One of my Egg Plant's bloomed!!!!

As some of you all know, I've been very excited about growing my own egg plant this year, especially since I have learned just how yummy it is!!! This morning when I went out to do my morning garden inspection to see if anything at all had bloomed, I was super happy and excited to see that beautiful purple flower on that plant. It looks like one of my other egg plants are getting ready to bloom as well!!!! (Super happy dance)

Now, two of my squash plants jumped in size over night (pictures below) We don't prestart our squash and zucchini plants because I'm a plant/seed started murderer, so we put those seeds directly in the ground.  Tomorrow I'll be taking pictures of the front garden some time...probably after I get the 20 tomato plants planted that I was given today by a friend who can start seeds like they were born to do it.  (of course I have to get more straw, and some more tomato cages for that garden.)

More Gardening and Rambles.

Today was a long hard busy day!!! Frank and I had to go to The co-op to get some chicken feed before they closed at noon for the weekend. So, while we were there I said, hey lets look at their plants and see if they have anything new. Well, we ended up getting a 6 pack of spaghetti squash plants. They were actually pretty pitiful looking, so Frank put 2 plants together in each of 3 holes that he dug for them, and gave them some extra rabbit poop. I'm not sure if they will make it, but it's worth the watch. I'm hoping that the rain we got today was a help. We also picked up 2 tabasco pepper plants, and 2 Cajun bell pepper plants. I suppose that means I'm going to be making a good deal of hot pepper jelly. Although I think Frank plans on pickling the tabasco peppers, which is fine with me, because they are too spicy for me.
Then, we picked up some straw to put around the garden plants in the front yard. We got 3 bales but only used 2. I think we are going to use it as mulch around some of the fruit tree's around the property. We currently have 5 fruit trees. 3 peach and 2 apple. I've been looking at some other fruit trees however, and am hoping to have a few more in before the spring/summer is over.  I'm hoping that we will be able to get some pear tree's, I think Frank is thinking of a plum tree of sorts. Really he wants green gage, and damson. I like the fruit, but I hate having to process, because the seeds are so hard to get out of them. I think we will just stick with whatever Lowes has in stock, because I'm not overly fond of getting them from some of those mail order places.
Ginger is due to have her babies any time now. I'm pretty excited to see how this litter will turn out for her. This will be her second litter, but her first litter with Bob. I'm hoping that they are better than the ones that Bob and Doris produced. Although Doris doesn't have the best babies anyways I don't feel size wise.
Funny story while I'm thinking about my rabbits. Tonight when I was feeding and watering the rabbits, I herd this horrible scream!!! I looked up to see where it was coming from, and it was Ethel's Blue kit. There did not appear to be anything wrong with it. It just looked at me, bounced forward and screamed. I had herd of these things happening, just having a screaming rabbit, who screams for the scream of it, but it's quite shocking when it actually happens.
Well, I guess I should get off of this computer for the night. It's been a long day, and tomorrow isn't going to be any shorter from the looks of things. OH, before I go, I did candle the eggs I set tonight. I need to wait a few more days and candle them again. It's so hard to tell because of the dark green of the egg shells.

Overnight Coffee Loaves

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe, and as you all know, I've been having a ball trying out old recipes. This one came from an old Betty Crocker Recipe card set from 1971.   Somehow, when I make these old recipes, I manage to use just about every dish in my kitchen to make these things. I'm certain that there is a trick to that, I've just got to figure it out!!!! (oh please excuse the skillet in the back ground of the top picture, I had just finished making supper when these came out of the oven.)

1 package of active dry yeast (or 2 and 1/4 stp will equal 1 package)
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)(I just heat mine in the microwave for 1 minute)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Dissolve yeast in warm water. In large mixing bowl, combine flour 1/4 cup sugar and the salt. Cut in 1 cup butter until mixture looks like meal. Mix in yeast, egg yolks and milk until dough is smooth. Cover; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Grease 2 loaf pans, 9 x 5 x 3 inches. Turn half of dough onto well floured board. Roll into rectangle, 13 x 8 inches; brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, and the cinnamon; sprinkle half on rectangle. Roll up, beginning at narrow side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Place seam side down in pan. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cover; let rise in warm place (85) for 2 hours. (Dough will not double) Heat oven to 375 degrees,  and bake 1 hour. If necessary, cover loaves during last 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Remove from pans, and frost with confectioners sugar glaze. cool before slicing. (Confect sugar glaze recipe below)

Confectioners Sugar Glaze

Mix 1 and 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 2 tablespoons butter softened, 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of water until smooth.  Drizzle over hot loaves.

