It's Cold Outside

While I am very eager to get my hands in the dirt next spring, I am quite content to sit by the fireplace today and make this post.  This week we celebrated the 5th Birthday of Little Lyss by taking her to Papadeaux a favorite nearby seafood restaurant.  She loves to go there for the "red lobsters" in the tank.  She had a great time and her little one was very well behaved as well.

The Birthday Girl and her baby out to eat with Mom and Dad for her birthday dinner.

 Since it has been cold we also enjoyed a favorite warm, wintry dessert with Sunday dinner this week.  We grabbed some of the peaches we canned from this summer and had this delicious Peach Cobbler with some vanilla bean ice cream on the side.  I'm already anticipating peach season here in the South next summer.  I hope you'll try the recipe, it's a good one!

Yummy Peach Cobbler for my Sweet Georgia Peach!

Scratch-made Peach Cobbler

• 1 quart home canned peaches , peeled, cored and sliced (about 4 cups)
• 3/4 cup pure cane sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping

• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pure cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• ground cinnamon for sprinkling

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Slice butter into pieces and add to a 9x13 baking dish. Allow the butter to melt in pan in oven as it preheats.  Remove the pan from the oven before the butter gets browned.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Gently add the milk until barely combined. Pour the mixture into the pan, over the melted butter and smooth it into an even layer. 
3. Ladle the peaches and juice on top of the batter. With a heavy hand, sprinkle the cinnamon over the top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 38-40 minutes. Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream, if that's what y'all like.

See y'all around the homestead!

Melissa

Lazy Days of Summer

Chief chicken chaser on his way to find "his" chicken.

Here chicken, chicken...where are you?

Our silkies safe from hawks in the run.

Girls in the sandbox which - I am surprised to say - has not become a chicken dust bath ;-)

While the kids enjoy some time off from school and we don't have a lot of gardening or harvesting to do they love to play in the sandbox and Mama loves to play in her garden box!  This is one of my raised beds that is really having a bit of trouble this year.  Just a week ago it was FILLED with dense, thick foliage on the squash and tomatoes.  Now, just rot remains in most of the bed.  I have decided that with all of the rain we get here in the summers there was simply not enough air circulation to keep the leaves dry.  Hindsight tells me that I should prune the squash leaves and tomatoes heavily.  Lesson learned.

The nice thing about my raised beds though has been that the chickens do not get in them much at all.  They are much more concerned with pecking and scratching the ground than in digging up my raised bed plants.  The powdery mildew in this bed has been a constant battle.  With the abundance of rain and poor air flow due to density, this is one battle I have lost for sure.  Oh well, it's all part of Dixie Living, right?





See you around the Homestead,
-Melissa

Amazing Overnight Blueberry French Toast Breakfast Bake

Blueberries oh how I love thee...
This was not always the case for me.  Many blueberry seasons came and went with no heed, summer berry salads were passed over due to their inclusion of blueberries, even blueberry muffins were a big. fat. nope!
Then I read and read again of the wonders of these dark, super food berries.  These nutritional dynamos that were loaded with antioxidants and anthocyanins, and I just HAD to give them another chance.  Enter my favorite breakfast to save the day...my beloved friend French Toast.  But wouldn't those dark little berries ruin everything?
I was overjoyed with the flavor combination of cream cheese with the berries amidst crispy, tasty mounds of delicious sourdough bread.  Could it get any better?  Oh yes, yes, yes it could and it did!!  The second time I made this scrumptious delight I decided to include the Blueberry Sauce.  Allow me to add: Mind. Blown.
Taste for yourself and see.  Even with a family of 8 one pan is more than adequate for this overnight breakfast delight.  You will thank yourself again and again in the morning. This is also a perfect dish to prepare when entertaining overnight guests.

Now updated with recipe video here:

Ingredients:

12 Slices stale French Bread

12 Eggs

2 Cups Milk

1 T. Vanilla Extract

1/3 Cup Maple Syrup

2 8oz Pkg. Cream Cheese

1-2 Cups Fresh Blueberries

2 T. Cornstarch

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Water

Your children and husband will lavish you with praises while you reply it is no big deal.  After all, you are the mom.  By the way, could we please stop saying I’m JUST a mom? We are so much more than merely moms. We are chosen by God’s to be His child. We are treasured, dearly loved, and bought with a price. It is not right for us to belittle that which our God holds so precious. Isn't it a privilege that we are Mamas, enabled to carry a life, and blessed with a sacred job to do.

Melissa

Asparagus and Chicken and Cheese, Oh My!

Are your children afraid of the word "asparagus"? Does it give you, as a mom, the shakes? I happen to adore asparagus and am looking forward to having a few of my own in my garden one day soon.  Our bed is on year three and we should finally be able to harvest a real crop.  Until then I will continue to get them from the farmer's market every time they are available. One recipe that I have developed to make them more enjoyable involves something almost everyone loves...cheese and chicken. This comes together alot like a quiche. I originally made it with a refrigerated pie crust and it was great. This time around I made my own crust from scratch using whole wheat pastry flour...I know, I know! Either way it is sure to be devoured. Go collect what you'll need and let's get started.

