A Winging It Kind of Week

This is when I would normally post my carefully thought-out meal plan for the week. I would usually be getting all of my ducks, or goats as the case may be, in a row for the week. My homeschool planners would be finished, laying in wait for the kids to begin on Monday, all of last week's leftovers would be eaten up, fridges empty and cleaned, ready for the new weekly groceries, the laundry baskets would be empty...

...then I wake up and realize that I don't know that person.

Fact is, my meal plans are really just notes jotted down during the previous week; memos to myself of requests made by the family or based on what is going to go bad in the fridge. The homeschool planners are rarely ready for Monday, so we usually just bag school until Tuesday. The chickens look forward to grocery shopping day because that's the day that they feast on our uneaten leftovers and face it, laundry is never caught up in this house.

That said, I have grown accustomed to having my chaos a little organized. It makes me feel like we're moving forward, even if it's only on a hamster wheel most days.

This week though, I'm in complete "wing it" mode. My newest granddaughter, who as of this writing, has not been born yet, is due at any moment. In fact, if she doesn't make her appearance soon, I'm afraid that I just may burst!

The anticipation is killing me.

And my Mister is too old for this kind of excitement.

Whoever said that patience is a virtue must have been a single guy with no children.

I compare that to the backseat driver who's never actually driven a car before.

So, this week I'm going to work on my virtuous character, without a meal or lesson plan. If anyone needs me, I'll be camped out in front of my daughter's house...

...dirty socks and all. 

  

Baked Eggs

They say that confession is good for the soul.

I say that once I put this out there, you'll know my dirty little secret.

Of course, in my kitchen, it a well-documented fact.

So, since it's technically not a secret, then I probably don't need to confess anything.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Did it work? Well, if you're still here, then I guess I should fill you in.

Ready?

Sometimes I don't make the breakfast's that I have scheduled on my meal plans because I just don't feel like it.

Did ya catch that?

Okay, I'll say it again.

SOMETIMES I DON'T MAKE THE BREAKFAST'S THAT I HAVE SCHEDULED ON MY MEAL PLANS BECAUSE I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE IT!

Whew. I feel better.

My Mister has been previewing the breakfast menu the night before, in anticipation of his morning meal. When I fail to prepare exactly what's on the planner, it throws off his whole day. And because I love him, I have started to feel guilty during my early morning coffee time. Since guilt is a terrible way to start the day, I've made it my mission to have some easy-to-prepare-while-I'm-still-waking-up breakfasts.

Just in case I need that third cup of coffee.

Baked eggs is so easy to prepare, and can be compared to a strata. But with these, you have a choice of making this up the night before, strata-style, or whipping it together in the morning. Either way, it is a delicious and filling breakfast that takes only minutes to prepare.

Baked Eggs

~The Players~

6 bread slices, cut in cubes (use a multi-grain or sourdough bread)

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup chopped ham (I didn't have any ham, so I feel this is totally optional!) 

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

6 large, pastured eggs

3 cups milk

Mix bread, cheese, ham, bell pepper, and onion in a large bowl. Spread into a buttered  13x9 inch baking dish.

Whisk eggs and milk together and pour over the top.

Bake in preheated 375F. oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Enjoy!

*If you want to prepare this the night before, put it all together, cover it with foil and place in the fridge. In the morning, just bake according to the directions. Voila`!

This post is linked to the Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge. 



Last Week on the Farm...Definitely NOT Spring!

What's been happening on the farm this week? Besides a late winter snow, I've reinstated my green thumb, turned crystals into liquid gold, allowed my kids to play outside their usual boundaries and ultimately, lost a large amount of weight.

First, the snow...

The view from my living room window.

This is how country kids roll.

Don't know what kind of bird this was, but it was very intent on grabbing a quick meal from the turkey yard.

Then there's the green thumb...

I've been carefully saving our eggshells for months now, in order to re-purpose them as seed starting containers.

It's very important when starting seeds indoors to use a potting mix specifically for this. Especially when using eggshells. Regular soil is too heavy and holds too much moisture, which causes the seeds to rot, not sprout.

Or, so I've heard...

I filled each egg about 2/3 of the way full with the potting mix. Using a squirt bottle, I sprayed the dirt, not a lot, just enough to moisten the soil. Since I hate wasting seed, I dropped 2 tomato seeds into each shell. Finally, I lightly covered the seeds with more dirt.

Labeling is very important! I had some old plant markers, but craft sticks (Popsicle sticks) work well too. After lightly covering the eggs with plastic wrap, I placed them under the grow lights. In a few short days, summer will seem closer than ever!

Which won't be soon enough for my wandering triplets.

Wynken, Blynken and Nod have left the building...er...goat shed.

How do you know your honey is truly raw?

Because it does this...

So I did this...

Only simmer on the lowest setting.

Now it looks like this...

Liquid gold!

