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

Orange Brittle - homemade hard candy

3 cups cane sugar
1 cup water
pinch of sea salt
a dash or 2 of liquid minerals
a drop of orange essential oil
3 tbs cream of tartar
1 stick of butter

Cook until temp reaches 302* .....an hour or 2...I didn't keep track....just kept stirring occasionally. Let cool in a shallow,  level pan, I used a broiler pan.  Break apart when completely cool.


See Ya In The Gumbo
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Hearth and Soul Hop
Made from Scratch Tuesday
Totally Tasty Tuesdays

French Onion Style Potato Soup

Comfort food that travels well too.  I took some with me in a thermos and ate it  about 6-8 hours later.  Some of the cheese had dissolved into the broth...all the better, but I still had yummy clumps of melted cheese too.

Ingredients:
Homemade Beef Broth
Potatoes
Gelatin
Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Cane Sugar (optional)


I save all my leftover bones in freezer bags, along with onion skins.  When I have gathered enough to make a batch of broth, I just dump the bag into a pot, add some water and ACV and cook low and slow for a while.  This time I used my crock pot so I wouldn't take up stove space. Broth is done when I have time to strain and put away.  This batch was especially onion heavy in relation to the bones.  The smell throughout the house was wonderful.

I filled a pot with peeled and cubed potatoes (shredded would work too), then covered with the onion rich beef broth, salt and a little extra water to cover.  I brought to a boil, then simmered for 40-50 minutes...so an hour in total.  I added some gelatin towards the end and corrected the seasoning with a little more salt and a touch of pepper.  I ladled into bowl and topped with freshly shredded Swiss Cheese.  Oh yeah......

Pan Fried Beets with or without Egg

Pan Fried Beets

Fresh is best for this recipe, but canned would work too.


Heat up some coconut oil with a little butter or bacon grease, if desired. 

1. Add chopped beets, onions an potatoes.  
2. Salt generously.  
3. Cook until tender.  
4. Add a dash or so of fresh ground pepper.
5. Add a dash of ACV or other vinegar (optional)

Eggs and Beets

If you don't need "pretty" add an egg or 2. 

It looks kind of scary but the taste is wonderful!

Peppermint Stick Ice Milk

I discovered some sugar based peppermint candies with real peppermint oil.

Score!

So here it is, one of my all time favorite frozen desserts, modified from the Joy of Cooking:

1/5 lbs peppermint sticks/candies/pieces
4 cups fresh, whole milk
dark chocolate chips (optional)
2 finger pinch of sea salt

Mix ingredients together and let candies dissolve....a few hours or overnight. Add chocolate chips as needed, I used the "Enjoy Life" semisweets....no soy lecithin. Freeze in ice cream maker and serve.

Chunky Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
Leftover Creamy Orzo with Tomatoes
1 can of Tomatoes and chilies
Chicken tidbits, OG (optional)
2 TBS beef gelatin
2 TBS cane sugar
1 TBS cream of tartar
Milk
Sea salt


Leftovers don't have to be "old" to be used, it's actually better if they aren't.  We ate the Orzo for one meal, then it got re-purposed for the very next meal. Ketchup Boy hates tomatoes (no, I haven't figured that one out yet....) but begrudgingly admitted he really liked this.

See Ya In The Gumbo
Ingredient Spotlight : Tomatoes

Creamy Orzo with Tomatoes

A variation on Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese:

Ingredients:
2 TBS Coconut Oil
2 cups Orzo Pasta
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
2 cups full fat fresh Milk
2 TBS unflavored beef gelatin
1 tsp Sea Salt 

2 TBS cane sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
8 oz  lowfat cream cheese or neufchatel (in chunks)

Plop all the ingredient in the cooker, give it a stir, set to "cook" and wait. VERY rich and creamy with a little kick from the chilis. If you can't handle the heat, just use plain diced tomatoes.

Pink Potato Salad with Beets and Cheese

Potassium rich and quick and easy, (especially if using previously cooked or canned ingredients).

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Beets
Cheese
Vinegar
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
Basil (Optional)

I used pickled beets, canned potatoes, raspberry vinegar, fresh ground salt and pepper, dried basil and queso fresco for the cheese.  You could easily substitute fresh beets, feta or fresh mozzerella or paneer, fresh basil in the summer and apple cider or balsamic vinegar.  Red onions, fresh or cooked would work too.  This would be a good use for leftover beet pickle juice as well.

I would recommend this as a travel/to-go food...but only if using golden beets or not wearing white. ;)

See Ya In The Gumbo
Fat Tuesday
Gluten Free Wednesday

Slow Cooked Pepsi Pig Ribs

Pepsi BBQ Sauce
1 can Pepsi throwback
1 cup gelatin
1 cup pizza, spaghetti or tomato sauce
1/4-1/2 cup Gulden's mustard
1 TBS cream of tartar
1 TBS sea salt
2 TBS coconut oil


4-5 lb rack of ribs
(This was Sally's side, tons of meat and tiny bones.)

Rice or mashed potatoes for absorbing extra sauce.

1. Preheat oven to 450*F.
2. Grease broiler pan with coconut oil to make clean up easier.
3. Combine ingredients for sauce.
4. Slather ribs with BBQ sauce.
5. Place ribs fat side up on broiler pan.
6. Put in oven and immediately turn down to 170-190*F setting on oven. 
7. Cook for 9 hours or so. (This makes a great set it and forget it meal.)
8. Broil for a few minutes right before serving.

See Ya In The Gumbo
Hunk of Meat Monday

First Homemade Pizza (including GF crust)

I give this a B+. This was really easy to make...until things went wrong....mostly due to inexperience.

I had problems with wetness while mixing and stickiness after rolling  trying to get it off the rolling surface onto the pizza board and again off the board and onto the pizza stone in the oven.  It looked and tasted yummy enough to try again though....otherwise, I would be sticking to the occasional English Muffin Pizza. ;)

My surface area for rolling was too small, in hindsight, I should have divided the dough into 2 pizzas....or used less liquid?  I ended up adding a LOT of extra flour correcting the original wetness.  As it was, the dough when cooked was THICK, too much bread for my liking.  It held together very well though...only breaking where I ripped it trying to transport.

I don't know about you, but I try to avoid gums....guar gum, locust bean gum, xanthum gum.  Quite honestly, my digestive system can handle wheat on occasion BETTER than the gums.  The gums aren't just in gluten free baking products/flours, but in dairy, coconut and other products you wouldn't think needed "gluing."

Ingredients
2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm milk
1 egg
2 cups rice flour
2 tsp cane sugar
2 tsp gelatin
1 tsp sea salt
2 TBS coconut oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda

(Added to correct too wet dough)
1/2 cup corn masa, white or blue
1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour/starch
2 tsp coconut flour (optional)

Mix yeast into warm milk first in a separate container.  Add egg to mixer or food processor and whip.  Add other ingredients in order a little at a time, blending as you go.

Flour your rolling area well, I used additional corn masa flour.  My dough stuck where I missed a few spots. This amount of dough will make a very large pizza or 2 smaller pizzas, so adjust accordingly. ;)  Roll in thin as the dough will double, at least, in thickness.  Based on my experience, I would flour the paddle as well.

Cook crust for 10 minutes at 425* F.

Add desired toppings and bake for an additional 15 minutes or so.

The pizza pictured above is a freshly shredded Mozzarella/Parmesan blend  with dried basil and red pepper flakes.  We let is sit for about 15 minutes on a cookie rack before cutting.