After bringing the kids to carpool Thursday morning, a dull headache developed. I'm not quite sure what that was all about, but decided to listen to my body and do what I felt like doing. It was an overcast, gloomy, drizzly day, so I decided not to do anything major. I was feeling tired, so I let myself relax and do a few things indoors. No cooking, but I know that will happen again soon. There are more plants that need to be planted when the weather clears. There are wasps building nests still in the very truck that the trap is hanging on - the trap is still empty. There's always something to attend to, and it can all be done when I'm feeling better.
Since Thursday was such a quiet day overall, I suppose that meant that Friday had to contain some unusual events and experiences. Last month I'd ordered some new plants that arrived this week, so we headed out in the morning to pick up a few pots and some soil. When we got back home, I planted some things I'm pretty excited about: a pepper plant (as in black peppercorns!), wild ginger, and an Australian Tea Tree (for tea tree oil). I really hope these are successful!
Friday night always means a trip to Novato to have dinner with my parents and kids. No matter what has happened that day or during the week, it's always worthwhile to make the time to visit and stay in touch. As Becca and I started to get into the car that afternoon, I looked toward the pen where the dwarf goats stay during the day. I saw something grey right next to the fence in the grass, then noticed the long, bushy tail. I slapped my hands against my thighs and yelled, "HEY! GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Becca thought at first it was a human trying to steal our goats. I walked to the pathway to the goat area, and stood at the top of the four steps leading down to the gate, watching the fox. Suddenly, it jumped INTO the goat pen, right through one of the openings in the netting, and looked at me. I waved my arms and shouted, and it ... started walking toward me slowly. All six goat eyes and all six chicken eyes and all four human eyes were locked on it. I could clearly see it's pretty, foxy face, and how oddly it was colored - red head and shoulders, dark grey body, legs and tail. Finally, Becca ran toward it, yelling, holding the eyelash curler she'd been using raised in her fist. That did it for the fox, and it turned and leaped through the fencing again. This all happened so fast and I was so intent on getting the fox away from the animals that I didn't even think to take a picture. I wish I had.
I went down to see why the battery wasn't working to keep the fox from touching the fence, and realized that because the goats had changed their routine that morning (Imbri decided not to wait for grain on the milk stand), I had forgotten to turn on the fence. I took care of that right away, texted my neighbors to let them know what had happened so they could keep an eye out, and we left, keeping watch to see if we could spot the fox again. No sign of it.
After arriving in Novato, we were having such a good visit at dinner that we let time slip away from us, and we left later than we normally do. It was about 10pm when I was taking care of things outside at home, and I was enjoying the beautiful, clear night sky and nearly full moon. As I walked Lily to the barn, I was looking at the shadows and the way the moonlight hit different things, and then noticed light reflecting somewhere that it shouldn't be. Upon closer inspection, my throat got tight with dismay and disappointment when I saw that something had knocked over the greenhouse. All I could think about were the plants in there, how I was going to have to try to sort ... more ... of them, and I hoped nothing had been damaged. There was nothing I could do in the dark, and that would have to wait until Saturday morning as one of the first things to attend to.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Fly Predators, Hanging Out to Dry, and an Amazing Chicken Recipe
Anyone who's lived in the country knows that spring and summer bring the scourge of the common housefly. It's inevitable in the country, where wildlife leave their own droppings about, but even more so when humans gather domesticated animals around them. There are many ways to deal with the problem, some more effective than others. Some people have the ability to move manure far away from dwellings and barns and spread it where the flies aren't as noticeable. Others spray, or use clear plastic bags as traps to collect the varmints in a smelly, puke-inspiring package that needs to be disposed of. Then there are the yellow, spiral strands of fly paper hanging from the ceiling, collecting buzzing, dirty creatures that are even more difficult to dispose of, and the inevitable fly swatter. In Texas, those are bigger like everything else, though I don't think their flies are bigger.
There's this odd-looking package on the table these last few days that contains my Best Defense Against the Dreaded Housefly. It looks like this.
Here is a closer view so you can see what they look like in the pine shavings.
These "eggs" will hatch into teeny-tiny little flying creatures, smaller than your average black ant. They then "take over" the pest fly cocoon, killing the immature flies before they have a chance to bug you. This takes care of the problem before they become adult flies; all the other products deal with killing adults, which are still laying eggs. The fly predators don't hang around humans or houses and are so small that you don't notice them once they're set outside, and they cost less than buying all the other gross things that you might use to kill the adults.
I started using these a few years ago, and as long as I have animals will continue to do so. It's amazing how easy it is, without pesticides or poisons, and it's the most effective thing I've ever tried. If you're interested in trying them, check them out at www.spaulding-labs.com.
Right now, I'm waiting for a dozen or so to hatch, and then I'll disburse the contents of the package around the animals, both here and up at Bette's goats, so they can do their work.
The good weather means that I can use the clothesline again for drying clothes. I love the fresh, clean scent that line drying brings, and think of my friend, Tammy, every time I use it, as she set the line up for me. I discovered a handy way to hold clothespins without the need for a basket or an apron with pockets. I took a piece of the rope and looped it over the clothesline itself, then clipped it into a ring, so I can fasten the pins on the dangling rope and slide it along the line as I work. It really makes it easier.
(Yes, these are old clothespins!)
The forecast is for rain on Thursday, so I made sure to bring the clothes in soon as they were dry!
I was in the mood for some of that Amazing Pulled BBQ Chicken, so decided to get that rolling for dinner. In my opinion, this is one of the best recipes, because there's not a lot of work involved and it produces a superior meal. You basically put chicken breasts in a big pot, add chopped onion and minced garlic, cover with water, add your favorite BBQ sauce and vinegar, and cook. Shredding the chicken while the sauce reduces is the most amount of work, then you remix and rewarm, and you're done! Everyone piles it onto their own rolls and adds what they wish. We like the suggested shredded cheese, and last year the kids (well, they're in their 20s, but they're still kids to me) added other meats from the BBQ we had going, plus crispy onions.
The most challenging part of the ingredients is the BBQ sauce. Unless you have a local source or specialty store, you're going to have a hard time finding one that doesn't have objectionable ingredients, such as High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), colorings, or other additives. Maybe it's time for me to find a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce...
The recipe is below. Enjoy!
Amazing Pulled BBQ Chicken
(From the OBS Housekeeper Blog 2010 - but I cannot find the link!)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
Water to cover
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups BBQ sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Hot pepper sauce (optional, and especially optional if you use a spicy BBQ sauce)
6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
8 rolls
Wash and dry chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper, and place in a heavy pot with the onion and garlic. Add just enough water to cover, then the BBQ sauce, vinegar, and a few drops of hot sauce (more or less to taste). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the sauce and shred with two forks.
Boil the sauce, skimming occasionally, until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shredded chicken and heat through.
Serve in a crock pot or casserole dish with the rolls and cheese on the side. Let guests assemble their own sandwiches.
There's this odd-looking package on the table these last few days that contains my Best Defense Against the Dreaded Housefly. It looks like this.
Here is a closer view so you can see what they look like in the pine shavings.
These "eggs" will hatch into teeny-tiny little flying creatures, smaller than your average black ant. They then "take over" the pest fly cocoon, killing the immature flies before they have a chance to bug you. This takes care of the problem before they become adult flies; all the other products deal with killing adults, which are still laying eggs. The fly predators don't hang around humans or houses and are so small that you don't notice them once they're set outside, and they cost less than buying all the other gross things that you might use to kill the adults.
I started using these a few years ago, and as long as I have animals will continue to do so. It's amazing how easy it is, without pesticides or poisons, and it's the most effective thing I've ever tried. If you're interested in trying them, check them out at www.spaulding-labs.com.
Right now, I'm waiting for a dozen or so to hatch, and then I'll disburse the contents of the package around the animals, both here and up at Bette's goats, so they can do their work.
