This is the BEST, BEST, BEST!!!!

OH MY - this is the best thing I have eaten in years - I am not kidding!!!

From my sacks full of books and magazines I brought home from the library I found this recipe in the Martha Stewart Living Magazine dated May 2009. It is called
"Cherry Clafouti" It takes only 45 minutes to make, serves 4 but I managed to eat it in two days without sharing.

2 large eggs, l large egg yolk, 1/3 cup all purpose flour, 3/4 cup creme fraiche, plus more for serving, 3/4 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for the dish, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 12 ounces cherries, halved and pitted, Confectioners' sugar for dusting.

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9 inch baking dish, 1 1/4 inches deep. Coat with granulated sugar; tap out excess. Whisk eggs, yolk, and flour in a medium bowl: whisk in creme fraiche, milk, granulated sugar, vanila and salt.
Arrange cherries in prepared dish. Strain batter over cherries. Bake until browned around edges and set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. let cool slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve warm with a dollop of creme fraiche.

Trust me - this was so great I had to call my Mother to tell her about it and I NEVER do that just for food. I have made several copies of this and put them into the mail for those who love something really great to eat. Now comes the taste test - YES it is best the first day, but I managed to refrigerate some (it was hard to not eat the whole thing) and tested it for the next day. Do not heat in the micro wave but rather just let it come to room temp and it still is amazing. The third day it is a tiny bit rubbery but the taste is still wonderful. Now my brain is thinking of what other fruits would do well with this - I am thinking for fall gatherings maybe a well ripened fig, what would be your fruit selection???

Try this and I am sure you will be sending this recipe out to all those who really love to eat something wonderful. ENJOY, I know I did...

What's for Lunch??

With the change in the weather "SOUP" sounds like a winner for today's menu. A hot bowl of "Roasted Tomato Soup" with my homemade crackers. The crackers are really simple and you control what is on them. The base is just wonton wrapers - a blank slate. This batch I brushed on melted butter, a lite sprinkle of coarse salt (very little), fresh ground lemon pepper, garlic powder and a very well aged cheese. Then pop then into the over at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes - watch closely. Once golden remove from baking sheet and eat or let cool completely and store in a glass container.

As for the soup this is another easy recipe. Take fresh tomatoes - your choice and either roast in the oven or over a flame. Peel blacken spots off and remove all skin. Place in a pot with chopped onions, garlic and either leeks or red peppers. You can use both but I found the taste gets a bit too much. Let the veggies start to cook and when the onions get golden then take a potato masher and go to town. Season to taste with salt, pepper, fresh basil and a splash of Maggi and then taste. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Then if you wish you can run it in a food processor or manual seive. Then return to the pot and add a bit of heavy cream to just enrich the soup. This really is an easy soup, you can do the same with canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes when you are in the middle of winter. This is far better then the Yucky canned soups we all grew up on. It is the kind of soup that has you licking the bowl - I know not in front of company but a piece of bread will do if you are eating in front of others.

Enjoy!

In honor of my new house guest

I know most folks do not have or would want to have BATS in there house such as my sweet little one but I must say I found a way for you to play with my version of BAT WINGS. After my new house guest took a fly by turn of my kitchen and livingroom I thought what fun to have those wonderful wings. The motionless glide they can achieve without a bit of effort. Mother Nature has such a creative spirit and with that notion I went to my dye pots. The silk rods where dyed to look like those thin wings that flap in the night air - Hope I did Mother Nature Proud.

