MPM 8/9/10

With our kitchen belongings packed into boxes and tucked into the basement, I've felt completely uninspired in the meal planning area.

Blame it on the sheet-rock dust.

It's clouding my brain.

In order to clear it, I took the kids to the county fair over the weekend. While other's had visions of jumbo elephant ears and foot-long corn dogs dancing in their heads, I had visions of another kind.

And I wasn't alone.

It was a proud moment, while walking through the animal barns, when my children asked if we could buy one of the 600 lb. market hogs to make our own nitrate/nitrite free hot dogs.

I may have teared up.

Here's what's on the menu this week...

~Monday~

Taco Soup, Cornbread

~Tuesday~

Lazy Chiles Rellenos, Maple Walnut Scones

~Wednesday~

Elk Roast, Raw Cranberry Relish, Sourdough Biscuits, Garden Salad

~Thursday~

Broccoli Salad, Black Bean & Couscous Salad (from last week)

~Friday~

Grilled Hamburgers, Corn on the Cob

~Saturday~

Taco Salad

~Sunday~

Simple Supper

For truly inspired meal plans, visit The Organizing Junkie for Menu Mondays!

Honey-Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

Having my kitchen packed up in boxes has proven to be somewhat of a challenge for preparing meals.

Every time somebody tells me they're hungry, I start to hyperventilate.

And darn it all, I don't have any paper bags.

I went "green" and bought reusable bags.

Betcha nobody thought of that when discussing reusable bags.

Breathing into a vinyl bag does not yield the same result as paper.

That's just a whole new set of problems.

Since I've run out of hiding places for our food, I'm trying to use as much as possible from the freezers. I found a pork tenderloin that I had bought before we watched "Food, Inc.", and decided it was time to use it.

I'll feel guilty later.

After the kitchen is done.

~~~~~

~The Players~

3 green onions, sliced

4 Tb. hoisin sauce (Find it in the Asian section of the grocery store.)

4 Tb. Tamari sauce

4 Tb. honey

2 Tb. hot water

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 lbs. pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/2 t. sea salt (I omitted this part and didn't miss it.)

1 Tb. safflower oil

1 t. toasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour 1/2 cup honey mixture into a large zip-lock bag; reserve the remaining mixture. Add pork to the bag; seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes; turning the bag a couple of times.

Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle pork with salt. Heat cast iron skillet with safflower oil over medium heat. Add pork and cook for 2 minutes, browning on all sides. Brush pork with reserved honey mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 F.

Place pork on platter; let stand for 5 minutes. Cut pork diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Put back into pan and turn meat over to coat in sauce before serving.

~Delicious~

Enjoy!

Farm Projects and Waiting...

We decided to hire out our sheet-rocking so that we could enjoy the last few days of my Mister's vacation.

While I was dreaming of canoes, mountaintops and trout, my Mister was dreaming of checking off another project from the list.

The mountains are overrated anyway.

They have mosquitos.

Bailey didn't get the memo that this was a work day.

She has the excuse of maternity leave.

Big baby.

~~~~~

Here are the reasons for our latest project.

I think they used to be our turkeys.

They look more like roadrunners.

Beep! Beep!

There's not enough room for the turkeys and their legs in the coop.

Seriously, why couldn't I have been born with legs like that?

I got the condensed version.

~~~~~

This is the project we've begun. The turkey yard.

It will protect our flock from the likes of Wile E. Coyote and the ACME company.

They keep trying to crash the party.

I've found that my Mister is a thinkin' man.

He can think, and think, and think for hours.

Eventually I have to kick him to make him stop.

So we can actually begin the project.

My job was to paint the ends of the posts.

It didn't require thinking.

Thank goodness. That is not my gift.

We added a sliding door and managed to cement in the posts.

Now we're at a standstill again.

My Mister has some more ponderin' to do.

In case you didn't know, that's half of farming.
~~~~~

We're still on baby goat watch.

Gertie isn't the wimp that Bailey is. She refuses to take maternity leave.

Although she really should.

She's starting to waddle.


She's had a few cravings lately. Today it was for plantain.

I was kind of hoping that she would get a hankerin' for some briar's, but no such luck.

Plantain doesn't really agree with her.

"Did I do that?"


I was a little embarrassed for her.

So now we wait...

...for calves, kids and cement to dry.

And maybe some more thinking.

Not necessarily in that order.

Fruit Salad with Cayenne-Lemon-Mint Syrup

Nothing says summertime like a fruit salad.

I'm not talking about the canned, mushy fruit salad of winter. I'm also not talking about the nasty green jello salad that has some sort of vegetable or "dairy" product in it either.

(((*shudder*)))

Here's what I'm talking about; juicy melons, plump, sun-ripened berries, and the first pretty pears of the season, mixed with just the right amount of sweet.

And for kicks, a little heat. (But not too much!)

Trust me. Would I steer you wrong?

If I were in a driver's seat, probably, but not when it comes to food.

