It's A Must Have

           Yeah, I know, I can't help myself. The ground is still too soft to be out trying to plant anything with all the rain we've had lately.
                             So what's a gal to do? Bake more cookies.

             You can't have an empty cookie jar, right?

            Especially if you're a Gramma. My granddaughter has always said "everytime I go to Gramma's house, she always has cookies in her cookie jar".

        I think I've been doing this since my granddaughter was born.
            Keeping the cookie jar full.

       She doesn't come over much since she lives hours away now, but I try to keep the jar full just in case. 

    With mine and hubby's sweet tooths (his more than mine), I'm always having to refill it on a weekly basis.

      With that being said, I have another new recipe I tried. This one I got off the Food network channel.

                            Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

                                       3 very ripe bananas, mashed
                                       3/4 cup shortening
                                       1 cup sugar
                                       1 tsp. vanilla
                                       1 egg

Mix the shortening and sugar together in a bowl. Add the bananas and mix, then add in the vanilla and egg and mix thouroughly. In a separate bowl add these dry ingredients.

                                       1- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
                                       1/2 tsp salt
                                       1/4 tsp nutmeg
                                       1/2 tsp baking soda
                                       1 -3/4 cup oatmeal
                                       1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all the dry ingredients together then slowly add a little at a time into the moist ingredients stirring after each addition. 

Using a cookie scoop (my first time using one) place onto an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet approximately  1-1/2 inches apart.

 Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

  Remove from oven and let cool on cookie rack before placing them into your jar. Don't forget to at least try one.

     I think I'll put together a care package for my Granddaughter so she won't forget what Gramma's cookies taste like.

                        Hugs and cookies. They're a must have.

                                          Gramma

I'm no June Cleaver

           But, oh my, I think I've turned into a Domestic Diva. Ugh.. With all this cooking and baking and cleaning lately. I must have a fever.
           As some of you know, there's always laundry that needs doing and I have it at least every other day.  So as I put in a load of wash I just happened to notice it's time to make a new batch of laundry soap and that I'm out of my liquid fabric softener too. So I pull out my little green book with natural recipes I've collected and always adding new ones to, and proceed to make my fabric softener first.

You will need:

1 cup baking soda

6 cups white vinegar

8 cups distilled water

   10 - 15 drops essential oil (optional)

          I would recommend making this in your kitchen sink, outside or somewhere in case of overspill.
         First  add the baking soda into a very deep pot. Then set aside your 6 cups of white vinegar. Pour 8 cups of distilled water into a pot and warm on the stove. Once warm, slowly pour the water into the baking soda, stirring until dissolved. 

Now very slowly, pour the vinegar into the pot , again stirring slow as this will bubble up pretty fast. Once mixed you can add whatever essential oils at this time. Today I used lavender as it's what I had on hand.

Once this has cooled enough to put into my old glass clorox bottle, I use a measuring cup and pour slowly into the bottle and cap it off.

This usually lasts me a good 6 months to a year.


While the fabric softener water was cooling, I put together my ingredients for my homemade laundry soap.

 This is what I use:   3 bars Zote soap
                               4 lb box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
                               4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
                               4 lb box Borax
                               4 lb box Fabric Softener (for hard water areas)
                               30 drops Essential oil (optional)

I mix this all together in a large pot and stir until well blended. This is a good muscle workout. 

I then pour it all into my laundry container, place my tablespoon inside and I'm stocked for a good year on laundry powder.

I mostly use 1 tablespoon per load, but occassionally on my real dirty jeans, I use two.

      Now I just want the rain to go away so I can get dirty and play in my garden.
          I'm no longer wanting to be the domestic diva and I'm no June Cleaver. I wonder if she made her own laundry soap.

Chicken Pot Pie

Last minute decision as to what to fix for dinner last night, I threw the chicken breasts which I had thawed out, into a pot to boil. I then began cutting up some carrots, zucchini, onion and frozen green beans. I placed these into a pan of hot butter to saute.

