Down on the farm...

Sausage Potato Soup

2012-01-12T19:32:00.000-05:00

The other day I pulled out my Taste of Home Winning Recipes cookbook. It's one of those big binder cookbooks. My husband gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago. I love it. I ran across several soup recipes that I plan on making, and one that I did make.

Sausage Potato Soup

1/2 lb. smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, diced

6 med. potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups frozen corn

1-1/2 c. chicken broth

1 celery rib, sliced

1/4 c. sliced carrot

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1-1/2 c. milk

2/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp. minced fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, brown sausage over medium heat; drain. Set sausage aside. In same pan, combine the potatoes, corn, broth, celery, carrot and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add the milk, cheese, parsley and sausage. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Serves 6.

I probably should have doubled the recipe when I made it. We had it gone in no time! I regret that I didn't get a picture taken, it did look yummy. My excuse?? Oh, this is a sad one...I didn't feel like walking up the stairs to get the camera! LOL I wanted to eat!

Hope you enjoy this soup! By the sounds of the weather tomorrow, it just might be a good soup day!

Some January Ramblings...

2012-01-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

I've been a little scarce lately. I think the holidays kept me busy! Hope that everyone had a nice Christmas & New Year's. We stayed home and enjoyed the day. Of course, chore time still happens on farm, no matter what day. So, milking the cows came before opening gifts and eating. :-) It was so much easier to do this when Emily was a baby! She didn't know any better! lol

Al's mom and dad made it in for the weekend before Christmas. It was a nice visit with them. We finally had our camera handy and got a picture of them with our friend, Bud.

The Tuesday after Christmas, Emily & I went to visit my Dad. It was a nice visit, bittersweet. We don't know how long he has with us, but we feel this may have been his last Christmas with us. Emily enjoyed being with her Papaw. Can I add that I really hate cancer. In less than a year my Dad has changed so much. He's lost over 50 lbs. since this past summer.

We spent the night with my Mom. Emily was looking forward to this, since she was going to meet her cousin Megan for the first time. They are close to the same age, and you couldn't get them apart. They had a lot of fun!

We've had a few extra chores pop up unexpectedly on the farm end the past couple of weeks. We always try to expect the unexpected, since something most likely will break, get sick, or happen. It's usual, especially during winter. The barn was out of water, so we had some brought in. Thankful for the rain that came down in buckets yesterday through today. Guess we're supposed to have some snow tonight. Emily is hoping for a snow day. Our school hasn't had a snow day yet, and that is unusual in our area!

The cows seem really content in the warm, dry barn. They seem to look forward to winter. We've dried off several cows and in a couple of months we'll have babies being born. We dry them off for about 2 months, it gives them time to rest and get ready for their next lactation. Guess it's their "maternity leave".

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2012!

GBP 101 Soups, Salads & Sandwiches~Cookbook Review & Giveaway!

2011-12-14T17:07:00.000-05:00

Yes! Another review and giveaway! Another chance for you to win a cookbook! I'm having so much fun doing this, and enjoy meeting new blog friends and getting great feedback!

I love to make soup, especially during the fall and winter. I know I've mentioned that before...many times. And I think in every review I have picked at least one soup recipe. How exciting when I was asked to do an Early Bird Review on a cookbook that has so many yummy soup recipes! Plus, the Salad and Sandwich recipes are great too! Let's just say, it was very hard picking the recipes for the review.

What I love about the recipes in 101 Soups, Salads & Sandwiches, they are so easy to put together in a pinch. I'm always looking for recipes that I can make in very little time, with ingredients that I will have on hand. Makes my day so much easier!

~~Beef Stew & Biscuits~~

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 c. onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/8 tsp. pepper

3-1/2 cups frozen or canned mixed vegetables

2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce

1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, cubed

12-oz. tube refrigerated biscuits

In a skillet, brown beef and onion, drain. Add seasonings, mixed vegetables and tomato sauce; mix well.

Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Fold in cheese cubes; pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole dish.

Arrange biscuits on top. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until biscuits are golden. Serves 4 to 6.

~~Macaroni & Cheese Chowder~~

14-oz chicken broth

1 cup water

1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked

1 cup milk

8-oz. pasteurized process cheese spread

1 cup cooked ham, diced

1 cup corn

Over medium heat, bring broth and water to a boil in a saucepan. Add macaroni

and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add milk, cheese, ham and

corn. Simmer and stir until cheese is melted. Serves 4-6.

~~A Little Different Macaroni Salad~~

16-oz. pkg. elbow macaroni, cooked

4 carrots, peeled and grated

1 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 c. red pepper, chopped

1/2 c. green pepper, chopped

2 c. mayonnaise

14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 c white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine macaroni, carrots, onion and peppers in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl,

whisk together mayonnaise, condensed milk, sugar and vinegar. Pour over macaroni and

vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Chill at least 8 hours to allow dressing to thicken. Mix well before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

I have an extra copy of this book to give away to someone!

Giveaway starts today, and ends December 28, 2011. Two weeks to

leave your comments! I will announce a winner Dec. 28, 8:00 p.m.

All you have to do for a chance...leave your comment either on this blog post, follow our

Facebook blog page, or leave a comment on the FB page. Or, do all 3 for 3 chances! Don't forget

to leave your email so I am able to get in touch to let you know if you've won!

This is a really great cookbook, and I'm looking forward to finding a home for my extra copy!

Good Luck!!

Christmas Cookies & Candy

2011-12-11T18:53:00.000-05:00

Emily and I spent the afternoon making cookies and candy. We had a lot of fun. Although, I think I totally lost control of the sugar sprinkles. Emily took charge with that part! Which is why we have every color of the rainbow for one type of cookies. My goal was red and green, but I think pink, orange and blue also fit right in.

The first cookie we made came from a cookbook called Christmas Cookies for Kids.

Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookies

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

3/4 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

10 oz. pkg. mint chocolate chips

Red and Green coarse sugar (optional)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; set aside.

Combine sugar, oil and vanilla in large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in mint chocolate chips. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in coarse sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. (I use parchment paper. I love that stuff!)

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 7-9 minutes or until centers are just set. Let stand 2 minutes; remove to wire racks and cool completely. Makes about 5 1/2 dozen.

Banana Drop Cookies

From: Gooseberry Patch Christmas Cookie Jar

2/3 cup shortening

1 3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. ripe banana, mashed

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Blend shortening, 1 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well; stir in mashed banana. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nuts; mix well. Chill for 30 minutes to overnight. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon togethe; sprinkle on unbaked cookies. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

*I used parchment paper and did not grease and it worked great.

This cookie reminded me of Snickerdoodles, only with a banana flavor. Very YUMMY!!!

Hard Tac Candy Treats

From: Gooseberry Patch Farmhouse Christmas

1 cup water

1/2 c. light corn syrup

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. flavored oils used for candy making

food coloring

Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy pan. Using a candy thermometer, continue to cook until mixture reaches 310 degrees. Remove from heat and add flavoring and as much food coloring as desired. Pour onto a greased jelly roll pan. When cool enough to handle, cut or break into squares.

*I break my candy with the handle of a table knife. The pieces are not the same size, but I think it looks nice that way. :)

I also dust the pieces in powdered sugar.

The cookies and candy, along with some of our cheese will be put together as gifts for friends and the drivers who deliver our grain, milk house supplies and to the couple who pick up our milk. I'm hoping to add a large loaf of either Pumpkin Bread or Banana Nut Bread with each gift. I'm so glad that Emily enjoys helping and she looks forward to making gifts for others.

We Have Snow!

2011-12-10T17:18:00.000-05:00

We have some snow! At least inside we do! Emily has been making snowflakes to hang around the house. She's creating a blizzard with paper around here!

We do this every year. She loves to make different snowflakes.

I even remember making them in grade school.

I think the snowmen I have around our living room feel more at home now that we have some "snowflakes".

Only 2 weeks until Christmas! Hope you are enjoying the season! And don't forget to leave a comment on my "Giveaway" blog post or on our Facebook page to have a chance or two to win the newest cookbook from Gooseberry Patch!

Merry Christmas!

A Cookbook Review And Giveaway! ~GBP Fresh From the Farmstand

2011-12-06T17:44:00.001-05:00

The folks at Gooseberry Patch has again asked me to review a new cookbook, Fresh From the Farmstand !(click on "Fresh From the Farmstand" to view more) This is a wonderful cookbook! The recipes are full of yummy fresh veggies and fruit! The hard part was choosing recipes to share with you!

Here in Ohio our weather has been so cloudy and rainy, and of course for me that is PERFECT soup weather! The first recipe I chose to review was Miss Mary's Potato Soup. Such a comfort food! I love soup and I love comfort food!

Miss Mary's Potato Soup

1/2 lb. bacon diced

1 onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

8 c. water

1/4 c. chicken soup base

4 c. milk

6 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 t. pepper

1/2 t. dill weed

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp. Add celery and cook for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat; drain. Stir in water and soup base; bring to a low boil. Add milk, potatoes, pepper and dill weed; cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. To thicken, blend butter and flour in a bowl ; add one cup fo hot soup broth and mix well. Add to soup and stir well; cook and stir until thickened. Serves 8.

I'm always looking for recipes for lunch. That is our break time in between chores. So, I like to find something that is easy and quick. Mom's Meat Rice was perfect!

Mom's Meat Rice

1 lb. ground beef

3 green, red and/or yellow peppers, chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 T. canola oil

3 c. cooked rice

salt and pepper to taste

Brown beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain and remove to a bowl. In same skillet, cook peppers and onion in oil; drain. Add beef and cooked rice to vegetables; season with salt and pepper. Warm together over low heat until hot and bubbly. Serves 4-6.

And of course, that brings us to my favorite thing...dessert! We LOVE carrot cake at our house. It has carrots in it, so that means it's healthy. That's what I'm sticking with anyway...as I have a second helping!

Made-From-Scratch Carrot Cake

4 eggs, beaten

3/4 c. canola oil

1/2 c. applesauce

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 T. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

3 c. carrots, peeled and grated

Optional: 1-1/2 c. chopped pecans, divided

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugars and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients except carrots and pecans, mix well. Stir in carrots; fold in one cup pecans, if desired. Pour into a greased 13x9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Frost; sprinkle with remaining pecans, if desired. Serves 12-18.

Frosting

1/2 c. butter, softened

8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Gooseberry patch has sent me an extra copy of this book to give away! I'm so excited to find someone to give Fresh From the Farmstand to!

You have two chances to win!

1. Comment on this blog post about how you would like this book! Don't forget to include your email address so that I am able to contact you.

2. Like our Down on the Farm facebook page and leave a comment there. (click on "Down on the Farm" to go to the facebook page).

Deadline will be December 18, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. and the winner will be announced on December 19.

Good Luck!

Decking the Halls Today!

2011-12-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

We decided this year, since moving into my in-laws log house, and we have more room (and it's just really cozy!), we wanted to have a tree upstairs and a tree downstairs in the dining room. We decorated our artificial tree upstairs. We wanted a live tree downstairs. We talked about buying one at our local grocery store...but, we really wanted to do something as a family and make it more traditional. So, we packed our saws in our pick-up truck and drove around to our back hayfield.

Now, with us, we don't do things just the simple easy way. We almost got the truck stuck in the mud. And almost slid it into the woods and over a hill. That was with our 4-wheel drive locked in. But, after a few minutes of sliding, Emily going into panic, and me trying to tell my husband how to drive...we managed to get going again on solid ground.

We found a tree right away that we thought would do just fine for us. But, figured we should walk the woods to look around, just in case.

We made sure we wore some hunting orange, it was the last day in Ohio for gun season. We didn't want anyone to think we were a bunch of deer running around.

We ended up going back to the first tree we found. Which worked out good because it was close to our truck. We measured it. It was almost 10 feet tall. No problem! We used the bottom branches to make some decorations for around the house and I'm still working on more of those.

The tree is not what you will find at a tree farm or a tree lot. Our trees in our woods have not been pruned and shaped. But, I actually like that. It's so simple and primitive. It gives our dining room a cozy feel. And I used a lot of handmade ornaments on it, and that really adds to it.

I made several decorations to hang above the doorways. I think they turned out nice, and they make the house smell amazing! I love the pine smell at Christmas!

We had a lot of fun doing this and I think Emily is excited to have a live tree this year! Even if it is a "Charlie Brown" tree. :)

Hope everyone is having a lot of fun this Christmas season!

Enjoy the simple things!

Savory Salisbury Steak

2011-12-03T18:40:00.000-05:00

Today I made a Salisbury Steak recipe that is so much like my Grandma's! It turned out very yummy and I made sure I jotted the cookbook and page number in my "Good Recipes" notebook. I have to keep track of what I cook and what I like so I know where to find it next time. That's a good sign that I have too many cookbooks...is that even possible??

Savory Salisbury Steak

10 3/4 oz. can golden mushroom soup, divided

1/3 cup water

1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 onion finely chopped

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

In a small bowl, mix 3/4 cup soup and water; set aside. In a seperate bowl, mix remaining soup and other ingredients. Form into small patties; arrange in a single layer in a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Drain; spoon reserved soup mixture over patties. Bake, uncovered, an additional 10-12 minutes. Serves 4-6.

This recipe is from GBP Sunday Dinner at Grandma's.

This coming week I will be posting a Gooseberry Patch Early Bird Review (3 wonderful, yummy recipes!) and of course that means there will be a cookbook giveaway! More details coming... :o)

The cookbook being reviewed is Fresh From the Farmstand.

Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2011-12-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

Hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We did, and we ate way too much turkey...and all the sides too!

I tried a new recipe for our dressing/stuffing, I'll be sharing it later today.

We decided this year to put our tree up on Thanksgiving and start decorating. Well, I was motivated by the fact that my dear child was decorating my cobweb duster. She had it propped up and was hanging a couple of her ornaments on it. I got the hint.

We're also planning on going out in our woods, and find a live tree. It may not be perfectly shaped, considering it's not a tree that is raised for a Christmas tree, but that is what I like about the idea. And since we've had one of those years, we figure we may as well go all out with decorating, and really enjoy the holiday season.

Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season! We're looking forward to so many things this year, the holiday program at the school, driving around the area and looking at Christmas lights with some hot cocoa, baking cookies and making candy, our favorite Christmas movies (we've already started with the Grinch), family, turning on the Christmas music in our barn (our girls love the music, and it makes the chores a lot more enjoyable!).

Apple Cake with Butter Sauce

2011-11-07T14:04:00.000-05:00

I made this for my family last night, and it was gone fast! It turned out so rich and yummy, I will be making this one again soon!

Apple Cake with Butter Sauce

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 tart apples, cored, peeled and grated

Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla and set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Fold in apples. Pour into a greased 8"x8" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve with warm butter sauce. Makes 12 servings.

Butter Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup half-and-half

Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in sugar, brown sugar and half-and-half. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This cake recipe is from Gooseberry Patch Taste of Autumn cookbook.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful fall so far. I'm so excited to start putting some recipes together for Thanksgiving. I can't believe it is getting so close. We'll most likely be staying home for the holiday. It's almost impossible for dairy farmers to go anywhere far, at least all together. :)

Happy Fall!

Snappy Apple-Cinnamon Pizza= Sweet, Rich Comfort Food!!!

