Utilizing leftovers....day 11 of 30

 

 

Sorry I skipped a post again yesterday.  Maybe I should have agreed to do 30 consecutive posts not necessarily daily.  My bad!  Possibly I’ll post two today, or not.
As I sit in my bed typing this post this morning I pause to reflect on how fortunate and grateful I am.  Listening to the hens hackle and the rooster crow while sipping my coffee fixed just the way I like it….a splash of raw milk and couple teaspoons of maple syrup.  Not only did Maine Man prepare and deliver coffee to my bed but he also brought my laptop & camera up and he even made me an omelet.  Every woman should be so lucky!   Have I mentioned lately how much I love and appreciate that man?


 

Back in high school I was a waitress at my grandparents restaurant.  One of our cooks was named Flo.  She was a wild and crazy gray-haired older lady SO full of life! I loved her!  I often wonder if she is still alive.  That was over 20 years ago so I am doubtful.
Every Sunday we served boiled ham dinner.  On Mondays she would make the best dang hash from the leftovers.  For years I have thought about how she made it.  About a year ago I attempted to cut up the leftovers really small and cook it…..epic fail.  Then a while back it came to me.  Take the leftovers and run it through a processor until it reaches the consistency of small chunks, not baby food!   Season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Add a slab of butter in a pan, I prefer cast iron because it lasts for ever, isn’t toxic, and I’m an old-fashioned girl at heart.  Cook until crispy and in this case I fried an egg to top it off with.  This can really be made up with any leftovers that includes meat, veggies, and potatoes.

Flo would be so proud even though it took me 20+ years to recreate her fantabulous hash!

 

A day late, thoughts on diet.....day 10 of 30

 

This post I am about to share is my thoughts exactly about diet.  It is titled “Why I stopped being Dogmatic about my diet” by Prairie Homestead.  Click on the link to read a GREAT post.  I could not have wrote this post any better then she!

Not one, not two, but three.....day 9 of 30

“Tell your kids I have a gift for them.”  is never a good thing in my neighborhood.

So I have this cat named Sparky.  He thinks he lives at my neighbors, Biker Stacy’s house.  So apparently while visiting BS he decided to kill a mother chipmunk and injure 2 out of 3 of her babies.  Her biological cat then saved the baby chipmunks bringing them back to the house.

Can you guess who’s house they are at now?  Can you guess who will become their caretaker after the newness wears off?  Contemplating payback….

 

BBQ at my in-laws....day 8 of 30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quirky & Best homemade all-purpose cleaner recipe...day 7 of 30

Kinda weird but I can’t even start typing a post until I upload pictures to my post.  Even like in this case where the pictures don’t match the topic I’m covering.
I’m tired don’t feel much like posting, I’ll be honest.  Thinking I’d rather and will be in a moment watching some brainless, feel good show on Netflix.  I’ve had a productive eventful day trail running to kayaking, preparing food, even cleaned up one kids room a bit sorting through what is trash, pig food, and even discovering food that had already been composted. Yes still in her room!   Closed the other kid’s bedroom door and opened his window widely because of the raunchy stench coming from his incubator.  He had 3 geese hatch and never cleaned out the bottom and he has eggs in there due at a later date.  He is away for the weekend, how convenient.  Love my kids…have I mentioned that lately…REALITY, lol!

Speaking of cleaning, my intent was to make a brief post about my absolute favorite homemade all-purpose cleaner.  I’ve tried several recipes but this is my current favorite.  I like it for a couple reasons #1 it does a good job cleaning #2 it’s cheap and you probably have all the ingredients under your kitchen sink!

2 parts water
1 part vinegar
dash of dish soap ( I use dawn)
10-20 drops of essential oil (I use lemon)
You can buy a spray bottle for a couple bucks or repurpose one.

WTH was I thinking.....day 6 of 30

 

 
24  more posts to go….WTH was I thinking? Clearly I was not!  lol
I started everything I needed from seed this year but I still have a burning desire to go  shopping at the greenhouse.  I don’t really need anything, maybe I’ll pick up a few flowers. 2 of the 3 gardens are mostly planted as of today.  MM says he doesn’t garden any more but he kindly tilled up the gardens and he put up some fencing, he also is not shy about telling me what I am doing incorrectly…..whatever!  He says I don’t take direction well.  He has a good point but I am who I am.  MM and my boy will plant the vine (cukes, squash, pumpkins and such) garden this week.  What I don’t grow I will pick up at the farmer’s market.  I will start going regularly as of this week.  I would much rather put $20 or more in to local farmers pockets then the grocery stores.  Not to mention the taste and I am sure the nutrition is far superior.  It’s a good goal for all, we are the peeps that need to create change!

 

The bread recipe everyone requests....day 5 of 30

 

Every time I cook this “no knead” bread for others I get asked for this recipe.  I’ve posted it a few times in the past but I have since had requests.  I added some Italian seasonings to the above loaf.  You can add just about whatever you want in addition to the 4 simple ingredients it is made of ….flour, salt, yeast, and water.  THAT’S it!!  A loaf like this costs about $5 at the farmer’s market….cost cents to make at home.  Click on this link to go to the recipe.  I promise you, it’s wicked easy to make!    Here is the first post I wrote about it in 2010.

Just a weed....day 4 of 30

 

 

I’ve yet to eat dandelion greens but if all works out I may attempt to make cream of dandelion soup this weekend. I’ll let you know if it is any good.

 

Child labor….it’s a sweet thing!  Picking dandelions for Maine Man to make wine.  I will definitely take pictures of the process as he has promised to do a post or two. He has also made hard tea which everyone enjoys.  It has quite a kick.  He will share how he does that as well.

 

 

Robins~Wordless Wednesday......day 3 of 30

 

 

Pictures courtesy of CB

Cow Stalker....day 2 of 30

 

 

So there is this wild and crazy lady that stalks one of my cows.  She drives by my house frequently honking, yelling to him, taking pictures, and she even brings relatives from afar to visit him.  I don’t know her personally yet I love her, she makes me laugh.  We are friends on Facebook and in addition to that she seems to know just about everyone I know.  To protect her identity we will call her T. Maybe we should give her a nickname and she could be a regular character here on my blog….lol. This cow’s name is  Beefalo but she calls him Carl…she even has a Facebook album on him titled “The Adventures of Carl”  including  68 pictures of him and/or a miniature plastic Carl that travels on adventures with her.  Here are just a few pics I just stole from her FB page…..

The funniest thing she posted so far was her dancing in New York City with Carl to the song Happy.  Some day soon my crazy stalker cow friend and I will sit and have a frosty, cold, fruity beverage together and laugh!

  

Creating habit.....day 1 of 30

 

I read some place that if you want to do something on a regular basis to do it for 30 days in a row to get in the habit of it.  Since I have been quite neglectful of this space for like a year with the encouragement of friends and family I will try to bring it back to life.  Every day I will post a picture with or without words depending on my mood  how much time I have.  I have even talked Maine Man into doing a post on redneck basic wine making since that is yet another thing he is good at.  He is my biggest supporter prodding me to keep this space alive.  He is right, it is fun to share some of our shenanigans.  It also encourages me to take more pictures and some day this space will be nice memory for my children.  Stay tuned