It's just too important.

~~~~~~

~The Players~

1 large cantaloupe, cubed

1 large honeydew melon, cubed

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups quartered fresh strawberries

2 medium pears, cubed

1 cup fresh blackberries

1 Tb. fresh mint, chopped

1/8 t. ground pepper

~The Supporting Cast~

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

juice from 1 large lemon or 2 small lemons

3 Tb. honey

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh mint

1 Tb. lemon zest

Combine sugar, water, lemon juice, honey, and cayenne pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to boil; cook for 3 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in mint and zest and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain mixture through cheesecloth; discard solids.

Combine fruit, 1 Tb. chopped mint and ground pepper in a large bowl. Add syrup and toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

We found small, wild blackberries in the woods behind our house, but couldn't seem to get them to add up in the bowl.

They added up nicely in our tummy's, but not the bowl.

So, I added marionberries. Pineapple would be good too, as would watermelon. Oh, and we can't forget grapes! And.....

The combinations are limitless, especially since fruit is in season!!!!

Enjoy!

MPM 8/2/10

Can you believe that it's already August? Time is flying by and what there is left, seems to be in short supply!

Look what my daughter, Heather, found in the garden yesterday.

Didn't we just plant the garden?

I'm sure I don't remember, but what a nice little surprise!

While my Mister and brother-in-law worked on wiring the kitchen over the weekend, my sister and I worked on homeschool curriculum.

BECAUSE IT'S AUGUST.

We now have some new baby chicks in the coop. Apparently, one of our broody hens decided that 40+ chickens weren't enough for us, so she took matters into her own hands...er...wings(?) and snuck 'em in.

Those are added to the meat chickens that we haven't had time to butcher yet.

I think they're planning a riot.

Other plans for the week include; a visit to Sauvie Island for cukes, making pickles, hanging sheetrock and the new kitchen door, and painting the kitchen ceiling.

It's a good thing my Mister's vacation is almost over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's what's cooking in the basement this week...

~Monday~

Fruit Salad w/ Cayenne-Lemon Mint Syrup (new), baked chicken, sourdough bread

~Tuesday~

Dinner with my wonderful in-laws

~Wednesday~

Honey-Hoison Pork Tenderloin (new), garlic mashed potatoes, spinach salad w/Asian dressing

~Thursday~

Spinach Chicken Salad, sourdough bread

~Friday~

Black Bean & Couscous Salad, cornbread

~Saturday~

Cheese Tortellini Pesto Salad, Farmer's Market salad

For more menu ideas, visit The Organizing Junkie for Menu Mondays!

Another Day of Demolition

Over the course of the last several days, I've learned a few facts about myself.

#1. I do not like change.

Especially when it involves moving the coffeepot downstairs.

Have you ever had to maneuver stairs with your eyes still shut?

It's not pretty.

~~~~~~~

#2. I am short.

(I know, it surprised me too!)

My involvement in removing the soffits consisted of me handing my son, Dakota, the sledgehammer.

And then patting him on the head...er...shoulder, and telling him what a good job he did.

He liked it.

~~~~~~~

#3. Plumbing does not come naturally to me.

I thought that we were going to have to decorate around the pipes.

Until my Mister handed me a pipe wrench and said, "Here honey, take those apart."

Riiiiiggggghhhhtttt...

He forgot to tell me that water, still in the line, has to come out somewhere.

That was unfortunate.

But, now you see them...

...now you don't.

I wish I could take the credit for that.

#4. I hate shopping.

Especially at a store full of men whose sole purpose in life is to touch every single little doohicky and thing-a-ma-jig in the store.

For 4 hours.

I snapped.

We'll just blame it on the lack of espresso that Lowe's didn't have.

It's safer that way.

#5. I'm the Energizer Bunny once I get that espresso.

This was a doorjamb with no door.

Now it is a doorway with no jamb.

Here is the door that will fill the jamb, after it gets a paint job.

After I get another round of coffee.


#6. Going green can be overrated.

I thought I would recycle the nails.

That thought lasted for exactly 6 nails.

I am going to reuse them...somewhere.


#7. I am a lucky girl.


No explanation necessary.

New Kitchen: DIY Phase 1

Finally. Phase 1 is underway. The kitchen remodel has officially begun.

Oh, we've been working on it for awhile now, but until the sledgehammer swings, it cannot officially be official.

Know what I mean?

This used to be the girls' bathroom. Notice the lack of girls?

They were mourning the loss of a "boy-free" toilet.

As the official toilet inspector, I completely understand.

They may need therapy.

Just cleaning off the counters made the whole room seem BIGGER.

Hmmm...maybe we really didn't need a remodel.

While I was feeling guilty over my lack of organizational skills, my Mister and eldest son took down the cabinets.

I didn't need to wallow in guilt for too long, most of the cabinets FELL down once the paint had been chipped away from the edges.

Lucky for me.

With the cabinets gone, it was time for some sledgehammerin'.

I knew just the person for the job.

*Please don't try this at home. It takes tremendous skill to not get knocked out by the hangy part of the upper arm, especially once it gets to flappin' in the wind.

My poor Mister.

They make it look so easy on the DIY network.

He had this same look on his face when I came home with a pot-bellied pig.

"Oh woman, why do you torture me so?"

Phase 1 continues today with the removal of the rest of the cabinets, the dishwasher, the kitchen sink and the flooring.

I'll be in town buying a month's worth of paper plates, plastic forks, and a good can opener.

This is our vacation after all!