Easy Mead - Happy Halloween!!

Halloween is the start of the Holiday Season to me! You know, sort of like Memorial Day is the start of summer? Anyway, my mother's birthday was on Halloween which is another reason it is my favorite holiday! I'm a bit dismayed, however, by the blatant commercialism of this day that was once set aside by the ancient Celts to honor and remember our ancestors and to celebrate the end of the harvest season. Oh well, kinda the way Christmas has become over commercialized!

I started making this yummy concoction back in my days of "playing" with the SCA. I tried making traditional mead once but it didn't come out very good! LOL!! Mead is simply honey wine and will knock you on your bu** if you drink too much because of the high sugar content! I usually get requests from all the girls to bring this to Thanksgiving dinner. ;-)

Five 12-ounce bottles of hard cider (I like Hornsby's Crisp Apple)
One orange sliced
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup good honey

Add one bottle of the cider and the honey to a half-gallon container and mix well. It will fizz up so don't put too much cider in before mixing (sounds like the voice of experience, huh?). Add the rest of the cider, the orange and the cinnamon sticks and mix again, gently.

Put into the back of the refrigerator for five days; stir once daily. On the fifth day, remove the orange slices and the cinnamon sticks. Don't forget to eat the booze soaked oranges, yum! Now, you have a choice to strain out any little bits of pulp if you want to, I usually just leave them in. I also like to use this lovely, handmade goblet when I drink my Easy Mead, it was a gift a few years back with a candle in it. I didn't think I would ever burn that silly candle up so that I could use the goblet for it's intended purpose! LOL!!

You can see that there are a few bits of pulp floating in the mead but that way I feel I'm getting more fruit in my diet, right?!? Of course, this would also be a good summertime drink but I only ever seem to make it during the winter.

 
Happy Halloween everyone! :)

Carnage!

Seemed like an appropriate title for this pre-Halloween post! ;-)

I took this picture of the neighbors' very cute fall display out by their front gate one day last week.

This is what it looked like this morning!! Oh, the horror!!

What, you ask, could possibly have caused such destruction to such a beautiful arrangement?!? Well...let me tell you the story...we were sitting watching TV last night when I kept hearing a strange noise out the front window. At first, I thought it was the deer walking across the gravel. Finally, I went outside and activated the motion light in the carport thinking that the light would make whatever was out there run away...but...the...noise...didn't...stop!! Jerry decided to take the flashlight (and his .45) and go see what was out there. He told me it sounded like something chewing on something! What?!? Chewing?!? I told him to be careful because it was probably the Chupacabra!! He was practically on top of the noise before he could see that it was...the stinkin' javelina! There were three of them having the best old time eating the pumpkins and the cornstalks!

This is the first time in the six years we have lived here that we have actually seen any javelina; we have seen signs of them but not the actual "little darlings"! Anyway, they finally ran off when Jerry got right on top of them and yelled at them! I couldn't believe how much they had torn up that cute fall display! Ah...the joys of life in the high desert! :)

Sausage Potato Kale Soup

I had some fully-cooked sausage left over from making the Jambalaya and some opened chicken stock in the fridge that needed to be used up. I had the Zuppa Toscana soup at Olive Garden awhile back and man was it good! Living out here in the country, we don't get to the city very often to eat out so I have to try to make my own version of recipes I like. I Googled for recipes and came up with several and married them together to suit our tastes and what I had on hand. I was VERY pleased with how this came out! YUM!! The kale actually came from our garden! :)

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1/2 pound fully-cooked smoked sausage cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 to 2 garlic cloves minced
1 quart chicken stock
3 to 4 red potatoes quartered and cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 cups thinly sliced kale leaves, discard the ribs
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup heavy cream, or more if you want it creamier

Heat butter and oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and sausage and cook over medium heat until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.  Add the chicken stock, potatoes, kale, red pepper flakes, salt, oregano and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes and kale are tender. Stir in the heavy cream and heat through.

Linking to the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House. Come join us!!

Toffee Brownies

Back in June, I posted the recipe for my Brownie Mix and the basic brownies that I usually make with it. I just love having premade mixes around to save time and money when the urge hits to whip up something delicious or, heaven forbid, the Goody Plate is empty!

