BRANDIED HAM AND DAUPHINE POTATOES w/a side of green beans

Since Bob's birthday is Christmas eve we celebrate with homemade sushi, saki and a good time.  So for Christmas night I wanted to make something a little more…well, comfy-type food.  So when I was at the grocery picking up some more fruit the other day there was this deal on meat:  buy a ham get a turkey free!  Well, I was overcome by my thrifty upbringing and gave into the urge to buy factory farm meat.  Oh well, once in awhile is not so bad.  Right?  I'm a good citizen, I buy most of my food from local farmers.  I'm GUILTY!  OK!  I"M SORRY!  What can I say - I like a good bargain and I'm cheap.  (Cheap when it comes to bargains - not cheap in the sense you are thinking.  Get your mind outta the….)

Ok back to the food….

I saw this spiced brandy and herb marinade there at the store too - ok! I'm not going to the store anymore, I promise!  But really, I looked at the label and it didn't have anything in there I couldn't pronounce so I thought I was pretty safe.  It seemed non-toxic.  And I like brandy.

So I decided to marinate the ham for a day to give it that real brandy flavor.

BRANDIED HAM

I mixed together the mix as stated on the package, except I added more brandy, it seemed the logical thing to do.

Poured it over the ham:

Then set it the fridge to bake tomorrow night.











And the compliment to ham?  What else?  POTATOES!  I know - I'm not supposed to be eating potatoes either but IT"S CHRISTMAS FOR GOODNESS SAKE!  Ya gotta have the comfort food at this time of year, you do!

DAUPHINE POTATOES

Now, when I was working at a restaurant way back when, they had these awesome Dauphine potatoes as a side dish offering.  But when I was looking on line for an example they showed these deep fried potato puffy looking thingies when I remember them being a casserole type potato dish.  That's when I learned that the actual name of the one I remembered (way back when) is called Dauphinoise.  But that's too bad because what I remember is fact.  They will be called Dauphine Potatoes here in my world. That's just the kinda rebel I am.

The cast of characters:

1 TBS butter
1 1/4 lbs Potatoes - I used the fingerlings from my garden this year but yukon gold or some other creamy type of potato will do
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk (I used goats milk of course!)
1 garlic clove, mashed
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 ounces Asiago or Gruyere cheese
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)


Heat oven to 400* and butter a two quart baking dish.

You can peel the potatoes if you'd like but I like the skins in my potato dishes, I think it gives a nice added texture.  Slice the potatoes thin (like 1/8") and place in a bowl of cold water for few minutes.  Drain thoroughly.

Bring heavy cream, whole milk and garlic to a simmer in a large, wide saucepan. Add potatoes, salt & pepper and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender - about 20 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the potatoes into the buttered dish.  Top with half the cheese.

Then grate some more cheese because you already ate half of it, I know I did.






Add the rest of the potatoes to the dish and pour enough of the milk/cream mixture to cover the potatoes.

Then top with the rest of the cheese.


Bake for about 45 minutes or until brown.  Top with a little grated nutmeg if desired.



Then add some green beans to complete your meal,

and WALAH!

AFTER 9 1/2 YEARS OF FARM OWNERSHIP WE FINALLY GOT THE TRACTOR!

Yes, we finally took the plunge and last week went and looked at tractors (60 month free financing is quite hard to resist)  and we went I saw it today at the store.  OMG!  I heart jumped and i lost control (internally - I didn't want those big tough mechanics to see me loose it and cry at all it's beauty), externally I kept my cool, and just drooled a little.  As we were leaving, the salemand noticed Bob eying up the John Deere hats.  So he gave him one.  He said, "Everybody wants a hat after they buy a tractor. "

It will be delivered later today and I hope I am still here to see it when it comes in.  Bob has been preparing the garage by cleaning and moving things around just so we can put her in there.  He's got ewxtra wood by the fire so we can stay warm while we sit and look at her every day.

WoW!  I've never been more excited about something is a long time!  This is WAY better then getting a new car or new wood floors in my house!

You know you are a farmer when.... tractors are more exciting the new hard wood floors. : )

PLUG SPAWN AND ME

I'm having a lazy day today, thinking about the upcoming spring, the impending snow storm tonight and all the things I should be doing like finishing up the taxes: I find myself sitting here on the computer wasting time, dozing off and enjoying every minute of it.

So yesterday I was in the kitchen and remembered the Plug Spawn in the fridge.  I got out the directions and started figuring out what one needs to do to produce a plethora of mushrooms!

It seems complicated, a little, well no, not complicated but time consuming just like any other farm project but it will be fun!  there's a lot of paying attention to detail like watering for several days, then not, then waiting, then drilling holes into wood, then waiting, then watering, then waiting, then putting the logs in buckets of sand to stand upright, then waiting.  And each mushroom is a little different of course, so each requires a different set of rules.  Oh well, I am looking forward to the harvest!  I guess that's like anything in gardening;  you know it's a lot of difficult, time consuming, back breaking labor - but the rewards of the harvest are definitely worth it!

