Twice Blessed - Photo Gallery

Cocoa's Twin Heifers 2 days old

Big Girl on the left and Little Girl on the right

Big girl getting ready to lie down (that's NOT mom)

Peek-a-boo

Mom giving Big Girl a bath

Little Girl playing

Our new calf.....

Barn Hop

What do you think....boy or girl?  LOL


This spunky little heifer was born Nov 16th 2012. She's an Avery Action granddaughter out of a grade mini jersey.  Her dam is on the smaller side too. The first time I saw her nursing, she was swirling around her mom's legs like a kitty cat trying to trip you on the way to the barn.

I think I'll call her Kit Kat.

Short Rib Curry with Lychees (Slowcooker) - GF

Ingredients
beef short ribs
coconut milk
red curry paste
pickled and sliced banana peppers
jumbo onion, sliced
straw mushrooms
whole lychees (or pineapple)
beef gelatin
cane sugar
sea salt

Ok...so I've never had a lychee before, but it was priced the same as pineapple...so I grabbed a can.  They look like odd shrimp and taste like a bland over sized raspberry without the seeds.  I am sure fresh is better.

Layer in order in the slow cooker, adjust amounts to the size of your cooker.  My oval cooker fit a 6.8 lb frozen block of ribs.  There was a small space on the side for the onions and peppers.  I added the mushrooms, lychees, gelatin, sugar and salt towards the end. This cooked over night and I pulled out loose bones in the morning.  Some of the interior pieces needed more cooking time for bone release.  An extra hour on high did the trick.
Use approximately 1 TBS gelatin per 1/4 of meat and roughly equal parts gelatin and sugar.  Measuring doesn't matter too much, except the salt.   Leave it out until finished cooking, then season to taste. Serve over rice or potatoes.

Hunk of Meat Monday
See Ya In The Gumbo

Drought Recovery

Before and after...2 strands of 12.5 gauge electric make all the difference.

Close up of already grazed paddock

This past summer was the worst drought I have ever experienced.  Everything was crisp come August with no end in sight.  The yet to be grazed grass was simply taller and brown vs. short and crunchy.  Learning from my experiences from a previous (yet mild in comparison) drought, we secured an extra load of hay and pulled the animals off pasture.

We also felled small diameter trees for supplementation, winter's heat and to open up too crowded canopies.  Crooked trees aren't pretty, are useless for lumber, and are more likely to land on my fence in a wind storm. They burn just fine and are just as tasty as straight ones to the goats and cows.

Thank you Lord for the rain!  We've been able to slowly bring sections back into the grazing plan.

The pictures above are from today...2 weeks after the animals were pulled off from this particular section.  You can see the difference in length in the 2 sections....and the density.  I was shocked actually.  I have been checking this paddock's progress almost daily...but from the side.  I have never seen such a weak stand....on my land.  The grass has grown back to 6-7 inches, but it's so thin.  I was reminded that a pasture walk is essential for good grass management and that means actually walking IN the pasture, not just looking at it.

Bottom land soil

This is a picture of a different section.  This is the difference in upland soil vs bottom land soil and previous grass management. This is todays food on the left and yesterday's food on the right.  The already grazed section is still significantly denser than the other paddock.  We have been subdividing and RESTING this paddock for a few years now.  Each year we are able to graze  more "cow days" off of it than previous seasons.  The other paddock is newly created in comparison and used to more of a continuous grazing pattern.  This paddock is a little over 2 acres and used to do about 3 days at a time, 2 to 3 times per year.  We just got 2 weeks off of it after 2 previous rotations this season, drought included.  If the weather cooperates, I might get one more...or early grazing come next year.

By the way, the bottom land paddock USED to look like the upland paddock close up years ago, but not as much grass and a lot more weeds. I didn't plant anything, just changed it's management.

Barn Hop 
Simple Lives Thursday

Feeding Hay

This NOT how a bale ring is supposed to work.....

But he doesn't mind.....

