more dry time. And keep a log so you can tell approximately when to start and not have it finish in the middle of the night. Plus it will heat up the room and that can cause slower drying times if you can't offset the heat.
You can freeze your pumpkin in zip lock bags and lay flat for better storage. I did that a couple years ago and it worked great. Cook, cool the pumpkin and then place in bags. All looks yummy. Makes me hungry for muffins now. Nancy from nebraska
My mother and grandmother both hit two eggs together. One cracks and is emptied, then you only have the last egg to hit on the countertop. I have always followed their lead and hit my eggs together as well. They are both long gone, but their habit lives on in me.
I am newer. I have watched about 40 episodes and hopped around a bunch just to get a better understanding of you all. I love the food, the garden and all the animals. I love your demeanor. I like your family and the respect you have where ever they are at in life/backgrounds. If we all could catch your respect and demeanor the world would be a better place. Thanks for the inspiration, the ideas, the information….
Oh Chelsea I really do like the way you show us your goggles - you are sooo funny! And I am sure that you will get a lot of goggles from all over the world to show us all!! Your muffins look fantastic, wish I could taste them as well. All the best to you and your family.
I so enjoy your videos. You have a calming voice. I also do paper crafts and there is a cardmaker that I frequently watch that also has a calming voice. Problem is I do often fall asleep watching her. Hope you feel better soon. I became a great grandma in May so I know what you mean. They are so special. I got a video from her mom and she had cereal for the first time.
This was such a great video Chelsea! We laughed out loud when you put on your stylin' goggles 😁😁. Rachael and Todd are so awesome. We watch them all the time too. Peace and Love from Northern Ontario. 💗
Hello! I used to be a chef in a commercial kitchen and one trick we would use when we had to chop lots of onions is to squirt some bottled lemon juice on the cutting board, sprinkle a bit on the onions if needed, and take a sniff of the lemon juice, it helps keep your eyes from watering. You can't taste the lemon juice for most recipes and the ones you can it just adds a brightness to the meal.
If your stand mixer doesn't reach the bottom of your bowl you can just re-calibrate your mixer. There are some videos in the internet I followed and now mine works so much better! I believe they call it 'the dime test' Really easy just a screw you tighten or loosen!
Oh my goodness, love those new Onion Goggles! Can't wait to see Dan in the pair he chooses. Looking forward to trying the Mexican casserole on a much smaller scale since it is only Me, Myself & I. 😉
A little ditty that becomes catchy and well remembered for young helpers in each generation of our family is: “First the oven, then the tin, Wash your hands and now begin.” I believe the oven bit referred to the wood/Aga/range days.
A couple comments on your freeze dryer space. You will want counter space near the freeze dryer to stage your trays while moving them in/an out of the freeze dryer. If you plan on freezing your food before putting it in the freeze dryer (makes the process go faster) you should keep the freezer next to it. That way you can go straight from the freezer into the freeze dryer. Measure your hose for the vacuum pump. I made my shelf too low for it to reach. Just a couple things I didn’t think of when setting mine up….
I love the way I love you women who RU-vid support each other mention each other in your videos all the things it's really nice to see I also think that all your muffins and breads and all of that well everything you cook looks great
Your mom is right about the apron. I NEVER used one, for 40 years. Now I have 4 bib aprons on a hook beside the fridge. I won't cook Or bake without one! Be sure the strings are long enough to cross around back so you can the in front. Hang a teatowel over the from string...an instant hand wiper. Cheers!
I love watching you cook, I cook the same way. I don't usually measure anything. My aunt is a recipe follower and she is always asking me for my recipe. I just laugh and say you know I don't use one! Everything looked so good! Mmm
When a recipe has you flour the pan to release the item, I use sugar instead. I love the crunchy and sweet texture - big fan of it when making zucchini bread
A TV network needs to pick up your channel. U r a natural in front of the camera! I find it interesting how ur tastes for certain foods change, especially w/ the seasons! About 4 years ago I started curling my fingertips under when I'm using a knife. Ask me why!
I am so sensitive to onions as well so I will use my kitchenaid food processor attachment to chop 30-40 pounds or so of onions at a time and it's done within minutes. I then flash freeze them on sheets and then bag them up in gallon bags to store in the freezer. This way I can add to my dishes at any time without having to chop every time. It saves me time and saves my eyes lol. I reserve a few red and white for those times we need it raw/fresh but otherwise most of my onions are getting cooked any how and Ive not noticed a quality difference when they're frozen first. Flash freezing them allows me to grab handfuls at a time without them clumping together. Also....my husband surprised me with a freeze dryer and just ordered it a few days ago. I am so beyond excited :) I cant wait to see how you enjoy it also!
