Sunday, April 30, 2017

What Grabbed My Attention This Week

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There was a time before living here on the farm, when I lived in a small town across the river, in Iowa. That town is Lansing. Lots of great people in that town.

Kristi is one of those people. I haven't seen Kristi in years, but we are still friends on facebook so I see what she is up to. She has a problem with feral cats in her neighborhood, or more specifically on her property.  Rather than just getting mad, or doing worse things, she is doing amazing things and helping these cats.

Kristi started a Gofundme page. I am not asking you to donate, just to check out her bio on what she is doing. I think she's pretty awesome for her efforts.  Spaying and Neutering is something I believe in 100%, and every cat and dog we have fixed. 

So here's a warm fuzzy to start your week. 
One lady, taking the time and love, helping the cat population.



Thursday, April 27, 2017

It's the Morel Time of Year

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We had some snow showers over night and this morning, so I thought my plans to go find some morel mushrooms would be cancelled. I don't really know how much snow or when it happened, as it was melted by the time I was up and moving. No, I wasn't sleeping in that late, fortunately it melted that fast! When I saw the picture of my neighbors truck covered in snow, 
I was glad I slept through it all!


I did go to my parents for a visit. As close as they are, they escaped the winter precip. My dad and I went out for a tour of the projects he has been working on, and while out we did check for the tasty little morels. I have honestly never looked for mushrooms while wearing a stocking cap and gloves, but guess what?? We found a few! Definitely not enough for a meal, but I am not one to turn down a taste of these little guys!

Do you hunt morels?  What's your favorite way to prepare them?
Here is a favorite recipe from last year, Morel Asparagus Frittata





And, here is a tasty recipe we need to try from my friend Shabnam at Flavor N' Spice for 




Wednesday, April 19, 2017

New Addition?

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What's new on the farm? 2 new chickens!  We (well mainly just me) are so excited about adding these two new chickens to our flock. They are Black Copper Marans


They will grow up to be a dark colored bird. Why am I so excited? Because they lay the most beautiful "chocolate" colored eggs. While I have never seen these eggs myself, I have seen lots of photo's of them, and I am sooo excited. We are hopeful that both of the chicks are hens.


If you want to see what color of eggs we are hoping to add to our collection, 


In the mean time, the rest of the ladies are keeping busy. 
Enjoying the green grass and bugs that were out of their reach all winter long.
(And the kitchen scraps I just gave them!)



Won't the dark colored eggs look beautiful mixed in with these?

Saturday, April 15, 2017

What Grabbed My Attention This Week

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Welcome to the second installment of  What Grabbed My Attention This Week! I hope you enjoyed the Cajun Gumbo from last week. I am making it today! I'm really looking forward to trying it.

On to this week. Pentatonix. Have you heard of them? They are an a cappella group. I have heard several of their cover songs, as well as some of their Christmas songs. They never cease to amaze me. 

The first song I knew from them was Dolly Parton's, Jolene. I'm not all into awards, and award shows, but they even won a Grammy for this as country duo performance.

This week, I learned of a new cover release.  Bohemian Rhapsody. 
I just love watching them perform.  



If you enjoyed that, check out more on their Youtube channel.
And, really, if you enjoy country music, give Jolene a quick listen.



Just for fun, if you prefer more the old school version of Bohemian Rhapsody, remember this?



Have a Happy Easter!!

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Spring Confetti Cookie Bars

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I missed this month's Fill the Cookie Jar, with everything we had going on.  I was going to let it go and jump back in next month. But, when I heard my young foodie friend "Up North" was looking for the cookie of the month, I knew I had to get back to the kitchen!  


These bars are going to be a house favorite here. They are perfect for Easter, or any potluck you want to take a fun dessert bar to. You could change this up seasonally with sprinkles and M & M's for whatever the holiday or season is. 


This is a soft chewy bar topped with the soft layer of puffed marshmallows, your sweet lovers will be asking for one more bar!


Spring Confetti Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, divided
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup M&M's
3-4 tablespoons sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking power, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside. 
In large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Mix until light and creamy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix just until combined.  Add dry ingredients, mixing only until combined. Add 1 cup of white chocolate chips, mixing until evenly distributed.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread as needed to have mixture even through pan. Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until edges are just turning golden.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with miniature marshmallows, and then M&M's. Return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes, or until marshmallows are puffed. Removed from oven and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and sprinkles evenly over top. Let cool completely.  

Cut into bars and store in air tight container. 



Adapted from: Chelsea's Messy Apron

Sharing this at: Weekend Potluck

Saturday, April 8, 2017

What Grabbed My Attention This Week

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First off, let me apologize for my absence. We have gone from having the flu, to colds, and just can't seem to get caught up!  This week, things seem to be turning around. We are finally getting healthy. We have some of our energy back. That flu bug just took every extra ounce of energy to be found.  And, Truckin' Man is getting back to work. Not a full week, but the lay off is offically over. Yeay!!

While hanging out around the house, not having much to share with you, I had an idea. There is always something I stumble across online that inspires, impresses, or amuses me. I want to share this with you. Just once a week. 
I think it will be fun, and I hope you enjoy it!

What grabbed my attention this week? A food video on facebook.  Yeah, I know, video's are everywhere on social media. But, I really dislike most of them and don't watch many. I could really get on a whole rant about facebook making everything have to be a video, but I will spare you hearing what I REALLY think about all that!  

This video, was a true video. A tutorial. AND... it inspired me!  Watcha Doin Derouen has a Youtube channel with some fantastic recipes!  What was the one that got my attention? Chicken and Sausage Gumbo!



I will be trying out some Cajun recipes this week! I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did.
Click over to his channel and you'll also find the video for Beignets. This food is all so different from Midwest fare, it was fun for me to see how it is made, and how it should look when it's done!

Enjoy, and stay healthy my friends!


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