I am BATTY

Along with all the new creatures who have shown up at the farm lately I was surprised when the other night I had a bat fly into my kitchen. Yep, a sweet little bat.. Now I know most wave their arms, scream like they are going to drink your blood and run in towards the nearest exit. My forest has many bats and I love the hard work they do in keeping the bug population to a liveable limit but this is a first. This sweet little thing for what ever reason has decided to work near the house and make him or her self right at home on my home. A log home gives many creatures the idea that they are in the forest and not on a man made structure and this sweet one is no different. It has decided to go way back into the corner outside my kitchen window and pearch. Now many folks would say "Kill it" or "Chase it away" I say what a perfect little house guest. Besides - one less Halloween decoration to put out and what a great conversation piece for that outdoor dinning experience. I must say it sure has gotten me into the holiday season - scarey movies, bat's in the house - What is next - Alien crop circles or maybe a witch running around in my forest making strange noises and leaving rocks outside my tent????

Only the Shadow Knows

Saturday was Cooking Day at the Farm

Doesn't that look Yummy???

Well, looks are not all that go into a good muffin. I tried a new recipe from a book I took out of the library - a High Altitude Baking book. I had such high hopes but I must admit this muffin was Bland, Boring and needing much revamping. The texture was good but the taste flat so I will try again with my tweaks and later this week post my version. I had two and gave the rest to the chickens - they have lower standards then I - they gave it a three out of five - what do they know they eat bugs...

Where does TIME GO???

I do not know if it is just me but I seem to be lossing more time then ever before. You know when you where a kid that time seemed to drag on when you where in school and how the summer just flew by within a blink of the eye - well for me I seem to be in FAST mode all the time. I swear I have no idea where this last week went..

All I know is that I must find a flow that works better for me - I feel guilty when I am not doing it all but it just is NOT WORK???

On a HIGH NOTE - while having to go into town Friday I treated myself to a movie. I went to see HALLOWEEN II - Yes, I am a freak about horror and sci fi... I am the one who never jumps, that is very hard to scare and knows the plot line in the first two mintues. I agree plot lines are thin in a Halloween movie but still I have to be the first to see it. I must admit there is nothing like the first of any horror series but I have every Halloween movie and I watch them over and over - I know, this from a down to earth farm gal but it is true I always have been a horror nut since I was a little girl and I am sure I will be one till my dying days. So keep those "B" horror movies coming - this farmgal loves every moment of it.

Callling on Sewing Gals

Remember I told you I went to my STASH the other day - I really was shocked - those crafty stacks of fabric have been busy multipling and I could not believe my eyes. Rows and Rows, Shelves and Shelves, Boxes and Boxes of wonderful fabric. My thoughts went wild, plans, patterns and creations all flooded my brain. Where to begin, what to make, when to find the time - what a great bunch of problems to have.

So here is where I am asking for your help. I unearthed a ton of flannel - lovely patterns, all girly girl flannel left over from my sewing business some 23 years ago. Well, I need your help

What is you favorite PJ or Nightgown pattern that would work well with flannel???
I do not need fancy but rather something quick to sew, something that would keep this body warm during the cold nights of winter, something that would work for this farm gal who is known for running out in the middle of the night to check on a expecting animal or chase a predator away while only wearing her nightgown and muck boots. You know Farm Gal Style. I sure would appreciate your assistance. Just leave your suggestions in the comment section if you would - the help is greatly appreciated.

On with the Cleaning

Well, the cleaning fool is back into full swing - now the sewing/crafting room and then on to the altered art room. O.K. I understand that most folks do not have whole rooms just for their passions but I do and boy does it get out of hand sometimes. Now I dont know about you but all my creative spirit goes right out the window when there is chaos and mess.. I am not one of those artists who can work with millions of things laying around unlabeled, unmeasured, stacked in piles and with inches of dust covering the collections of goodies... I have to have order or my thoughts go flying out the window never to be seen again - trust me I have looked for them and they are no where to be found.

Even I was amazed and I must say a bit ashamed at the sheer tonage of products I have at this place. However, it is also great when the creative spirit hits and I never have to leave the farm to make that special project that is just screaming to be created. After three days or full tilt hard work I now have everything in the right rooms, labeled, stored, classified, cleaned and ready for those little gray cells to start the creative process. After great reflection I have decided I will also be placing some of my extra goodies on Etsy so I can to find them new homes because I really do have too much and never enough time to do it all.

