figgetty do dah

Figs season has arrived. 

 The very first year we moved here we planted a fig tree. It was purchased at the Farmers' Market and planted on the  southwest side of our screened  porch. Since we eat many meals out there on the porch my hope was the tree would act as a lovely shade awning for that corner. And it has  provided  exactly what I hoped it would. 

We literally sit outside while eating our meals and watch our figs grow.  

Today for lunch I used them in a delicious  salad.

The dressing was simple too:

 2 1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar,

  3 Tablespoons olive oil,

  2 teaspoons maple syrup,

 salt and pepper.

I did toast pecans and added a few blueberries as well as feta cheese and sliced red onions.

For the evening meal I prepared chicken thighs, bone-in with a sauce of balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, onions, garlic, honey, chicken stock, and thyme. I tossed in halved figs right before putting it into the oven for about 15 -20 minutes. Delicious!

(This is where you can go for the general recipe I used.)

Then of course, I  had to prepare fig bars much like the ones I baked last year. There are still cooling on a rack before cutting and tasting. 

While I was cooking the fig mixture to be spread between the layers, I realized how simple it would be to make fig butter using the same simple ingredients used in this fig bar recipe. Figs, water, lemon juice, (no sugar is needed since the figs are sweet enough). After cooking for ten minutes, the figs will be placed in a food processor, then poured back into the pan to cook slowly until the figs become thick much like the consistency of apple butter.

I can not think of anything I would rather spread on a hot buttermilk biscuit!

I am once more seated under my own vine and fig tree ... and hope to spend the remainder of my days in peaceful retirement, making political pursuits yield to the more rational amusement of cultivating the earth.

~George Washington

pickled red onions

 Pickled red onions are easy to make and very delicious. 

2 red onions, sliced

2 cups water

2 cups white wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

I do not own a mandolin slicer, therefore, I slice my onions as thin as I can. This works perfectly fine. My husband actually likes the thicker onion slices.

Heat the water and vinegar, adding the sugar and salt to dissolve. Place the cut onions in a quart jar and after the  water cools pour it over the onions. I like to add only peppercorns to my onions. You may like to add garlic or herbs, do whatever you and your family likes. Keep them in the refrigerator, they are good for use after only a few hours, but they only get better over time.

I keep this as an ongoing food in my refrigerator because we enjoy eating them on our salads.

When the onions have been eaten, I will add freshly sliced onions to the vinegar water. That vinegar water is concentrated and  is still able to pickle satisfactorily, I will do this about two extra times. This is especially helpful when I am in a pinch for more onions as soon as possible.

winter home economics

This is "me" still attempting to maintain some sort of walking schedule on the slippery snowy ice! One gingerly placed foot at a time and plenty of warm clothes.

Arising... with shining being a bonus.

This morning I got out of bed earlier than my usual 6:15 or so. I read once if you are rested and awake why not just get up. Though it was still dark outside, in the early morning sky I observe twinkly stars and the planet Venus, a tiny spot residing beside the waning moon. The snow on the ground gives off that faint magical glow. 

I am perking my coffee these mornings in a *Presto percolator. The main reason I purchased this percolator is because I like hot coffee; percolators seem to do a much better job of not only brewing it hotter, but keeping the coffee hot until it is unplugged. But then I am by no means a coffee connoisseur. I simply enjoy my morning coffee hot and strong.

I stir the hot coals in the wood stove and carefully lay on a small log to get the fire aroused. I light a few candles until it is time to switch on the table side light in order to read the Word. Then I begin to stretch, those "old-fashioned" stretches that can't be beat for waking up the joints and muscles.

Home tending...I make a home and I tend it too.

Laundry is always on the Monday list, more than likely because I  happen to do less laundering over the weekends.

I decided it was time to go through both freezers that are in the house and get a perfect inventory of what foods are in the freezers and what foods need to be eaten sooner than later, or even thrown out if they have reached that point of no return. This did not take as long as I anticipated,  probably due to the cold frozen food on my hands and the annoying alarm on the freezer. But my frozen foods are now organized and my menu planning for this week and even into the weeks ahead are tentatively planned.

Cooking and Preparing...getting a start on some food prep for the week and managing my ferments.

*1/2 chicken boiled,  for chicken and dumplings along with the chicken bone broth that was in the freezer

*Sausage browned, for pizza and I also found frozen homemade  pizza dough that was pulled out to thaw in refrigerator.

