Enjoying a Final Week of Fun!

The last week of Christmas Vacation is among us!  While some of my friends are racing to get their house back in order, I am still enjoying our decorations and now have every board game we own in the living room.  We have 22 board games to date, not to mention the game systems.  Although the wii is pretty cool, I still enjoy a good old-fashioned board game with the family.  My 10 year old is really good at scrabble.  I have officially stopped the holiday baking in our house to begin the cleansing at the beginning of 2011.  Family-time doesn’t have to involve eating at our house.  Before we know it the kids will be back at school and I will have a lot on my plate on the farm.  I’m already starting to plan for the gardens, I will have to have all of our seeds ready to start in the greenhouse by the end of January.  I also have one of my goats due to kid at the end of January to early February, and that will begin my milking process again; I have missed it so much.  Last year I lost my two oldest does, Grace and Hopey, they were my first losses since starting in dairy goats.  After I cried my eyes out, I got up and started again.  My daughter still gets sad for them and knows where to visit them, but she knows that when you adopt this lifestyle that things happen.  When one life ends, another soon begins.  I look forward to that in the coming year.  Our gardens will be bigger and better this year with a full seasonal rotation and we have made our orchard even bigger with the addition of more fruit trees.  The beginning of the year holds a world of work for us, so I will cherish this last week with my family.  I will still have our decorations up and our house a disaster for one last week of fun!

Post-Christmas

Christmas is over!  I’m happy and sad about it.  I’m happy that all the extra goodies are out of the house because I am not strong enough to say no.  I’m sad because it is a beautiful time of year, I love the holidays.  The generosity, family, and love of friends, neighbors, and complete strangers seem to be more noticeable during the holidays.  This was our family’s first allergy-friendly holiday; hence the blog abandonment.  With all of the classroom, neighbor, and family parties; I felt a bit overwhelmed.  Things turned out really, really good with the baking aspect of the holidays.  I also learned that not sticking with tradition in the food department turned out really good.  Instead of the traditional side dishes of our family with the array of casseroles; I opted out.  I did make the mac-n-cheese, my son and husband would have been thoroughly disappointed if I hadn’t.  I also made stuffed mushrooms and allergy-friendly jalapeno poppers.  Oh yes I did and I will again.  One of my new favorite recipes is for the chocolate fudge I made.  It was a lot easier than I expected and very handy for all of the parties. 

The Best Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients

·                                 2 bags of enjoy life chocolate chips

·                                 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk.

·                                 1/4 teaspoon fine kosher salt.

·                                 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Directions

In a heavy bottom saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk and the salt. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla. Spread evenly into a foil-lined 8 or 9-inch square pan. Chill for 3 hours, or until firm. Remove the fudge from the pan and place onto a cutting board. Remove the foil from the bottom of the fudge and cut into squares.

Getting Ready to Change-Up the Holiday Dinner

My plan for today is to finish my Christmas shopping, Yay me!  My husband is leaving the store early so that we can head out of town to where the larger stores are.  I’m hoping to finish up both of my kids and the grandparents.  Everyone else is getting gift cards!  Then I will be able to turn my attention to our Christmas menu.  I’ve decided to change it up a bit.  I felt we went a little over-the-top with Thanksgiving, I wanted to curve away from the traditional menu a bit.  I can’t curve away too much, though.  My husband’s family is very old-fashioned.  It’s one of many things that I love about them.  They have taught me so much about our hobby farm and the ways things were done “back then”.  I made a beautiful pork tenderloin the other night with a cranberry chutney, so good.  It was so good that it got me thinking, “why not have something like this for Christmas”.  Then the wheels started turning!  My husband, son, and I love mushrooms.  Daughter can’t stand them and the rest of the family haven’t really had them.  Why not make stuffed mushrooms?  To include a favorite of my daughter and some other family members I also plan to make cheese stuffed, bacon-wrapped jalapenos.  Are you as excited as we are?  I’m looking forward to changing it up a bit.  We plan to keep some of the more “traditional” menu items such as the baked ham, macaroni and cheese, and deviled eggs.  Those are a must for the brother-in-law.  I have a busy weekend ahead for wrapping presents and getting ready for the classroom holiday parties.  I’m lucky this year because both kids are having pizza parties.  Thanks to Udi’s frozen pizza crusts, It’s a snap!  All I have to do then is make sure she has a few sweet treats to match her friends.  Thanks to Enjoy Life candy bars it is much easier.  I’ve decided to include my recipe for the pork tenderloin with cranberry chutney.  Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Chutney

Preheated oven to 350 degrees

Cranberry Chutney

1 can whole cranberry sauce

¼ cup maple syrup

Dash of cinnamon

Over low heat to reduce and thicken.