Do you have something in particular you are looking for - ask and who knows I may have it and it may just be finding it's way to you very soon for you to reorganize, label, store and create something that has been living in your little gray cells....

Company came without invitation

After a good night sleep from all the reorganization, cleaning and sewing I awoke to renewed energy. The night before I sat and hand picked a wonderful Kid Mohair Fleece that had finally finsihed drying. I had planned to work on it this day in my newly reorganized fiber production room. As I was going down the stairs to put a pot of coffee on and to make me something wonderful from the fresh eggs my hens have layed when out of the corner of my blurry eyes I saw something moving in the basket of my lovely picked Mohair ringlets that was sitting nn the livingroom floor. I admit it I love to have the doors open in my house for the night breeze to move it's way thru the rooms and fill the with the cool breeze and sweet smells of Mother Nature. Unlike my city friends I do not worry about a stranger of the two legged kind walking into my house but I guess I should consider a four legged visitor more likely.. Now folks around here are dealing with the bears and mountain lions while I get a Mink's!! He was curled up sleeping in a blanket of every so soft Mohair - Who wouldn't want a bed of that but this is not what I expected to find as I came downstairs. I found out several years ago that we had them on the farm but they have always been very shy and run in the opposite direction from humans. I even have a all white one which comes into the goat barn during the worst storms of winter. Now I love animals but a MINK in the house, a Mink in the house and in my fiber is a big NO NO.. A VERY BIG NO NO... As I was trying to remain calm I went about making a clear path for me to run him out - Yup that was the plan..

Three hours later he is still in the livingroom running and hiding under the furniture. So Plan B - I start over turning all the leather chairs and couch. Just then he ran out onto the front porch. As I ran after him he stopped on the door mat and stared at me. Just then I notice the poor sweet thing had a huge gash on his left side of his head and his eye was blind. My heart broke. For a moment I thought how could I help??? He looked at me like "Can't you see I am in need"? Again my heart broke... Then I came to my senses and clapped my hands and he ran down the stairs and off onto the driveway. I shut the door and started my breakfast. Just a typical start to Grace's day - doesn't everyone have a MINK for company??

The very next morning this little guy brought into my house his wife. This girl I managed to get a picture of as she and her guy ran around the livingroom. Now you might ask "Didn't she learn to shut the door" answer, YES, I may be slow but I am not stupid... One of the problems with log homes is small animals use the logs as ladders and this clever little couple climbed up the logs and made it thru my upstairs window which has no screen. O.K. now you are saying "Could she not have figured that out before she went to bed"? Well, yes but I thought that the little guy was scared enough to stay away - who would have believe he would bring his wife the very next day??? Honestly WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT??

So this time Plan B was moved to Plan A and they both left the house as the last chair was turned. So now I have a sweet Mink family trying to become houseguest at Funny Farm Hotel for Lost Souls. Today I found the little guy picking off a green midget tomatoe that was trying to grow on my front porch - I really don't mind sharing as long as we keep it outside. I guess in my spare time (I have tons of that) I will have to read up on Mink - no I am not going to trap them and skin them but rather to give them a better option to make a home other then living in mine.

Anyone out there have experience with Mink???

I have been hopping

My new bunny family and I have been hopping around working our little tails off. It has been a spell since I have checked in last with you all and I am sorry for that but this gal has learned when I get the steam going DO NOT STOP!

It all started with just a little bit of reorganization in my walk in food pantry and before I could stop myself it consumed me. I admit I get a Wild Hare or Hair going when it comes to my cleaning/organization and my all around "Monk Behavior" gets a hold of me. However, now the pantry is all cleaned, restructed and alphabetized - you read that right - I told you I can get COMPULSIVE... I have been known to measure the distance of things when reorganizing things but doesn't everyone? With that being done I realized my kitchen had been in a mess since the shelving came tumbling down - so you guessed it - why not get that in order while I still had steam. Now we are talking about 1:30 in the morning but heck since I am up why not!!!

