Recipe's

Guinness Stew
3lbs lamb or beef stew meat (cubed) (I use the beef)
1/2 cup flour
3 large (russet) potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
6 stalks celery, cut into 1/2" slices
2 large yellow onions, cut into large dice
3 gloves garlic minced
2 quarts lamb or beef stock
12 ounces Guinness stout
2 teaspoons corn startch
optional spices: salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and parsley  add whatever amounts you like or none at all

season the meat with salt and brown the meat in a little oil.  Remove and sprinkle the meat with flour, shaking off the excess.  Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the pan (that you browned the meat in) and saute, tossing to coat with the fat.  Add the Guinness and deglaze, scraping up any caramelized meat juices.  Add the potatoes.  Put the veggies and meat in a big stew pot, add just enough stock to barely cover, cook over medium heat until just boiling, then reduce heat to very low and simmer 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in seasonings to taste, remove from heat, mix the cornstratch with some of the broth and then stir the mixture into the stew.  Cook over low heat for a few more minutes to thicken.
total prep and cooking time 3-4 hours

Is maith an t-anlann an t-ocras. (Irish Galeic for "Hunger is a tasty sauce")

Chesseburger Quiche
1/2lb ground beef
1 cup cheese (shredded)
6 eggs
3/4 cup hash browns
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 pie crust
optional spices: minced garlic, minced onions, salt and pepper (if using add these to the browning meat)
pre-heat the oven to 350 (f), brown the ground beef, drain off just a bit of the grease then add the hash browns in and brown.  While those are browning beat eggs and heavy whipping cream together when that mixture is a frothy yellow pour into the pie crust.  Then add in the browned beef and hashbrowns, cover the top in cheese and bake for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes or until the middle of the quiche no-longer jiggles.

Total prep time: 45minutes-1 hour

enjoy!

From Scratch update!

This winter seems to be the winter I cook, I mean really cook, not just heat things up that I bought prepackaged at the grocery store.  Nope this time I just bought the ingredients from the grocery, soon maybe these items will come from my backyard!  Since my last post about making bread and Guiness Stew, I have also, tried my hand at making donuts (these were kid and husband tested and approved).  Two cheeseburger quiche's and a jackapple cake, along with cookies and cupcakes have been in the oven this past week.  The more I cook in this way the more I like it!  I am going post the recipe's I used for the stew and the quiche and let you know where to find some of the others

From Scratch

Yesterday, I made 2 loaves of bread, "from scratch".  In other words, I mixed together flour, yeast ect.... (alright i did use an electric mixer) to form a ball of dough, which I then hand kneaded and set asisde to rise, then put in the oven and then 30 minutes later voila bread.  It was quite yummy too.  I made one "traditional" loaf in a loaf pan and then the other I seperated into 3 parts and braided them together, tucking the end underneath so it would not come unravleled while baking, it makes terrific "tear part" bread.  The sections of the braid pulled apart nicely and where just awesome dipped in the Guiness Stew I made to go with it.  The whole meal was "made from scratch" as they say.  Which got me thinking what exactly is meant by the phrase made from scratch?? Does it mean that I went to the grocery store and purchased the ingridents and then cobbled them together to make the meal, or does it mean that I grew, proceseed, stored the food before making into a meal?  Perhaps it means both, to the pioneers it meant growing and sowing and processing and storing and hoping that you harvested enogh to last the winter, but then they knew how to grind wheat into four and probally even had there own hand crank flour mill.  I have no idea how to do this, save for the litle bit I read in the "Little House on the Prairie" books.  Is it still possible to even buy one of these?  Do they even still make home wheat mills?? I don't know but now that I had the thought I might look it up.  However, my made from scratch meal just meant that I used ingridents from the grocery store to pull the meal together.  In the future I hope that more of the ingridents I use come from my garden or animals we raise, but for now I'll have to make do with the grocery store. 
PS does anyone have a recipe for pumpernickel bread that does not require one to have a bread machine?

Bread!!!!!!!

My first loaves of bread



photo's

Good Fun!!!

We finally got some snow here in mid-michigan.  About 2-3inches that actually stuck around long enough for the hubs to haul out the quad runner, attach a rope and pull me and my son around the yard on a sled!!  Such fun!!  It was cold and the snow flew up into your face and the tall grasses/weeds wipped you in the face, but slidding around the yard at a semi-fast pace can not be beat.  The chickens seemed to enjoy watching us too.

the downside to the snow and cold was that the chickens did not lay as many eggs as they had been with the warmer temps, we got about 9 eggs where we had been getting about 10-12 a day (we have 17 chickens capable of laying at this time).  Earlier in the week plans were to make a sign and start selling the eggs, we sort of put that plan on hold because we ordered a sign from a local gal instead.  The sign should be ready today or tomorrow, so Wednesday it is, since I have the day off.  Can't wait, hopefully things go well.

