Let's Make Chèvre!

I've had dairy goats for a little over a year now. In that time not only have I discovered the most amazing, mischievous little companions, but also that um, goat milk is like the best thing ever. And goat cheese? Fahgetaboutit. Chèvre is smooth, creamy and has just enough bite to let you know you're eating something kinda fancy. But if you're reading my blog, you probably currently have chicken poop on your shoes so that oughta balance that fancy right out. 

Ingredients:

1 Gallon Goat Milk

1 Packet Chèvre Starter Culture

Cheese Salt (Optional)

Herbs and Spices (Optional)

Equipment:

Large Pot

Wooden Spoon

Cheese Thermometer

Cheesecloth

Colander

Pour goat milk into the large pot and warm over medium heat to 86 degrees F. If it's fresh, you may actually have to let it cool down. I don't have any goats in milk at the moment so I use frozen and it takes a while to melt and heat up. Sprinkle the chèvre starter culture over the warm milk and let rehydrate for two minutes. Do not stir.

Cover the pot full of warm milk and let sit undisturbed at room temperature for 12-18 hours. Ladle curds into your cheesecloth lined colander and allow to drain for 4-8 hours. You can nix the colander all together and hang the cheesecloth to drain but I find using the handles of a colander to suspend over a deep bowl easiest to work with. If you don't have a thousand animals in the house like we do, you could just let it drain sitting in your kitchen sink.

Ba-bam! Congratulations, you just made a super fancy sounding cheese. Now tell everyone you know and impress the heck out of them. 

To shape into balls or logs, chill the cheese for a couple of hours first - shaping will be much easier. Pictured clockwise from upper left is plain salted, rosemary garlic, cinnamon pecan, and lastly (and my absolute favorite) tomato basil. Get creative with flavor combinations,

almost everything pairs well with Chèvre.

Simple Homemade Goat Cheese

We've had two goats in milk for almost two day now. I'm getting over half a gallon a day. On paper it doesn't sound like much, but only two days in, I can see that I'm going to be swimming in goat milk by the end of the week. I drink a lot of milk, but not half a gallon per day! One thing I was looking forward to when getting mama goat in milk (aside from drinking the delicious milk) was making cheese. Good thing, too, cuz we have plenty of milk to spare for making various dairy products. And lemme tell ya, not only is goat milk delicious, but so is the cheese. This cheese tastes like mozzarella to me, so I can definitely see us using it on pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and anywhere else mozzarella would be tasty. Which to me is pretty much on anything. And best of all, it's ridiculously simple to make - only two ingredients required and can be made in twenty minutes!

First things first, you need to get yourself a really cute goat in milk. Or go with the less fun options - maybe a friend has some goats in milk, or you can even purchase goat milk from the store. I personally vote that you get a goat, but I'm biased.

Now, gather your ingredients, and supplies:

- 1/2 Gal. of goat milk (you can double the recipe if you have more milk, just be sure to double the vinegar)
- 1/4 C. White Wine Vinegar, White Vinegar, or Apple Cider Vinegar
....yes, just two ingredients!
- Optional, herbs to flavor

*Update: I've now used both white wine vinegar, and white distilled vinegar. White wine vinegar creates a firmer, more crumbly cheese (good for salads), while white distilled seems to create a softer, more spreadable cheese (excellent for toasted bread). Not sure why this is, if anyone has the answer, I'd be glad to hear it! :)

- Large Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Colander
- Cheese Cloth
- Cooking Thermometer

Pour milk into the pot, and heat on medium heat until the milk reaches 185 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent burning. It took about ten minutes for mine to reach 185 degrees.

Stir in vinegar, and remove from heat. The milk will curdle within a few seconds. Allow curdled milk to rest for five minutes. Meanwhile, line your colander with the cheese cloth.

Pour the curds into the cheesecloth lined colander. You can place a bowl underneath the colander to catch the whey if you wish to save it to use in cooking.

Squeeze the excess moisture from the cheese - careful, it's hot! You can leave as little or as much liquid in your cheese as you like. I squeezed as much liquid out as I could, which resulted in a drier cheese.

