Husband and I put 90 squash/pumpkin plants in the ground yesterday. He did a lot of work, attempting to make a natural water shed and irrigation.
I looked at all those squash, and informed my husband we are going to need a larger garden to hold every thing I have started. He already has plans for a separate bean patch. I do hope every one like squash. Luckily they are versatile, you can make both sweet and savory entrees and desserts with them.
I was asked how many tomato plants I would be using this year. I don't know, I haven't counted them yet. But I will tell you as I get them in the ground.
The hog panel trellis was also asked about. Our panel is to short to bend. Right now they are straight. The beans will grow up and then we will add panels to the tops to allow them to crawl over and keep our lettuce and such shaded. After 2 moths, my lettuce seeds are just now sprouting. I was about to give up on them, and plant something else, but here they come It is a little late, but I do hope that shading them will keep them from bolting too soon.
Last night I went to a seminar for activism. It was more like an eighth grade civics class. I was unable to stay for the entire 5 hours as I was falling a sleep and passing notes to my mother. Not something you want to do when you are at a lecture. My mother wasn't sure how to leave without offending anyone. I told mom I would be happy to say "I am now making a graceful exit." She wouldn't let me. She just told one of the instructors that we couldn't stay. I will write about it more on the Kansas Preppers Network. One cool thing was that I met the founder of the Wichita Chapter of the 912ers. I was tired and anxious and a sag, I tend to speak without thinking it through. But I merely embarrassed myself, or actually it should have embarrassed me. But since I am uncouth in public, it didn't faze me.
One of the cows figured out how to open the feed bin. I was unable to get Murrial into the stanchion last night, I think she was a little full of her treat.
Donate Now!
Buy a membership or koozies to help!
Showing posts with label pumpkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pumpkins. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
A post.
I have been wondering around, reading blogs, trying to come up with something to say today. Things have been rather slow around here. With the heat index at 104F, you can only work outside for so long before it is hard to breathe. Then I have all this canning going on. Not sure how thrilled you are about hearing that. Especially since most of what I have to say about it right now, would just be complaining.
We are thinking about heading north to a local U-pick-it this weekend. If I can, I'm going to drag abbagirl74 with me. But because of that late hard frost, not sure if they will have anything for us. And they are not listed on the U-pick-it site. I really don't want to drive all the way up there for nothing.
I harvested 2 pumpkins already. Pumpkin butter shall be made! They are volunteers, none of the ones I planted survived as usually. I have The Pumpkin Patch a few miles down the road. We usually pick pumpkins there. Except for last year when the mold got a hold of the entire crop. Hopefully this year things are fine.
So many small farms are having Act of God problems these last few years. From molds, to droughts to freezes. There wasn't enough seed wheat this year, so the local farms have to bring it in from other states. Many are concerned because it isn't the same wheat that has been cultivated here for years. It might not grow as well as the normal Kansas wheat. But what else can they do? With the frost, the hail, the tornadoes and drought, so much was lost.
It makes me more comfortable with not doing the homesteading thing for money. At least for now.
The Bestest Blog of the Year results are in. I am 22 out of 105! Now that surprised me.
We are thinking about heading north to a local U-pick-it this weekend. If I can, I'm going to drag abbagirl74 with me. But because of that late hard frost, not sure if they will have anything for us. And they are not listed on the U-pick-it site. I really don't want to drive all the way up there for nothing.
I harvested 2 pumpkins already. Pumpkin butter shall be made! They are volunteers, none of the ones I planted survived as usually. I have The Pumpkin Patch a few miles down the road. We usually pick pumpkins there. Except for last year when the mold got a hold of the entire crop. Hopefully this year things are fine.
So many small farms are having Act of God problems these last few years. From molds, to droughts to freezes. There wasn't enough seed wheat this year, so the local farms have to bring it in from other states. Many are concerned because it isn't the same wheat that has been cultivated here for years. It might not grow as well as the normal Kansas wheat. But what else can they do? With the frost, the hail, the tornadoes and drought, so much was lost.
It makes me more comfortable with not doing the homesteading thing for money. At least for now.
