From Pile to File Recipes ~ Other Random Bits

The baked french toast was a hit.  The idea was to find a recipe for "picky" eaters, to take to the next breakfast.  Hubby's family has many "picky" eaters.  It'll go on the "potluck" take it list now. Sorry for the dark photo, but it was pretty early in the morning when I took it.

Speaking of garden work, Hubby told me I could have the day off and to "do nothing."  Hm.  I told him the tomatoes still needed a bit of weeding, but I'd try to stay indoors if I could.  It was a hot day out while freeing up the green peppers and jalapeno plants.

I did get 40 cups of sweet corn put in the freezer.  I have more to do today.

Husband:  "What are you making?"
Me:  "Washcloths for us."
Husband (all excited and smiling) "Wow, you are really gonna make something for us?" 

Ha ha!  I really do create and sell more than for us, when I should keep up with us too.  We need them anyway.  Like I said, I hope to have a handiwork post soon.

Tuesday Tidbits ~ How to Freeze Sweet Corn off the Cob

Yesterday's sunrise before I got started on the garden work.

Rain was due at 4pm.  Time was cut short outside.  It was also already 83°F by 9:30am, but I went back out after another load of laundry and un-buried the green pepper plants. All but one.  A swarm of wasps continued to gather water and mud to make a nest somewhere, and they were around the very last plant I needed to weed.  I'll get it done this morning.

Tried a new recipe for overnight breakfast - baked french toast.  I have made it before, but with cream cheese and blueberries.  I just wanted cinnamon/brown sugar ones this time.  We'll all do a taste test this morning.

I have been asked about how we freeze our corn.  Here is the link to my post with the recipe for freezing it off the cob:  Puttin' Up Sweet Corn.  It is very good, and when I thaw it to cook, I do not add water. Just the salt (you can also add salt before freezing).  As the corn cooks, it will produce it's own water.

Happy Homemaker Monday

Baby red-headed woodpecker.  We are thinking of leaving this dead tree for the birds.  The woodpeckers love it.  We have seen 3 of them now.  

Saturday we hit the garden early.  However, after a lot of curse words from Hubby's mouth (I warned him), we pooped out early as well. 

We showered, sipped down more coffee, and went on a long motorcycle ride.  Boy it felt great.

Sunday we hit the garden early again.  Tomatoes are dug out, and some of the potatoes.  Green beans were tilled and a lot of weed whacking accomplished.  All pepper plants look good, and we have blossoms on the squash (crossing our fingers).  

Potatoes.  Nope.  Not doin' it!  Hubby weed whacked the tops, I'll water and see if I can find the plants.  If not, we are mowing it down.  

We won't be planting a garden next year at all.  Not until we can hire someone to mow the pasture or purchase a tractor and bush hog ourselves.  It's just dumb and so much work, especially when we have the heavy spring rain followed by a heat wave.  It's ridiculous.  I'll really miss my home grown food, but I do agree.  No garden until the pasture can be controlled.  Hubby has agreed that we may just only plant in grow pots if we plant anything next year.

We picked up corn finally.  There are no deals this year as of yet.  I don't blame them with the season we've had.  We are down to our last 6 bags of corn in the freezer.  We bought from a new source, and will boil a few cobs to taste test.  Corn was not so tasty from anywhere last year.  We picked up 2 bushels.

We had another get together for a niece's birthday party.  The party was mid afternoon thankfully.

I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom today.  I'm up early.  Working in the garden again this morning, so I can get back in early.  It's gonna be a humid day.

On the breakfast plate . . .
Have no idea, it's 5am right now as I'm posting.  I have to get out to the garden early.  Don't worry I'll eat something.


The weather outside is . . .
High of 89°F, 40% chance of rain tonight and tomorrow morning.

On my beside table . . .
Readers, notebook, pen, water glass

On my reading pile . . .
Nothing

Movies I watched . . .
Not much, heading to the library for movies this week.


On the menu . . .
-Spaghetti with homemade sauce using the last 3 bags of homegrown tomatoes from the garden
-Tacos - didn't make this last week
-Sloppy Charlies and Melting Potatoes (new potato recipe), corn on the cob
-Baked French Toast and sausage for a few breakfasts
-Leftovers  ( all in no particular order  )


On the to-do list . . .
Bake bread
Work in the gardens - it's a daily thing
Bathroom
Clean fridge out
Sweep off porch
Laundry
Clean up kitchen
Shuck and freeze corn
Make some campfire fire starters
Write up a camping menu - hoping to have fresh homegrown green beans by the time we go (foil packet dinner)




What I am creating . . .
Washcloths for us.  Pattern is free online.  These are larger than the ones I sell and a different pattern.  I think I will make a few and try them out first.   Then it's back to bracelets if the people decide on colors for the remaining orders.  Check back soon for another handiwork update.


Looking forward to  . . . 
Right now, I literally am looking forward to having the entire veggie garden weeded and tilled.


Looking around the house . . . 
It needs cleaned up, but on dry days, the garden wins.  It's just how it is.


From the camera . . .

Not the greatest pictures, but we have lots of deer this year.


One of my simple pleasures . . .
Slipping into PJ's by 4pm, and eating dinner in bed watching a movie.  Usually this happens if it's been a crock pot dinner day and I've been outside working in the garden, and come in hot, sweaty tired and needing another shower.


Praying . . .
No particular friend requests, us, the kids

This and That

The babies are hatched now, and being fed constantly.  I'm sure they'll be flying out soon.  Doesn't take them long.  Hopefully before my plant dies.

Our neighbors, about 3-4 fields away got solar panels installed.

My zinnias are finally blooming, and they are feeding our hummingbird and the butterflies.

