Homemade Beef Jerky

                A while back I had a reader compliment me on my dehydrating video. He said that I showed him how to make fruit roll-ups in a very easy way from fresh fruit. Then he asked me to do a blog post on how to make homemade beef jerky. Since his request, I have had several more people asking me to do a blog post on making beef jerky. So today I will give you my homemade beef jerky sauce recipe and show you how I make beef jerky with my dehydrator.

What You Will Need

              

  Dehydrator  and trays                                          2# Beef Roast of any kind

                Serrated knife                                                      1 large bowl with an airtight lid

                1 small bowl for mixing sauce                             non-stick spray

Beef Jerky Recipe

              

  2# Beef Roast of any kind                                   ½ cup Soy Sauce

                ½ cup Worcestershire Sauce                               1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke

                1 teaspoon Garlic Salt                                         ¼ cup Ketchup

                Pepper to taste

1.      

Take your beef roast out of the freezer and do not thaw. It is much easier to cut thin pieces while the beef roast is frozen.

2.      

With a serrated knife start cutting very thin pieces.   While it is frozen it is easier to trim the excess fat of too.

3.      

Take your thin cut pieces of beef and place them into the large bowl.

4.     

  Mix up your sauce with the recipe above. Depending on how hot you like your beef jerky add your pepper.

5.      

Pour your sauce over your thin cut pieces of beef. Put your cover on tightly and shake the bowl so the sauce will coat the beef.  Leave the sauce on the beef for at least 2 hours, shaking it up every 20 to 30 minutes to evenly coat your beef.

6.      

Put a tray on the bottom with a fruit roll-up insert in it to catch any liquid while dehydrating.

7.     

  As you start taking out your thin strips of beef soak them in the liquid a little bit before putting them on a tray. I recommend using some non-stick spray on your trays first so the thin strips of beef do not stick.

8.   

    About 2 to 3 hours into your drying start flipping your beef around so they dry evenly.  This is the time to also flip your trays around so they dry evenly.

9.       Every dehydrator is different so you will have to check your directions on temperature and times of how to dehydrate your beef jerky. I use an American Harvest Dehydrator and my beef jerky will take most of the day to dehydrate.

10.   Always check on your beef jerky when you think it is almost done. Depending on how chewy or hard you like your beef jerky is when it is done. I ended up with 5 trays of beef jerky.

11. 

  Put into a sealed bag or bowl and enjoy.

Making beef jerky is an all-day process but well worth the wait. Beef jerky in the store is so expensive. This is why I make my own. This whole batch will cost me less than $7 dollars. Needless to say, I’ll be lucky if this beef jerky makes it more than 2 days in my house. My family loves this beef jerky. I hope you like my recipe for homemade beef jerky at a fraction of the price you pay in the store. Yummy Beef jerky from Suzie Homemaker.

                

Preparing your own Taxes

                Another year has gone by and it is time to think about doing your taxes. Do you have your W-2s yet? If you do now is the time to decide if you will be taking your taxes into a tax professional or if you are going to be tackling them yourself. Some people like to buy programs from a store and do them on their own, like Turbo Tax. Today I want to give you another option. I am no expert on the subject of taxes, but this program is easy to do and easy to use. This online program is used by many tax professionals in their own tax practices and is now available online to do your own taxes. This company has been around for years and is one of the No. 1 top tax programs out there

.

                My husband uses this tax program in his own office. This tax program shows you how to do your taxes step by step and if you have any questions there is a help button for any questions you might have.

                If you feel you are capable to do your own taxes this program is cheaper than buying a program like Turbo Tax from a store. This site is secure and easy to use. All you have to do is enter your information and the tax program does all the math for you. Here is a link to the Tax site online for you to use for your taxes.

                This tax program can do the simplest return to the most complex returns. The tax program can even do out of state returns.

                  Now is the time to get all your paperwork together so when your W-2s come in and all your bank statements, rent, mortgage interest, stocks, bonds, and any other information you need for your taxes comes in you are ready to enter everything. Try this online do-it-yourself program and find out how easy it is to do your own taxes. Again only do this if you feel you can do your own taxes. This will save you a lot of money doing it through this tax program online. Hope you get a refund from Suzie Homemaker.

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Chocolate Pretzel-Caramel Peanut Butter Bars

                This week I want to give you a recipe that I found on Pinterest, but I added my own little twist to it. How many of you like chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter. These bars are to die for, so sweet and chewy and gooey. I brought these to the office for a treat and they were gone so fast. The whole recipe took me less than 30 minutes to make than I had to let them harden in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Chocolate & Pretzel- Carmel and Peanut Butter Bars

What you will need

8oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips                                      4 oz. white chocolate chips

8 oz. mini pretzel twists                                                    11oz. bag of caramel bits

½ cup peanut butter                                                           sea salt for sprinkling

1 large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper              small bowls for melting the chocolate

Measuring cups                                                                 spoons for stirring chocolate and caramel

1.       Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2.     

