Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday! 

See you all soon. 

Today I am the most popular non porn gal on the Internet!

Unless your porn is food, then I am a porn star!


So, why am I so popular today, tomorrow and Thursday morning? Because I am the butcher queen!

And why are you guys butchering your turkeys the morning of? Do it the day before, so that you can give it time to rest.

My turkey cooking recipe is as follows.

Soak your raw turkey in apple juice or cider, 24-48 hours in advance. Be sure to keep the turkey chilled with ice.

For a 40 lbs bird. Merely cut time In half for those of you with the more traditional 20 lbs bird.

Cook the bird breast down at 400 degrees for one hour. Reduce heat to 250 f for 4 hours. Remove the bird from the oven, flip it over and stuff. ( Here is my favorite stuffing)


Continue to bake at the slow temp for an addition 4 hours, the increase oven temp to 400F for 1hour.

I know, that is a long time! But well worth it. The turkey comes out incredibly moist, perfect coloring and tasty.

To my Vegan Friends, you can find some ideas from this article I wrote a few years ago.



Here are some more tradition recipes >>>





Husband forces me to make marshmallow topped "yams". I know it is super popular, but I love sweet potatoes. There is so much you can do with them. I have collected several of my favorite sweet potato casserole recipes here.


Devolved eggs are also a mainstay at most family gatherings. If you are a nonconformist, I have some great egg ideas here, it is also my most popular food article.

My turn to pay it forward

Being as severally broken as I am ( was informed that if I had turned just a slight bit more, I would have lost my leg) I have plenty of time to sit and make Christmas presents. It gives me time to reflect. Life in the boonies can be fast pace and hectic. Slow living happens when you die.

I have tons to be thankful for. Yet times make it hard to see it. Besides the uncomfortableness that comes with being broken, and the twisted and sadistic things that physical therapist make you do, husband is seemingly in constant pain, we are poor, struggling, two years of severe drought (we need 7" of rain to get to normal) oh and the list can go on. Yet I have more positive in my life.

Watching Sandy on tv had me grateful for tornadoes. We may not get the length of warning, but the damage is far less. I have heard from just about everyone I know there, and they have all suffered damage. Of course I will do what I can to help.

However it got me thinking about those that will not get help, that suffer and struggle without a natural disaster. The American People and charity organizations will be busy this season. Technically my family qualifies for seasonal help, yet I have plenty and will share. And with all these bloggers that hold handmade holiday exchanges every year, I got an idea.

Peggy over on Hidden Haven Homestead (unable to link right now) was talking to me about a woman named Becky.

"I know a 34 year old mother of three that is struggling. She doesn't have Internet, or cable or other luxury items like that either. Her kids are 15, 14, and 6 months."

"She is a neighbor of my daughter in Franklin, NC and she would absolutely love homemade gifts. We (daughters and I) try to help her each Christmas but its not alot but do what we can. She is always so very grateful and appreciative. This lady pinches pennies tighter than anyone I know. She gets all their clothes at thrift stores and though she hates anyone to know she will go dumpster diving behind the grocery stores to get undamaged packages of food they toss out because of expiration dates. She has a 1995 car that my son in law does what he can to keep it running for her. She works 2 jobs ( one as CNA at a hospital and other doing billing for a doctor from her home). She does get foodstamps but not much and her rent is 540 of which hud pays 300) She hates asking for help and My daughter says she never complains about anything. She always looks at her cup as half full. She did get back with her husband for about a month until he took every penny from her checking account and left. She got pregnant but never even gave a thought to abortion. She had her baby a week before My daughter and when she had hers this sweet lady brought Her home baked bread, a pie, and hamburger casserole when she came home from the hospital. I made her Christmas ornaments last year and also crochet dish clothes. You would have thought she got a diamond. She loved them. We usually go over the day before Christmas Eve and give her the gifts and foods we gathered so she can hide them until Christmas for the kids. I won't be going up this Christmas but will mail whatever I get together my daughter can take it."

I, Phelan here, will be making extra gifts for Becky and her children, Austin (15), Sarah (14), and Dustin (6 months).

I was hoping that as you sign up for a bloggers gift exchange, that no matter what it is, dish towels, ornaments, or cookies, that you would make an extra one for this family. If you wish to send it to me, I will ship all the presents to Peggy who will get it to this woman and her children.

