Taking A Week Off

I'm going to be taking a week off from blogging and the computer. I have a couple of baby showers coming up and I need to get busy and get gifts finished! ;) I also want to work on some new signs for the Farmer's Market.
I will post pictures of completed baby gifts and catch up with everyone next week!

Random 5 Friday - 03/22/2013

1.  I love perennials and enjoy seeing them return every year. I picked up a six-pack of calendula plants last weekend and put them in my new flower bed interspersed with some gladiolus bulbs.

 

 

2.  The hollyhocks I planted last year are making a return.

 

 

3.  I planted one echinacea in this barrel almost seven years ago, it has multiplied and comes back every spring.

 

 

4.  I have two barrels of irises, these have been here for about five years now. I really, really need to thin them out, huh? ;)

 

 

5.  I gave my big wormwood plant to one of my friends a couple of weeks ago but found this little volunteer and decided to plant it in my new herb bed. They can get pretty big but are very pretty with their silvery foilage.

 

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Pie*ography Thursday III

"Pie, pie, me oh my!" Who remembers the Pie Song sung by Andie MacDowell in the movie Michael? ;)

These portable pies were inspired by the lovely cookbook "The Homemade Pantry - 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making" by Alana Chernila. If you are interested in making more things from scratch, this book has a lot of good recipes.

I sell these yummy little pies at the Farmer's Market where people appreciate goodies that can be eaten without the use of utensils.

Toaster Tarts               **Click here to print this recipe**

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons cold water
Filling(s) of choice (I used homemade apple butter this time)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter. The mixture should look like large crumbs and begin to cling together in clumps. Sprinkle the apple cider vinegar and cold water over the dough and with your hands, mix it in until the dough holds together adding more water if necessary.
Divide dough in half. Roll one half of dough out to a 9 x 12 inch rectangle. Cut into six equal rectangles, 4 1/2 x 4 inches. Transfer to a baking sheet leaving at least two inches in between. Spoon at least a tablespoon of filling down the center of each rectangle. Roll out other half of dough and cut into six rectangles as above. Put the "tops" on and crimp all edges with a fork. Prick holes down the center of each tart. If desired, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
You could also drizzle with a powdered sugar icing when cool or simply dust with powdered sugar.

I really want to thank everyone for the tip about adding the apple cider vinegar, what a difference! You can see how incredibly flaky it makes the pastry!

Pie*ography isn't just a fun linky party, it is also a beautifully written and photographed book with
"42 Fabulous Recipes Inspired by 39 Extraordinary Women" by Jo Packham. I just had to have it and received my copy last week. What a treat!! Our hostess for Pie*ography Thursday, Anne Marie Klaske, did the food styling for the book and it is awesome, as is the stunning photography by Traci Thorson.

Linking up with Anne Marie for Pie*ography Thursday, as well as The Country Homemaker Hop, Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, and What I Am Eating.

Tuesday Muse - 03/19/2013

 

For me, today, it is some volunteer violas in the back yard. :)

What makes you smile today?

 

Joining Nancy for Tuesday Muse. (Edited with Nancy's Quiet texture Soft Light @ 80%, duplicate layer Soft Light @ 25%.)

Random 5 Friday - 03/15/2013

1.  I used to live in a gated townhouse community in a suburb of Los Angeles.

2.   I had a real good job as a first-line Manufacturing Engineering manager for a defense industry contractor.

3.  I had my nails done every two weeks.

4. I drove a little, red, two-seater MR2 sports car which I LOVED!

5.  I could never give up my life here on our little four-acre farm with it's views of the mountains, or the horses, goats, chickens, dog, cats and garden to go back to city living. :)

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Making Cheese - Fromage Blanc

This is my favorite cheese that I make with the goat's milk and it is just SO stinkin' easy and provides a pretty good yield! :)

I use a culture to make this Fromage Blanc. I used to make a goat milk Chevre using buttermilk and liquid vegetable rennet but using the Fromage Blanc culture gives a more consistent result. This cheese is also a little drier than the Chevre, which I like, it makes it easier to crumble. It can be used in any recipe calling for cream cheese or goat cheese.

All you have to do is heat one gallon of milk to 86 degrees F, stir in the packet of culture and let it sit overnight on the counter. In the morning, pour the curds into a piece of real cheesecloth (not the stuff from the grocery store) and hang to drain for 6 to 8 hours.

I then mix in 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt and put it into a container in the fridge. If desired, you can also mix in some dill, garlic and chives, diced jalapenos, sun dried tomatoes, or anything else that would be found in "flavored" cream cheese. This cheese also freezes exceptionally well but freeze it without the extra add-ins and mix them in after thawing.

I buy my cheesemaking supplies from Caprine Supply but they are also available from New England Cheesemaking Supply.

This Fromage Blanc is really good stirred into pasta sauce to make it creamy, stuffed in celery, crumbled over a salad, spread on a cracker, or combined with some shredded cheddar to make a substitute for "processed cheese spread." More on that later! ;)

Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Spring Has Sprung!

At least according to my Santa Rosa plum tree and the bees! :)

We are expecting temps in the mid 80s by the end of the week but there is still a chance of getting a freeze here through the end of April. Jerry went to the thrift store the other day and bought several old sheets that we can use to cover the fruit trees if a freeze is forecast. We haven't had any fruit the past two years because of late freezes and I really would like to get some this year, especially the plums and peaches! YUM!!

Linking up with Tuesday Muse and Texture Tuesday.

Edited with Nancy's Asian Influence texture @ Overlay 50%, Kim's kk_1612 texture @ Soft Light 50% and kk_1612 duplicate @ Multiply 50%. Border added in Pixlr.