A couple weeks ago, my friend Martha mentioned Tater Tot casserole on Facebook. Her son had declared it his new favorite food, but she had never tried it. By the time I left my comments, she had already received 40+ others singing the praises of the pretty tot bake. Since I am a huge fan,… Continue reading Tater Tot (aka: Cowboy) Casserole
Home Made Chicken Stock
Whether you are roasting a whole chicken, deboning for stir fry, or just have a bucket of bones from KFC... chicken stock is super easy to make and is really worth the time. I've said it before, farmers have a philosophy of "waste not, want not". That goes double for me when it comes to… Continue reading Home Made Chicken Stock
Simple Baked Chicken with Lemon
So a couple of years ago, one of our friends messaged me with a poultry emergency. It wasn't the first time a backyard farmer had called with some kind of chicken issue, but she was in a real bind. She ordered chicks from a well-reputed chicken supplier and had ordered as many as she needed… Continue reading Simple Baked Chicken with Lemon
How to Brine a Chicken
For years I thought brining was some colossal pain in the tushie. I don't cook a lot of meat and I didn't want to bother with anything that involved. Being faced with a couple dozen tougher-than-they-should-be farm chickens forced me to face the brining demons in my mind. Braising is awesome, but sometimes you just… Continue reading How to Brine a Chicken
Play dough!!
I almost couldn't believe it when my cousin Connie (mother of three and all around awesomely crafty person) told me that she made her first batch of home made play dough this Christmas. It is so easy to make, super inexpensive, and your kiddos can help whip it up. Here are the very easy steps:… Continue reading Play dough!!
Easy make magnets
My kiddos love magnets. And, okay, so do I. I started them out with a set of foamy educational magnets. They are awesome. We can practice words and play at the same time. But they grew tired after a few months... It was a while before my little ones were old enough to not swallow… Continue reading Easy make magnets
Amazeballs pumpkin pie!
I did a combo approach to my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie this year. It turned out particularly well so I wanted to pass it along, in case anyone is planning on pumpkin for Christmas dinner 🙂 On p. 100 of the Amity Farmhouse Cookbook, you can find my recipe for a simple, custardy pumpkin pie. It's… Continue reading Amazeballs pumpkin pie!
Pumpkin Spice Cake
Now that I have a baked up and processed all my wonderful Halloween squashes, I'm ready to start my Thanksgiving baking!! And my pre-Thanksgiving baking, and my post-Thanksgiving baking... I love cooking with squashes 🙂 I have a few stand-by recipes I use a lot, but I always try to test out a few new… Continue reading Pumpkin Spice Cake
Never too early to start your garden
Fall is all around us here in small town Independence! The leaves are about halfway down and there is a chill in the air. The chickens have been molting so they are mostly bald. The cats have come indoors to snuggle by the fireplace. It's my favorite time of the year because it a time… Continue reading Never too early to start your garden
Moist apple (and pear) cake
So I have a dark baking secret... I always look up new recipes online. I do a search for the ingredients I have, look around on google images and try out new recipes based on the pictures. Yes, I judge books by their covers/food stylists. The other day I tried a new apple cake using… Continue reading Moist apple (and pear) cake
Art Farm Oregon 