2011-10-27T22:45:00.000-04:00

Today was one of those yucky, rainy days. The kind of day where napping all day seems like the only thing to do.

I also like to make comfort foods on rainy days.

I came across a recipe the other day. I was making my grocery list, and I usually pull out one cookbook and pick out a few new recipes to make.

The perfect comfort food stood out.

Apples and cinnamon. Perfect Fall Comfort Dessert! YUM!

And how cool, you use refrigerated cinnamon rolls for the crust! Easy and yummy!

Snappy Apple-Cinnamon Pizza

GBP Homestyle in a Hurry cookbook

12.4 oz. tube refrigerated cinnamon rolls

21 oz. can apple pie filling

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Seperate cinnamon rolls, setting aside the frosting from tube. Flatten each roll into a 4-inch circle. Arrange rolls on a greased 12" round pizza pan, overlapping edges to form a crust. (I used a pie dish, it was what I had ready). Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Spoon pie filling over crust within 1/2 inch of edge. Combine brown sugar and butter; sprinkle over pie filling. Bake an additional 6-8 minutes, or until crust is golden. Cool. Warm reserved frosting slightly and drizzle over pizza; cut into wedges. Makes 10-12 servings.

Have a great weekend!

We Welcome Mocha To Our Family!

2011-10-26T15:32:00.000-04:00

We've added another 4 legged "kid" to our family two weeks ago! Her name is Mocha, she's a 7 year old Chocolate Lab. I just love her! She's so sweet!

Emily has declared Mocha her best friend.

We wasn't planning on adding another dog to our family, yet. Annie (our beagle) is getting older, so we have talked about another dog, someday. We're glad Mocha is here, though.

She was my Dad's dog. He raised her from a puppy, and trained her.

In mid-September he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. It started in his lungs, spread through his lymph nodes and into his brain. Unfortunately, at this stage, they don't give too much hope with treatment. :(
It's been so hard to accept this diagnosis. Thankfully, my Dad is accepting it, is faithful and is feeling blessed, even with such a difficult illness.

We don't know how long we'll have my Dad around, the drs. have said he may have a month, but they never really know for sure. I'm just thankful we have been able to relieve his worry of where Mocha would go. And I think she'll be good for me, in the coming weeks.

My Dad with Emily, Christmas 2010. :)

Tiny Tips for the Kitchen

2011-09-30T22:45:00.000-04:00

In our house, my favorite room is, of course, the kitchen. I love cooking, baking and just visiting with family and friends in the kitchen. And I always love helpful hints for the kitchen.

Gooseberry Patch has a book that is perfect for me, it's called Tiny Tips for the Kitchen. I've enjoyed getting new ideas from this book. I even picked out a few to share...

~Create a pretty marbleized effect when baking a white cake mix. Simply sprinkle batter in its pan with a few drops of food coloring, then swirl the color around with a knife tip.

      I love doing this! It's fun for birthdays and makes a pretty cake, that is easy!

~A mini photo album is just right for keeping tried & true recipes handy on the kitchen counter. Slide in a few snapshots of happy family mealtimes, too!

     This is a fun idea for making a recipe book for a gift, also.

~Chopped or crushed candy bars make a fast & easy topping for frosted cakes. Try using toffee, caramel or nougat bars...mmmm...!

      This is super yummy! Again, a perfect topping for that swirled birthday cake! ;-)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Tiny Tips for a Cozy Home

2011-09-26T16:25:00.000-04:00

I've been looking through the newest books from Gooseberry Patch.
Tiny Tips for a Cozy Home has so many wonderful ideas for around the home.

I've chosen a few to share with you.

~"This super-simple table runner adds a cheerful look to any tabletop. Simply line up enough bandannas to fit the length of a table, then stitch them together. Oh-so easy and colorful!"

This is one that I love, and it brightens up any table!

~"Hang up an old fashioned mini washboard where family messages, calendars and to-do lists can easily be found. Button magnets and clothespin clips will hold everything in place and add a dash of whimsy."

In our busy household, this is a must!

~"Who says teacups need to be tucked away on a shelf? Insert cup hooks along the top of a window and hang teacups up side-by-side. What a sweet "valance" for a cozy kitchen.

I love to find teacups at flea markets and thrift shops. And it doesn't matter if they don't match, they are all pretty!

I feel that fall is the perfect time of year to make our homes cozy!

It's September! That means Fall!

2011-09-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

I am so excited that September is here! I'm looking forward to fall! The cooler weather, leaves changing, and fall cooking. I seem to cook and bake more in the fall than any other time of year. I just love the flavors of fall like pumpkin, apple, cinnamon...yum!

I made some Pumpkin Pancakes yesterday morning and they were a hit. Emily loved them plain, without syrup. The recipe comes from the Gooseberry Patch Autumn in the Country cookbook.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

1-1/2 c. milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. oil

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a seperate bowl; mix well. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture just until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface; turn and continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes, until golden. Makes 16 pancakes.

With the end of summer, and the beginning of fall, we've noticed that the butterflies have been extra busy before leaving for the coming winter. Emily and I took a "butterfly walk", and took some pictures of our colorful friends.

Emily started 1st grade two weeks ago. She was worried that they would have a test on the first day! She's loved 1st grade so far, and really likes her teacher, and she even lost her first tooth this past week. So far the school year is getting off to a good start!

Have a great week!

Short on Time? Quick Soup Recipe!

2011-08-08T14:13:00.000-04:00

Today we're busy running errands and doing chores. Typical Monday!

I ran across a quick soup recipe. I'm making a grilled chicken salad to go with the soup for a quick lunch!

Fast-Fix Tomato-Basil Soup

4 (10.75 oz.) cans tomato soup

2-1/2 c. water

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules

3 Tbsp. Romano, Asiago & Parmesean cheese blend

2 Tbsp. dried basil

Add soup to a stockpot over medium heat. Stir in water, whipping cream,

bouillon, cheese and basil. Whisk ingredients together and heat through,

but do not boil, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-6

Recipe from: Gooseberry Patch Homemade Harvest

Have a great week!

It's been too hot to cook!

2011-07-27T16:19:00.000-04:00

We've been having unusually high temps here in southeast Ohio. Last week our high temp.for two days hit 113 degrees, plus 85% humidity (and this was on more than one thermometer).

Now there is no way I'm turning the oven on when our kitchen temp. is almost 100 degrees.

So, I pulled out my slow cooker. I love it! It's one of my favorites in the kitchen. Then pulled out Gooseberry Patch Slow Cookers, Casseroles & Skillets.

I decided to make Mushroom Roast, and it turned out very yummy! And it didn't heat my kitchen up! Even better!

Mushroom Roast

3-1/2 to 4-1/2 lb. beef chuck roast

garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste

29-oz. container beef broth

1-oz. pkg. onion-mushroom soup mix

1 onion, diced

4-6 potatoes peeled and sliced

2 10-3/4 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup

8-oz. pkg. sliced mushrooms

4 carrots, peeled and chopped (I had a pkg. of baby carrots on hand,

and used those)

Sprinkle roast with seasonings to taste. Combine broth, soup mix, onion and potatoes in large

slow cooker; place roast on top. Pour soup over top of roast; add mushrooms. Cover and cook

on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high setting for 5 to 6 hours. Add carrots to slow cooker

halfway through cook time. If liquid does not completely cover roast, turn every hour to

keep roast moistened. Serves 6-8

Hope everyone keeps cool!

Have a great week!

Wanna take a walk?

2011-07-21T10:48:00.000-04:00

We have the most beautiful stream that goes through our farm. We put on our old shoes and walk the stream when the weather gets hot.
Emily and our dog, Annie, look forward to the walks. And I have to admit, it's an adventure for me too!

We start our walk in the "dry cow pasture". That is where our girls stay during the 2 months before they calve. We call it maternity leave...only it's a rest before having the baby.

Emily and daddy.

Annie loves going in the water. It's a great way to cool off!

Emily decided she wanted to pose for a picture at each "cool" rock she came across.

I took advantage of this, since she is rarely willing to have a nice picture taken of her.

Usually her tongue is sticking out and she is making a silly face! :)

Herbed Beef Patties

2011-07-20T20:54:00.000-04:00

Herbed Beef Patties

1 1/4 lb. lean ground beef

3 Tbsp. cold water

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Dash pepper

Dash paprika

All-purpose flour

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup fine seasoned bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Topping:

1 cup spaghetti sauce

3/4 c. grated Cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp. Parmesean cheese

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs such as

basil leaves, thyme, sage, or oregano

In a bowl, combine beef, cold water, garlic salt, oregano,

pepper and paprika. Mix to blend well.

Divide meat into even pieces. Shape each piece into a patty about

3/4 inch thick. Coat patties with flour. Let sit for a few minutes.

Then dip patties into beaten egg and into bread crumbs.

Brown patties on both sides in butter in skillet.

Arrange patties in a shallow baking dish.

Pour a little spaghetti sauce over patties. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce over patties.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until patties are hot and cheese

has melted. Sprinkle with herbs and serve.

I made this with some pasta and it tasted yummy!

It goes together pretty easy too.

Things are Busy on the Farm!

2011-07-10T22:29:00.000-04:00

I've been away from here too long!
But, it's been a crazy summer here at Buckeye Grove Farm so far.

On Memorial Day I took my husband to the ER, thinking the stomach bug had been hanging on too long.

Within hours he was in emergency surgery. The surgeon said if we had put off getting to the ER, he wouldn't have lived. Yikes.

His mom has diverticulitis, and now we know that Al does too. His intestine had ruptured early on Memorial day.

I had to leave the hospital before he was taken into surgery. That was tough. The surgeon gave him about 50% chance of making it through the surgery. But, I needed to get home to milk the cows. I knew that the farm still had to run.

He did well, and was released 3 days earlier than they usually release a patient.

I've since taken over the milking, and most of the barn chores. Friends of ours from our church came in and did fence work for us, and some made some hay.

We're finally getting into a "new normal" for our family. It's been really strange to reverse roles, even if temorary! He's been taking care of dishes and laundry. (Although the first lesson learned was that 12 pair of heavy work jeans do not wash well when put in the washing machine all at once)! I've been doing both milkings that includes feeding. Our neighbors, who are renting our other house, have pitched in and have been a tremendous help! Huge thanks to all who have been there for us! :)

I'm planning on getting some new recipes that I've tried up and posted soon.

Along with some new pictures that I've taken so far this summer.

We also have started our beef herd. We've decided to cross some of our Jersey's with beef bulls and have some beef cows on the side. So far we have an Angus heifer, named Spunky (she's ornery!) and our little Hereford heifer, born a month early, her name is Dottie.

Hope that everyone has a great week!
I'll be posting some goodies soon!

Quick & Easy Christmas Early Bird Review!

2011-05-26T17:09:00.001-04:00

Another Early Bird Review!

The cookbook is Gooseberry Patch Quick & Easy Christmas. So, we're having some Christmas in May! I find that it is very hard to choose just 2 or 3 recipes. They all sound good! And easy!

My first recipe I decide was Cinnamon Biscuits. They are so easy to put together and make a wonderful treat!

Cinnamon Biscuits

2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cinnamon

2 C. sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 (8oz. ea.) tubes refrigerated biscuits

Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a medium bowl. Place melted butter in a seperate bowl. Seperate biscuits. Dip biscuits into butter, then into cinnamon mixture. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Makes 20.

I'm always a fan of soup. I like how easy soup is to put together, and it is filling. This soup is so creamy and is wonderful on a cool rainy day, which is the weather we've been dealing with here in Ohio!

Easy Cheesy Chicken & Dumpling Soup

4 (10-3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

4 (14-1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 (14-1/2 oz.) cans sliced carrots, drained

10-oz. tube refrigerated biscuits, quartered

In a large stockpot, over med.-low heat, combine soup, broth and milk; mix well. Add seasonings, chicken and cheese; stir until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Mix in carrots; top with biscuit pieces. Cover and simmer on low until biscuits are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serves 8.

The last recipe that I picked sounded wonderful, but I didn't realize how wonderful it would be until I took my first bite. This pizza is addicting!! I actually crave this pizza, and may have to make it again this weekend! It's easy to put together, and is perfect for company. That is, if you really feel you must share...personally, I could eat the entire pizza!

Chicken & Rosemary Pizza

2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese, divided

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 red onion, sliced

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

13.8 oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough

In a bowl, toss together 1-1/2 cups cheese and remaining ingredients, except pizza dough. Roll out dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread cheese mixture onto dough to within 1/2 inch of edge. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until golden. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serves 4-6.

Quick & Easy Christmas cookbook giveaway!

Of course, as you know, with each review, there comes the fun part! A Giveaway! This giveaway works the same as the others have. Leave a comment here at this blog post, and you will be entered in the giveaway. Please make sure I have some way to contact you to let you know. Giveaway starts right now and a winner will be randomly picked on Tuesday, May 31 at 9:00 p.m.

Good Luck!!!!

Congratulations!

2011-05-21T22:30:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Violet Leonard of VA. She was chosen as the winner of the GBP cookbook 101 Easy Everyday Recipes!

On Monday, there will be another Early Bird Review, including another cookbook giveaway! Think Christmas!! I've picked three delicious recipes, and I can't wait to share!

Have a great weekend!

Recipe Reviews & Cookbook Giveaway!

2011-05-18T16:27:00.000-04:00

Here is the first cookbook review and giveaway for the month of May.
The cookbook is Gooseberry Patch 101 Easy Everyday Recipes, and it's a wonderful book
full of some easy to put together recipes!

I had a difficult time choosing the recipes, because they all sound yummy, and I can tell you right now, I'll be cooking from this book often!

The first recipe is a soup recipe. I love putting soups together. And since we have had some warmer, more like summer than spring weather, I was in the mood for stuffed peppers, so went for the Unstuffed Green Pepper Soup. Even my daughter dug right in!

Unstuffed Green Pepper Soup

2 lbs. ground beef

2 (10-3/4 oz. ea.)cans tomato soup

28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

4 oz. can mushroom pieces, drained

2 cups green peppers, diced

1 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 to 4 cups beef broth

2 cups cooked rice

In a stockpot over medium heat, brown ground beef; drain.

Stir in soup, vegetables and brown sugar. Add desired amount of beef broth. Simmer covered until peppers and onions are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in rice about 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

The second recipe really caught my attention because I've never though of pancakes being savory. This is perfect for the pizza lover in the morning!

Savory Breakfast Pancakes

2 cups biscuit baking mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

1/2 cup pepperoni, chopped

1/2 c. tomato, chopped

1/4 c. green pepper, chopped

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Garnish: pizza sauce, grated Parmesean cheese

Stir together baking mix, milk and eggs until well blended; add remaining ingredients except garnish. Heat a lightly greased griddle over medium-high heat. Ladle batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle; cook until golden on both sides. Garnish with warmed pizza sauce and Parmesean cheese. Makes 15 pancakes.

Of course the last recipe I chose had to be dessert!! My favorite part of any meal!

Oh, Harry! Bars

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

4 c. quick-cooking oats, uncooked

6 oz. pkg. milk chocolate chips

2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

In a bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in honey and ginger. Stir in oats. With moistened hands, pat mixture into the bottom of a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and lightly golden, about 25 minutes. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and peanut butter on high for one minute. Stir; heat for another minute. Stir until all chips are melted. Spread chocolate mixture over bars and refrigerate until set. Cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

Now that you've had a "taste" of the goodies that are in this cookbook, you have a chance to win a free copy! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, along with a way to contact you if you are the winner. Giveaway starts right now, May 11, 2011 and will end one week from now, May 18, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. Good Luck!!!