Then as I was going through the directions, I started thinking to myself that most people would not get it, not understand or misconstrue this in some weird way, but in my life - this question and answer is perfectly normal:

"Honey, why is there plug spawn in the fridge?"

"I'm gonna inoculate it in wood this spring."

Perfectly normal, really.

"HON, WHY IS THEIR PLUG SPAWN IN OUR REFRIGERATOR?"

Yes, I placed my order for seeds for the garden last month and they are starting to arrive!  Yay!  I now am storing plug spawn in my refrigerator and the seeds continue to arrive every day, it seems.  Very excited about this year's plantings! I've got some new items like totally purple carrots that are purple inside and out!  A hop vine, grapes, a cherry tree, Yin Yang Beans and of course the plug spawn, which is to grow mushrooms!  Yay!  Mushrooms!  I've got a ton of old logs laying around and thought that, because we love mushrooms and only one person really sells them at market, it would be a good investment to make and product to sell.

I decided to go with seedlings this year for the tomatoes, peppers and other crops instead of growing them myself.  Much easier and they arrive when they need to be planted and all I have to do is put them in the ground. Easy, schmeezy! I like the easy button.

WE'RE ALL DOOMED!

Yes,it's been too long and although most falls and winters are slow around here, so far this one has not been so I have been niglecting many things especially this blog.  And with a prediction of 4-6 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow, I got my butt in gear to do a little bit outside which I've had to put off because of other pressing matters.  It's amazing what the weather can force one to do.

I wrestled with the hammock to get it rolled up (sad - no more lounging in it for 6 months), I brought in the hose from the chickens' coop, gave the ducks one last splash in the pool, covered up all the saddles in the tack room,


 turned on the heaters in the water founts, and plugged in the pipe heating tapes for all the outside water thingies, and then went to the garden to pick the last of the garden veggies; lettuce and radishes.

 




















It was sad to see the garden so wrecked and neglected.

Goats in the background, Winky in the foreground. : )

 I was hoping to get the beds layered with cardboard, mulch and more dirt, but alas, time ran out. Snow.... oh such a sad day today....

It's so depressing that winter is almost here, but honestly, part of me really likes the break and now i'll be able to sit down at the computer and get reorganized with this blog plus I can get caught up on some things that I've really wanted to do for a long time but have been put on the back burner.  Which is what happens a lot around here when one has to prioritize on a daily basis jsut to make it through the day. Farm livin'.  LOVE IT!

HOW MUCH FUN CAN ONE PERSON HAVE? (WELL, TWO OR MORE PEOPLE I GUESS)

So what is all this fun i've been talking about that we had in July?  It's all here in pictures:

The Artists Happy Hour at the Rochester Civic Theatre's Outdoor Patio

A Be CD release party in the Barn Bar.  Bob plays mandolin with these boys and they asked him to record with them on their new CD.  So we had a release party.

Then our band Blue Monk played at the Olmsted County Fair. This is Madison's fine artwork:

"yeah, I'm with the band."

And our band played at the Rochester Civic Theatre's Friday Night Bistro:

And Bob played with Ted at Daniel's NorthWoods Lounge:

Of course, we were at Thursday's on First and Third every Thursday (except for that one day that was 110 Degrees)

Image compliments of Don Vaughan

So with all this playing out we had to practice a little.  So our friend's Susan and Roger made us all pizza in their outdoor brick oven after we practice on their farm called Squash Blossom Farm.

Maddie took her training horse Maui out to Haycreek for her first real trail ride.  I think she liked the water!

oh small pic!

And I got published on the cover of Rochester Women Magazine!

Annnnddddd…. We got some tomatoes out of the garden.
Phew!  i am exhausted just thinking about it!

APPLE ALERT!

Yes, these are apples.  And yes this is the year for apples. I say this year because apple trees produce ALOT every other year, and it's the every other year, year. We have four apple trees and each year i say to myself, "I must get out there and get all those apples and make apple sauce and apple chutney and apple butter and apple pies and..."  but what do ya know? by the time the apples are ready i am SO done with canning tomatoes that i have no energy or gumption to even think of picking apples and making something out of them.  So again i get that "Blah!"  look on  my face and ignore the apples.  But i do give as many as i can to the horses, and the goats, and the deer don't have a problem coming around and eating them at night when were not looking. Deer are sneaky like that.

If anyone is interested in apple pickin' this year, call me!  I will be happy to share.

This is Ellisium, she is a happy goat.

PROCRASTINATION OR LAZINESS OR TAKING A BREAK?

I have been feeling incredibly lazy lately; i don't feel like working, doing anything or going anywhere.  And no i am not depressed.  I stare at the things that have to be done outside, inside and everywhere in between and i turn away and go, "Blah!"  Then i find something else to do, like blog.  So I will blame the relentless,  never ending heat wave that was here this week that put a damper on my fun, fast-paced lifestyle just so no one else can be blamed for such non-sense, as blaming someone for your own laziness makes about as much sense as blaming the weather man for the steaming heat index of 115 degrees. Which i will anyway, cuz it makes me feel better.

