Loving Your Beef

I'll admit it. The cows are my FAVORITE animal here on our small farm. They do however have rankest breath of all...maybe because their at nose level ;)

I love almost everything about them including their sand paper tongues, warm fuzzy cheeks, moist nose & mouth, and the curls on top their heads.

Sir Loin is the first large livestock I ever handled & owned. I have enjoyed working with him, learning how to deal with such a large animal. He has taught me many lessons as I have taught him a few. I will miss him more than any chicken, rabbit, duck, or pig we've ever owned. Someday I'll have me have a dairy cow! One that I can bond with and tend throughout the years.

Ordinary Days

I watched this video that was posted by friends on facebook tonight. I found it very touching! For those of you that know me personally know that I have struggled a bit with the transition Country Boy has made from age 9 to 10. I could so relate to much that was said in this video. You will as well if you have children of any age. I cried tears of joy and sadness all at the same time. Just the other night I was telling Maine Man that the hardest part of your children growing older is that you constantly have to reassess and make adjustments to how you parent your children. They don't have to change, you the parent has too! I think I also spouted off that I was headed to the library to get a parenting book to try and figure out how to handle this stage......lol.

On another note the kid above is not mine or anyone I know. Just snapped a picture of him at the Common Ground Fair a couple months back.

Almost time for New Years Resolutions.......anyone thinking that far ahead? Sorry I am a bit of a planner. Last year when I made my resolution of delivering a meal or a baked goodie once a week to some older folks down the way I had absolutely NO idea what the outcome would be! Little did I know that 1 year later I couldn't even imagine life without them! My old man friend holds a place in my heart like no other. He truly is one of the most involved and important people in my life. Blessed I am! So for this year I have a few things I'm pondering....loose a couple pounds is a yearlong battle so that is a given, no more cussing, to decrease my cell phone use while driving (never calling out.....want to set and example for my kids & be safe) and lastly to post 1 or more pictures a day on my blog for 365 days of 2011. What do you think.....little crazy? I think it will be fun, it will encourage me to take my camera out more and document the "ordinary days", and it will allow me to improve my photography and editing capabilities as they could use some more work. What are you pondering? Would love to hear!

Easiest Bread I've Ever Made

For quite some time I have aspired to bake bread on a regular basis. I like my morning toast and in general my family LOVES bread. A quick peak at the ingredients on a loaf of store bought bread is enough scare you! Usually about 20 ingredients including high fructose corn syrup and stuff I've never heard of....datem, soy lecithin, azodicarbonamide. What the ......? (spell check doesn't even recognize them).
Any how I have found the SIMPLEST recipe ever and I plan to make it over, and over, again!
Here is the link I followed, definitely check it out if you plan to make because I will only write up a brief overview here.

About 20-24 hours before you want your bread mix together 3 cups of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, and 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add 1 5/8 cup of water. Cover bowl with saran wrap. Let dough rest for 12-18 hours at room temperature.

The picture above is what the dough looks like after it has rested... bubbly.

Next I sprinkled my cutting board w/ flour and dumped the dough out folding it in on itself a couple times. Once again cover w/ saran wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.



Then I took a cotton towel and sprinkled it with cornmeal, formed the dough into a ball and covered it with another towel dusted with cornmeal. Then I let it rise for 2 hours.

1/2 hour before rising time is complete set oven and 450 degrees and place the pan in for 30 minutes. I used a cast iron dutch oven greased with a dash of olive oil.

I baked the bread for 30 minutes covered and a couple minutes uncovered even though the recipe called for much longer. It was a hit at our family gathering last night and it sure did make for some good toast this morning.

Can you guess what I'm making again tonight?

Can't Hide My Pride

Country Boy shot his first deer this past Monday afternoon.



3 points, 140lbs


CB had a great 1st year of hunting.
So glad he has such a good Papa who teaches him everything he knows!
Next.....Spring turkey hunting. He asked for a beagle for Christmas for rabbit hunting but I cannot see that happening just yet...2 dogs are enough.

P.S Please excuse the photo quality. By the time they hauled the deer from the woods it was foggy and dark. Needless to say I struggled to get the pictures I did.

Thankful

Country Boy's Acrostic poem he made today at school.

Trees

Hunting

Animals

Nature

Kind people

Fishing

Understanding people

Life

LOVE that boy!

The Furry & The Feathered

Our newest addition Basil or Bullet, depends who your asking.

Above is Louie and one of his gals. All together we have 3 Khaki Cambells. They spend 3/4 of the year at the pond and winters in the barn. The only nice thing about keeping them cooped up is their delicious eggs which I LOVE to bake with!

I adore our Muscovies although at the moment we have too darn many of them. We will keep three hens & a drake through the winter. They forage so much food for themselves, they are pleasant to watch as the free roam throughout the barnyard. On a few occassions I've see people pulled watching them and not long ago a lady stopped and was taking pictures. They are SUPER Mommas. Remember that post I did about the hen that hatched out 26 ducklings.

Their eggs are great for baking with too. We ate one of the Muscovies this summer. I thought it tasted similar to roastbeef, tasting nothing like any duck I've had in the past.

H1 & N1 out to pasture. They have are surrounded by electric fencing that is about 4-6 inches up from the ground and have yet to escape. By the beginning of January they will be replaced with 2 more piglets. Only one of these is ours and the other we are raising for a friend. We like to keep at least two of every animal here on our small farm.

Sir Loin is to the left and we are raising T-bone for another friend. He is actual going to be given to our old neighbors as a token of appreciation for saving for our childrens college funds since they were born.

In addition to the animals shown above we have 2 other cats, 2 dogs, and a dozen laying hens, and a mean rooster named Bob.

Wordless Wednesday~2nd Annual Cider Party