UPDATE: Due to issues with Blogspot, this giveaway will end on Friday, May 20 at 9:00 p.m.! Two more days for a chance to win! Also, if you left a comment on Wednesday or Thursday last week, and do not see it posted on here, I have all comments forwarded to my email and I have them saved. Blogspot lost about 50 comments that was posted here, so they will not show up on this post, but I do have them, and will be doing the giveaway with them included.

Strawberries!

2011-05-05T11:31:00.000-04:00

It's a little early for local strawberries, but we ran into a great deal on strawberries, so what did we do? Bought as many as we could, and put them in the freezer! I can never pass up a good deal, so I thought 5 flats (8 lb. per flat) would be plenty. When I came home from work on Tuesday night, Al had decided to pick up another 12 flats! We did find a home for 4 flats. Thank goodness! But, we were up until 2:30 a.m. doing up berries. They are so yummy!

Since berry season is getting close, and since I ended up with so many berries, I am posting a couple of recipes that I enjoy making with strawberries!

Strawberry Dessert

(from GBP's newest cookbook 101 Easy Everyday Recipes)

16.5 oz. tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided

1 qt. strawberries, hulled and sliced

13.5 oz. container strawberry glaze

Slice cookie dough and press into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Mix cream cheese and one cup of whipped topping. Spread over cookie crust. Stir strawberries and glaze together and spread over top. Cover and chill. Cut into squares and serve with remaining whipped topping. Serves 10-12.

Strawberry Bread

(For any Aunt Bee fans, this recipe is from Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts cookbook, from

the tv show "The Andy Griffith Show".)

3 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 cups sugar

4 eggs beaten

2 (10 oz. ea. pkg.) frozen, sliced strawberries, thawed

3/4 c. chopped pecans (optional)

1 1/4 cup. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Pour into 2 greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour. Remove to wire rack. Cut into thin slices.

*Really, really good with cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Also, keep checking in, I will be doing two cookbook reviews this month for Gooseberry Patch! And that also means there will be two cookbooks that I will be giving away!

101 Easy Everyday Recipes

Quick & Easy Christmas

Now, I am off to bake up some of that yummy strawberry bread..mmmmm...

Catch-up Time!

2011-04-03T18:47:00.000-04:00

Where did March go??

Where was I??

I can't belive it's April already! I probably can't believe because we've still has snow off and on. Which is not allowed in my book after the first day of spring.

My daffodils are blooming, but probably wondering why. Our lilac bush is also getting little buds forming. My forsythia bush is thinking about blooming completely, but it's not as bright yellow as I would like. My grandma always said that you would get 3 snows after the full bloom of the forsythia bush. If there is any truth to that, then we are due for one more snow.

March also means "tax crunch time" for us. So, I spent most of my days off from work at the kitchen table with the tax books, check books and calculator spread in front of me. Glad to have all that turned into our accountant and it's his turn to make heads or tails of it all!

We've also been super busy with babies! Baby calves are bouncing around all over the place. We're up to 20 babies. We keep all of our little heifers, and they will someday be part of our milking herd. The bull calves go to the local stock sale.

We'll also have new neighbors this week! We have the house next door, Al's mom and dad lived their before their retirment move to Kentucky. It's in the process of being fixed up and cleaned up for a family from Florida. They are friends with our Pastor and his family, and they will be moving in on Tuesday evening.

Over the winter, we've had to make a tough decision. In order to keep ourselves healthy and protect the farm from total dispersal, we've decided that it would be best to no longer make cheese. We've found that it was just way too much to try to balance so much. It has been only my husband and I. And along with making cheese once a week, doing 2 farm markets, milking 50-60 cows each day, haymaking, hauling manure, events, making deliveries, etc. It was just more than we could handle at the time.

We have plenty of cheese in our walk-in cooler, and have recently put it on sale. We had a lot of fun meeting new people as we were out and about selling cheese and I'm going to miss quite a bit that went with the process. But, we're going to focus our attention on our girls, and making sure that we take care of the farm end, which is where Buckeye Grove Farm started in the first place back in the mid-1800's.

I've run across a few recipes recently, and I'm going to get them posted soon!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful spring so far, and hopefully your weather is warmer and dryer than ours! :o)

GBP Best-Ever Cookies Cookbook Review & Giveaway!

2011-02-28T13:50:00.000-05:00

I was asked by Gooseberry Patch to do a review on a cookbook, and the title won me over right away! Best-Ever Cookies!! Who doesn't like cookies?!

The hard part, choosing which yummy recipes to make. I could make them all!

Since the weather was sunny and warm, more like spring than winter, I went with a more spring/summer recipe.

Pineapple Cheesecake Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/4 cup sugar, divided

2-8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

Combine flour, butter and one cup sugar; mix until just blended. Press dough into the bottom and sides of a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min. or until golden. While crust is baking, combine remaining sugar, cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla in a seperate bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and blended. Fold in pineapple and pour over baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, or until a knife tip inserted into the center tests clean. Cool; cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

The second recipe I chose was Peanut Butter-Oat Bars. This went together so fast, and they were gone within minutes!

Peanut Butter-Oat Bars

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

6 cups multi-grain doughnut shaped oat cereal

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine corn syrup and sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Stir until mixture begins to bubble; do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter; mix well. Place cereal in large bowl; add syrup mixture and stir until blended. Press into a buttered 13x9 inch baking pan. Melt chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat. Spread chocolate evenly to coat cereal. Cool until firm; cut into bars. Makes about 1 dozen.

Enter to Win!!!!!

Now, for the giveaway! I have an extra copy of this book, and I want to give it to someone! Just like with the last giveaway, just leave a comment on this post! If you are on Facebook, let your friends know! We had almost 100 entered last time, and it was so much fun to have so many stop by for a visit! And if you have a blog, I'd love to visit yours!

Giveaway starts right now, Monday February 28, and will end Friday evening, March 4, at 8:00 p.m. I'll draw a name around 9:00 p.m. Winner will be announced that evening, or the next morning, depending on how on the ball I am after working until 8:30! ;o) Just please make sure I have a way to contact you so I know where to send the cookbook!

Good Luck!!! :o)

We Have a Winner!!

2011-02-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Grammy and Papi's Attic!
They left a comment to our giveaway post, and were chosen randomly by random.org as the winner!
I've already sent them an email, and soon they will be receiving the cookbook Mom's Very Best Recipes plus 1 lb. of our Summer Swiss cheese!

Make sure you stop by their blog and visit!

Thanks so much to everyone who left a comment and visited our blog! Stop by often! I add recipes and photos often, and we'll be doing another giveaway next weekend!

Have a great week! :o)

Gooseberry Patch Recipe Review....and a giveaway!!!

2011-02-16T17:36:00.001-05:00

I am having so much fun doing the Early Bird Reviews! Gooseberry Patch cookbooks are wonderful and it's so easy to review their recipes!

The cookbook I'm doing a review from this week is Mom's Very Best Recipes. It was so hard to pick just 2 recipes to review, but I can guarantee I'll be making more from this book soon! I've found that the recipes are so easy, and I seem to have the ingredients on hand. Just looking through this cookbook reminds me of the food my Grandma fixed for me. How wonderful to go back to being a kid and coming home to comfort food!

The first recipe I made was with my daughter in mind. She loves mac and cheese and hot dogs, so this was perfect!

Cowboy Macaroni and Cheese

3 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked

10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

pepper to taste

3 cups Cheddar cheese, divided

Optional: 4 hot dogs, diced

2 cups French fried onions, divided

Cook macaroni, according to package directions; drain and set aside. Blend soup, milk, mustard and pepper; stir in cooked macaroni, hot dogs if using and 2 cups of cheese. Sprinkle with half the onions and mix well. Transfer to a 13x9 inch baking pan sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray. Cover; bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; top with remaining cheese and onions. Serves 6-8.

The second recipe I made today for our dinner, and it's gone...already! It was yummy! And so easy!

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

6-oz. pkg. long grain and wild rice mix, uncooked

1 lb. ground beef

14-1/2 oz. can chicken broth

10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup

2 c. milk

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1/3 c. carrot, peeled and shredded

1-oz. pkg. ranch salad dressing mix

Garnish: chopped green onions*

Prepare rice mix as package directs. Measure out 1-1/2 cups cooked rice and set aside, reserving the remainder for another use. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown beef. Drain; stir in cooked rice and remaining ingredients, except garnish. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle servings with green onions. Serves 6-8.

*We didn't use the green onions because of a food allergy that my husband has. But they do sound like they would be yummy!

Now, for the giveaway! Gooseberry Patch sent me an extra copy of Mom's Very Best Recipes, and I want to give it to someone!
Very easy to be entered, just leave a comment here on this blog, letting me know you would like to win this book. If you are on Facebook, please share with your friends so that they can have a chance too! When you leave a comment, make sure I have a way to get in touch with you if you are chosen! I'll be posting the winner on this blog and on Gooseberry Patch Facebook page and on my own FB page. And comments left between today, February 16 through Sunday, February 20, 8:00 p.m. will be entered. Drawing will be done randomly Sunday evening at 9:00 p.m.

In addition to the cookbook, we will also be including 1 lb. of our Farmstead-Artisan Raw Milk cheese. Summer Swiss will be the variety, it's been a favorite of mine! :)

Keep checking here also, there will be another giveaway and review next week! We'll be talking about cookies! And who doesn't love cookies?!

Good Luck! :o)

Perfect Attendance!

2011-02-03T20:33:00.000-05:00

So far this school year, Miss Emily has had perfect attendance! We're really proud of her! She also received her report card, and in Kindergarten, the grade with 1, 2 or 3's. 1 being the best. She received mostly 1's! :)

I'm planning on taking a day with her, treat her to lunch and possibly a visit to Goodwill. I'm looking forward to this!

She will also have a pizza party with the principal and the other kids who haven't missed. She's really excited about the pizza!

Snow, Food, A Cookbook and a Baby Calf

2011-01-28T10:33:00.000-05:00

That pretty much sums up our January so far. We've had snow. More snow. And more snow. I'm really starting to feel like a bear, and I would love to sleep this winter away. Emily has been happy about the snow. And I'm thankful that the snows seem to come around the time I have a few days off each week. So I don't really have to drive in the snow, unless I want to. Which I usually do not want to. What I do love about the snow, is when Emily has a snow day. I love it! She don't, but I do! I'm glad she loves school, but I do enjoy hanging out with her all day. Yesterday, she had a snow day, so what did we do? We sat in the kitchen and each had scissors and colored paper and we made paper snowflakes. I've put them in our windows and on our doors. It makes the house look so much more cheerful. We had fun!

Of course, being snowed in is a wonderful time to experiment in the kitchen. Well, I figured it's either dig out the cookbooks and cook, or organize the house. Cooking sounded a lot more fun...and I guess I did do a little bit of organizing too. My favorite recipe that I have made this past week comes from the Gooseberry Patch cookbook Speedy Suppers. We ended up having breakfast for lunch. It was yummy! Too bad Emily was in school and didn't get to enjoy it with us...yeah..too bad. More for Daddy and I! hehe...

Cheesey Sausage Bake

8-oz. tube refrigerated crescent rolls

1 lb. ground pork sausage, browned and drained

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

5 eggs

3/4 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Spread crescents in the bottom of a greased 13x9 inch baking pan; press together. Top with sausage. Sprinkle with cheeses; set aside. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together; pour over cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serves 6-8.

January is not my favorite month. I don't care for the cloudy gray days. But, I have to say that when I received my free copy of Gooseberry Patch Homestyle in a Hurry cookbook, I didn't really mind the weather being nasty. I love getting a cup of coffee and sitting back with a new book and looking through it. My recipe, Renae's Taco Casserole, was picked.

Our farm work is much more involved this time of year. Things seem to break a lot easier when the temperature drops. Last Friday night into Saturday we were at -18. Not the coldest our farm has seen, but cold enough! I had to work at the Diner that morning, so it was Al and Emily who made their way to the barn to do morning milking. Emily went into the milkhouse first,and then came back out to inform her dad that it was "raining in the milkhouse". Never something you want to hear! The cold temps caused a water line to bust overnight. That was actually an easy fix. Unfortunately, the water spraying all night drained our cistern dry. Our cistern is our water source for our cattle while they are in the barn, and the water we use to wash up the milk lines with. We contacted the fella who hauls our water for us, and he brought some in the next morning. Until then, we had to haul water from our house well to keep the barn going.

We also had our first baby calf born for 2011. It was a bull calf. And mama looks like she will milk well.

Since I had the camera at the barn, I couldn't resist snapping a few more shots! Cows are perfect, they are so curious about the camera. Or they wonder why I have something that flashes light at them.

Hope that everyone is keeping warm and safe with all the crazy winter weather! And have a great weekend!

I Just Love "Almost-Homemade" Recipes!

2011-01-08T20:27:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I love recipes that are "almost-homemade". You can take a convenient, simple main ingredient, add more stuff to it, and it's so much yummier! I've got several cookbooks that are along those lines, and a cupboard full of cream soups to go with those recipes.

Tonight I was looking through the GBP cookbook "Comfort Foods". It's a favorite this time of year especially. I ran across a Tomato Soup recipe. We love tomato soup, but I confess...I usually just add milk to the canned tomato soup. Yum.... well...a little less than yum, but we eat it in a pinch.

This recipe is called "Almost-Homemade Tomato Soup". Very fitting! Had it all ready in no time, and even Emily at her bowl clean, and she's picky about her tomato soup, since she's the one in the house that thinks the old way (soup and milk) is the best.

Almost-Homemade Tomato Soup

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp. margarine

8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. paprika

1-1/4 cup milk

2 (10-3/4 oz. each) tomato soup

2 (16 oz. each) cans whole tomatoes

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in margarine for about 2 minutes. Stir in cream cheese, basil and paprika. Cook until creamy; gradually whisk in milk and soup. Stir in tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes or until heated through. Serves 4.

Hope everyone has been having a good year so far. We're not too far into the new year, but I'm already getting the hang of getting the right year on our checks. That's a huge accomplishment!

As far as other stuff going on here at our farm, it's busy as usual! We've had some snow the past few days, and today's "flurries" were actually pretty good snow showers that left us with a few inches of snow. The cows are happy to be in the barn, where it stays almost 60 degrees all the time. Makes for comfortable milking for us too.

Our vet was in on Tuesday for our regular "herd check". We check cows for pregnancy (palpation), and the last of our heifer calves were calfhood vaccinated. It has to be done by a certain age. Out of 26 cows, all were confirmed bred except for 5. It's good to know, and the vet is usually able to tell when she will be due, based on the date(s) we have recorded in her file of where she would have been bred. Typically with our milk cows they are bred by AI, or artificially insemenated. We occasionally have a bull, but at 2 yrs. of age they get mean.

Work has been going very well for me. Although it is still a challenge some days to get into the swing of working away from home. At least I'm not feeling lost and confused at work. I've got the hang of it. I'm now in the process of learning how to do pizza's and subs. Which makes me very hungry! So hungry in fact, on Tuesday night I brought home a pizza and cheesy bread to munch on while we watched the Sugar Bowl.

