9:15!?!

Hub-E. and I go to bed relatively early, say between 8:30-9:00 PM.  The reason for that is, well, let's just say that 3:30 AM comes quickly!  Last night I shut the light off around 8:45 PM, and bam, I was out like a light.  The alarm goes off, so I roll over and hit snooze...yes maybe a few times.  Then the third time I unwillingly turn it off and flip on the light.  I glance at the clock and see that it reads 9:15!  OMGosh, I am late for work.  I run out to the kitchen to look at that clock, yep 9:15.  I stumble back into the bedroom, still in shock and delusional mind you, and tell E. IT'S "9:15!!".  I stand there looking at E. for a good thirty seconds and then I'm like "IT'S 9:15, we're late for work!?!"  He doesn't reply much other than with a wrinkled up squinty face.  Then all of a sudden it dawns on me.  Is it 9:15 PM??  I look at the clock again, and low and behold, 9:15 PM!  In a matter of thirty minutes I had fallen asleep and had been dreaming about my alarm clock going off, not once, not twice, but three times.  (So what if I like to hit the snooze??)  I guess the fact that it was still dark out should have given me a clue, but obviously I was not in a problem solving state of mind.  Hope your shut eye went better than mine!  Has this ever happened to you before??

Holly.Rae.

Dwarf Dossier #3

Holly.Rae.

"The Face" Take Two

Since December is just a stone's throw away, and since the "white-ness" of winter will soon be overtaking us; I wanted to share this picture. It may possibly be the last rainbow of the year, and it just so happens to be placed right over my favorite peak.  I think I may have to periodically look at this picture to remind myself that winter doesn't last all year.  

 Happy "hump" day everyone!

Holly.Rae.

Pretty Little Apron

I've been wanting to sew an apron for, geeze, forever now.  So, I decided since it's a long weekend, I was going to get it done.  I wanted to make it completely out of left over scraps from previous projects.  I found a stash of partially pieced fabric from a quilt I had made for my mother-in-law.  Perfect!  Love the colors, and I am super excited with how it turned out.  This was my first experience with sewing pleats, love them!

I think I will make some matching potholders to go with it.  Let me know if you sew one up for yourself, and make sure to post pics!

Where I dug it up: honeybearlane 



Holly.Rae.

Dwarf Dossier #2

Holly.Rae

Thanksgiving Day Lineup

One would probably assume that with the excessive amounts of food, that we have on our Thanksgiving Day Lineup, we'd be feeding a large family or group of people.  Wrong.  It's just E. and I.  Since we don't splurge a whole heck of a lot, we like to go all out on Thanksgiving.  What's wrong with variety, right!?!  

• Turkey – Locally raised organic heritage bird
• Mashed Taters – Grown in our very own garden
• Gravy
• Sweet Potatoes - Found at: The Pioneer Woman 
• Broccoli Casserole - Family Recipe
• Green Bean Casserole - Found at: Betty Crocker 
• Bread and Celery Stuffing - Found at: Allrecipes
• Oatmeal Sourdough Rolls - Found at: AskChef's
• Cranberry Sauce - Found at: The Pioneer Woman
• Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip - Found at: Allrecipes
• Bowtie Pasta Crunchies (For Artichoke Dip) - Found at: Leslie Durso, Veggie Dreamgirl
• Savory Deviled Eggs - Found at: Allrecipes
• Baked Cheese Olives - Found at: Allrecipes
• Strawberry Cranberry Pie - Found at: Cooking the Seasons
• Pumpkin Bars - Family Recipe
• Hot Buttered Rum - Found at: Allrecipes
• Irish Cream - Found at: Allrecipes
• Wine - Redwood Creek: Rich Red Blend and Chardonnay

Whew!  

So, what's on your Thanksgiving Day Lineup?  Any new recipes that you're trying out this year?  Are you a first-timer, or an old pro?

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Holly.Rae.

Dwarf Dossier #1

So, the other day I was telling E. that I wanted to figure out a fun way to introduce our Nigerian Dwarf Goats.  He pipes up with "What about a Dwarf Dossier?".  "That's a great Idea!  Wait, what's a Dossier?" I ask.  So, for those of you that haven't encountered the French originating word:

Dossier (dos-ee-ey):  A collection or file of documents on the same subject, especially a complete file containing detailed information about a person or a topic.  French origin: 1875-1880.  (Information taken from dictionary.com)

So without further ado, here is Dwarf Dossier #1:

Holly.Rae.

Goatroduction

For quite sometime Hub-E. and I discussed getting goats, mainly for milking purposes, but for butchering too if need be.  By the end of 2011 we had made up our minds that we were going to get three to start.  Only a few short months later we had made arrangements to get our first three Nigerian Dwarf Goats, two of which were pregnant!  Talk about nervous!  Unlike E., I didn't grow up around livestock, I had no idea what to expect.  I wasn't sure I was even going to like them.  Quite the commitment for someone who is so unsure, huh!?!  When we went to pick them up, they were just as nervous as I was.  I wanted to pet them and get to know them, but we had to make the four hour trek home, bonding would have to wait.  Thank goodness we had already set up their pen, had food and water waiting for them when they got there; it made the transition that much easier for them.  Finally, I got to get a good look at them, and yes, some petting in too.  Quickly we learned who was boss, who loved attention and who didn't.  They instantaneously held a place in my heart; I knew it was going to be a great adventure!

Since then, the girls had their ADORABLE babies, and we've gotten four more goats.  Our mini-herd is up to ten crazy, wonderful, sometimes obnoxious, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, all does.  Wow.  I couldn't imagine life without them! 