So due to the lack of air quality, the steaming windows, and my measuring the heat index as "minutes before dripping sweat, "  i totally avoided the garden because i had no choice:  the Heat index the past three days was "8 minutes before dripping sweat" and it takes longer than that just to seek out a zucchini.  And speaking of zucchini, did i not say that i would be finding some out there the size of a Volkswagen by the time i could return to the garden?  Well it was true!  After the heat wave broke last night, I awoke to a very nice 75 degrees and cool breeze this morning, so i ventured out to the garden.  Seeking out the ever elusive jumbo sized zucch!  Well I found it!  It was not quite the size of a Volkswagen but it was bigger then Edy's head.

IT'S LIKE CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP OUT THERE!

Yes, it's 88 degrees and the "RealFeel" is 104 degrees.  They are calling for a "RealFeel' tomorrow of 117 degrees!  Yes, that's not only cream of Broccoli soup but soup so thick the spoon gets stuck.  And since it is impossible to work in this weather, i might get some photo editing done, which is what i need to do anyway, thank you mother nature! yeah, right....

But chores still need to be done and since the external meltdown of my body begins at approximately 10 minutes after exposing myself to such extreme weather conditions, i set myself up on a course of accomplishment to do the chores in this manner:

• grabbing the milking bucket, i stand by the front door, just about to open it, taking one last, deep breath of cool air
• i quickly open the door, being blasted by a cloud of steaming, hot air in the face, i hold my breath
• i walk at a brisk pace, but not too fast as any extra exertion creates a shorter meltdown time
• entering the barn, i put on my light, long sleeve jacket ( I am extremely allergic to hay - any touch on my arms creates welts)
• I set the hay out, give the two horses their grain
• milk more quickly then a jackrabbit being pursued by a coyote
• return grain fed horses to the outdoors.
• at this point it has been approximately 8 minutes - meltdown is about to begin.  I can feel the sweat beading up on my forehead, i try desperately to remain calm.  Thinking too much can result into a full blown asthma attack)
• take milking bucket and return to house.
• when the front door is opened, milking bucket sat on the counter, i fall to the floor, setting my head upon the air conditioning vent and slowly breathe in the cool air. I do not attempt to move until breathing has become normal and all sweating has come to a halt.

I wait a half an hour and start again - i have to go collect the eggs now.

By the time i make it out to the garden again, there will be zucchini up to my elbows!  Don't come to my house and leave your car unlocked, - you may find zucchini when you get home. I'm just sayin' ...


 Now


ClearTemperature

88.5 °F

Feels Like 104 °F

Wind(mph)

1.0 

THE MONTH OF JUNE - HOW QUICKLY SHE HAS DISAPPEARED! AND YET IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S APRIL CUZ IT'S ONLY 62 DEGREES AND RAINY

It's June 23, 2011 and it's so chilly outside, i may have to turn on the furnace.  I know!  The furnace! It's about 62 degrees and that's usually what we keep the house at in the winter. So the garden is suffering, how can anything grow out there if there is no sun?  Well this lack of sun and my loss of vitamin D from such lack is causing a minor depressive state on my part and I don't like it.

Even Max is bored!

THE GARDEN IS BLOOMING WITH LIFE! AND IT'S REALLY FRICKIN' HOT OUTSIDE!

Ahhh, the garden.  Of course!  I love my garden. In less then four weeks - it's grown huge!  Look at the difference:

Image taken May 11th

Image taken today - June 6th

 I had just 10 raised beds the year before last, last year we added another 8 and this year we added 3 more just for the tomatoes.  i know, right?  but I went over board this year with the tomatoes i started from seed, i actually got them to make it to the garden, alive!  So it was difficult not to plant them all! Last year, i had a hard time with that whole 'hardening off' thing' (where you are supposed to introduce the plants to the outdoors for one hour then increase an hour each day for a week. Yeah,  - too complicated). But i did do it right this year and i did it in a timely fashion, planning it all around the time before we left for Milwaukee and the horse show.

our friend Jason building the new skinnier beds for the tomatoes

The beds done before we added the dirt.
 I intend to run string up from the bed to the pergola to tie the plants to.

So yesterday we spent the whole day in the garden, building another bed for the tomatoes (for the total of 3) and mowing, weeding, and getting the final things in for the summer harvest.


 I planted more beans and used dead branches from the copious amounts of branches we have laying around here.  Seemed a more reasonable thing to use then going and buying a trellis, plus it looks cool.

For the pole beans to grow up

The Three sister's - corn on the top of the mound, pole beans around them,
then squash around the bottom..  I think i have too many squash planted
in there.  But who can have too many squash?!?!?

The Goyo Kumbo eggplant

The tri color peas

tomatoes!

peppers!

Potatoes!  All Blue and Fingerling's

Isn't she lovely and makeshift?

and it's so damn hot the chickens are panting!

So here it is - the garden!  I got more then enough spinach, and lettuce last week, but the weather is warm and rainy (actually rain forest-y hot and humid - heat index of 103 today!) and things are blooming with life!