Emily has gone to the barn with daddy...so I think this is a wonderful time to get a few things done around the house. But, playing around on the computer is a lot more fun! :)

Have a great weekend!

Saying Goodbye to 2010 and Hello to 2011!

2010-12-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where the year went, but I know it was a year of ups and downs for us.

I've had a few days off of work. And you would think that I would be busy around here, but I've been a little on the lazy side. Of course, this cold is hanging on, and makes me tired.

I did make a nice dinner last night, and we've had leftovers today. I love leftovers! I had two turkey drumsticks leftover from Christmas and decided to boil them down and make some broth. I added the meat from the drumsticks to the broth, and then added celery, carrots, garlic powder and onion powder, salt and pepper. I let it simmer for about 20 min. or so, just until the carrots and celery was tender. I made up some instant rice (since that was what I had on hand) and added it to the soup. It was good!

Along with the soup I made Pull-Apart Garlic Buns, I found the recipe in the newest Taste of Home magazine (it's the small magazine that has the tear out recipe cards).

Pull-Apart Garlic Buns

2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 pkg. (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. shortening

1 egg

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat the milk, water

and shortening to 120-130 degrees. Add to dry ingredients; beat until just moistened. Add egg; beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic; about 6-8 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces. Shape each into a bun. Combine paprika and garlic powder. Dip each bun into melted butter, then in paprika mixture.

Place six buns in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan; sprinkle with half of the sesame seeds. Top with remaining buns and sesame seeds. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled; about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

For Christmas, I received a new camera. I love it! It does so much better than my old one! :) So, I've been using it quite a bit. With the weather being a little yucky, I haven't had too much to take pictures of. Annie, our dog was the first "volunteer". She's not to excited about having her picture taken.

Emily is always up for having her picture taken. The trick is being fast enough to get a good picture of her before she moves. Thank goodness for digital cameras!

Emily received a kids makeup kit for Christmas.

I think we need to talk about how "less is more".

Emily with Tiggy, our barn cat.

I've brought him in the house before, but he is just too ornery!

Emily with Annie in the barn.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T22:14:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Hope you have a wonderful day full of good food, family, love and a good gift or two! :-)
We'll be staying home this Christmas...thats just how it goes on a dairy farm. My dad is planning on coming early in the morning and staying for the day (hoping more than one day, if we can talk him into it!)
We went to Christmas Eve service at our church. It was wonderful. They dim the lights, and we each get a candle. Of course we sing Christmas hymns and have a couple of songs sung to us. And we have the Lord's Table (communion).
The not so fun thing about this Christmas, I have a cold. Talk about not fair! But, feeling much better this evening. I am looking forward to tucking in tonight.
Our cows will be tucked in nicely tonight, and will have Christmas music turned on also. They are spoiled girls! They even get a little extra grain on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. :)

Merry Christmas!

Our Gingerbread House

2010-12-23T09:31:00.000-05:00

Last weekend our milk hauler and his wife left a gingerbread house kit on the milk tank for Emily.
We put the house and sleigh together, and then turned Emily loose with all the candy, and I even dug out some tubes of different colored frosting. She had a lot of fun!

We have a cookbook winner!!!

2010-12-19T19:15:00.000-05:00

After punching in all the info over at Random.org, we have found a winner!

Kate (aka Organic Tea by Kate) was the chosen winner!! Congratulations!

Thank you everyone who commented and have become a follower of my blog! I hope that you enjoy the recipes that I have shared. And I will continue to share recipes that I make often, along with the daily happenings on our dairy farm.

There will be other "Early Bird Reviews" throughout the coming year, and there will be a few more cookbook giveaways! So keep an eye on this blog for more chances! :-)

Recipe Review #3! Chocolate-Caramel Brownies

2010-12-19T12:15:00.000-05:00

Here is the final Early Bird Review recipe!
And today I will be randomly drawing a name from those who have left comments on the posts that have had the "Early Bird Reviews" badge (the picture at the top of each review post that tells it is an Early Bird review).
I can't wait to pick a winner!!
I will post the winner on my Facebook pages, Gooseberry Patch's Facebook page and on this blog!

Ok...so here is the recipe!

Chocolate-Carmel Brownies

21-oz. pkg. brownie mix

16-oz. container milk chocolate frosting

6-8 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping

Optional: chopped nuts

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Let cool. Mix together frosting and ice cream topping in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds; stir and spread over brownies. Top with nuts, if desired. Makes 2-3 dozen.

This is, again, so simple to put together, and so delicious! I love to bake with my daughter, but sometimes we are pinched on time, so something that is quick to put together is perfect!

Hope that everyone is all ready for Christmas, or getting the final touches done! I'm planning on making up some Buckeyes to give out this week. We've also made up gift baskets with cheese, crackers and some other goodies and have given them out as gifts as well.

Tomorrow afternoon is our Christmas party at work, and I'm looking forward to that!

Today, along with the yummy brownies, we're also planning on making a gingerbread house! Our milk hauler and his wife left a gingerbread house kit on our milk tank on Friday night when they picked up our milk. Emily is so excited to do this! I'll be sure to post some pictures of this! I'm sure it will be a lot of fun!

Have a great Sunday, and Good luck in the drawing! :)

Recipe Review #2 and Giveaway Reminder!

2010-12-16T21:06:00.001-05:00

It has been so hard choosing which recipes to make, since I really want to make them all. Actually, I want to make them all in one day, and eat them all in that same day!

Tonight, I made Double Chocolate Cookies. The first batch came out of the oven, and all I can say is YUM! I will be hiding these so that they stick around for Christmas cookie trays. Easy to put together. This is what I am loving about this book, the recipes are all so easy to make, and take little time! Perfect for those who are busy!

Double Chocolate Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Garnish: additional sugar (I used white sanding sugar for extra sparkle!)

In a large bowl, mix sugar, brown sugar, butter and eggs. In another bowl, whisk remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and additional sugar.

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and combine until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Form dough into one-inch balls; roll in the additional sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

Just a reminder, you can also leave me a comment on this post, as well as any post that has the "Early Bird Reviews" badge on it, and be entered to win this cookbook! You'll be receiving it before it is available in stores!

Gooseberry Patch Early Bird Review #1!!!

2010-12-15T23:16:00.000-05:00

I have received the newest cookbook from Gooseberry Patch to do an Early Bird Review! So, I've picked out 3 wonderful recipes to make! I've already made the first recipe, and it was delicious!

The cookbook, due in stores in January, is called 101 Cupcake, Cookie & Brownie Recipes.

The recipe I've made for today's blog post is called "Luscious Banana Bars". The recipe made about 3 dozen, and guess what?? We ate them all by that evening!! I had planned on saving some to give out with my usual cookie trays. They were so yummy! The best part, they were so easy to put together, and turned out so pretty!

Luscious Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups bananas, mashed

1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup baking cocoa

Beat together butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla. Blend until thoroughly combined; mix in bananas. Set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; blend into banana mixture. Divide batter in half; cocoa to one half. Pour vanilla batter into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan; spoon chocolate batter on top. Cut through batters with a knife to swirl. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool; cut into bars. Makes 2-1/2 to 3 dozen.

This is a wonderful cookbook! I think I could make each thing that is in it, and I most likely will, and my goal is to make many things from this book for my cookie trays next week!

Keep checking this blog over the weekend! I plan on doing the next two recipes soon!

You can also try to win this cookbook! Just post a comment to this blog post and/or the next 2 blog posts that is about the review recipes, and your name may be picked and you will get this cookbook sent to you!

Giveaway starts....now! It will end on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. Drawing will be 7 p.m. Sunday evening.

So make sure you leave a comment and enter to win this Gooseberry Patch cookbook!

Meatloaf...Perfect Comfort Food!

2010-11-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

Gooseberry patch has reached 50,000 fans on Facebook! So, that means the 3rd chapter in their printable online free cookbook is available! I can't wait to try some of these recipes, and for me, fall and winter is the perfect time to cook up comfort food!
Hope you enjoy these! And if you get a chance, stop by their Facebook page and become a fan! :)

25 Meatloaf Recipes by Gooseberry Patch

Thanksgiving is Getting Close!

2010-11-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is close, and it's good to take a day to be thankful. But, I really like to think of the whole month of November as being a good time to be thankful. Even during tough times, there is always something to be thankful for.

We've had a rough year. But I can think of so many things that I am thankful for.

Last night, as I walked to the kitchen to get a drink, I stepped on a toy dinosaur, a marble and various stuffed toys. Our house looks as though Toys R Us exploded. I could see the toys as clutter and messy. But, I'm thankful that I have a wonderful daughter to scatter her toys out. And, thankful that I have a house that can get messy.

We still have our farm, and are doing what we love. Although some changes had to be made this fall, they seem to be for the best, and we'll continue hanging in there, and we'll see how we do things come spring.

I have a job, and it's close, and enjoyable. I am able to be home with Emily for the most part. And even on my latest night working, I'm usually home no later than 8:30. That's a blessing!

Our pantry is full. We even splurged and got a turkey early for Thanksgiving. And my dad will be coming this year!!

After several years of not speaking, my dad and husband have made peace and have a good relationship.

That is just a few things that I am thankful for. I really could go on with my list.

Of course, since Thanksgiving is getting close, I'm going to share a recipe that my Grandma made every year. As a kid, I did not like sweet potatoes, so I never ate this as a kid, but remember it was something that was made. Now, I love it! Not the best for my diabetes, but I'll just have a tiny bit!

Sweet Potato Casserole

1 (16 oz. can) sweet potatoes

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

4 Tbsp. melted butter

1 pkg. mini marshmallows

Grease a baking dish (8x8). Mix all ingredients except marshmallows. Place 1/2 of mixture in baking dish. Dot with about 1/2 marshmallows, then add remaining mixture. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and dot top with remaining marshmallows. Return to oven and bake about 10 minutes.

A Good "Go To" Recipe!

2010-11-10T20:08:00.000-05:00

I have been out of the blogging loop lately! Between working and having a stomach bug and then, most recently, a cold bug, I've just not really been up to doing much online.

I posted on Facebook that we were having Delicious Drumsticks tonight for dinner, along with mashed potatoes and a veggie. I've been asked for the recipe for those drumsticks. If you like Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, you'll find this recipe in their Farmhouse Kitchen cookbook.

Delicious Drumsticks

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. pepper

6 chicken drumsticks

1/4 cup melted & cooled margarine

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a bowl (I usually use a large Zip-Loc bag). Dip chicken drumsticks into the margarine and then coat with the flour mixture. Arrange in an ungreased 8x8 baking pan. Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes.

Makes 6 drumsticks.

This is a great recipe to put together when you are in a pinch, or just want something easy. It's a definite favorite in our house!

Who Likes Chocolate Chip Cookies??

2010-10-05T19:00:00.000-04:00

Or should I say, who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? They are my favorite! And with holiday baking coming up, cookie recipes are a must!

Gooseberry Patch has the newest chapter of their printable cookbook online!

25 Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes by Gooseberry Patch

Where did September go???

2010-09-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that tomorrow is October! I'm excited! I really like the month of October. Fall is officially here, the leaves are starting to show their colors! Our anniversary is tomorrow. It's been 10 years! Al's birthday is October 4, and my birthday is October 8. On October 10, Emily and I will be traveling to my dad's to visit with him. That week will also be the Fairfield Co. Fair, and we will be going to that while we are there.

A lot of stuff going on around here this past month.

Emily is loving school! They had "picture day" yesterday, and I'm anxious to see her pictures! Along with her class picture...I may be able to put faces to the names that she chats about when she comes home.

I have also taken on a part time job, outside of the farming and cheese business. We're still doing what we've always done...just in this economy a part time job may add a little more income and we won't have to worry so much this winter about groceries and utilities. I'm working at our local diner, Beallsville Diner, which in my opinion is the best place in our area to eat! I have been trained as short order cook, but am going to be trained in everything... so that I can help out wherever I'm needed. I have to say, short order cook is not easy! On a busy lunch, dinner or football Friday night, it makes milking cows look easy! I really enjoy working there, especially since I'm actually getting the hang of what I'm supposed to be doing. During the first week there, I felt totally lost!! :) I'm thankful that the folks I work for are working with me on my Saturdays, and I'm able to make it to the farm market and sell cheese.

I received a letter in the mail on Tuesday! It was from Gooseberry Patch!! In January I will be receiving their newest cookbook because they used one of my recipes! I'm so excited! Al doesn't mind my collecting cookbooks when I get a few that feature one of my recipes in it! Although...I have to admit, the size of my cookbook collection is getting a bit much! But, I don't think I could part with the, and I do make use of them.

That pretty much sums up our September so far...
Our weather is really feeling like fall, today it is rainy and cool. Perfect!! And I smell coffee, so I think I'll grab myself a cup of coffee, with pumpkin flavored creamer and then head in to work.

Emily is Officially in Kindergarten!

2010-09-04T15:50:00.000-04:00

On Monday, August 30th Emily woke up at 6 a.m.
She wanted to know if the bus was coming. The bus comes by our place at 7:30 a.m. We got her dressed, brushed her hair, made sure her lunch was packed and ready (because the chicken patty on the lunch menu sounded weird) and made sure her backpack was ready. Her backpack is almost as big as her!

We waited in the milk house for the bus around 7:15, early because she kept asking if she was going to miss the bus while we were at the house.

The bus pulled up, I walked with her across the road and she climbed up in the bus like she had done it every day! The bus driver gave me the look that said "you can go now, mom. She's fine." I wonder if he has more trouble with us mom's than he does with the kids.

She's loved school each day. In fact she was really bummed out that she didn't have to go to school this weekend, or Labor Day.

The "Back to School" Countdown

2010-08-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

Why do I hear "The Final Countdown" music playing?

So, we take Miss Emily up to the school today to meet Mrs. Hendershot, her Kindgergarten teacher...we had to practice saying Mrs. and not Mr. We also had to answer the question, "what's the difference?"

Mrs. Hendershot is a really nice lady, and it turns out that we've met her son and husband, as they've been here at our farm before buying some cheese, usually around holiday time. Emily did great, marched through the office doors..down the hall, and to her classroom. Then we walked into the classroom. My child went from a confident little girl, to an unusual growth on my leg. We had to literally pry her off!

The funny part is, back in March when we took her up for registration, she cried when we had to leave, she had that much fun. I'm having some really scary visions of our first day of school. She's already stated that she wants to ride the bus. Wonder if she will be getting on of her own free will? Hoping that she warms back up to the idea of school by the 30th. Fingers and toes are crossed.

I've also broke out the camera today. Well, I should admit, I actually found it. It's amazing that I lost it in the first place. I don't know how I do it, but I lose things. All the time. And forget stuff. How early does a persons mind go wandering??

We've found ourselves "blessed" with about a dozen cats. They are cute. So, I took a few pictures of the littlest one. I call her "Chubby". She is very chubby.

Emily snuggling with "Chubby's" sister. We haven't named her yet. And I doubt that

"Chubby" will remain the other cats name...but it is sticking for now.

I took this picture of one of our "dry cows" the day before she

had her baby heifer.

A baby heifer with her Mama. She is about

2 days old in this picture.

I just can't leave out my "feathered girls". They are so tame, that the white hen

actually came in the house...more than once!

I am off to make something for our lunch tomorrow.

