SUNDAY: EGGS AND BISCUITS

It was Sunday the other day.  Oh, you probably knew that!  Silly me!  But It's winter, it's time for comfort food and in spite of my cholesterol problem, I still wanted some biscuits and eggs.  So I made some.  There.  My bad.  I believe in eating well bit I also believe in doing things in moderation.  Moderation is the key to a healthy life.  The only thing you shouldn't eat in moderation is fruits and veggies.  And Chocolate.  And red wine.

Yes, it's true: red wine and chocolate, they say it's good for reducing cholesterol and I'm stickin' to this!

Plus if you use real, farm-raised eggs, not the factory farm eggs, they have:
 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

Read more at Mother Earth News.

So there.  Take that cholesterol!

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE WEEK 6

Still not sure what's going on with the days but I thought I would pretend like I am on the right track. : )

When I cook, recipes are to me like fences are to goats: a mere suggestion.  So I find recipes and tweak them the entire time to make them my own.  This one sounded good so I thought I would give it a whirl and still stay within the confines of SOLE (sustainable, organic, local & ethical).


BAKED OMELET WITH ELK BREAKFAST SAUSAGE GRAVY

1/2 C chopped onion (Thoreson's Farm)
3 Tbs Butter ( from Wisconsin)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I didn't have any on hand so I omitted them)
 - I also think adding a lot more veggies to this would be a great idea-
3 Tbs flour
1/8 tsp dried rosemary (from my garden this summer)
1 3/4 cup milk (from my goat)
1 1/2 cups of cooked Elk breakfast sausage (from Pronschinske Elk Farm, Winona, MN)
1 cup shredded cheese (mine)
3/4 tsp salt - divided
1/4 cup milk
4 egg whites (from my chickens)
4 egg yolks (from my chickens)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar*

* not SOLE

For the gravy:
Cook over medium heat the onion and butter, until soft (if you are adding any veggies, do it now, saute until soft as well). Cook the sausage in a separate pan now too.

Stir in flour, rosemary, and 1/2 tsp salt.
Add milk all at once, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Stir in the Elk sausage, 3/4 cup of the cheese and the milk. Stir until the cheese melts.

Turn into a baking dish, place into a 375 degree oven to keep warm.


For the omelet:

look how pretty orange them yolks are!  Good girls, my chickens!

Beat egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

them's stiff!

Beat egg yolks in a separate bowl until thick and yellow.

Add remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/4 tsp salt and fold into egg whites.
Spread over the Elk sausage gravy.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until eggs are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Take a pretty picture of the empty egg shells too.

Things I would change:
I would definitely add more veggies.  This was good but if I'm gonna have breakfast, I have to have something that at least resembles a vegetable or green.  Maybe layer some spinach in between the gravy and omelet layers.

Otherwise, it was superb!

And the only thing used that wasn't bought within 50 miles or not SOLE was the cream of tartar.  I'll have to look for that next time I am at the Good Food Store (our local co-op).  AND only if it isn't from California.  I could go on a rant now about eating local vs. eating organic, but I'll save that for another post. : )

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE ......OF ME! (AND ITS NOT EVEN NOON YET)

Yes, this is what i awoke to this morning!

Yes folks, that says negative 20!

So i bundle up and head outside to let the horses back out to pasture.

I found the goats all piled up in the barn, in a corner of their stall.  It was so cute: seeing the little kids heads peeking up between all that fur!  They know that cuddling together keeps one warm in this crap.

Next i head out to let the horses out. I let them out one by one since i have to open the gate to the pasture to put them in.  Well, i made the mistake of letting Maui out last.  Last time i did that she busted through the stall door.  This time - was unique.  As i am opening the gate, letting Max into the pasture, I hear this, "Bam, crash, bam!"  and i think to myself, "Oh great, now what did she do?"