Crumble cheese up in a bowl.

Add herbs. I used basil, and garlic salt.

I used a small bowl as a mold, but almost anything solid with four sides would work - be creative! I pressed the cheese down using my hands, then really packed it in using the bottom of a spice jar. The tighter you pack it, the more solid of a cheese you'll get.

Voila! This cheese is so wonderful, and easy to make. I have cheese making supplies, such as citric acid, and rennet tablets but something about just being able to use milk, and vinegar sounded awesome to me. It's so simple, and turned out beautifully. I will be making this cheese again, and again, and again. And the combinations of flavorings, and herbs are truly endless. Tomorrow I'll be making goat cheese with lavender and honey. Yum!

Two Ingredient Energy Bars

It's HERE, it's finally here! What you may ask? GARDENING SEASON. I've been waiting all winter for this very time of year. If you're a gardener, goat keeper, or chicken keeper like myself - you need all the energy you can get. These bars are not only energizing thanks to the natural sugars in the dried fruits, but also filling thanks to the healthy fat in the nuts. These bars would also be excellent to take along on a hike, foraging for wild edibles such as dandelions, or mushrooms, or whilst simply enjoying nature. They're super simple to make - just TWO ingredients, and you probably have them in your pantry right now. So get to work whipping these together, then get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Two Ingredient Energy Bars

1 C. Dried Fruit (Prunes, Apricots, Cherries, Blueberries, etc)
1 C. Nuts/Seeds (Walnuts, Pistachios, Sunflower Seeds, etc)

Combine dried fruit, and nuts in a food processor. I used one cup of prunes, and a 1 cup combination of pistachios, and walnuts. Feel free to play around with this recipe by combining different fruits, and nuts. You can also double, or triple this recipe. As long as there are equal parts of fruit, and nuts, ya can't go wrong. Process for a few minutes, until nuts break down, and mixture becomes sticky.

Dump out onto wax paper, form into a ball, and flatten out to your preference using your hands, or a rolling pin. I used my hands 'cuz I'm lazy like that. You can make the bars as thick, or thin as you like.

Refrigerate for thirty minutes. Cut into bars, and enjoy. All this fruity, nutty, healthy goodness - they are delicious, no joke. I would imagine these bars can be kept in the fridge for quite a long time, given that they are made of foods that have a long shelf life themselves. The bars can also be frozen for longer storage if you want to make up a super-sized batch.

Honey Wheat Poppyseed Bagels

Yesterday on our way to work, my husband and I stopped to grab a couple of breakfast sandwiches from McD's. I know I know, its not healthy, but we were hungry and in a hurry so it got the job done. While eating his steak breakfast bagel (who eats steak for breakfast?? oh yeah, my husband), he professed his love for bagels. I never buy bagels at the store 'cuz I'm a toast kinda girl, but I thought, why haven't I made bagels yet? They seems simple enough, and as everyone knows, homemade is always best. I whipped up this recipe, and I ain't lookin' back. Homemade bagels are DA BOMB. These bagels are slightly sweetened from the honey, but you could totally leave the honey out of the recipe and use these as sandwich buns. In fact, that's a dandy idea for dinner tomorrow!

Honey Wheat Poppyseed Bagels

1 tsp. Fast Rise Yeast
1 1/2 C. Warm Water
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 C. Honey
2 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp. Poppyseed
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Water

In a large bowl, combine yeast, salt, honey, and water. Let sit for five minutes to allow the yeast to bloom, and become frothy. Begin adding flour, one cup at a time, stirring until the dough becomes too difficult to easily stir. Add more flour as necessary, and begin kneading. The flour is approximate, you may require a little more, or a little less. The dough is done once its smooth, elastic, and not sticky to the touch. Place dough in a greased bowl, and cover with saran wrap. Let rise for one hour, or until doubled in size. Once doubled, sprinkle dough with a little flour, and punch down. Re-cover with saran wrap, and let rise for another twenty minutes.