We are making cheese tomorrow and I like to have our lunch made ahead of time.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Antique Shopping

2010-08-16T21:11:00.000-04:00

I really love stopping by antique shops, junk shops, thrift stores and yard sales. You can really find some treasure at these places! Emily says that we go on a "treasure hunt" when we go.

Yesterday, after Emily and I took some time to rest and feel a little bit better, and Al made it in from morning chores, we decided to go for a ride. You can only watch so many cartoons. I suggested we go to the Barnesville Antique mall. There are 3 floors in this store. All crammed packed with old stuff. Mostly glassware. Really, expensive, delicate glassware. And yes, we took Emily into this store. She did great. We did not end up buying anything that was broken...whew! And she loves looking at the different colors of glassware. The depression glass was a real favorite of hers.

We found a couple of old De Laval signs. De Laval is a company that handles milking supplies, and has for years. The signs are collectible. We have one already that is in our cheese house, but it's always tempting to pick up one or two more! :) We didn't...but, I did tuck one away, just in case I want to go back and pick it up.

I did take some pictures, though they are not the best. I forgot to take my camera. What was I thinking??? But, I did remember that my phone has a camera. So, I pulled it out and took a few pics!

Emily standing in front of the rack full of doll babies.

She would've bought them all, I'm sure!

The enamelware is something I really like.

I bought a large, yellow stock pot at a flea market for $8.00, found the

exact same one here at the antique mall for $24.00. I did good!

Glass, glass and more glass. And my daughter right there close to it!

She was interested in the old baby buggies and cradles

Odd N End stuff. I could've taken hundreds of

pictures of racks full of beautiful treasures!

I've also recently been doing a little "treasure hunting" at the Goodwill in Marietta. It's amazing what you can find there. A lot of stuff I pick up there for a song, I seen at the antique mall for quite a bit! I may have to brush up on my knowledge of what is collectible and valuable. Who knows what I may run across!

I found this platter at Goodwill for about $1.00. It's really

heavy and beautiful! Can't wait to use it this Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Since we've done a small antique mall with Emily, and found that we won't break everything in sight, our next antique stop will be the River Front Antique Mall in New Philadelphia, Ohio. If you have a chance to go there, it is an amazing antique mall. It can take hours to look through it all. And, the last time we went they had a little food stand to get a bite to eat and rest your feet!

Talking about Antiques just reminded me...there is 2 new episodes of Pawn Stars on tonight.

I love seeing what old stuff (or fake stuff) people bring into this shop.

Have a great week!

Lazy Sunday

2010-08-15T12:22:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning for us is usually busy. Morning chores, getting showers, breakfast, rushing around getting ready for church.
That was my plan for this Sunday too, but Miss Emily was up most of the night with a fever and cough. I'm not feeling the best either, but I'm mom, so I am "grinning and bearing it".
I actually feel rested this morning. Emily and I stayed in bed longer than usual. She brought some balloons that she was given into the bedroom, and we had a "sick day" party. That involved making the balloons float above the air conditioner, throwing them around the room, and finally putting stickers on them. We also watched more episodes of Dora, Backyardigans and Max & Ruby than I can count.

Earlier this week I picked out one cookbook to make my grocery list by, and also made my "Recipes to Try" list. I LOVE doing this. Yesterday after coming home from the Marietta market, we loaded up in the van and went for groceries. So, I'm anxious to pick out one of the recipes on my list to make for lunch. I'll be sure to take some pictures and post the recipe.

Our nephew, Martin went home yesterday. He was here for 2 weeks. We miss him, but we're so excited for him to be heading to college in another week! He is an awesome kid!

Not too much exciting really happening around the farm. This time of year is pretty much the usual work stuff. Al is trying to get the last hayfield baled for 1st cutting. We are so very late getting that done. But, the stuff looks to be pretty decent regardless. After he finishes that field, we'll be starting on our 1st hayfield again for 2nd cutting. It's pretty much ready to go. Lots of 1st cutting hay bales need to be brought in to the barn before we can get 2nd cutting to far underway. Hoping to get our pastures mowed before fall also.

We'll be making a batch of cheese this Wednesday. We're making consistently, though, not as frequently as we had planned. I should know better than to plan our schedule in March! I always say that our schedule is subject to change, and it usually does change!

I think Emily and I will mosey down to the barn, check on things there. Then make some lunch and maybe get some rest this afternoon. It's been a long time since we've taken a "slow day". I think we'll enjoy it!

Free Cookbook!!

2010-08-09T20:51:00.000-04:00

Gooseberry Patch sent me an email awhile back that was a survey. And those who fill out the survey would be placed in a random drawing.

I was one of the random winners! So excited! It's one of the fall cookbooks, and let me tell ya, after all this heat and humidity this summer, I am read for FALL!!

The one problem....I can't wait to make some of the yummy recipes, but my kitchen just today was near 90 degrees. I am not turning my oven or stove on. Not at all.

I also need to go through the book, and this is my favorite part, make a grocery list and a recipe list and plan my meals. I love grocery shopping. I just hate being on a very fixed income. I could have so much fun in a grocery store with an endless amount of $$. I know...who wouldn't have fun with endless $$? haha!

Now, I am patiently waiting, well, not patiently, but waiting anyway, for the newest GBP cookbooks to arrive at our local gift shops. They say it will be next month or October. That seems like too long to me.

I've noticed some fall/autumn themed items showing up slowly at the farm markets. My friend Marge just made the cutest fall apron. It will be hard not to buy it! I've seen some really cute table runners that a lady made, several fall patterns from fall leaves to Halloween. I'm hoping to remember my camera this Friday and Saturday to I can get some pictures! I'm always amazed at the unique and beautiful things that are made here locally!

Emily received her letter this last week from her Kindergarten teacher. We go for a school visit on the 19th. Emily is able to take most of her school supplies on that morning, and we all get to meet her teacher and see the classroom. Emily is determined to ride the bus the first day, and she'll do fine, but will I???? We know her bus driver, in fact we go to church with his wife. We went to Wal-Mart the other evening. She picked out her Tinker Bell back pack, which I was afraid would cost a bit, ended up it was on clearance for $3. She said she saw the red sticker on it and new it was on sale. That's my girl!! Bargain shopper from the get go!

I am off for now...we have a really busy week ahead! Tomorrow I'm off to Marietta for some diabetic lab work...I do hope the poor girl can get a vein this time..both of my arms were black and blue last time. Yikes!

Have a great week!

August? Already?

2010-08-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

Where did the time go? I just don't feel like August should be here yet. I'm not ready! I don't mind that fall is getting closer. I enjoy fall and the cooler temps. But Emily will be going to Kindergarten at the end of this month, and I am not ready for that!!! She should not be 5 yet, either.

She's hyped about school. We went and got her supplies the other evening. She thought that was just the greatest thing to do. The hard part right now is keeping her out of it. She had her booster shots done last week. That was a lot of fun. :-P We had to hold her down. She was pretty grumpy after that. Until I surprised her with a Polly Pocket doll. I had to do that for her to make me feel better!

Our nephew, Martin is spending a couple of weeks with us. He goes to college this fall. Again, where did the time go?!? Emily thinks its great to have him here...I'm sure he enjoys playing with My Little Ponies and dolls.. haha! I'll have to get a pic of that!

Our summer has been spent on the go! Maybe that is why it is going so fast. I've been doing 2 farm markets this summer and that seems to go well. It's a wonderful chance to talk with others about what we do and that we care about what we do and our animals.

Our milk tank went kaput at the beginning of July. So we found a new (new to us, anyway) one, it was made in 1973. That's new compared to our old one, it was made in 1957. I guess 53 years for a bulk tank is good! Getting our old one out of the milk house, and the new one in required us to tear part of the wall out of the milk house. Once the tank was in, the hard job was getting that big tank level. It took close to 6 hours or so. The new tank is cooling so well! Our tank holds 500 gallons of milk. Our milk hauler picks our milk up every other night. So, each milking the girls give us approx. 125 gallons of milk during the spring and summer months.

Al was supposed to get some hay baled that was cut and raked. Unfortunately, the rain that the weatherman said wouldn't be in until this evening decided to come in this morning. So, off to run errands instead. Plus, fix the tire on our milk wagon that we haul our milk to the cheese house with. Hoping that we can get it fixed without trouble today, because we are going to be making a batch of Hill Folk Jersey tomorrow.

Beautiful Sunset

2010-07-28T08:20:00.000-04:00

We recently had a pretty strong thunderstorm go north of us, and it made the sunset for us look so pretty!
I love thunderstorms anyway, so I'm always outside when I hear the first rumble of thunder. I know, probably not the safest thing, but I'm usually outside in all weather anyway!

I grabbed my camera, and snapped some pictures of how pretty the clouds looked.

Sometimes for me, I need to remember to slow down, and take a look at whats around me.

Just seeing the beautiful sky and clouds makes any day feel more relaxing!

Medals Arrived!

2010-07-26T08:09:00.000-04:00

It's been just about a month since we entered our cheese in the World Jersey Cheese Awards, and the other day we went to the mailbox and there they were!

It's still feels really cool to think that our cheese competed against cheese makers from other countries!

They are made out of Jersey Pottery, so they are made right on the Island of Jersey.

I just need to see about getting a display case made for them, so I don't mess around and

break them!

I have a lot of catchng up to do, and I plan on doing that this week.

The month of July has been so busy and hectic!

Update for the Week

2010-06-26T20:20:00.000-04:00

A little this, and a lot of that.

I think we've managed to do a little of everything this week. Accomplished some, still a lot left to do.

Al has managed to get 1st cutting of hay started. We are late this year. Thank goodness we have over 200 bales of hay left from last year, and in really good condition. Looks like it's just been baled. My job while he is cutting, raking and baling hay is to make sure he has plenty of water. It's been hot here in southeastern Ohio, and the humidity is miserable. Very important to keep him going! Emily thinks that driving in our hayfields with the truck is great. So does Annie, our beagle. We had some hay cut and raked when a heavy, unpredicted, rain popped up. The rain was so heavy, that it flooded parts of our road, and the lane that our cows walk on to get to their paddocks. So, Al went back and tedded the hay out, or spread it out so it would dry and not kill the grass growing underneath. He'll be raking and baling tomorrow. Cutting more on Monday. We have 2 more hayfields to go after this one.

This is normally a small, quiet stream. A culvert pipe runs under the

lane, but after a heavy rain, it flooded our valley. Guess we had our own river!

Emily had a full week of VBS (Vacation Bible School). She loved it! The theme was Bar None Ranch, so there was a lot of little cowgirls and cowboys moseying around the church each evening. Her first night, she won a HUGE cowboy hat. It looked so cute, but she didn't agree. I did manage to get a picture. She also announced that she made a new friend on the second night. I asked what the little girls name was. She said "I don't know." Hmm..we may have to work on remembering names when making friends!

The rain has done some good, even if it may be a bit much at once. My herbs are going crazy! I've snipped off a few and used in a couple of recipes. Very yummy! I've added 3 more herbs to my little collection. I found some pineapple mint, lemon thyme and lemon balm. I love the different fragrances they each have. I'm having a lot of fun with these!

chocolate mint

lemon balm

pineapple mint

I made it to both farm markets this week. I enjoy visiting with everyone. I was able to take 3 varieties of cheese, Hill Folk Jersey, Boeren Kaas Gouda and Jersey Emment. Looking forward to July, our Summer Swiss will be ready, and I'm anxious to sample it. It is our new cheese of the year.

I think that I will take tomorrow to slow down a bit, catch up on laundry and dishes. It's amazing how that stuff can pile up in just 2 days of doing farm markets!

For tonight, I'm looking forward to opening up some windows and the back door in our living room, turn some fans on and sit back and watch some of the Barrett-Jackson car auction and Speed channel. I love seeing some of those old classic cars restored. It's amazing how much they can bring, too!

Takin' It Easy Friday!

2010-06-18T11:42:00.000-04:00

It's Friday, already! Not sure where our week has gone, I know it's been a busy one. I've decided to take today and tomorrow off from going to the farm markets. This is because we are low on cheese that is ready to sell, and I want to give the cheese that is just ready another week or so to age out some more.

This morning has been slightly slower than usual, and it feels good! I like to take some time once in awhile to catch my breath. We had planned on making another batch of cheese tomorrow, but since the weather is going to be nice and no rain in sight for a few days, Al will be heading to the hayfield starting today, and won't take a break from making hay until Wednesday, which is our next planned cheese make, and it's supposed to rain.

My work, for the weekend since I won't be going to farm markets will be playing catch up on things. I have about 5 batches of cheese that will be waxed this weekend. We use plastic mats that put under the cheese as it ages in the cooler. This helps let air flow under the wheels. We use the same plastic mats under the cheese when the wheels are coated, so that means some of the coating gets on the mats. I have a stack of mats that will be washed up and sanitized today. I also want to wipe the shelves down in aging area, I do this about every month or two. Wiping the shelves with vinegar and salt prevents any unwanted mold from growing.
I also have 6 wheels of cheese to pack up and get ready to ship on Tuesday, it's going to Jungle Jim's.
So, even though I am taking a weekend off from markets, I still have a very long list of things to do! But, I will admit, I'm moving at a slower pace. ;-)

To go along with the "takin' it easy" part of the day, I've fixed a very easy and quick lunch. It's very yummy too!

Texas Tortilla Soup

GBP Dinners On A Dime

26-oz. can chicken and rice soup

10-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies

15-oz. can black beans

11-oz. can corn

Garnish: shredded Cheddar, crushed tortilla chips

Combine soup and undrained vegetables in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Ladle into soup bowls; top with cheese and tortilla chips. Serves 4.

Hope that everyone has a chance to enjoy the weekend!

World Jersey Cheese Awards 2010

2010-06-13T09:48:00.000-04:00

On June 1st we shipped some of our cheese to New York, from there it was sent to the Island of Jersey in the UK. This was for an "invite" only awards.

We were very anxious this past week, knowing that the judging would be on Friday, the 11th. Yesterday morning we received the results to the judging. There were 102 cheese entries submitted from 10 different countries, only 38 awards were given.

Our Boeren Kaas Gouda placed Silver.

Our Jersey Emment and Hill Folk Jersey both placed Bronze.

We are very excited! Being our first time entering our cheese in a world competition, we were not sure how we would do against other cheesemakers from around the world.

We're so thankful for a lot of our family and friends who encouraged us to go for it and do this!
We've been informed of another competition held in Europe this fall. We just may consider doing this! :)

We've been able to stay busy making plenty of cheese, and we'll continue to make through October, possibly November. Our goal for the year, to have at least 400 wheels of cheese in our cooler before we take the winter off!

Congratulations to Our Winner!

2010-06-11T21:04:00.000-04:00

We have a winner in our cheese giveaway!!
Our winner is Mandie! She left a great comment to our featured Friday post, and that put her in the drawing!

She has a great blog! You should stop by and visit! Whispering Dreams

Mandie, if you can, just email me the address you would like your cheese to be shipped, and I will get it out on Monday! You can email me at renae-s@sbcglobal.net

Congratulations!!

Gooseberry Patch Featured Friday Blog!!

2010-06-04T13:34:00.000-04:00

How exciting for us to have our blog chosen for the Gooseberry Patch Featured Friday Blog!!

