Are you ready to launch into a journey of REAL farmhouse cooking? Discover a variety of easy recipes that will make your culinary adventure delightful and stress-free.
POV (point of view): You have already trolled a hundred different farmhouse lifestyle and food blogs and they all offer the same types of food. I hope to add a new perspective for you on what it actually takes to achieve true farmhouse food.
Many people believe (thanks to mainstream TV shows and Cracker-Barrel style “farmhouse food”) that farmhouse cooking is made up of long ingredient lists and complicated steps, but that is exactly the thought process holding you back.
If you’re struggling with wanting to add in easy dinner recipes, easy chicken recipes for that sale you hit in the local grocery, or just easy recipes all around, this is the post for you.
Ready to dive into a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into authentic farmhouse food?
Always Remember to Keep It Simple
If you’ve been finding yourself overwhelmed by the inadvertent complexity of “farmhouse food” of today, take a deep breath. Although the recipes are fabulous and taste great, they do not capture the essence of true farmhouse food. Farmhouse food at its heart is simple, simple, simple; whole foods, simple ingredients, and simple preparation. The farm ladies of yesteryear had so many irons in the fire, trying to be those sidekick superheroes (who actually were the heart and soul of the farm), they did not have time for long ingredient lists, complicated prep and inefficient methods. They had time for wholesome, simple, TASTY fare that filled in the gaps, stuck to your ribs, and worked in a very, very limited budget.
Example: Easy Dinner Recipes.
Let’s say, it’s your job to take care of the probable 6-8 children, be out in the barn at least twice daily to help with chores as needed, preserve the garden harvest from that day, bake bread because the kids ate the last for breakfast, strain milk and let it set for the cream to rise for butter, make the butter/wash/salt/pack, set a batch of hard cheese for winter, find time to take care of that orphan calf in the yard, etc.
When you have this much going on (I listed about half of the possibilities), easy dinner recipes were where it was at. Dinner recipes consisted of something that was made to slow-roast in the oven, serve a gravy-based dish over potatoes or biscuits, or sit on the back of the stove and simmer while all the other items were accomplished without the food burning. Easy dinner recipes that were simple, filling and tasty were an absolute must.
I can only imagine how hard those farm wives would laugh at the “farmhouse food” of today, seeing how long the recipes take or the complication of the ingredients list.
Ask yourself, why do I think farmhouse cooking has to be complicated and who benefits from this? Um, everyone who has more spare time than you.
Two of my family’s favorite examples of farmhouse food are Chicken and Vegetable Gravy over Buttermilk Biscuits and Hamburger Gravy with Mashed Potatoes. Later in the post, I will definitely be sharing one of these ultimate farmhouse classics.
Jump to RecipeHint: I have another post on a super easy bread recipe that tastes great with these dishes over here.
My Routine for Easy Farmhouse Food
I am happy to say that I have achieved easy recipes that snugly fit into the farmhouse food category, and my routine directly influences my ability to maintain the success of this food planning choice.
A day in my life looks a little like this:
- Morning: Simple week-day breakfast recipes for the kiddos (i.e. hot cereal, homemade toast and egg bites, breakfast muffins) The main idea for breakfast is to have something ready ahead of time that is easy to prepare or warm up in the morning. Breakfast food should be wholesome and healthy, but not time-consuming.
- Noon: Homemade sandwiches with canned fruit or something of the sort; this is also usually when I start the prep-work, crock-pot or oven work for dinner. If it’s a soup or a stew, start it at lunch and let it simmer on low. If it’s a roasted meat dish of some kind, start it before breakfast or between breakfast and lunch (whatever schedule works for you).
- Evening: Dinner time is family time. I want an easy assembly for dinner like boil potatoes and mash them, make biscuits and bake them, or slice up some bread for the side. Serve up food family-style at the table, keep the food simple and watch your family enjoy. Remember, simple prep leads to simple clean-up as well.
Why Keep Easy, Simple Recipes On Rotation?