The good weather means that I can use the clothesline again for drying clothes. I love the fresh, clean scent that line drying brings, and think of my friend, Tammy, every time I use it, as she set the line up for me. I discovered a handy way to hold clothespins without the need for a basket or an apron with pockets. I took a piece of the rope and looped it over the clothesline itself, then clipped it into a ring, so I can fasten the pins on the dangling rope and slide it along the line as I work. It really makes it easier.
(Yes, these are old clothespins!)
The forecast is for rain on Thursday, so I made sure to bring the clothes in soon as they were dry!
I was in the mood for some of that Amazing Pulled BBQ Chicken, so decided to get that rolling for dinner. In my opinion, this is one of the best recipes, because there's not a lot of work involved and it produces a superior meal. You basically put chicken breasts in a big pot, add chopped onion and minced garlic, cover with water, add your favorite BBQ sauce and vinegar, and cook. Shredding the chicken while the sauce reduces is the most amount of work, then you remix and rewarm, and you're done! Everyone piles it onto their own rolls and adds what they wish. We like the suggested shredded cheese, and last year the kids (well, they're in their 20s, but they're still kids to me) added other meats from the BBQ we had going, plus crispy onions.
The most challenging part of the ingredients is the BBQ sauce. Unless you have a local source or specialty store, you're going to have a hard time finding one that doesn't have objectionable ingredients, such as High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), colorings, or other additives. Maybe it's time for me to find a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce...
The recipe is below. Enjoy!
Amazing Pulled BBQ Chicken
(From the OBS Housekeeper Blog 2010 - but I cannot find the link!)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
Water to cover
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups BBQ sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Hot pepper sauce (optional, and especially optional if you use a spicy BBQ sauce)
6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
8 rolls
Wash and dry chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper, and place in a heavy pot with the onion and garlic. Add just enough water to cover, then the BBQ sauce, vinegar, and a few drops of hot sauce (more or less to taste). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the sauce and shred with two forks.
Boil the sauce, skimming occasionally, until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shredded chicken and heat through.
Serve in a crock pot or casserole dish with the rolls and cheese on the side. Let guests assemble their own sandwiches.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
May Day
The first day of May. May Day. I remember at one time we used to celebrate this in school. I can't recall if it was Bellflower or in Colorado, but the vivid memories of the Maypole dance and celebration are still with me. I thought that was the best celebration of all - music and dancing and art and beauty. A celebration of spring.
This fine sunny morning, I could hear Foggy (Foghorn Leghorn) crowing, but Zeus has been quiet since going outdoors. The Americaunas seem fairly well settled in their new home, and the night before they went inside the coop at "closing time" without a problem. The younger chicks are still too small to incorporate into the new flock, so they are still indoors. For now.
I feed Star Kitty out back in the mornings, and Boots the Cat must know that, because he showed up to "his" window as soon as Star started eating on the other side of the house. Apparently he'd forgiven me for whatever slight caused him to hiss and take off the day before.
Have I mentioned this place is magical? The flowers are constantly changing, and there is one for every season, and often something new blooming every month. The climbing rose vine started blooming this week, and it's another thing of beauty that catches my eye every time I step outside the back door.
Some of the bulbs were late to bloom this year, but they are starting!
I got myself organized and grabbed the bin holding all of the various tools and supplies needed for the watering system. The first thing I did in the garden was finish weeding the last two beds (currently - more will be constructed) and add more soil. I then got some gypsy peppers and basil in the ground, and set about constructing the new sprinkler system. My hands ached when I was done, and I was hot and sweaty. The good thing about the garden location is that there is plenty of sunshine, even first thing in the morning. The "bad" thing is ... there is plenty of sunshine, even first thing in the morning. Even with cool clothing and a hat, it gets hot working in the sun like that. I walked away feeling really pleased with the work done that morning, new plants in the ground and a great, efficient watering system in place.
I took a look in the fridge and cupboards for something quick, easy and cool to eat. Nothing grabbed me until I saw the black beans. I searched, and yes, I had corn. A black bean and corn salad is one of the easiest things to throw together, if you have those two ingredients prepared and ready, and I did. A little lime juice, cumin, olive oil, chopped onion and peppers, salt and pepper, and after 15 minutes in the fridge, I was done and ready to relax for a little while with a light, yet satisfying, meal. Yum! Rachael Ray's recipe is here, and at the bottom of this post.
I had a moment of panic when I heard the chicks in the other room chirping loudly, and a strong sound of rustling and general commotion in their box. My heart was pounding as I rushed to the door, worried that I'd forgotten to close the door containing the cat. I really freaked out when I saw feathers flying and half the netting across the top displaced. I rushed to the side of the box, prepared to grab a cat and hoping that no serious injuries had been sustained. Imagine my relief when I saw that Traz had attempted another break-out, this time by apparently hopping on top of the feeder to pull down the net. The other chicks were either cheering her on, or calling out to warn me, and the feathers flying probably happened when the feeder tipped over. Weak-kneed, I fixed the feeder and secured the netting even more. Those darn chicks.
I had about an hour to knit before picking Becca up, and then back home again after dropping her off for tutoring with her sister. I cannot believe that there's only a month left of school. Becca learns more every day, and not just from school. I forget sometimes how kids are like sponges, soaking up everything parents and adults around them say, even in their teenage years when parents are "stupid." I was reminded this week when we were shopping for replacement bands and lids for our mason jars. I saw a one-piece lid, which would work well for our milk jars (they don't need to be sealed, as is required in canning). I started to pick it up, and Becca said, "Mom, seriously? Plastic?" I'd forgotten! The kid, however, remembered, and is holding me to my commitment. Our commitment now, right?
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Ingredients:
1 14-oz can black beans (or 14 ounces of your own)
2 cups frozen corn (or fresh, or 2 cans, though I use equal amounts of black beans and corn)
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce (Tabasco) or to taste (I didn't use any)
Juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate!
This fine sunny morning, I could hear Foggy (Foghorn Leghorn) crowing, but Zeus has been quiet since going outdoors. The Americaunas seem fairly well settled in their new home, and the night before they went inside the coop at "closing time" without a problem. The younger chicks are still too small to incorporate into the new flock, so they are still indoors. For now.
I feed Star Kitty out back in the mornings, and Boots the Cat must know that, because he showed up to "his" window as soon as Star started eating on the other side of the house. Apparently he'd forgiven me for whatever slight caused him to hiss and take off the day before.
Have I mentioned this place is magical? The flowers are constantly changing, and there is one for every season, and often something new blooming every month. The climbing rose vine started blooming this week, and it's another thing of beauty that catches my eye every time I step outside the back door.
Some of the bulbs were late to bloom this year, but they are starting!
I got myself organized and grabbed the bin holding all of the various tools and supplies needed for the watering system. The first thing I did in the garden was finish weeding the last two beds (currently - more will be constructed) and add more soil. I then got some gypsy peppers and basil in the ground, and set about constructing the new sprinkler system. My hands ached when I was done, and I was hot and sweaty. The good thing about the garden location is that there is plenty of sunshine, even first thing in the morning. The "bad" thing is ... there is plenty of sunshine, even first thing in the morning. Even with cool clothing and a hat, it gets hot working in the sun like that. I walked away feeling really pleased with the work done that morning, new plants in the ground and a great, efficient watering system in place.
I took a look in the fridge and cupboards for something quick, easy and cool to eat. Nothing grabbed me until I saw the black beans. I searched, and yes, I had corn. A black bean and corn salad is one of the easiest things to throw together, if you have those two ingredients prepared and ready, and I did. A little lime juice, cumin, olive oil, chopped onion and peppers, salt and pepper, and after 15 minutes in the fridge, I was done and ready to relax for a little while with a light, yet satisfying, meal. Yum! Rachael Ray's recipe is here, and at the bottom of this post.
