Backyard Farmgals

Goodbye 2013. Helloooo 2014.  You're a beautiful sight! Happy New Year to y'all.  I am hoping that 2014 is fantastic, I am feeling that it will be... deep down in my farmgal bones.  2013 looked like this: we made some major progress on the farm, we added two goats and a sheep to our party (and let me tell you how I love those goats and that sweet sheep - I can now say that my life is complete), I learned a ton, made some big cowgirl strides in a few areas I needed to work on, we made some new friends, lost a few too, we lost a few people in our family and I am still missing them, we gained strength and knowledge, and opened our hearts to light and love. I am not one for a whole lot of resolution making, I think I set myself up for failure every time.  I have had some goals for myself that I have been working on: reaching out to those around me that need a little extra love, yelling in my pillow instead of yelling at my house-destroying-tornado-like-never-stop-t...

'Tis the season for a good book and being curled up in front of the fire.  It is also the season for soup and lots of it.  It gets quite cold in Utah, and soup somehow makes me think it's not so bitter outside!  What can I say, I am easy to fool... This is a pretty simple way to put together a great meal.  I use homemade chicken stock, but you could easily buy a quart and no one would know the difference.  I made croutons quickly with a few slices of challah bread and a little butter and sautéed some bacon to top it all off.  According to my 8-year-old farmhand, bacon makes everything better.  I think he might be right... Hearty Chicken, Lentil, and Butternut Soup backyard farmgals 2 chicken breasts (bone in, skin on gives you more flavor) Olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 quart chicken stock 1 1/2 cups uncooked green lentils 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced 2 carrots, peeled...

I made the cutest little sets of hand warmers for our neighbors this year, I had to share.  These are super easy to make, I can bust out about 60 in a day of sewing, and I am NOT fast! I went to the fabric store and got pre-cut fabric squares that were 5-inches by 5-inches.  I sewed them, wrong sides together with a 1-inch seam, leaving a small opening on one end.   I then used a small funnel to fill the bags nearly full of rice, pinned the opening and then went back to the sewing machine and sewed the opening shut.  Easy-peesy! I took a pair of pinking shears and trimmed 1/2-inch off the edges all the way around, so the finished bag was 4-inches square (there should be 1/2-inch between the fabric edge and the seam).  Then, stacked them in piles of four warmers and tied them with twine.  I attached a little note on the top with heating instructions: To warm: heat in microwave for 30 seconds, drop in mittens to stay toasty-warm ...

We have a local chocolate shop near us that makes the most delicious caramel popcorn.  Gooey and sweet, it's hard to stop once you start into the pile of caramel goodness.  I set out to somewhat mimic their recipe, not exact, but it is still marvelously addictive.  The secret is not letting the caramel get too hot, just below soft-ball stage is where you want to be.  I admit, it took me a few trial runs to discover this, and a garbage can full of popcorn.  Some things have to be done right. This is so far from my normal Christmas cookie madness.  I have found I have to be in the right mood to make them well.  A very dear friend of mine tragically died on Thanksgiving afternoon and it has thrown me for a loop.  I have had a hard time making my way back to my crazed cookie-baking self.  It will come back with time.  For now, it's caramel popcorn finding it's way out my door (thank heaven it is going out... too tempting) with a sm...

Peach season.  I want it to last forever!  It is without doubt the most juicy and tasty time of year.  I fall head-over-heels in love every year.  My grandmother gave me a superpower that allows me to freeze time when it comes to peach season.  Cape donned, mask in place, I head to the kitchen and work my magic, and BAM! (think old comics here... you know the ones!) my little farmhands and I are able to eat peachy goodness all year long.   Preserving can be a fairly complicated skill, but when it comes to simple things like peaches and tomatoes, it is easy, fairly fast, and a lot more healthy.  You can use little to no sugar (use pineapple juice for your syrup - it looks a little funky but works, I have tried it) and you don't have to worry about the BPA in store-bought cans of peaches.  Plus, I use local peaches, I know the farmer that I am supporting and it makes them taste that much better! There are a few ways to do this, yo...

It's peach season!  YES!  It's finally here.  There is nothing that makes me happy like a fresh, ripe peach picked from a tree just steps away.  To celebrate I whipped up this little tart.  I had one piece and my hubby finished off the rest, so it must be good... I used my favorite pie crust recipe which happens to come from Martha Stewart.  I have never had trouble with this recipe and it has become my standard.  When it comes to pie crust, I am a butter girl, the whole shortening thing rubs me wrong, plus I like the richness of butter.  If you are gonna eat pie, EAT PIE, right? The filling hardly has any sugar in it.  I wanted to taste those ripe and delicious peaches, so I added just a bit and a little flour to thicken the juices.  I topped each slice with a little drizzle of honey and a bit of whipped cream, and it was heavenly. RUSTIC HONEY AND PEACH TART backyard farmgals Pie crust: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flou...

To celebrate summer and because it's just too darn hot to really do any cooking (or even much farming), I whipped up this delightful and cooling tropical salad.  It is loaded with all kinds of fruit, nuts, peppers, and super nutritious quinoa, one of my favorite grains.  My kiddos have gobbled bowls of this over the summer, it's sweet but only because of the fruit.  Even my hubby keeps asking for more! This is great for parties or just a light dinner out on the patio.  Make sure that you use really ripe mangos, they are the key flavor, sour mangos just won't do the trick.  Also, make sure you rinse the quinoa really well before you cook it, otherwise it will be bitter.  This makes a huge amount of salad, but it is great stored in the fridge for lunch the next day, and the flavors get even better overnight. TROPICAL QUINOA SALAD backyard farmgals printer friendly version 1 cup (dry) quinoa (I used 1/2 cup black and 1/2 cup regular), coo...