Pork Tenderloin

Baking dish

Place pork tenderloin in baking dish.  Cover top with ½ cranberry chutney.  Pour 1-1/2 cups apple cider around tenderloin.  Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.  Take out and leave alone for at least 10 minutes to allow meat to rest.  Serve other ½ of cranberry chutney alongside pork tenderloin.

 

Snow Day in Kentucky

It’s snowing in Kentucky!  We received a couple of inches all day Sunday, therefore school is out for Monday.  So silly, but too many side roads that school buses can’t visit; or so they claim.  Being snowed in on Sunday was a great day to veg out!  We laid around and watched movies and ate fun food.  We finally watched “Grown Ups”, it was cute.  The kids and my husband begged for buffalo chicken dip, so I made it.  Super easy with my little crock pot.  Put it in and walk-away.  Stir to combine it all, and add as much or as little hot sauce as you like.  Today the kids lasted a whole 20 minutes outside sledding.  The wind chill made it feel like -5 degrees; or so the news said.  I am suffering for veg-out day yesterday by having to clean house and do the laundry, Yay me!.  Anyway, here’s a great buffalo chicken dip recipe.  We use the Mission Tortilla Chips because they don’t have soy.  My daughter also loves the Garden of Eatin’ blue corn tortilla chips.  You can’t go wrong with a good warm dip.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 cans of chicken drained (8 oz, I think)

2pkgs 8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup ranch dressing (our house Annie’s Cowgirl Ranch)

¼ cup hot sauce (we use Frank’s). or to taste because I usually add a little more.

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients into a small crock-pot and melt.  Eat with tortilla chips or whatever you like.  We use this as appetizers for parties with celery.

Vegetarian on the Farm

Once a week I prepare a vegetarian meal for my family.  It’s a lot easier and more frequent in the spring, summer, and fall with all of our fresh produce in the gardens.  You can’t beat a fresh salad or pasta dish.  Our vegetarian menu is a lot different during the winter months.  The family expects warm, hearty dishes on the dinner table.  One way I can’t go wrong is with my eggplant parmesan.  My husband loves eggplant, it’s always his request when we plan the garden; that and lima beans, which I refuse.  I can’t help it, I do not like lima beans at all.  Meatless meals are a great idea for growing families.  It’s a good way to get a lot of good proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.  I’ve found that if we include meat in a meal, the veggies become second choice.  Along with a meatless meal at least once a week, I only prepare dessert once a week.  If my family had dessert on a nightly basis we would all be rolling everywhere because we wouldn’t be able to walk.  I have found it a lot easier to prepare more of an ethnic menu on our vegetarian nights, lots of rice, pasta, etc.  It’s easier to go around the world when dealing with food allergies, period.  With this post I have included my version of eggplant parmesan.  Sometimes I leave the skin on and sometimes I don’t.  It is healthier to leave it on.  I pair this with a salad or simple, steamed veggies like broccoli. 

Eggplant Parmesan

1 medium eggplant – cut into ¼ -1/2 inch slices.

1 egg

¼ cup milk

1 tsp hot sauce.

*combine egg, milk, and hot sauce and whisk together to make egg wash.  Add sliced eggplant to egg wash. 

2 cups allergy-friendly Italian style bread crumbs.

1 lb. can Delmonte diced tomatoes with basil and heat over medium heat.

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese.

Remove eggplant from egg wash into bread crumbs.  Add to greasesd rack resting inside baking pan.  Cook until browned; about 20 minutes.  Remove from rack and place in bottom of baking dish, top with tomato sauce and cheese.  Heat until cheese melted and heated through.

