~Recipes~

Boy Howdy, that is just a real imaginative post title right there....

But, however the title does not lie, this post does indeed contain recipes.

The other day, I realized that the majority of the recipes I have shared with you all this summer have been liquored up fruity drinks.

But, we have enjoyed other homemade items from the Farm Kitchen this summer, and I thought I would share some of them with you!

~Super Duper Easy Peasy Quick French Bread~

I discovered this bread this summer and have enjoyed making it numerous times.

It is very simple and quite yummy!

2 1/2 cups of warm water (around 110 degrees)

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons yeast

6 cups flour

Combine water,sugar, salt,oil and yeast, add flour one cup at a time till dough pulls away from bowl, and bowl is "clean".

Now to let the dough rise, the original recipe says to let it rise about an hour.

I think the first time I made this it was probably around a half an hour, because I was pinched on time(who isnt?) and it seriously didn't need any more than that half an hour rise, in fact if you were really in a hurry I think you could just let the dough rest for a few minutes before shaping the loaves.

Roll and shape dough into a french loaves, and place on jelly roll pan that has been sprinkled with corn meal.

Let dough rest on pan for another few minutes while the oven preheats to 400 degree oven.

Pop into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

There you go....fresh french loaves:)

~Very Quick Pizza Dough~

Okay, so I have a couple of pizza dough recipes that I do love.

However, during the summer, when I am farming with Manly, I come home at the same time he does(late) and I still have to put food on the table and fairly promptly(because we are starving!)

But, the hour and half rise time on my usual pizza dough recipes, are simply not possible when you arrive home at around 9pm.

This recipe has come in SO HANDY this summer, that it isnt even funny.

I am so happy that I married a man that loves italian food, and obviously this italian woman can eat pizza every day, every way.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1 tablespoon yeast

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups flour

Combine yeast and water, when foamy

mix in rest of ingredients,knead for 5 minutes.

Roll out to a 12 inch circle. Place on pizza pan or pizza stone(the pizza stone makes a crustier crust and the pizza pan makes a softer crust)

Put your favorite toppings on and bake for 12-18 minutes (baking time depends on how much and what ingredients you top the pizza with)

There you go, fresh homemade pizza on the table in less than 30 minutes!

~Ranch Dressing~

Now, I am not sure about your family, but we love Ranch Dressing at our house.

We dunk our pizza in it, place it on top of fried tators and use it instead of ketchup on burgers and fries.

In the past I tried a few homemade recipes for this dressing, however (and I ashamed to say this) none tasted at good to us as the Hidden Valley Ranch packets that you mix with milk and mayo.

Till now...

I am so happy to have found a yummy homemade recipe that not only tastes really good but isnt full of MSG and sodium.

3/4 cup mayo

3/4 sour cream

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (depending how thin you like your dressing)

2 scallions

small handful fresh parsley

clove of garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients in your blender and blend for ten seconds.

Store in a Mason jar (not necessary but recommended because then it is truly Ranch Dressing;)

~Buttermilk Cinnamon Muffins~

I literally found this recipe because I had left over buttermilk from the Ranch Dressing.

And I am so happy I did!

I make these at night before I go to bed, because there is no baking during the day here at the farm house since we have no AC.

So, all baking has to be done at night, so the house can cool down before the next day.

Then for the next few days we have a quick, easy to grab, tasty muffin for breakfast.

7 tablespoons butter, at room temp.

2/3 sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 cup of flour

Topping

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

6 tablespoons butter,melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease or use paper liners on muffin tin, this recipe will make 12 medium sized muffins or 6-9 large to jumbo muffins.

In electric mixer bowl, place butter and sugar and beat till creamy.

add egg, buttermilk and vanilla and mix till combined.

add, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.mix together.

Then add flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix till just combined.

In seperate bowl mix together topping ingredients.

Fill muffin tin cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes, or when you do the toothpick test, the toothpick comes out clean.

Let muffins cool till you can handle them easily, but are still warm and dunk muffin tops in topping mixture.

There you go!

Some of the recipes that I have discovered and enjoyed this summer!

Hope you enjoy them too:)

~Stove Love~

I am just gonna get down to business, folks.
This post is all about stoves.
If you are anything like me , grab a towel to swab up all the drool.
There are some lovelies in here.
Which one is your favorite?

Have a great day!

~The Beans~

~Before~

~After~

We just irrigated the field for the last time, and in one month after the plants have dried up, we will harvest the beans!

~Happy Birthday, Mumsy!~

Dear Mumsy, Its your day....so this is what I would like to do for you today......

Here is your birthday Breakfast...

Then you sit here,with your little doggie and relax while I

do the dishes....

