Rabbit Chili Recipe

As you all know, we raise rabbits for our own meat consumption. It's healthy, and it allows us to be able to feed ourselves without going broke. (Ok, I have to admit, I don't help with the butchering part)
But we love Chili here, I believe I've even posted a recipe or two before on chili.  
Ok, the first thing I did was I put the raw rabbit meat in the crock pot, with a lettuce stalk, a red onion and a bell pepper, and some salt and pepper. I put just enough water keep the meat from cooking dry. Then, I allowed it to cook over night on low. Once that was done, I took the meat out, and deboned it. and I put the meat, and the veggies, and a small amount of the broth in a big pan. Then I added some fresh diced tomatoes, some squash and zucchini (because lets face it you can put them in anything and they make a fresh healthy filler),  2 cans of kidney beans un drained, 2 cans of diced tomatoes, and a can of tomato past. Then I added a packet of seasoning powder, and mixed will. I then simmered on low on the stove for about 2-3 hours until everything was good and hot, and all the flavors had been able to come together.
This was really tasty, and was even better with a sprinkling of cheese and a dab of sour cream on top!!!

critters, veggies, life

Hey everybody!!! Sorry it's been quite a while between posts. Things have been a bit on the busy side with summer, and canning, and critters.
We finally got the grow out pen completely shoveled out, and some fresh new bedding down, a coop moved in, and we now have our Americana hens and roosters in there. (yes!!!) Although the one rooster is going to have to go. He's way to mean for my liking. I've never been scared of a rooster until him.
We did get our Americana chicks moved outside a couple of weeks ago, and they are doing fantastic out there in their little coop and run. We are starting to be able to tell the difference between the girls and the boys so, soon, very soon we will be taking out the boys, butchering them, and getting the girls ready for market.  Which will be great because my newer pullets that came in the mail back in the early spring are about ready to start laying, so I will be able to do my next round of hatching.
My dogs, all 3 of them are doing fantastic. Sam pretty much so stays in the house, because he melts outside.
My pumpkins are growing fast!!! I have some more up to date pics than these, but I've just got to get them uploaded. Some of them at this point are already turning orange!!! Hard to believe that they have grown so swiftly.
Then finally, I'd like you all to meet Lucy!!! She's the newest Silver Fox in our herd. She is the Daughter of Fred and Ethel, and is just under 4 months old. She has a great size, and great fur, so I can't wait to see how she finishes growing out.
Even better news!!! Betty, my Chocolate Silver Fox who was having such a hard time taking care of her kits, finally has a litter that she is taking care of perfectly. she made a nest, she's feeding them, all of it. She just seemed to have a hard start with the others.
I have a few recipes that I'm going to be posting here in the next day or two as I go.
Oh speaking of recipes. Remember a while back when I made that chocolate cake from that old old old recipe, and couldn't find the Hershey's syrup that I could have used in it at Food Lion? Well, Matthew my favorite grocery store dude, showed me where it's located! For some reason they have decided that it does not belong in the baking isle, but with the ice cream stuff. Ah well, at least I know they have it for next time!!!

Big Brownies

I swear, I don't bake every day, and that we don't eat tons of fresh baked chocolate things. Just some times, I get on spurts, especially when I know I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog after I've neglected you all.

So, we all  know that the best cook books in the world, are written by churches. Nobody cooks better than a church lady. End of story...church lady food is the best!!!! This recipe comes from our church cookbook, and was submitted by a lady who is no longer with us. I've been wanting to try this recipe for quite sometime now, and finally decided why not!!! Well, why not indeed!!!! These are perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk. They practically melt in your mouth, and will be hard to not just sit down and eat!!!

Recipe:
3/4 cup margarine or butter melted
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Blend the first 3 ingredients. Add eggs and mix with spoon. Then combine dry ingredients. Gradually add to the egg mixture. Beat well with a spoon. Spread in an 8 or 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from pan.
Cool.
cut into 16 squares.

This is best mixed with a wooden spoon rather than with an electric mixer.

Updated Laundry Soap Recipe

So, we all remember that awesome $2.00 laundry soap recipe. When I was in Walmart I found ZOTE which is a laundry bar soap, and it cost the exact same thing as the Fels-Naptha. So I was curious, and asked a few other people who make laundry soap, and they said that they use it all the time, that you just use a half a bar, and save the other half for later. Well I hate having an open package just sitting around, so I decided to just go ahead and make a double batch, because then, I wouldn't have to make more later on down the road. Because of the size of the soap, it didn't make just 4 quart jars, it made 5!!!!  I'm going to go ahead and post the amounts to make a double batch and just call it a batch.

Grate 1 bar of zote soap
then add 2 cups of Arm and Hammer washing Soda,
and 2 cups of 20 mule team borax
mix with 6 cups of water, and heat together until everything is melted together.
Divide  into 5 quart jars, and then add enough water to bring it just to the shoulder of the jar.
Let sit over night, then cut the hard soap and dump into a blender. Blend until it has a may like consistency and pour back into the jar.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Its that time of the year again!!! The gardens are in bloom, and production is on!!! So yesterday I decided to try a recipe that I've been meaning to try for quite some time. The recipe says that this is a cake, but it has more of a brownie consistency in all honesty. It's moist, and smells amazing when it's baking. In fact as you can see, it smells so good, that Sam had to curl up against the stove!!!
Since I was sharing, I divided up the batter into 2 loaf pans, it didn't change the baking time or anything.

This is a simple recipe!!!
2 and 1/2 c. flour
4 TBSP. Cocoa
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 C. buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 and 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. oil
1 stick butter
2 c. grated zucchini

Combine flour, cocoa, and salt. Add remaining ingredients, except zucchini. Beat together 3-4 minutes.  fold in by hand the grated zucchini. Pour into 9 x 12 inch greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes.

That's it!!!
Enjoy!!!

Baby Bunnies!

I'm very late with a lot of posting, and have quite a bit to catch up on with you guys!!! So, 3 weeks ago, Ginger and Betty both kindled. Ginger had 7 big fat black babies. Betty had 4, 2 chocolate and 2 black. One of them didn't make it, and she was not interested in the survivors, so I slipped the one chocolate and 2 blacks that survived in with Ginger. Everybody is thriving, and growing quickly!!! Of course at 3 weeks old, they are in and out of the nest box on their own, hopping around and having a grand time. They are all eating solid foods, and drinking, and nursing. Fingers crossed that our Chocolate is a girl, because I'm keeping it regardless. But a Chocolate would be better!!!

Pictures as promised

So there has been lots of great stuff going on around here. I've had stuff bloom out, stuff start producing, rabbits have been born, and the list goes on. The other day I found potatoes on sale at Food Lion, so I bought 40 pounds and have been working on canning them. In fact that's what I'm doing right this moment. The waiting is the hard part.
We planted some of those tomatoes that come in the plugs that they've started selling. We put them in the compost pile, along with the pumpkins, and everything there is growing beautifully. Of course anything planted in a compost pile will do well I'm sure. This coming week we are going to be cleaning the chicken house and run, so that means we are going to have to start a new compost pile since we have stuff growing in it, and the chicken poo isn't aged so it will burn the plants.
Well, enough of my chatter, enjoy the pics!!!!