Spring planting

We had my Mom stay a couple nights and that is always fun. Taking her home today, we decided to get some bulbs and things from her vast supply of plants and flowers.

Among the things we got from her was a "Chick and Hens". Of course we then knew we had to get a Strawberry planter to put them in.

We got some other things also that I will be planting soon and getting some pics.

Big News!

5/30/16
Many years have passed since we got our goats.  We enjoyed them so much and had others born or purchased.  Boogie and Bessie were our first experiment with farm animals besides our chickens.  They will never be forgotten!

 This was published on 3/13/10
Lex and I are expecting! We are very exciting. We are expecting twins, one boy and one girl. We even have a picture of them.

We should be bringing them home around the end of April.

I haven't registered yet for my baby shower, but I can let you know what I need. (no tin cans please!)

Right now our main concern is the nursery and learning everything we can about taking care of our "twins".

Sausage Sliders

I finally found a recipe to make delicious buns. Then I decided to make some italian sausages with peppers and onions to go on the buns.

The bun recipe:

1 1/4 c milk

1/2 c shortening

3 c flour

1/4 c sugar

1 tbls salt

2 1/4 tsps yeast (one packet)

Heat the milk (not boiling) and add the shortening. Stir until melted and the milk is cool enough to touch. Mix everything except the salt together and stir until well mixed. Cover with plastic wrap for about 20 min. Sprinkle the salt over it and put on lightly floured board. Knead for a short time mixing in the salt. Place in oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Let it rise until when poking your finger into it the dough does not spring back.

Form 18 balls and place on ungreased pan and let rise. Bake in preheated 400 F oven for about 15 mins. Let cool.

For the Sausage:

1 lb Italian Sausage (The kind that is 6 large links)

1 red pepper in strips

1 green pepper in strips

1 onion in strips

Olive Oil (not extra virgin)

1/2 c Shiraz

Put a little oil in a large frypan and cook the sausage about 20 min on med. Slice the sausage down the middle long ways and then half them so that you now have 12 sausages split almost all the way through so that they are open.

Put the peppers and onions in and cook about 20 more minutes covered. Remove lid and pour some Shiraz in and let it all cook down until the wine has gone.

Put one sausage on a bun with some peppers and onions. Add some tasty brown mustard (or wait for my Ruth sauce mmmmmm..... recipe).

I steamed some broccoli and cauliflower and heated some canned cheese sauce to pour over.

Drink the rest of the wine with this meal.

Handmade Dishwasher Detergent and Dish Soap

First I want to suggest purchasing a few things. I get some of these things at Dollar General. Some of the other stuff I had to hunt for. Internet, Hardware stores, and Krogers carry most of these. It may cost a lot at first, but it lasts a long time. If you look on the internet, you will find soooooooooo many things you can do with these things.

Borax

A&H Washing Soda

Unscented Liquid Castile Soap

Fels Naptha Bar Soap

Ivory Bar Soap

Tea Tree Oil (or any essential oil)

Peroxide

Vinegar

Sea Salt

Kosher Salt

Baking Soda

Glycerin

Honey

Olive Oil

Mineral Oil

Lemon Juice

Unsweetened Lemonade (Koolaid)

Food Coloring

Labels and Marker

MAKE YOUR OWN DISH SOAP

I grated 1 bar of Ivory bar soap and added 2 Tablespoons of glycerin and 2 Tablespoons of honey.Then I added 1 cup at a time of really HOT water and used a whip until I had the thickness I wanted and all the soap was dissolved.

I filled a small bottle with flip top and had enough left over to fill a larger dish detergent bottle with squirt top.

Of course you can add essential oil and food coloring if you so desire.

HOMEMADE DISHWASHER DETERGENT

(This may leave white residue if your water is hard)

1 cup washing soda (not baking soda)

1 cup borax

½ cup salt

½ cup citric acid (unsweetened lemonade koolaid works)

Mix together and store tightly covered. I love the plastic coffee containers from Folgers and Maxwell House. Use one tablespoon per load. Add vinegar to the rinse dispenser for the best results.

My Homemade Cheese Press

Thanks to my wonderful husband, Lex, I have this fantastic cheese press that really works just fine. I have used it quite a bit, and he wants to make one of those fancy kinds with a lever, but, that is totally up to him.

This is the way my finished cheese press looks, however, I sit it on the floor. Each gallon of water weighs about 8.35 pounds, so i fill them according to the kind of cheese I am making.

This is a 5 pound coffee can.













The coffee can has holes punched in it (from the inside to the outside, which isn't easy)








This is called the "follower". It sits on top of the cheesecloth covered cheese in the coffee can. The can has holes in the bottom so that excess liquid can drip out into a pan under the cheese press.









The "follower" is exactly the right size!!













This is what the top looks like. I am pointing at the screw that holds the "follower" in place.











Here is what the top of the press looks like upside down. The follower is attached to the top.










This is the base of the press where the coffee can, which is now a mold for the cheese, sits