Monday, May 7, 2012

Red Lobster Date Night = Morning After Pies

So I baked for auction again - and yesterday, I baked a new pie.  Ozark Mountain Pie. OMG!  AKA Morning After Pie (read on)...

Doesn't this look delish?!

The filling is DELICIOUS!  I'm totally baking one for US to eat - and my husband totally deserves his own pie, because he took me to Red Lobster for dinner Saturday night! OMG!! I had the rainbow trout! He said "Happy Mother's Day" and it was our first real "date night" in like 3 years?!  We had ZERO - count that - ZERO kids! Three hours, just me and E, and no kids!  We shopped in my favorite store - The Kitchen Gadget Store. OK, I totally don't know the REAL name of the store, I just call it The Kitchen Gadget Store LOL.  We bought new round cookie cutters in various sizes for my Apple Pie Cookies and a new wooden spoon.  I absolutely ADORE my wooden spoon collection!  On our way out,  I noticed a fantabulous marble rolling pin - so definitely, we're going back!  Then he took me shopping at Dunkins Diamonds and Gold....and well, that's a post for another day ;)

Anyway, back to the pies! A few days ago we hit a yard sale and I found a HUGE and heavy 3 ring bound cookbook. Lots and lots of recipes! I'm a sucker for a kickingly awesome cookbook, especially after I scoped out the pie and cookie sections!  So my sweet, sweet husband doled out a couple bucks and I tucked that cookbook under my arm and booked it for the car.

First pie I've tried out of the pie section - Ozark Mountain Pie.  It is LOADED with berries! I MEAN LOADED!  Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, and Red Raspberries!  I cooked the filling on the stove top, smelling and loving it!  Berry pies are always a huge hit in our house, and at the sale!

Tell me that doesn't make your mouth water?

I made a few other berry pies yesterday as well - Triple Berry, Blackberry, and two Pecan pies! 

Now I need to go milk that goat, but I'm sure the rest of ya'll are now feeling the urge to bake a pie!

Ozark Mountain Berry Pie
1 c sugar
1/4 c corn starch
dash of salt
1 c blueberries
1 c sliced strawberries
3/4 c blackberries
3/4 c red raspberries
1/2 c water
2 tbls lemon juice
pasry for double crust pie  (9 inches)
2 tbls butter

You going to combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan.  Mix in your berries. Add water and lemon juice and cook over a medium heat JUST until it comes to a boil.

Line your 9 inch pie plate with the bottom crust.  I usually do this BEFORE I make the filling, and I get the edges all trimmed up nice and neat.  Pour your berry filling into the crust. Dot with butter. Now here's where you have a couple choices, you can either work the remaining dough into some crazy designed lattice work, or take the easy way and just put a whole crust over the top, cut some slits in it or use a small cookie cutter to cut out some shapes before placing and sealing the crust. Pop it into your 350 oven for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  I bake my berry pies on a cookie sheet, and they do tend to bubble up and flow like molten lava, and a cookie sheet is way easier to clean up than an oven!

Cool this on a wire rack.  Store in the refridgerator, or if you're like me, cut a slice as soon as it's cool enough to the touch but not cold, and serve in a bowl with fresh milk poured on top!  Or a dollop of cream, or ice cream!

Yields 8 servings (if you share).


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

What do you get when....

...you have a Ninja in your kitchen + strawberries + goats milk?



and you add a tablespoon of sugar.....

and then you blend well.....



Strawberry fruit smoothies for two!!!!

And look who liked his!!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Life Lessons Learned on the Farm

We're starting another full week here on our small piece of Heaven on Earth. I'm just amazed with all the things God has blessed us with.  Family, friends, acreage, and a menagarie of animals that I only dreamed of as a kid.

I think I always wanted to be on a farm, or have a ranch of some kind.  I've always loved animals.

What makes this even better, the farm enables us to instill valuable lessons into our children, and they 100% know where their food comes from, how babies are made, how things are built, etc. all just from the going ons in our own back yard.   Amazing.  Such a simple, hard working life, yet it teaches so much.

A few other things my kids have learned....

.....a calf will totally bowl you over if you get in his way.....
Ferdinand

......rotted logs make great ant habitats (my kids must have sat and watched this log filled with ants for hours!)


......that it's Ok to be different from the rest of the herd....you don't always have to fit in to be cool...


......it's Ok to explore new things.....


......there's a time to work and a time to play...



....not everything is good for eating....

.......even if you're a goat


....and nothing is more important than family....
Bridgette and Brooklyn, trying to get to their mom on their first day of total separation.










Sunday, April 29, 2012

Ooops! I did it again!

We're on piglet watch, so while waiting I've completely baked the day away, that is!  Today it was pecan and blueberry pies, and since I had made up and refridgerated the dough yesterday,  Apple Pie Cookies! 

Yes, they deserved a re-visit, and they are once again, the star of the kitchen! They are also quickly becoming my favorite cookies! They have left Chocolate Chip Cookies way back among the crumbs of the cookie starting line. 

I mean, just take a look for yourself!

Now don't those just look perfectly, goldenly, delicious?! I assure you, they ARE!

Do you need a closer look?

Check out those flaky layers!! Wouldn't you just love to bite into those layers, with all that flaky, buttery goodness just melting in your mouth?  And just when you don't think it could get any better, a second bite and BAM!  Mouth watering tarty sweetness of apple with just a hint of cinnamon!  YUM!

Now, you know you want to just run right out to your kitchen and make a batch, right?!


I don't know what's going to be for breakfast at your house tomorrow, but I know what we'll be having!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

Random.

           Just another busy week on the farm. 

New 12x20 Chicken Coop

Other goin's on:
Bees swarmed a second time last weekend
Started baking to sell again this spring/summer
took on a side job of babysitting (to fund my poultry habit)
and just really looking forward to school being out for the summer!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Serene Sunday

We had a pretty peaceful Sunday around here, and since the weather was so nice, we let the chicklets out for their first experience of free ranging.
This is Oddball, so named because she was hatched from Blue/Black/Splash Cochin eggs, and we're at a loss for where her markings/colorings come from.
 All of the chicklets enjoyed their free ranging experience.  They just didn't realize what a big world they live in!

Our Black Laced Blue Laced Red Wyandotte Roo, Diesel, came over to introduce himself.

Those cute little yellow ducks my 3 yr old son just had to have  aren't cute and yellow anymore. He's, thankfully, still thrilled with them, though!


And this is how you play "King of the Mountain"


It really was a lovely day!