I had a moment of panic when I heard the chicks in the other room chirping loudly, and a strong sound of rustling and general commotion in their box. My heart was pounding as I rushed to the door, worried that I'd forgotten to close the door containing the cat. I really freaked out when I saw feathers flying and half the netting across the top displaced. I rushed to the side of the box, prepared to grab a cat and hoping that no serious injuries had been sustained. Imagine my relief when I saw that Traz had attempted another break-out, this time by apparently hopping on top of the feeder to pull down the net. The other chicks were either cheering her on, or calling out to warn me, and the feathers flying probably happened when the feeder tipped over. Weak-kneed, I fixed the feeder and secured the netting even more. Those darn chicks.
I had about an hour to knit before picking Becca up, and then back home again after dropping her off for tutoring with her sister. I cannot believe that there's only a month left of school. Becca learns more every day, and not just from school. I forget sometimes how kids are like sponges, soaking up everything parents and adults around them say, even in their teenage years when parents are "stupid." I was reminded this week when we were shopping for replacement bands and lids for our mason jars. I saw a one-piece lid, which would work well for our milk jars (they don't need to be sealed, as is required in canning). I started to pick it up, and Becca said, "Mom, seriously? Plastic?" I'd forgotten! The kid, however, remembered, and is holding me to my commitment. Our commitment now, right?
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Ingredients:
1 14-oz can black beans (or 14 ounces of your own)
2 cups frozen corn (or fresh, or 2 cans, though I use equal amounts of black beans and corn)
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce (Tabasco) or to taste (I didn't use any)
Juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Happy Monday
Monday dawned bright, and as each day progresses toward summer solstice, it's brighter and brighter earlier in the day. It makes for a much easier time in the morning, not having to move around in complete darkness, the only light being on the outside of the house and the small LED lamp attached to my cap. Zeus didn't crow in the house Monday morning, but I also didn't heard him crow at all outside. It could be the superior soundproofing in the house preventing me from hearing it. It makes me really happy to see him and Persephone scratching and clucking outside.
There were several things on the kitchen agenda, so much so that I didn't plan to make anything new. The staples that I've discovered of granola, bread and cajeta needed to be made, which didn't leave much time for anything else. I made some time to go out to the garden to weed another plot so we can get the peppers in. Before they are planted, I need to revamp the sprinkler system for that area. The pre-assembled set might work well in some plots, but it wasn't meeting our needs. I love being able to sit down and create a custom system that works perfectly. I didn't get the sprinkler system together this day, but it's still on the list.
On the kitchen front, I decided to try honey as a substitute for the maple syrup. It turned out good, but not as crisp as the other version. I did add more honey to the mixture because it wasn't binding well, so that probably contributed to the difference in cooking. The taste test crew tried it after school, and thought that it was good. It turned out crisp and slightly chewy, and they liked that and the honey flavor. I may alternate the two.
I spent more time this day working on the knitted shawl. I am getting closer to the end, and am anxious to complete the work and see how it turns out. This Monday was a pretty mellow day without any excitement, except for Boots, one of the cats, hissing at me and taking off. He didn't come back until late at night, when I heard Star, the other cat, fighting with him and driving him away. I couldn't find him before bed, and expect he'll probably show up in the morning.
There were several things on the kitchen agenda, so much so that I didn't plan to make anything new. The staples that I've discovered of granola, bread and cajeta needed to be made, which didn't leave much time for anything else. I made some time to go out to the garden to weed another plot so we can get the peppers in. Before they are planted, I need to revamp the sprinkler system for that area. The pre-assembled set might work well in some plots, but it wasn't meeting our needs. I love being able to sit down and create a custom system that works perfectly. I didn't get the sprinkler system together this day, but it's still on the list.
On the kitchen front, I decided to try honey as a substitute for the maple syrup. It turned out good, but not as crisp as the other version. I did add more honey to the mixture because it wasn't binding well, so that probably contributed to the difference in cooking. The taste test crew tried it after school, and thought that it was good. It turned out crisp and slightly chewy, and they liked that and the honey flavor. I may alternate the two.
I spent more time this day working on the knitted shawl. I am getting closer to the end, and am anxious to complete the work and see how it turns out. This Monday was a pretty mellow day without any excitement, except for Boots, one of the cats, hissing at me and taking off. He didn't come back until late at night, when I heard Star, the other cat, fighting with him and driving him away. I couldn't find him before bed, and expect he'll probably show up in the morning.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Another Sunny Weekend
Saturday dawned a beautiful, sunny day in Sonoma County. After staying up way too late the night before, I awoke to the sound of both of my alarms going off - one had been playing the radio for an hour and I hadn't noticed. On weekends I allow myself to "sleep in" until 6:00 am. The 5:00 am alarm had still been set, but wasn't as loud as a weekday morning. I laid there for a moment, thinking about curling up to go back to sleep, and then ... Zeus crowed from across the room. It was definitely time to get up. One of the projects planned for the weekend was getting a chicken coop built for the chicks to go outside. It's well beyond time.
I decided that it is also well beyond time to mix and mold some more goat's milk soap. I'd been putting it off for a while, because I had the brilliant idea to purchase the last order of glycerine in bulk. I didn't realize until it was delivered that the 25 pounds would come in One Huge Block, and not in the neat one-pound blocks I'd been used to. It was a daunting task ahead, but since I'd successfully cut off a couple pounds before, I knew it was definitely possible. This is one huge block o' glycerine.
I ground some anise seeds to put into the soap. I love the smell of this soap and hope that it will work well on the etsy.com web site. This will be the first time I've listed soap on the site, so my fingers are crossed!
Bette brought down some more plants, so I got the rest of the tomatoes into two beds now, and we are working toward getting more raised beds completed so we can plant the rest.
The yellowjackets are still trying to build nests in the pickup, and I am knocking them down when I find them. We bought a couple of traps, but they aren't attracting anything. This is the first time I've ever had that happen. I kept moving one trap closer and closer, until I finally decided to do this.
I've added more attractant to the bait and will see what happens this weekend. I don't know why the trap isn't working!
Zeus waited to crow until 7:00 am Sunday morning, so he wasn't my alarm clock. It's so nice to add to my morning routine a walk to the garden to tend to the new plants. There's still so much left to do, but we are making good progress.
Sunday is Farmers Market Day in Windsor! This seems to be the only day that Becca asks me to be sure to wake her in the morning and not allow her to sleep late. We both look forward to going to the market. We tried some breakfast burritos there, which we both found to be too bland. That's probably a good thing, since I should be making them at home myself before we leave. There were tons of plants, and my daughter and son-in-law picked some up (they met us there). We brought home some beautiful Meyer lemons so Becca can make her wonderful lemonade. These were organic Meyer lemons at half the price of "normal" lemons at the grocery store. Bargain!
We split up for the ride to my place, with Becca riding with her sister and brother-in-law, as we were going to work on a chicken coop. When I got home I immediately noticed that one of my favorite, everyday use, cowboy boots was missing, and I had a sinking feeling. I looked in the other room and found ... half of it.
I did a lot of yelling, and put Breezy in her crate outside. I couldn't stop crying. She used to be an awful shoe-chewer when she was a puppy (and destroyed a loveseat and chewed on the corners of walls), but in the ensuing many years she appeared to have broken that habit. I don't know what has gotten into her to make her revert these last few weeks. I use these boots every day and I don't know what I'm going to do without them. On our way to the farmers market earlier in the day, I was even thinking I should check the soles when I got home to see if they need upkeep, because I wanted them to last a good, long time. I guess that's not going to happen.
On a brighter note, my daughter and her husband arrived with Becca soon after to help us build a chicken coop. They offered some comfort and several hours of distraction, which helped a lot. Using scrap wood that I had around, Cory lead the design effort to put together a sturdy, comfortable home for the Americaunas. The other chicks will join them when they're a little bigger. Every time I look at it, I am so pleased with what we accomplished!