The Bestest Blog of the Year results are in. I am 22 out of 105! Now that surprised me.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Preheat oven
19 degrees {-7C} , it's 19 degrees {-7C} outside, the high will be a blistering 33F {0.5C}. I have a feeling that my oven will be on most of the day.
This is one of the reasons I love winter and the cold, being able to heat my house with my oven. For weeks my house will smell of fresh bread and cookies, pies and individual sized cakes. What my children don't eat, will be packed up and taken into the city, where my husbands hard working co-workers will have a small feast. If only I was allowed to give them to a food bank {cookies not co-workers}, but the rules prohibit that.
I love baking, cooking is grand, but baking. . . it's just so homey and therapeutic. So many frustrations can be taken out by just punching down a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. Sweet bliss. And my children, I can bake with them underfoot, while cooking I tend to splatter and worry about them getting burnt. Yet with only me finagling the oven, my children get to pour, mix and cover each other with flour, not to mention they get to lick the beaters. Nothing brings my kids and I closer together than a big o' batch of cookies.
We made Pumpkin cookies last night. I was running behind on things so we were only able to make one type of cookie, today that will change.
A soft Pumpkin Cookie
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup Pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Glaze (recipe follows)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350̊ F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking power, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl, set aside . Beat the sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Mix in the pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Slowly beat in flour mixture. Drop by tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.
FOR GLAZE:
Combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.
What does one do with left over turkey
this pic above is of one of the turkey breasts. The end of my palm is at the bottom of the turkey, I was attempting to show how big he was.
and stored spaghetti squash?
Make turkey Tetrazzini, 
at least that what I did.
Recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini;
For the topping you will need;
½ cup fresh bread crumbs
a pinch of salt
1 ½ tbl unsalted butter, melted
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated {makes about 1/4 cup}
For the filling you will need;
6 tbl unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
8 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
2 medium onion, chopped fine
salt and ground black pepper
3/4 lbs spaghetti, pasta or squash {if using pasta snap them in half}
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
3 tbl dry sherry
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated {makes about 3/4 cup}
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tsp juice from 1 small lemon
2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
2 cups peas
4 cups leftover turkey {or chicken} cut into bite sized pieces
For the topping, place your oven rack in the middle position, heat oven to 350F. Mix the first 3 ingredients in a small baking dish. bake for 15-20 minutes until a golden brown. Allow to cool down to room temp and mix in the cheese. set aside.
now for the filling, increase the oven temp to 450 F. heat 2 tbl butter in a large skillet over a medium heat until it stops foaming, throw in the mushroom and onions and saute for 12 to 15 minutes or until the mushroom liquid evaporates. salt and pepper to taste and remove from skilet, set aside.
If using pasta, cook it now and drain, reserve 1/4 of the cooking water, return to pot with the reserved water. Using the squash, after you have prepped it whole in a oven set at 350 for 90 minutes, cut in half and scooped out, heat up 1/4 cups water in a large pot, turn off heat and stir in the squash.
Melt 4 tbl butter in a clean skillet over a medium heat. When foam subsides, whisk in the flour. Whisk it constantly until it changes to a golden brown {1-2 minutes}. Continue to whisk constantly and add the chicken stock. Adjust heat to medium high and simmer until it thickens {3-4 minutes}. Remove from heat and add the sherry, Parmesan, lemon juice, thyme, nutmeg and ½ tsp salt. Add this, the mushrooms, meat to the spaghetti and mix well. season to taste.
turn out into a butter 13x 9 inch baking dish. sprinkle the topping evening over the filling. bake for 13-15 minutes or until nice and bubbling, serve immediately.
What have you done with your leftovers?
This is one of the reasons I love winter and the cold, being able to heat my house with my oven. For weeks my house will smell of fresh bread and cookies, pies and individual sized cakes. What my children don't eat, will be packed up and taken into the city, where my husbands hard working co-workers will have a small feast. If only I was allowed to give them to a food bank {cookies not co-workers}, but the rules prohibit that.
I love baking, cooking is grand, but baking. . . it's just so homey and therapeutic. So many frustrations can be taken out by just punching down a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. Sweet bliss. And my children, I can bake with them underfoot, while cooking I tend to splatter and worry about them getting burnt. Yet with only me finagling the oven, my children get to pour, mix and cover each other with flour, not to mention they get to lick the beaters. Nothing brings my kids and I closer together than a big o' batch of cookies.