Put a half full pot of water on the stove to boil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Divide dough into eight pieces. Roll dough into balls, and poke hole through each ball with your finger, gently stretching until the hole in the center is around a half inch. Gently drop bagels into boiling water, and boil two minutes on each side. Remove bagels from boiling water with a slotted spoon, and place onto a greased cookie sheet. Whisk egg, and water. Lightly brush each bagel with egg mixture. Bake for thirty minutes. Cool on a wire rack, and enjoy with some cream cheese, and jam! :)

Philly Cheesesteak Pasta

Believe me when I tell you that this is one of the best dishes I've ever made IN MY LIFE. Its incredible. Seriously. I had planned on making beef stroganoff, but used up all of my cream of mushroom soup on last nights chicken and dumplings (I'll post that recipe soon). So I had ground steak, I had mushrooms, I had plenty of onions, and I had green peppers that I knew I wanted to use in tonights dinner. Hmm, what to make? Of course, philly cheesesteaks came to mind. But I wanted pasta. What a conundrum. So I did what I always do when I'm about to make something amazing - I poured myself a glass of wine, and started tossing stuff together. A dash of this. A pinch of that - and voila! Philly Cheesesteak Pasta was born. I will be making this approximately once a week for the rest of my life. My god.

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Philly Cheeseteak Pasta
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, sliced thinly
1 Large Green Pepper, sliced thinly
1 Tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 Pkg White Mushroom, sliced
1 Lb. Ground Steak, or Ground Beef
1 Lb. Pasta, cooked to al dente, and drained
1/2 C. Beef Broth
1 C. Shredded Mozzarella

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine olive oil, onion, green pepper, season salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Saute over medium-high heat until tender. Add sliced mushrooms. Cook an additional five minutes. Transfer to a bowl. In the same skillet, cook ground steak, or beef until done. Drain if necessary. Combine cooked veggies to ground beef. Add beef broth, and stir. Add beef/veggie mixture to cooked, and drained pasta. Add cheese. Stir until melted. Serve, and enjoy!

Maple Oat Scones

A shipment came in from Amazon today: a foldaway dog playpen (aka my new chick brooder), two small dog crates, one wine making book, one cheese making book, and three preserving/cookbooks. I immediately sat down and started flipping through the preserving/cookbooks, making a list of all the things I wanted to can this coming summer. Then I came to this recipe. The picture made my mouth water like crazy, so I plopped the book down on the table, and set to work to create these tasty morsels. Right out of the oven, warm and crisp, I filled one with strawberry lavender jam.... and then I died.

Okay, obviously I didn't die, but my god was it amazing! Please make these scones. Make them now.

This recipe was adapted from Canning For A New Generation by Liana Krissoff. I halved everything in the original recipe except for the amount of eggs, because being a chicken keeper whose husband doesn't particularly like eggs, I have a ton to use up.

Maple Oat Scones
1 3/4 C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C. Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Butter (2 sticks)
1/4 C. Yogurt
1/4 C. Pure Maple Syrup
5 Large Eggs

Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Using your fingertips, two knives held together, or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, maple syrup, and 4 of the eggs. Pour the mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated; do not over mix. The dough will be somewhat sticky.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface. Flour your hands, then pat the dough out to ¾” to 1″ inch thick. Cut into 2 ½” inch rounds (I used a wide-mouth pint canning jar ring) and place on the greased baking sheets. Gather up leftover dough, handling it as little as possible, and pat it out to cut more rounds. If the kitchen is warm, put the baking sheets in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to firm up, so they don’t spread too much in the oven.

In a small bowl whisk the remaining egg and brush on top of the scones. Sprinkle with oats. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating and switching the pans halfway through, until deep golden brown. Remove to wire racks.

Serve warm, with a large dollop of jam in the center. Enjoy

Makes 10 scones.

