Random 5 Friday - 09/20/2013

1.  I never tire of the view from our front porch. The mountains always look different depending on the time of day, clouds, etc.

2.  Two weeks ago, Nancy posted a 'recipe' for a DIY shower cleaner. I tried it and must say...it is by far THE BEST shower cleaner I have used in years, homemade or commercial! It is easily made and, because of the lemon juice, it isn't stinky like some I've tried. Thanks Nancy!! Here is the recipe from Nancy:

Simple: Fill a spray bottle half-full with white vinegar; add 1/4 cup lemon juice, then fill the bottle the rest of the way with dish detergent. Shake well then spray on and leave for about 30 minutes, then wipe off.

3.  I found a cute pattern online for a knit Baby Kimono that I'm going to make for grand-daughter Jaycee for Christmas. I probably should get started, huh?!

4.  Here in the next few weeks, we are going to get electricity installed down at the barn. It will be nice to have real lights and an outlet in my milking shed for a heater and/or a fan.

5.  Jerry took Red Dog with him to the horse auction last Saturday and met Red's former owner. I kind of figured that might happen living in a small town and all. Come to find out, the fella raises pretty high-dollar stock dogs and Red was one of his 'breeders.' Initially, he offered to buy him back but when he found out that we had to get him neutered to adopt him from the animal shelter, he changed his mind. He was glad the dog is okay and has a good home and had Jerry out to his ranch this past week. He also gave Jerry some literature on the commands to use. So, you really, really never know just who you are getting when you adopt a dog from the pound! ;)

Joining Nancy for Random 5 Friday and Jan and Jer for Friday's Fences.

Pear Ginger Crisp



We harvested the fruit from our Kieffer Pear tree last week. We ended up with 20 pounds of pears from our little, 8-foot-tall dwarf tree! :)

I used some to make spiced pear jam in the slow cooker (works GREAT for the PB&J cookies), we have been eating them fresh, I gave some away and I used some to make this crisp last Sunday. What a lovely recipe! Between the maple syrup, fresh pears, dried cherries and oatmeal topping this is a fabulous dessert for fall!

The original recipe, from Simply Recipes, is for a pie but I didn't have time to properly chill the dough for the crust that afternoon so I decided to just go with a crisp. The only other change I made was to add about a cup of dried cherries, dried cranberries would be nice too.

The Bisbee Farmer's Market has a pie baking contest every fall and I put some of the pears in the refrigerator to keep so that I can enter this pie in the contest. Actually, I never told ya'll, but I WON the pie baking contest last year for a Peach Blueberry pie. It was my first week attending that market and, honestly, I was a little embarrassed about winning. LOL!!

Linking up with the Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Wordless Wednesday - 09/18/2013



 

Tuesday's Tails - 09/17/2013

I love watching the hawks soaring overhead. :)
I believe this is a Swainson's Hawk, also called a Locust Hawk or Grasshopper Hawk. This morning, one was swooping down to the ground behind the house, probably after the hordes of grasshoppers we have this year. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to the camera quick enough for a close-up picture.

I took these yesterday as the hawk was riding the thermals. We used to see mostly Red-Tailed Hawks around here but the Swainson's Hawks seem to be taking over. What types of hawks do you have where you live?

I Pimped My Mixer!

So, I was watching the Food Network the other day (surprise, surprise!) and I was noticing all the specially painted/decorated mixers that these celebrity chefs have, like Ree Drummond, Alton Brown, Guy Fieri, etc. I was wishing I had one when I thought to myself, "Self, why don't you just add some stickers to your perfectly good, 20-year-old KitchenAid mixer to dress it up? That would make more sense than buying a new one!"

I have never claimed to be on the cutting edge of style or trends. After I got home from Wal-Mart, where I bought these cute, vinyl sunflower stickers, I looked online and found some really nice pimped out mixers and some cool tutorials, especially this one where the girl painted her mixer first. So, even though I'm behind the times, I thought I would show ya'll how cute my Farmgirl Mixer turned out and all it took was a $1 package of stickers! :)

Linking up with the Rurality Blog Hop and Farmgirl Friday.

Tuesday's Tails - 09/10/2013

Well, we got a couple of new barn cats after losing Barn Kitty awhile back. We have had them for about a month and a half now. We got them from one of our friends at the Farmer's Market, two little males. This is Ernie, he has already survived a rattlesnake bite since coming to live here.

This is Bert, he is hunting a grasshopper. They are a couple of little characters (as are most kittens), very friendly and always wanting to be petted.

For the first month, they stayed at the barn, like good barn cats, and hung out in the hay. They have since decided it's LOTS more fun to hang out up here at the house. When we go down to the barn to feed, we have quite the parade...Jerry, me, Buddy, Red Dog, Bert and Ernie. Yep, they follow us!

Bert got that grasshopper, yum! ;)

We are starting to develop webbed feet...

...because of all the rain we have been getting! Quack-quack.

It has been raining almost constantly here at the Lazy J Bar C for three days now. The forecast is for rain pretty much all day today and tomorrow too. This is the remnants of a tropical storm off the Baja California peninsula from the end of last week. Living in the desert, we always welcome any rain we can get but Jerry and poor Red Dog are starting to get cabin fever. ;)

I sure wish I could send some of this rain to my blogging friends in the central U.S. and central California where they are experiencing drought conditions...

Meatballs For The Freezer

This recipe came from my grandmother many years ago and I love having a batch of these babies tucked away in the freezer for those nights when I have absolutely no idea what we are going to have for supper. My grandmother always made them as baked Barbecued Meatballs but the possibilities are truly endless! I have used them for spaghetti and meatballs, meatball sandwiches and have even baked them plain and dropped them into a big pot of vegetable soup.

 

Meatballs

 

3 pounds ground chuck

2 cups oatmeal

2 eggs

1 cup chopped onion

13-oz can evaporated milk

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

Mix well. Shape into balls (I use a cookie scoop). Place on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Package airtight in freezer bags or containers.

 

I used a combination of locally grown ground lamb and ground beef for this batch, adding some ground pork would be nice too. I also used my goat milk instead of canned milk.

Just take out however many meatballs you need for your meal, let them thaw, place in a baking dish and then top with your favorite sauce, or no sauce at all in the case of the meatballs for soup. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until done. I also like the fact that there is no browning on the stovetop and all the mess that comes with it but you could use them that way too.

I like them the way Grandma used to make them the best, smothered in some slightly sweet homemade barbecue sauce and served with some macaroni and cheese and a nice salad or green vegetable. Yum!! :)

Linking up with Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Rural Beauty

When we were taking our walk this morning, out in the cow pasture, I noticed how beautiful the seed heads were on all the different types of grasses. I think it makes a lovely 'floral' arrangement, don't you?  :)

Joining Nancy for Tuesday Muse and Madge for the Rurality Blog Hop.