We made Pumpkin cookies last night. I was running behind on things so we were only able to make one type of cookie, today that will change.
A soft Pumpkin Cookie
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup Pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Glaze (recipe follows)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350̊ F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking power, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl, set aside . Beat the sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Mix in the pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Slowly beat in flour mixture. Drop by tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.
FOR GLAZE:
Combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.
What does one do with left over turkey
this pic above is of one of the turkey breasts. The end of my palm is at the bottom of the turkey, I was attempting to show how big he was.and stored spaghetti squash?
Make turkey Tetrazzini, 
at least that what I did.Recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini;
For the topping you will need;
½ cup fresh bread crumbs
a pinch of salt
1 ½ tbl unsalted butter, melted
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated {makes about 1/4 cup}
For the filling you will need;
6 tbl unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
8 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
2 medium onion, chopped fine
salt and ground black pepper
3/4 lbs spaghetti, pasta or squash {if using pasta snap them in half}
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
3 tbl dry sherry
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated {makes about 3/4 cup}
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tsp juice from 1 small lemon
2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
2 cups peas
4 cups leftover turkey {or chicken} cut into bite sized pieces
For the topping, place your oven rack in the middle position, heat oven to 350F. Mix the first 3 ingredients in a small baking dish. bake for 15-20 minutes until a golden brown. Allow to cool down to room temp and mix in the cheese. set aside.
now for the filling, increase the oven temp to 450 F. heat 2 tbl butter in a large skillet over a medium heat until it stops foaming, throw in the mushroom and onions and saute for 12 to 15 minutes or until the mushroom liquid evaporates. salt and pepper to taste and remove from skilet, set aside.
If using pasta, cook it now and drain, reserve 1/4 of the cooking water, return to pot with the reserved water. Using the squash, after you have prepped it whole in a oven set at 350 for 90 minutes, cut in half and scooped out, heat up 1/4 cups water in a large pot, turn off heat and stir in the squash.
Melt 4 tbl butter in a clean skillet over a medium heat. When foam subsides, whisk in the flour. Whisk it constantly until it changes to a golden brown {1-2 minutes}. Continue to whisk constantly and add the chicken stock. Adjust heat to medium high and simmer until it thickens {3-4 minutes}. Remove from heat and add the sherry, Parmesan, lemon juice, thyme, nutmeg and ½ tsp salt. Add this, the mushrooms, meat to the spaghetti and mix well. season to taste.
turn out into a butter 13x 9 inch baking dish. sprinkle the topping evening over the filling. bake for 13-15 minutes or until nice and bubbling, serve immediately.
What have you done with your leftovers?
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Pumpkin disappointment
We lost power for a couple hours yesterday. We won't know the reason for it until the monthly electric co-op magazine is sent out. But we did see a few fire trucks and tankers drive by. I am assuming there was a rather large fire somewhere. I never did see the smoke.
This weekend we decided to go out to The Pumpkin Patch. It's a few miles down the road from us, and is a new tradition of ours to go every year. The boys get their Jack-O'-Lanterns and I get Luminas for pies. We pay $20 USD to fill a large wheelbarrow with U-pick-it pumpkins.
Saturday we loaded the kids into the truck and headed out. But when we got to the Pumpkin Patch, it was shut up tight. There were no signs nor harvest decorations. No tractor pulling a straw and people laden wagon. No families mulling around, playfully teasing each other, waiting for the tractor to return. Nothing but a locked wrought iron gate. The back seat erupted in moaning and out cries of disappointment. We slowly drove past.
Pouting, I asked was there another patch close by? My husband and I knew of a few down south, but nothing close. But wait! Wasn't there one by my husband's sister's place?
We drove out that way, only to find an abandoned home. The older gentleman that grew pumpkins had died last year. His children were to busy fighting over how much to sell the land for to bother keeping a tradition in that area alive.
Sadly we started home, when suddenly there was a trailer siting on a side road loaded down with pumpkins! And it had a sign declaring that they were for sale. We pulled off the side of the road. All the pumpkins were Jack-O'-Lanterns. We picked out 5 huge ones, and put our money into the little lock box that was glues to the trailer. Rare to find honor system paying on a busy road. Unfortunately it looks like I do not get my lumina pumpkins this year, but the meat of the Jack-O'-Lanterns can make a decent pie.