Stop by their blog at the following link to read about us!!

http://gooseberrypatch.typepad.com/blog/2010/06/ff-down-on-the-farm.html

You can also stop by our website at http://www.buckeyegrovefarm.com/ or http://www.buckeyegrovefarmcheese.com/ to read more about our farm and cheese!

We would also like to give someone 1 lb. of our very own Hill Folk Jersey, this is our own recipe, created by my mother-in-law!

All you have to do is leave a comment here, become a follower on Facebook at the following link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beallsville-OH/Buckeye-Grove-Farm-Cheese-LLC/122474122100, or become a follower of our blog!

Those who are already followers of our Facebook page and of our blog will already be eligible, but we love more comments! ;-)

The giveaway will be open all week, we'll have the drawing on June 11 at noon! Good Luck!!!

I've Discovered Herbs

2010-06-03T17:19:00.000-04:00

I have done a lot of gardening before, I've grown and canned a lot of veggies. But, I've never raised my own herbs. I've always used the dry herbs you pick up in the store. I've always been interested in the flavor that fresh herbs would give food. So, after looking around at several different places, I found a great selection of herbs for $1 each (some came in containers of 4 plants). Since I really don't have a spot made for a large garden right now, I decided that putting them in containers would be the best thing, plus I can move them into my kitchen this winter. I will be learning as I go!

So far I have 6 herbs, but would love to plant more.

Emily loves to help with them, her job is to water them when needed,

we're still working on the "do not drown them" part, though.

Emily was holding a small leaf from the Chocolate Mint plant.

She was amazed at how yummy they tasted!

Aside from having fun with my green thumb, cheese making has been keeping us hopping! Thankfully we've been able to consistently make a batch each week, and those batches have been close to 150 lbs. each. This week we made cheese on Tuesday, and we'll be making again on Saturday. Since we are actually out of cheese that is aged long enough to sell we'll have to skip farm markets this week. Hoping by next week we'll have a couple of cheeses to cut up and sell.

We have also entered in a competition with our cheese, it is the World Jersey Cheese Awards 2010, and it is held on the Island of Jersey in England. We sent one lb. of each of our cheeses. We will see how it goes! It was an "invitation only" competition, so we're thrilled to receive the invite! It's amazing to have our cheese go up against some of the cheesemakers of Europe!

So glad that summer is now almost here. Our weather has been so humid lately, it almost feels like July or August! The heat is here early this year. The flowers are really blooming, and Emily has been taking advantage of the nice weather to play outside everyday! Glad to, she can run off a lot of her energy!

Our clematis is blooming, they are so pretty!

One of my older hens out enjoying all the grass

and bugs she can find!

Emily having some fun on her swing just outside

of our cheesehouse.

Cooling off in her wading pool.

Well, I see by the time it is getting to be, and the yummy smell in the house that it's almost time for dinner.

I ran across a really good Shepherd Pie recipe in the Gooseberry Patch cookbook, Farmhouse Kitchen.

I've never made this before, but it really is making me hungry as it bakes!

To Be a Kid Again...

2010-05-18T17:48:00.000-04:00

The thing I'm finding that I love about being a mom, is that I can sometimes "be a kid again". I have a great excuse sometimes to sit on the floor with Emily and play with dolls and My Little Ponies (which were my favorite toy as a kid). She even has a Cabbage Patch Doll. I had one of those too! I love that a lot of the toys I grew up with are making a comeback, so I can play with them again!

The other day it was so nice and warm out, with a little bit of wind. We pulled out the dollar store bubble stuff, and found that it only made one bubble at a time. That is not fun. So, I pull out one of my many, many cookbooks and I find a recipe for bubbles. They didn't do too bad, but later I found a better recipe I can't wait to try.

So, we filled up my biggest measuring cup with water, dish soap (shampoo, bubble bath, etc.) and a bit of sugar. Dug out my melon scoop things and we kicked off our shoes and sat out behind our house and made some bubbles.

I had plenty of work that needed to be caught up or finished, but it felt so good to take an hour or so and sit out back with my girl and play!

Farm Markets, and Making Cheese

2010-05-16T10:41:00.000-04:00

Going to farm markets and making cheese has been my spring so far! This past week was by far the busiest!

We've got a schedule already made from now until November. We'll be making cheese on Monday's and Tuesday's (one or the other, depending on when the schedule allows). There may be an occasional Wednesday make if we're busy on Monday or Tuesday.

The farm market in Marietta has started a Wednesday evening market sponsered by the local YMCA. It's called "Get Fit Marietta", promoting eating local and healthy. We may not be at that market each week, but we'll try to be there often.

Guernsey Co. Farmer's Market in Cambridge, OH has begun as of May 7, and will continue through October. Hours are 9-1. We're planning on being there each week for this market, but if we aren't there, stop by nearby New Concord at Buttonwood Market. She carries all of our varieties in her store.

Of course our Saturday's are spent in Marietta at our regular, weekly farm market. It has been a busy place too!

Our local paper had an article on us, and you can see it if you go to our facebook page. The link is at the very bottom of this blog. Martha Ackerman came out and interviewed us last month, and she did a great job writing the article.

I was also featured in the Guernsey Co. newspaper as the featured market vendor, along with my favorite recipe we use with our cheese.

So far we have 5 batches of cheese made, 2 batches of a new cheese called Summer Swiss. It will be ready by July-August. We'll be doing Hill Folk Jersey on Tuesday of this coming week. So excited to see our walk in cooler filling up. So many orders coming in lately, that we're watching the shelves become empty. Good problem to have, though!

Stop by one of the markets or visit us on Facebook or our website!

Showers of Blessings!

2010-04-26T21:22:00.000-04:00

Today it was a rainy day. But we've needed the rain very much, so the song Showers of Blessings always comes to mind when we've been worried about our water situation, and along comes a good rain. As much as I love sunny days, those rainy days are comforting too. My first thought on a rainy day is to snuggle up and nap all day...but the reality is there is work to be done, even on days like this.

We pulled milk samples this morning, and took milk weights this morning and evening. Al is doing the evening milking, and I ran the lactometers on the milk samples from this morning. That took a good hour and a half. But it's done for April. Everything is washed up for May. Next step is to run the fat tests and put all the info into the cattle records.

Wednesday will be our cheese make day for this week. Was going to be today, but the weather is so cool and rainy we felt we should hold off. Plus, I ordered some supplies on Friday, and they will most likely be here tomorrow.

Had a wonderful day in church yesterday. And we had food and fellowship last night. Seems that food is always a enjoyable thing to share with everyone. Emily had a great time seeing her friends.

That will be my ramblings for the day...I'm not very creative lately. Will have to work on that. And get out and take some pictures.

Our article will be coming out this week in our local paper. We're looking forward to that. If I'm able to find it online, I'll put a link to it on here.

Have a great week!

Beef Barley Soup

2010-04-22T11:03:00.000-04:00

I made some soup for dinner yesterday, put it all together in the slow cooker around noon, and by 4:30 the house was smelling very yummy! Put some drop biscuits in the oven so that they would be ready when the soup was. I posted what I made for dinner on my Facebook page, and felt that I should post the recipes on here to share! So here are the recipes for my dinner last night....

Beef Barley Soup

from GBP Slow Cooker Recipes

2 c. carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 c. celery, thinly sliced

3/4 c. green pepper, diced

1 c. onion, diced

1 lb. stew beef, cubed

1/2 c. pearl barley, uncooked

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

3 cubes beef bouillon

2 Tbsp. ketchup

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. dried basil

5 c. water

Layer vegetables, beef and barley in a slow cooker, add seasonings. Pour water over all; do not stir. Cover and cook on low setting for 9-11 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

*I adjusted this recipe a little....I always do this to recipes. I added a can of cream of celery soup and a little less water. I also cooked it on high for about 5 hours.

Chive Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

from TOH Diabetic Cookbook 2004

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. toasted wheat germ, divided

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp.chopped fresh chives or 1 tsp. dried chives

2 tsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. cold margarine

1 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese ( I used cheddar)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. wheat germ, baking powder, chives and sugar in a bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and cheese, stir until just combined.

Drop by rounded tsp. onto baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with remaining wheat germ. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from baking sheet. Makes 12 servings.

I should add that both of these recipes do very well with my glucose numbers. I'm always happy to find yummy new recipes that I can eat without worry!

I would have posted pictures of this soup, but....it didn't last long! Even Emily dug into it and finished her bowl almost before I was finished with it.

Setting Up Fence

2010-04-19T17:53:00.000-04:00

In the spring, one of our jobs that has to be done is getting the paddocks all set up for the cows to rotate. We do what is called "intensive rotational grazing". The girls go to a different pasture almost daily, depending how quickly they eat the grass down. By having several paddocks set up, this ensures that we will be able to have fresh grass all summer into the fall, instead of letting the girls tramp down their fields and run out of grass.

My job is to carry the "reel". It's a reel that is attached to a heavy metal post and I unreel the electric wire as my husband, Al carries the plastic step in posts and sets them where he needs them, and hitches the wire onto them. After that is done, we check to make sure that the water lines are in good shape, no leaks, etc. And we make sure that the water tank fills up with water, and doesn't overflow or quit working.

When doing the fence and water line work,I'm pretty sure we get at least a mile of walking in. It feels good too, this time of year isn't too hot or cold. Now if we had to do this in the heat of the summer, forget it!

We make sure we enjoy our work as we walk along. Nothing like being back away from everything, cars, telephone, tv, etc. It is so quiet back at our pond, except for the birds, frogs and wind. That is my kind of day! Emily thinks its great to stop by the stream and look for tadpoles and snails. She took a container this time, but wasn't able to catch the tadpoles. They are really big, and fast.

Cheese make day tomorrow...so I need to scoot and get some stuff done. Before we make cheese tomorrow, I have to run a few boxes of cheese to the UPS drop off and get them shipped out, and we have a customer stopping by around noon. I'll be getting her order cut and ready for tomorrow.

Enjoy the week! Looks to be sunny around here! Glad for the dry weather, we'll get a lot of outside stuff done before it's time to head to the hayfields.

our fancy buckets of fence supplies

walking the water lines, looking for leaks

Al and Emily working on a leak that they found. And yes

she's wearing a hair net! lol We just got an order of hairnets in

for the cheese house, and she wanted to wear one.

hitching up the water so that will fill

up the water tank

Al and Emily, making sure the water is filling up the tank

I was done with my job, and took a breather at the top of

the hill, Al was still putting fence posts in the ground and

Emily was having fun playing with dandelion poofs

We're below our pond, heading home. That's our buildings

in the distance

Our pond, facing our buildings

Annie goes for a swim

Daddy & Emily looking for stuff in the stream.

A tadpole

Emily trying to scoop up some water snails

We've Been Busy!

2010-04-16T13:28:00.000-04:00

I have been missing for awhile! Once spring comes, and the ground dries up, we don't stop until we go to bed at night, and sometimes that is around 10-11 p.m.

We made our first batch of cheese for the year on Monday. The milk was so yellow that the cheese looks orange! It's so yummy looking! Cheese make went well enough. Only a few things that slowed us up and we got a late start. We had a cow calve that morning, and now that the cows are coming up on milk and we're milking more cows, milking time takes a lot longer! The cheese stayed in the press overnight to allow the PH to drop to the correct number. Tuesday morning I went up and placed the cheese into the brine tanks. They stayed in there for 50 hours.

We had several orders come in this past week. Mr. Riesbeck picked up cheese for his wife's store, Buttonwood Market and I shipped out an order to a small wine shop called Meza, in Westerville, OH. Jungle Jim's placed an order, and Lola's, they will be packaged up this weekend and shipped out on Monday.

Wednesday we also had our local newspaper stop in again to take some pictures for the article coming out on the 29th. She came last week and did the interview, but it was raining and cold, and that didn't allow for pictures.

Yesterday we went back to our fields and set up the electric fence for a new paddock for our milking cows. After that was set up, we had to walk to our pond and turn the valve on for the water to fill the water tanks with water so the girls will have plenty of water. After the water is turned on and hitched up to the lines, we walk the water line to check for leaks. When and if we find leaks, we fix them. Emily thought the leaks were a lot of fun, since they sprayed water everywhere. We make our jobs "family time". Walking our fields and fences gives us time together, we chat as we walk, Emily is able to look for "treasure", and we monitor how our pastures are growing and what needs to be done to continue our grazing system. And the walking is awesome exercise!

Today's schedule looks like we'll be working in the milk house. The motor for our receiving jar is not working right, and Al is having to manually work it and that makes milking very slow going! We have some parts to repair it already here, but may need to head to the hardware this afternoon to find the odd and end stuff.

I'm also going to be packaging some cheese this afternoon for the farm market tomorrow. Since the sun has been out, business has been wonderful at the market. I'm really happy that there are many new folks coming into the market!

That's pretty much my ramblings for this week. I will make sure I have a much better post next time with some pictures! I've got plenty of pictures on my camera that just need to be loaded into the computer. But, for now, I need to go see about lunch that is in the oven, Chicken Penne Alfredo...mmmm..... After that, typing up some minutes from last Saturday's market meeting along with a reminder for folks about our Farm Market Customer Appreciation Breakfast on the 24th! I'll post more info about that, also!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Resurrection Sunday

2010-04-04T19:10:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful day!

Emily was given her basket of goodies this morning. We keep it toned down a bit on the candy and toy part. I don't feel right about the bunnies and eggs, etc. We try to keep our focus on what makes the day special to us.

Emily and I went to church this morning. It's so hard for Al to make it, milking and morning chores are usually going on all morning. Emily enjoys going to junior church and it's so cute seeing her march out of the church with the other kids, she's so independent.

After church they had the "Empty Tomb" hunt in the neighboring field. I was handed a camera and sent out to snap some pictures of the kids. It was divided into two groups, the little ones and the bigger kids. Little or big, kids are just hard to photograph. Especially when hunting "Empty Tombs". They would turn around, just as I was about to snap the picture. I think I got a few decent shots. Kids also move quick. I've always said that kids and animals are difficult to photograph. Could be why I enjoy taking pictures of sunsets or scenery. It does't move. I've also made a mental note for next year...wear comfy shoes for this, high heels do not work in a field.

Emily & her friend, Kassie. They are so cute together!

I went to my Endo appt. on Friday. Still not sure yet...

She took me off of the insulin that I have been doing since January. I should note, with the insulin I have been keeping my glucose #'s in check, very good too. But, she feels that I should lose some weight, and that is important right now. The insulin actually causes weight gain. So, she put me on something else, that helps promote weight loss, but has side affects of being sick and icky. I think I get how it controls the weight thing...of course you'll lose weight if you're too sick to eat. Hmm....we'll give it a try. Sometimes I do feel like I'm used for experiments!!

Farm market yesterday was great! A lot of new faces, and I love meeting them! Several of our usual customers that didn't make it in over the winter are now coming in with the nice weather arriving. We're all looking forward to the upcoming Wednesday markets starting in May.

Now, I'm off to get something fixed for dinner. We're going to be a little later than usual. I don't like that, but that's our schedule today. Thanks to me eating a little too much of a not so good thing, made me feel horrible and I fell asleep for about 3 hours. Time to make up for my nap time! :)

Daffodils and Sunshine

2010-03-31T18:02:00.000-04:00

Spring is here! My favorite season! I love the sunshine and warm, sweet air after a long, cloudy winter!