I truly hope you all enjoy this recipe!!! I have a lot more to come!!!

Hard Work!!!

So, as you all know, we added a second garden this year. Just a small one in the front yard. This evening I went out and worked in the big one out back, did some weeding. I filled a bucket with some weeds and dumped those into the chicken run for my chickens to dig through and peck at.  They really had a great time with that, they took turns standing on top of the weed pile and kicking them. (Don't worry I know what weeds are poisonous to them.)  Then after I took care of all of that, I went down into the front yard with a couple of jugs of water and gave everything a good drink. I noticed that some of the seeds that I was afraid were not going to sprout, were coming up.  So, it looks like everything is going great!!!
Yesterday, I set 20 eggs in the incubator, and I'm happily awaiting the day I can stand there and just watch them burst out of their shells!!!! There is just something awesome about watching new life emerge into the world.
I'm sorry I still don't have much in the way of pictures, I just haven't thought much about carrying my digital camera around with me.

happenings

I'm sorry for the lack of pictures yet again, but it's a gloomy rainy day, and they probably wouldn't have turned out so nice anyways...but then again, there is more to no pictures than the gloomy rainy day. I couldn't find my camera, and when I finally did, the battery was dead, and then I couldn't find my camera charger, and then when I finally did, I decided that I didn't feel like waiting for it to charge to do a blog. I'll get some good pictures on the next sunny day, and just do a picture blog.

We planted a bunch more stuff in the front yard. We went to Lowes to pick up some replacement plants. One of my Jalapino plants died in the garden, so I got a replacement for it, and then 3 of my tomato plants died, so I had to put the ones that were destined for the front yard back there, so I had to get 3 more for the front yard. Then I found that they finally had some Egg Plant plants there, in 6 packs, so I got one of those.  So, now in the front yard I have 3 Zucchini mounds, 3 Yellow Squash Mounds, 3 Patty Pan mounds, 2 mounds of mixed squash seeds, 6 egg plants, 6 bell pepper plants, 6 tomato plants, and they are all planted around my apple trees. In the back yard I have 6 tomato plants, 3 Jalapino plants, 4 egg plants, 2 rows of okra, 3 mounds of zucchini and 3 mounds of yellow squash. If everything grows up as I'm hoping it will, this is going to be a great summer full of fresh fruits and veggies.

This week, I've been gathering eggs from the Easter Egger pen. I'm only getting up to 4 eggs a day out of there, but by Saturday I'm going to set them to hatch. I currently have 14 on the counter waiting for me to set them. I will be selling the pullets, and butchering the Cockerels for winter meat. I'll be making soups, and then canning the meat as well.  Yes, it's not even summer, but we do have to work on getting ready for the winter. It's nice not having to go out into town when it's cold and blustery, and miserable. 

How many of my farming friends are planning for the winter now???

Planting, Planting, and more planting

Hello!!!! It's been a few days since my last post. Frank and I have been on the busy side with getting the garden prepped and planted. In the back garden, we planted tomatoes, lots of squash, egg plants, jalapenos 2 rows of okra, and a whole lot of green beans. Then this morning we planted a pack of pumpkins in 2 different locations. We planted them in the compost pile, and in a random dirt pile that we keep trying to decide what to do with.

Then we have been talking about turning part of the front yard into a veggie garden for a few years, and decided to just go for it today. We planted 3 more mounds of yellow squash, 3 more mounds of zucchini and then 3 mounds of patty pan squash. Tomorrow I have to pick up some cucumber seeds, and some bell pepper plants, and a few more tomato plants. If the front yard works out this year, we are going to work it up better, and then have 2 permanent garden spots. Truly, one can never have too many fresh veggies!!!! (although this means, I'm going to have to start picking up more canning jars of course)

Bella was involved in her first ground hog killing. Thankfully Jasper was with her, or I think things could have went even worse for her than they did. Walker hounds are not meant to be killers, just trackers, and treeing dogs.  It big her ear, her lip and her paw. Once Jasper was able to get her out of his way, he grabbed it, and he and Sam took it out together and neither one of them got a scratch on them. This was the biggest ground hog we've seen in the yard in a long time. People tend to think its cruel that we let our dogs kill a ground hog, but they don't understand that those things would demolish my entire garden!!!! I got a pic of the 3 of them with the big thing.