  Melt 8 oz. of chocolate chips, ½ cup of peanut butter and 2 Tablespoons of water in the microwave oven. Stirring frequently.

3.     

  Spread melted chocolate chips and peanut butter mixture evenly over your parchment paper. Immediately add pretzels twists over the top and gently press the pretzels into the chocolate and peanut butter mixture.

4.     

  Add caramel bits to a microwave bowl with 2 Tablespoons of water and melt according to the package directions. (This usually takes about 2 minutes to melt.) Stir well and drizzle the melted caramel over top of the pretzels.

5.     

  Melt 4 oz. of white chocolate chips and 1 Tablespoon of water in the microwave oven and drizzle over top of the caramel. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top.

6.     

  Refrigerate until hardened, about 1 hour.

7.       Cut or break into pieces and enjoy.

This recipe was so easy to make and very yummy. This would be a fun recipe to make with your children or grandchildren.  If you like sweets, this is a great recipe. I hope you enjoy my yummy treat from Suzie Homemaker.

Homemade Bowl Covers

                Today I want to give you an easy project to make with leftover material or dishcloths. How many of you have bowls in many different sizes that do not have covers. Don’t throw them away yet, I have a nice easy project you can make right at home to cover those bowls. How many of your bowls have cracked or broken lids and you just threw them away? Don’t throw the bowls away with them, my project will help you cover your bowls and still use them.

What you will need

Scrap pieces of Material or old Towels and Wash clothes

Thin pieces of elastic or stretchy string

A small pin for fishing your string or elastic through your material

A sewing machine or you can hand stitch it.

A scissors

Any size bowls

Homemade Slip Covers for your Bowls

1.     

 

Take out the bowls you want covers for.

2.    

   Place your bowls on your material or towels and make a wide circle around your bowl. I recommend leaving at least 2 inches of space around the bowls.

3.       Cut a circle around your bowls. This will also work with square or odd sized bowls too.

4.       Sew a ¾ to 1-inch hem around your circle. Leave a little opening so you can fish the elastic through and sew closed.

5.    

 

  With a pin place your elastic or stretchy string on it and start fishing it through your hem. When you get to the end pull the elastic tighter to the size of the opening of the bowl.

6.     

  Sew your opening closed to hold your stretchy string or elastic in place.

7.       Now you have a homemade slipcover for your bowls.

These slipcovers are versatile and can be used in many different sized bowls. What really makes these covers nice is that they are washable and can be used over and over again. No more wasting and throwing away all that plastic wrap or tin foil. This is also a good way to keep your food warmer longer too.

These slipcovers took me less than 30 minutes to make. I did not have to buy anything, I had leftover material and towels just waiting to be used. Don’t throw those bowls away just because the covers are cracked or broken, make these easy homemade slipcovers instead. I hope you liked my homemade slipcovers from Suzie Homemaker.

Happy New Years

Happy New Years

I hope everybody had a nice New Years! Form my family to yours welcome to the New Year 2018. This year I want to bring new ideas and new recipes to this blog. Plus I want to have more fun projects for both adults and kids. This blog started out as an informative blog and has now grown into more. I hope everybody has enjoyed what I have given you last year. This year I want to give more. I enjoy helping, sharing and giving ideas that I hope to inspire and enlighten you.

                In 2018 I want to focus more on family fun and things to do with family. My family is very important to me and I want your family to be number one in your life too. I also want to give more ideas on how to save money and still have fun. I want people to know that being frugal does not mean living without, it just means living within your means and enjoying a simpler lifestyle. Money is important to live, but should not be your main focus. Making memories is much more important than having the next biggest or best electronics.

                This year I am planning on spending more time with family and focusing on spending less so someday I can retire and live a simpler lifestyle. I want you kind readers to also reevaluate your own priorities and see where you might be able to change a few things to also improve your lifestyle. You never know when something may come up or a crisis arises. Saving for the future is important at any age.

                When I was little I was taught to save as much as possible just in case something came up unexpected. Children learn from watching their parents and other adults. So it is time to be a good example for them and teach them from young on how to save for those rainy days. Your children and grandchildren will thank you someday when they get older themselves.

                So in 2018, I have made my resolution to you kind readers and my family to save more, give back to my community, give more fun projects and recipes and saving tips. From the Suzie Homemaker family to your family Happy New Year!