Becca went in the house to get Zeus and Persephone, and came out with one perched on each hand. Just as she exited the house with them, the radio station played the song that she and Jessi had been waiting for to win tickets to a concert. She rushed over, we opened the coop, and she rather unceremoniously placed them into their new environment. I quickly opened the door again and saw them just huddled on the floor of the coop, looking frightened. I reached in to pet and soothe them, and soon after they stood up and walked slowly out of the door. They were immediately happy, scratching and pecking, eventually chirping. It was a bit of a challenge to get them back into the coop later in the evening for their safety overnight, but we did. I worried about them all night, and checked on them several times before going to bed, to make sure they were okay. They're able to be in the cooler temperatures now, but aren't used to it yet. I felt bad for them, but was relieved that the two biggest chicks were out of the house.
Being outside most of the day, on my feet and walking and carrying, etc., made for one tired mama. It was all we could do to put some pasta together for dinner, then after showers hit the sack. The tiredness and soreness was pleasant, though, after a day of fun, family, and projects completed well.
A short update on the hot chocolate mix I assembled earlier in the week. On Friday morning, I used the homemade mix in the girls' morning mocha and hot chocolate, and didn't say anything about the change. Becca asked me Friday night on the way home if I'd used it. I told her yes, and asked if she liked it. She said it was better, and that she liked the salt. I hadn't even told her that I thought it was too salty. Starbucks has been making a salted caramel hot chocolate, so I guess salt, chocolate and caramel all work together well. It appears that I can use the homemade mix without objection, thank goodness!
I decided that it is also well beyond time to mix and mold some more goat's milk soap. I'd been putting it off for a while, because I had the brilliant idea to purchase the last order of glycerine in bulk. I didn't realize until it was delivered that the 25 pounds would come in One Huge Block, and not in the neat one-pound blocks I'd been used to. It was a daunting task ahead, but since I'd successfully cut off a couple pounds before, I knew it was definitely possible. This is one huge block o' glycerine.
I ground some anise seeds to put into the soap. I love the smell of this soap and hope that it will work well on the etsy.com web site. This will be the first time I've listed soap on the site, so my fingers are crossed!
Bette brought down some more plants, so I got the rest of the tomatoes into two beds now, and we are working toward getting more raised beds completed so we can plant the rest.
The yellowjackets are still trying to build nests in the pickup, and I am knocking them down when I find them. We bought a couple of traps, but they aren't attracting anything. This is the first time I've ever had that happen. I kept moving one trap closer and closer, until I finally decided to do this.
I've added more attractant to the bait and will see what happens this weekend. I don't know why the trap isn't working!
Zeus waited to crow until 7:00 am Sunday morning, so he wasn't my alarm clock. It's so nice to add to my morning routine a walk to the garden to tend to the new plants. There's still so much left to do, but we are making good progress.
Sunday is Farmers Market Day in Windsor! This seems to be the only day that Becca asks me to be sure to wake her in the morning and not allow her to sleep late. We both look forward to going to the market. We tried some breakfast burritos there, which we both found to be too bland. That's probably a good thing, since I should be making them at home myself before we leave. There were tons of plants, and my daughter and son-in-law picked some up (they met us there). We brought home some beautiful Meyer lemons so Becca can make her wonderful lemonade. These were organic Meyer lemons at half the price of "normal" lemons at the grocery store. Bargain!
We split up for the ride to my place, with Becca riding with her sister and brother-in-law, as we were going to work on a chicken coop. When I got home I immediately noticed that one of my favorite, everyday use, cowboy boots was missing, and I had a sinking feeling. I looked in the other room and found ... half of it.
I did a lot of yelling, and put Breezy in her crate outside. I couldn't stop crying. She used to be an awful shoe-chewer when she was a puppy (and destroyed a loveseat and chewed on the corners of walls), but in the ensuing many years she appeared to have broken that habit. I don't know what has gotten into her to make her revert these last few weeks. I use these boots every day and I don't know what I'm going to do without them. On our way to the farmers market earlier in the day, I was even thinking I should check the soles when I got home to see if they need upkeep, because I wanted them to last a good, long time. I guess that's not going to happen.
On a brighter note, my daughter and her husband arrived with Becca soon after to help us build a chicken coop. They offered some comfort and several hours of distraction, which helped a lot. Using scrap wood that I had around, Cory lead the design effort to put together a sturdy, comfortable home for the Americaunas. The other chicks will join them when they're a little bigger. Every time I look at it, I am so pleased with what we accomplished!
Becca went in the house to get Zeus and Persephone, and came out with one perched on each hand. Just as she exited the house with them, the radio station played the song that she and Jessi had been waiting for to win tickets to a concert. She rushed over, we opened the coop, and she rather unceremoniously placed them into their new environment. I quickly opened the door again and saw them just huddled on the floor of the coop, looking frightened. I reached in to pet and soothe them, and soon after they stood up and walked slowly out of the door. They were immediately happy, scratching and pecking, eventually chirping. It was a bit of a challenge to get them back into the coop later in the evening for their safety overnight, but we did. I worried about them all night, and checked on them several times before going to bed, to make sure they were okay. They're able to be in the cooler temperatures now, but aren't used to it yet. I felt bad for them, but was relieved that the two biggest chicks were out of the house.
Being outside most of the day, on my feet and walking and carrying, etc., made for one tired mama. It was all we could do to put some pasta together for dinner, then after showers hit the sack. The tiredness and soreness was pleasant, though, after a day of fun, family, and projects completed well.
A short update on the hot chocolate mix I assembled earlier in the week. On Friday morning, I used the homemade mix in the girls' morning mocha and hot chocolate, and didn't say anything about the change. Becca asked me Friday night on the way home if I'd used it. I told her yes, and asked if she liked it. She said it was better, and that she liked the salt. I hadn't even told her that I thought it was too salty. Starbucks has been making a salted caramel hot chocolate, so I guess salt, chocolate and caramel all work together well. It appears that I can use the homemade mix without objection, thank goodness!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Happy Friday Gardening!
Our home is located a little over a half mile from the main road, up a winding, somewhat paved drive. It is a great way to start the day, as often we spot wildlife (deer, squirrels, coyotes, bobcats, skunks, wild pigs) and get gorgeous views of spectacular sunrises, or the fog hanging in the valleys or playing with the tops of the high hills and Mount St. Helena. On those rainy, blustery, awful, muddy days, it can be an adventure, but the good times always outweigh the challenges. The mailbox and gate are at the road, and I stop to let Becca get the mail and open the gate. Thursday afternoon, she came back to the car with the mail - and a butterfly on her hand.
(Yes, that is a henna design on her hand.)
Becca said the butterfly was lying flat in the roadway, and she thought it was dead until she saw it move its wings. She gently picked it up, and was so excited, because she's never held a butterfly before. It flew while in the car, so we knew it was okay, and Becca freed it when we got to the house.
Friday dawned clear and cool. There's not enough time on Fridays to do any major cooking, so with the weather being so good, it was time to get outside and get busy. I had wanted to make Eggs Benedict, but Becca used all of the eggs (and butter!) in her cupcakes the night before. Yes, Roxie lays eggs, but that's one a day. When the chicks start laying (we'd better not have any more roosters!), we will catch up more quickly. Croissants appear to be a huge undertaking, so as I looked through and rejected recipes it became clear that I was really needed in the garden.
It was going to be a warm day, but these days there's no way I'll work outside in sandals. The boots went on right away.
My first "weapon" of choice is the weed whacker, of course, to drop down some grass as I made my way to the garden. I got a lot accomplished, and I "rediscovered" the rosemary bush that had been overgrown.
One thing that happens when putting plants in a greenhouse is that they don't get the benefit of the rain and overnight fog, so I gave the seedlings in there their daily dose of water. I took a closer look at the tray holding the mixed up plants from when I'd dropped it, and I noticed two cucumber seedlings that were in the wrong place. I can't tell yet if they are lemon cucumber or regular, but as long as they're in the general cucumber area and are planted appropriately, we'll figure it out soon enough. This tray is like a puzzle, as I move the pieces around when their place is recognized.