The next morning while enjoying my clean kitchen and eating my well deserved breakfast I could see from my chair the fiber production room. The weather guessers were saying a bad storm was moving in so I thought "No outside work today why not get cracking on the fiber room"? Bad Idea - three days later and still no end in sight.... Just when all hope was fading I finished but like with all things "GRACE" I decided you know what this room is crying out for - Drapes... The last set was shot and so I am off to the basement to see what I have in the fabric stash - HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, I am entering the STASH. Land where weaker women then me have been lost forever....This is not your normal stash this is a basement full - a store in and of itself. I admit I have a weakness or some might say sickness for fabric but who doesn't??? I ask you, it is not normal to desire yardage of wonderful colored, textured and all be it every pattern known to man fabric - Right maybe not every pattern but I am not nuts you know - I can quite - Honest.

Well, I found just the right material - seven unopened packages of queen size flat sheets - Why would I have those??? Because 13 years ago I purchased them when a store went out of business and planned to make drapes for the game room at the old house. So I went to work and a day later I constructed wonderful drapes, a table cloth for the packing table, curtains for the laundry room and enough leftovers to construct three new nightgowns. All in All a great purchase and a great day of sewing.. Now I have a fiber production room that makes my heart sing when I enter it and does not blind me while I work at the Carding and Picking machines - you know what that means - FIBER GOODIES are soon on their way

Love is in the air

This morning I awoke to Llama Boy's Alarm Call!!! I sprang from my bed and down the stairs I flew and out the front door - as I struggled to get my eye's to focus - what do I see but my little orphan doe with her new love interest......

He is a sweet and perfect mate - so gentle as he walk thru the grass as if not to distrub a single blade. He glances at me like he has heard all about me and knows that he is welcome...

Llama boy on the other hand is like the judgemental uncle who is not approving and is trying everything in his power to scare the young suiter away. It is a well known fact that no one is good enough for our little gal but I at least hope for the best pairing and some companionship for my lost one. If he will watch over her when I can not - what more could ont ask for???

Oh, Young Love!

Look what my big mouth has gone and done!!!

I must admit I am speachless - O.K. maybe not but very surprised. My silly and sometimes off the cuff humor has given me a blessing - Today Melisa from www.Albaranch.etsy.com has placed my in one of her Treasury selection. It all started with me seeing one of her other treasury selection and making a off the cuff remark that I too was a crocheter and a Colorado Mile High Street Team Member but I did not see any of my goodies in her Treasury. No honestly, I was just kidding (no it is not time for more baby goats) and did not mean to push her into something. Well, this sweet lady set about making another Treasury on Etsy and included a posting of my Alpaca Yarn. Since I am not computer friendly or should I say the computer is not friendly to me I simply can not get the stupid thing to do a auto link so here it is in the typed form.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=63957

Now, I hope that will get you there but if not - blame it on the computer.

I would also like to ask you folks to stop into Melisa's Etsy shop - she has incredible art, fiber art and maybe just something you can not live without.

Lip Smacking - Tummy Tickling

Nothing like BELGIAN WAFFLES for a Sunday morning!!
A hot cup of coffee with fresh cold milk and sugar adds to my feast but wait the final touch is watching a classic X Files show on the DVD. PERFECTION

Before I start my day I sit outside on the front deck listening to the bird sing, the animals move about - and what is that??? What is that smell??? SMELL, SMELL - RUN IT IS A SKUNK !!

Well, Perfection still can be mine - a Shower, do the Dishes and the day starts.
I hear in the background the hens are announcing their morning egg production, my hummingbirds are gathering their morning supplies, the baby birds on the deck nest are calling for food and soon the air will be sweet and clear again. I must admit I would rather have the perfume of my black and white friend then the industrial smells of the city.

Go out today and aim for perfection - whatever that might be!! Enjoy