The Easy Way

Yesterday at the Farmer's Market I picked up some beautiful eggs.
I've always thought I wanted chickens.
It started when I saw Martha with her blue and green colored eggs.
It intensified when I saw MaryJane with her wall-papered chicken coop.

But I don't know.
I get attached to animals.
I worry about them.

And this is so easy.
All I do is drive to the Farmer's Market.
Where blue, green, peach and brown eggs await me.

I pick up eggs from the farmer
Who did the attaching to the animals
and the worrying.
She protected them from hawks.
And coyotes.
And when something happened.
It was she who cried.

Yes, I think I like it this way.
The easy way.

This morning I wanted to do something special with
Those lovelies of blue, green, peach, and brown.
I remembered MaryJane's recipe for "Shirred Eggs Florentine" in maryjanesfarm Magazine,
The Ladyslipper Issue, Oct/Nov 2008.
I've used that delicious recipe when I've had company.
Always to rave reviews.
This morning, I changed it up just a little.

Baked Eggs In A Jar
adapted from MaryJane Butters' recipe for Shirred Eggs Florentine 
(thank you, MaryJane!)

As MaryJane recommends, I used 1/2 pint sized canning jars.
Makes for a very cute presentation!
So dig up some jars and find a deep baking dish that they'll fit in.

Fill the dish with water surrounding the jars.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 tsp butter, per jar
1 pretty egg, per jar
1 spinach leaf, per jar (optional---daughter likes her plain)
1 Tbsp milk, per jar
1 Tbsp shredded or thinly sliced cheddar cheese, per jar
1 Tbsp Parm cheese, per jar
salt and pepper, to taste

• Melt butter in microwave.
• Pour melted 1 tsp. butter in each jar and swirl around to coat sides.

• Place the cheese in bottom of each jar.
• Pt the spinach on top of the cheese.

•  Crack an egg into each jar.
• Pour 1 Tbsp milk on top.

• Sprinkle 1 Tbsp Parm on top.

Place jars in baking dish with 1 inch of water.
Baked at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.
(The eggs will be well done. For softer eggs, bake at 325 degrees.)

Yum.
And special....
ps and here's the rest of the story---as soon as my head was turned---here comes Blue---that's his cute nose---

he approves.

Date Night

My Man and I had a special date night. I didn't tell him where we were going. I just told him to wear blue jeans. He had no idea where I was taking him.

Boy oh boy, was he surprised to see that we were at a small "mountain" music store. This place has blue grass shows on the weekend. It only seats about 75, so it's very quaint. "No drinking, No smoking." And there wasn't a dance floor either. I'm pretty sure that's common for blue grass venues in the south. It's the Bible Belt, yanno. Though, I have to tell you---I actually have no idea. This was my first blue grass show ever.

My Man and I were some of the first people there. We ordered slaw dogs and Cokes and sat down to eat and take in the environment.We sat right in the middle of the front row.

I noticed over to the left there. Canes.

I don't know who they are for. No one used them the night we were there.
As the crowd started to come in, we realized that we were kind of "outsiders." The audience was mainly old timers who knew each other. Some men wore overalls; it had been a while since I had seen that. My Man laughed when he heard a woman tell another one that I must be in the band tonight. Ha. You should hear me sing. The couple who sat beside us were particularly quiet. I don't think they so much as clapped their hands to the beat.

Wow. What a show! This was fun knee-slapping, toe-tapping music. Banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, bass fiddle, fiddle, guitar. Country singing. It was so much fun. We loved every minute of it. The band was incredible. It's hard to believe that such a talented group was in this small venue. We left with one of their CDs and it is some mighty fine pickin'. Check out the previous post with a youtube link. Wow.

So, here's the way I am.
I had so much fun that I came home and decided it was (past) time that I learn to play the guitar.
My Man has several guitars, so I asked him if I could borrow one. He "gifted" me this one.

He took this picture of me goofing around with it. Excuse the mess in the background; I wasn't planning to get photographed. And that blur is My Young-Un dancing to my fake playing.

So, the next day I headed to a music store and bought a strap. A pretty one, with rhinestone peace signs on it.

And a green pick, also with a peace sign.

I told the clerk at the music store that I finally decided what I wanted to be when I grow up: a hippie.

I also picked up these books.

The James Taylor one is so far beyond my understanding that....well, I don't know if there's any hope. It's written in guitar tabs instead of music. So I've got no idea what all the symbols mean in there.

So I have something else to add to my 2011 goal list:
LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR.

No, really. I just want to play enough so I can take it to the campfire. We can sing "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore" and "Kumbayah" and "You've Got A Friend" and "Blowing in the Wind."