After getting out of the sauna of the greenhouse, I turned to the garden beds. My hope is that we'll be able to plan ahead and have a thriving winter garden and fresh produce year-round. This winter, the garden was untended, so except for the kale, collards, parsley and onions, everything was gone. Weeds had overtaken some of the bare spaces and soil had compacted and/or washed out. I turned the sprinklers on to moisten the soil while I went after grass surrounding the beds, and then got to work with hoe and hands to get the weeds out. I added more soil to one bed, and planted our first two tomato plants! I added the support cages and set the sprinklers, then stepped back to enjoy the sight.
These plants were purchased at last weekend's farmers' market from the Windsor Community Garden. One is an Early Girl and the other, Cherokee Purple.
I turned to another garden bed to pull weeds, and discovered that last year's cilantro had reseeded itself. I carefully cleared around it so we don't accidentally pull it later. I have some seedlings I'd picked up at the high school Ag Department's plant sale, so I'll add that next to it so there will be no doubt what's there.
As I picked up and put away tools and pots, I noticed Star pouncing, very attentive and energetic, on top of an old tarp.
I'm sure that his new playmate was a lizard or toad, but I didn't want to disturb his play, or get too close to find out, so I let him have his fun. The good thing is there was no rattling sound.
There was still plenty left to be done, but by now it was noon, the sun was hot and I was hungry. The quiet coolness of the house was refreshing and wonderful. After scrubbing the garden dirt from under my fingernails, I reached into the fridge and pulled out a little bit of yesterday's potato salad. Probably not the "best" as a standalone meal, but a little bit of it hit the spot. Then it was time to relax with knitting until time to start the trip to my parents' house for "family dinner" night.
(Yes, that is a henna design on her hand.)
Becca said the butterfly was lying flat in the roadway, and she thought it was dead until she saw it move its wings. She gently picked it up, and was so excited, because she's never held a butterfly before. It flew while in the car, so we knew it was okay, and Becca freed it when we got to the house.
Friday dawned clear and cool. There's not enough time on Fridays to do any major cooking, so with the weather being so good, it was time to get outside and get busy. I had wanted to make Eggs Benedict, but Becca used all of the eggs (and butter!) in her cupcakes the night before. Yes, Roxie lays eggs, but that's one a day. When the chicks start laying (we'd better not have any more roosters!), we will catch up more quickly. Croissants appear to be a huge undertaking, so as I looked through and rejected recipes it became clear that I was really needed in the garden.
It was going to be a warm day, but these days there's no way I'll work outside in sandals. The boots went on right away.
My first "weapon" of choice is the weed whacker, of course, to drop down some grass as I made my way to the garden. I got a lot accomplished, and I "rediscovered" the rosemary bush that had been overgrown.
One thing that happens when putting plants in a greenhouse is that they don't get the benefit of the rain and overnight fog, so I gave the seedlings in there their daily dose of water. I took a closer look at the tray holding the mixed up plants from when I'd dropped it, and I noticed two cucumber seedlings that were in the wrong place. I can't tell yet if they are lemon cucumber or regular, but as long as they're in the general cucumber area and are planted appropriately, we'll figure it out soon enough. This tray is like a puzzle, as I move the pieces around when their place is recognized.
After getting out of the sauna of the greenhouse, I turned to the garden beds. My hope is that we'll be able to plan ahead and have a thriving winter garden and fresh produce year-round. This winter, the garden was untended, so except for the kale, collards, parsley and onions, everything was gone. Weeds had overtaken some of the bare spaces and soil had compacted and/or washed out. I turned the sprinklers on to moisten the soil while I went after grass surrounding the beds, and then got to work with hoe and hands to get the weeds out. I added more soil to one bed, and planted our first two tomato plants! I added the support cages and set the sprinklers, then stepped back to enjoy the sight.
These plants were purchased at last weekend's farmers' market from the Windsor Community Garden. One is an Early Girl and the other, Cherokee Purple.
I turned to another garden bed to pull weeds, and discovered that last year's cilantro had reseeded itself. I carefully cleared around it so we don't accidentally pull it later. I have some seedlings I'd picked up at the high school Ag Department's plant sale, so I'll add that next to it so there will be no doubt what's there.
As I picked up and put away tools and pots, I noticed Star pouncing, very attentive and energetic, on top of an old tarp.
I'm sure that his new playmate was a lizard or toad, but I didn't want to disturb his play, or get too close to find out, so I let him have his fun. The good thing is there was no rattling sound.
There was still plenty left to be done, but by now it was noon, the sun was hot and I was hungry. The quiet coolness of the house was refreshing and wonderful. After scrubbing the garden dirt from under my fingernails, I reached into the fridge and pulled out a little bit of yesterday's potato salad. Probably not the "best" as a standalone meal, but a little bit of it hit the spot. Then it was time to relax with knitting until time to start the trip to my parents' house for "family dinner" night.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Hot Cocoa and Sourdough Kinda Day, and Looking Forward to Summer
The morning dawned cloudy, but no rain while I fed and moved the goats. Just before we left for school, the skies opened and it poured. By the time I got back home, it was sunny with clouds on the fringe. Then cold wind, then sunshine. The forecast called for rain, but the sky didn't seem certain of what it wanted to do. Neither was I.
I stopped by the feed store to get chick feed. Those babies eat so much!! I'm anxious to get the coop built and get the Americaunas outside. They're too big for their enclosure, and there's just something not right about a rooster crowing in the house. It doesn't even help wake Becca in the morning.
Big John's Market was next, as part of my quest to find organic and/or non-GMO cornmeal. They have Red Mill cornmeal, but after reading all four sides of the package and checking to see if there was anything on the bottom, there was nothing there that made me willing to use it. There was a purple corn flour that was organic, but nearly $20 for a small package didn't seem right. After all, one of the reasons that I'm trying these recipes out is to try to save money. When I got home, I checked online and found that Red Mill and King Arthur Flour both have organic cornmeal available online, though King Arthur's listing told me that they're sorry it's not available. That's okay, because King Arthur's cornmeal is much more expensive than Red Mill, and Red Mill actually has it available. I hate paying shipping for something that might be available locally, so I'm going to check Oliver's for it, and also ask Big John's if they will start stocking organic.
The sourdough starter I've been working with isn't working, so I dumped it and intend to start a new batch, this time with starter from San Francisco. Let's hope this works better. I think that the warmer days will help, as it has been pretty cold here, and we don't centrally heat the house.
The next recipe to try in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter is hot chocolate mix. I'm not a big fan of the stuff, though Becca likes it, and I do use it when making mochas and hot chocolate for the girls in the morning. (For those of you who don't know, I include Sophie, who car pools with us to school, in these treats because I really love her. Her birthday is the same as mine, so that makes her practically family, too, right?) I really don't like the soy in the mixes available (even Ghirardelli's "ground chocolate" has soy!), so this is a good option to get away from that. The recipe is super simple, and Jennifer assures me in the book that it's better than store-bought.
Assembling the three ingredients was easy. Trying to sift them into a bowl, was a P.I.T.A. The chocolate was getting all over the place, and the brown sugar wouldn't go through the sifter. I finally turned over the sifter and dumped the mess into the bowl, using a whisk to mix, and my fingers to pick up and crush any errant small lumps of sugar.
I was eager to try this and heated some milk, then carefully measured in the chocolate mix and the vanilla. It was a little salty to my taste, but otherwise good, and definitely better than Swiss Miss or Nestle. It's hard for me to judge, since I don't really drink hot choc-- Well, I could put some coffee in there.......
Yes. This is going to make a good mocha, using a little less salt next time.
When I took the little bit of time I had on Wednesday (the English Muffin Fiasco Day) to knit, I caught a show that's new to me on television. It's called "The Chew," and appears to be a bit of a wacky morning talk/cooking show. Talking about cooking. Or cooking while talking and goofing around is probably more like it. There was a potato salad recipe I'd like to try, so I decided to give that a go. Easy, summer prep-like, and not likely to burn the house down.
