Bread-Rosemary

So, this is a new bread recipe for my family here on the farm and I am amazed at how quickly the pieces disappear! I could make a loaf every day and my two teenage boys and husband would see to it that there were no crumbs left. Feeding Frenzy! 

Enjoy!

Rosemary Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1 T sugar

2 tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

2 T fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dry rosemary

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp pepper

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 cup bread flour plus 1/2+cup for kneading

***1 egg whisked and 1 T water for egg wash***

In a big bowl put water, sugar and yeast. Allow to sit for 10 minutes

Add salt, rosemary, seasonings, olive oil and flour until ingredients form a ball

Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Add more flour as the dough becomes sticky

Knead until smooth

Put dough in a covered, greased bowl until it doubles in size (about an hour)

Punch dough down and form into a round loaf. Place on a nonstick surface (I used non stick aluminum foil) and let it rise double again (about 45 minutes)

Preheat pizza stone in 400 degree oven

Place dough on preheated stone after it has risen for a second time.

Top with egg wash

400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until top is golden

3 Hobbies- Do You Have 3?

The new secret to happiness is (drum roll please)...

                ...having 3 hobbies that don't have anything to do with screen time and that aren't connected to your occupations. Happiness=No Screen time? Not a difficult concept to wrap my head around.  Time for some soul searching and deciding what are those 3 hobbies I possess  to find complete and total happiness in my somewhat chaotic life. I think I do have 3.

1. Soap Making
2. Gardening
3. Prepping



Soap making is going to (hopefully) turn into a profession but at this time it is just a hobby. The time and money involved to go from hobby to full production is a little frightening for me at this time. Making soap fills my creative need. The variations of styles, textures, scents and colors are endless. Plus, the final product outcome makes you clean!

Gardening fills my connection to the earth and its many cycles. I am in no way a drugged out hippie. It is just a passion of mine to continue to make improvements and changes on my little farm and take it as far as I can. If you aren't inspired by a tiny little seed who grows up and nourishes your body, then you definitely have to unplug!

Prepping allows me to plan ahead and create security for myself and my family in scenarios big and little. It takes the stress and worry out of any impending dangers. I know Jesus taught of the birds relying on their faith to provide for them but I am pretty sure He would be proud of the Preppers of the world. I would like to think that if birds were able, they would prep-squirrels do!

So what do you think? Do you want to be happy and have a more amazing life? Take inventory and decide what kinds of interests YOU have. Go ahead...I'll wait!

Apple Crisp- Hidden Acres Style

I'm not a big dessert freak...but my family sure does have some favorites. I made an easy apple crisp this weekend and had most of the ingredients on hand. A stocked pantry is a good sign as we head into some leaner financial months!

Hope you enjoy it~

Ingredients

4 apples
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup butter-softened
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

375 degrees

Grease bottom and sides of 8 inch square pan

Layer apples in the bottom  of the pan

Mix remaining ingredients together and spoon over apples

Bake for 30 minutes until the topping is a lovely brown

Serve with some ice cream or whipped cream or whatever you fancy!

Tis The Season-Dehydrating Turkey

We always stock up on turkeys this time of year. At $7.00 a bird it would be silly not to. We ended up having our regular Thanksgiving feast and then the next day another turkey went into the oven. It seemed like a good idea at the time but as we started eating through the second bird, my family began to show some signs of~ "Enough already"(kindly of course). Oh, dear. Whatever were we to do with all of these scrumptious leftover white and dark pieces of heaven? 

Making jerky was our first thought but reading about how turkey can come out somewhat more brittle than beef, we decided to dehy it. Oh what fun!

This works well with chicken and turkey, but you will not want to use goose or duck or any other bird that has a lot of fat or prepares as greasy. Fully cook the turkey. Allow it to cool and remove skin and any extra fat. 

The recipe said to cut the turkey into cubes measuring 1/2 an inch. That did not work out for me at all. I cubed what I could, but there was also a lot of shredded and extra falling pieces that ended up on the tray. 