Barn Hop

Sirloin and White Hominy Stew

I can be a very lazy cook sometimes.  This morning I grabbed a few packages of frozen bone in sirloin steak from the freezer and plopped them in the slow cooker.  I piled on a diced onion, some gelatin, some tomatoes and green chilies, a handful of salt and a small chunk of bacon grease.  (You just can't go wrong with the aroma of bacon.)  Nothing was measured.

I got curious and added a can of white hominy.  Never had it before, smells like a soggy tortilla.  I wanted to know if it would be good for power outage food.  After cooking on high for a couple hours, I checked for "pull apart."  Pull apart is when the meat just pulls off the bone and the bones are used for broth one more time, given to the dog (depends on the bone and the dog) or the chickens/garden.  It needed a little longer as not all the meat was submerged, so the top pieces were still clingy.  An hour or so later and the meat fell off  while I removed the bones with my tongs.

So hominy in this dish kind of reminds me of bland, mini gnocchi....more of a soft texture than a taste. The sirloin is butter tender, but less interesting after the tongue.  Ummm...and I over did it on the salt a tad, so corrected with a little sugar and cream of tartar and .....Bingo!  It all came together just right.

Hmmmm....I bet some pineapple would substitute just fine for the sugar/cream of tartar flavor wise......

Fat Tuesday
Scratch Cookin' Tuesday
Hearth and Soul Hop
Barn Hop
See Ya In the Gumbo
Hunk of Meat Monday
Gluten Free Wednesday

Beef Tongue Tacos and Broth

The dogs are so NOT getting the tongues anymore.
 
I don't know why it took me so long to get around to cooking one. Tongue is so tasty and flavorful...now I'm wanting mutant animals so I can get more than one tongue per steer.  And the broth from the skin...wow...wow....ummmm, wow!

There are quite a few methods for preparing tongue.  I got impatient and used the pressure cooker.  It was a 1.35 lb tongue and I cooked it at 8 lbs of pressure for a half hour.  I used a trivet and about a half cup of water on the bottom.  I used the natural release method.

While the meat was cooking, I heated the coconut oil for deep frying some white corn tortillas.  While that was heating, I dissolved some gelatin/sugar/cream of tartar/salt in some diced tomatoes and chilies.  The tongue is a high gelatin muscle, like rib eye, but I always like to make sure I am getting enough.

When the pressure was out of the pressure cooker, I grabbed the tongue with some tongs and ran it under some cold water.  When it is cool enough, the skin is SUPPOSED to just release.  I guess I was too impatient again and ended up cutting it off until I got to the tip.  The skin at the tip pulled right off with ease.  I diced the meat into small cubes and put it in with the tomatoes.  In hind sight, it would have been down right decedent to fry them up a little first, fajita-ish, then put them in the sauce.

The only thing needed now was the taco "shells".  I tried "draping" the tortillas on the end of a wooden spoon.  They didn't drape well and the hot oil actually made the sides float up.  Then I tried tongs, holding onto them on one half while pressing them against the side of the pot.  That worked better, but then they puffed up a lot while being held under.  I stopped at 2 tortillas per person.  They weren't pretty but it's the thought that counts, right?

Ok, so the end product was a fresh fried tortilla, yummy meat topping and a glop of sour cream.  A fabulously messy meal that we all enjoyed immensely!

But that's not the end......

No, now I had this delicious smelling liquid at the bottom of my pressure cooker and tongue scraps, mostly skin, but some meat on there too.  So out comes the gallon bag of frozen onion skins and leftover bones/gristle from other meals.  I took the trivet out and emptied the contents of the bag into the pressure cooker.  I added water and some vinegar and salt to 2/3 full.  It's a 6 quart cooker.  I brought it to pressure and cooked for 45 minutes according to the instructions.  I let it the pressure come back down naturally and strained the big stuff out  of the broth with a slotted spoon into a strainer over the pot.

Total yield 3/4 of a gallon of double strength, very gelatinous broth.