She may not have suffered from a major disaster, but she is me. She is one of the hard working poor that gets glanced over. I have been there, luckily before children. No, not true. i have been there with my boys, and many wonderful blogging friends have helped me. And the smallest form of loving expression, even in a hot pad, meant more to me than anything I had ever experienced, except for my family.

If you wish to participate in this gift exchange with a conscience, email me from my profile. (If having a problem with that email, leave me a message in comments)

Thank you for thinking on it.

(Postcards for the kids would be a thrill)

It's not easy being green

What a Christmas!

Pardon the mess, but it was Christmas morning.

Boys loved their Paddle Balls.

Large spent a good amount of time trying to figure out the devil sticks in his room.

Hooter came out to spend Christmas. We are his only "family" here. His new pup and him got along wonderfully. Talking to each other for a long time.

Boys got some box kites

I told Small his might fly him to Mexico.

Husband carved me a wand. I know, big deal.  It has nothing to do with any magic or such. When we first started "dating", he didn't like the amount of books I would read a week. I love horror and fantasy genre, and him being a realist would tell me I needed to grow up. Him carving me a simple wand says so much. He wanted to do something impractical, something that showed how much he really loves me. I have been walking around with it all day yesterday and today. He asked if he needed to make me a sheath for it. It is the best present I have ever received. 

Hope your day as just as surprising and joyous as ours.

After much unnecessary fretting, my Thanksgiving menu

I spent yesterday canning pizza sauce, working on a very cool Christmas present, going through my pantry and asking the boys their input on Thanksgiving dinner.

Many of my ideas got a clear no, in the way of ewwws and throwing up faces from my dear, dear boys. Large's input was a bit different, "not traditional enough." Wait, you're a teen, what do you know about traditional and why this sudden obsession over it? I can only assume that he wants the comfort that a familiar holiday meal gives, that or he is just trying to get in the last word and being difficult.

So it was decided, by the boys, that I was to stick with a traditional meal. And have more pies than we could actually eat in a day. Every time I asked what they wanted then, I got different pies for answers. Small wants a burrito pie.

We will indeed being having turkey, to the disgust of one of my readers (read that in playful jest). We butchered our tom's a few months back. However I did not have the room to freeze two 40lbs turkeys whole. We broke them down. Turkey breast will replace the entire turkey (and it is the size of a football).

I love brined  poultry! With the right brine, you can enhance the natural flavors and break down the tougher bits of a bird. Apple Juice (cider works well too) and ice is the brine of my choice when it comes to turkeys.  And I happen to still have some frozen apple juice from last year. Soak your turkey in it for 24 hours, keeping ice on it to keep it cool.

The breast is skinless, and this will bode as problematic when it comes to roasting. Simple solution on this one. As I will be making Bacon and apple bread stuffing. The plan is to place the breast and a smaller piece of dark meat, into my dutch oven. The breast seasoned with simple salt and pepper, then wrapped in bacon, with 1 cup of apple juice and 1/4 cup white wine. The oven will then be buried under hot coals to cook, outside, for several hours. The fire will not be stoked up, we will be using only the residual heat from the dying coals.  Once done, the bacon can then be chopped up and added to the stuffing. Unless the temp is too hot, the bacon will not be crispy. So chop, quick fry and a toss.

Now the side dishes.

You know about the stuffing.  (Small was concerned we would not have stuffing)

I have been able to come up with things that the only purchase I will be making is that of the dairy products (butter, milk, whipping cream) Thanks to a client and Brain Wheel, I have plenty of nuts. And I should be able to keep my purchases down under $20.

The boys flipped when I suggested Roasted New Red Potatoes. I had just canned a bunch of them in garlic and rosemary. We compromised on garlic mashed  russet potatoes.

Large order creamed corn.

Husband requested Braised Spinach.

Braise Fennel with White Wine and Parmesan

Cooked Carrots with a Mustard Brown Sugar Glaze

Mushrooms with warm spices

A mushroom brown gravy (no giblets)

popovers

We do not have any pumpkin, so I will be replacing the pumpkin puree with butternut squash in my Pumpkin Custard pie.

