Backyard Farmgals

I made these last fall, when we had way too many apples and not enough time to eat them all, but you can easily make them now. I love having these in the pantry and freezer, they are a pretty healthy go-to snack that really cost almost nothing to make. My farmhands gobble them up after school or on hikes or while snowshoeing. They fill you up too. These are sprinkled with very little cinnamon-sugar and then dehydrated. They are really easy to make; they need a little prep and then a whole lotta ignore time on the dehydrator. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can do this in the oven on cookie sheets covered with parchment. Just pop them in the oven at 200ºF and turn them every so often until they are as crispy as you like. I like mine really crispy, but my kiddos like them a little soft, so I do a little of each. Ingredients: Apples, whatever type you like Large bowl full of water Lemon juice from 1 lemon Cinnamon sugar Slice and core the apples. You can use a m...

I am gonna let y'all in on a little secret, just for Thanksgiving.  I have this great and easy way of making green beans that will melt your pants off!  Did I say that out loud?  Wow!  These couldn't be more simple.  The recipe is more about taste than exact measurements (which is how I really cook all the time - recipes are just suggestions).  You've just gotta taste 'em and feel it out, see if it's just right.  I'll give you some guidelines and you go from there, deal? These have garlic, butter, dill and almonds.  Great flavors combined with really fresh and crunchy green beans equals delicious.  I made these in mass quantity for a teacher appreciation dinner for my son's school and they were a hit!  I snuck a scoop of them for my lunch, don't tell, they will take it off my required volunteer time.  But, they go great with turkey, or lasagna, or almost anything.  Just pile me up some on a plate... who needs a main c...

This is no ordinary mac and cheese, in fact it's down right sneaky!  Confession: I can't eat something that's just plain old unhealthy.  I have to spike it with veggies somehow to make myself feel less guilty.    My little farmhands wanted macaroni and cheese and this is what popped out of the oven.  Cheesy and creamy, with pumpkin and kale mixed in; we all loved it.  The kids had no idea that it was loaded with pumpkin, and they are used to me putting kale in just about everything they eat, and the hubby gobbled it!  I felt a little less guilty knowing that I was eating noodles spiked with a superfood!  Pumpkin has just about every nutrient under the sun in it, or so it seems: vitamins A and C, potassium, manganese, copper, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorous, vitamins E and B6, niacin, thiamin, and pantothenic acid.  Phew!  It has major amounts of micronutrients and it's super tasty. This fabulous mac and cheese has three chee...

Autumn is finally fully here, and its cold rainy days put me in the mood for soup.  I transform into a soup making nut through the cold winter months, I think it is because I can never seem to get warm.  Bundled with layers of socks and sweaters, with my warmest blanket, I wrap my hands around a warm bowl of soup and sink into comfort. We harvested pounds and pounds of potatoes this fall (I got a little excited when I planted last spring), so I thought I would start with a vegan potato and leek soup.  I picked up some gorgeous heavy leeks this morning at the market and a bag of some of the most beautiful yellow onions I have laid eyes on.  With some garlic from the farm and a few of the Yukon Gold potatoes that I dug, I made a glorious thick soup, just right for warming up on a chilly autumn night. There are a lot of alliums in this soup: leek, onion, garlic.  There is evidence that alliums are capable of keeping us healthy.  They ward of virus...

It's early morning, the clouds are thick on the mountains with bits of red and vibrant orange colors from the leaves peeking out in various patches.  Rain has come and will soon be disappearing up and over the mountains, on with it's journey.  These are my favorite days.  Every year, I fall madly in love with fall.  I love everything about it.  I love that crisp feeling in the air and the way the light changes to highlight the colors that appear and give them a sort of vibrance you don't see anywhere else.  The leaves lightly falling to the ground and the storms that roll through the valley that remind you winter is coming and invite you to enjoy the moment that you are in. With all of this comes a desire to cook and preserve, I am not sure why.  Maybe it's the whispers of the generations of women that came before me that relied on the harvest being "put up" so they could eat through the winter.  Or perhaps it is just the comfort that come...

My Harry Potter I love this time of year.  I have the greatest memories of Halloween, as a kid, my mom always took Halloween to the next level.  We had carving parties through the night, the most incredible painted faces, homemade costumes (one year I was a mailbox - you can make ANYTHING out of cardboard), donuts and chili on Halloween night for us and all of the neighbors.  It really was a blast for me growing up, and now it is my chance to be a kid again, without any reservations, for one night of the year. Our friend Noni had quite the fortune... Zombie Jason...watch out!!! Confession: I have a serious addiction to Halloween.  Every year, for the last 11 years, my husband and I have thrown a monster carving party with oodles of food, crazy Halloween music, a giant bonfire, and some of our very best friends.  I hope that they have had as much fun as I have over the years, even with the wind and snow trying to freeze us out, it manages t...

This is one amazingly healthy little salad.  Great for parties, we served it with Chicken Salad Sliders at a baby shower recently, and it was a hit.  This is a great fall salad and a wonderful example of how healthy food is great food - you don't need to add a bunch of junk to make something taste extraordinary.  This would make an amazing Thanksgiving side dish... This is an Ina Garten recipe that is simple, easy and fast.  I love her cooking, in the kitchen, she is one of my idols.  The other great thing about this salad is the colors.  I am in love with the contrasting colors that this salad shows off.  The dark purple-brown of the rice and the vibrant orange wedges...art in a bowl.  I really think that food tastes better when it is colorful...call me crazy! WILD RICE SALAD Ina Garten  "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?" 1 cup long grain wild rice (I used Japonica Rice) Kosher Salt 2 navel oranges 2 Tbsp olive oil 2...

We had a baby shower yesterday for my cousin and her baby girl Ava, it was so much fun!  I love it when all of the girls in our family are together, it doesn't happen often enough, so yesterday, I was in heaven.  I hung back from the crowd for a minute and watched the buzz happening around me.  It really was like a bunch a bees buzzing away, everyone was talking and laughing and really enjoying each other...this is family and I love it!!! So the big question is what does a farmgal serve to a big group of gorgeous girls having a great time?  It's easy...farmgal food...no man food here!!!  Everything was light and pretty and darn delicious!  We served fruit skewers, wild rice salad, chicken salad sliders, and gigantic ultimate chocolate brownies (yeah...I ate a whole brownie...).  Mmmm...I could go back in time and eat it all again... It was all really easy to make, I think that the timing for cooking and preparation for a party is the ...