last blast of winter?

The winter has been long here, and downright bone-chilling some days. But now that it's March, soon enough, the winds howling across the fields will slacken, warm, and there will be sunshine and the first hints of green. We'll tentatively open a window and take in the sweet aroma of a new season.

But until then, it's good to revisit some of our wintertime memories. As cold has the season has been, it was certainly filled with snowy fun!

The sledding hill...ready for some fun!

First run down the hill...

Whee ha!!

Walking back up is always less fun than sledding down.

Now THIS is the way to go up a hill!

I love the Stillmeadow books by Gladys Taber...they're all about country life, simple things, the changing seasons, and her experiences of living in an old farmhouse. 

This quote is by her, and seems to sum up our past winter season...

“We need time to dream,
time to remember,

 and time to reach the infinite.

Time to be.”

-Gladys Taber

 

artisanal sourdough bread...so easy!

 
I've had a sourdough crock bubbling away on the counter for quite awhile now. Sourdough is one of my favorite breads...crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside...yum!

So when I came across a no-knead recipe a few weeks ago, I had to try it out. A little reading through the recipe and I found that the dough had to sit and rise s.l.o.w.l.y.  -  12 to 18 hours slowly! Yikes, I almost tucked the recipe away. 

However; by 9 p.m. that night I whipped up the first part of the recipe and by 9 a.m. the next morning I was adding the last touches. This is what came out of the oven by lunchtime...

Absolutely wonderful! Crispy, golden crust...soft and chewy inside, just what I wanted!
Warm out of the oven we topped it with butter and smiled...mmmm. 

So here's the recipe...and really, don't let the time to make it worry you. Just toss it together before bedtime, then finish it up after doing the breakfast dishes. It's perfect pairing with with a bowl of of warm-you-to-your-toes soup!

Artisanal No-Knead Sourdough Bread 

3-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. active dry yeast
1-3/4 t. salt
2/3 c. sourdough starter
1-1/2 c. water
1-1/2 T. cornmeal...for dusting

Whisk together flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine starter and water; add to flour mixture. Blend with a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined...mixture will be very sticky and wet.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap; set aside at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. After at least 12 hours, dough should be dotted with bubbles and have doubled in size.

Turn out dough onto a surface lightly dusted with flour. Dust top of dough lightly with flour, cover with a cotton or linen tea towel, and set aside one to 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before the second rise is complete, place a round or oval 3-1/2 quart cast iron Dutch oven on the middle rack of oven; heat oven to 450 degrees. Once oven has reached desired temperature, carefully remove Dutch oven and sprinkle bottom with one tablespoon cornmeal.

Uncover dough and use a rubber spatula or two plastic dough scrapers, and fold dough over onto itself a few times; shape into a ball. Lift dough and drop into heated Dutch oven; dust lightly with remaining cornmeal. Bake bread, covered, for 35 minutes. Remove lid, rotate Dutch oven, and continue baking an additional 15 minutes, or until bread is golden.

Remove from oven, loosen loaf from Dutch oven and cool on a rack. Makes one loaf.

**You can find this recipe, and lots of other yummy ones, here...
in Grit's new Guide to Homemade Bread.**

chocolate fondue...

If you're searching for a Valentine's food gift to share, this fondue is terrific!

Graphics Source

I have a friend who often gifts me with a jar of this yummy fondue, and, I confess, I've been known to share it with my family only after a significant portion of the jar is missing (yes...secretly enjoyed by me.) Then we giggle about why on earth she would give us a jar that's half empty...but my family knows better!

Anyway, don't delay...this is a chocolate lover's dream!

Simply Wonderful Chocolate Fondue

24-oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 T. light corn syrup
3 to 6 T. orange extract
1 pt. heavy cream

Melt chips in a double boiler. Add remaining ingredients; stir until blended and warmed through.

Spoon into a glass jar and tuck into a basket along with pound cake, bananas, mandarin oranges, or strawberries. Give instructions to simply reheat and enjoy. Be sure to refrigerate leftovers...if there are any!

homemade crackers...

The temperatures have been swinging back & forth here in the Midwest. Some mornings we wake to find wind frosting the windowpanes and whistling through the tall pines. Single-digit nights mean bundling up for outdoor chores and moving a bit quicker than usual to get back inside the old farmhouse.