Soft Garlic Basil Breadsticks

I love making bread, but with most basic bread recipes, I find that the bread gets pretty hard the next day. I made these two days ago, and they're still super soft. I'm having a leftover breadstick as I type. I whipped them up for dinner with a pot of pasta and tangy pasta sauce I canned last summer. The secret to super soft bread? Milk, egg, and plenty of butter. My experimentation turned out wonderful, and my husband devoured these babies. Crisp on the outside, and pillow soft on the inside.

Soft Garlic Basil Breadsticks

1 Packet Fast Rise Yeast
1/2 C. Warm Water
1/2 C. Warm Milk
2 tsp. Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Butter, Room Temp
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Crush Dried Basil
3 1/2 C Flour
Garlic Salt to Garnish

In a large bowl, or stand mixer bowl, combine yeast, sugar, warm milk, and warm water. Let sit for five minutes to allow yeast to activate (it will start to look foamy). Add in butter, egg, garlic powder, and basil. Then add in three cups of flour. From there add in flour as you need to get the dough smooth yet elastic - in the end, you may need to add exactly 3 1/2 C, or you may need to sprinkle in a little more to get the desired consistency. When the dough has the right amount of flour, it should no longer be super sticky, but also not tough. Transfer dough into a large bowl, oiled with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm place for around an hour, or until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, punch down. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide dough in half, then divide each half into six, making a total of twelve small balls of dough. Form each ball into a long breadstick shape, and place onto a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle unbaked breadsticks with garlic salt. Bake breadsticks for 10-12 minutes.

From Scratch Chicken Noodle Soup

The nasty flu bug has officially hit our household. My hubby started feeling bad yesterday morning, and it progressively worsened as the day went on. Yesterday evening he was hot, then he was freezing, he was cranky, then he was sweet. Men are kinda big babies when they're sick, am I right? (Love you, honey!) BUT he always takes good care of me when I'm sick, and since I love him dearly, I made sure to do the same for him.

The only thing that sounded good to him was a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. Who doesn't want chicken noodle soup when they're sick? Its so comforting, warming, and soul-soothing. I set to work in the kitchen to make a big pot of our favorite chicken noodle soup, because lord knows I'll be sick soon, too.

Chicken Noodle Soup

6 Celery Stalks, diced
2 C. Sliced Carrots
1 Medium Onion
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
5 Quarts Chicken Broth
2 Chicken Breasts, thawed (Bone-In or Boneless, whatever you have)
1 Pkg Egg Noodles
3 Tbsp. Dried Parsley
2 Tbsp. Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 Tsp. Celery Seed

In a large stock pot, combine celery, carrots (mine were from last seasons garden and still frozen), onions, and olive oil. Saute on high for 10 minutes. If mixture gets too dry, add a dab more of olive oil.

Add chicken broth, chicken breasts, and all the spices. Simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and easily shredded. Remove chicken breasts, shred. Add shredded chicken back to the pot. Bring to a boil, add egg noodles. Boil soup for 10 minutes or until noodles are al dente.

Fruit Infused Water Three Ways

I've never been a huge fan of soda. It's okay every once in a while, but its just too sweet for me to consider drinking it every day. When I would drink soda, it was usually diet because I found it to be less of a syrupy fat trap. With all the claims of diet soda causing cancer due to the sweetener in it, I promptly stopped consuming it.  Though I could drink plain 'ole water for the rest of my life and be content, its nice to mix it up once in a while.

The answer to your boring water prayers? Fruit infused water. Its all natural, you know exactly what goes in it (unlike the 'fruit flavored' waters at the store), it contains nutrients, and more importantly, its down right refreshing. I like to store my fruit water in mason jars for an easy grab and go beverage when I'm walking out the door. Be aware that the longer fruit water sits, the stronger it gets - citrus fruit such as lime and grapefruit can become quite potent and bitter after a few days.

Fruit infused water is super simple to make, and definitely doesn't require a recipe, so much as a suggestion. These three fruit waters have been tested and approved. Drink right away, or let infuse for a few hours. The great part about this water is that you can drink and keep refilling with water over the coarse of a few days to get all the usage out of that beautiful fruit that you can.