Only 11 more jars to go!

And finally, the biggest weight loss I've ever experienced.

And I mean, ever.

Me, before...according to Matthew, Gracie (niece), and Levi (nephew).

Me, after.

Somewhere in between, I kind of lost my head.

But we'll save that for another day.

This post is linked to The Homestead Barn Hop.

Meal Plan for Week of 3/6/11

While making out this week's meal plan, I realized that I never got to some of the meals that were planned for last week.

Call it an age thing, if you must, but the reality is that I am all discombobulated. I'm not sure whether I'm coming or going, inside or out, or whether I've remembered to feed the family.

Disregard that last part. When the kids are hungry, everyone knows it.

So what's causing me to use a big word like discombobulate?

*Last week, the Mister and I worked on the old Pepto Bismol room. We're making great progress and can't wait to share the finished result. Well, as soon as we finish it. The project seems to have grown, but in all the right places.

*Two of our daughters spent the week preparing for a girl's youth retreat. Of course, it was only an overnight thing, but they're teenagers so it took all week to get ready. It'll take even longer for them to put away all of their stuff.

*My younger boys "cleaned" out the greenhouse for me. In fact, they cleaned it so well that I can't seem to find anything. Including the dirt. Which doesn't bode well for the seeds that I'm supposed to be starting today. Now, if I can only remember where I put those...

*Our oldest son left for parts unknown last week. Okay, we know where he is, but not every single second of every single day. As a mom, that freaks me out a little. What if...?  He took his first plane ride to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend for her birthday. She is volunteering at the Dream Center for the majority of the year, so I guess I'm going to have to get used to him saying, "Mom, I'm flying out next week." What if he really likes LA and wants to live there...too many miles from home for me to be aware of his every movement? 

Oi.

Have I mentioned that we're still on baby watch? Our 4th grandchild is due at any moment, so we're on stand-by, which means that as soon as the call comes in, we've got 30 seconds to grab our bags and head out the door for a very long 5-1/2 hour drive.

Any bets that I can make it in 4? And...When did my children grow up?

While I ponder this, here's what's tentatively cooking this week.

~Sunday~

cold cereal (I'm not a terrible mother, just tired.)

Navy Bean Soup, Buttermilk biscuits

~Monday~
Baked eggs (still new and carried over from last week)
Slow-Cooker Cheeseburger Soup, Sourdough bread

~Tuesday~
Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Oatmeal w/ peaches
Salmon Patties, Roasted fingerling potatoes & cauliflower, green salad w/Homemade Ranch Dressing

~Wednesday~
Blueberry Pancakes (new recipe)
Thai Cashew Chicken, soaked brown rice, Spinach salad w/ Orange Vinaigrette

~Thursday~
Sourdough English Muffins, poached eggs
Taco Pie (new), Caesar Salad

~Friday~
Peanut Butter Muffins, Fruit Smoothies
Crockpot Barbecue Pull Apart Pork Roast, homemade sourdough rolls, coleslaw

~Saturday~
Peach Kuchen
Chicken Tortilla Soup, Kim's Kornbread

For more menu planning ideas, visit Menu Mondays at I'm an Organizing Junkie.



Creamy Potato Corn Chowder

When the weatherman forecasted snow for us last week, I knew it was time to pull out the chowder recipes.

Since my oldest son was just diagnosed with serious shellfish allergies, I knew that seafood chowder was out.

Or my son needed to be.

Good thing I really like my boy.

I'm not sure if this recipe was a make up as you go, or if I originally followed somebody else's version. I just know that I've made this so many times that it's all from memory now.

Lucky for me, I have the memory of an elephant. The thighs too, but that's for a different post.

I don't hold it against the chowder.

Not only is this soup very filling, it is also very frugal. Nothing fancy, no weird specialty ingredients and very little prep-time.

I love winter.

Potato Corn Chowder

~The Players~

3 slices nitrite-free bacon, cut up

5 cups thin-skinned potatoes, unpeeled and diced

3 carrots, chopped

1 large onion, diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 bay leaf, broken in half

1 quart chicken stock (I use homemade, but a good store-bought works too)

2 t. sea salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 t. dried tarragon

1/4 t. paprika

4 cups organic frozen corn

1 cup half & half (I use 1/2 cup whole raw milk & 1/2 cup raw cream)

4 Tb. unsalted butter

In a large cast iron pan, fry the bacon. Using the bacon grease, add onions and celery; cook until tender.

When cooked, dump into a large soup pot. Add the potatoes, carrots and bay leaf. Pour chicken stock over the potatoes; add enough water to cover. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover with lid and simmer until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Using a food processor, puree small batches until all has been creamed. Be careful, it's very hot!

Return to pot. Pour half & half into a large glass bowl. Whisk in a couple of spoonfuls of the hot soup to temper the cream. Add the cream to the pot and mix well. Add the corn and butter; stir. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and tarragon. Let simmer until corn is heated through.