See, ya just never know what date night will lead to.....

Great Blue Grass

Goodnight "Snow" Moon

February's Full Moon is the

"Snow Moon"

Goodnight, Snow Moon....

Goodnight, Homies....

(p.s. I've been so very busy this week---will post soon!)

(p.s.s. Miss you.)

Velebrate Valentine's with Velvet

Red Velvet Cake, that's the recipe I promised to post. And I will.
But let's just think about this for a minute.
"Red Velvet."
When was the last time you saw actual red velvet? (Other than this past Christmas when you admired Santa at the mall.)

We just don't see velvet anymore, much less red. Why do you think that is? What happened to velvet?

Raise your hand if you remember the '70's and had a VELVET----a-hem, drum roll please-----BLAZER.
Yes, you Friends who didn't raise your hand, there was a time when we wore with pride, men and women and boys and girls, velvet blazers. (Jackets were called "blazers" back then.) Think Austin Powers. Or The Partridge Family. We sure were hip, weren't we?

(Wow. This one will surely make you smile. It does me. 'Course, I grew up in a small town in the south, so we wore solid color velvet blazers.)

I do have one thing that is Red Velvet.
My velvet bench.
Funny thing about this bench is that I've never been quite sure where to put it, or what to do with it. I really don't know why I bought it.
In the 20 years I've had it, it's been in every room of the house.
I've moved it to the foot of the bed, in front of the fireplace, aligning a long wall.
You name it.
And now it serves as a coffee table in my living room. Don't ask me why.

Come to think of it, I also have a dog whose fur feels like velvet.
Soft and cozy and warm.

It would not be the dog pictured above.
That is Strudel, my terrier, and her fur is....well, not velvety.

The velvety fur belongs to Blue, my orange dog.
I know, I know, it's hard to keep up with me.
Yes, I have an orange dog whose name is Blue. (He came with the name.)

Name: Blue. Color: Orange. Texture: Velvet.

You can just see the softness of his fur in those velvety ears, can't you?

Kiss-able.

Strudel? Well-----
Name: Strudel.  Color: Black and Silver.  Texture: Coarse.

Enough talk about velvet and the old days and dogs! Let's talk cake.

Red Velvet Cake with yummy cream cheese frosting is a wonderful way to "velvet-e-brate" or "velebrate" Valentine's Day.

So here it is. My famous Red Velvet Cake.
Well, not really "my" famous. This came to me through my sister, who got it from a college pal. I made it for the first time when I was in high school. That's when I wrote it on a 4"x6" index card.

This card cracks me up every time I make the cake. I like how the card is covered with old frosting and crusty batter. I'll never re-write it on a new, prettier, cleaner card. Never.
I laugh when I see the place where I added these words: "except sugar." I remember adding the dry ingredients together with the sugar. I mean, why wouldn't I add the sugar with the flour and salt and soda? Sugar is, of course, dry. I had to start all over when I read the next line. I never wanted to make that mistake again, so I added those words. ha.
The only change I've made throughout the years is to decrease the amount of red food coloring. I only use 1 oz. (rather than 2 oz.) these days.

So here it is:

Red Velvet Cake
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 oz. red food coloring
1 tsp. vinegar

So let's get that cake together.

Combine your dry ingredients, EXCEPT FOR, well, SUGAR(!), in a bowl.

Mix your sugar, milk, eggs, and oil until creamy.

Add in the dry ingredients.

Add vanilla, food coloring, and vinegar.

Pour batter into greased and floured pans.
And bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Cool.

Now let's make that yummy frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 box confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cream cream cheese and butter.
Slowly add sugar.
Add vanilla.

And frost that gorgeous, delicious cake.

Now this cake is so lovely, it makes me wish I had a better camera.
(And better talent to go with it.)

My side-kick the whole time I'm in the kitchen.
Little Oreo, dog number three.

Name: Oreo.  Color: Black and White.  Fur: Messy

"Please, please, please......just a little......never had Red Velvet before.....I'll love you forever......"

Beautiful and delicious Red Velvet Cake.....A Valentine's Day tradition.
They'll love you forever for it.

Amore Limone Linguine

So, are you wondering yet what to make for your Amore for Valentine's Day?

Or maybe your Amore is wondering what to make for you?

Well, Homies, Amores, here ya go.

AMORE LIMONE LINGUINE

This is a quick easy dish to prepare, leaving lots of time for Amore.

Vita Bella.

My Italian Man gave the double thumbs-up on this one.

And he's right. It's a wow-whee.

Fantastic-o.

Yum-o.