Today, as we do every year, we took our truck around to the back hayfield to see the daffodils that grow there. There used to be a house that sat back there, long ago, and I imagine someone had some of these daffodils planted around the house, and they spread like wildfire. Some are even double daffodils, very pretty.

Today was sunny and warm, so we loaded up, I grabbed my camera and we were off.

Today we also let our cows out to pasture. They love spring too! It is so fun to watch them run and jump, and finally settle down and lay in the sun.

This is the cows as we opened the gate that lets them into their

pasture on the hill behind our house. I love being able to watch

them from the kitchen window.

Our heifers were also taking advantage of the warm sunshine and were laying in their paddock. They seem so content!

I love how green the grass is!

We did not make our batch of cheese this week, as we had planned. Our taxes are to be turned in tomorrow, and we're still finishing them. Talk about the last minute! This year, my goal is to do our

tax books quarterly, so it isn't all at once. We'll see how I do with that.

So tomorrow, I'll get the brine tanks all set up, check the salt and PH of it, log it down into our books and we'll be set. I also have to order some more starter (culture) for a new cheese we're going to give a go this year!

I was also sent a letter for jury duty today, however, that trial was cancelled so I did not have to report. Now I can focus on getting work caught up and done.

Now, I am off to finish up those tax books...blah! And then sort some stuff to take to Goodwill on Friday, when I go to Marietta for my first appointment with the Endocronoligist (sp??). Hope that goes well too.

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather! :-)

Farm Bureau Contest

2010-03-30T10:43:00.000-04:00

Farm Bureau is having a contest "I am Farm Bureau", a photo contest. So, I entered our farm. We'll see how this goes.

If you would like to visit the page, just click on this link:

I am Farm Bureau

Anyone Love Free Recipes??

2010-03-22T21:21:00.000-04:00

Gooseberry Patch has just released the first chapter of their online cookbook to download and print! I just printed my copy, and the recipes look YUMMY!!

25 Mac & Cheese Recipes by Gooseberry Patch

Where Have I Been??

2010-03-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

I think I've been missing for awhile!

Been off the computer for awhile. Last week I had 2 days of jury duty. I will admit, I wanted any excuse to get out of it, but could not really allow myself to get out of it. I could have used my diabetes and insulin use as a reason, easily. I didn't. But, I did have trouble getting my numbers controlled those 2 days. My sugar spiked to around 300 because I was unable to do my insulin at the correct times.
As far as jury duty, it was interesting, and found that all of us jurors got along very well.
As much as I found jury duty interesting, I don't feel too excited to receive yet another letter saying I am to report for jury duty again on the 31st. I didn't realize that a person could be called that many times in one month. Unfortunately, it will take it's toll on our Jersey Emment cheese make for this year. We have a very small window of time to make the Emment, and we were supposed to start make last week, and again on the 31st. Argh!

After jury duty, I caught a cold or something. So, a week has managed to go by. I feel like this past week has been foggy. Lots of rest. Today I've felt "ok" enough to take a look at the mess that being sick a week has done to our house. About 20 loads of laundry are waiting for me.

I had an event that I went to on Thursday night, regardless of how rough I felt, I managed to do it. It went very well. It was a Ladies Spring Fling, and I was set up next to the wine tasting table.... lucky me!! ;-)
I did manage to trade some cheese for a nice bottle of wine... Alpine Spice was the name of it. Al isn't crazy about it like I am...so more for me! ha! I met a lot of nice folks. It was held in Glen Dale, WV (hometown of Brad Paisley!!). I had to get a permit through the health dept. to take our cheese to WV. Not as hard as I had feared, but we do like to make sure we will sell enough cheese to pay for our permit, gas and set up fee. We did ok, but it was wonderful advertising!

I did make it to the farm market yesterday. Beautiful day too! Sun was out and it was near 70 degrees. Perfect! I had so many new customers come through, and they were so excited about our product! That makes me excited to get started making again!

Our plan now is to officially start making cheese March 29. That gives me time after that to do the jury duty, then that Friday go to the Endocronologist. Hope the trial doesn't go beyond 2 days...

Spring is here! I need to get my camera out and get some pictures of a few, little signs of spring here at Buckeye Grove Farm. We've been hearing the spring peepers for about a week now, and that is the most wonderful sound to hear after a long winter.

I hear the sound of the dryer buzzing, so that means I should go and get some loads switched...only 19 more loads to go...

Enjoyed a Visit

2010-03-09T19:11:00.000-05:00

Al's mom and dad came for a visit today! We don't see them very often, so it was nice to have a day visiting. We went out and grabbed a bite to eat, stopped by a neighbors place and chatted. When we pulled into our driveway, we got out and found that they had picked up something in their tire. We followed them to the repair shop just to make sure they made it ok without getting a flat. It gave us a few more minutes to visit! :)

They live in Kentucky, so hoping that they have a safe trip back home. Emily had so much fun visiting.

Made a delicious recipe for our dinner! It was loved by all of us, especially Emily. So kid approved!

Italian Chicken and Penne

Recipe from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet cookbook

8 oz. uncooked penne pasta

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 pieces

1 small green pepper, julienned

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 can (8 oz.) pizza sauce

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/3 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a nonstick wok (I used a skillet), stir fry the chicken, pepper, onion and garlic in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, sauce and seasoning; heat through. Remove from heat. Sprinke with cheese; let stand until melted.

Makes 6 servings.

1-1/3 cup= 1 serving

288 calories

5 gr. fat

96 mg sodium

36 gr. carb.

3 gr. fiber

26 gr. protein

The sun has finally been shining and the snow is almost all melted...so that means we have A LOT of mud!!

I'm not sure which is worse, the snow and ice, or mud. Seems like keeping the floor in the kitchen clean is a challenge. We're very ready for spring, and if the weather stays mild, the cows may get to be let out to pasture early, at least during the day, given that they don't have to walk around in the mud up to their ears! The air even smells like spring. Emily dug her tricycle out of the garage and rode it around our back walk for awhile earlier. She's ready to play outside.

Hope everyone has enjoyed some sunshine, sounds like some good soaking rains are on the way! Hoping that the folks around the river won't have to deal with flooding.

I Made An Apron!

2010-03-07T21:24:00.000-05:00

I made an apron, all by myself! I have done some sewing before, but that was over 15 years ago, in home ec class. Wow! Has it really been that long??

I bought the pattern and material 2 Christmases ago, so technically not 2 years ago, yet. But, I did procrastinate, I tell ya, the pattern had me intimidated! So did that old machine. I did manage to cut the pieces out. But, put it up.

Before Christmas, I got the old, heavy, did I say old sewing machine out. I lugged it to the kitchen table, because for some odd reason I do not like to actually sew in my craft room. I love being in the kitchen. Threaded the thing, and got to work patching some of my husbands jeans before trying it out on an actual project. I ended up breaking 2 needles and the motor really sounded sad. I got out the needle and thread, determined to patch is doggone jeans! Have you ever tried to sew denim by hand? Not easy.

My husband, for Christmas, took me out to pick out a sewing machine. And I LOVE it!

Last weekend, we had a snow storm roll through, again. How many did that make??

So, bored and tired of working on tax books, I brought out the new and lightweight sewing machine, so no lugging for me anymore. After figuring out how to use the self threading gadget on the machine, it was a breeze to use!

Patched up 1 pair of his jeans, fixed a blanket where the seam had come apart, and then got brave. Pulled out the apron pieces. Yes, it was a Christmas apron, but I didn't care if it wasn't Christmas, it was snowing after all! Close enough.

I started and finished the apron on the same day. And it actually looks good. I can see a few things I want to do different next time I make something, but I did better than I thought I would!

So, one more apron to add to my collection.

I have just enough material to make a matching apron for Emily.

The apron hanging up on my apron rack that my dear

friend, Marge gave to me awhile back.

Me in my apron. It's really comfy to wear, too.

Now, my next project is something Emily has picked out. We went to town today, and she found

some dinosaur material, so pj's and an apron have been requested. A dinosaur apron...don't know about her! :-)

We picked up enough material to make both items, some thread, buttons and rick rack. Couldn't decide what color buttons she wanted, so we picked up a multi-color pack. This should be colorful!

Not how farm families stand by each other.

2010-03-07T01:59:00.000-05:00

Jaclyn Lipp,

Thank you for your really nice write-up about our family and cheese operation! We were very pleased with your work! However, we have noticed that a Mr. Todd Tue has deliberatly used the article to spam and promote another families video project. We at Buckeye Grove Farm would never use another family's write up as an opportunity to spam, advertise or take advantage on another person's/business' write up.. Not how farm families stand by each other. We've also gotten some "not so nice" comments regarding this blog write up, and I have traced who left it. To those who have done it, not cool. Just to let everyone who visits here know, we do not promote in this sort of way, and we never will. It would be nice if there was some way to remove Mr.Tue's comment/advertisement from the comments posting. I also know his rights to free speech, but this was nothing more than a way for someone to use us to promote themselves. Thank You.
Here is the link to the article: http://southeastohiomagazine.blogspot.com/2010/03/historic-family-farm-gaining.html

Sincerely,
Al & Renae Scheiderer
Buckeye Grove Farm Cheese, LLC

In Regards to Our Write Up...

2010-03-06T22:38:00.000-05:00

This is in regards to the blog done for us on Southeast Ohio Magazine's blog.

We at Buckeye Grove Farm would not use a write up on another farm family as an opportunity to spam information in the comment section.

Not how farm families stand by each other.

I've also gotten some "not so nice" comments regarding this blog write up, and I have traced who left it.

To those who have done it, not cool.

Just to let everyone who visits here know, we do not promote in this sort of way, and we never will.

Thank You.

Southeast Ohio Magazine blog

2010-03-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

We have been featured on Southeast Ohio Magazine blog! How cool!!

Click on the link and take a look!

Historic Family Farm Gaining Recognition for Handmade Cheese

Countdown to Making Cheese

2010-03-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

Only about 3 weeks until we start making cheese again! After this long winter, I am looking forward to getting back to work!

Our inventory is holding, but you can really see some bare spots where we need to fill it back up!

I spent Monday cleaning the cheese house, cleaned and sanitized the coolers that we use for trasporting cheese, and use in the cheese house. I do this regularly, but this time, since they've been sitting during the winter months, I really gave them a scrubbing. Cleaned the floor in the walk in cooler, and plan on wiping all the shelves with vinegar and salt. That prevents any mold from growing.

My next thing to do is get the brine tanks washed and filled up with water, salt and a smidge of vinegar. We like to have this ready 2-3 weeks before make so that the salt dissolves and the PH adjusts. Also need to check the the salt content to make sure it is just right for our cheeses, we use a gadget called a Salometer.

I also need to sort through our starters, rennet, anitbiotic tests, and other supplies, to make sure we're all prepared to start back to work without any delays.

I do have a new recipe that we will be making this year. We're excited to add a new variety and will post more about that when we have the first batch made! We feel that we've managed to keep the other 4 varieties consistent, and that is so important before adding more.

We have some folks coming in today to look at a couple of heifers. We're happy that we have some heifers available to sell this spring. We have a few more, older ones, available, and feel that they will sell better once the grass starts showing (if the snow ever melts!!).

Farm market tomorrow in Marietta! And, I don't think there will be any snow storms coming in! I'm all packed and ready to go! I packed the cheese last night, and need to print out business cards and brochures today. We'll also be in Glen Dale, WV for an event on the 18th. (For any Brad Paisley fans, that is his hometown). Sounds like it will be a good event too. Along with our cheese, there will be a wine vendor set up, so we'll have some wine and cheese tasting! I'll post more details as I get them.

We've had more babies born, a lot of bull calves, would like to see more heifers, but we take what we get!

Well, it's almost 1, so I better get to the barn! Will post some pictures next time!

Recipes for a Snowy Day

2010-02-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

For some reason, a snow day means I need to cook and bake. I figure if I'm not really going anywhere, I might as well do something I enjoy to spend the day inside.
Yesterday, I made some delicious soup! Now, I am not a broccoli person, usually, but I loved this recipe, and can't wait for a chance to make it again.

Southwestern Broccoli Cheese Soup

Recipe from Taste of Home's Light & Tasty

Annual Recipes 2005

4 cups water

4 reduced-sodium chicken bouillon cubes

4 cups fresh broccoli florets

3 cups frozen southern-style has brown potatoes

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups fat-free milk

6 oz. Velveeta (I want to try this with our Hill Folk)

1 cup chunky salsa

In a large saucepan, combine water, bouillon cubes, vegetables, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Combine flour and milk until smooth; gradually stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Reduce heat to low. Add the cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add the salsa; cook and stir until heated through. Makes 2 quarts (9servings)

1 cup= 1 serving

160 calories

3 gr. fat

883 mg sodium

27 gr. carb

3 gr. fiber

9 gr. protein

Today, we had the leftover soup for our lunch, and I decied we needed something to go with it, so I made Chive Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits...these are my favorites! I make them with every type of soup.

Chive Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

Recipe from Taste of Home's Diabetic Cookbook 2004

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. toasted wheat germ, divided

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives or 1 tsp. dried chives

2 tsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. cold margarine

1 cup fat-free milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. wheat germ, baking powder, chives, and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and cheese; stir until just combined.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with remaining wheat germ. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from baking sheet, serve warm. Makes 12 servings

1 Biscuit= 1 serving

125 calories

4 gr. fat

5 gr. protein

18 gr. carb

2 gr. fiber

237 mg sodium

And we had chocolate chip cookies for dessert, and a snack once in awhile. Emily had fun helping. She likes to pour the measured ingredients in.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Taste of Home's Diabetic Cookbook 2004

8 Tbsp. margarine, softened

1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

2 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup fat-free milk

3/4 cup (4 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walntus (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with non-stick spray. (I use parchment paper)

Beat margarine and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg whites and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Add flour mixture to margarine mixture alternately with milk, ending with flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired.

Drop dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cook on wire racks. Makes about 6 dozen cookies

1 cookie= 1 serving

56 calories

2 gr. fat

1 gr. protein

10 gr. carb

0 gr. fiber

61 mg sodium

Now I need to figure out what to fix for dinner, that time is getting close.

Aside from cooking, my day today has been busy doing tax books and laundry. Can you say "fun"?!

On an exciting note, we have 4 wheels of cheese that were ordered earlier today that will be heading to Tennessee. Also need to cut up some cheese for Saturday farm market in Marietta. Just hoping the snow takes a break so that I can make it!

Thinking warm thoughts of spring...it can't be far off, can it??

More Baby Calf Pictures

2010-02-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

Took my camera with the fresh new batteries to the barn last night. Finally got a few pictures, and it was at the perfect time, bottle time for babies.

This is one of the older babies.

Emily is now old enough and big enough to hold

the bottle and feed babies.

Al feeding 2 babies at once.

Emily loves having her tricycle at the barn. She loves

playing with the babies and Annie.

Emily scooted close to this cow for the picture,

and it looks like the cow was wondering

what Emily was doing so close.

Me with Emily and a baby.

Washing up the lines and milkers after milking is finished.

This is 2 milkings of milk in our bulk tank.

The paddle in the middle stirs it every so often

so that the cream doesn't rise and it is mixed and

stays cold.