I found your channel a few weeks ago and I’m enjoying going through the videos. A hack for cracking eggs, if you tap 2 eggs together only one will break. Then you won’t get she’ll on the side of your bowls xx
Remember liquid measuring cup for liquids and regular measuring cups for dry…..I bought a scale after watching several baking videos on how it’s better to weigh your ingredients. I often use oatmeal or grind oatmeal for gluten free muffins for my grd son….. I agree cracking each egg in a separate container saves you if the egg is bad….I’ve had a few that were bloody and a couple with grit in it. Do you celebrate thanksgiving next week? I bet your children love to bake cookies….I’m making up cookie doughs and freezing them now to bake with my grd kids when they come over. I bought sprinkles etc last year after Christmas when they are very cheap. Today it’s 10 lbs of hamburger, 15 lbs of potatoes and 4 bunches of celery……a sale at Walmart Tomorrow I pick up 3 turkeys at $ .59 lb and sweet potatoes to can…..I’m thinking about cutting the turkey in pieces brining then removing the raw meat and grinding most of it as a added meat to make hamburger recipes go further….my husband doesn’t care for cooked turkey the traditional way so I figure at this price I need to add it to our meal preps. I ground cooked pork loin in my processor, added onions and spicy sweet relish and made it into a lunch spread…I also ground up pieces and parts of ham from the freezer and made ham loaf….trying to squeeze every item into a meal. I dehydrated cooked rice for instant rice and made some rice flour….. I probably mentioned this already but you can take clean uncooked potatoes and cube them up, toss in some oil and add peppers, onions etc and freeze…the oil keeps them from turning brown and they are not mushy. It’s nice to have fried potatoes with Sunday eggs and it’s just fry in bacon grease for added yum.
Group of us used to love wearing the most amazing flower-encrusted swimming hats when taking our kids to the beach/pool. Had to stop when they became teenagers 😂😂😂
Hi Chelsea! I am a handful of years away from starting my own large family and would love to hear more about your experiences! How you financially afford a large family, the pros and cons, maybe how to deal with judgement from others? Thanks and I love your videos!
For pumpkin you’ll love the freeze dryer. Make your purée and then freeze dry it into a powder. When you’re ready to use, just add water to get it back to the correct consistency. And try your fresh herbs! Awesome!
I laughed out loud when you tipped the beans in the bowl, because I have made that exact same error, they look so similar when frozen! Note to self .... label the bag :) I have followed you for years, but don't often comment.... loving the regular videos and picking up lots of inspiration from you, keep them coming, Thank You!
I didn't use to wear an apron for years. Not until I started baking a lot and making lots of apple and pumpkin butter, figured it was time for me to get one. That was about 4 years ago.
I always add the cinnamon to my dry ingredients for Raisin bread so it gives a darker appearance overall when baked. Around Thanksgiving I add pumpkin pie spice instead to the dry ingredients and it's a hit when you use the bread for French toast. In addition to the cinnamon I also add a pinch of nutmeg and some finely chopped candied fruit for Christmas time. Love your channel !
Hi Chelsea, new subscriber here. What you said about always learning is so true, I am only 66 but have started to forget things alot.. There are many recipes that I used to know pretty well, not thinking to write them down years ago, I am having difficulty remembering them now. Learning the hard way, I would encourage people to make yourself a recipe file either in a binder or a recipe card box, I never thought at around 63 or 63 I would start losing some memory. Enjoy while you can there are things you can't get back later. I have watched a few videos tonight but will be checking out more tomorrow as it's bedtime for this old lady. THANK YOU.
You do things that way you are used to doing. People can do things their way but it doesn't mean they are right. Do what you want to do. Take care your are the best!
Over the top of your battery bank see if you can install a workstation table top to be able to fill your trays, jar up your product, and just have room to set items down. Also, take into consideration the swing of your appliance doors so they are not constantly in your way. I had a dryer where the door swing was going towards the washer and it was kinda pain in the butt. So happy for your new adventure.
I do a similar taco dish. In our house, we call it taco dump because I literally just open jars and dump it all together. I usually use a jar of my salsa (instead of onion, peppers, and tomatoes), corn, beans, leftover taco meat (if there is any in the freezer), and taco seasoning (that I make in large batches). Sometimes I'll add extra diced tomatoes and powdered jalapeno or serrano peppers. And serve over rice. Super fast and easy supper. Just have to remember to start the rice first, then mix up the taco dump while the rice is coming to a boil. When its time to turn down the rice, I turn the dump on med-low so that its just warm thru when the rice is done.
Congratulations on your freeze dryer. It’s on my wish list. I would keep the freezer beside your freeze dryer so that when you freeze your trays, you can just pull them straight from the freezer & put into your freeze dryer.
You are going to love your new freeze dryer machine. We like to keep ours in our garage becasue the space is more open and it does put off a little bit of heat while running, but not too much. Excited to learn about all the things you freeze dry and get ideas.