Pecan pie (however I do not have maple syrup so will substitute it with light corn syrup. It still comes out amazingly fluffy for a nut pie)

I found a container of baking cocoa powder, which thrilled me, and the boys, to no end.  Chocolate Cream Pie it is! I will just have to fish out the vanilla beans that are hiding in my sugar.

I will need to make my own pie crusts, including the graham crackers though. And whipped cream (little brandy makes it so comforting)

The menu has been approved by all except Medium, who would rather have less vegetables.

 It isn't as traditional as they would have liked it, no broccoli rabe, no green beans with walnuts and tarragon, no peas with hazelnut butter, no Brussels Sprout with garlic and pine nuts.(Wow, we really like our nuts around here)  Popovers instead of rolls.  Hopefully they like the fennel dish. Oh, and no cranberry anything.

From Thanksgiving past

Curious about a recipe not listed, just ask.


reading over this list, it seems like I forgotten that I am poor white trash. This Thanksgiving I will definitely remember to be grateful that I grow so much of my own food, even with a drought we were able to get enough in to have a grandiose menu, or food titles that sound like they are. The ingredients however are very simple and found in most pantries and refrigerators.

Let's talk about Thankfulness

My family

 If whites didn't come to this country, and my Blackfoot family never met my Irish family, and then my other Irish family never meet my Blackfoot/Irish family, I wouldn't be here. So I am Thankful. If Husband's Scottish/English/German family never met his Cherokee family, we wouldn't have our 3 wonderful mutts. (Large is so flippin proud to be a mutt, it cracks me up)

I am Thankful that my Irish families immigrated here, both in the late 1800's and again in the 1960's. I am thankful for my dual citizenship (just in case I need to use it, giggle). I am thankful for my family, and the life we have created. I am thankful for my livestock and my garden.

There are so may things to be thankful for, yet we always get smacked with the things we don't want. And we harp and we dwell. I know I can get scared, depressed and gritchy.  I try hard not to, but it can get overwhelming.

I am really not that worried about Thanksgiving dinner. Even though my previous post made it seem that way. It was a distraction from my real worries, the hay problem.

Life is completely and utterly unfair. I know that, we all know that. But we strive to make the best of it. And I am thankful for that. Otherwise we would all be miserable lumps. And who really wants to be angry and sad all the time? If you can't find the joys in the little things, you will never find joy. And lately that has been a struggle for me.

I am thankful it was only a mild stroke, and that the big one didn't happen as they had warned me.

 I am thankful that Husband decided to be a motorcycle mechanic rather than a surgeon. Of course he will wonder out loud about what ifs. . . but he loves what he does.

I am thankful that I spent so many years homeless.  Without that I might not ever pushed myself, and appreciate what I have now. And thankful for those like Kris

I am thankful that I got to spend 30 days with my first son.

I know many women never get that much. He taught me to be strong. He taught me that it wasn't just about me. And he taught my friends that people of different religions, faiths, and God(s) can be in the same room, and share each other's prayers with respect. His NICU basket looked like an tribute to world religions. And the Grateful Dead. His name is Getty and my Father keeps his company.






I am thankful that I have three healthy hellions.  They are trying to teach me patience.

I am thankful to be given the opportunity to share all this with you.  And thankful that you have taken the time to read it.

I am thankful that I have stories, loves and laughter to share.

Guess I just needed to remind myself that even when things go bad, there is happiness and thankfulness in it.

(I really did mean for this post to be a discussion on thankfulness. But it took on something different.)

Can't sleep, clowns will eat me

I had a difficult time last night getting to bed. I just laid here staring at things.

Thanksgiving gets smaller here every year. With my 2 little brothers living so far away, and my grandmother and my father passing, it is just us 5 and Hooter. And then Hooter up and tells me he might be going somewhere else for Thanksgiving! It's ok though, I am glad he has some other friends besides Husband and I. (for all my new readers, Hooter and I have been good friends to the point of family status for almost 20 years.)

 But he isn't why I couldn't sleep, he was just one of many thoughts.  The 4 1/2 hour drive to go get hay (once we find a hauler) is what was keeping me up. That and the up coming butcher of mamma.  You can imagine the kind of google hits I get because of how I phrase things. I have even seen the search "How to butcher woman" come up before. I was a bit creeped out.

I digress.

