Rachael Eliker's Blog

I love a good enchilada. There's something so satisfying about meat and cheese and savory, slightly spicy sauce all rolled up in a tortilla. These are quick and easy, but pack a punch for the tastebuds!
Ingredients:
For Ground Pork1 lb ground pork½ white onion, chopped4 cloves garlic, minced1 jalapeno deseeded, chopped (optional)½ cup orange juice (juice 2-3 oranges or use orange juice)1 tablespoon dried oregano2 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon pepperFor Enchi...

My sister and her family visited this summer, which means 13 kids between us, all under one roof. That also means a whole lotta cooking to keep everyone fed. She suggested this recipe for an easy, filling breakfast and even though I made two pans, there wasn't a crumb left. This one is a keeper!
Ingredients:
1 pound sliced bacon, diced1 pound sausage1 medium onion, chopped6 large eggs, lightly beaten4 cups of washed, peeled, and shredded potatoes (or substitute thawed hash browns)2 cups shredded c...

Hello, hiking day two!I've heard it said that no one ever goes camping to get a good night's rest. Between unpredictable weather, less than ideal sleeping arrangements, bugs, hunger, laying on the cold, hard ground, and nighttime noises, it can be hard to drift off. Let me tell you though... after walking miles and miles with a heavy pack, falling asleep was not a challenge for any of us. Not-a-one of our children complained when they were told it was time for bed because they were too doggone t...

It's that time of year again when we're searching for recipes that are quick, don't require a lot of slaving over the stove, use what we've been producing in the garden, and are delicious. This easy potato salad was a hit with (most of) the kids and is a great, traditional side to grilled meats like marinated chicken or juicy pork chops. Our batch didn't even last twenty-four hours!
Ingredients:
3 pounds potatoes (about 5 medium potatoes, peeled if they have tough skin, such as russets. We kept th...

It didn't take Adam long to take advantage of his hiking backpack.There was so much work that went into planning our hiking trip around the Clingmans Dome trail that it almost felt surreal when the day finally came for us to start into the great unknown. Although, unknown might not be the best description, as we had planned our trip to death. We were generally aware of the challenges we'd face, and still decided to go anyway. The amazing thing about doing something new and formidable together is...

A few nights ago, we enjoyed a beautifully cool evening. Wanting to take advantage of the weather, we decided to do a campfire cookout. This dinner did not disappoint. Though I was a dutch oven newbie, it was worth the learning curve to enjoy a flavorful, filling dish right before roasting marshmallows. There weren't any leftovers. 😉
Ingredients:1/2 cup butter, melted2 teaspoons minced garlic26 ounces potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces1 Tablespoon dried parsleySalt and pepper, to taste1/...

 

Every spring when we're scrambling to figure out how to use up the abundant strawberries we pick from our strawberry patch, I inevitably come across new and exciting recipes that make us think about strawberries in a different way. This was one of them. I've had strawberries in salad before, but this recipe really ticked all the boxes--sweet, crunchy, refreshing, tangy. Add a strip of grilled chicken and it's a meal all in itself!

Ingredients:For the Salad
1 cup sliced almonds2 teaspoons butter2 ...

Practice hike!

This is the story of how Jack and I took our seven children into the wilderness for four days, hiking over twenty miles and scaling over 4,000 feet... and lived to tell the tale. All bundled up, testing out his new sleeping bag.The idea of doing a multi-day backpacking trip with the kids had been percolating in our minds for a long time. Jack has many fond memories from his youth spent camping, canoeing, and backpacking with his friends and leaders (there have been some definite ben...

Strawberry eating right out of Kate's hand.Moving from the city to the country while Jack was in school at Iowa State, chickens were one of our first investments in homesteading. In all that time, we've had literally hundreds of chickens, as well as a few ducks, geese, and turkeys grace our farm. Though I do my best to take care of all of them equally, some of them stick out to me as memorable. One of the hens that tops the list is Strawberry. Way back when Strawberry and I were both younger hens...

Way back when Evelyn was a youngster (honestly, we were all baby-faced), her first experience with snakes was... Awkward? Terrifying? Hilarious? Probably a little bit of all of it. As an animal lover, I have tried to teach our kids to love animals, or at the very least, have an interest in their existence. So, on our tiny hobby farm in Iowa, when a garter snake slithered through our yard, I naturally grabbed it and showed it to Evelyn and Claire. Claire was too interested in the cat door we'd re...