*Dried lima beans to soak. I like to keep beans or a dish containing beans in the refrigerator every week. 

*Cabbage made into sauerkraut.

*A batch of water kefir was made.

And now a poem from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, 

                                     Songs of A Housewife.

                       

                                                  Winter Sun.

There's not much of it- that may be

Why it is welcome, since it's rare;

And why it seems a bar of gold, 

Lying across the table there.

Over my kitchen pots and pans

It trails its shiny finger-tips.

Spills over in the living-room,

And in my hands, like honey, drips.

A Winter sun, like memory,

Brings back the thought of Summer haze.

Remembrance of the birds and flowers,

The ecstasy of August days.

A handful of such sun would seem

All that the Heavens can afford,

In Winter-time. Consider me

Most grateful for small favors, Lord!

                                                                        January 5, 1925

If the name Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings rings a bell, she is the authoress of 

 The Yearling and Cross Creek, both well-known novels.

A footnote: At least two blogs I enjoy reading are no longer available, as in removed. Some of the wording suggests it might not come from the blogger? This makes me sad. If you are one of those bloggers, please know I will miss you greatly.

whetting the appetite

 Interesting thought that is, whetting the appetite. Usually those who live at my house or visit their appetites are adequately whetted to begin with so it is not something I must do, but what fun it is to offer appetizers which are never turned down by anyone. I consider it an informal invitation for a meal's beginning. Company for dinner almost always welcomes a few prepared finger foods to set on a pretty plate or platter. Those hors d'oeuvres will be perhaps more elaborate and more time is allowed for our company to sit while I am finishing up with the main meal.

 Many Saturday evenings in the summertime as we are wrapping up an active day, an early evening is planned usually including something special being cooked on the grill, then the enjoyment of including a few simple hors d'oeuvres set on a board or platter invites a slowing down of the evening and is very pleasant indeed.

But, I am also finding that on these these late summer weeknights, my husband appreciates my little bit of extra effort. I choose a weeknight that is not rushed, prepare a simple appetizer platter and call for my husband to come down and join me in the living room while the supper meal waits for serving.

This is my latest summer hors d'oeuvre offering.

Boursin cheese, coarse pepper Tilamook cheese. 

Sea salt almond crackers, roasted almonds and  fresh figs from my tree.

 My husband comes down with a sigh of pleasure We sit with music on in the background...whetting our appetite properly.

visits, burgers, and limelights

Charlotte and Issac are in that season of life that invites changes and sometimes those opportunities and changes can happen quickly. But then we have been praying for the Lord to lead and guide, and for His will  to be done in their lives. In the middle of some major changes they were able to visit for a few days.

I found the most remarkable burger recipe and if you like burgers, and I mean big burgers, then you might want to try this recipe. My husband purchased a
gas grill this summer so he has enjoyed grilling despite the heat and threats of thunder storms. This burger will be memorable and especially popular with the men, young and old! Women  like it too but might only be able to eat one-half of this whopper burger. I actually made my buns too.

The recipe is on Youtube, not her blog. You can go and watch all the little details regarding the recipe, but I will give an ingredient list and the simple process to see if you might like to go and listen to the video.

Hamburger meat, salted, peppered with dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Flatten 1/3 cup of raw meat between parchment paper and fill one patty side with onions and cheese, or whatever you might like. We had some that wanted onions and cheese and some only wanted cheese.

Gently scoop up the other patty and place on top of the filled part, pinch to close.

Take the burger and put on top of two pieces of criss-crossed bacon, tooth picking the bacon together.

Grill until done. 

And today I wanted to say a few words about my Limelight Hydrangeas. First of all I must declare I do love hydrangeas, any variety. Yet limelights are unequivocally my all time favorite at the present.  These bushes around my patio are three years old. I prune them late winter using the 1/3 or 2/3 cutting back ratio, I pruned mine 2/3 this past year. One produces more blooms, yet smaller, the other encourage larger blooms but less of them. I hit the jack pot and had the best of both on my bushes. A bounteous display of large blooms.

 I  am able to adorn my dining room table with these flowers  for weeks. Their fragrance has become even sweeter with the humid heat.

It is a gardener's joy to have flowers to cut and bring inside all summer long. 

sophistication in simplicity

 The cilantro in my garden seeded itself and has become ostentatious in its pursuit to come up everywhere in the garden. I have already dried a jars worth and I decided I must cut the plants back to prevent them from going to seed with the hopes of retaining fresh cilantro in my garden for most of the summer. The smell was intoxicating, and I found sophisticated simplicity in placing them in a jar of water to set on the porch table.