Carol Anne over on on Soap boxville  mentioned a title of a book called "No one cares what you had for lunch" along with pics of her really cool goth doll collection. The title made me giggle. But as many hits as I get on my recipes, I would say some people are indeed interested in what we are eating here.Or at least canning.

So I have been planning out my Thanksgiving menu. Holidays give me a chance to only cook. I do a few basic chores in the morning, then the men in my life take over the duties so that I can have the rest of the morning to cook. We usually eat by 3 pm. Even with the 5 of us, we have lots of food, most the time I only use what we have on hand. Rarely do I run to the store to purchase items. Of course leftovers never last long. I do have 3 growing boys.

This year is a bit difficult. Hardly any veggies or fruits to choose from in my pantry. I have a few apples and pears, and several jars of peaches from last year. 1 small jar of corn, no green beans, but I do have potatoes. My pumpkin and flour guys had little for me this year, and I have no milk or butter. So I need to be very creative. How do you make a Thanksgiving meal with little on hand?

Edited: I know exactly how to make a Thanksgiving meal with little on hand. The above statement sounds a bit pompous, not at all what I had in mind.  I have had famine years before, worse than this one. I have had to barter skills for food before, as has husband. And I have gone hungry on Thanksgiving before as well.

I am still trying to figure this out.  Whatever it ends up being like, I will still be thankful.

3 days in 1

Today is Husband and I's Wedding Anniversary. (Part 1/ Part 2)



(Before anyone gets all upset, there was a serial killer theme running through the grooms side. Husband was Manson, best man was Clyde of Bonny and Clyde, my brother was Capt Spalding, and a few other mass murders showed up as well)

We have been together 15 years, married 8, actual wedding marriage 1 year.

Today is our 10 year Anniversary here on the Neophyte Homestead

We signed the papers to take it over in the morning, and moved in that afternoon just in time to go trick or treating.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

The boys costumes this year.


Small's should be easy to guess. Only action geeks will be able to guess who Medium is. And Large, history war buffs might be able to decipher (or those that actually grew up with them).

A couple of stories, plus one more

We harvest some of the corn last night, desperately trying to save what we have grown. It is still too early here to start worrying about a fall garden (even though many of the blogs I read are starting their's now). Late August is when you start putting in the fall seeds here in my little world. I will spend the day popping off what kernels grew and freezing them.

We also harvest some of our onions, spinach seed and mustard seeds. I actually found some hot peppers on my plants! Those too will be dealt with today (I make my own ground pepper mix). As well as the 3 black zucchini's, will grill up one and make zucchini bread (to freeze and eat now).  My garlic is in a sad state of affairs.

Husband made a deal with the Angus rancher. Looks like we will be selling him a few of our calves next spring. Yart and Yippee are staying. Yart because I want to see how the mix breeding fairs with milk, and Yippee Skippy because of her tiny statue, like her mother, and I think they would make wonderful homestead milkers. They are small enough to keep in someone backyard. So we are going to be breeding mini small breed cows.

Speaking of Husband, Pastor Mike laid his bike down yesterday. My older readers should remember him. Pastor Mike is the man that taught me to make soap and paid for the preacher to oversee my Halloween wedding. Pastor Mike got some rain in his neck of the woods. As he was on his way home, he got tangled up with some of the mud and a bit of sand on his dirt road. He laid down, right on the shoulder he recently had surgery on. As soon as he stood up, he called Husband at the shop. Husband got there just as the road grader was coming. They stood the bike up and trailered it, bringing it back to Pastor Mike's. Husband said he was a bit beat up, and possibly very sore today, but doubts much medical attention will be needed. But his wife might have a different opinion. We didn't know Pastor Mike before Husband starting working on his motorcycle, so I would say that him doing this for Pastor Mike without charge says a lot about the shops loyalty to their costumers. And Husband's.

Speaking about Downed Bikers, please don't forget about this year's blogathon.. So far I am blogging for a pledge of $15. Thank you to that person for their pledge. (don't worry the warning that you get when you click on my blog will disappear during the blogathon. Technically I don't have to have the warning up, but as I cuss and talk all naughty like, I want to warn a few of my readers that might click over, it is nothing like this blog. It's one of my other voices in my head)

I can't believe that I forgot this one.

