Backyard Farmgals

I put the two pugs out for a little private time this morning in the snow.  They couldn't wait to get back inside, fair weather dogs, no doubt. Zeus (the old one below on the right), my super dog, pretty much refuses to go outside unless it's sunny and 70ºF.  You have to pry him out of his bed, and he goes limp, like you have killed him by removing him from his cocoon.  He gives this look like he's saying, "You know, I can hold it for daaaaayyys!  What are you thinking sending me out?  You are so cold... I will shiver... my toes will be frost bit." Hercules, (below on the left) is the wild one.  He likes the snow initially.  Yesterday he made tunnels through the foot of snow we received.  He's like some wild, snorting groundhog tearing his way through the snow.  Children have been known to cry when they see this terrifying sight tunneling towards them.  It's kind of one of those "Turner and Hooch" moments, like the muffin scene ... ...

This is not healthy!!!  Let's just get that out of the way.  The original recipe is from the goddess of butter Paula Deen... do I even need to say anything else?  We are NOT calculating calories or fat grams on this - sometimes it's better to let some things go.  For your sanity, let it lie girls... let it lie... This is one of our favorite New Year's breakfasts.  We might as well start the year off with butter, right?  This has also made an appearance at Christmas morning brunch, although this year we made the Pioneer Woman's Caramel Apple Sticky Rolls... A moment of silence for my thighs... ... ... I have a 100 mile bike ride coming up, we are just going to say that I am building up carbs for that ride at the end of May.  Don't tell me it's 6 months away...  lalala... I can't hear you! The key with this recipe is the bread.  You have to use really good heavy bread.  I got a few loaves of white chocolate pecan bread fr...

I am obsessed with different colors of potatoes.  I know, completely crazy.  I remember watching a documentary on sweet potatoes (which are nothing similar to potatoes) and a man with no teeth kept saying, "Nobody knows them 'taters like I know them 'taters".  I am sure I don't know 'taters like him, but I sure think they boast some beautiful colors.   I was roasting some 'taters just the other day, and they struck me as so pretty.  I had to share them with you.   See, gorgeous, huh?   This is a mix of Rose Finn Apple Fingerlings, Peruvian Purple Fingerlings, and another mystery potato.  See why you need to keep good records, if you don't you end up with mystery potatoes.  I have to tell you, digging up those Purple Peruvian Fingerlings, you wonder for a minute if a large population of cats have been doing their business in the potato beds.  They are so pretty when cut open, you won't even remember that you thought they c...

I had to share how our cookies and goodies turned out this year.  I was really very pleased with the cookies, the presentation, everything.  I love doing this!  Every year it gets more fun to search out new recipes, find different ways of putting things together, and create something fun for those we love.   The cookie line up this year consisted of Chocolate Stars, Jumbles, Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Chocolate Crackles, Fudge or Marshmallows (links to recipes provided at the bottom of the article).  Not anything too elaborate, but lots of fun and really tasty cookies.  The hubby does a lot of work for a few large and well known food companies, I don't know what possessed me to send them cookies and fudge.  It's a little intimidating to send food to people who win oodles of national awards for their salami, cheese, waffles, sandwiches.  Eeek!  What was I thinking??? We also did granola in ...

These have got to be my farmhands' favorite cookie.  I think that they are fascinated by the deep chocolate cracks, and they love how the powdered sugar coats their fingers too!  These are so good.  An all-time favorite at our house.  I invariably make them every Christmas.  I think that the powdered sugar reminds me of snow.  The dark chocolate colored dough is rolled in powdered sugar and baked, as they bake they crack open to reveal crevices of chocolate.  They are simple, but magical, and that is where the attraction lies. Chocolate crackles taste as amazing as they look.  They are crisp outside and molten, gooey chocolate on the inside.  A cookie phenomenon.  These are a Martha Stewart recipe.  As a newly married girl, I clung to Martha, she taught me how to cook!  Without her show, I think we would still be eating spaghetti, EVERY NIGHT!!!  Not that we don't eat spaghetti, but it's maybe once every few months now...

One of my all-time favorite Christmas cookie recipes.  These have fresh ginger, lots of chocolate and just enough spice.  The outside is crunchy, the inside is soft, with a coating of sugar on the cookies to make them sparkle, these are sure to be a favorite for you too. I have been making these for years and they never disappoint.  People always rave about these, so they seem to make it into our cookie boxes often at Christmas.  Give them a try, you will love them! CHEWY CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD Martha Stewart Makes about 2 dozen 7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses 1 teaspoon bakin...

Christmas cookie season is here!  Oh, the butter laden joy!!!  I love baking for the holidays, and every year we make an assortment of cookies to give to our favorite people.  We start a few weeks before Christmas baking and freezing until the freezer is stuffed and our hearts are full.  We bake some old favorites and some new finds.  My little farmhands get into it.  They love sampling and are the first to offer their opinion of what should stay on the list of recipes for next year.  They love delivering the cookies to friends and family, spreading Christmas cheer. This is a recipe right out of the new Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  I love Smitten Kitchen.  I have followed this blog for years, and now I get to thumb through the delicious pages in the first cookbook.  These are called Brownie Roll-out Cookies in the book, and they really do taste like little slices of brownie.  Instead of cutting them into rounds, we went for st...

It is cookie making weekend here at the farm.  We make all kinds of goodies in stages, freeze what we can, and get everything made as much as possible for cookie deliveries this next week.  It's a lot of butter and sugar, and no matter how much I try not to nibble, there is always something new to try, something irresistible to take a tiny bite from, I inadvertently eat butter and sugar this weekend!  But who can blame me, I mean really, I make some fierce cookies!!! To counteract all of that butta' and suga', I try to eat really healthy meals that nourish and keep me from nibbling so much.  I also drink a ton of water; it seems if I have good water with lemon, I sip instead of bite!!!  All these little tricks to keep that farmgal figure tough, ripped, and ready for the dirt next spring!  (I have a really awesome figure in my dreams... move over Sex in the City, who needs that when there's a Farmgal nearby???) This is so fast, and easy to whip up in ...