While looking for something to link Lumina pumpkin with {just in case someone doesn't know what they are.} I found an article on frugal living and pumpkins. It states that you should not buy a lumina pumpkin for cooking. That it is stringy and weak in flavor. May I say BS! This writer must not get a good quality lumina. I find that they make the best pumpkin pies. Better than the traditional pumpkins.
This weekend we decided to go out to The Pumpkin Patch. It's a few miles down the road from us, and is a new tradition of ours to go every year. The boys get their Jack-O'-Lanterns and I get Luminas for pies. We pay $20 USD to fill a large wheelbarrow with U-pick-it pumpkins.
Saturday we loaded the kids into the truck and headed out. But when we got to the Pumpkin Patch, it was shut up tight. There were no signs nor harvest decorations. No tractor pulling a straw and people laden wagon. No families mulling around, playfully teasing each other, waiting for the tractor to return. Nothing but a locked wrought iron gate. The back seat erupted in moaning and out cries of disappointment. We slowly drove past.
Pouting, I asked was there another patch close by? My husband and I knew of a few down south, but nothing close. But wait! Wasn't there one by my husband's sister's place?
We drove out that way, only to find an abandoned home. The older gentleman that grew pumpkins had died last year. His children were to busy fighting over how much to sell the land for to bother keeping a tradition in that area alive.
Sadly we started home, when suddenly there was a trailer siting on a side road loaded down with pumpkins! And it had a sign declaring that they were for sale. We pulled off the side of the road. All the pumpkins were Jack-O'-Lanterns. We picked out 5 huge ones, and put our money into the little lock box that was glues to the trailer. Rare to find honor system paying on a busy road. Unfortunately it looks like I do not get my lumina pumpkins this year, but the meat of the Jack-O'-Lanterns can make a decent pie.
While looking for something to link Lumina pumpkin with {just in case someone doesn't know what they are.} I found an article on frugal living and pumpkins. It states that you should not buy a lumina pumpkin for cooking. That it is stringy and weak in flavor. May I say BS! This writer must not get a good quality lumina. I find that they make the best pumpkin pies. Better than the traditional pumpkins.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Updates
A few weeks ago we put our chicks out into the nursery. They seem to be thriving, and are getting along just fine with everyone except the turkey.
We do plan on keeping all these hens as layers, and not meat birds.
My volunteer pumpkin vine produced a total of 4 gourds.
The first one I had made pumpkin butter from. Not sure yet what I will be doing with these. The USDA does not recommend canning pureed pumpkin, not just home canning but commercial canning as well. Pumpkin puree is too thick, and the heat is not always able to penetrate the center, increasing your chances of getting food poisoning. They suggest that you cut your pumpkin meat into cubes and then can them. {another reason to can your own}
On to the apples;
a total of 28 ½ lbs down
3 lbs were made into apple chips and dehydrated. And I use ½ lbs to make some apple muffins.
The recipe needs some work. As soon as I fix it, I will post the new, improved recipe.
Any questions, or need an update from something else I have posted in the past?
We do plan on keeping all these hens as layers, and not meat birds.My volunteer pumpkin vine produced a total of 4 gourds.
The first one I had made pumpkin butter from. Not sure yet what I will be doing with these. The USDA does not recommend canning pureed pumpkin, not just home canning but commercial canning as well. Pumpkin puree is too thick, and the heat is not always able to penetrate the center, increasing your chances of getting food poisoning. They suggest that you cut your pumpkin meat into cubes and then can them. {another reason to can your own}On to the apples;
a total of 28 ½ lbs down
3 lbs were made into apple chips and dehydrated. And I use ½ lbs to make some apple muffins.
The recipe needs some work. As soon as I fix it, I will post the new, improved recipe.Any questions, or need an update from something else I have posted in the past?
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Saturday BlogRoll call
Before I get to the blogs, I finished the Pumpkin Butter. It comes out dark because of the brown sugar, if you want it orange, use corn syrup instead. And I left out the blood in the recipe. I changed the recipe that I used a bit, and will probably change it some more as the fall progresses, as I am not completely happy with it. But that's my problem.