Yesterday Large went out to burn. I just happened to be looking out the window when there was a loud explosion that shook the house. I saw a full trash bag, in flames, flying through the air, Large mouth agape and arms a flyin', and the rooster, Larry, running for his sweet life. Large ran to get the house and put the fire out, all the while laughing. I couldn't help but laugh as well. Turns out that Small had cleaned up a bit of trash in the yard, buried within it was a mortar from the 4th that we missed.

Happy Independence Day!!

How I Spent My Mother's Day

Medium gave me the love notes, and Small the hand print tulip.


Of course I arose before anyone else, no breakfast in bed for me. Husband gave me a kiss, mumbled something about Mother's day and we were off.

I got my strawberry patch fenced in. Between the dogs and the turkeys the new plants kept getting pulled up! Husband worked on the temporary chick pen. We will only have these chicks for another months or two before butchering, so nothing fancy or permanent like the condo.

I moved a box of the hundred birds out to the pen. As I was shooing them through the door, the freaking roosters that have been separated out from the laying flock (for butcher) decided they couldn't restrain themselves. Here comes one jumping over my shoulder! I had to save the chick from the affection of the rooster. As that was happening, one of the chicks got passed me into the open world. Another rooster took advantage of this and my preoccupation with the other amorous rooster to attempt to sow his own oats. I had to stand guard while 4 roosters circled me. The top of the chick yard wasn't put up yet, and they figured out they could jump over top to get a little nookie. The roosters and I went rounds, they did their sexy fan dance, and I threatened to take their heads off with a 2x4. It was the ballet of the Homestead. Small and I managed to trick them into a holding pen. Life suddenly became so much easier.



Our matriarch, Mama, has been keeping Murial from eating. So Saturday evening we put Murial, XuXi and Courage Into the paddock. I moved Courage as well because she has been very skittish and I was wanting to train her to the milk stanchion. But the black cows are cookie whores and it is difficult to get only one cow.

We did get the bales we so desperately needed. 80 bales of prairie and 20 of alfalfa. Every morning I throw 1 bale to the Kerries, and 1 bale to the Milking short horns, each get half a bale of alfalfa. In the evening I have to throw one more bale to the Kerries. (I am setting up the story)

Yesterday I threw a bale to the Kerries, while Husband took one to the Milking shorthorns. Suddenly I hear, over the ruckus that the black cows were making, "what do we have here?" When ever Husband says that, it is always interesting. I dropped what I was doing, to the distress of Winston (bull), and ran to the paddock.



Get your thinking caps on people, it is the year of the Y.

Courage had her calf! It's a little girl. A Mother's day calf. awww. . .

Mid afternoon I caught the men in my life taking a break



I am working my butt off and there they are.

Medium caught the first bullfrog of the season



That is always a thrill for them, and Sprocket (hound mix dog). She is constantly chasing the frogs.

The rabbits have become alfalfa junkies. I took them a bit last night and discovered that they will stand on their hind legs and you can almost get them to turn circles, like a dancing dog. I will have them jumping through rings of fire before the week in up.

Husband and I took the bike out. The irises were in full bloom along the roadways. The smell was intoxicating. So much like spring even if our weather is more like August (100F here today) than May.

We BBQued for dinner. Was too hot to cook indoors.

We had a good day.

Hope your Mama's day was just as good!

Sunday in Pictures

Small can't find the easter egg. Can you help him?



When do bunnies get their ears?



Dying browns eggs, different shades of brown



We opted out on ham, had steak instead



garlic



peas and carrots



Last lamb born for this season



Husband and Medium planting a tree



How was your Easter Sunday?

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

Hope you are wearing green, cuz I'm feelin' a bit pinchy today.

Remember the shopping list?

Milk and cheese pottage

6 hard boiled eggs, yolks and white separated, yolks mashed

3 cups whole milk

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon ground almonds

pinch of sugar

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp saffron

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

3/4 cup semi soft cheese, grated

Beat together the mashed egg yolks, with all the ingredients, except egg whites and cheese. Cook over a medium heat until it thickens and is bubbly. Chop the egg whites, and stir into the yolk mixture, add grated cheese. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Serve hot with fresh bread.

I love this for breakfast on cold days.

Posset Cup

2 3/4 cups whole milk

2 Tbs oatmeal

pinch of Salt

1 Tbs Stout

1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg (more to taste)

Heat the milk, oatmeal and salt in a small sauce pan to just below boil. Stir continuously. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Strain liquid into a clean pot. Add honey, the stout and spices. Heat, stirring to combine. Do not boil. Drink hot.