Apple Cinnamon - One sliced up apple, and two cinnamon sticks

Pineapple Lime - Half a cup of fresh pineapple chunks, and two slices of lime

Cucumber Orange - Several slices of cucumber, and three orange slices

Lemon Cupcakes with Blackberry Basil Buttercream

Today is my husbands birthday! The young pup is finally catching up with me. The big 2-6. I'm only 26 myself, but I'm four months older than he is. It's not much of an age difference but sometimes it feels like fifteen years. I'd like to think I'm an old soul. Oh to just be turning 26 again...

Unfortunately he had to work today, but fortunately for him, that gives me plenty of time to make his favorite treats. He'll be ecstatic to come home to pizza and lemon cupcakes. Heck, I'm excited to have pizza and lemon cupcakes!

Lemon Cupcakes with Blackberry Basil Buttercream

3 C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 C. Sweet Cream Butter, room temp
2 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Zest of Two Lemons
1 C. Whole Milk
Juice of One Lemon

Frosting:
1 C. Sweet Cream Butter
4 C. Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp. Whole Milk
1/2 C. Blackberry Basil Jam or Blackberry Jam with 2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Basil

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. To the butter/sugar mixture, add eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix briefly to combine. Add in the milk, and flour mixture. Mix only until combined - do not over mix. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 15 -17 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely. Makes roughly 20 cupcakes.

Once cupcakes are completely cool, cream together butter, powdered sugar, jam, and milk. Now frost those babies!

Two Weeks of Green Smoothies in Twenty Minutes

Last year for Christmas, I received a NutriBullet from my hubby. I fell in love with it. Do I believe the hype that it 'extracts and unlocks' secret nutrients in fruits and veggies? No, but that had nothing to do with why I wanted it. I love green smoothies, but I'm not so fond of the texture that comes from a smoothie made in a traditional blender. Even a good run-of-the-mill blender will still leave little flecks of fruits and veggies behind. I like my smoothies blended to near juice-like perfection. Nothing kills a smoothie for me like a hunk of kale floating into my mouth when I'm expecting a smooth drink of awesome. The NutriBullet definitely fit the bill and got the job done well.

Though I love eating fruits and veggies, I don't always get my recommended daily amount. A green smoothie is a great way to pack in all of those missed-out-on daily nutrients. If your taste buds aren't too picky, almost any vegetable and fruit can be thrown into a smoothie. Green smoothies are delicious and refreshing, but different from chain restaurant and coffee house versions of smoothies which contain mostly fruit, yogurt, and sugar. Green smoothies contain 50-75% vegetables, making them less sweet but MUCH more nutritious. Natural sweeteners, such as honey, or agave nectar are great additions if you wanna sweeten things up. As I type this, I'm drinking a kale, pumpkin, carrot, and strawberry smoothie with a touch of honey. Yum.

The two days a week that I work, I leave the house at 6am. I barely have time to make coffee (which is necessary to live), so I rarely have time to make a smoothie. Chopping, portioning, and freezing the ingredients ahead of time allows you to have that good for you drink every morning. This recipe makes an excellent drink on its own, but if you have any veggies floating around in the fridge, feel free to toss an extra goodie into your green smoothie. I tried it with cucumber and it was extra refreshing.

Makes enough for two weeks worth of green smoothies, and can be doubled for a whole months worth of green nutrient-rich gold.

Green Strawberry Smoothie

1 Large Bag of Kale, washed
3 Zucchini
7 Gala Apples
2 (16 oz) Bags of Frozen Strawberries
14 Quart Freezer Bags

Wash all the produce. Peel, and half apples. Remove seeds, and place half of an apple in each bag. Add roughly one cup of loosely packed kale into each bag. Chop zucchini into one inch slices, and add roughly half a cup per bag.

Finally add 3-4 strawberries to each bag. Divvy up any leftover fruits and vegetables into each bag. Label and freeze.

Blend with one and a half cups of water until smooth.

