Long Time

Wow…it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything. Life has been crazy hectic – trying to find a new home, packing up stuff, getting stuff ready to sell, working, son finishing up school and mixed in with all that…the day to day stuff. I like that word “stuff” – can ya tell?

We’ve been helping out a friend with her wood situation and when my hubby came back the other night, she had given him a dozen eggs from her chickens. Yummmm! This young woman is becoming a good friend and I am in awe of her. She runs her farm, writes a blog, writes books, runs workshops and she’s only in her early 30′s. Hell, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life at that age! She has taught us so much when it comes to running a farm; we are blessed to have her in our lives.

Fresh eggs

Homemade Yogurt

I found this recipe for slow cooker homemade yogurt and decided to give it a go.  Very easy to do, but it does take some time.  I used organic 2% milk and one cup of plain no fat yogurt from the store as a starter.  It is very good – definitely not as tart as the store bought plain yogurt – I could even use it in place of sour cream.  Joe had some this morning with a little bit of sugar and vanilla in it and gave it a thumbs up.  Here is the recipe:

1 gallon milk – skim, 1%, 2% or whole.  The less fat in the milk, the thinner it will be.  Pour into a crockpot and cook on low for two and a half hours.  Unplug and let sit covered for three hours.  When the time is up, take three to four cups of milk out of the crockpot and put into a mixing bowl; whisk in one cup of live culture, plain yogurt.  Pour contents of bowl back into the crockpot and whisk until mixed together. 

Put the cover back on and wrap a large towel (I used a flannel sheet) around the cooker to keep the warmth in.  Let it sit at least eight hours or overnight.

I ladled mine into glass mason jars.  You can also thicken the yogurt by putting it in cheesecloth and letting the liquid strain out.

Growth Group – something new

We’re going to growth group tonight.  It’s an offshoot from our church, Northstar Church.  Something new for us and I’m looking forward to it.  I think it’s a great way to end the weekend.  Friends, eats and spirituality.  There are 10 adults and 11 kids.  We have dinner first – each family contributes something and then the kids play while the adults talk about the sermon from earlier in the day.  It’s a relaxed kind of thing, just like our church.  I’m bringing dessert; chocolate chip cookies and cream cheese brownies.

 

Spiced Coffee

I’m trying to stay away from artificial colors and flavors.  In that vein, I’ve come up with a spice mix that can be added to coffee, tea, cider, warm apples – let your imagination run wild!

3T. cinnamon, 2 t. ginger, 2 t. nutmeg, 1 1/2 t. cloves and 1 1/2 t. allspice.  I keep it in a mason jar.  Use 1/2 t. per 8oz of liquid.

Enjoy!

Comfortable With Myself

There was a time when if I was by myself I considered it a bad thing.  If I didn’t have a lot of friends, there was something wrong with me.  But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I like being alone, I’m comfortable with myself and my own company.  I don’t need a million things going on to make me happy.  I’ve had friends that I thought would be with me until we died, but for one reason or another, we have drifted apart.  It took me a long time to realize that this is not my fault, nor is it theirs.  It just is.  I now have two friends who I can go to about anything.  One has been my friend since we were toddlers and the other since we were pregnant together over 14 years ago.  They are wonderful women, each in their own way, and I love them dearly.  We don’t have to talk every day and it could actually be weeks before we hear each other’s voice or see one another but we pick up without skipping a beat.  These are the best kind of friends to have.  I hope you have at least one of these in your life.

 

Snow and Rabbit

So, we’re expecting quite the snowstorm this weekend.  While I’m not crazy about shoveling, I say BRING IT ON!!  It’s becoming too infrequent that we get one of these storms.  Yes, I do think it’s because of climate change but I won’t get on my soapbox.  Suffice to say, they’re calling for 8-15 inches of the white stuff.  Enough to make it look pretty but not paralyzing.

On the other front, we had our first rabbit last night.  I used a recipe that called for dredging in flour, searing it and then cooking it in a light, herbed sauce.  I served it with bowtie pasta and while the flavor was good, the meat was a bit chewy.  I think it needs to cook slower, longer.  I’m making tomato sauce today and putting the leftovers in it to simmer all day.  It will be  a good dish to have tomorrow night while it snows.

Snow!

Yay!  It snowed last night.  Not much, just a dusting but it looks pretty.  I’ll enjoy it while I can because tomorrow calls for 50 degrees.

Note:  That is NOT a picture of our snow – wish it was…