There is a corner bookstore located in Louisville in an area called Crescent Hill, walking distance from Charlotte and Isaac's apartment. I have always made a point of going to this bookstore when I am in Louisville, mainly because they have the best selection of Wendell Berry books. They carry such a good selection since he is a Kentuckian author.

These little notecards came from this store, Charlotte gifted them to me so I have been writing notes this afternoon.The Tufted Titmouse is one of my favorite backyard birds and we are fortunate to have quite a few of them at our feeders. When they decide to sing...it is as a choir has booked a special flight to come and delight.

  

Years ago, I remember brewing a delicious summer tea using rosemary. Today after pruning my rosemary bushes I took a handful of the crushed rosemary branches (approximately 1-2 cups) brought them to a boil and simmered this brew for about 10 minutes. I added the strained rosemary tea to an equal portion of sweet tea also adding the juice of one-half lemon. Very refreshing, and the taste of rosemary was keen yet subtle.I realize that sounds like an oxymoron, but to me it describes the taste well.

Another way would be to make a rosemary syrup which basically means adding dissolved sugar to the simmering rosemary tea and pouring it into unsweetened tea, and even yet another way to make a good rosemary drink is to simply add the brewed rosemary tea into lemonade.

“The hill is like an old woman, all her human obligations met, who sits at work day after day, in a kind of rapt leisure, at an intricate embroidery. She has time for all things. Because she does not expect ever to be finished, she is endlessly patient with details. She perfects flower and leaf, feather and song, adorning the briefest life in great beauty as though it were meant to last forever.” 
― Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays

How has sophisticated simplicity shaped your May thus far?

at home on Thursday

Early morning walk in the swirling snow down to the creek bed. This American Beech tree  rightfully observed, glorious in its sober cinnamon shade. The direct contrast is hard to miss with the beauty of the bare trees and snow. I have grown to love these trees, especially the young ones that draw our attention  in the winter month's woodsy walks. Show-offs in quietness.

Bacon baked in the oven I have found is the best and easiest way to cook bacon, crispy and delicious. with little effort. Place slices on a racked baking sheet in a 400 degree oven, 8 minutes, flip pan around, 6 minutes, turn bacon over,  cook another 6 minutes (your timing might vary slightly). Since my hens are now giving me eggs on a regular basis we can resume having eggs every day if we would like. And  homemade toast with pear preserves for breakfast.

The day continued with the wind-blowing cold all throughout the day. I was the keeper of the flame in the living room, thankful for all the firewood my husband has cut from our property.

I cut out quilt squares for a quilt my husband has requested for himself. Something he does not usually do so I felt as if I wanted to give this to him. This quilt will be what I refer to as a napping quilt, not big enough for a bed, but bigger than just a throw. 

I guess he is anticipating taking more naps in the future😊. 

January 31 offerings

A woman's "best laid plans can oft go awry",  much like the mouse in Robert Burn's poem. As was this woman's case story for today, this last day in January. And I take comfort in the amazing truth that the Lord always directs my moments which lead into the orchestrating of my days. Since it is Friday after all I was planning on leaving early to make the weekly hour drive to Bible Study as I happen to do every Friday morning. I was carrying along the day's snack too,  freshly baked cream scones in a basket with a container of homemade whipped cream and a little jar of blueberry vanilla jam. The house host supplies the water and coffee, these nine women are coffee drinkers. But I wasn't feeling "up to par" today. Headachy, body achey, and tiredness. Not only did the thought of the drive weary me, but the thought of sharing this little bug with my dear friends was what led to making the final decision easier. 

Unfortunately, I was to pick up Breanna to bring her to my house for the weekend. We had some lovely plans. We are sewing a Sense and Sensibility era ball gown for her to attend her homeschool English Garden Dance in early March.

I have rested a bit and it has been doing me good. A pot of chili was made yesterday and a bowl of gooey Mac and Cheese is in the refrigerator alongside a few other leftovers, this will keep me from cooking...so I can rest my achy body. 

As the temperatures have taken a turn from the cold winter days I was loving, I still keep the thoughts and the sounds of this inviting season in my heart. And without any doubts whatsoever, winter will  awaken  once more, he is only taking a rest like me.