Cold Weather on the Farm and in the Kitchen

I have now officially started feeding my goats in the evening.  For the past two days, I have been bombarded by guineas and chickens when I feed them in the morning.  It’s ridiculous, aren’t they supposed to be afraid of me?  Therefore, I am changing it up.  The milk goats will be fed in the evening when the birds go to roost, and I will continue to throw their corn out in the mornings.  Silly, isn’t it?  But that’s part of it.  It’s getting a lot colder here in Kentucky, time for me to put the herbs to bed for the winter.  I’ll rake leaves up and cover the herb beds this week.  We’ve already winterized the well house, or I should say my husband and father-in-law did.  And next month I’ll start a few spring goodies in the greenhouse.  It’s always nice to get a head start.  We’re lucky that since hunting season is still going, we’ve had a lot of fresh meat to put up.  This year I plan to attempt rabbit sausage.  I’m excited about it; I’ve already planned to possibly add sage or rosemary?  Not sure, yet.  With this time of the year also come hearty dinners for the family.  I’m excited to share this shrimp and grits recipe.  Even though we are located in Western Kentucky, I love Cajun-style cuisine.  My dad worked for the union when I was growing up and we moved around a lot.  For a while, we lived in Louisiana; my mother hated it.  She loved the sights, but disliked the unfamiliarity of it with the food and language.  She learned to absolutely love the food and still continues to favor red beans and rice to this day.   I, also, love anything with rice and beans, and anything truly southern; which is exactly what shrimp and grits is to me.  My husband didn’t grow up eating a lot of the food that he now enjoys, my children will definitely be able to say that we went for it with eclectic, ethnic, and traditional foods. 

Shrimp & Grits

1 lb shrimp cleaned, deveined, I cut the tails off

¾ cups grits

1 ½ cups water or stock

1 ½ cups milk or heavy cream plus extra if needed.

2 tbs butter divided

¼ tsp salt

1 small onion chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

1 small tomato seeded and chopped

2 cups shredded cheese

Cajun seasoning or make your own

1 tbs butter to skillet to cook onions and peppers until a little more than translucent.  Add seasoning to shrimp and coat well, set aside.  Add water or stock to pot and bring to boil, add grits, milk, and butter while continuously stirring.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook 5 minutes or until thickened.  Add shredded cheese and stir until combined and cheese melted. May need to add extra milk or cream to keep desired consistency.  Add shrimp and chopped tomatoes to onions and peppers and cook until shrimp is just done

( pink and starts to curl).  Spoon cheesy grits into bowl and add desired shrimp mixture and enjoy.

Allergy Free Kitchen Chicken

I am so much more comfortable in my kitchen.  Those first few months were really tough!  It’s great to make the leap and make your kitchen an allergy free kitchen; catered to your food allergies.  The only food with allergies are the few goodies my son really enjoys.  The rest of the time, the only ingredients I have to choose from are those the entire family can enjoy.  It’s wonderful not to feel overwhelmed or stressed looking through ingredients, not to mention the huge health benefits for the entire family.  Everything in the kitchen is a lot more colorful.  Today is a Monday in Kentucky.  It is snowing and 20 degrees outside.  I actually wore my coveralls when I went to the barn to feed this morning.  The chickens and guineas attacked the feed for my goats which makes me have to feed again this evening once they go to roost and the milk goats can eat the feed.  Ahh, life on the farm!  I have a full day of laundry for the family and I have to make about 3 pounds worth of chicken nuggets for my daughter.  I make a huge batch at one time and keep in a huge freezer bag, that way I have enough to allow me not to make them but once every couple of months.  Her school has chicken nugget day every Wednesday.  Since I’m cooking with chicken all day, I might as well carry it through for tonight.  But I’m looking for an easier recipe since I can see how much I have to do today.  One easy recipe I made up one weeknight was a “potato chip chicken”.  I had chicken to cook, but was really wanting to do something completely different with it.  I had a full bag of potato chips in the pantry, so why not?  My husband and kids ended up loving it.  It’s not something I have made very often, because we don’t keep a lot of potato chips in the house.  I have found it so much easier to make sure my family are making good food choices, I don’t buy the junk.  This way, if they really want cookies, potato chips, etc., we have to make them.  I find they appreciate them much more when we make them homemade, plus I know what the ingredients are, and we aren’t having them on a daily basis.  It’s a win-win situation.  I am excited to share this super simple potato chip chicken recipe.