Yesterday, I was going to make our regular brownies but noticed a bag of Heath toffee bits in the freezer that needed to be used up. I thought that they would probably go pretty good in some brownies and ya' know what, I was RIGHT!! :-)

2 1/4 cups Brownie Mix

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Heath toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. Combine Brownie Mix and toffee bits in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine butter, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry and beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Mmmm...look at all those yummy toffee bits in the batter!

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until edges separate from pan. Makes 16 brownies.

These are so moist and rich that I never frost them but feel free to add your favorite frosting or topping!

There, the Goody Plate is happy again and so is Jerry! ;-)

Farmgirl Milk Bath

Here's a different recipe for a change...milk bath! The weather is getting to be colder and drier and we could all use a little pampering bath that also helps soothe and soften our skin. Don't forget to light a candle, put on your favorite CD and shut the door! ;-)

2 cups powdered milk
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup finely ground oatmeal
1/2 cup organic lavender flowers
12 drops lavender essential oil

Mix all together in a bowl. You could also make this with organic rose petals and rose essential oil.

I usually put 1/2 cup of the milk bath in large press-n-brew teabags from Moutain Rose Herbs but you could also use an old knee-high pantyhose or even some cheesecloth. The teabags only hold 1/2 cup but I would recommend one full cup if using the pantyhose. You don't want to put it directly into the bath though because the lavender flowers and oatmeal could clog up the drain. Just toss the teabag or stocking into the tub while filling with warm water. Squeeze or swish around a few times to release all the skin soothing properties of the oats and lavender.  

 



Another thing to think about is what a nice gift this would make! Just put the milk bath into a pretty jar (prettier than this one! LOL!) and give with usage instructions.



This post brought to you at the request of Mooberry Farmwife who asked for the recipe for the milk bath that I had included in the Bath Basket she won! :)

Seed Saver Journal from Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Arts Studio

Grace at Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Arts Studio had a giveaway for some of her beautiful Seed Savers Journals a couple of weeks ago and I was one of the lucky recipients! YAY!!

She makes each journal by hand and decorates them using some of her handspun yarn, wool felted from her sheep and lots of little extras that make each one special!

There are envelopes containing plastic bags and smaller envelopes to put them in for saving different kinds of seeds. There are cards for keeping notes too. There are even some sticky notes that can be used to keep track of the seeds as you collect them!

Grace sells these beautiful journals on her blog! You can find them here: Seed Savers Journals Now For Sale and see more designs here: Win A Seed Journal. For those of us who don't spin but like to knit and crochet with handspun yarns, Grace also spins and dyes the most GORGEOUS yarns and sells them on her Etsy site, Larkspur Funny Farm And Fiber Arts Studio!!

Thanks Grace for this beautiful Seed Saver Journal! Now I need to get out there in the garden and start collecting! :)

Buttermilk Wheat Dinner Rolls

I love the way these rolls look baked in the 9-inch cake pan but of course you could just shape them into 12 rolls and bake them on a sheet pan. They are a consistent seller at the Farmer's Market because of the presentation and, of course, the taste! ;-) These are a nice, rich dinner roll incorporating some buttermilk and whole wheat flour. I tried using all buttermilk initially but they didn't seem to rise as nicely. This recipe uses 4 1/2 cups of flour instead of my normal 4 cups so that the rolls fill up the pans.

Buttermilk Wheat Dinner Rolls               **Click here to print this recipe**

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast (If using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.)

Mix, knead and let your dough rise until doubled using your favorite method; bread machine, manual or stand mixer. Grease two 9-inch cake pans. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and shape into balls.

Place 8 balls in each cake pan seam side down.

Let rise in a warm place until doubled. (Oops, forgot to take a picture!) Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. I have to rearrange my pans after about 8 minutes to get them to cook evenly. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Don't forget, the holidays are right around the corner and nothing beats homemade rolls for Thanksgiving dinner! Bread freezes incredibly well so these could be made ahead of time and then thawed on Thanksgiving morning, wrapped in foil and re-heated for dinner.

Linking to the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House! :)