Ergo, as I am sitting on my living room couch, the sun streaming cozily through the bare windows I pleasantly enjoy these things of winter.  And I thought I would share them with you all my dear blogger friends.

 

Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Winter. 

The gifted violinist does a superb job with this beautiful piece, as do her accompanists. I especially love how the descriptions of winter are given in this video.

 And speaking of violins, as a graduation gift from college we were really wanting to buy Charlotte a new violin, one that was over the level of a student violin. She found herself the perfect violin and she is now immensely enjoying the richer tone as she practices hard for her Senior Recital, cresting the hill for her May graduation.

Edmund Blair Leighton's A Wintry Walk(1904)

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it; the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show."

                                                                                               - Andrew Wyeth

My hands are busy knitting on a project I have thought of creating for several years. I love it when the magnification of any given project  focuses and activates a new beginning as it did with this Memory Scrap Blanket, a free pattern on Ravelry.

Enjoy your weekend!

housewifery

 "The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life and elevating them to an art."

                                                                       ~William Morris

(Just a pretty photo I found in my past photos.)

The Difference between Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour:

Gluten. There is more gluten protein in the bread flour. But with using cup for cup I have been very successful in using these flours interchangeably. This became necessary for me recently as I was running out of my all- purpose flour, but I had over 20 pounds of bread flour in my pantry. We purchase our organic freshly milled flour from a Mill that has been in operation for over forty years. But it is a drive to get there. I needed flour right then.

The Making of Homemade Baking Powder:

This enables you to have the freshest baking powder at all times. I know I have mentioned the making of this product  at least one other time, but seriously you should at the least try it once.

Simply sift together three times,

1/4 cup cream of tartar

2 Tablespoons baking soda

Store in an airtight jar.

Using Brown Rice for a Sweet Pudding Dessert:

I was wanting to bake a Rice Pudding as a winter dessert a few weeks ago and I also desired to use brown rice, which we always eat, without opening the sealed container of white rice in my pantry. As long as your brown rice is fully cooked, tender and moist, you can use it with the best results.

Making Chicken Bone Broth:

Making chicken bone broth can be as simple and as uncomplicated as you want it to be. Chicken Bone Broth is a healthy and deliciously satisfying food using leftover parts of the chicken which can be used in various dishes. I have read several ways of doing this, but I just stay with my tried and true method that I have been doing for years. I collect all my chicken bones and chicken parts we do not eat, put them a freezer bag and store all in the freezer until the bag is full. One morning I will get up and toss all the bones and pieces into a large pot, cover over with water, put on a lid, and bring this mixture to a boil. At the start of a boil, I turn it down to a simmer for 6- 8 hours, minimum. Afterwards, I strain the bones, pour the liquid into a large jar and place in the refrigerator. The strained bones are at his point placed in a crockpot, slightly covered with water with the addition of approximately 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and left to cook overnight on a low setting. The next morning I strain the bones and place the liquid in the refrigerator beside the other jar. After the fat has risen to the top, I remove from the jars from the refrigerator skim the fat and I take the "bone jelly" to either be poured into ice cubes to freeze, pressure can in jars or use it in a soup. Note: the second simmer from the bones will not be as jellied as the first, but still extremely good to use. Sometimes I will take the whole chicken to make a broth and this is when I add vegetables and spices to the water.

And not to make anyone think my chickens are cannibals, chicken cannibals that is, but my oh my! chickens do love feasting on all that is left! At this point those bones are soft and crumbly between your fingers, nothing left behind in the pen!

Baking Everyday Biscuits:

Because some of my childhood memories involve the ordinary biscuit, the art of biscuit making stands out as being an act that my fulfilling housewifery must attend. My maternal grandmother made a batch of biscuits twice a day for as long as I can remember. Her firstborn, my mother, was born the day the stock market crashed in 1929 at the start of what is known as The Great Depression. My grandmother was young and food choices was scarce. Biscuits were a stable. She told me how they would put wild onions between the slices of a biscuit and that was a treat. As a child we would go to Grandma's house and straight to the kitchen we would go. There on the counter would be the leftover biscuits from breakfast and those biscuits were our "snack" at Grandma's house. I still have a vivid picture in my mind of them sitting on a plate on her kitchen counter all these years later.

Here is Susan Branch's biscuit recipe. While this is quite a bit different from my recipe in that it does not include any butter in the flour mixture, I have enjoyed baking these biscuits periodically because they are quite good. However, I do not add the sugar mentioned in the recipe, and I like to use 3/4 cup of cream and 3/4 cup buttermilk which means you can cut down the amount of baking powder you use.