A good after dinner drink

Corned Beef can be found here

Brown Soda Bread

Very simple version

8 cups wholemeal flour mixed with unbleached white (percentage to your taste)

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

3-3 1/2 cups buttermilk

Mix all dry ingredients together and form a well. Pour in half the buttermilk. Gently fold in the dry ingredient, adding buttermilk as needed to make a soft dough. You may not need all the buttermilk. Quickly but gently squeeze the dough, turn out onto a floured surface. DO NOT KNEAD AT ALL!!! Divide into two loaves, and quickly shape each into circles. Place each loaf on a 7" pie pan. Cut a deep cross on the top with a sharp knife. Bake at 450f for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 400F and bake for another 25 minutes. The bread should be lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack

Corned Beef from Scratch ~ a recipe

You will need

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked

1/4 tablespoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1/2 tablespoon paprika

2 bay laves, crumbled

1 beef brisket, 4-6 lbs. trimmed of excess fat, washed and pat dry

Mix all the ingredients (except the brisket) together in a small bowl and set aside.

Using fork or metal skewer, pierce the brisket 30x per side. Rub the entire brisket in your salt/season mixture and place in a very large zip lock type bag. Force out as much air as possible. Place in a shallow pan (jelly roll) and cover with another pan. Weigh it down (bricks work) squish it a bit, and place into the refrigerator. Leave in the fridge for at least 5 days and no longer than 10 (I do ten days) turning the brisket daily. Rinse and pat dry.

Place brisket in a large stock pot, water covering it 1/2 to 1 inch over, and bring to a boil. Skim any scum that should form. Cover a simmer 2-3 hours, or until a metal sewer can pierce the thickest part with ease.

Preheat oven to 200F. Transfer brisket to a baking dish and ladle 1 cup of the cooking stock over top. Cover with foil and place into the oven.

Veggies needed

cabbage or brussel sprouts will work

new potatoes

your choice of carrots, rutabagas, white turnips, small onions or parsnips (you can have more than one)

Place the carrots, rutabagas, turnips or the potatoes (mix and match) into the stew pot your brisket was in. bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 minutes. Add the cabbage or brussel sprouts, onions, and/or parsnips, return to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer another 10-15 minutes, until all are tender.

Remove meat from oven, cut across grain to serve. transfer all to a serving platter and moisten with the cooking liquid.

And that is how you make Corned Beef. (will add photos later)

Shopping List for Parker,or anyone else wanting a from scratch St. Paddy's day meal

phew, that is a long title.

These items you will need before the 7th of March. It takes 10 days to make a good corned beef.

4-6 lb Brisket (trim excess fat, though leave a bit on)

Kosher salt

black peppercorns (cracked or a way to crack them)

allspice

thyme

paprika

Bay leaves

The rest needs to be on hand the day before

wholemeal flour

unbleached white flour

baking soda

buttermilk

eggs

whole milk

bread crumbs

ground almonds

sugar

cumin

saffron

a soft cheese of your choice (shredded)

oatmeal

honey

a stout ( like Guiness)

Cinnamon or nutmeg

cabbage or brussel sprouts will work

new potatoes

your choice of carrots, rutabagas, white turnips, small onions or parsnips (you can have more than one)

See you Monday to tell you what to do with that Brisket

Girl on Turkey Action

Sometimes it is fun to title something from a browser search that lead to your blog.

No pictures, but this will be wordfully violent, so my wonderful vegan friends, and those that prefer to believe that meat grows in packages in grocery stores, I would suggest you skip the rest of this post.

I don't kill things. I just haven't got to that point in my life or this homesteading deal to actually do the deed myself. Husband has a talent for it, and I would never want to steal his thunder by doing it.


I few days before Thanksgiving it was time to butcher. We decided to butcher 4 turkeys. As they like to sleep on the back porch, it was simple to do to grab one and carry it to slaughter. Husband works during the day, so this had to be preformed in the evening. Did I mention it was 20F degrees?