Off to visit new places!
Alla donde se cruzan los caminos; this is a newly created blog, not sure when it will be updated again. So why is it in my blogroll? Because I have always had respect for this person. I have seen her name creating nefarious fun on livejournal.
Bobbarama. com; this one is also a new site, from a friend I know from livejournal. He is a little neurotic, but that’s why I love him. Today he has interview comic strip creator Greg Evans. Stop by and say hi, just don't bring him any honey mustard or funnel cake.
Wind flower {I need to change the name on the blogroll, it has it listed as darkhairme} Jodie lives in China and just recently discovered the joys of blogging. She loves the variety of people here. Stop by her blog and tell her hi, she'll love it.
From Natures Cave, I found this blog via NeoWorx. This is a photo blog of small farm living in Australia. The photos are incredible. I really suggest you take a few minutes and scroll through her blog.
Those are my picks for today. Hope you have fun with them!. I have a guest blogger for tomorrow, so I will see everyone on Monday.
Off to visit new places!
Alla donde se cruzan los caminos; this is a newly created blog, not sure when it will be updated again. So why is it in my blogroll? Because I have always had respect for this person. I have seen her name creating nefarious fun on livejournal.
Bobbarama. com; this one is also a new site, from a friend I know from livejournal. He is a little neurotic, but that’s why I love him. Today he has interview comic strip creator Greg Evans. Stop by and say hi, just don't bring him any honey mustard or funnel cake.
Wind flower {I need to change the name on the blogroll, it has it listed as darkhairme} Jodie lives in China and just recently discovered the joys of blogging. She loves the variety of people here. Stop by her blog and tell her hi, she'll love it.
From Natures Cave, I found this blog via NeoWorx. This is a photo blog of small farm living in Australia. The photos are incredible. I really suggest you take a few minutes and scroll through her blog.
Those are my picks for today. Hope you have fun with them!. I have a guest blogger for tomorrow, so I will see everyone on Monday.
Friday, September 15, 2006
It's going to be a long day
I have never run across a recipe that called for raw pumpkin before. Usually they want you to bake it first so that the meat can be removed easily from the flesh. But not this one, this one wanted fresh raw pumpkin. I stared at the whole pumpkin for a minute trying to think how I should go about doing this. Cut it in half, scrape out the seeds and string, then cut out the meat. Simple. . . sure. I sliced open my thumb. I whimpered and cursed, though not as much as I did when the rooster bone pierced my finger, no sailors were made to blush. But I did discover something that I wish to share here.
PUMPKIN JUICE BURNS IN AN OPEN WOUND
Similar to pouring salt on it. I pleaded with myself to stop this torture. Forget the pumpkin, you don't have to preserve it. But I didn't listen to myself, I had to continue. Every few moments I had to run my thumb under cold water to relieve the throbbing burning, and Pokemon band-Aids did nothing to help me. The sticky Squirtel {Pokemon character if you didn't know} had to be removed, it was only hoarding little pieces of pumpkin meat up against the cut. After what felt like years, I finished slicing and pureeing the meat and spiced it, mixed it in a bowl and placed it {covered} on the table to set out, room temperature over night. This morning I will finish making the pumpkin butter. I must remember when I write up the recipe that you need to add a drop of blood into the mixture to enhance the flavor.
I also woke up this morning to find my cabinet above my stove ajar. I know I didn't leave it that way. Upon opening said door, I discovered two smash loaves of French bread and a third half eaten. Either I have some very large rats roaming around this house, or my cats got a sudden craving for day old bread.
Speaking of rats. We have field mice that invade our home in the winter. They like to take up residency in my oven. Last night, like so many nights last winter, I turned my oven on to bake some pizzas for dinner. And there was that smell. I caught a mouse on fire again! It was worse than it normally had been, or maybe it was the same and we just forgot how bad it was since the suicidal mice had been on hiatus these past few months. The house reeked of burning hair and flesh, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. Dinner was late due to the fact that no one wanted the burnt mouse smell/taste on their pizzas. I told them they were missing out on a delicious delicacy, that got me blank stares and vomiting noises from the balcony. The mice do however provide us with hours of entertainment during those long cold winter evenings. If you leave a dirty spoon on top of the stove, they will attempt to drag it down through the burners. The spoon is too large, so you hear the rhythmic clinking as they try ever so hard to make it fit. The cats and dogs do a decent job keeping most of the field mice out, but there is always one family that makes it in.