Delicious-o.

(That's pretty much how I speak Italian and Spanish. I just add o's or a's to the end of the English word.)

I do, however, happen to know that the word "Amore" means "love" in Italian
and that "Vita Bella" means "Good Life"
because of this song

That's Amore, sung by Dean Martin.

Good old Dino.

You see?
It's not just-a me. Simply add an -o- or an -a-
to
speak-a
Italian-o.

AMORE LIMONE LINGUINE

Here's what you need.



2 Tbsp Butter
2 small cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups heavy cream
3 large lemons
2 lbs. linguine
2/3 - 1 cup grated Parm cheese
Freshly ground pepper
Flat leaf Italian parsley
1/3 cup walnuts, halved and toasted

First, get a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Then in a large skillet, heat butter over medium-o heat (not high heat or the butter and garlic will burn). Add garlic. Saute until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes.

Add cream.
Add pulp and grated zest of 2 lemons and let the sauce reduce by about a quarter.

Once sauce has thickened, cook linguine until al dente-o in boiling water.
Add the juice of the remaining lemon and half of the Parm cheese to the sauce.
Add toasted walnuts.

Drain pasta well and toss with lemon sauce.
Sprinkle with parsley, pepper, and the rest of the Parm.
A little lemon zest on top is delightful.

Serve with fresh bread, a big salad, and a nice bottle of Cab.
Oh lordy.
And for dessert. Well, what else? Red Velvet Cake. (I'll post that recipe later on this week.)
Pure Amore.

Vita Bella, Y'all.

Getting Mooned

Last night's moon.
Awesome.
The crescent was on the bottom of the moon, holding it up.

The moon is a hammock.
This must be a rare occurrence; it looked so......so.....not right.
The crescent belongs on one of the sides of the moon, right?

I rushed in a got  my camera.
And my family.
Yes, I made my family get up from watching televison, the Super Bowl Game, to come outside and see the night sky.

I also took a couple of pics.

I have a point-and-shoot camera. And look, you can see the moon's craters in that photo. Cool.



I came in to check the Internet for info on why the crescent had shifted.
Why is the crescent on the bottom, instead of the sides, of the moon?
Turns out that such a thing is perfectly normal.
It happens when the moon and earth are tilted in a particular way.

I just have never noticed it before.
Because I haven't spent enough time looking up into the night sky.
Not nearly enough time.

I also noticed a bright planet to the left of the moon.
I knew it was a planet instead of star because I remember from Astronomy 101 that stars twinkle while the light from a planet is steady. This light was steady.

It looks so tiny in this picture.

Can you see it? That tiny white speck? To the left and a bit higher than the moon?

What is that?

I zoomed in.

I found my Old Farmer's Almanac. That tiny white speck is Jupiter.
When I told my daughter and husband, they both got up from the Super Bowl Game and OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL went outside to take another look-see.
Jupiter!
Hello, Jupiter!

I need to study up on Jupiter.
"Hey, is that the planet with rings? Maybe we can get out the binoculars and see the rings," I told my husband and daughter.
In unison, "No! That's Saturn!"
That Astronomy 101 I mentioned taking in college? That was back in 1981, and I haven't thought much of the subject since then. Obviously.

My daughter came in and called her Aunt Chris to tell her to go out and look at Jupiter.
She wanted to call some friends, but I told her it was too late.

2011.
The year I get mooned.


Other things to look for this month in the night sky:
February 17th: full moon, called the "Snow" Moon (love that name!)
February 27th: crescent moon will be to the right of Venus at dawn on 28th
February 28th: crescent moon will be to the left of Venus at dawn on March 1st

Here's a great website for night sky gazing.

Coloring Books, Coloring Walls

When I graduated from college, someone bought me a big, fat coloring book and a box of crayons. As a joke. I put it in my basket of magazines and books beside my love seat. My apartment was too small for a sofa; it was a love seat for me.

And one Friday evening, when my plans had fallen through, I mindlessly picked that coloring book up and flipped through it. The pictures were of jolly things. Rainbows. Frogs. A Princess. Dogs.

And the next thing you know, I'm coloring in the coloring book. And it was fun. My gift wasn't a box of 8 crayons; it was one of those big boxes, with the sharpener that no one ever uses.

So I called my friend. The one who had given it to me as a joke.
And I said.
Get over here. I'm ordering a pizza and we're coloring in this coloring book.
So she did.
And as she colored on one side of the book.
I colored on the opposite page.
And we sat there and ate pizza on a Friday night, coloring in a child's coloring book.
And laughing.