A little note about the milk they produce: Yum, incredible yum!  Creamy and extremely nutritious.  For those of you who have tried goats milk and thought it tasted "goaty", I can give you two explanations for that.  Either the does were kept too close to a billy goat and his smell (ewww), rubbed off onto them and penetrated the milk.  Or, the milk was not cooled fast enough/was not handled properly.  Goat milk from the grocery store just doesn't compare; I wouldn't even waste my money on it.  For those of you who haven't tried it, you should.  


Stay tuned for our Dwarf Dossier series.

Holly.Rae.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Where I dug it up: Dreamy Desserts

Holly.Rae.

"The Face" Take One

Nestled in the Bitterroot Mountains lies this fascinating peak, that I like to refer to as "The Face", as I think it looks like a woman lying face up.  She is almost always picture worthy, and i enjoy taking pictures of her ever changing back drop.  Hope you enjoy her beauty as much as I do.

This past summer the backside (and later in the summer, the front side) of the mountain to the right of "The Face" was on fire, which is the cause of the very red sun and sky.  The picture really doesn't do it justice.

Holly.Rae.

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

***Note that the ingredients and directions in GREEN are my version of how I make these dishes. 

Ingredients:

10 Soft taco shells                                6 – 8” Flour Tortillas – Recipe Below

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken             Crock pot Chicken 

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese   1.5 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar & Pepper Jack

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth                              Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

                                                          Salt to Taste

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan

2.  Mix chicken and 1 cup of cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan. (Mix cheeses together.  Put desired amount of chicken and cheese in   each tortilla.  Roll up and place seam side down in prepared pan.)

3.  In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

4.  Stir in sour cream and chiles.  Do not bring to a boil, you don’t want curdled sour cream. (Taste test the sauce, add salt or other spices if desired.)

5.  Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6.  Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 minutes to brown cheese (peek in every once in a while, you don’t want to burn the cheese!).

Where I dug it up: Joyful Momma's Kitchen

Texas Flour Tortillas (adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)

Ingredients:

Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole wheat flour for one cup white flour.)

1  ½ teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of vegetable oil                     2 Tbsp. Butter, slightly softened

¾ cup of warm milk

Method:

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil (or mix together the dry ingredients and cut the butter in with a pastry blender).  Slowly add the warm milk (a little at a time.  You do not want the dough to be overly sticky.).  Stir until a loose, (slightly) sticky ball is formed.  Knead on a floured surface for two minutes.  Dough should be firm and soft.  Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.  After dough has rested break off eight sections (for 6” tortillas or 6 sections for 8” tortillas.), roll them into balls in your hands, place them on a plate (or parchment paper) (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes.  (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)  After the dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about (six) to eight inches in diameter.  (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.)  Don’t overwork the dough, or it’ll be stiff.  Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook (or you can roll one out and cook it while rolling out the next, just be sure not to forget about it!).  In a dry iron skillet or a comal heated on high (or a stainless steel frying pan heated on medium to medium-high) cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side.  It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.  (Adjust the temperature as necessary.  You want your tortillas to have nice brown spots, not black.)  Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.  Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame, or in the oven wrapped in foil.  While you probably won’t have any left overs, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so. 

Makes (six) to eight tortillas

Where I dug it up:  Homesick Texan

Holly.Rae.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

Okay, so for us the title may be a little bit of a stretch.  We were chubby, uncomfortable and achy.   

A few years ago E. and I had committed to completing a 20 day juice fast.  Our main reason was to shed some pounds and inches; cleansing our bodies was just an added bonus.  I had read  The Juice Fasting Bible, by Dr. Sandra Cabot (http://www.amazon.com/The-Juice-Fasting-Bible-All-Juice/dp/1569755930), plus I had searched around on the net for some quick info.  Looking back, I can admit that I wasn’t quite prepared.   I’m not going to sugar coat it; it was hard.  Temptation lies everywhere, but you yourself are your own worst enemy, ohhhh the thoughts!  I like to cook and we both like to eat.  We love rich, hearty meals and decadent desserts, unfortunately our waistlines don’t.   It was time to do something.  Those 20 days seemed like an eternity, but we completed it.  We felt good about what we had accomplished, and were ready for the next step in the adventure, but our taste buds got the better of us.  Not too long after that we started gaining the weight back.  Once you start eating it’s like you’re tasting everything for the first time…again.  So down the rabbit hole we went. Regressing.  Reverting.  Re-chubby.

Birthday Party Day

Today my husband E. and I are spending the day celebrating my 29^th birthday.  My actual birthday is on October 11^th, but due to certain circumstances (of which I will explain in a later post) we were forced to put off celebrating it until today.  29?!? Eeeek!  How in the world did this happen?  It seems like only yesterday I was graduating from high school and hitting the pavement with intentions of never looking back!  Ohh how time changes people, or is it how people find their true selves as time goes on?  Either way, here I am; there’s no turning back, no re-do’s, no CTRL-Z.  Onward march.

 We don’t shower each other with gifts, but we do like to give gifts that are meaningful, important, and/or useful.  This year E. took me to buy some new clothes.  I picked out a new shirt and vest.

E. and his parents put together a special jewelry box for me.  It’s a puzzle box.  He clocked me in at thirteen minutes; not too bad if I do say so myself.  

Puzzle Box. Painted and Assembled by E.

Other than that we spent the day together mostly just relaxing, and when I cooked, he cleaned up after me. Awesomeness!  Plus my mom surprised me with a old wagon wheel that I had eyed up at a garage sale but didn’t buy.  It’s been a great birthday party day, thanks to all of my loved ones.  29 doesn’t look so bad afterall.

Holly.Rae.