Vanilla Extract on the Cheap

Every time I buy vanilla extract, I cringe because of the exorbitant price.
So I bought my own vanilla beans wholesale and poured vodka over them.
I have another bottle like this to fill and then I'll be on the hunt for cheap bottles.
I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Beef Stock

Here's the finished product of the beef bone stock.
The photo is making everything a little more orange than t is, but the color is fairly accurate. It looks just like the expensive brand of chicken stock I buy at the store.
I used some in our roast the other night and it was the best beef and potatoes I had ever had. So that's an encouraging thought!

This stock will be a healthy food for my family. I know that much.

Fire Burn and Caldron Bubble

I'm too proud of this concoction to wait for the finished product, neatly lined up in jars on my counter. I have to show you now!

Isn't it pretty?

It's beef stock with roasted beef bones, carrots, celery, garlic, red onion, spring onion, a splash of vinegar, and parsley.
I'll add some sea salt before I can it. It's been simmering close to 24 hours now.

While the girls are reffing a soccer game in town, I plan to run into Appomattox and buy some more canning jars plus some pretty phlox to plant by the mouth of the driveway. The pretty phlox can be a pig snack.

The cat and the pig are both still pregnant as I type up this post...

Yonanas!

Laura and I were at our Weight Watchers meeting the other day when we heard about a Yonana machine that turns fruit into ice cream.
I could use the Vitamix, but it wastes so much of the sorbet trying to dig it out of the bottom.
I splurged. It's worth it!
In a matter of seconds this turns frozen fruit into a creamy ice cream substitute.
It will be especially good for summer to have point free desserts which actually satisfy.

Laura, Chili Maker

Laura threw together a pot of excellent chili and a big pan of cornbread tonight.

Do not let anyone tell you that teenagers aren't the best type of people!

Homemade Tortillas

Becky fried up peppers, onions, and chicken in a skillet while Laura squished tortillas flat in a press.
Before soccer, I ate three burritos.
Best. Food. Ever!

Laura's Homemade Rolls

Laura is learning to perfect a variety of foods from watching Chef John and other professionals on Allrecipes.com.

Here are her delicious hot dog and hamburger buns.

I'm glad that the girls are all good at cooking and baking, but I do wish that our family doctor would fork over a prescription for diet pills for me.

Laura's Recipes

After years of Becky dominating the role of chef here at Providence Farm, Laura has stepped up to the plate, or stove, and started to excel in the culinary arts.
This is her homemade Alfredo sauce with pasta. It was absolutely delicious!

She's made quite a few dishes on her own, and she's been perfecting a pumpkin roll and her original recipe of a Christmas Jell-O dessert.

Cake!

Becky made this mesmerizing design on the cake.
I don't know how it tastes because I started my diet today.
This is going to be a hard decision to stick with.

Reading is Fundamental

Katie didn't used to like reading, but this year has been the turning point for her. Our latest read-aloud was Nancy Drew, The Secret of Shadow Ranch. It was so much fun to feel her little kid head, smelling that summer smell of sweat, resting on my shoulder as I read, having her beg for one more chapter, since as you probably know, Nancy always ends a chapter in a cliff-hanger. The western ranch theme of the book inspired tonight's dinner: cowboy casserole. Beef, beans, onions, peppers, and salsa covered with cornbread. What a joy it is to be able to share books from my childhood with my daughters!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Swedish-Rye-Bread/Detail.aspx

Here's Becky, mixing up a rye bread since Dad likes rye.
She ground her own rye, and used the above recipe to make it. These are dough hooks on our fancy JC Penny Christmas mixer.
I'll post a photo when it's finished baking.

Laura's Crescent Rolls

Here are Laura's dinner rolls, made for Daddy's return tonight.
First photo is going into the oven. Next is coming out. Yum!
We got the recipe from a friend who also uses Prairie Gold wheat.
2 cups wheat flour
2 cups white flour
an egg plus water to equal 1 1/3 cup (Spinster, this is not an 11)
2 tsp yeast
2 TBSP sugar or honey
2 TBSP oil
1 tsp salt
You probably already know that you knead then allow to rise till doubled,
roll with rolling pin into a rectangle, cut into triangles, roll into crescents, let rise a little, bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Shakes! (Wink, Wink)

My nephew declares that he won't eat vegetables.
However, he's drinking a quarter of a red cabbage in his "chocolate shake."
It left a purple tinge, which I was sure would tip them off, but was somehow overlooked by the drinkers.
I blended the cabbage with goat milk (3 cups?) till runny, added
1/3 c. cocoa
2/3 sugar
ice
It does taste fantastic.

Delicious Cake, Or High Fiber Serving of Veggies?

Here's my successful attempt at shameless trickery practiced upon my hapless four year old nephew.
I made up the recipe as I went, and didn't measure precisely, but I'll give some info and you should be able to recreate the cake.
In the Vitamix, I pureed a cup of carrots,
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
a little goat milk to get the carrots smoother
2 eggs
some orange oil and vanilla


In the other part of the Vitamix, I ground into flour a total of:
1 1/2 cups oats and Prarie Gold wheat
1 tsp powder
1/2 tsp soda
salt
nutmeg
cinnamon

350 for 30 minutes in a buttered bundt pan.

I could have added a little flax, but I didn't want to press my luck.
The last piece is waiting for Grandfather to wake up and eat it.
He'd better get up soon is all I can say.