Almost back on the farm

Ok so apartment living has gotten to me. I feel like a caged animal. So on my days off I go down to Brown County and spend time with Lydia, Travis and baby Henry.

We work in the greenhouse, and gardens. And now there are 2 litters of baby pigs.

So since I spend so much time there and really only sleep and eat here... I am moving all my blogging over to their website:

hoodsheritagehogs.com

See you there!!

"Impossible Quiche"

Fresh and hot out of the oven! Spinach with Colby/jack and Parmesan shreds.

This is an easy dish I've been making since my kids were little. We like it hot or cold and for any meal or for packing an eat-out-of-hand picnic or lunch. It's simple to adjust the ingredients to suit the season and your tastes.

THE BASIC RECIPE:

Grease a pie pan or iron skillet. I like to use butter because it gives such a nice golden crust and because we make our own from cream from pasture raised cows. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together 2 cups milk, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. (If you would like a creamier texture use 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks. You can save the whites for an omelet or for making a meringue desert)

Now for the fun part:

Veggie Possible                              Meat Possible                 Cheese Possible

Spinach                                           Breakfast sausage              Cheddar

Broccoli                                          Ham                                   Mozzarella

Zucchini                                          bacon                                 Feta or other goat cheese

Tomato                                            Smoked or polish              Butter cheese

Salsa                                                sausage                             Asiago

                                                                                                  Parmesan

                                                                                                   Jack

                                                                                                   Colby

                                                             

You'll need about a 1 1/2 to 2 cups veg, 1 cup of meat, and 1 1/2 to 3 cups cheese. ( Reserve 3/4 cup for the top).

Mix and match according to your preferences. Just remember that cheeses like Feta, Asiago, Goat cheese go a long way. Other cheeses like Parmesan and mozzarella don't make for a very creamy filling. So a blend of cheeses is a good idea.

You can do an all veg or all meat pie if you like just adjust the amounts a bit.

Now mix your selected veg, meat and cheese into the base mix. Pour it all into the pie pan and top with the cheese you reserved for the top.

Bake for 45 minutes or so. It should be browned around the edges and firm to touch in the middle.

Set out to cool for 15 minutes before cutting so that it is set.

With avocado,salsa and lemon

Enjoy!!

Meatza Pie

Meatza Pie ready for the freezer.

Since Brian has developed type II diabetes we have changed some of our eating habits. Most notably there is no bread in the house. Which means no more ordering pizza delivery. This was one of our guilty pleasures since we moved to the apartment. We were like little kids on Christmas morning when the pizza guy knocked.

I miss pizza. So does Brian. So I started racking my brain for a recipe. Hmmmm.... I remember Pam making something she called Meatza Pie when she lived with us. Maybe I can make a version of that?

So this is what I came up with:

2 pounds of grass finished ground beef- keep it lean. You don't want a greasy pie.
6 whole wheat crackers crushed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 of a large onion diced
1/2 of an orange pepper diced (you could use a green, yellow or red pepper. I just happened to have an orange one)
A splash of Catsup, a dash of hot sauce and a large pinch of oregano (dried or fresh)

Mix it all up good and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
While you wait, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9 X 13 cake pan. I have one of those little bottles you pump up to pressurize oil. I put in olive oil or grape seed or safflower oil. I think it works better than a can of non-stick spray and I know for sure what's in it.

Now press the meat mixture into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. That's right  like a meat crust for a deep dish pizza.

Next:

Mix 1 egg with 8 ounces of Ricotta until smooth. Spread over the bottom of your meat crust.
Pour in 1 quart of spaghetti sauce. Preferably homemade, but that's not always possible. Just remember the better the sauce the better the pie! In the summer I think I'll try adding zucchini to the sauce. I'd love to add mushrooms but Brian doesn't eat fungus. He studies it, but he won't eat it.

Next add a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan, then a thin layer of shredded  mozzarella. Now add your toppings. Brian is partial to pepperoni so this time I layered it on. Meat on meat = Man Pie!

Next comes another layer of mozzarella. you could put it in the oven now if you like the cheese to be the top layer. I added another layer of pepperoni.