The broth has become a simple potato soup, sausage and potato soup, and potato and cheese soup.

See Ya In the Gumbo
Barn Hop
Hearth and Soul Hop
Fat Tuesday
Weekend Gourmet Carnival
Monday Mania 
Scratch Cookin' Tuesday
Gluten Free Wednesday
Real Food Wednesday 
Full Plate Thursday 
Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Southern Sundays 
Melt In Your Mouth Monday

Simple Potato Soup GF, DF

Simple Potato Soup
Pot of potatoes (peeled and diced, cubed or sliced)
Broth/water to cover (Homemade is best, if you've got it)
Unflavored beef gelatin
Saturated Fat (Coconut oil, butter, tallow, bacon grease etc.)
Salt

Fill a pot with peeled and cut potatoes, add broth and cover with extra water, if needed, to cover.  Sprinkle gelatin on top for extra protein and as needed to balance any meat in the meal.  Add some salt and some kind of fat, depending on your needs.  Bring to rolling boil and then simmer for 40 minutes to an hour.  Correct with more salt, as needed.

Excellent as a base for other ingredients or as a easy to digest meal for healing/recovery/stress.  I like it with globs of melted cheese, leftover sausage or steak works too.


Simply Delish
Pennywise Platter Thursday
Monday Mania 
Superfood Sunday 
Real Food Wednesday

When 6-10 inches.... isn't

In any discussion of feeding a ruminant animal with grass (or hay), it is important to clarify the nature of the grass when grazed or cut for hay.  Grazing at 6-10 inches is a common recommendation for cool season grasses. Hay recommendations can vary significantly, but a lot of times the actual cutting is influenced more by the weather than the ideal cutting time. Beware of so called hay (straw) cut after the grass has matured and the seed combined for sale separately. My "ideal" is to graze and feed hay cut as close to the vegetative state as possible....without it being immature. (Immature is preferred for chickens.)

An article of the different stages of grass growth:  Developmental Phases of Grass

By the way, these pictures were taken of the LAWN, not the pasture.  The grazing goal was to trim, not maximize production.

This grass technically falls in the 6-10 inches category,  but the most nutritious part has already been grazed.

This grass is 10-12 inches and has already been grazed as well.  The remaining grass is "stemmy" and over mature.  Percentage of  stems is something to watch for when buying hay as well.

Barn Hop
Simple Lives Thursday

All Flesh is Grass

The remainder of Winter Stockpile...Take half, leave half allows for quicker regrowth when spring weather comes again.  All the girls agree, stockpile is better than hay!

Opal (LaMancha) and Tinkerbelle (Jersey)

Miss Swiss (Braunvieh)

Cocoa (Brown Swiss/Jersey)

Timkerbelle AKA Pocket

Barn Hop

Coffee and "Cream" Beef with Rice

This is a "use it up" meal.  It was "sticky" sweet and a little overwhelming for me after one meal.  Ketchup boy was THRILLED and was quite pleased to hog most of the leftovers.


I had 3 chubs of lb packages of my beef in the upstairs freezer.  They don't stack well and I needed to freeze some goat milk, so they got defrosted in the fridge all at once.  I had a partial container of sour cream and nuefchatel, so they got tossed in.  I also had a Tupperware container of brown sugar (a light Muscovado, I think) that has been sitting in the cupboard for a LONG time because it was too hard to use.  I tossed that in too, in one big block.  The gelatin balances the meat and the cream of tartar balances the sugar.  You can get away with cream of tartar with the coffee in moderation because of all the other ingredients.


HINT: If you get the rice cooking first, they should both be ready about the same time.

Coffee and Cream Beef

Leftover coffee (2 cups?)
Beef gelatin (1 cup)
Grass fed ground beef (3 lbs?)
Sour cream (1 cup?)
Cream cheese or neufchatel (1/4 of a package)
Balsamic Vinegar (A few generous shakes)
Brown Sugar (pint sized container, 3/4 full)
Cream of Tartar (1 tsp, at least)
Sea Salt (2 TBS?)