Broody Hen

This morning when I went out to collect eggs/feed/water and just generally check up on the flock,  I once again found one of the polish ladies sitting on a cache of eggs.  This is the second time I have found her sitting on eggs.  The first time was when I was cleaning out the top layer of wet straw.  Today when I found her she was sitting the back cornor in a nest of straw so deep I could just make out the top of her head.  When I went to move her to get the eggs she pecked me pretty good, apparently she has guards too cause two of the other chickens came and pecked me too, I left her sitting on them for now, since I had to leave for work and did not have time to fight a broody hen this morning.  Part of me would like to let her sit on the eggs and see what happens the other part thinks it's still a little cold for babies and we do not have a brooder set up.

In other chicken news, we have enough eggs and they are big enough that we are going to start selling them, hubs and I will be working up a sign to put out this weekend when we are both home.  Hopefully we will get some customers.  So far, We have sold half a dozen to a co-worker of mine and have given some to family during the christmas holiday.  This feels like the next logical step and is the next step in getting the farm to pay for parts of itself.   Any profits from the eggs will go toward feed for the flock.  Pretty exciting for us here at Ridgetop.

In just over 2 months time we will be adding to our flock with some more chickens, turkeys and 2 gosling's.  I would like to do bee's as well, but feel like I should take a class on bee keeping before just jumping into that.  Looking into that as we speak.  Come spring we'll be looking like a real farm.

Wintering the flock

As I posted the other day, we lost another Chicken.  It has been a pretty mild winter so far here in Mid-Michigan however it does have a tendency to be in the teens one day and 40 the next.  In that frame of my mind I have decided to list what I do to keep the chickens warm and healthy in the winter.  If you have any questions, comments or advice please feel free to leave a comment. 

Feed:
In addition to their regular food, we offer then some scratch grain mixed with extra corn. The fattiness of the scratch will allow the birds to pack on an extra layer of body fat, which aids them in better combating colder weather. The scratch or corn should be offered as a treat, though, not as the sole source of their diet.  We usually throw some down in the morning and then again right before they head in for the night.

Water:

Yes, most waterers will freeze. We are fortunate enough to have electricity in our coop, so we have purchased an electric warming base (to be used with double-walled, metal waterers).  I still check the water ever day to make sure it's not frozen and there is plenty for them to drink. If you don't have electricity in your coop you will need to check the water several times aday.  One idea is to fill the waterer with hot water and then drop a chunk of ice or a good amount of ice cubes into the water to slowly cool it down over the course of several hours. While they will drink less during colder weather, the birds still need to be able to drink water, period.

Heavy bedding:

If, like me, you use the heavy bedding method for collecting coop droppings, now is the time to add an extra heavy layer. Placed over existing droppings, heat will be generated from the composting manure, as well as the birds own body heat at night. It does not raise the temps much, but, all heat is welcome heat when it's freezing outside!

Combs & Wattles:

A series of days with below freezing temperatures could result in damaging, painful frostbite on your bird's combs and wattles. My gauge is 4 days-if the weather is super cold for over 4 days, I have petrolleum jelly to rub on thier tender bits to help prevent frostbite.

A Clear Path:

when the snow flies and is more than an inch or so, we shovel a path to the feeders and waterer's to lessen the time they spend on the cold, and wet snow, which can cause damage to thier feet.

sad news

Lost another chicken today poor little lady.  I don't know if it was the cold or what.  Earlier in the season when the winter weather was still mild we lost another one in the same manner.  That's to say that we have no idea what happened to them.  Neither appeared to be injured or sick.  I have followed every source I can find about wintering the flock.   Hoping not to loose any more.

Happy New Year

2011 is over!  Was your year good, bad or the same so-so mix?  Are you dreaming big for 2012 or just wishing for improvement on 2011?  Did you celebrate with a bang or a quiet night in?  For me we celebrated by joining some friends at their house for some Chinese take out and board games,  we played a new (for me anyway) game called "Farckle" (a dice game).  The hubs, Dj and I left early though as I had to get up for work this morning had to be to the hospital by 7am which means I had to leave the house at 6am, needless to say I was in bed by 11pm and did not watch the ball drop in Times Square NYC.  Dj stayed up to see the ball drop on TV.  2011 had a few sad moments but many more glad moments so I am hoping that trend contiunes on through 2012.  Big plans are underway for us hopefully a fix up of the barn, a remodel of the bathroom and perhaps a vacation.  I am starting (this very day) a 365 photo project in the hopes that it will boost my photography business and of course some serious weight loss.  Please wish  me luck in both these ventures. 
Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!!!!!!