Cucumber Dill Tea Sandwiches

When it comes to an appetizer or snack, I like simple and quick. This recipe is just that, simple, quick, and best of all inexpensive. All you need are five ingredients to make these beautiful tea sandwiches that are sure to be a hit. Fancy food without the footwork, my favorite.

Cucumber Dill Tea Sandwiches

1 Loaf of French Bread, sliced and halved
16 oz. Sour Cream
1 (1oz) pkg. Dill Dip Mix
1-2 Large Cucumbers, Peeled and Sliced (I like to use the peeler to make ribbons)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For best results, combine the sour cream and dill dip mix a few hours before preparing. Spread a dollop of the dill dip on each half-slice of bread, top with cucumber slices or ribbons, and finish off with a crank of freshly ground black pepper.

Easy peasy, and scrumptious!

Creamy Cinnamon Hot Chocolate

We have so much snow here in Southeastern Missouri. Country snow is different than town snow. Being a newbie country dweller, this is the first time I've truly experienced snowfall in the sticks. In town, the streets are a mess; the snow banked on the sides, grey and brown from dirt and exhaust. Even after two days, the snow out here is still so pure and fresh. 

It was a wonderful sight, the lofty flakes floating down to rest on evergreen branches. Our pond is entirely frozen over thanks to the intense temperature drop over the last week. A big fluffy layer of snow has collected on top. I'd love to try ice skating in the future, but the fear of somehow slicing my fingers off in a tumble might just be enough to keep me from attempting that. For now, I'll just enjoy the beautiful scenery.  

Luna is part husky. I think she's the ONLY one enjoying the freezing temps here at the farm - the little dogs certainly aren't. The Chi-Doxie Gang prefer to be in the warm blanketed lap of luxury, indoors. And I prefer to be that lap, while simultaneously enjoying a mug of toasty hot chocolate. BUT, the chickens need tending to, and neither hell, nor high water (or snow) will keep me from making sure my girls are comfortable in their coop.

Creamy Cinnamon Hot Chocolate

makes 5 cups 

4 C. Milk
1/2 C. Water
1/3 C. Cocoa Powder
1/3 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Mini Marshmallows
3 Cinnamon Sticks
Pinch of Salt

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, water, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring continuously. Add marshmallows. Keep over medium heat until marshmallows are melted. Serve in a large mug with extra marshmallows and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Simple Beef Stroganoff

'Round here, we love beef stroganoff. Noodles? Good. Butter? Good. Beef? Goooood. If you've watched the episode of Friends where Rachel makes a disgusting jam/meat trifle and Joey eats the entire thing, you knew where I was going with that. This dish is quick and easy to prepare after a long day. Who wants to stand in the kitchen for an hour after getting home, taking care of dogs, chickens, house work, etc? Not I! Whip up this tasty pot of comfort food in no time and have it on the dinner table for your family to enjoy on a chilly weeknight. 

Simple Beef Stroganoff

1 lb Ground Beef or Ground Steak
1 Large Onion, diced
1/4 C. Butter
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Can of Mushrooms
2 Tbsp. Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste (I use around 1 tsp each)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 C. Sour Cream
1 C. Milk
Package of Egg Noodles, cooked and drained

Toss butter, onion, and garlic in a sauce pan. Sauté until onions are tender. Add ground beef. Cook until beef is done, drain fat. Add in flour, salt, pepper, and mushrooms. Cook on medium heat for five minutes. Stir in cream of chicken soup, simmer for an additional five minutes. Mix in sour cream, then slowly add milk, stirring to combine. Combine with egg noodles, and voila! 

Pumpkin Dip

Looking for an easy treat to take to fall parties? Bam, here it is! This popular recipe has been circulating around Pinterest ever since I joined a few years ago - and for good reason, it's amazing! If you plop it into a mini pie pumpkin with a couple sticks of cinnamon, you'll get some pretty serious praise. I know this from experience. The original recipe can be found here.