Soak the gelatin in the coffee.  Meanwhile, brown the burger and toss in ingredients in the proportions that appeal to you. Add gelatin coffee mix and heat until blended.  Adjust salt to taste....more salt balances the sweet....up to a point, so does the vinegar. ;)


Rice Cooker Rice
4 scoops jasmine rice
1 TSP cream of tartar
1 TSP sea salt
2-4 TBS Coconut oil
Water to 4 scoop fill line

Place all ingredients in cooker and stir with rice paddle a few times to mix powder with rice and water.  Cook and serve.

Fried Okra, French Toast and Maple Milk

I have a confession to make...I am not a "real" gourmet.  I can't be, I am disqualified.  My bulk bottle of Cinnamon is older than my first born, who drives now.  I am about halfway through...perhaps I will be forced to buy a replacement sometime before I die.

In the spirit of out with the old and in with the new, I have been digging DEEP into my freezers, yes plural.  I found in the back of one of the freezers a bag of unopened breaded okra, a unopened loaf of bread, a half loaf of bread, 3 mostly empty, but air filled plastic bags (I seemed to have a collection of meat bone/onion kin bags), 4 half filled bags of freezer burned french cut green beans (now chicken food) and a jar of ?????, I think it's a dried herb, possibly burdock. I haven't purchased any frozen veggies for a few years now, so I can only guess how long they've been there.  They took up more space than the bread, and at least I can remember WHEN the bread was purchased.


Fried Okra
The secret to non slimy okra is to slice it REALLY, REALLY thin before breading and fry the snot out of it....pun intended.  A friend taught me that...her's are almost crouton crispy and much loved by people who "don't like okra".  This was purchased, so thickness was predetermined, but I did manage to fry it to a crisp.

Okras is really easy to grow if you have SUN and live in an area with hot summers.  It will keep going long after the cucumbers and tomatoes have burned to a crisp.  You need to pick the pod when young, but the over grown ones make great chicken feed.  The flowers are very pretty too.

Ingredients
Coconut oil
Breaded Okra
Salt

Heat the oil and add a small soup bowl's worth of okra per batch.  Fry until golden and crisp...about 7 minutes or more.  Drain well.  Put it in a bowl and add a thin layer of salt.  Repeat batches until finished.  I did a sniff test before using the Okra, it was ok...and coconut oil can cover up for a multitude of sins so to speak. We ate it like popcorn straight from the bowl.




Breakfast this AM was built around using up "remnants" of stuff that was taking up space in the fridge as well.  Obviously, I have a LONG way to go on the cinnamon. ;)

French Toast
The last 4 eggs in the carton
The last few sips of milk in the jar, 1/4 cup?
Dash of cinnamon (hey, every little bit counts)
Dash of homemade vanilla
Remnants of a cream of tartar/salt mix, 1/2 tsp or so
2 TBS of cane sugar

About a half a loaf of previously frozen sourdough spelt bread
(My guesstimate for how much dip to make is approximately 1 egg per 2 slices of bread.  Your mileage will vary depending on the density of the bread.)

And, of course, the last few drizzles of the too big bottle of maple syrup from the fridge door for topping.
(The whole point of french toast IS maple syrup in our house.  Adding sugar and cream of tartar to the egg helps stretch it though.)

I used coconut oil on the griddle and cooked at medium low ("egg" temperature) for a few minutes on each side, then placed them on my pizza tone in the warmed oven while I made the rest of the batch.

Maple Milk
Pour a glass of milk in the empty maple syrup bottle and shake, shake, shake.  Pour into glasses and serve with the french toast.  It comes out very foamy, almost doubles in volume.  You could substitute it for a whipped topping in a glass of hot chocolate too.

Pantry Challenge

Baked Potato with Nacho Sauce

We made some homemade Nachos the other day.  Our eyes were bigger than our stomach, so we had quite a bit of leftover sauce.  We never have leftover homemade tortilla chips.