I couldn't tell from the drawing, but I didn't really see a countertop or "work space" for you to set the trays, or prepare your products, etc. I just know that's something I'd want or need! 💜 The shelves above the freeze dryer, full of your creations, will look so GOOOOOD!!! 🤗
I’m so glad to have found your channel! I’m already learning so much! I’m only cooking for 2 but I’ve been able to fill my freezer with meals. Your recipes are easy to cut back and use for inspiration too
A folding counter or slide out in the freeze dryer room may be beneficial for you to consider. Especially with it being located so far from your food prep area. Bringing loaded bowls down the stairs may be easier than the more awkward shallow trays that come with the machine. A place to set things down and either load trays and insert, or a place to set loaded trays while you insert one at a time may help reduce spills.
I also use a stool that's just the right height for me to slide the shelf out without disconnecting when I wipe everything off in between each load. Wasn't sure how much room you'll have on the sides or if it would reach to the side. My pump is under my table. During Christmas our oldest will be home. He wants to experiment with dried yolks to hollandaise and the whites for angelfood. He enjoys having a few eggs in a 4 oz. canning jar and sealed for when he runs out of fresh eggs. He thinks they are great. Our kids at home know right away when I try to sneak them in🤪 I'm enjoying the freezer for helping me store food. I can't can fast enough sometimes and it's just extra protection and different sources to have available. Kids also love snacks....like banana chips and zucchini chips....but watch out for constipation!!!🤪 Moderation lol! Everything I have I rotate to use within 2 years in jars and I bought a jar vacuum sealer. Oh and don't be surprised (I was!!) I spent the $3000 and then you'll find you need 4 more trays, vacuum sealer, Parchment (I use different liner because I don't like when Parchment gets wet from wet fruit and veggies) and now Freeze Dried at 40 has the neatest lids for in the freezer and be sure to get the tray stackers for in the freezer (I really want those!!!!) I'm using chopsticks yet. My favorite are tomato slices to add to sandwiches hamburgers and cherry tomatoes to salads (almost like croutons) Have fun!!
Chelsea, you're going to LOVE your freeze dryer! Especially for herbs. Becky over at Acre Homestead taught me about freeze drying, and I can't WAIT to get one of my own! Always enjoy your videos, and excited to see what you come up with next. 💜
I watch Becky too! I’d love to have a freeze dryer but for 2 of us, it seems like a waste of money and space. As we age, we don’t eat much. I’ll continue to can and dehydrate though.
Love watching Becky, looking so forward to her garden this year. I'd love a freeze dryer but don't think I'll ever have 1, might try a dehydrator though
Omgoodness, I love this channel and so enjoy my time here with Chelsea. You mentioned Becky and I just wanted to say that she is also one of my go to’s. Love both of these amazing women ❤
I like to add whole, frozen cranberries to breads and muffins. You don't thaw them first, for some reason they stay suspended in the batter frozen, but sink to the bottom if they are thawed. When you bite into them, it's a delightful, slightly sour, fruity burst which balances beautifully with the sweeter muffin. Especially good with banana.
Kitchen aid hack! I just discovered this last week because I was having the same problem with the bottom of the bowl not incorporating. There is a screw that is behind the bowl. When the bowl is off, turn the screw a quarter turn to the right and it raises the bowl level. Life changer!
Thanks again for the videos. You may know this, but if you are intending to freeze soft things like baked goods, if you freeze them first you can suck out more air or vacuum bag them without squishing them down. It takes just a little more time, but not much more effort. And the shape of the end product is nicer, especially with bread, cake, pies, biscuits, muffins, etc.
I have been watching several channels which have freeze driers over the last year and one thing that I have noticed is that you'll need a flat tabletop surface to place the trays on on their way in and out of the direr. Especially if you're drying anything liquid as it's very easy to spill. One lady I watch actually uses a jug to fill the liquid into trays when they are half way into the slots. Hope this is useful info for you as you plan your space for the machine. All the best from over the pond (Bedford UK) :)
Hiya Chelsea!! My fav muffins are blueberry muffins too! I do love the zucchini ones too. All your creations today look amazing! ThankQ for showing us your muffins. Cheers!
Hey I’ll be 75 in December and I’m always learning new things. I just started wearing an apron cause I finally got tired of getting my belly wet when doing dishes and also staining my clothes.
I’m incredibly hungry now seeing all those muffins! The cranberry ones would be my pick 😋😍 Have you tried cranberry & white chocolate? They’re my all time fave 🤩 Love your onion-chopping goggles! 😄 It always amazes me how so many people who cook on youtube/tv never seem to suffer like i do when chopping onions lol 😂 so it’s refreshing to see someone being real & combatting the issue!👍