Put it in the oven until the cheese bubbles in the middle and is browned a bit around the edges. Check to be sure the meat is done. A meat thermometer should read 170 degrees when placed in the middle of your pie.

Take the pie out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

This freezes nicely so it's great to have in your freezer pantry. Just make sure to wrap it up tight so no air gets in.

ENJOY!

Let me know if you try this recipe and what things you change about it. I'd love to hear from you.

Dot

Shopping list:

• 2 lbs grass finished ground beef  - lean low fat content
• eggs- cage free, free range, organic, all natural - better yet fresh from your hens!
• onion
• Sweet pepper- red, yellow, green, orange - go wild and add some color + flavor
• Catsup- homemade if you have it.
• Hot sauce- we got some really great hot sauce at the farmers market
• Whole wheat crackers
• Oregano - dried or fresh. Remember it is easy to grow and doesn't take up much room on a sunny windowsill. :^)
• 8 oz. Ricotta
• Cheese: Parmesan, mozzarella ( fresh mozzarella is good too. I can't wait 'til we have a cow again so we can make our own.)
• Toppings of your choice: zucchini, mushrooms, pepperoni, olives. . . use your imagination.

Count down

Two and a half years from now Brian will be a graduate of Purdue University with a BS in Plant pathology. This will be the sentinel event I have been waiting for ever so impatiently.
He will be doing his graduate work at University of Kentucky. So as soon as he has that degree in hand we are going to be shopping for a farm somewhere around Lexington, Ky. Not to close in. With some trees and a good deal of pasture, a livable house and water a good deal of water.

And yes I am counting down the years, months, weeks, days, hours minutes.
2 years
3 months
3 weeks
3 days

:^)

Henry T.

Brand New!!

 24 Hours Old

Henry T. Hood: 8 lbs 8 oz,  20 inches long, first son of Travis & my Daughter Lydia, much anticipated little brother of big sister Taylor.

He had a bit of a difficult entry into the world, but everyone is doing fine now. He is our 5th grandchild. The 3rd boy grandbaby and the third redheaded grandbaby.

Watch out world the redheads are winning!!!

Sweet Hot

Who knew? Jalapenos pickled in a sweet vinegar pickle are so yummy!

Sweet then with a kick!

We will definitely make these again... maybe even again this year. Those crazy pepper plants are loaded again. Good thing we only planted two!

"I'm glad I'm not a better gardener"

"Or I'd be drowning in veggies!" That is my daughter's assessment of the success of our little raised bed garden in her side yard. It's beds are bursting with tomatoes, basil, beans, onions, carrots, cilantro, cucumbers, watermelons, canteloupe, peppers, pumpkins, and beets. "Can you imagine what would have happened if I'd been better at remembering to water it?"

We've put up jars of pickled beets, green beans, zuchini relish and sweet hot jalepenos. We've  frozen plump bags of  green beans and watermelon juice. And now the tomatoes are finally starting to turn yellow, orange and red. Look out salsa here we come!!

Thinning a necessary evil

In the spring, I sprinkle little  packets of hope in my garden and cover them with a cozy blanket of soil. Then with time, water and warmth they sprout. Hundreds of tiny plant babies reaching up with their little leafy arms begging for my attention and love.

Crowded together in the rows each one cries out for my attention. I know I need to thin them out. Some must be sacrificed so that the ones who remain can grow big and tasty.
I hate thinning if you haven't guessed.
Every spring I vow to do a better job. Keeping the spacing right when I plant instead of just flinging seeds into the row and waiting to see what happens would help. However, each spring I am ceased by doubt. Will all the seeds grow, will any of the seeds grow? Doubt leads to more seed throwing.

The result: I have hundreds of needy little seedlings vying for my attention.

This year I did better in the thinning department. I managed to thin the carrots and beets. We ate some of the beet greens and sent all the rest of the thinnings out to the Red Wattles for a snack. Knowing we were "up- cycling" the thinnings into yummy Red Wattle pork made it easier.

There was no denying that thinning resulted in bigger beets this year and we actually got a few gourmet baby carrots for the dinner table. A feat never managed by me in the past.

So next spring look out! I am going to fearlessly thin, selecting only the strongest and healthiest seedlings. Unless it looks like the seed might not all grow...

