Marilyn’s Top Kitchen Herbs: Every pantry should have these top ten basic culinary herbs either fresh or dried:

Basil – for pesto, Italian sauces, soups and stews

Dill – Not just for dill pickles, use in cottage cheese, cream cheese, goat cheese, omelets, seafood (especially salmon), potato salad and breads
Chives – [...]

Avoid boiling seas, languid animals and madness…

In the northern hemisphere, the dog days of summer are the sultry, hot, sticky days from July to mid August.

We call them the dog days, thanks to the Greeks and Romans. Ancient cultures mapped and named the constellations long before we got here. They associated the dog days with [...]

Did you know the typical mattress gains 10 –20 pounds over its life because your home contains millions of dust mites and their fecal matter live in mattresses, furniture, carpet, and children’s stuffed toys?  Not a very pleasant topic but there is an easy, safe solution to a nasty household problem.

Here’s the scoop:

Dust mites are [...]

It is 93 degrees in beautiful western Colorado and I have no bread to feed 3 hungry children. Did I say I was busy? Yes, adding work into my normally busy day has made me rethink a few things.  So, might I share a few solutions for such a time as this?

Solution [...]

Written by Marilyn

My friends Tara Miller and Sam Brown have compiled numerous practical tips including a Five-Day Kitchen Diary to make cooking in the Global Sun Oven successful and fun.  Sun Ovens are the perfect way to keep a kitchen cool while reducing energy consumption during the hottest days of summer.

Ed Note: They have been [...]

When I tell people that I purchased a solar oven they look at me funny, like they don’t get it. It’s almost as if they wonder how you plug it in. Or how do you get the sun to come into your kitchen where the oven is? YEP- I was asked this and once I explained [...]

Dad’s are so easy! The way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach. Make these fantastic and oh so simple meals for dad on “his” day and watch the grin spread from ear to ear… throw in a little back rub and a few words of encouragement and his ‘tank’ will be filled.

Since I have had several inquiries, recently, I wanted to explain how I use coconut oil, the benefits of using coconut oil in everyday cooking and baking, and a few reader testimonials.

I first discovered that Coconut Oil is a healthy fat about five years ago when I read Eat Fat Lose Fat by Sally Fallon [...]

“What’s that recipe for granola bars?” – my hair stylist asked me. (She’s the best!) 

Ok I’ll share! Enjoy…. I make these for most camping trips (whether camper camping or backpacking.) We eat them during the summer and it has become a summer tradition of sorts. I love that my family expects them and I am [...]

This last Monday my kids were free! Yes, our homeschool year is complete and I, Kathy, am working hard on the Urban Homemaker! So freedom abounds for the Marsh Trio who are full fledged 2nd grade graduates!

This week has been full of rain, but that is not a deterrent for the kids. They set out [...]