Then I put together a homemade pie crust and set that aside. I then added some wine, vegetable broth, spices and cream to my veggies, then tossed in diced chicken, cooked it all down a bit and placed it into my pie shell and added a top crust. Placed this in the oven for half an hour and presto, dinner.

By no means would my pie win a 'pretty looks' contest, but after slicing off a chunk and taking a bite, yum!

Since I did'nt have the exact ingredients from the cookbook, I used what I had on hand. I did use the pastry recipe which makes a very delicious, flaky crust.

So once again, I put out a dinner that was not only fulfilling, but had plenty of  nutritious ingredients all in one dish. Love that.

What's for dinner tonight?

Leftovers.

Thought I'd get a start on some Spring cleaning today. It is raining pretty heavy and steady so no need to be outside. Took off the shower curtains and all the bedding and have been doing laundry all morning. I decided while all that is getting done, I would prepare some Cherry Preserves from  cherries I had picked last year and pulled from the freezer. This is the first time I've used spices of cinnamon and cloves for my jam.
Found the recipe in the new canning book.

They just came off the stove and I've been listening to the nice sound of popping lids. After tasting some of what was left over in the pan, I was pleasantly suprised with the nice flavor of the preserves.

The dryer has finished a load, so its off to put up the shower curtains, maybe pull down the kitchen curtains and wait for the bedding to finish drying.

Hope your day is going well.

I've been at it again

It's snowing outside and a good time to bake. But this time it's for a good cause. 

Once again I turned to Ree Drummond's cookbook "Pioneer Woman Cooks", and baked her Chocolate Sheet Cake (to die for) and made my favorite recipe for Peanut Brittle.  I also baked up Ree's Oatmeal Crispies cookies and her French Breakfast Puffs recipes. (These take me back to my childhood before sugar sweeteners and gluten free or whole wheat.) These are the real deal in ingredients. The kind you don't treat yourself to too often, if you know what I mean.

Now the cause I am speaking of is Relay For Life. I hope to sell these baked goodies tomorrow to help me raise enough money in order to reach my goal. If you would like to help me reach this goal, I've put a link on the right for donations.

I will be walking in this years relay in July. This will be my second time walking for cancer. I have reached $55 towards my goal and hope to be able to get closer to it with the sale of all my homemade goodies.

Besides, what I don't sell, I or my hubby, will end up eating and just looking at this stuff puts five pounds on my already robust figure. So keepin' fingers crossed I sure hope I make my goal. Everything is getting packed up ready to go.

oatmeal crispies

peanut brittle and french breakfast puffs

chocolate sheet cake

 Wish me luck and thanks for stopping by.

What's for dinner?

           Meatloaf!

With my new cookbook in hand I scoured through the pages and decided on this delicious meatloaf recipe.

Just smelling it at this point makes my mouth begin to water.

Once I've covered it with the bacon, I smother it with 1/3 of the sauce recipe.

Bake 45 min. Pour a bit more sauce on top and bake for 15 min. more and wahlah!

You get this wonderful smoky bbq smelling, juicy, fantastic tasting meatloaf. Get the point?

Serve this with some garlic mashed potatoes and a side of carrots and presto!

Mouthwatering and Yummy!!

You can find Ree's recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/09/my-favorite-meatloaf/

Cock A Doodle Do.......what?

Okay, so my hubby and I are standing out by the corral speaking with our neighbor when I hear this boisterous crowing which is coming from my banty coop area.  So I say, "hubby, hear that? Two Crow has his full voice". I called him Two Crow because he goes "eerrrerrr.........ewww..." like he's run out of breath. So I'm feeling really good that after all this time his 'true' voice has come through.

Two Crow

Just then all of a sudden my hubby says "oh no! how did he get in there?" So I look over thinking 'he' was meaning my other banty rooster (Ol' Henry) which lives with the big girls had somehow gotten into the little coop area.

Ol' Henry

 But oh no that was'nt to be ........ my baby that was hatched a few months back, in which I thought Two Crow was just beginning to enjoy its company, has come out of the closet so to speak. He is up there proud as can be, crowing away like a big peacock, I mean Rooster. And all this time I thought I had another hen.

