The Peace of Christmas

It's Christmas and everyone is miserable...one of my favorite lines from Christmas Vacation.  I'm not miserable but some days I am easily agitated.  I have so much to get done and my time is short.  Christmas at our house is  starting on Thursday, yes two days from now!  Tommy and I will receive the best gift this year....a visit from Bennett!!! It has been 6 months since we have seen him. I will treasure our time together.
As I was cooking yesterday and thinking of Bennett coming home for Christmas, I was reminded of how many families will have a different Christmas this year.  Several friends and family members will experience their first holiday season without someone they love sitting at the table with them.  Some of our friends have family in the military and they are not able to make it home either and one of my close friends is preparing to say goodbye to her Dad.  To all of them - I pray for you...I remember what it is like to have that first Christmas without Janie or  our grandparents, the passing of Sattis on Christmas Eve.  Now as a military family I am keenly aware of the sacrifice that millions in our world give each year.
Each day for the past few weeks now Tommy and I have discussed what we would like to have for Christmas. I honestly have nothing to suggest.  I would love for our home to sell but that is not something he can give me.  It is a Christmas wish for the two of us.  As I continue to rid the boxes of  things I do not use I do not want to add to the clutter in the meantime. I also find more frustration in shopping than pleasure.  As I continue to read and learn about the working conditions for people around the world I am challenged each time to become  a more conscious  consumer.
Now that I have been "Debbie Downer" it is time for the bright side of the season, Jesus.
I love the season of Advent - anticipation, reflection, enjoying the stars.
Each Christmas I am reminded of the Spring day when Jesus was born, imagining how Mary and Joseph felt as they welcomed the son of God into the world. I think of how he grew and played just as his brothers and sisters did, just as we did and our children too.  The chaos that was going on in the world...the chaos now. The love, joy, growing pains, anger, sorrow that we all feel they felt too.
The belief that Jesus was born to live, to die, to raise from the dead for his family...for our family...for all of the WORLD! That is the Peace of Christmas for me.

It's Already December...

....how quickly the time flies by

We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends and family.  It was so nice to have our Thanksgiving Breakfast dinner in Franklin once again.  I noticed during the month of November that several people would post on facebook something they were thankful for each day.  I didn't participate in the festivity but each day I thought about how thankful I am to be caretaking our friends farm and what an experience this is for Tommy and I. It was our first Thanksgiving without Bennett at the table but we talked with him several times and he enjoyed his trip to Kansas with Jenny.

I am finding that I truly love living on a farm.  I will be able to have a much larger garden, we enjoy the outdoor space and walking the fields, and of course there are the girls (hens) that I tend each morning and evening.  A few of them have earned names, Matilda and Aurie...Lydia the barn cat is growing and greets me each morning at the barn door. I'm not sure how much of a hunter she is yet but

Extra guests....I have now encountered a possum twice...once in the barn and the other night in the hen house.  I also have two ferrel cats that "drop in " on ocassion.  They are both agressive and mean to our cat so they are not welcomed guest. 

Christmas cooking....
The kitchen is always a happening place and I will be heading there soon for most of the day. Tommy bought me a pasta maker so we are enjoying the great taste of homemade spaghetti!  It is time to get in to full swing of making Christmas presents...several of our gifts will come from the kitchen this year.  I'm glad I have friends and family who like to eat...hopefully they will enjoy their treats!

We are planning to cut down our Christmas tree tomorrow. This is the latest we have ever been putting up a tree but as long as it is done by the time Bennett comes home for a visit that is ok with me.  The rest of the house is decorated so we are on the home stretch.

My request for Christmas is to wake up and see   SNOW!!!!!!!

It's all about the food!

As much as I enjoy trying new bread recipes I have already found a favorite, Oatmeal sandwich bread.  It is great at any meal, has no sugar in it and such a wonderful taste.  I'm still working on a favorite biscuit recipe and I'm open to suggestions.  Typically each week I only bake one loaf of bread and make biscuits to freeze so they are ready to pop in the oven at breakfast or dinner.  But as the holidays approach I will be making more bread in hopes of sharing it with others at special meals or for gifts. 

Speaking of gifts - the Vanilla seems to be cooking well, it is becoming a nice rich amber color.  I am still looking for bottles to put it in.  I am working on my gift list and will tweak the foods I plan to share in the next week or so.  I hope to also try my hand at making a nice scrub. 

My friend, Linda, and I are both interested in learning to make scrubs, salves and such.  Last week we both joined a food co-op, the Barren County Good Food Buying Club.  I just received all of my purchasing info today and I can't wait to carve out a few hours to work on planning for the next month and placing my order.  I will be interested to see the amount of money we can save and also the additional local foods we will be able to purchase.  While we were at the co-op pick up location we met a lady who grows medicinal herbs.  I bought a bag of Elecampene for making a decoction whenever I have bronchitis.I have found a source for local beef and pork but still looking for fresh chicken, although I did find a farmer in Orlinda, TN - windy acres farm that grows organic and blends chicken feed.  So even the girls can eat local and organic!

Tommy and I trimmed a few brances from the evergreens on the farm so we can make a couple of wreaths and some garland.  I was able to get the front door wreath done on Monday afternoon.  It's not perfect by any means but we think it looks nice on the front door.

I promised some friends I would add the Chunky Pecan Pie Bar recipe.  I got the recipe on the outside of my light brown organic sugar bag.  Give it a try, I think you will really enjoy them.

Chunky Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients for the crust: 1 1/2 cups all- purpose flour, 1/2 cup butter softened, 1/4 cup organic light brown sugar

Ingredients for the filling: 3 large eggs, 3/4 cup corn syrup (prefer organic), 3/4 cup organic sugar, 2 tablespoons butter (melted), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 3/4 cups (11.5oz package) semi-sweet chocolate chunks, 1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350, grease 13x9 baking pan.