Vacuums:

Having definite opinions on certain types of vacuums is probably a mainstay of any housewifery skill. I am not partial to those little machines that scurry across your floors and get stuck on pieces of furniture and sometimes end up on a pile of something left on the floor. I want a vacuum I can push across my hardwood floors and carpets, actively engaged.

But the lightweight vacuums of today while they work good, they just do not last. The first Shark vacuum I purchased not that many years ago had to be replaced recently. And of course, there are all new models now. But we finally decided upon one. I should have read the reviews which is something I usually try to do. But this is the one we bought. Overall I give it an eight out of ten. It has excellent suction, which for me is probably the most important feature of any vacuum. It is lightweight and has a large dirt container. The two power levels of hardwood and carpet make it very efficient too. What I do not really like about this vacuum personally and these are small things, nonetheless I will mention them. No light to help you see in tight places and the cord is short and in an awkward place on the vacuum... I find I must hold the cord at all times.

Soaking Oatmeal:

We eat quite a bit of porridge for breakfast. I discovered years ago that the simple night preparation of putting your oats in a bowl with acidic water will neutralize the phytic acid which aids in mineral absorption and digestion.  Here is my recipe for two people:

1 cup of dry oats

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon of yogurt, whey, lemon juice, buttermilk, etc.

The next morning put the soaked oats in a pan, add one cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. We like our porridge with a bit of sweet so I use maple syrup. Cook until done. The cooking time is greatly reduced with soaked oats. 

Then just add the goodies: Butter, fruit, nuts and cinnamon.

Lately, we have been enjoying *Thompson Raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon.

But any pome fresh fruit, dried fruit, berries especially blueberries, or even peaches make this a welcomed morning breakfast. 

dumplings and cookies

"We'll all have chicken 'n dumplings when she comes...."

( 4th stanza, She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountains, folk song)

Here in the south where I have always lived, I've noticed that most people have deep opinions, far and wide, about chicken and dumplings. Sometimes it has to do with the region one grew up in or how a grandma always made them. And it has been my experience that you either love chicken and dumplings or you can just leave them for others to enjoy.

Yet it is equally true that if I want to please my husband with a delicious comfort food all I have to do is put on a pot of chicken and dumplings and he is grinning from ear to ear. How can I resist that?

 My husband and I have had very distinct differences in how we've viewed dumplings in the past. He grew up with chicken pastry, a rolled-out flour dough cut into wide strips and placed into the cooking chicken stew. While I grew up with dumplings, little balls of sticky flour dropped down into the lightly boiling pot of chicken stew.  Through the years though I have successfully made a true dumpling lover out of him. 

                                      Simple Dumplings

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

Mix all dry ingredients. Cut in the butter with pastry blender or fingers.

Add the milk. This dough is a bit sticky, you may want to have extra flour for you fingers as you drop the dough into the hot stew. I try to make them no bigger than a teaspoon because the baking powder causes them to expand to nice-sized dumplings.

I was at the cottage the other day to bake these cookies.

Instrumental Christmas music was playing on my iPhone, a Christmas pine-tree scented candle was burning and the cottage's oven baked these cookies to perfection. It was cozy and bright with the twinkly lights I'd placed across the kitchen shelves.

a variety of wrappings

 Autumn begins to be inferred

By millinery of the cloud

Or deeper color in the shawl

That wraps the everlasting hill.

                           ~Emily Dickinson

As I rode an hour's drive yesterday to do some necessaries in town, I beheld the initial "shawl" colors wrapping the trees alongside the road and I was greatly satisfied to see this predictable, yet not diminished, annual display of beautiful color. And even more importantly, I was truly thankful that I could be so totally satisfied in such an amazing pleasure that the Lord has given us at this time of year.

I have been occupied with harvesting a few things like the canning of pears and fermenting of peppers. Today I will go to the garden and snip some green leaves of turnips and kale to bring inside and gently cook, because fresh hardy greens are an autumn delight too in my home.

 I hope to put on my blog if not today at least by the weekend my entire blog reading list. I have enjoyed a recent jumpstart of some new homemaking type blogs and in the process a meeting new lady friends who blog.