The recipe can be found here, and I've also listed it at the bottom of this post, correcting the typo error from the online version, and eliminating the instructions for a simple roast beef sandwich. Yes, I like bacon, almost anything with bacon in it. In fact, the other night, Becca and I had a pasta dish with homemade sauce made from diced tomatoes, onions, and garlic, with wine and BACON. Heaven.
The potatoes went on the stove to boil, and the bacon in the pan to fry. At just the right time, I got an invite to go meet Bette's new dog, Jake. Isn't he pretty?
He gets along great with baby goat Hope, too.
By the time I got back home, the potatoes were cooled and ready to cut. I folded the mayo mixture into the potatoes and tasted it. It's good! Is it different from other potato salads I've made? Yes, a bit. I like the few differences. I've never used red potatoes in potato salad before, and I like the texture. The dressing seems lighter (I admit that I used about twice as many potatoes as the recipe calls for), and I love the bacon surprises. "Oh, yeah! There's bacon in here!" (I would probably add more bacon next time, especially since I doubled the potatoes.) I realized later I'd forgotten about adding the corn. Der. I'll try adding that next time.
By the time I'd eaten the potato I'd set aside for brunch and put the salad in the fridge, it was time to get out of the kitchen again, and head out to pick up kids at high school. After coming home, Becca, as typical, didn't want to taste the potato salad. When she did taste it, cautiously, she asked for more - enthusiastically.
I saw a mouse in the hen house, lying in wait under the area where Roxie's eggs drop safely where she can't peck them. It snuck up to try to get the egg I was reaching for and gave me a scare! I'll pick up some mouse pouches with Balsam fir (called Fresh Cab Mouse Pouch) to see if that'll keep them away! (You can find the pouches on Amazon, but your Ace Hardware store will likely have it at a much lower cost, without added shipping.)
Becca made four dozen lavender cupcakes to share with her Visual Fine Arts class. One of these days she'll need to make some to keep! I noticed our lavender bush is blooming, so we'll gather the flowers from now on so we don't have to buy them. One small package goes a long, long way, but it is expensive.
Red Potato Salad with Bacon
1 pound Red-skinned New Potatoes
3 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Bacon (crumbled)
1/4 cup Scallions (thinly sliced)
1 cup Corn (fresh or frozen and thawed)
4 Hard Boiled Eggs (peeled and chopped)
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Place the potatoes in a large pot of seasoned water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and let cool.
Quarter the potatoes and place in serving bowl.
Mix together the dijon mustard, mayonnaise, bacon, scallions, corn and hard boiled eggs until mixed and then fold into the potato salad to serve. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
I stopped by the feed store to get chick feed. Those babies eat so much!! I'm anxious to get the coop built and get the Americaunas outside. They're too big for their enclosure, and there's just something not right about a rooster crowing in the house. It doesn't even help wake Becca in the morning.
Big John's Market was next, as part of my quest to find organic and/or non-GMO cornmeal. They have Red Mill cornmeal, but after reading all four sides of the package and checking to see if there was anything on the bottom, there was nothing there that made me willing to use it. There was a purple corn flour that was organic, but nearly $20 for a small package didn't seem right. After all, one of the reasons that I'm trying these recipes out is to try to save money. When I got home, I checked online and found that Red Mill and King Arthur Flour both have organic cornmeal available online, though King Arthur's listing told me that they're sorry it's not available. That's okay, because King Arthur's cornmeal is much more expensive than Red Mill, and Red Mill actually has it available. I hate paying shipping for something that might be available locally, so I'm going to check Oliver's for it, and also ask Big John's if they will start stocking organic.
The sourdough starter I've been working with isn't working, so I dumped it and intend to start a new batch, this time with starter from San Francisco. Let's hope this works better. I think that the warmer days will help, as it has been pretty cold here, and we don't centrally heat the house.
The next recipe to try in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter is hot chocolate mix. I'm not a big fan of the stuff, though Becca likes it, and I do use it when making mochas and hot chocolate for the girls in the morning. (For those of you who don't know, I include Sophie, who car pools with us to school, in these treats because I really love her. Her birthday is the same as mine, so that makes her practically family, too, right?) I really don't like the soy in the mixes available (even Ghirardelli's "ground chocolate" has soy!), so this is a good option to get away from that. The recipe is super simple, and Jennifer assures me in the book that it's better than store-bought.
Assembling the three ingredients was easy. Trying to sift them into a bowl, was a P.I.T.A. The chocolate was getting all over the place, and the brown sugar wouldn't go through the sifter. I finally turned over the sifter and dumped the mess into the bowl, using a whisk to mix, and my fingers to pick up and crush any errant small lumps of sugar.
I was eager to try this and heated some milk, then carefully measured in the chocolate mix and the vanilla. It was a little salty to my taste, but otherwise good, and definitely better than Swiss Miss or Nestle. It's hard for me to judge, since I don't really drink hot choc-- Well, I could put some coffee in there.......
Yes. This is going to make a good mocha, using a little less salt next time.
When I took the little bit of time I had on Wednesday (the English Muffin Fiasco Day) to knit, I caught a show that's new to me on television. It's called "The Chew," and appears to be a bit of a wacky morning talk/cooking show. Talking about cooking. Or cooking while talking and goofing around is probably more like it. There was a potato salad recipe I'd like to try, so I decided to give that a go. Easy, summer prep-like, and not likely to burn the house down.
The recipe can be found here, and I've also listed it at the bottom of this post, correcting the typo error from the online version, and eliminating the instructions for a simple roast beef sandwich. Yes, I like bacon, almost anything with bacon in it. In fact, the other night, Becca and I had a pasta dish with homemade sauce made from diced tomatoes, onions, and garlic, with wine and BACON. Heaven.
The potatoes went on the stove to boil, and the bacon in the pan to fry. At just the right time, I got an invite to go meet Bette's new dog, Jake. Isn't he pretty?
He gets along great with baby goat Hope, too.
By the time I got back home, the potatoes were cooled and ready to cut. I folded the mayo mixture into the potatoes and tasted it. It's good! Is it different from other potato salads I've made? Yes, a bit. I like the few differences. I've never used red potatoes in potato salad before, and I like the texture. The dressing seems lighter (I admit that I used about twice as many potatoes as the recipe calls for), and I love the bacon surprises. "Oh, yeah! There's bacon in here!" (I would probably add more bacon next time, especially since I doubled the potatoes.) I realized later I'd forgotten about adding the corn. Der. I'll try adding that next time.
By the time I'd eaten the potato I'd set aside for brunch and put the salad in the fridge, it was time to get out of the kitchen again, and head out to pick up kids at high school. After coming home, Becca, as typical, didn't want to taste the potato salad. When she did taste it, cautiously, she asked for more - enthusiastically.
I saw a mouse in the hen house, lying in wait under the area where Roxie's eggs drop safely where she can't peck them. It snuck up to try to get the egg I was reaching for and gave me a scare! I'll pick up some mouse pouches with Balsam fir (called Fresh Cab Mouse Pouch) to see if that'll keep them away! (You can find the pouches on Amazon, but your Ace Hardware store will likely have it at a much lower cost, without added shipping.)
Becca made four dozen lavender cupcakes to share with her Visual Fine Arts class. One of these days she'll need to make some to keep! I noticed our lavender bush is blooming, so we'll gather the flowers from now on so we don't have to buy them. One small package goes a long, long way, but it is expensive.
Red Potato Salad with Bacon
1 pound Red-skinned New Potatoes
3 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Bacon (crumbled)
1/4 cup Scallions (thinly sliced)
1 cup Corn (fresh or frozen and thawed)
4 Hard Boiled Eggs (peeled and chopped)
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Place the potatoes in a large pot of seasoned water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and let cool.
Quarter the potatoes and place in serving bowl.
