Monday, October 31, 2011

My version of Farm LIfe

The last two weeks have left with very little to no extra time.  We have a complicated sewage system.  Our house is 6 inches lower than our lagoon.  That means we have a lift station between the house and the lagoon.  The lift station collects wast water and when it reaches a certain level there is a small green pump that pushes the water out to the lagoon.  That little pump has redefined my entire life.  That little green pump is vital our every day living.
The pump went out a week ago last Friday.  The alarm went off and the light on the post glared red at the house.  Every time I looked outside, that red light would remind me that life as I know it is changed.
First, no unnecessary toilet flushing, showers anywhere else but home, no dish washing (had to buy wash tubs, then dump the tubs when they got full outside), and no washing machine.
We paid 200.00 to have the yucky water pumped out so that we could get to the pump, then found out that the pump was dead.  So we spent another 200+ to get a new pump.  Kent and I put the pump in....I am on load 10 of washing.

So that little green pump is the best little thing I have ever seen!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Slow Braised Short Ribs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Parkerhouse Rolls....

This Sunday I am trying out a new recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  I may change a few things but the essence will be there.  Short ribs that have been braised in the oven in a deep rich tasting wine and a fantastic Balsamic vinegar I bought up at the "Cook's Nook" in McPherson; then adding  thyme, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Diced up carrots, onions and celery will be the aromatics in this dish; they will be braised with the meat till they are limp shells of themselves. The meat will be removed from the pot, placed on a sheet pan and broiled till they get a deep dark brown crust....served with garlic mashed potatoes made with real butter and a touch of cream. 
I have Edna Lewis cook book and the first recipe I will make will be the Parker House Rolls with a slightly crunchy salty top.
We still have tomatoes ripening in our garden.  I think I will slice up a bunch of those and dress them with Balsamic vinegar and kosher salt.

Fall is here...

And it came quickly.  I love fall and everything that it brings, cooler temps, color changes, cooking in the oven again....And bringing my family back to the table.
This has been a very hectic begining of school for us.  My oldest is going to WATC for his Airfram and Power Plant certification-means he will be able to repair plans.  I have a senior and sophomore girls at Trinity.  We are done with the first 9 weeks and it just simply disappeared. 

I set this goal for myself every month and will continue to do so because I need to refocus.  Brining my family to the table for dinner.  Now Ethan my oldest works at nights, so it is just the four of us during the week.  Friday nights are hit and miss with school sports, date night or sheer exhaustion.  Sunday Lunch is our big family meal with everyone...including friends that they may want to invite. 

So make a plan and work the plan to have more family meals together.  The younger you start the bigger the pay off is when they are tweens and then teenagers. 

Monday, October 10, 2011

Starting Over

One thing about our lives is that we can start over anytime we choose.  We can pick any point in our lives and declare to ourselves and or others that we are starting over.  Each time we choose this we try to get a little closer to our goal.  We do not have to live in the rut we may find ourselves, we can climb out and, start over.  So I am starting over....

I love food, I love the way it taste, the way I can play with it, and the political side of food.  I know everyone shyes away from the political side of anything.  If everyone can play nice and use kindness and respect we will tackle some of the political sides of food.  If you  can't play nice, you will be banned.  It is my blog and I get to set the rules.  MMMHHHUUUUU...




I have just finished reading Judith Jones book "The Tenth Muse".  I loved the book and could not put it down.  I was a bit stunned at how fascinating the book was.  It was filled with my cooking heroes and and introduced a couple of new ones.  I am just now learning about Edna Lewis, Marion Cunningham (not that MC) and am so sad that I did not learn about them until they have past.  So into my Amazon Cart is two new books to learn about these Ladies of Food.  I may not agree with them politically, but then I can look beyond that and read about their food adventures.
Judith Jones is the amazing lady who found James Bread and Julie Child and so many after that.  It really is a great book by an amazing lady and her interesting life.

She also has a section of the book for her favorite recipes.  I will be the first to say there are several I will never try.  There are just certain things I can not eat no matter how French they may sound.  But there are several I will try.  I will post them as I go through them.