FogHorn

You should have seen the look on my neighbors face (priceless).  lol

He looked at us like we was plum foolish to not know the difference between a hen and a rooster.

FogHorn

Well, FogHorn (my daughter named him) was not showing any signs of being a rooster until this very moment. Well, he just could be trying to figure out who he is.

Who knows, maybe some day he'll be just like his daddy and find his one true love.

Ol' Henry and his one true love


Moral of story: Don't count your chick-hens until their older.



It's Snowing Again

It's already dropped a couple of inches,

and is expected to continue for the next week and a half. Ugh! Just when I was beginning to say Spring is really here. My bulbs are popping up, the grass is greening up and my trees are getting a few buds. Now I must watch the weather to prevent my plants from too much damage.

Oh well, I guess I will just keep myself busy trying some of these yummy looking recipes I have discovered in the 'Pioneer Women Cooks' cookbook.

This is such a beautifully put together book. I didn't put it down once I started looking through it and reading the stories about how she met her hubby and sharing her family with us, and I really enjoy her sense of humor and am literally drooling over each and every recipe.

I just can't wait to try some.

I love that she shows you each step with pictures as she adds the different ingredients.

Just look at how well she displays this recipe. (forgive my camera glare) I for one, love pictures in a cookbook. Not just to show me what the results should look like after I've made something, but I enjoy seeing them as I'm putting things together. I guess it helps me remember where I am in the recipe if I happen to step away.

I truly love all the color this book has. I think I will keep it open and on the counter to let it feel like Spring in my kitchen. Just look at some of these lovely pictures it has to offer.

Now does'nt that make you just a little bit warmer looking at all these bright colors? It sure does me.

Love, love, love this cookbook.

Thank you, Ree.

Mmmm Good

At only 12 degrees this morning, I  had an inkling to bake a pie. But I wanted to make it from scratch.

After searching online, I found this recipe from Food.com.  It said it is an 'old Pioneer recipe which stills stands the test of time.'

So of course, I had to give it a try.

Chocolate Pie from Scratch

Begin with 1 cup brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons cocoa

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

3 Tablespoons flour

pinch of salt

Mix all together and then add 2 cups of boiling water.

Cook until thickened over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Next, add 2 egg yolks, beaten (mixing a bit of the hot liquid with the yolks before adding)

Cook this a bit longer.

Remove from heat and add,

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon butter

Cool, then pour into a baked pie shell.

Set aside.

Meringue

Beat 2 egg whites until fluffy. Add 3 Tablespoons sugar and

1 Tablespoon cornstarch.

Whip it until it peaks.

Pile on top of pie and brown slightly in a 350 degree oven for apprx.  5 - 10 minutes.

This is how it turned out.

Looks yummy, huh?

And this is what I thought about it.

 Mmmmmm good.

Those Pioneer women were right. It's a keeper.

Learning to Prep for an Emergency

Omg, where have I been. Well, I have been reading a lot! Reading many different blogs and websites, trying to learn how to become a little more self sufficient. What I can do to prepare ourselves better in an economic downfall, earthquake, or other unforseen emergency.

Have you watched any of the 'Doomsday Preppers' on TV?  http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/ My fav is 'Food Preservation' with Kellene Bishop. I'm sure many of you have been stockpiling for years, but this is new for me. Although I feel some of the people on the shows have gone crazy overboard, there are some who do have a point in that our Government is not always going to be here to help us out. We all need to prepare for ourselves.

So with all this in mind, we have begun prepping, as they say, by putting together first aid kits, stocking up on food and water supplies, cutting and splitting lots of firewood, and of course ammo and guns to protect what we have.

I pray I never have to use anything but the food for when I can't get the 25 miles into town because the snow has hit us so hard we are unable to get out or, God forbid, a terrible disaster does strike.

With the cost of fuel and food going up at an alarming rate, 30 cents a gallon in the last month, I am feeling better about having a surplus for if and when trucks are unable to deliver to the grocery stores.  As you can see, I hope to stockpile enough for at least a 3 month supply for now, and eventually maybe even a one year supply.

There are many sites out there to help one get started in how to prepare for an emergency. Just browse around until you find one that suits you.