Mix together the dijon mustard, mayonnaise, bacon, scallions, corn and hard boiled eggs until mixed and then fold into the potato salad to serve. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
I Should Have Followed My Instincts
I woke up ready for an easy day. No motivation to do anything, just wanting to work on my knitting, maybe make some granola. Becca's friends at school are going nuts (no pun intended) over the granola, so I sent the rest of yesterday's batch with her ... she's going to see if she can sell it. (If I had a coffee cart, the kids would fall over themselves to get goat's milk mochas with cajeta.)
I kept checking the yogurt and it was still thin. It's so thin that it can't even be strained into "Greek yogurt" because all of the yogurt passes through even doubled cheesecloth. It could be a good smoothie type drink. If I want to eat yogurt with a spoon, I'm going to have to investigate this further. It smells and tastes good, though!
Before I could start on any cooking projects, the technician from Dish Network appeared. I love it when I'm at the beginning of a utility window. The projected time was 8am to noon. Super nice guy. While he was running the tests on the system (it quit working twice yesterday, then of course was working fine this morning), we chatted and discovered that both our kids are in Ag science classes at SRHS, and his kid is raising chicks, too. We had a good conversation while he did his work about schools, ArtQuest, beer brewing (he is), cheese making (I am and his wife wants to), the best places to get the stuff, goats, chickens, Sonoma County. What a fun way to start the morning.
Granola was on the kitchen menu, but I skipped hash browns, pancakes, and waffles, which were the next recipes I'd bookmarked in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. I've made them from scratch before, and if I want to in the future, I might try Jennifer's recipes.
English muffins, though, now that's a new one. I decided to put the ingredients in the bread machine to make the dough and try this one out. I planned that while the dough was rising and the granola baking, I could work on the knitted shawl I'm making. I'm excited about getting near the end, as this has been a project I've worked on for weeks, a huge lace shawl made from Angora and silk yarn. I hope it turns out good! It's hard to tell, because I'm knitting it on circular needles at this part of the pattern. Becca says it looks like a yarn diaper on the needles. She's got a point. So much of a point that I'm not going to post a picture of the work in progress.
I started the English muffin dough and granola, and then I got distracted by the leaves all over the back patio. So I got the leaf blower out instead of picking up the knitting needles. That didn't take a whole lot of time, so I got knitting when I came back in. It looked like it was going to rain soon anyway.
I think I should have listened to my intuition and not gone into the kitchen for anything other than the granola and my morning coffee. The dough for the muffins turned out light and beautiful. It was easy to roll. Then everything went wrong. I think the skillet was too hot. The first batch into it burned almost immediately. I cleaned and cooled the pan a little, but they still cooked too quickly. Smoke filled the kitchen and living area. It stunk of burnt cornmeal. The recipe says to heat a cast-iron skillet very hot and then decrease the temperature to medium after adding the muffins. I don't know what kind of cast-iron skillet Jennifer was using, but mine holds heat for a long time. I looked at two other recipes online and both say to cook the muffins over medium or medium-low heat without super-pre-heating. I had four muffins left, so I cooled the skillet down more and tried again. I opened every window in the house, the reek of burnt cornmeal filling the air and overpowering the lovely cinnamon-maple-sugar scent from the granola.
I thought, "I'm going to smell wonderful when I pick the kids up from school, aren't I?"
I then thought, "I have a headache."
I proceeded to burn the last four muffins, and was absolutely, positively done. I hadn't bought cornmeal yet, so I had improvised (dumb move!) and sifted the purple cornmeal out of the mix I had from Bridgeton Mill. It was probably too coarse, and contributed to the burn.
I shelved this recipe for when I have regular cornmeal, then hit the shower, and went back to my knitting, which I should have done in the first place.
I kept checking the yogurt and it was still thin. It's so thin that it can't even be strained into "Greek yogurt" because all of the yogurt passes through even doubled cheesecloth. It could be a good smoothie type drink. If I want to eat yogurt with a spoon, I'm going to have to investigate this further. It smells and tastes good, though!
Before I could start on any cooking projects, the technician from Dish Network appeared. I love it when I'm at the beginning of a utility window. The projected time was 8am to noon. Super nice guy. While he was running the tests on the system (it quit working twice yesterday, then of course was working fine this morning), we chatted and discovered that both our kids are in Ag science classes at SRHS, and his kid is raising chicks, too. We had a good conversation while he did his work about schools, ArtQuest, beer brewing (he is), cheese making (I am and his wife wants to), the best places to get the stuff, goats, chickens, Sonoma County. What a fun way to start the morning.
Granola was on the kitchen menu, but I skipped hash browns, pancakes, and waffles, which were the next recipes I'd bookmarked in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. I've made them from scratch before, and if I want to in the future, I might try Jennifer's recipes.
English muffins, though, now that's a new one. I decided to put the ingredients in the bread machine to make the dough and try this one out. I planned that while the dough was rising and the granola baking, I could work on the knitted shawl I'm making. I'm excited about getting near the end, as this has been a project I've worked on for weeks, a huge lace shawl made from Angora and silk yarn. I hope it turns out good! It's hard to tell, because I'm knitting it on circular needles at this part of the pattern. Becca says it looks like a yarn diaper on the needles. She's got a point. So much of a point that I'm not going to post a picture of the work in progress.
I started the English muffin dough and granola, and then I got distracted by the leaves all over the back patio. So I got the leaf blower out instead of picking up the knitting needles. That didn't take a whole lot of time, so I got knitting when I came back in. It looked like it was going to rain soon anyway.
I think I should have listened to my intuition and not gone into the kitchen for anything other than the granola and my morning coffee. The dough for the muffins turned out light and beautiful. It was easy to roll. Then everything went wrong. I think the skillet was too hot. The first batch into it burned almost immediately. I cleaned and cooled the pan a little, but they still cooked too quickly. Smoke filled the kitchen and living area. It stunk of burnt cornmeal. The recipe says to heat a cast-iron skillet very hot and then decrease the temperature to medium after adding the muffins. I don't know what kind of cast-iron skillet Jennifer was using, but mine holds heat for a long time. I looked at two other recipes online and both say to cook the muffins over medium or medium-low heat without super-pre-heating. I had four muffins left, so I cooled the skillet down more and tried again. I opened every window in the house, the reek of burnt cornmeal filling the air and overpowering the lovely cinnamon-maple-sugar scent from the granola.
I thought, "I'm going to smell wonderful when I pick the kids up from school, aren't I?"
I then thought, "I have a headache."
I proceeded to burn the last four muffins, and was absolutely, positively done. I hadn't bought cornmeal yet, so I had improvised (dumb move!) and sifted the purple cornmeal out of the mix I had from Bridgeton Mill. It was probably too coarse, and contributed to the burn.
I shelved this recipe for when I have regular cornmeal, then hit the shower, and went back to my knitting, which I should have done in the first place.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
It's a Yogurt and Granola Day
It looked like it had rained overnight. The ground was damp, but from the clouds and drizzle, it was clear that this was just a wet, wet night with no real rain. The damp grass meant that it was worthless to try and whack wet weeds, so the focus was indoors right away.
I sent the rest of the granola with Becca to school, so making another batch was on the agenda for the day. I added cinnamon to this batch, and it smelled and tasted even better.
The next Make the Bread, Buy the Butter challenge was yogurt. I've made yogurt in the past, using a crock pot method. It was really good, but always a bit too thin. I am hopeful that Jennifer Reese's recipe will provide different results.
One of the things I really enjoy about Jennifer's book is that she tells stories throughout, and adds comments in the recipe and instructions. It's like having a friend in the kitchen with you while you're making these. Well, okay. An imaginary friend, since I don't really know her and she's not here. At least I don't answer the voices in my head.
She says that you can either "stir the milk constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, or spend five minutes scrubbing when you're through. Your call." I'm lazy. I don't want to do either. I also make cajeta (caramel sauce) every week, so I know how to heat milk to the verge of a boil without burning it, so I set the pan on the stove and turned the dial to the "cajeta setting," stirring occasionally when I thought to check it.