If you notice for each meal-time plan, the food is not processed nor is it overly complicated. Mornings are crazy for me, trying to get everyone where they need to be. Lunchtime as a working mom is oftentimes away from the home, so a packed lunch and simple fare is the order of the day. Dinner time is usually when my whole family is together and seeing each other as a unit for the first time all day; if the kids are in sporting events, being all together at the dinner table can be quite a feat.
How is your routine helping you feed your family better and bring them closer as a unit?
Don’t be afraid to make these meal-time ideas your own. Change it up, make food your family likes, but just remember to keep it simple and tasty.
Simplifying your mealtime recipes and choices does not mark a flashing red failure sign on your forehead. It means that you care enough to feed your family quality, wholesome food and while not sacrificing valuable, precious time with complicated prep and assembly.
Some Advice from Lisa Bass
I like to shake it up with info from all over the web, as long as it fits into my family scope. I’m not a stay-at-home mom, nor do I ever see myself being one so many of the blogs and lifestyle suggestions don’t work for the working mom life. One of my blogging heroes, Lisa Bass, has some critical advice for you. She is a SAHM, but is a master of simple food. It is all over her blog and website that complexity does not always equal quality. Simple, healthy, whole foods are where it’s at. For great food like this, check out her blog, Farmhouse on Boone here.
Never Listen To Someone Who Doesn’t Understand Farmhouse Food.
The Food Network means well when they release their farmhouse lifestyle cooking shows, but the misconception is holding you back.
Instead, look for unsung experts like groups for homesteading moms, real farm wife recipe compilations and the ladies at the local senior center for guidance. Those ladies are treasure chests of farmhouse simple food and well worth getting to know.
You Need an Easy Recipe Collection
Now, just because you currently don’t have the collection of authentic farmhouse recipes that I have (a twenty-year task…), doesn’t mean you can’t start enjoying this food, like today.
This does mean you need to change your mindset on what what these recipes really take before you can truly relax and enjoy simplicity in your cooking, but I am solidly convinced that this is the missing piece that many of you do not have: Simplicity in Cooking.
To wrap this post up, I would like to share one of the top family farmhouse favorites that my husband and kiddos love for a week-night meal: Creamy Chicken Gravy with Vegetables, served over mashed potatoes or biscuits. Simple, right? Take a look.
Creamy Chicken and Gravy with Vegetables
Equipment
- 1 Medium Stockpot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter grass-fed, organic or all-natural
- 8 Tbsp flour unbleached, all-natural, Non-GMO
- 8 cups chicken stock you can use soup base powder or concentrate to make broth, which is more affordable
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced or 2 Tbsp of minced garlic (from a jar)
- 2 cups chicken, chopped light or dark meat
- 1 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables if using canned vegetables, drain the liquid off
Instructions
- Place your stockpot over a medium heat, add your butter, diced onions and garlic. Sauté until the butter is melted, the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant, but not burnt. Do not burn the garlic – it will ruin your dish.
- Add the 8 tablespoons of flour to the butter/onion/garlic mix, which will make a fantastic buttery paste, also known as a roux. Let the roux cook for just a couple minutes, so the mix doesn't taste raw.
- Start adding your liquid; keep the heat at a medium level. User hack: I sometimes replace 2 cups of stock with 2 cups of milk to make a super creamy gravy. Add 2 cups of liquid and whisk gently to start the thickening process and remove any lumps. Add the other 6 cups of liquid, stirring gently to incorporate.
- Add the chopped chicken and vegetables to the gravy mix, stir to combine, put the lid on and let simmer on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until thickened. Stir every 3-5 minutes to prevent scorching or sticking.
- Serve this fantastic gravy over potatoes, rice, noodles or biscuits, whichever your family prefers.
Farmhouse Cooking Is For Everyone
Stop thinking that farmhouse cooking is the Uber-complicated mess that mainstream TV has turned it into. That is not the heart and soul of farmhouse fare. Farmhouse food and meals are meant to be simple preparations for the family to enjoy and spend time together.
Did you enjoy what you learned from this post or maybe tried the recipe? Let me know in the comments.
You are well on your way to a simpler, tastier way of eating.
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