Potato Chip Chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half or tenderloins

3 eggs

¼ cup milk

Salt

Pepper

Hot sauce

4 cups crushed allergy free potato chips ( I use Wavy Lay’s)

Combine in bowl: 3 eggs, ¼ cup milk, dash of salt, pepper, and hot sauce.  Flatten chicken with smooth side of meat tenderizer to ¼ inch thickness.  Add chicken to egg wash and then coat with crushed potato chips.  Add to medium high skillet to brown on both sides.  Tip:  when chicken is placed in skillet do not turn but once to help prevent potato chips from falling off.

I discovered this recipe on a whim when I couldn’t decide what to do with my chicken.  It ended up being a huge hit with my family!

Snacks through the Holidays

‘Tis the season for the busy holidays!  We always have something going on, whether we are participating in holiday events around town, school activities, or family visiting for the holidays.  As a parent, I have to make sure I keep quick snacks on hand that are flexible and easy to keep handy.  One item I always keep on hand is granola.  I keep it in a huge glass jar in the kitchen, she eats it on her yogurt, pours a little milk over it as a breakfast in itself, or a baggy full as a snack.  This time of year I have to be a little more creative with snack-time.  The only fruit in-season has been apples and persimmons here in Kentucky.  Spring and Summer snacks are easier because our orchard is full of berries, grapes, melons, etc.  We started our own vegetable garden a few years ago and have grown to a small orchard and herb garden as well.  If we buy produce we only buy local or as local as we can, and do the same with juices.  I don’t buy from outside of the U.S. at all.  If that’s the only option then we take a different route altogether.  My husband was the one who really pushed for that, he thought that if we couldn’t get it in our area then it wasn’t too necessary for us to have it.  We did expand that to include the U.S. altogether to have more options for our family.  I am currently trying to expand on our snack repertoire with more fall and winter snacks that continue to be healthy.  Lots of cracker recipes and granola are kept in the kitchen.  I wanted to share my fall-themed granola recipe with the readers.

‘Tis the season for the busy holidays!  We always have something going on, whether we are participating in holiday events around town, school activities, or family visiting for the holidays.  As a parent, I have to make sure I keep quick snacks on hand that are flexible and easy to keep handy.  One item I always keep on hand is granola.  I keep it in a huge glass jar in the kitchen, she eats it on her yogurt, pours a little milk over it as a breakfast in itself, or a baggy full as a snack.  This time of year I have to be a little more creative with snack-time.  The only fruit in-season has been apples and persimmons here in Kentucky.  Spring and Summer snacks are easier because our orchard is full of berries, grapes, melons, etc.  We started our own vegetable garden a few years ago and have grown to a small orchard and herb garden as well.  If we buy produce we only buy local or as local as we can, and do the same with juices.  I don’t buy from outside of the U.S. at all.  If that’s the only option then we take a different route altogether.  My husband was the one who really pushed for that, he thought that if we couldn’t get it in our area then it wasn’t too necessary for us to have it.  We did expand that to include the U.S. altogether to have more options for our family.  I am currently trying to expand on our snack repertoire with more fall and winter snacks that continue to be healthy.  Lots of cracker recipes and granola are kept in the kitchen.  I wanted to share my fall-themed granola recipe with the readers.

Fall-Themed Granola

3 cups of oats

1 cup sunflower seeds raw

¾ cup flaxseed

1 stick of butter

2 tbs local honey

3 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs cocoa

3 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp cardamom

Melt butter, add honey, brown sugar, and cocoa.  Combine other ingredients in large bowl.  Add liquid ingredients and combine well.  Spread onto large, greased baking sheet and heat @ 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Leave out until cooled and add to storage container – enjoy!