Only a few days later, we discover Mother Nature has warmed up enough for the bees in our hive to take a quick flight around after a long winter's nap. Even the girls are happy to stretch their legs outside of the coop and enjoy a bit of a breeze. A breeze that teases of springtime.

Today is somewhere in between...it's 30 degrees and yesterday's icy winds from the high-wind warning have slowed. Still, it's chilly enough for me to think a steaming bowl of soup should be on the menu for tonight's supper.

We almost always have both a loaf of warm bread and crackers on the table when it's soup-time (and maybe even a yummy grilled cheese sandwich!) Recently, a friend shared this recipe for homemade crackers. To my surprise delight, they take practically no time at all to make & bake!

Heart shapes for Valentine's Day!

Quick & Easy Homemade Crackers

1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1-1/2 t. cream of tartar

1 t. salt

3/4 t. baking soda

1/4 c. oil

1/2 c. water

1 egg, beaten

2 T. water

2 t. sugar

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add oil, stirring until mixture resembles crumbs. Stir in water, then continue to blend until a soft dough forms. Place dough on a lightly-floured surface and roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Whisk together egg, water, and sugar; brush over dough. Cut out crackers using cookie cutters. Place crackers on a lightly-oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until crackers are golden. 

Amount of crackers depends on thickness of dough and size of cookie cutter.

Sometimes I sprinkle dried garlic and dried, minced onion over the dough right after brushing it with the egg mixture...but you can use anything that's a favorite. Try dill, rosemary, sesame seeds, or coarse salt.

Click for Source...

So the next time you're in the mood for soup, try making some of your very own homemade crackers...they're oh-so good!

2 to 4 more inches...

A bit more snow in the forecast for today. Inside, it's warm & cozy with a Dutch oven of chili simmering on the stove and the aroma homemade bread baking.

However; outside, it's a bit different...

The beeskep in the herb garden is covered with snow.

 

 And look hard...can you see the cheery note Sweet Girl left on the chicken run?

(I Heart Chickens!)

But soon enough, we'll be hearing a friendly buzz in the garden...

 

and watching the first butterflies flit across the yard.

"When the snow is still blowing against the window-pane
in January & February, and the wild winds are howling without,
what pleasure it is to plan for summer that is to be."

-Celia Thaxter



So what are you doing on this winter's day?
Dreaming of spring?
Making Valentines?
Knitting by the fire?
Or maybe you're hauling firewood & filling feeders!

Whatever it might be, let your heart be light!

simple country pleasures...

Love those girls and their farm-fresh eggs...and finding this tiny one made me smile!

 Kitty on the coop...Tinkerbell getting a bird's-eye-view on a snowy day.

"I'm ready for my close-up..." Azreal, oh-so sweet & affectionate.

"Don't forget me!" A profile of Midnight...who can always be found twirling around our feet.

Hope it's warm where you are...school is out here today due to icy roads & freezing rain. 

Days like this call for homemade cocoa & doughnuts, a crackling fire, jammies, and a day of movie-watching...I'm off! 


Happy Monday!

snowy days of quiet beauty...

January on the farm....

temperatures plummet and we turn our heads away
from bone-chilling blasts of wind.

However; there is still beauty to be found...

 

  

“Winter is the time for comfort,
for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:
it is the time for home.”

― Edith Sitwell

hear that fiddle music?

You-Tube Video credit

"Ashokan Farewell" has been, for us, one of the most beautiful, haunting songs we've ever heard. If by chance you're unfamiliar with it, it's from the PBS series Civil War by Ken Burns. Take a minute and click above to hear it playing in the background while the Sullivan Ballou letter is read...I can't express how touching the letter & music are together.

For many years I've wanted to play the fiddle and this song was at the top of my list. But, alas, with kids on the move, a farm to keep up, church callings, and family & friends, it's just one of those things that sat on the back burner...until this past Christmas!

Just look what my family surprised me with!

yes, I've broken a string already...

yes, I'm screeching like a beginner...
and yes, I may get my family matching earplugs...

but with the help of this book...how can I fail?

Old-Time Fiddle for the Complete Ignoramus by Wayne Erbsen

(Don't you love that title?!)

While I'm working my way through the book, it'll most likely be quite a long while before I'm playing "Ashokan Farewell"...but I'm on my way.

And so, to leave you with a smile...

What's the difference between a violin & a fiddle?
Well...a violin has strings, a fiddle has straaangs!

happy new year!

Now that's a snowman! 

 

Happy New Year, and may it be a blessed 2013 for you.