Now, I'm off to take some cheese to mail out to Tennessee. I'm going to let Al do the driving, since the truck slid with me when I was coming down off of the hill from the cheese house. Finally able to get some sawdust today as well! The cows will be thankful for the dust.

Cows, Calves & Chickens

2010-02-21T21:38:00.000-05:00

I took my camera to the barn this morning and took a few pictures. My batteries were slowly giving out on me, I've been saying that for several days, but I keep trying to make the camera work anyway. (I did get new, digital camera approved batteries today and will have more pics). So, with that in mind, the pictures did not take as well as I would have liked, plus, baby calves do not hold still for a camera...especially a camera that takes forever to get the flash ready.

The cows were cooperative. They are naturally nosey, so they were more than happy to stare at the camera, they did look confused at the flash. Probably wondered what the little blue spots were...

We had two babies born last night, within minutes of each other. Both little girls. We're doing good this year for heifers. Thank goodness too! We've had about 3 years of mostly bulls. We're due for a heifer year.

I have to sneak a picture of Pinky in. She's been feeling a bit left out with all the cows, calves, other cats and dog. And of course she's not to sure about having Emily live in "her" house either. This cat puts Garfield to shame at times. This picture of her was taken at a happier time, before we used that gadget to trim her claws. It was either do that her just do without furniture or trim work on the doorways. That gadget that they advertise on tv really does do a good job. Pinky would disagree, however. Poor thing...

We did get our eggs yesterday, as I mentioned. I have been asked if you can freeze eggs. You sure can. I use freezer bags, they're cheaper and easier. I put about 2-3 eggs per bag after I whisk them in a bowl, and put them in the freezer. I can't remember how long they can keep this way. I'll check and post that. I don't plan on freezing any of these eggs, we've been eating so many at times. Seems like these cold mornings call for a good hot breakfast instead of a bowl of cereal. Of course, talking about eggs reminds me of my chickens, the ones who are not laying any longer. Well, imagine my surprise when I was sorting through some pictures from this past summer of the chickens and Emily. I should have realized then that the girls were calling it quits.

Ok, I'll admit, that's sad. But, couldn't help myself. Had the idea from a comment left on a previous post. :)

I print some pictures out and take them to farm markets and festivals with me when I set up to sell cheese. Some people are not sure what a Jersey cow looks like, so this is helpful. A really famous Jersey that you may know is Elsie the Borden cow.

Well, just checked the time, and I'm running late getting to the barn! I need to put hay into the girls or they will not be "happy cows".

Take care & Stay Warm, anxiously awaiting spring and the girls can get out on some green grass!

Sunny Saturday!

2010-02-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since we've seen the sun! It's nice for a change! And, even some of the snow melted. Of course that means mud, but at this point, we'll take it!

Emily and I made it to the farm market, and we were happy to get out for awhile. It started out slow, but it picked up. Now that we're open until 1 p.m., I've noticed several people wait until a little later to show up. I guess that makes sense, who wants to get up and out early on a Saturday when it's cold out?? We had 4 degrees this morning when I left home.

We also stopped at the Goodwill, as I've said before, my favorite place to go when I'm in Marietta!! Found Emily some nice shoes for church, I didn't realize how much her feet have grown! Found a few dresses for her, that are more appropriate for the cold weather when I venture out to church.

My sister-in-law made it up for a visit, and to bring us 19 dozen eggs in exchange for a bull calf. Al got him tattooed and registered, and we loaded him up in the back of her van. This baby bull is going to have it good! I'm excited about the eggs! Only a farm wife could get this excited over that many eggs!! If anymore snow storms move through, we will not be hungry! We have eggs and beef in the freezer, and I stopped at the grocery yesterday, so we're good.

No more baby calves born yet, and I still need to get batteries for my camera to take pics of the ones that have already been born. I imagine the cows that are due, will decide to all calve at once. They like to have their babies in the middle of the night. We sometimes take turns walking to the barn during the night. We like to make sure that the cow doesn't have any trouble. Usually they don't, but once in awhile we have a breech, or a first calf heifer has trouble. We also like to make sure the baby gets some of that good milk the mama has right away. Keeps the baby good and healthy.

My Gooseberry Patch cookbook has arrived!! I'm excited! I picked out Farmers' Market Favorites and I can't wait for some free time to sit back with it and plan meals for this coming week! I get so excited of the smallest stuff! Which means each day for me can have a lot of little blessings, and that makes me happy!

We made a trip into town yesterday, along with stopping at the grocery, Emily and I went to the library. She loves going there. I found a really great book for diabetics, and if I ever see a copy of this one to buy, I will. I've already found several recipes that I can't wait to fix. It's called Mr. Food's Quick & Easy Diabetic Cooking.

I also forgot to mention that last week I received 2 letters from Gooseberry Patch!

They will be using 2 of my recipes in their upcoming book called Slow Cookers, Casseroles & Skillets.

The recipes are called Renae's Cheesy Shells and Yummy Pork Chops. Can't wait to receive this one!

I figured with all the cold and snowy weather we've been having,

a picture of the girls out on green grass in the sunshine may keep

us looking forwad to spring! Not too far off...

Have a great weekend!!

Calving Has Started

2010-02-18T18:51:00.000-05:00

We generally start "calving season" right about now. We may have one or two calving in December and January, but once February through May comes, we're busy!! So far we've had 6 babies born this week, 2 bull calves and 4 heifers. So far so good! We hope for heifers, since they are the ones that grow up to produce milk, and that produces a milk check. Bull calves we send to the stock yards, or sell privately to those who want a bull to raise for either beef or breeding. When those little guys get about 2 years old, watch out! They get mean, and wouldn't think twice about killing a person. This time, it turns out, we'll be sending one bull calf to my sister-in-laws in exchange for about 16 dozen eggs. I need the eggs right about now, because my poor hens have gone on strike. Makes me wonder why I'm feeding them so much! Spring comes, the eggs will come too. Of course, with all the babies bouncing around the place, my camera batteries decided to die. I'll try to get some pictures this weekend after I get to town and get batteries. They are so cute when they are little. From the looks of our breeding wheels hanging here in the office, we've got about 7 more cows due to calve within the next 10 days, and another 10-12 before March, once march comes, we're looking at about 20 more. We'll be milking around 50 cows by April 1. This is a wonderful thing! More milk means more money, most of the time! As long as the milk price holds this year. Don't think we'll survive another big bottom out of the milk price. This past year hurt!!

We're still dealing with snow, and as of last night freezing rain has joined in. Made the driveway and our road fun today. I'm scared to walk down the lane to get to the barn. Our barn inspector made it in today. Good weather for it! Hoping it made it home without any trouble. Our roads in our county are not the best, and I think most farms are on the worst.

I have to admit, after spending 4 days here at home, not going anywhere, I started feeling a bit cooped up. So, we got in our 4WD pickup, and ventured to town, which is only 2 miles away, but on our road, it seems longer. It's slick out there. We stopped at our little Convenient store, picked up a few things that are reasonably priced (which is not much!), and made it back home. Still haven't seen the mail go, so I suppose they did not run today.

Found a link to a news article in the Columbus Dispatch. They featured Ohio cheesemakers, and we're listed! It's still amazing when we see our farm name listed in articles. You can see it here: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/travel/stories/2010/02/14/Cheese_Trail.ART_ART_02-14-10_F1_RKGH1D6.html?cat=&sid=101&title=Food%20tours%20take%20cheesy%20turn%20in%20Ohio&type=rss
I also put it on our Twitter page and Facebook.

I've also got some new recipes that I've been trying since being snowed in, and I plan on posting those in the next day or so. Planning on getting to Marietta on Saturday,and looking forward to it! It may be my chance to get out for a few hours and then do some grocery shopping. They are calling for another snow come Monday.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

I am usually not a Valentine's Day person. Never was, well except for when I was a kid and candy or a stuffed toy was involved.
I used to feel if I didn't get roses, then it was a bummer of a day.
I don't feel that way anymore. Valentine's Day, to me, is now about love. And not just the romantic love, but love for others, love for God, and of course the love we receive from God.
Also, this year, more so then other years, we just don't have the extra money to spend on flowers, candy and stuffed toys. Not practical. I'll admit, we're living by a thread right now, but the amazing thing is, our needs are constantly being met.
So, this year, for Valentine's Day, it's been so good. Al did morning milking and chores, while Emily and I went to church for a.m. services. Thankful for our 4WD pickup that can get us up that hill to our church. Emily did get a little stuffed giraffe for her Valentine's gift. It went to church today. I was hesitant because I know how ornery a little stuffed toy can get during church. It all turned out good, Emily's friend Kassie brought her new pink bear, so the girls both had their gift, and the bear and the giraffe hit if off right away. Such a relief. :) The two girls looked so cute walking together when junior church was dismissed. So thankful that Emily has such a good friend.
There was food after church. Had several ask if Emily and I were staying, but we did not. I didn't want to be eating there, while Al was finishing up chores. Plus, as good as the food looked and smelled, it was not what I would have been able to eat. I've been keeping my glucose in such good control (not going above 130 in the past several days!!!!), I did not want to mess it up now. I made us a nice lunch of Tuna Melts, baked beans and some cottage cheese. I feel good eating good food, so I like that part of healthy eating too. I think that Al was thankful that we came on home. We get to spend time together. We'll be taking a ride to nearby town of Woodsfield soon, just to get out and about. From what I hear, more snow will be on the way this week, so we may as well enjoy a little go out and look around time.
I did make it to the farm market yesterday! I'm so happy that I did. Business went well, sold quite a bit of cheese, considering how cold and snowy the day was. But it was good, after 3 weeks, to get out and chat with everyone. I'm so glad that I did not allow myself to sit around and feel sorry for myself. I've got too many blessings to allow myself to do that.
I do believe that a lot of food was collected for the food drive, boxes and boxes, and a lot of grocery bags were filled. I love how the people of Marietta just get out there and do for others.
I picked up a really nice CD today at church. I've not had a chance to listen to it yet, but plan on it this evening. It's called "Cleanse Me" by Lois and India Rasquinha. 13 songs, and some were written by them. They are the daughters of missionaries. They spend time in both India and USA. If anyone would want a copy of this CD, let me know and I can find out how you would be able to locate a copy.
Well, I have rambled a bit. It's a rambling day for me. I'm feeling really good lately, and positive, even though we have a lot of difficulties facing us in this coming year, as it is with most farmers we know, we feel optimistic.

Emily with Kassie at Vacation Bible School last July.

Have A Heart With The Market

2010-02-12T12:47:00.000-05:00

For anyone who is in the Marietta, OH area, and visit or would like to visit our farm market at the fairgrounds, we are open Saturday's, 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. for the winter hours. Tomorrow's event is "Have a Heart with the Market". Non-parishable foods will be collected to go to the area food pantry. The Lions Club will also be taking any unused eyeglasses as donation. The YMCA will be available with information and free passes, Selby Hospital will have Tobacco Prevention information, and The Marietta Fire Dept. will be taking blood pressure. All this and our usual vendors will be set up. It's a good opportunity to get out if you've been snowed in!
I'm am keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed that I will be able to get out tomorrow and be there myself with our cheese. But...our road isn't good yet. For local folks in the Marietta area, you shouldn't have any trouble making it in. That's what I get for living over an hour away! :) But, I can still promote what is going on from here.
Hope you are able to make it by and see us! Hoping I'm there too!!

Still snowing..

2010-02-11T15:42:00.000-05:00

It think this title for my blog is getting a bit repetitive. Snow seems to be the main topic of any conversation. My dad called this morning to let me know that a family friend had passed away, but "snow" was also mentioned. I've noticed that most folks on Facebook are talking about snow... wonder what we'll chat about when it melts? I really don't mind it this year. Usually I am NOT a winter person in any way. But, as of the past couple of years, winter is just about our only kinda sorta down time. Taking care of the cows and heifers is a little more involved this time of year, but no cheese making until next month, given that we can get the truck and milk tank pulled up the hill. If it's snowy and icy, no making cheese. Too much of a hassle keeping the cheese house warm. No furnace running during actual cheese make, it blows dust around that you do not want in the milk/curds.

This year, being snowed in seems cozy. We have plenty of food and this time of year gives me a chance to experiement in the kitchen. This is just my thing!!

Later this afternoon, after my dinner insulin and dinner, Emily and I are going to walk up the hill to the cheese house, and do at least an hour or so of work. I need to cut up some cheese for the farm market this Saturday. I'm being optimistic and counting on making it this week. If I don't, my customers may be out to get me! I've been getting calls and emails. I want to get the brine tanks scrubbed and ready for brine in another 3-4 weeks. It should be set up a good week or so before you need it for cheese. This gives the PH and acidity time to settle and develop. Want to get the sales room organized. My in-laws brought some supplies to us right before Christmas, and I have to find some room for it all. I've even got some dark green wax now, want to use it on our Hill Folk Jersey this coming year, possibly. Depending on how much we have. Hate to have to order more just yet. That stuff is not cheap.

I put together a yummy lunch. It came from the cookbook "Taste of Home Diabetic Cookbook 2004". I received this book from my friend Laurie! Many many thanks to her!!

Chicken Primavera

2 Tbsp. olive oil (you can use any oil, I chose olive)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 clove garlic

3 cups broccoli flowerets

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 fresh tomato, chopped

1 pkg. (8 oz.) spaghetti or linguine, cooked and well drained (I used the Dreamfields pasta)

3/4 cup grated Parmesean

1 tbsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

3/4 cup evaporated skimmed milk

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove to serving plate.

Add broccoli, mushrooms and tomato to skillet. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Return chicken to skillet and heat through.

Transfer mixture to large serving bowl. Add spaghetti, Parmesean, basil, salt and peper. Toss to mix. Add milk. Mix lightly. Serve immediately on spinach covered plates if desired. Makes 6 servings.

1 1/3 cup= 1 serving

Calories: 401

Fat: 10 g.

Protein: 40 g.

Carb.: 37 g.

Fiber: 3 g.

Cholesterol: 75 mg.

Sodium: 507 mg.

After waiting 2 hours after eating a serving of this, which by the way filled me up and I was not hungry, my glucose was just below my target, which is wonderful!! My target after meals is 126, today I was 122. One month ago I was sadly around 240. Woohoo!!

I now have Applesauce Oatmeal Bread mixing in the bread machine on the dough cycle. Will bake it in the oven with my own bread pan, since I'm not crazy about how a bread machine bakes, but loves that it mixes. This bread is something I can have as a snack, or with our dinner, but just one slice! ;-)

Now I'm off to finish cleaning the crafting room, so I can actually have room to do a few crafts and scrapbooking once in awhile. With Valentine's Day coming up, I have a few things I would like to make!

I Won!

2010-02-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

Wow! This is really exciting!
I won a cookbook in the Gooseberry Patch giveaway for bloggers.
I can't wait to look through the cookbook. I picked Farmer's Market Favorites.

We're having some of the leftover Taco Soup today. It is so yummy on a snowy day like today.

We're now up to about 14 inches of snow or so. It's still coming down.

The sun popped out on Monday, and as we were driving on our road I took some pictures.
Al drove and I snapped the pictures. The sun looked beautiful on the snow that was sticking to the trees and the branches. Our road was not the best, but we're used to that! They did plow it and put some stone down.

Hope everyone stays safe and warm!

Now off to find something for our dinner tonight & maybe I'll splurge a bit, and make a dessert!