And since that time.
(It must have been 1986.)
I have kept a supply of coloring books and crayons in my house.
I am an excellent color-er.
Friends' children have always had something to do when they came over.
And of course, now that I have my own young-un,
we color in the books together.

She picks out the page.
And she colors on one page.
And I color on the opposite one.

Last year my daughter came home from school.
Upset.
A teacher had announced that crayons were for "babies."
No more crayons in their room.
Only colored pencils and pens.
"Are they?" she asked me, "for babies? Can we still color at home?"

The next time the school sent papers home for my signature,
I signed in purple crayon.

This is the color I want to paint my dining room

at my Farmhouse.

It is the sky at winter's dusk.

The sun is setting behind the pines and black oaks.

Ah and this.

A fire-y sunset behind the same pines and black oaks.

This is the color

I want to paint my tiny bathroom at my Farmhouse.

I wish I weren't so afraid of color on the walls.

I wish I were a better painter.

I wonder if I'll ever get up the courage to do my coloring outside of a coloring book...

Taking Care of the Blues

So, you have boots on, right? Oh.....I like your boots. I really need to improve my "wellies" situation. Yours are adorable.

Let's head down and clean out my bluebird box. Will you carry my Tidy Cat bucket? I turn it upside down and use it for a stool. If you have cats, you know the many uses for these buckets.

I have been a bluebird landlord for many years. I have learned a lot about that role. Some things I've learned the hard way, with tragic results.

Now, one thing that is important is to buy (or make) a box that is designed specifically for bluebirds. Here is some information on what a bluebird box needs (from the North American Bluebird Society).

Okay, here we are.

I saw bluebirds come in and out of this box during our cold snap. They will use it for shelter during bad weather in the winter. Otherwise, they only use it for nesting.

The side opens for easy access. That's a great feature.

And one thing that is an absolute must in keeping a bluebird house is a baffle. Here's mine:

Otherwise, you're just raising little baby bluebirds to be food for raccoons or snakes.

I used to not have a baffle. And, well. My birds were not quite  ready to fledge one year (leave the nest). One morning, I noticed the box had some pinestraw coming out of the entrance hole. I kept an eye on it, but there was no activity. When I opened up the side, the box was empty. Greg, the bird store expert guy, told me that it was most likely the work of raccoons. I was devastated. And I got a baffle.

I've had no loss to predators since I installed that baffle. Thank goodness!

So, if your bluebird box is on a fence rail, or if your pole doesn't have any protection from predators. Well, you need to get one. That's part of our duty as landlord.

Cleaning out the box every year is important. It gives the birds a fresh, clean place to build their nest.

So, on each year on February 1st, I go out and take out last year's nest.

May I have that bucket?

Okay, here we go. Last year's nest.

Here's a close up.

Around here, a bluebird's nest is made of pinestraw.  Generally, you don't see any other materials in there. Just pinestraw.

Let's also check the box for leaks or cracks on the top. I see a bit of an opening between the copper roof and the back of the box. Let's go ahead and seal it. Too bad all I had was white caulk. Oh well, at least it will be water tight now.

Awesome. Hmmm. I guess I need to clean the top up as well.....

Now all we do is wait.
Soon they will be out house shopping this year. Hope someone picks mine!
Come on back in. It's tea time!

Books and Boots

I put up a post on my blog-home at http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/.
It's about books.
Come on over and share your favorite children's book.
Here's the link.

It's February 1st, so it's time for me to think about spring plantings.
Spring is my favorite garden.
I mean, what's not to love?

Sugar Snap Peas.
Crisp lettuces.
Little baby radishes and turnips.

There's just something about going out each evening to pick our salad for dinner.
And those Sugar Snaps. They just might be my favorite vegetable EVER.

But what a mess my garden is. I no longer have a fence around the main garden patch. Last year's attempts to plant down there were frustrating. Dogs and deer and bunnies. And snakes.
The garlic was the only thing they left alone. Thank goodness for that.
What to do. What to do.

Last year I created little garden spots beside my house. The snakes, bunnies, and deer stayed out. The dogs did not. I was able to harvest a lot of lettuce, though. And some Sugar Snaps. The dogs love peas!

I spent a few minutes this weekend down in my main garden patch, hoe in hand. The dirt was soaked, but the sun was out and it was 67 degrees and I couldn't help myself.

I've got to come up with a way to CHEAPLY keep everybody (except me) out of my garden.
I would love to do a little white picket fence down there. I wonder how much that costs? And if I can install it myself? I've got to do something. I have to garden this year. Have to!

One thing I know.
February 1st is the day I clean out my bluebird box.
Come with me.....
It's a little damp out, but put on your boots and come on.....