Pumpkin Dip

2 c. pureed pumpkin (canned or home processed)
1 (5oz) box vanilla pudding (just the powder, don't make it!)
1 (16oz) tub of cool whip
1/2 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 small pumpkin

Mix first five ingredients in a container. Chill. In the meantime, carve that pumpkin up! Sprinkle with cinnamon and garnish with cinnamon sticks if desired. Serve with apple slices, ginger snaps, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, or literally anything your heart desires (though I would advise against dipping steak in it). I attached the top to the side of my pumpkin using a toothpick. Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Molasses Cookies, and a Great Book

This book. I have been waiting for this book for MONTHS. It's been torture. I finally received it last week via UPS, and immediately sat down with a cup of peppermint tea to submerse myself in it. I finished it the next day - it was that good. AND, the last few pages of the book are filled with some of her favorite recipes. I knew I just had to try one that day.

I've been an avid fan of Chickens in the Road since 2010. I discovered the site whilst researching homemade Christmas decorations. This woman has been the inspiration for the farm life I want to live. She pretty much rocks. She keeps cows, chickens, donkeys, horses, and goats. Her goats love her molasses cookies , as now do I! They are moist, chewy, and perfectly molasses-y. And dipped in milk? Fo-get about it!

Molasses Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup molasses

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Stir in eggs and molasses. Add soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Stir to combine. Stir in flour. Spoon dough onto waxed paper and roll into logs for slicing. Wrap and chill. Slice or form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375-degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Summer Fresh Tomato Pie

Nothing better than a garden fresh tomato, eh? Believe it or not, I just came to realize this last summer. Ever since I can remember I've hated tomatoes. I stopped trying to like them sometime in my late childhood and have avoided them at all costs since. Last summer, something changed. Ever since I grew my very first tomato in my own garden, I fell in love. I incorporate them into dishes whenever I can. A tomato hanging on the vine, warmed by the afternoon sun, and ripened to juicy perfection. You can't beat that. 

This recipe is not my own and was taken from a favorite site of mine. I saw it and knew I just had to try it. Hands down, a new favorite in this household. It sorta reminded me of a pizza made with very fresh ingredients. Vine ripened tomatoes and garden fresh basil. Mmhmm. An excellent weeknight dinner for a warm summer night.  

Summer Fresh Tomato Pie

2 C. Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Sugar

2 sticks Butter

1/4 C. Ice Water

3 Large Ripe Tomatoes

Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves

2 C. Shredded Cheese of your choice (Mozzarella, Cheddar, Provolone, etc)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cherry Tomatoes and a Sprig of Basil to garnish, optional

Combine flour, salt, sugar and butter in food processor. Pulse until blended. Add ice water in slow steady stream pulsing just until dough holds together, about 30 seconds. Flatten dough into disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough and pat onto bottom and sides of tart pan. Bake crust for five minutes, then remove from oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees.

Arrange tomato slices over crust, sprinkle with basil. Mix cheese and mayo in small bowl, salt and pepper to taste. Spread evenly over the tomatoes and basil. Bake pie 30 minutes or until top is browned and bubbly.  Remove from oven and garnish with sliced cherry tomatoes and a sprig of basil.

Fresh Watermelon Lime Sorbet

It's warm today, like in the 90's warm, and it's only the middle of May. Like most people I look forward to the summer and all the activities that go along with it - but I don't look forward to the so-hot-you-think-you-might-die heat. There is a bit of relief to be sought from the warmer months in the form of air conditioning and frosty treats. Our new ice cream maker will come in super handy with the latter. Earlier in the month, I made Strawberry Lemon Ice Cream with leftover strawberries from my Strawberry Jam making soiree. The only attendees were my husband, our dogs, and cat. Mostly, everyone else just slept the entire time I was making jam. Okay, not much of a soiree but I'm still calling it that. I like that word. Soiree. 

Anywho, we've recently developed an obsession with watermelon, not only buying four watermelons in the last two weeks and devouring them, but also tilling up an additional 14' x 14' chunk of earth for a watermelon patch. What better way to cool off on a warm streak than a fresh sorbet? Not many that I can think of. Unless of course someone wants to come over and install a swimming pool for us. Seriously, I'll even give you some sorbet!