I walk back into the stable to find her completely out of the stall, looking a little flustered, the stall door is not busted, but is shut.  However, the beam above the stall is knocked off and laying on the ground, with the nails exposed upright of course.  And i have this disorientated horse walking around!

Once i got a hold of her and walked her to the pasture, i went back in to investigate further. My only conclusion was that because the upper beam of the stall had been removed, she couldn't have gone under the stall's half door, that she must've went over the stall door!  Which is approximately 4 feet tall.  She's a big girl in the barrel, so that's probably why she didn't totally fit and pushed the beam off.  Now i always predicted she would be a jumper!  I guess that's what we will be working with her on this summer, yay!

So I went back inside the house and prepared breakfast.

We are now inundated with eggs again, so its omelet time!

SPINACH AND ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER OMELET

Gather ingredients of roasted red bell pepper, spinach, eggs, milk, cheese, avocado and bacon for the side.

pretty eggs from our beautiful chickens

Take some spinach, roasted red bell pepper and chop.

Crack open the eggs

add a little milk

look at those orange yolks!  That's home grown right there!

Then whisk.

Put chopped spinach and bell pepper in a frying pan and cook a little.

Meanwhile fry up some cottage bacon!

Next: pour egg mixture into the pan.

Now - the real test:  this is cheese i made back in early December:

I have no idea if it turned out - so i remove the wax, cut and wa-lah!

I finally have some good cheese! Yay!  Farmhouse Cheddar.

Next cut up the avocado for a side as well, and grate the cheese.

Pulling up the sides of the egg mixture to allow the uncooked portion to spill under, you are creating an omelet!

Now add the cheese on top and fold over.

Next:  take a pretty picture of this fabulous healthy breakfast and enjoy!

Next, i get bundled up again

 to go repair the horse stall since they have to go back in there again tonight: another round of 30 below wind chills!

The beam taken right off the top of the stall!

Evidence that she went over the stall door!

Hair! from the underbelly.

even the snot freezes!

Our neighbor dog is always here to help.  We just announce, "Hey!  Enzo's here!" or "Guess what? Enzo's here!"  He is a big, dumb, Burmese Mountain dog. Really annoying sometimes, but cute!

Poor Enzo, He has to be outside all the time!

Next, i send Bob out to get the tail light assembly for the PT Cruiser, since i have been without a brake light for like, what?  Six months????

So i get bundled up....again

And head outside to fix the taillight.

Yes that is duct tape, because the last time I went and ordered the taillight lamp, they gave me the wrong part!  I think that's why i took so long to go back.  I procrastinate when i know something will be this long ordeal in which to complete.

So once i removed the assembly, i realized that i cannot find the screw that holds it on!  What the heck did i do?  I don't remember putting it in my pocket, i look and it's not there. 

No where to be found in the snow!

So Bob goes out to the garage and looks around for a replacement. He comes back with none that will work so i throw those screws in my pocket, traipsed on up the driveway to the garage and as i enter i pull the screws out from my pocket and what do i find?  The screw i thought i had lost! "Really?  That's kinda funny. " I say to myself. ( I find i say a lot of things to myself lately)

So i go back down the driveway, and screw in the screw.  Wa-lah!  Done!

When i got back in the house i found Charlie in the box.  Cats always like boxes.

So i remove my bundle of winter clothes and start thinking about this old, drafty house and why does it always seem like it is colder then bat shit in here?

Well this is why.....

This is the thermostat, we keep it set at about 66 during the day.

Now, i grab the electronic thermometer, and head out on a mission to determine the temperature throughout this 120 year old farm house.

First, i start in the kitchen:

Next, I head into our office/classroom:

Next, the living room:

Next, the basement (which also doubles as our bedroom):

Then to the laundry room (also in the basement):

Then, its upstairs and into the spare bedroom:

And the hallway leading to the spare bedroom:

It is no wonder that Louie finds a sun beam whenever she can!

Next i decide i am gonna make cheese.

Photos tomorrow.

And all this before noon!