New Swing

Our friends Grace and Danny Shanklin had an outdoor infant swing for their daughter Anna that Adah got to try and she loved it!  After seeing how much fun she had, we had to get one!  It has been fun getting to go outside just for a bit and let Adah swing a little or play on a blanket when we aren't up for going on a walk.  We are loving the beautiful days but we're hoping it will cool off from the crazy 90 degrees.  I am not ready for the intense summer heat just yet and I am sure Kyle and Chris feel the same way out working on the farm.  This picture was taken last week on one of the cool days we had.

We are enjoying strawberries, lettuce, spring onions, kale, and bok choy these days.  The beets are beginning to come in as well.  We made some lettuce wraps for dinner the other night with chorizo, sweet potato and rice as the filling and stirred together honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar as the dipping sauce.  They were tasty, easy to make, and fun to eat with your hands! I am now trying to come up with other lettuce wrap combo ideas with what is available on the farm.

The newest with Adah is that she is now saying different syllables and sounding so mature and cute.  "Ba, ba, ba, ba" is her favorite with an occasional "Ma" thrown in there.  I could just sit and listen to her all day, it just doesn't get old.  She has also started a new thing of waking up at six instead of seven.  I am wondering if it being brighter earlier has anything to do with it.  We're hoping it was just a fluke for a couple days and she will start sleeping later again, we'll see. Happy May everyone!  

Free Range Pork

Winter conditions are not ideal for raising meat chickens and we only just recently took a cow to be processed, so what have we been eating for meat this winter season?  Pork!  

Sunset Farms raised its first six pigs this past summer and it has been such a joy to have a variety of breakfast and italian sausages, pork chops, roasts, chorizo, bratwurst (pictured below) and ribs to enjoy.  We enjoyed the bratwurst over some sauerkraut and along with some kale chips.  Kyle made his first batch of sauerkraut using cabbage from the farm and salt.  I couldn't believe all you needed was cabbage, salt and a little time for them to ferment to make sauerkraut! Amazing! And delicious, not to mention oh so good for your tummy.  Sauerkraut is known for its good bacteria that helps make your digestive tract strong and healthy.  

Another great pork dish we have been enjoying is italian sausage soup which is so easy to make (one of the reasons I love it so much).  Brown 1 lb of sweet or hot italian sausage.  Use whatever combination of chicken broth and water you have, add the sausage, some cut (or torn) kale or collards or any green, some cooked brown rice and a jar of tomatoes (if it's summer use fresh tomatoes), salt and pepper and there's dinner (and lunch the next day AND maybe dinner the next night if leftovers don't bother you and who you're feeding).  I am normally a crazy stick-to-a-recipe type of gal but making this soup has been so freeing for me.  I just kind of eyeball the amount of water/broth and use whatever amount of greens and such I have.  It makes it so much more laid back and enjoyable to make.   I wish I had a picture of the soup, but I don't.  Instead here is a picture of the Sunset Farms pigs themselves (along with a rooster and a hen)- raised running free in the woods and without any growth hormones or antibiotics! 

If you are in the area and would like to buy some pork, let me know.  We still have plenty of chorizo, mild breakfast sausage in bulk, sweet or hot italian sausage in bulk or links and pork chops!

Sorry Aunt Jemima

These aren't ours, but you get the idea!

For breakfast this morning I made homemade pancakes from the Joy of Cooking recipe for "Pancakes or Griddle Cakes" and they were amazing! I love pancakes and I love making pancakes and these were seriously the best pancakes I have ever tasted. They were for Kyle too! Now I believe everyone needs to make homemade pancakes and taste and enjoy the difference! I think it would be a great thing to make with kids too! So here's what you gotta do:

Whisk together in a large bowl:

     *1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

     *3 tablespoons sugar

     *1 3/4 tablespoons baking powder

     *1 teaspoon salt

Combine in another bowl:

     *1 1/2 cups milk

     *3 tablespoons melted butter

     *2 eggs

     *optional: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (which I did include)

Mix the liquid ingredients quickly into the dry ingredients. And cook like you do every other pancake! This makes about 16 4-inch pancakes, it made 19 for us. 

***If you have a banana (slice thinly or to your own preference) or chocolate chips on hand they make a lovely addition to the plain pancake which is actually delectable on its own! I made some plain pancakes, a few chocolate chip ones, a few banana ones and a chocolate/banana one that we shared. We sliced some strawberries to put on top then dusted with powdered sugar (Kyle's brilliant idea) and maple syrup!! Sunday pancakes are now a tradition in the making.***