I wish I would have gotten a pic of the teeth on this thing!!! They were huge!!!

Well, that's it from here today. I need to get settled in and ready to watch the Lizzie Borden Chronicles on Lifetime. I am surprisingly hooked on that series.

8 week old bunnies!!!

Well, here's Cad and her now 8 week old babies!!!! She has turned out to be a most wonderful mother, and her babies, even though they are basically mutt's have turned out to be some spectacular little bunnies. We are going to have to get them in a grow out pen here soon though, I'm afraid they are starting to crowd their mom a bit much.

1934 Chocolate Cake and Icing Recipe

This cake proved, that I am truly the messiest cook in the world. I wouldn't say I had a great time, but I did do something I've not done, which is to bake a cake from scratch, and to make home made icing, and none of it came from a box!!! (This was probably one of the more expensive cakes I've ever baked on that note) Once again, you can find everything in your local grocery store, because even though this recipe is from 1934, it's actually rather simple, using real ingredients, that you may or may not have in your pantry now. (I of course got all of my ingredients from my local food lion, and the only thing they didn't have was the Hershey's Brand Baking chocolate. I just got another brand) (Mathew, you need to get on that buddy)

One of the things I have learned about a no bake butter cream icing is, you have to work quick with that stuff. As you can see by the picture, I didn't work fast enough and tore the cake a bit, but that's no big deal, it didn't alter the flavor one itty bitty bit.

So, here goes!!!!

Ingredients
3 Squares Hershey's Baking chocolate
5 Tablespoons Hot water
1/2 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 and 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Melt the baking chocolate, cut into small pieces, with the hot water in top of double boiler over simmering water.  Cream the butter and sugar together well, add the egg yolks, and whip thoroughly. Then add the melted chocolate mixture, slightly cooled, the flour sifted with the baking powder and salt, then add the milk, mix well. Then beat egg whites together with the vanilla until it's stiff, and fold into the cake batter. pour into a well greased and flowered pan. (13x9x2 inch) Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick.

Now, I  know they say "don't eat the raw batter" but let me tell you, I do it anyways, because you just have to be certain...well let me tell you, this batter tasted way better than a box cake batter!!!!

Now, onto the Icing!!!
Chocolate Butter Icing
(Uncooked)

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2 cup 4X Sugar (confectioner's)
2 Squares Hershey's baking chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
about 2 tablespoons of Milk or light cream (I used whole milk)

Directions
Cream butter, and then gradually add the sugar while beating constantly. Next add melted baking chocolate, and then add vanilla, all while beating. Thin it with the milk 1 tbsp. at a time, you can add more if you need it thinner. Spread on warm cake.
This makes 1 and 1/3 cups of icing or enough for an 8 or 9 inch layer cake. But make sure you get this on the cake while it's warm. I probably also should have made my icing a bit thinner since I am still working out the kinks of baking with old recipes...and since I didn't get the icing on while the cake was a bit warmer.

Well enjoy!!! I know we will!!!

German Potato Salad

Greetings!!! It's been a while since I've shared a new recipe, blog, or pics. So, here we are, all 3 in one!!!
 I decided that I needed to expand upon my cooking skills a bit, and make something I have  never made before, which is potato salad. I love a good potato salad, and when scanning recipes I came across one for German potato salad, it just looked good and tasty, and the fact that there is bacon in it made it sound even better!!!! This took me about an hour to make from start to finish, and I got all of my supplies from our local Food Lion, where I think the meat is the freshest, and the produce is the best around. Yes, I love Food Lion, the employees remember the customers, they are friendly, and they are local!!! Of course I have my favorites (You know who you are...lol), and would rather go to FL over Wal-Mart any day.
So, now that I have made my pitch for Food Lion, lets get on with the recipe!!!! (No I don't get paid to talk up FL)

3 slices bacon
1 med onion
1 tsp flour
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
5 cups cooked potatoes sliced
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Saute bacon until crisp, and remove from skillet. Then Saute onion in bacon drippings until translucent. Add flour, and stir until  smooth and add water. Stir until thick. Add remaining ingredients. You may serve this warm or cold. 
Serves 8