Fresh Watermelon Lime Sorbet

3/4 of a Large Watermelon, cut into chunks and de-seeded

1 c. Sugar

1 c. Water

Juice of 3 Limes

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water over medium heat. Stir until dissolved. Combine watermelon, lime juice, and simple syrup in a blender (it will take a few batches) until liquefied. Freeze in ice cream maker per instructions. Mine took about 30 minutes to create a soft-serve consistency. Enjoy by itself or even combine with your favorite wine for a refreshing sangria! 

Easy Alfredo Pizza Sauce

Using my garlic pizza crust recipe, I concocted this DELICIOUS Alfredo pizza. While we salivate over the thought of pretty much every kind of pizza known to man, I wanted something a little different than the typical robust tomato sauce based pizza I usually make. It turned out wonderfully and I will definitely be making this pizza again... is tomorrow too soon?

Alfredo Pizza Sauce

makes enough sauce for two medium sized pizzas

1 1/2 c. Milk (I used 2%, but Skim or Whole Milk will work as well)

1/4 c. Butter

1/3 c. Parmesan Cheese, Grated

2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour

2 Garlic Cloves

1 tsp. Sea Salt (this is roughly what I used, you may want to add more or less depending on your tastes)

2 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Make a roux by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add in flour, stirring continually. Allow to bubble for a minute or so - still stirring. Stir in milk, cover and simmer for a few minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Once slightly thickened, add in cheese, salt, and pepper. Grate garlic cloves directly over the saucepan. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thick and creamy. Remember that the sauce will thicken as it cools, but if sauce is still thinner than you'd like, simmer (with lid off and stirring occasionally) for a few minutes until desired thickness is reached. Cool completely before using. 

There are tons of topping combinations you could use with this sauce to make some super tasty pizza. I used broccoli, and sliced mushrooms this time around. Here are a few other topping ideas I look forward to trying in the future: Chicken & Spinach, Bacon & Jalapenos, Chicken & Tomatoes, Mushrooms & Spinach, Black Olives & Feta, etc. Use your imagination - almost anything will be amazing with this delicious Alfredo sauce. Enjoy!

Garlic Pizza Crust

We're a house of pizza lovers. All kinds of pizza combinations, too! Pepperoni and Banana Pepper, Ham and Pineapple, Chicken and Spinach, Italian Sausage and Mushroom, Chicken and Onions, Bacon and Jalapenos, Tomato and Basil, Mushroom and Black Olives... I'd continue but I think you get the point. This pizza dough isn't exactly what most might deem 'healthy', but it's certainly better than the oil loaded crust from most pizza places. And it's so yummy! It's hard to beat warm homemade pizza dough covered with tangy saucy, cheese and your favorite toppings. 

Garlic Pizza Crust

makes enough for two large pizzas

1 packet of fast rising yeast

2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 c. Warm Water

3 1/2 c. Flour

1 Tbsp. Basil (Optional)

In a large bowl, combine yeast, salt, sugar, garlic powder, basil, and olive oil. Pour in warm water, stir and allow yeast to blossom until foamy (5-10 minutes). Add in 3 cups of flour, so that the dough is coming together but still sticky. Using your hands add in the additional flour and knead the dough right in the bowl. I've never been much for kneading on a floured surface, to me it makes an unnecessary mess. Add in additional flour - you may need to add a small amount of additional flour to make the dough firm and no longer sticky. Knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. 

Spray another large bowl with olive oil spray or coat in a thin layer of olive oil using your fingers. Transfer dough into oiled bowl, and cover with damp towel or plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

Once doubled in size, sprinkle a little flour on the dough and punch it down. Knead for an additional minute. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes. In the mean time, prepare pizza toppings. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Halve dough and place on greased pans. Alternate working each pan of dough, stretching a little at a time and allowing a few minutes of rest for each dough. 

Top dough with desired toppings (we love fire roasted tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, grape tomatoes, and basil), and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden. Enjoy!