This particular version of nacho sauce is as follows:

1 lb grass fed ground beef
4-8 TBS beef gelatin
1 can diced tomatoes and chilis
coconut oil (for cooking the beef)
sour cream
sea salt to taste


Hearth and Soul Hop
Fat Tuesday
See Ya in the Gumbo
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Ingredient Spotlight : Tomatoes

Beef Borscht (Slow Cooker)

Layer in the cooker, in order:

Ingredients:
slathering of coconut oil on sides and bottom
2 lbs homegrown grass fed beef, cubed (mine was still frozen)
1/2-1 cup beef gelatin
1 onion, sliced
3-4 cups sliced beets (fresh, canned or pickled)
3-4 cups bite sized potatoes (fresh or canned, drained)
a lot of sea salt...a few TBS
1/2-1 cup homemade broth, water or juice from canned/pickled beets
fresh ground pepper to taste

Cook for about 8 hours on low or overnight, correct seasoning before serving.
Add a dollop of sour cream per bowl, if desired.

P.S. This is NOT a purple soup, but a dark, savory brown.

See Ya In The Gumbo
Weekend Gourmet Carnival
Your Recipe, My Kitchen
Monday Mania
Melt In Your Mouth Monday
Savory Sunday
Patchwork Living Blogging Bee
Hearth and Soul Hop 
Fat Tuesday 
Pennywise Platter Thursday
Real Food Wednesday
Gluten Free Wednesday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Simply Delish
Saturday Evening Pot : Star Recipe Collection

Kidding Season has ARRIVED!

Born Monday December 12th, 2011

Opal is licking her lips after slurping up a bucket of hot molasses water with salt and ACV added.  Her daughter was looking for the spigot, but got distracted by a chicken.

Queen of the Pallet!  This doeling knows she's "ALL THAT"  and is stomping her foot at the chicken.


Simple Lives Thursday
Barn Hop

Cheeseburger Macaroni - GF

I found this recipe on-line and modified it to my dietary needs and what I actually had in the house. ;)


Ingredients: (to the best of my recollection)
1/4 cup (4 TBS) coconut oil
1 onion, diced
3/4-1 lb grass fed ground beef

Paste Mix:
4 TBS Beef gelatin
1 TBS mustard
2 oz tomato paste
2 oz ACV
4 TBS cane sugar/cream of tartar mix
Salt to taste...I think I used a tsp... or maybe 2?

2.5 cups water
2 cups rice pasta (elbow, penne, etc)

8 oz Munster or other white cheese, cubed

1. In a LARGE skillet (I over flowed mine a few times due to the slope in my stove top), brown the onions and burger in the coconut oil.
2. Mix the paste ingredients together and add to skillet.
3. Add water and bring to boil.
4. Add pasta of choice.
5. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until desired tenderness.
6. Turn off burner and add small chunks of cheese of choice. I chose Munster because it's a semi-soft cheese that dissolves easily.  It was either that or pepper jack.  I just broke pieces off.
7. Serve when cheese is thoroughly blended.

P.S.  I just read the instructions of the original recipe again.  I didn't drain the meat juices or cover while cooking the noodles. I don't know if the out come would be any different or not.

Friday Potluck
Hunk of Meat Monday
See Ya In The Gumbo

Chili con carne

It been along time since I've eaten chili. Oh boy, it's GOOD!

Here's what we had tonight:

About noon, I unwrapped about 2.5 lbs of  frozen, grass-fed, non-aged, stew cut beef. I placed it in a coconut oil lined 4 quart crock pot, along with 3/4 cup of beef gelatin and a can of diced green chilis and tomatoes. As a fun twist, I added some sliced mushrooms and ACV as well.  I tossed in some salt and sugar/cream of tartar mix and set it on high for about 5 hours, stirring once to break up the beef chunks.  A little cumin, garlic and/or chili powder would be optional. Diced onions and cheese are nice on top as a garnish.