Layer turkey meat in a single layer on lined dehydrator trays. Set temperature at 155 degrees for 4 hours and then lower to 130 degrees for the rest of the drying time. The pieces should be hard and dehydrated all the way through.

 (***Remember, I can not direct you as to the full length of dehydrating. It all depends on your machine and your situation.)

To use your dehydrated turkey pieces: add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 cup of turkey. 

Use in soups, stews, and anywhere else you would use turkey!

Good luck and keep dehydrating!!!

Very Thankful

And another Thanksgiving approaches. I certainly have been counting my blessings as of late. As cliche' as it all sounds-Life really is too short.

17 days ago an intervention from God's hands to my heart  struck like a bolt of lightning. For as amazing as my life is and all the blessings I have received- I was sick. Sick in my body, mind and soul. The sickness (driven by anger and hatred) was driving me deeper and deeper into hell.

As my husband and I sat at our table that night 17 days ago, we both were struck with an overwhelming ENOUGH! Like hitting a brick wall-enough. Our eating habits, our drinking habits and every single one of our other habits had us driving straight off a cliff. Thelma and Louise was my past life and I knew at that moment, things had to change. Dramatically change.

So, we started our change. We dumped every drop of alcohol out onto the ground. Signed up for 2 different 30 day challenges (planks and abs). Settled on a couple of walking routes. Logged out of Facebook. That last one was really a leap of faith for us both. It has been the most difficult part of all for me. I miss some people from fb, but I don't miss the drama and hate that shot at me every time I logged on.

With so many changes I am starting to feel like a new person. In those 17 days I have lost 7 pounds plus a million pounds that have been hitching a ride on my back for far too long. I know I will never touch another drop of alcohol and when the 30 day promise is over, I will decide what I am going to do about Facebook. As for the anger? I am only human. I am a work in progress (as I know we all are) but I am not going to be wearing so much on my sleeve. People will need to come after me hard to get a reaction. Some will. I'm getting stronger every day. I can handle it.

So, Constant Reader~ Happy Thanksgiving to you. I wish you love and peace and joy and calm. Hold those you love close and hold yourself closer. You mean a lot to me! God Bless~

Kale Cubes

So with the continual growth of my leafy greens and the upcoming event of having to switch from summer mode (lots of free time) to work mode (not much free time) I decided it is time to switch from consumption to preservation. That is where the kale cubes come into play.

Directions:

Pick and wash kale leaves.
Remove center stem.
Chop leaves well.
Wilt in a pot of boiling water.
Drain and cool.
Pack the leaves tightly into ice cube trays.

The leaves will still contain water and you want that to help freeze the leaves, but if you find them too dry pour water over the top of the trays to ensure a well frozen kale cube.

I am planning to repeat this process with Swiss chard, collards and spinach-and I am sure as the kale keeps growing I will continue to preserve it in this way.

I plan to throw cubes into soups and stews, casseroles and smoothies.

Dehydrating Cucumbers~Who Knew?

Did you know? I thought dehydrating cucumbers would rank up there with dehydrating watermelon and water (a running joke in my house)! It can be done~oh joy! oh rapture! I have been drowning in pickle juice these past few weeks (NOT complaining) and then I stumbled onto these little nuggets. Who isn't looking for other options to preserve cucumbers this time of year?

Such a simple process and honestly didn't believe that this recipe would be anything short of a waste of time and ingredients. I am pleasantly surprised and just had to share with you, Constant Reader!

Process:


Peel and thinly slice cucumbers. I used my mandolin and the "thin slice" attachment.

In a large plastic bag put equal amounts of dried dill, garlic powder and onion powder.

Shake to coat all slices.

Place on dehy trays and dry until done. I set mine on 115 degrees for 7 hours, but remember what I said before~dry it until it is done. We all have different machines and situations AND you can never over dry!

My husband said the finished cucumbers taste like Italian dressing crisps. I love them and will do this again. Give it a try!

Enjoy and God Bless~