Farmgirl Kitchen Accessories

Since I discovered MaryJanesFarm magazine and website, I have been inspired to "Farmgirl" up my kitchen. I started with crocheted cotton dishcloths.

 Then I added a scrubbie crocheted out of netting.

Next were some new curtains.

Of course, every self-respecting Farmgirl has to have some embroidered dish towels! I don't use mine though, they just hang on the oven door! :)

 My latest addition is a dish drainer quilt. The directions were in the latest MaryJanesFarm magazine. Thanks MaryJane!

I used leftover chicken material from making the curtains for one side and the opposite side is sunflowers.

Onion Caraway Rye Beer Bread

I have been making different beer breads using my Baking Mix for some time (will post them as time goes by!) I was recently inspired to come up with this recipe after looking at Farmgirl Susan's blog at Farmgirl Fare while I was researching different beer bread recipes to sell as mixes at the Farmers Market. I have made Onion Caraway Rye yeast bread for years and figured this could work and it doesn't take nearly as long! This is Jerry's favorite beer bread. Beer breads are so incredibly easy and quick! Give it a try! You can also give the mix as a gift by placing all the dry ingredients into a ziploc bag, place that into a pretty fabric bag, tie with some raffia or ribbon and include the directions.

I use a very mild tasting beer in my beer breads. Some people like the heavier beers, especially in a recipe like this. You can also substitute plain seltzer water.

Onion Caraway Rye Beer Bread
2 cups Baking Mix
1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons dried chopped onion
1 tablespoon caraway seed
12 ounces beer
1 egg

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add beer and egg and beat vigorously. The batter will be "shaggy."

Turn dough into prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.

 Remove from pan; cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

As an extra bonus, the house will smell WONDERFUL while this bread is baking! We are having cabbage rolls using cabbage from the garden for dinner tonight which is why I decided to make this today! YUM!!

Chickens

Seems like everyone in Cochise County has chickens these days, us included! I got my first chickens as a trade for a kitten about six years ago, I think I got the better end of that deal! LOL!!  We had some pretty primitive accomodations for the girls for awhile but had this hen house built a couple of years ago when we expanded the flock so that we would have eggs to sell at the Farmers Market.

My first two chickens were Araucanas and one of them, Dolores, is still around and gives me 6-8 eggs every year, mostly in the spring. The rest of the girls are Barred Rocks and they are all named "Chicken!" I would like to get some Buff Orpingtons for my next batch; I just think they are pretty!

  I have one hen with a bad foot so she has her own little pen and a dog house for shelter. She was fine when she was little but at about 5 month's of age her foot just twisted up. She gives me eggs though! Her name is Gimper Chicken.

We used to have a Black Jersey Giant rooster but for some reason the girls started pecking at his feet and wouldn't quit! I tried putting all kinds of icky stuff on his feet to discourage the girls from pecking but nothing seemed to work. He got to where he would spend most of his time sitting in one of the nesting boxes to protect his feet! I finally put him in with Gimper Chicken until his feet healed up and then I sold him. He was a real nice rooster, I was sorry to see him go!

 We just love having fresh eggs all the time! Just can't beat 'em! The girls are getting a little older so I don't get as many eggs as I used to, only about three dozen a week. I take one or two dozen to the Farmers Market every week and they always sell even though it seems like every vendor there is selling eggs! LOL!! That is Dolores' latest egg on top in the basket. 

Triple Chocolate Muffins

These muffins are made with my Baking Mix and are very chocolatey and yummy! I hope you make some real soon and that you enjoy them as much as we do!






Triple Chocolate Muffins
2 cups Baking Mix
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine Baking Mix, sugar, cocoa, chocolate chips, white chips and nuts. In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, vanilla and butter; add to dry ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

 Divide batter between 18 greased muffin tins or use paper liners.

 Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

 Let cool slightly then remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

Hmmm...I never said they were good for you but they could be for you because you are good! This one is mine! ;-)

Goat Cheese

This is our favorite goat cheese. It is a traditional Queso Blanco, which is a fresh pressed cheese that can be sliced or grated and goes great on tacos, omelets, enchiladas or just on a cracker! The recipe is from "Goats Produce Too! The Udder Real Thing Voume II" by Mary Jane Toth. I love her book and make many different things from it including chocolate pudding and vanilla ice cream! YUM!!

Traditional Queso Blanco
1 gallon goat milk
8 ounces buttermilk (I make mine with goat milk and a buttermilk culture)
1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet (I use vegetable rennet)
4 ounces cold water
2-3 teaspoons non-iodized salt

Slowly warm the milk to 92-94 degrees. Stir in buttermilk; mix well. Stir the rennet into the cold water; pour into milk. Stir until curds start to form.

Let the milk set to coagulate for about 30 minutes. Keep the temperature at 92-94 degrees during this time. (I turn my oven on as low as it will go and set the pan over the warmest spot on the rangetop.) Cut curd into 1-inch cubes. Allow the curds to settle to the bottom of the pot. Drain the whey.

 Mix in salt, one teaspoon at a time, every five minutes. (I actually use my hand to do this step as it helps break up the curds into smaller pieces.)

Line a cheese press with cheesecloth. Fill with curd.

Fold edges of cheesecloth over curd. Press for three hours using light pressure.

Remove cheese from press. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Keeps well for one week. (We have kept it for two weeks with no problem!) Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop.



Farmgirl Fashion - Tops

I get SOOO tired of wearing T-shirts all the time! Last year, I bought several cute sleeveless T-shirts at Wal-Mart and within a couple of wearings (like two!) they got holes in them! I realize they weren't very expensive but it was still annoying. This year, I decided to make some tops rather than spend $25 and up for them at the western wear store. I think they turned out pretty nice, no-one has said "Cute top, did you make it?" which I DON'T want to hear! LOL!! The dark brown one is a linen blend that I got on sale at Joann's, I love linen! The green one is actually made from a sheet! ;-)

 



One of my girlfriends even had me make her a couple of tops. Jerry decided my sewing skills were okay so he had me make him a couple of work shirts! The denim one is pretty heavy but he got to wear it a couple of times before it got too hot. My sewing machine has been getting a real workout this spring! 

Jerry's Art

Jerry used to do a lot of drawings in his younger years and has recently taken it back up. He is learning about watercolors from a friend of ours. Vay is in his 80s and his family was one of the founding families in this part of Arizona. What a great guy to talk to! Great stories!

  Jerry is never quite happy with how they turn out but I think they are GREAT!! He did this next one just for me! :)