For the crust - beat flour, butter and brown sugar in a small mixer bowl until crumbly. Press into baking pan and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

For the filling - beat eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl with a wire whisk.  Stir in chunks and pecans, pour evenly over baked crust.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until set.  Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars, makes 2 1/2-3 dozen bars.

This recipe is a great addition to the Thanksgiving table.  I think I will whip up some whipped cream and just add a small dallop!  If you have never made homemade whipped cream it is so easy and the taste is...so good!

Kitchen...happening spot

I've been up and at it, in and out of the kitchen since 5:45 this morning!  Started the day by making some Fair Trade/Organic coffee and tea.  Before Tommy came down I had a frittata ready to go in the oven and had started on my Homemade Vanilla recipe. 
The try at sourdough bread was not a success, although the birds and the chickens will enjoy it... I know better than to make bread on a cold, rainy day. 
After a little cleaning and homemade egg salad with a friend, I headed back to the kitchen....Irish Soda bread has just came out of the oven and the Oatmeal sandwich bread is resting before it goes in.
Many chores await me so for now I must return to the kitchen!

If you are looking for some great organizing or recipes check out www.kitchenmonki.com or just spend a little time in your kitchen - I'm sure you can create a masterpiece or food for the birds!!!

Peace

So busy cooking, no time to write

I had hoped to find time to write each Monday but as you can see it is Wednesday and my first time to settle in for the week.  I have been so busy cooking, playing with the chickens and Lydia the Barn Cat, I have had no time to write.  Of course, I can't leave out work, reading, having tea, conversations with Tommy & Bennett and playing with our dog, Hank either.  But - one of my favorite times on the farm is the sunrise each morning.  Today is was such a slow rise that it seemed to be hiding behind the tree line just poking a bit of glow out through the bare limbs.  I love to stand outside of the barn and just watch the morning appear.
Lydia the Barn Cat continues to stretch her borders.  She has now found her a comfy spot right on the back deck! So much for living at the barn full-time.  The oddest part of adopting a barn cat is the fact that prior to bringing her home we had not seen a cat anywhere on the farm or even in the area.  In the past month we have seen 4 cats and they have all found there way to the backporch!  Maybe we have adopted a partying cat....

This weeks challenge in the kitchen has been creating a whole wheat sourdough bread starter.  I have been "feeding" it for 5 days now.  Yesterday, I used some of the cast-off to make Sourdough Banana Pancakes (so tasty).  After much searching I found a recipe that uses no yeast and tonight started the "sponge" process.  I'm not sure I have the patience for sourdough bread but we will see how it tastes before I make my final decision.  The Oatmeal Sandwich bread I made on Monday was a nice balance of sweet and nutty.  We used it for sandwich's, hamburgers and toast! Tommy joined in on the cooking this past Sunday evening and made whole wheat crackers.  Another item we can mark off of the grocery list.
Still to do this week is gathering a soil sample where we have our new garden space.  It is about 25 x 50 give or take.  I am going to work on the layout this winter...
Highlight of the day...I received my order of organic vanilla beans from Mountain Rose Herbs.  Tommy is buying me some Kentucky Bourbon tomorrow and then let the vanilla "cooking" begin.  I also ordered some organic lemon essential oil for making Lemon Sugar Scrub.
On the agenda for the weekend is a trip to a local farm to buy some meat for the month and trimming the evergreens to begin making wreaths for the doors and windows.  Tommy and I are planning our Christmas decor for the house and the barn!

...time to snuggle up to a cup of Roobios and my new Mountain Rose Herbs catalog

New recipes...

Blueberry muffins, the Cottage loaf ( a bread from the 1500's ), scalloped potatoes, chocolate tart, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and lasagna noodles...some of the enjoyment I had in the kitchen this past week!  I am always trying to make some new items from scratch.  I found that kneading the dough can be very relaxing and work at the same time.  Of course, when you taste the bread fresh from the oven it is beyond words for a brief moment.  My friend, Melissa, says give her some fresh bread with butter and a gallon of sweat tea and she is good to go!

 Applesauce and Baked Applesauce Pies

Breakfast Pizza - this was so tasty - and the egg was just right!

 I have a cookbook that has 100 Bread recipes.  I have now cooked 2 of them, only 98 to go.  The picture above is of the Cottage Loaf.  It is still made in small village bakeries in Britain.  This is a great bread to have with some cheese or olive oil and spices.  The breakfast pizza was a first to make with cracking an egg when it was about done. 

 Along with cooking lots of new foods.  I also enjoy photography.  Fall is a beautiful time of year when the beauty of the trees force you to stop and take notice.  While we are caretaking the farm I am enjoying the front yard view of the sunset each day.  Another glimpse of God's great creation.

Sunrise to Sunset, I am truly content with life on the farm....

Monday Morning....

This morning began a little slow for me, I was not as up and at it as I usually am.  I was later than normal going to the barn but my tardiness allowed me to enjoy the calves at the neighbor's farm enjoying an early morning run in the field.  The chickens were waiting for me at the door ready to let them out to forage.  I was also greated by a mess in the first area of the barn - it looks like Lydia the Barn Cat and another animal had a tossle last night. So this evening we will need to see if we can live trap what was after her last night.
On the cooking agenda today is prepping biscuits, making pasta noodles, baking bread and ordering some vanilla beans for making our own pure vanilla.
The lettuce in the garden needs cut so that will be a nice addition to dinner.

I also have to find time to squeeze in some working!