Asparagus with Chicken

You will need the following:

1/2 refrigerated pie crust or make your own

1 cup milk or half and half

3 farm fresh eggs

2 T real butter

2 T olive oil

1 cup chopped fresh asparagus, use frozen if you must

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1t dry mustard

2 boneless, skinless free range chicken breasts

1 1/2c Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 450. Unroll your softened pie crust and roll it into about a 12 inch circle and line your pie pan with it. Use a deep dish pie pan and prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Bake that for 6-8 minutes, remove and turn your oven down to 375.

Melt your butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute your onion, garlic, and asparagus for about 3-5 minutes. DO NOT cook them to death! Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Using the oil that was left in the pan, add the chicken and cook it for about 5-7 minutes. You will want it to be lightly browned. Remove this from the pan and set aside too. In a bowl you will now whisk together the milk, eggs, mustard, and some salt and pepper to taste.

To asssemble this dish you will want to sprinkle about 1 cup of the cheese into the bottom of crust then layer the chicken and vegetables. Pour egg mixture over this and finally, top with the remaining cheese. I am showing two here because I made one to share. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set and allow this to cool 10-15 minutes before you actually serve it.

Presto! You just ate asparagus and lived to tell about it ;)



Enjoying Dixie Living,



Melissa

Fresh Savings for the Homestead

• How can I save the most money on fresh fruits and vegetables?
  In the summer I utilize a CSA, and in the winter (my husband is particular) – I buy whatever is the best buy by looking at the sale ads for that week. So, I go every day or two and buy from Kroger, Publix, and Trader Joe's.  Simply whatever is cheapest, organic, and on sale that week are my criteria.   I often purchase frozen berries from Trader Joes since they are really inexpensive.
  
  What is the big "organic" deal?
• You may find considerable savings by buying only the “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables organic? Is there a nearby Farmer’s Market?  Many smaller local farms may not be *certified* organic, but the fruits and veggies are often much better choices than conventionally grown produce that is shipped to you from factory farms. You may learn that they did not use pesticides at all…you will just have to ask the farmers!
  
  What about fruits?

• If your family enjoys frozen berries, then try looking for local u-pick farms in the summer. These may not be 100% organic, but I have found smaller farmers are less likely to be putting as many industrial chemicals on their plants.  Get the kids involved and pick as much as you can afford, wash and freeze it. We pick at least 20 quarts of strawberries annually and freeze for smoothies and such. I know it wouldn't be prudent to buy them throughout the winter otherwise, they're too expensive! I also find great deals at the Farmers Market my town hosts each weekend. I bought 10 quarts of fresh blackberries at $2 each just to freeze. I also froze the peaches we purchased after I got tired of canning them.  $12 for half-bushel was a great price! I can always find great prices on apples from the north Georgia Mountains, minimally sprayed for just $10 a bushel. Start looking in the summer and in a few years you will have your own list of farmers and contacts to help get fresh fruits and veggies in season to can, dehydrate or freeze. They are better tasting and local!!
  
  Where have you found the best local fruits and veggie buys for your family?
  
  Enjoying Dixie Living,
  Melissa

Selling to Save

Eating organic and healthier foods doesn’t have to set you up for bankruptcy!
Perhaps one of the biggest battles to overcome is our thoughts on food. Is it really wise to be buying all of those snacks if they do nothing to actually nourish our bodies? My husband and I regularly used to buy 2 bottles of sodas and a half gallon of ice cream each week – whether or not they were on sale.  But even when on sale, those costs add up!  We eventually cut out purchases like these so that we could afford to buy raw milk at $7.50 a gallon.
I also sold a lot of stuff to purchase bulk grains! I went through our basement and garage and pulled out everything that was cluttering up those areas that I could sell. Within just a few weeks I had sold enough on Craigslist to make a bulk purchase at a local natural foods bulk store (Bread Beckers) and bought enough grains and wheat for a year as well as natural sweeteners, oils, beans, staples and salt. I was also able to purchase more than enough herbs and spices for making my own dressings and seasoning mixes. This decision allowed us to enjoy healthier foods without the initial start up costs that many balk at.
We actually went from a “couponing” budget of $300.00 for 2 adults, 2 kids, and a toddler to spending only $300.00 on mostly organic and whole foods.  It can be done!  You could also do the "phase out" method where you replace used up items with only the "good stuff" rather than tossing that brand new bag of evil white sugar!!  I like the idea of selling things to purchase bulk foods. I think that often the mentality is to put your money into things that don’t get consumed, but in reality, this approach will leave you healthier and more clutter-free.  What ways has your family been successful at saving money on "real" food?

Enjoying Dixie Living,
Melissa