One minor complaint here. If a temperature can be given for when to add the culture, why can't a temperature be given (or at least a range) for when to stop heating the milk? "On the verge of a boil" is probably a different feel for everyone, and I don't know if my "on the verge" was the same as Jennifer's.
The milk took its sweet time cooling because I didn't bother to put it in an ice bath. There was plenty to do while waiting for it to cool to the right temperature, like go out to the garden and dig weeds out of the now-moist garden beds to get them ready to plant. If the weather is right, we should be able to get tomatoes, radishes, and corn in this week. Those seedlings, especially, are rarin' to go.
Larry took care of some burn piles so the snakes won't have easy places to hide. Traz stayed in the box. All in all, it was a pretty darn good day.
Oh. Did I say previously that the cinnamon cajeta was a guaranteed success? It. Was. Not. Problems happen when you step outside those last minutes of simmering cajeta, because the water line got busted and you saw a rattlesnake. It tastes fine, but is more like a thick candy than a sauce. At least I didn't burn it.
I sent the rest of the granola with Becca to school, so making another batch was on the agenda for the day. I added cinnamon to this batch, and it smelled and tasted even better.
The next Make the Bread, Buy the Butter challenge was yogurt. I've made yogurt in the past, using a crock pot method. It was really good, but always a bit too thin. I am hopeful that Jennifer Reese's recipe will provide different results.
One of the things I really enjoy about Jennifer's book is that she tells stories throughout, and adds comments in the recipe and instructions. It's like having a friend in the kitchen with you while you're making these. Well, okay. An imaginary friend, since I don't really know her and she's not here. At least I don't answer the voices in my head.
She says that you can either "stir the milk constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, or spend five minutes scrubbing when you're through. Your call." I'm lazy. I don't want to do either. I also make cajeta (caramel sauce) every week, so I know how to heat milk to the verge of a boil without burning it, so I set the pan on the stove and turned the dial to the "cajeta setting," stirring occasionally when I thought to check it.
One minor complaint here. If a temperature can be given for when to add the culture, why can't a temperature be given (or at least a range) for when to stop heating the milk? "On the verge of a boil" is probably a different feel for everyone, and I don't know if my "on the verge" was the same as Jennifer's.
The milk took its sweet time cooling because I didn't bother to put it in an ice bath. There was plenty to do while waiting for it to cool to the right temperature, like go out to the garden and dig weeds out of the now-moist garden beds to get them ready to plant. If the weather is right, we should be able to get tomatoes, radishes, and corn in this week. Those seedlings, especially, are rarin' to go.
Larry took care of some burn piles so the snakes won't have easy places to hide. Traz stayed in the box. All in all, it was a pretty darn good day.
Oh. Did I say previously that the cinnamon cajeta was a guaranteed success? It. Was. Not. Problems happen when you step outside those last minutes of simmering cajeta, because the water line got busted and you saw a rattlesnake. It tastes fine, but is more like a thick candy than a sauce. At least I didn't burn it.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Crunchy Goodness
Monday morning dawned. Sort of. The sky lightened to grey. This was a misty, foggy Sonoma County morning. And it was still beautiful. Damp mornings like this invite bread-baking and things done indoors. They encourage you to listen to the quiet, and every sound seems muffled. There's always a peaceful feel to the morning air at the ranch, but each season has its own rhythm, it's own feel, it speaks to you differently.
Weed whacking is going to be ongoing for a while, and Monday was no exception. Back yard and near the barn this time.
I hadn't made bagels in about a week, and the kids were sad and missing them. This was the perfect morning to start a batch early. The last time I wrote about this King Arthur Flour recipe, I said I was going to modify it. I did, indeed, and discovered that sometimes a good thing is best left alone. I won't change the ingredients in this recipe again, except perhaps to add to it (cheese!). My previous suggestions about handling the dough are still good.
Cornbread is going to have to wait still. I went to the regular grocery store to find cornmeal, and there's nothing organic or trusted or guaranteed GMO free, so I will wait until I can get to Big John's and see what they have available.
The chevre turned out so good that I have decided I will not make cream cheese anymore. Chevre is better!
Since I've skipped cornbread for now, granola is the next recipe in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. It looked really simple, and all the ingredients needed were at hand.
Oh. My. Goodness. I tasted it before I put the granola into the oven. I could have eaten it all right then!
The house smelled like toasted oats, brown sugar and maple for an hour. When the granola was done, I couldn't wait to taste the golden brown, crunchy goodness. Success! I added 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest to the recipe just because I thought that would be good. It gives it just a slight hint of orange that goes well with the rest of the flavors. I skipped the wheat germ and coconut because I didn't have any and I'm not a big fan of them. The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be tailored to your taste. Fabulous!
The timing was perfect, and the bagels were ready to go into their water bath immediately after the granola was done. (I can hardly wait to break out the chevre to top a fresh bagel with.) Tuesday's venture is going to be yogurt, and I am looking forward to putting some of this granola on top of that!
I brought a quart jar full of the granola in the car when I picked Becca and Sophie up from school. By the time they got in the car, 1/4 of it was gone. By the time we got home, only 1/4 was left. The granola is a big hit, and the kids are talking about selling it at school.
Monday night I did the regular chick head count and again came up one short. Traz had somehow gotten out of the box, which is more than four times her height, and found her way past the bird netting over the top. I secured it more carefully with clothespins. There's a cat in the next room and dogs in the house. I think Traz doesn't really understand how safe she is in the box. I'm looking at chicken coop plans so that we can get one built and get the chicks outside when the weather's better. Now that they are bigger, they are anxious to explore.
Weed whacking is going to be ongoing for a while, and Monday was no exception. Back yard and near the barn this time.
I hadn't made bagels in about a week, and the kids were sad and missing them. This was the perfect morning to start a batch early. The last time I wrote about this King Arthur Flour recipe, I said I was going to modify it. I did, indeed, and discovered that sometimes a good thing is best left alone. I won't change the ingredients in this recipe again, except perhaps to add to it (cheese!). My previous suggestions about handling the dough are still good.
Cornbread is going to have to wait still. I went to the regular grocery store to find cornmeal, and there's nothing organic or trusted or guaranteed GMO free, so I will wait until I can get to Big John's and see what they have available.
The chevre turned out so good that I have decided I will not make cream cheese anymore. Chevre is better!
Since I've skipped cornbread for now, granola is the next recipe in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter. It looked really simple, and all the ingredients needed were at hand.
Oh. My. Goodness. I tasted it before I put the granola into the oven. I could have eaten it all right then!
The house smelled like toasted oats, brown sugar and maple for an hour. When the granola was done, I couldn't wait to taste the golden brown, crunchy goodness. Success! I added 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest to the recipe just because I thought that would be good. It gives it just a slight hint of orange that goes well with the rest of the flavors. I skipped the wheat germ and coconut because I didn't have any and I'm not a big fan of them. The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be tailored to your taste. Fabulous!
The timing was perfect, and the bagels were ready to go into their water bath immediately after the granola was done. (I can hardly wait to break out the chevre to top a fresh bagel with.) Tuesday's venture is going to be yogurt, and I am looking forward to putting some of this granola on top of that!
I brought a quart jar full of the granola in the car when I picked Becca and Sophie up from school. By the time they got in the car, 1/4 of it was gone. By the time we got home, only 1/4 was left. The granola is a big hit, and the kids are talking about selling it at school.
Monday night I did the regular chick head count and again came up one short. Traz had somehow gotten out of the box, which is more than four times her height, and found her way past the bird netting over the top. I secured it more carefully with clothespins. There's a cat in the next room and dogs in the house. I think Traz doesn't really understand how safe she is in the box. I'm looking at chicken coop plans so that we can get one built and get the chicks outside when the weather's better. Now that they are bigger, they are anxious to explore.
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