Oh what to do, what to do?

Kitchen Krashers

Before

This was Emily and Anders kitchen. With their permission - somewhat reluctantly given I think- Lydia and I crashed their kitchen. Let's face it there is nothing so intimidating as living in a house while you are fixing it up. Especially if the kitchen isn't right and it gets out of control.

So after days of scrubbing, an immeasurable about of elbow grease and cleaners and a good bit of cussing, and some help from Emily's Uncle Glen and his tools, Emily's dad and his paint roller and Joel's comedy relief we got it all put back together. 

After

I love the happy yellow paint that Emily picked out!!

Em's mom is working on the cutest curtains for the windows.



Home sweet future home

This is a green home recently built in Kentucky. It is 75% less energry use than a standard new home. It features solar panels for electical production, energy star appliances and super insulation and sealing. All this coupled with proper orientation in order maximize solar gain in the winter and minimize it in the summer.
I found it online by doing a search for "Green" builders in Kentucky. We really liked the look of the house so we contacted the builder: Peoples Self Help Housing Inc., a group that works to create efficient housing for low income households.
Greg Miller sent us the floor plan and drawings of  how the house was constructed. We love it. It's just the right size for the two of us, super energy efficient and cute as a bug to boot.
I've already got the rockers picked out to go on the porch!!

Now all we need is the property. Sigh.... can't come soon enough.

Spuds

All these spuds from just 3 feet of row in the greenhouse.. I am amazed!

Presto Pesto!!

What do you do with 12 cups of basil leaves? Make pesto of course. At least that's what Lydia and I did this week when it was just too blazingly hot to work outside in the afternoon.

First we toasted nuts on the stove to enhance the flavor. Walnuts for Lyd's and pecans for me. Walnuts don't like me much. Then we peeled lots of garlic cloves.

Then garlic, nuts, Romano and Parm cheese in the food processor.    

Add the basil and some EVOO. Pulse pulse pulse until it's all nice and mooshy.

Then plop spoonfuls into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, pop out the pesto cubes into freezer bags or containers. Now whenever we want to dress up some pasta or liven up a salad - just pop out a pesto cube and thaw!! I love making our own "fast" food. :^)

The balcony garden

Ok so I can't keep my fingers out of the dirt. I admit it.

I just got done repotting my succulent collection into one big pot. It looks like a mini-prehistoric forest now.

And we couldn't be without at least one tomato plant. We are trying to see if it will grow all they way around the railing, up the side and over the top then back down the post before the frost kills it in the fall.

Of course we are also looking forward to yummy "Sweet 100" tomatoes too.

My favorite Poppaw Brian Pic

This was taken on Kacie's graduation day at the Borden Park. I don't know who was having more fun Poppaw Brian or Emma!

It's a dog's life

Honey got tired of waiting for me to play ball and decided to take a nap instead.

Office day

Yesterday was cleaning day. Today is office day. I've tidied up the piles on my desk and now I'm going to tackle the email, Red Wattle Hog Association paper work. Then the newsletter will go out and if there is enough time I might actually get my annual membership drive mailing done before November!!

Here goooooos!!

Pretty flowers all in a row

I love day lillies. They come in so many colors and supply a fresh bloom each day for your viewing enjoyment. These are all in bloom at Lydia and Travis's farm.

Taters!

These are the first potatoes. We stole them from under the giant potato plants growing rampant in the greenhouse. It's amazing what can happen when you tuck in some schriveled up old taters leftover in a bucket from last years harvest!

They were yummy with raw cream butter and a bit of sea salt. :^)

Greenhouse update

Help I've fallen and I can't find my way out the jungle!!

This is what happens when you neglect the greenhouse for 2 weeks and the

tomatoes, weeds and potatoes go wild.

We've got to hack our way in there this week and make some sort of order out of this tangled jungle.  

I know they're weeds

I know it's a thistle, a weed, a nuisance, but weeds can be pretty too. I took these pics on Anders and Emily's farm in Kentucky early in the morning when I went out for a walk up the hillside. I wonder if you could dry these. A whole bunch of them attached to a wire and bent into a heart would make a lovely wall decoration. Hmmmm.....