Don't forget to taste before serving. Depending on the saltiness of the stock (or lack of), you may need to adjust the salt.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Fight Back Fridays at the Food Renegade.

Blueberry Peach Fruit Crisp

One of my favorite television shows is the Food Network's gem, "Worst Cooks in America". While I don't watch a lot of regular television, I do enjoy a good cooking, decorating or gardening program.

It's my way of kicking myself in the rear end.

Instead of sitting around and whining about how little I actually know about these subjects, these shows motivate me to try, try and try again.

And because I'm a slow learner, I usually have to re-try the next day.

See, I can appreciate the plight of the non-cook. I've been there. I have boiled deer steak (Would you believe to cut out the fat from frying?). I have created masterpieces that even the dog wouldn't touch. And I have caused more trips to town for take-out then I care to remember. On this show, 16 cooking-challenged contestants are brought into a cooking boot camp, split into 2 teams and taught new skills in each episode. Then these cooks-in-training have to cook a dish, created by their well-known chef teachers, using their new skills. The 2 people who fail to impress the chef's, have to turn in their aprons.

While the contestants are busy trying to win the $25,000 prize, I'm busy writing down the recipes.

Just in case the show doesn't get renewed for a third season, or we get brave and ditch the satellite!

On the season finale, one of the desserts was a fresh nectarine and blueberry fruit crisp. Since fresh, local fruit isn't available in March, I decided to use frozen peaches and blueberries. I also substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the white, and Rapadura (sucanat) for the brown sugar.

And for the record, this dessert was made by the winning contestant.

I'm guessing that this crisp was the reason.

Blueberry Peach Fruit Crisp

~my way~

~The Players~

The filling: 2 cups frozen blueberries

2 cups *frozen peaches, thawed and drained*

1/2 Meyer lemon, zested & juiced

2 Tb. organic cornstarch

1/4 cup Rapadura or sucanat (can use tightly packed brown sugar)

2 Tb. organic sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

pinch of salt

The topping: 1-1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup Rapadura or sucanat (can use brown sugar)

10 Tb. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pea-sized pieces

1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds (can use whole, soaked almonds)

pinch of salt

1-2 Tb. cold water

In a large bowl, stir together the blueberries, peaches, lemon juice and zest. Add the cornstarch, Rapadura, sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix well.

Fill 5 ramekins with the fruit mixture; a little more than halfway. Set aside.



These were too full~after the picture was taken, I removed enough from each ramekin to fill a fifth dish.

In a food processor, combine all of the topping ingredients, except for the cold water. Process for about 30 seconds, more if using whole almonds. Adding 1 Tb. cold water at a time, continue to process until the mixture is clumpy, but crumbly. I only used one tablespoon.

Put topping on the fruit, but don't push down. It needs to look "rustic".

Set the ramekins on a cookie sheet (I lined mine with tin foil for easier clean-up.) Bake in a pre-heated 350F. oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling up and the topping is browned.

Serve with a dollop of organic or home-made vanilla bean ice cream.

*Thaw the peaches in their bag on the counter. Do not drain the peaches until just before using them or they will turn brown.

Enjoy!

A Goat's Good Taste

At our local bread outlet store, for every $5 spent, you can choose 1 free item from the discounted shelves. About once a month, I head in and pick up 4 loaves of bread for the freezer. It's a compromise to home-baked, but sometimes using store-bought can't be helped. That's where I draw the line. If you know me, you know that I would never, ever, ever pay money for bagged cookies, so for free, I decided that the goats would enjoy a nice treat.

Or, so I thought.

Apparently, one can never truly know or appreciate the more refined tastes of a goat.

Or, can we?

Gertie being offered a Vanilla Wafer cookie

Here you go girl. 

Gertie still being offered a Vanilla Wafer

"Smells delightful, but upon further inspection, I respectively decline. What else do you have?"

A gingersnap perhaps?

Gertie starts to fall for it, but then...

...goat wisdom prevails.

"Hey farmgirl, let me tell you what I really think about your free cookies."

After further consideration, I've decided to bake Gertie some homemade gingersnaps.

Maybe next time, she'll invite the kids to join.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Since I couldn't give away the stale, slightly damp, chemically-laden, cookie imposter's, I decided to give the turkeys a treat.

Turkeys are notoriously stupid birds.

Fred & Ethel also politely declined.

I guess my turkeys are an exception to the stupid rule. Their "treats" fell victim to the rains. There are still remnants of the cookies in their yard.

As I was leaving the turkey yard, my foot hit something.

It appears that my "girls" are immune to the taste of stale cookies.

It must run in the family.

This week, I've been schooled by a goat and some turkeys.

Guess I have a lot to learn about farming.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This post is linked to the Homestead Barn Hop!