Friends Maple Syrup

What a great day looking at my friends maple syrup process. I would love to try this one day, but since I don't have maple trees I just have their process to watch and learn. This is their second or third year of making their own. Which looked wonderful and they were having so much fun showing it to me. When I got there I saw the little blue cover tent out the back and wood being added. They are watching this the whole time.

                                              It has blocks under it, getting it off the ground.

On top they cut a hole to hold three big pans.

Two openings at this end to place wood in and create air flow

The pan in the middle has been boiling the longest and they take from the right and add to the middle. It was made out of an old oil tank. In the summer they plan to use it for a grill, take the pans out and place a rack over the hole. I didn't realise how long this process really was. Once they get it to a point they take the pans inside to complete the process and finish it out.

Friday It's Friday

I have not sat down and just wrote something in a long time. This week has been full of snow, rain and today is a beautiful spring like morning. It is still muddy outside from all the rain but the birds are talking as I went outside to dump the coffee beans on the garden. (They are very good for your plants) The sun is about to come up and I'm sitting thinking ohhhh I have so much to do this spring. But for now I will just enjoy the quite moment I'm in. I love mornings like this and I relaxed that is why I love camping and living in the country. There is just a pretty peace that you don't get in town. Well that is what I think anyway. Soon kids will be up and moving, lunches will be made, work will have to get done.
We are well into 2012 and I'm not sure I have sat down and wrote out all my goals. I know we need to fence in the garden this year if we want to eat anything before the chickens.  We also have to fix a two stone walls (They have been on the list for last year) and I would love to get some more fruit trees planted. As for animals I would love to add my two goats and some more chickens. Both meat and layers.  Welll my moment of quite is gone and I have to get into my day...........You have a wonderful day as well.

Basic Sandwich Bread - Mother Earth News

I still have  a long way to go when it comes to bread, but my plan is to stop buying it from the store. This is the first recipe where it did work well.

3 1/2 unbleached white flour
1 tbsp soften butter
1 egg beaten, I use my chicken eggs, nutrition value higher
1 tsp Salt use the full amount. I didn't the first time and it made a big difference
2 1/4 tsp dried yeast
1 1/4 cups milk at room temperature

1 egg, beaten and thinned with water. I tried it will milk too.

Note:If you rehdrating yeast with water, subtract the amount of water you added to the yeast from the milk.

Put flour in a mixing bowl, add soften butter. Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until no large pieces remain. Add egg, salt and yeast. I use my fingers to give it a quick stir. Then add milk to form a dough. I use my kitchen aid, until raggedy and rough.

Turn your mixer on and knead for a few minutes. You don't have to knead long just until it comes together.
Place in a clean, lightly buttered bowl. I leave it in my kitchen aid and cover with a big plastic bag and I don't butter, but you should. Leave until it doubles in bulk/size about an hour- 1 1/2 hours. After it has doubled turn on a flour board. Gently press out the gas and form dough into a rectangle to fit buttered pan, and let rise until nearly doubled. About 30 -60 minutes. Brush the top with egg or milk and bake at 375 degrees until golden, about 45- 1 hour. Remove and turn out of tin. Let cool, if you can and sit on its side for 3 hours or cut and eat hot. Whatever works, hot bread and butter is the best in the world.

                                              Good luck and let me know how it goes for you.

Orange Shire Dressing

2T Olive oil
2 Cups plus 1 cup fresh orange juice
1 c toasted sesame seeds
2 T butter
1T packed brown sugar
1T worcestershire sauce
1T lemon juice
1t lemon pepper
1/8t salt
1/8 allspice

In a med skillet, heat oil over med heat. Add 1 cup of the juice, sesame seeds, butter and brown sugar. Bring mix to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove and set aside.

In a med bowl, mix worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, the remaining orange juice, lemon pepper, salt and allspice with a wire whisk.

Just before serving, spread a tablespoon of the sesame seed mixture on the top of a salad. (If oil has risen to the top, put this dressing in the microwave a few seconds until the oil is soft. Mix well again. Serve the salad with dressing on the side.

Yield: About 4 cups.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F

1 Medium butternut squash cooked
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
12 oz small pasta shells
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Puree butternut squash with milk, fold into pasta.

Grease a 9-inch baking dish. Spread mixture evenly in the dish and top with cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the top is golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Apple Ginger Granita - Tyler Florence

This is great for all that done feel good and have a sore throat.

Makes 6 adult Servings

3 Cups Unfiltered Apple Juice
3 Tablespoons Honey
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
In a large saucepan, combine the apple juice, honey, and ginger. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove the pan cool for 20 minutes.
When the mixture has cooled, pour into a 9 x 13 inch freezer safe dish. (you could use anything) Cover the dish and freeze for at least 2 hours, or until frozen solid.
Use a fork to scrape the granita into serving cups.

Ginger is an amazing home remedy that has been used to treat stomach upset, for more than 2000 years. The root contains pungent phenol compounds that also reduce inflammation, which makes it perfect for a sore throat.

Folding Clothes

Well this was a little funny, a friend came over and we got to talking about how one spouse is different to the other. One keeps everything clean and in it's place. One is a little more of a dreamer. Some how we ended up talking about T-shirts and how to fold them. I had to go and get one of the T-shirts out of our drawer. A nice folded T-shirt. She went home and posted these photos.

                                                                             Before

                                                                           After

                                                           I think I made her day. :-)

My Chocolate Icing

I have made several cakes over the years. (I'm working on uploading photos of most of them).  And I get requests for my recipes all the time. Which is one of the reasons why I'm working on my own cookbook.  I love looking through books, finding recipes and making changes when needed. I have made many mistakes over the years, but who hasn't that cooks.

Enough said...... here is one of my Chocolate Icing recipes.

4 Tablespoons butter
4 oz chocolate melted. (find a chocolate you like) or 2 Tablespoons cocoa mixed with a little hot water first.
1-2 cups powder sugar
water

Melt butter, add melted chocolate or cocoa and mix. Add powder sugar a little at a time. If it gets thick, too thick add water. Just mix it to the way you like it. Ice your cake and eat away. Or send me some. :-)

You can add vanilla if you would like. I forget it sometimes.

My small tip of the day,

1. Use your butter papers instead of Pam spray when baking. Just wipe with the butter side down and cook away.

2. Coffee grounds are great for the garden. Even the flower garden. Just tip them straight on the garden.

3. For a better cake, let your ingredients come to room temp. Eggs, milk, butter

4. Did you know recycling aluminium cans uses 95% less energy, and causes less pollution than making new ones.

5. Did you know you can save your TP cardboard rolls for seed starters. Get way to upcycle. Plant them straight into the garden.

6. When the power goes out bring in your garden solar lights. They should last a while and you will not burn the house down.

7. Brown Sugar is so simple to make. Check out my blog recipe.

8. If you want to freshen up your sheets and pillowcases, add 1/4 quarter cup of baking soda to your washing machine, not fabric softener. Saves money and is a healthy option.

9. To freshen up your cutting boards try spraying them with vinegar and leaving them to in the sun or overnight.

10. Save you TP rolls for plant starters. You can dig them straight into the garden.

11. When dusting (I hate this job) try using a make-up brush for the little places on toys etc.

12. Recycle old envelopes for collecting seeds. Make sure you mark and date the outside.