Our dinner one night - crock pot beef stroganoff.  I didn't have homemade noodles, so those were Amish made.  I just haven't had time to restock noodles but dinner was fabulous.

TIP:  To make the beef very tender I learned this from a cooking show.  Although in the show they used soy sauce for their particular sauce recipe, here's what I did - add a bit of baking powder and corn starch and a bit of liquid to meat and let sit 20 minutes.  I used Worcestershire sauce and the beef literally fell apart.

Another night's dinner, but I was not feeling the whole heat up the house at 450°F thing.   Biscuits and sausage gravy, fried organic potatoes, scrambled eggs, and baked apples.  I did it somewhat early.  Once again, daughter used the puppy as an excuse not to learn how to bake them.  Sigh.  I don't think I get any of my kids to learn anything about baking from scratch. 

I am always asked, "how do you get the layers in those?"  I use only organic ingredients, and add the milk last, cold from the fridge (whole, organic).  I also slice the butter in half, flip it once, cut in half again (long way), and then make slices.  I drop the dots of butter, and hand cut them into the dry ingredients.  I also roll the dough the least amount I have to.  The last biscuit is typically the one that doesn't have the layers.

Baked the apples in my crock pot this time, and it was delicious.  I'll have to remember this for a breakfast with the family.

My butterflies now have a water source.  I picked the "chip and dip" dish up at the grocery store, 70% off.  Works perfect.

Good Gravy!

Everywhere I looked, there was a job to get done.  UGH!  It was also intern day, so outdoor time was limited (again).  Puppy duty day.

Dishwasher needed emptied and reloaded.  Laundry needed done, crockpot dinner started, yard picked up, puppy pool emptied and brought up, hose pulled in (mower guy showed up), etc.  

Bathroom needed cleaned.  Kitchen table cleaned off.  Carpets needed vacuumed.  Dog needed brushed.  Beef needed cooked for Jesse.  I needed to mail in a paper for daughter for her intern work.

Trash needed to go out.  Chickens needed tending.  I got more orders for hot pads, but need to make them also.  Library books needed to be returned.  I needed to figure out what to make and take to a cookout this weekend, and the following (when is a girl gonna get time for a motorcycle ride with all this stuff going on?  Just say no?).

Recipes needed written and filed.  Senior pictures needed taken (again, day 2).  My tote that I store my garden starts in, with shelving needed put back in storage.  Boxes needed broke down and stored to use in the garden.  Flower beds and herb garden still need weeded.  Fridge needs cleaned out still.

Cake decorating doo-dads needed put away, the rest of the radishes needed pulled....list is endless right now.

GAH!!!

I just said no after 2pm and took a long break on the porch.  Cold coffee with a splash of goodness did the trick.

Ignore.  Ignore.  Ignore that list for now.

Here is what I did get done, and it wasn't on the list.....

This is where I planted the radishes, sweet potatoes and other potatoes.  Grass is about 4 feet high.  I got half the radishes dug up.  Some are still small, so I'm weeding out the grass now.  Plants look good despite.  I got all the garlic but what I couldn't find dug up, and all the green beans weeded.  One row was a fail.  I just dug up the plants that lived (about 5 sadly) and moved them to the other row.  Hubby has permission to mow it down for me.

I got the radishes trimmed and scrubbed, and garlic in an area to dry.  Bulbs are much smaller.  

I am mowing down the garlic bed and saying goodbye to it.  We will not be using it, and downsizing.  I'll plant the garlic in the other garden.  We have plans to rip up all the raised beds and rebuild and do it differently as well.

A tractor just went to the top of the wish list.  If the pasture isn't mowed down, we have this issue every year, and the spring rain made it worse this year.   We may look to hire someone this year though.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho It's Off to Weed I Go!

Yesterday's sunrise and guests that came by.  It wasn't the prettiest sunrise, but still pretty.

Due to excessive rain, followed by a heat wave, this happened.  To no fault of myself either.   I blame the weather.

Green beans are in there somewhere.  Oh what a mess it is.

Three hours of work, before I had to take care of the puppy (not happy about missing out on my work time when she interns).  Not all survived, but I should get a good amount.  One plant already has starts on it.  The last row is iffy.  Tall grass everywhere.  I put an S.O.S. out to one daughter who I know will come help withe either puppy or garden.  I hope to get that help soon.  

I hope to have a photo when it's tilled, but no promise.  I must move onto the potatoes or tomatoes next.  They are a hot mess too.  Row of wax beans looks great.  Beans on the plants too.  Second row (green beans), about 1/2 survived.  First row is a lost cause - only 4 plants survived.

It rained after I took those photos, and too wet to weed.  I will be heading out there again today.  

Good Weather

The weather turned absolutely beautiful.  First things first - weed.  Oh where to start? The garden of course.  Woke up to a very nice, camping weather, of 59°F with a high of 80.  This week will be so much better than last week's heat wave.


By the way, daughter's school uniforms were free this year.  Woohoo to that!  She got two of them too.  I didn't have to fork out $180.00 like last school year.  

It's sort of bittersweet this coming year.  Last year for her and last kid to finish high school.  They are growing up way too fast.

We have bats in our chicken barn.  I found a baby dead on the floor by the door.  I guess they love our place to come nest and have their babies.  I just hope they leave soon, since the babies are getting born.  We've talked about building a bat house.  We may need to now.

My husband has been hankering for corn dogs, and I caved.  I don't fry anything, so he was a very happy man.  I have to admit, they were so good.  Much better than fair food.  All organic ingredients, and non-gmo beef hot dogs.  He's still talking about them this morning.  I told him he can only have them once a year.  His response?  "Can we have them every three months?" Ha ha ha ha!  Nope.  By the way the recipe is online with Stay at Home Chef  - Homemade Hand Dipped Corn Dogs.