On the sewing side, I finished the quilt that I made from my mother's nightgowns. The only part of this quilt that was not hand-sewn was the border, it was sewn on with my Janome machine. I do love any stitching done by needle, thread, thimble and my very own hands. Hand-quilting has a rhythm I especially find soothing. It now has a home on a twin bed I added to Charlotte's old bedroom for when the younger granddaughters  stay for the night.

The white-throated sparrow has returned from  the north to my neck of the woods and to hear its melodious song is pure magic. I sat outside yesterday as the late warm sunshine hued the scenery and I enjoyed it's song in the mighty oak tree.

today with Happy Homemaker Monday

G.K. Chesterton says,

“There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there. The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place ...”

                                                  one morning at sunrise

Happy Homemaker Monday

In keeping with the dominant calling, or I will even go as far as to call it a dominant purpose/role in my life, which is to celebrate being the woman God created me to be and through the careful study  and instruction of His Word to live as a woman content as being foremost a keeper of the home. I am as an older woman even told to encourage the younger woman in her godly role.

So I decided this was a solid place to post what most of us know to be the best calling. Thank you Sandra for getting us all connected!

*Outside 

It is still hot, yet the mornings give a bit of a reprieve. Only 68 degrees this morning. The weather channel online reports even cooler mornings this week, dipping down in the high 50's. Daytime temps will adjust to high 70's low 80's. Bring it on!!!!

*What concerns me right now in attention and thoughts

Preparing for a major change in my husband and my lives as we forego application for SSA and Medicare. When did this all come to be????? Let me warn you ladies it takes some research and counsel with options and such, especially the Medicare that is not free and is basically a socialist program that has evolved over the years. I do not have enough points to claim SSA on my own, yet our government still allows me to receive half of my husband's FRA and Medicare on his account.

My husband and I have been careful with spending and and we have been able to save for our retirement accounts through the years. We are very thankful. I know how hard it can be when you are younger and everything is so expensive and you have mouths to feed and bodies to clothe and braces and... but you will appreciate any effort you made it in the days ahead. Make a plan and do not get carried away with the culture's idea of "living only for the moment" and the need to be spending money you do not really have to spend. Staying home helps😊. And maybe heavily limiting shopping on Amazon and online sites. Your plan is individual for sure and you might not be able to save much, but do make a plan...every bit you manage to save adds up over time.

Food: Preserving and Daily Preparation

The summer garden is slowing down, that is all but the green beans that have taken on new life with all the rain. I pick about every other day. I pressure can pint jars with the extras, and I am  thinking of making a few jars of dilly beans with the next pickings.  We continue to eat delicious servings of greens beans with our meals.

Today I plan to take some chicken breasts and prepare a chicken fry with onions, peppers, garlic, red, yellow and orange peppers, curry paste, and zucchini. This will be served over rice alongside a green salad.

Breakfasts mostly consist of eggs and toast. Though I am hankering for a bowl of oatmeal. We just have so many fresh eggs from the hens.

Lunch is dependent if my husband is here for lunch, then I must be more intentional. Today was tuna salad with crackers, watermelon and pears.

As for the rest of the week's dinner menus:

Tuesday...Fried chicken  with mashed potatoes/gravy and you guessed it, green beans.

My husband has been asking me to fry some pieces of chicken for dinner. I will cut up a whole chicken and fry half of it saving the other half for another dish. I use either coconut oil or palm fruit shortening for frying.

Wednesday... I thinking of serving a one dish meal that I found on Pinterest. Lemon Ricotta  Pasta with arugula

Served with fruit.

Thursday...salmon cakes/potato salad/greens

Friday...Pizza using this cottage cheese crust.

 Cottage Cheese Recipe

1 cup cottage cheese. Process in food processor until smooth.

Add 4 eggs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Mix this all together with the smooth cottage cheese.

Spread ins a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes. Check as it cooks, it should just golden brown.

 Pull it out of the oven and add any sauce, cheese, and other toppings. I made one using an olive oil base with pesto,  sliced tomatoes, feta cheese. It was quite delicious.

*Reading

I am presently reading two books that are a part of my 2024 Reading List. This list will be posted sometime this week on this blog. If you would like to read the list you might want to check back...

East of Eden by John Steinback

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

*Gentle Arts

My hands have been itching to begin some new stitching ventures. But first I must complete several things I have been working on, or at least complete most of the things I have started.

This needle pip that my sewing guild began last spring is first on the list. The embroidery has been done on both sides and the construction of the pip is complete.  I am embroidering Palestrina stitch around the outside.  