Then, I will make some lemonade....

and we will sit out here and visit while the laundry dries....

Then in the afternoon, we will stroll through this Lavender Field, so the guests

can arrive....




I made this cake for you...

Everyone is here.....

After the wonderful day, you will sleep restfully here tonight...

I love you,Mother Dear.

A very Happy Birthday to you.

~Pure Bliss~

This Porch + A Drink from Yesterday's Post = Pure Bliss

~Cherry Berry Delights~

It has been a good year for Cherries.

We had our fill of just eating them, and of pies, tarts and such, so I was looking for another way to get rid of some cherries.

Around this time, of course, the raspberries started to come on strong.

I froze and also made a couple of pies, but then I found a drink recipe to use with them too.
I found and perfected these drink recipes to share with you all.

Maybe you will try one this weekend?

{Cherry Margaritas}

I am not one for a blended Margarita, or for sugar-y sweet flavored margaritas.

However I thought I would give this one a try.

Boy Howdy, am I glad I did, I have to say that this is just as good if not better than a regular limey margarita!

The original recipe was a Cherry Margarita on the rocks, however after making a couple, Manly and I thought strangely enough that it would be better blended.

So, follow the recipe, for a blended one, or just don't blend if you want it on the rocks.

The recipe makes Two Margaritas, so share or don't......;)

Ingredients:

about 25 sweet cherries,pitted

2 1/2 oz Tequila (I like Sauza Blanco brand,but use your favorite:)

Juice of a half of a lime

3 tablespoons Simple Syrup (made by simply boiling one part water and one part sugar together till sugar is dissolved then cooling)

1 oz Triple Sec

Ice

Put all ingredients into blender and blend till slushy, pour into Margarita glass that is rimmed with pink sugar, garnish with a whole cherry.

{Cherry Caipirissima}

These are just so darn yummy!

This makes a single serving.

Ingredients:

2 oz White Rum

4 sweet cherries,pitted

3/4 oz simple syrup

half a lime, cut into pieces

Place all ingredients into cocktail shaker, muddle the lime pieces and cherries, then add ice and shake vigorously.

Strain into glass,serve on the rocks.

{ Raspberry Mojito }

We just tried these for the first time last night.

Coming in from the field, these things tasted just divine.

In fact, I am not sure if I can look at a simple Mojito anymore, without desiring raspberries in it.

Makes a single serving.

Ingredients:

8 fresh mint leaves

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon simple syrup

2 oz white rum

2-3 oz of seltzer water or club soda

4-5 fresh raspberries

Muddle together mint leaves,simple syrup, raspberries and lime juice slightly.

Add ice to your serving glass, add rum and soda water, add muddled mint/raspberries and stir.

Serve.

Not only is this drink refreshing and delicious, but it is also such a pretty looking beverage.

Well, there you go,ladies and gents, a few summer time drinks to enjoy with fresh summer fruit.

Enjoy and have an awesome weekend!

~Day Trips~

Since June, My Manly has taken off two separate Sundays to take me on a couple of day trips to places we have both wanted to see for awhile.

One place was Craters of the Moon, which is about an hour and a half north of us.

The second place was to 3 different water falls in our area.

I will share some of the pics of our day trip adventures.

Gotta walk the Beans,Folks

Yes, dear friends, I am still alive.

I do have a fairly decent excuse for not posting lately, I haven't been around my computer, I have been walking beans.

Now, I the image that pops in your head when I say "walking beans" is probably interesting or humorous.

Neither one of those things are included into what actually walking the beans is really about.

You walk up and down rows of beans, chopping weeds with a hoe or pulling weeds.

Basically, like weeding a humongous garden.

Hot, exhausting, back breaking work.

But, after two weeks, it is done.

The plus side of all this is:

Literally walking miles and miles a day, has done wonders for my weight loss plan then any of my exercise DVDs have ever done, pulling and calling the weeds names has made me BUFF (probably more because of the pulling....but whatever;)

I have a heck of a farmers tan going on (wait, is that something I want....???)

AND, last but not least, reading novels.

No, I am not that good to carry a book and a hoe and pull weeds and walk all at the same time.

The books were being read to me via audio books on an mp3 player.

But, it was the most books I have read in a long time.

Now,if I could just figure out how to knit and hoe beans at the same time.....

Anywho, ladies and gents, I have missed you all immensely and look forward to catch up on some blog reading.

Things are not necessarily slower, however I hope to be around a computer more then the last two weeks.

I also have a few recipes to share and some pics.

Until then, I thought you all might like to know that I am indeed alive, I was just out walking the beans:)

what does this adorable little porch have to do with walking beans, you ask?

Well, absolutely nothing, of course:)