I really enjoy reading these homestead blogs. These people have been doing this stuff  for some time and have some great info to share. http://hardworkhomestead.blogspot.com  and http://oregonnatural.blogspot.com/.

I've also found some interesting sites on how to make some very resourseful things. http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com  Here is a pic of my emergency candle kits that Trish shares how to make.


You glue a plumbers cap to the inside of the lid, place candles and matches in the jar, and reverse the lid to store your candle holder inside. Clever.

I am also making a emergency stovetop from new paint cans using toilet tissue, rubbing alcohol, and a church key. (Trish shows how to make this also.)

It is really quite interesting to discover other ways of surviving when we don't have the means to electricity or fuel.

I am also reading up on how to cook with dehydrated foods. This should be interesting.

I hope I may have inspired some of you to become more prepared for whatever may or may not come our way. Check out some of the sites which, I know, will surely inspire you. What have you got to lose? And if you know of some good ones, please send them my way.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr

blessings,
Gail

signs everywhere

While riding my quad I came across this puddle that just had me smiling.

Then it kept going from there.



can you see it?



In a rock.

In a print.

a heart rock?

           Even the moss was showing off.
    Or, am I just imagining that love is in the air?

                  Happy Valentine's Day

Beer Bread Recipe

After searching on line for a quick bread recipe to go with a vegetarian chili that I made for dinner I came across this beer bread one. I thought I'd share it with you.

             Cowboy Jack's Beer Bread

2/3 cup brown sugar
1 - 12 ounce can beer
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x5 loaf pan.

Beat beer and brown sugar together. Add baking powder and gradually stir in flour to a smooth dough. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and pour butter over top. Return to bake 10 more minutes.
Remove and let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

I've made beer bread many years ago, but don't remember them tasting this good. You get a nice crunchy crust with the butter baked on. Very light textured center with great flavor. Really delicious.

  I read that this recipe came from a 200 year old horse ranch in Texas. Would love to get my hands on some of their other recipes.

         I cannot tell you how gorgeous it is here today. So I will show you with a few pics I took with my new Canon PowerShot.

This is the Pelican Marina on the Klamath Lake.

It is usually iced over completely this time of year, but as you can see this is quite a mild Winter for us here in Southern Oregon.

It's amazing what a little sunshine and the great outdoors can do for the soul.

Oh Pooh...............

Not the kind of job I want but someone should do it. I knew the time would come when I had to check my chickens hoo hoo to see if they have stopped laying.  Even though some are nearing four years old, I have read that when they lay a final egg it is usually really, really small.

And, it looks as though someone is telling me it's quits for her. Even my banty eggs are larger than this little thing.

So can you tell which ones gotta go? Hubby thinks I should only keep them as long as they are laying and we can sell some to help pay for their feed.

But he won't be checking their hoo hoos, so I'll make it look good by chasing them down, pretending to check them over and tell him I can't tell one hoo hoo from another and they'll just have to live to old age around here.

Works for me.

Hot Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

             This is how I spent my morning, with my dear friend Pam, who showed me how to make cinnamon rolls. Now these are not my typical kind of rolls. The kind you take from the refrigerator and pop open. These are the good old fashioned yeast cinnamon rolls that you actually have to knead, let rise and all that.

Pam mixes everything up into the mixing bowl and covers it until it has risen to twice the size.

She then places it onto her counter and kneads it several times and then rolls it out to this monster size.   

Once she gets it to the size she wants, she spreads softened butter all over it. Then we sprinkle a cinnamon, sugar mix over the top along with about 2 cups of chopped walnuts.

We then start rolling it up to this nice large roll and then proceed to slice it into bun rolls and put them onto cookie sheets to rise for a bit longer.

Once they have risen, and are out of the oven, Pam puts this nice light icing over the tops and after they have cooled we individually wrapped them for the freezer.

Look at how nice they turned out. Makes your mouth water just thinking about how they almost melt in your mouth fresh from the oven.

              Truly, cinnalicious!!!! ( my word for them)

Now if I can just talk her out of the recipe.........