Excuse the lighting. A storm had come up quickly. we even lost power for a bit and I had to delay finishing this post.

Also, cotton dish cloths are knitted as I travel in the car on short trips. So easy and mindless and very practical in the finished item. I am knitting them in yellows and blues, using up balls that I had in my stash.

The quilt I hand pieced throughout the cold winter months and began hand quilting just as spring arrived has been existing a dormant life over the summer, but just recently I have picked it up to do some handquilting a few evenings...so much pleasure in that craft.

The natural light from the window in the corner of the dining room was an excellent place to quilt. Here I was also altering Ivy's flower girl dress for Charlotte's wedding. back in April.

I begin most mornings outside on the front porch where many mornings I behold the sunrise.I sing praises to my LORD and I pray and read HIs word. I have been in Hebrews and I Thessalonians. I am memorizing Hebrews chapter 2.

"Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (verse 17).

                                       

  Blessings!

comfort food menu

                       "Eating is an agricultural act"

                                                   ~Wendell Berry

The study of Exodus has come to an end, an insightful as always Bible study. We gather to fellowship at my home tomorrow. I love being with these eight women that I have shared Friday mornings with for the past  eleven weeks.

It is going to be cold outside, plenty of  firewood stacked.

Menu:

Homemade tomato soup

Grilled cheese sandwiches with sourdough bread and  raw cheddar cheese

Lettuce/Kale salad with dried cranberries, nuts and pears

served with a citrus vinaigrette

Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream fro dessert.

blessings and gratitude

 "Thanksgiving does mean the giving of thanks to God, and it is a holiday belonging only to our country, reminding us of the Pilgrims who found a day in the midst of their battle for survival to praise God and ask for His blessings".

Gladys Taber  The Stillmeadow Road

Thanksgiving Day never looks the same from year to year in our family unlike it did in years past.  Those years I could always count on going to the same house with the same people and eating the same foods. The place and who we celebrate with now may be different, some not sitting around the table that were here just last year. 

 Charlotte was not with us today and this mama's heart tried, unsuccessfully I might add, to ignore the empty spot at the table with the heavy feeling of her absence grabbing my attention more times than I want to admit.

The foods also may vary a bit from year to year, yet the the main fare definitely does not disappear from the table's offering. The dressing I prepared  this year was different in that I added sausage and apples along with  the usual onions, celery, and sage. I might revisit this in future Thanksgivings. 

Rose had to work a hospital shift of both Wednesday and Thursday nights, so we opted to eat our meal at 2:30 in the afternoon between her sleeping and going back to work. 

After stuffing ourselves properly we walked the land, our blessings are truly felt.

O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy

endureth forever.   

Psalm 136:1

keeping the fire

 Keeping:  the act of holding, guarding, maintaining and supporting

While living at the farm over twenty years ago, we owned a wood stove. I was never partial to having a wood stove in the house because of the mess created with all the bringing in of wood logs and the resulting ashes. But my husband has always loved the warmth and look of a burning fire. While an open fireplace is my preference, he likes his fires in a wood stove of some kind because of its practicality.

How things do change. One of the things we planned to have when we moved here was a wood stove. We even had the chimneys checked prior to closing so we could be assured a wood stove was not just a dream doomed for failure. Since it was to be in our living room we decided that this Vermont Cast Iron insert in the majolica brown color would be perfect for doing what we desired. It is a beautiful stove to say the least and works beautifully too. I am presently sitting by it now enjoying its warmth and coziness on this drizzly cold afternoon in mid November.

Yet another thing to keep: the fire. It takes a certain amount of time, attention, and maintaining; I like that it is not automatic like the thermostat heat and must be tended to throughout the day. It slows me down and provides focus and a routine that I seem to require during this season of my life.

"There is no place more delightful than one's own fireside.

Nullus est locus domestica sede jucundior."     -Cicero

Yesterday afternoon after the ladies left from our Precepts Bible study and lunch fellowship, my husband and I drove down the road a bit to a neighbor that gave us some bags of aged cows manure, black garden gold. We spread and tilled it into the prepared garden spot and then planted three rows of garlic. I ordered two varieties from Mad River Garlic Growers, Doghouse and Italian Purple. Several dozen of daffodil bulbs were also planted on the edges of the newest garden bed in the backyard. 

Sourdough bread is rising, a whole chicken is roasting in the oven, and leeks are sitting in a "waterbath' for the soup I am about to get up and prepare for cooking.

I'm keeping my home.