Husband scooped up one of the ladies and I wrapped her wings tightly. We need a cone. That's all there is to it. Husband needs to either create something that will replace me. Here is some soap, spiff up that dirty little mind of yours. We took her over to the block and as I partially laid on her (oh the google hits from that) husband got her to bleed. It was difficult for me. I am a wussy, and I cried a bit. I could feel her fighting death, I could feel the life draining from her as I kept her from jerking about. The blood gushed for an eternity, before she sighed, and was gone. She took it stoically though, no desperate screeching came from her.

She was hung and allowed to bleed out.

At 20F degrees, we decided to only do one more bird that night. She was easier on me than the first. I just don't kill things. Don't care if it makes me a hypocrite, I just don't have the emotional fortitude to do it.

Husband had made me a hanging box out of privacy fencing. I love it! It works wonderfully. This spring he says he will fit it to be a smoker. I digress, cleaning the birds is more my style. Because of the lateness of the evening by the time I got around to cleaning, I forgone the defeathering for the night. Merely degibblitizing the insides. This was the first female turkey I have done. The books say that at this age you will have to deal with eggs. Not so with mine, they seemed to be woefully immature. The eggs I found was a finger length of fabric/flesh with tiny little balls covering it. No egg cycle system in broad colors as it is with the chickens.

We hung the birds overnight, and I tackled feathers in the morning. It was even colder by that time. Morning found frozen water and heavy frost settled on the ground. The hung turkeys did not freeze thanks to the box. I spent the morning thawing water out, lighting fires and making sure I had all my equipment. Plucking seemed easier this round then it has in the past.

The process was repeated that night with 2 more turkeys. And may I suggest that if you are doing more than 1 turkey to have a little help with the plucking part of it. My hands were killing me by the time I moved on to the 4th bird. They were cramped and I swear I could feel the beginning burns of blisters from the pliers.

The remaining 2 turkeys have decided to now sleep on the front porch.

The birds hung in the box dry aging for 24 hours. The first hen that we killed made it to our Thanksgiving table. She was light at about 19lbs. And delicious! Well worth the emotional trauma I had to suffer for my meal.

Thanksgiving dinner was almost entirely homegrown food stuff. The rest was local grown.

So how was your Thanksgiving?

From the Ó Faoláin Clan to your's

Go raibh tú leathuair ar Neamh sula mbeadh a fhios ag an diabhal go bhfuil tú marbh!

Depression Gift; Stitches

It is now a well established fact that I can't sew. Nor can I knit or crochet. I can do some pretty cool stuff with metal wire however, and we will get to that later. I can also tat a bit. But I know that some of you out there can and do these this.

Cristine from over at the Treasure Goddess blog left a comment about what she is making for Christmas. I love wrist warmers.


CO 40 stitches, join in the round.
k1, p1 rib for 4 rounds
k3, p1 every round for 5-6 inches from start, then go back and forth (no longer in the round, leaving an opening) still in the K3, P1 pattern (when you go back on the wrong side you're K1, P3 --knit the knits and purl the purls)
knit & purl in pattern back & forth for 12 rows, then go back to knitting tbe pattern in the round for 6 rows.
K1P1 for 4-6 rows and bind off.

(It's actually easier than it sounds).

A few years back, before anyone knew I was here, a friend, JennyO wrote a great article for me on knitting


The first thing she ever made


stockinette:


you can read her article was back in the neophyte vault, here, Guest Blogger; The Neophyte Knitter.

Depression Gift; Nice People Bite

We all seem to know that one hippy child in our lives. The one that would love a good pair of patched jeans. However I don't have one of those kids in my life right now, instead I have a goth or two.

Now this gift is great for that teen that still loves coloring and carries around a Care bear lunch box. The Goth thing hasn't changed much in the last 15 years.

First you need a pair of men's jeans. Doesn't matter if it is going to a girl, actually this present is best suited for a girl.

You need yarn, needles, and odd and ends.

Throw the jeans down and get creative.

Remember I can't sew.



The first patch here isn't finished. I need to fix the hair. But it is a decapitated doll, carrying her own head by the hair.





Obviously a Vampire Bunny. Bunnicula LIVES!





And a nice Jester to finish it out.

Creativity is key.

More than likely they won't wear them, but end up on their wall as a conversation started. I have made similar jeans in the past, for myself (when I was a wee one) and as gifts to friends. They seem to go over rather well. Some where gorier looking than others. It just depends on who it is going to.