Possible sides, if any,  would be rice, potatoes, cornbread with homemade baking powder or quesadillas.

Hunk of Meat Monday
Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits
See Ya In The Gumbo 
Made from Scratch Tuesday
Hearth and Soul Hop

Decadent Triple Cream Potato Soup

A friend of mine gave up eating grains and won't eat her specialty cheeses without crackers....so guess what I get to play with?  I have no such food rules, so put the remainder of the Brillat Savarin Affine in the coconut oil lined crock pot with some potatoes, milk, egg, gelatin, salt and a little cayenne and onion powder.

Oh, yeah!

The richness and boldness of flavor of the triple cream cheese balanced by the mildness of the milk, the lightness of the egg curds, the heartiness of the potatoes, the gentle heat of the cayenne, the savory of the onion all work together for this wonderful treat.


Ingredients: (fits a 4 quart Slow Cooker)
Coconut oil (prevents sticking )
1-2 eggs
1-4 TBS beef gelatin
4 cups milk
1/2-1 lb of Triple Cream Cheese
8-10 potatoes (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
Salt to taste
Cayenne Powder (optional)
Onion Powder (optional)

 Directions:

1. slather the coconut oil generously along the bottom and sides.  I used a butter knife with a long blade.
2. whip the egg in the bottom of the pot (saves dirtying and extra dish)
3. add milk and chunks of cheese
4. add salt and spices to taste. The cheese has very little salt, so make it slightly saltier than desired as the potatoes will absorb a lot.
5. fill to desired level with potatoes and stir to cover potatoes
6. Heat on high for about 2 hours until bubbling, then set low for another hour or so or set it on low and forget about it for the day or overnight if starting in the evening and serving for breakfast.

Ingredient Spotlight

Apple Beef Stew - GF

Ingredients: (Fits a 4 quart crock pot)
Coconut oil
2 lbs frozen grass fed beef, homegrown and cubed
Salt
8 TBS-16 TBS Unflavored beef gelatin (I just eyeballed a cups worth)
RIPE Apples, peeled, cored and sliced (enough to fill pot)
Dash of allspice or cinnamon (Optional)
ACV

Fill the crock pot in order (leave out the vinegar) and cook on high for a few hours, then turn down when it starts bubbling, if you are home. If you are gone for the day, turn in low and forget about it.  This took about 4 hours of cooking on high plus 1 hour at low while we finished processing wood.  The vinegar was added to the individual bowls and added a nice balance of flavor.
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes, if desired.

Pennywise Platter Thursday 
Simply Delish

Cranberry Coconut Stew with Beef

Cranberry Coconut Stew with Beef  (8+ servings)
(fits a 4 quart slow cooker)

2 lbs Homegrown, grass fed beef, cubed 
1 package OG frozen Cranberries 
1 can Pineapple with juice
1 can Golden Star Coconut milk (no stabilizers or fillers)
8-10 TBS Beef Gelatin
8-10 TBS Cane sugar with Cream of tartar
Salt to taste 
1-2 TBS Green Thai Curry paste (optional)
1 Onion, sliced (optional)

I had asked for some GOAT stew meat to be brought up from the freezer...I guess the lighting was poor or something.  I prefer to use organic cranberries because the non organic I can get locally have all had an unpleasant bitterness I don't care for.  The price isn't much different because I buy them AFTER season and hoard.

I layered the beef on the bottom of the slow cooker, with the cranberries filling in around the still frozen blocks.  I mixed the dry ingredients together first, then sprinkled over the top.  The canned items were added next, with the curry paste and onion being an after thought.  I like the balance of sweet and tart and found that the salt counter balanced the sour as well.

There's enough acid in the broth that the gelatin stays fairly liquid even in the fridge.  Leftovers pour out of the jar instead of having to be carved out.

Food and Health Carnival 
Alimentary Tuesdays Carnival