And what is this about being a long day, you ask. Because of the placement of my debilitating wound. The small knife cut {small but deep, me a wuss} is placed in just the right spot to make things miserable. I opened a bag of cereal this morning, and tore the cut open. Had to hide the blood or my son would not have ate his breakfast {no I didn't bleed on his food.} I went to take the laundry out of the dryer and bled on a towel. I think my standard rooster has blood lust, and he could smell it on me. As I went to feed the chickens this morning, I was attacked {gggrrr...rooster!} I still need to finish morning chores, clean coop, place litter down in the nursery { litter as in bedding, not kitty} preserve food {doing some jerky today...SALT!} and house work, not to mention playing with my children. I wonder how much blood I will lose doing all this. Of course my husband laughed at me when I was whimpering about pizza sauce in the cut. He showed me the burn he got yesterday while working on a motorcycle. "I didn't complain when this happened." That's because you're a boy, and the cooddies prevents you for acting normal. And then I stuck my tongue out at him, it made me feel better.
PUMPKIN JUICE BURNS IN AN OPEN WOUND
Similar to pouring salt on it. I pleaded with myself to stop this torture. Forget the pumpkin, you don't have to preserve it. But I didn't listen to myself, I had to continue. Every few moments I had to run my thumb under cold water to relieve the throbbing burning, and Pokemon band-Aids did nothing to help me. The sticky Squirtel {Pokemon character if you didn't know} had to be removed, it was only hoarding little pieces of pumpkin meat up against the cut. After what felt like years, I finished slicing and pureeing the meat and spiced it, mixed it in a bowl and placed it {covered} on the table to set out, room temperature over night. This morning I will finish making the pumpkin butter. I must remember when I write up the recipe that you need to add a drop of blood into the mixture to enhance the flavor.
I also woke up this morning to find my cabinet above my stove ajar. I know I didn't leave it that way. Upon opening said door, I discovered two smash loaves of French bread and a third half eaten. Either I have some very large rats roaming around this house, or my cats got a sudden craving for day old bread.
Speaking of rats. We have field mice that invade our home in the winter. They like to take up residency in my oven. Last night, like so many nights last winter, I turned my oven on to bake some pizzas for dinner. And there was that smell. I caught a mouse on fire again! It was worse than it normally had been, or maybe it was the same and we just forgot how bad it was since the suicidal mice had been on hiatus these past few months. The house reeked of burning hair and flesh, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. Dinner was late due to the fact that no one wanted the burnt mouse smell/taste on their pizzas. I told them they were missing out on a delicious delicacy, that got me blank stares and vomiting noises from the balcony. The mice do however provide us with hours of entertainment during those long cold winter evenings. If you leave a dirty spoon on top of the stove, they will attempt to drag it down through the burners. The spoon is too large, so you hear the rhythmic clinking as they try ever so hard to make it fit. The cats and dogs do a decent job keeping most of the field mice out, but there is always one family that makes it in.
And what is this about being a long day, you ask. Because of the placement of my debilitating wound. The small knife cut {small but deep, me a wuss} is placed in just the right spot to make things miserable. I opened a bag of cereal this morning, and tore the cut open. Had to hide the blood or my son would not have ate his breakfast {no I didn't bleed on his food.} I went to take the laundry out of the dryer and bled on a towel. I think my standard rooster has blood lust, and he could smell it on me. As I went to feed the chickens this morning, I was attacked {gggrrr...rooster!} I still need to finish morning chores, clean coop, place litter down in the nursery { litter as in bedding, not kitty} preserve food {doing some jerky today...SALT!} and house work, not to mention playing with my children. I wonder how much blood I will lose doing all this. Of course my husband laughed at me when I was whimpering about pizza sauce in the cut. He showed me the burn he got yesterday while working on a motorcycle. "I didn't complain when this happened." That's because you're a boy, and the cooddies prevents you for acting normal. And then I stuck my tongue out at him, it made me feel better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
