New Year This Week

New Years Eve plans include staying on the farm and cooking pizza, in the new wood fired oven.

This picture is from last week , and tells a very different story, today we have 7" of fresh snow.

Monday: Stone Gable Chicken with Capers

Tuesday: Cheese Burgers and Home Fries

Wednesday: Spiced Cat Fish Pablano and Cheddar Grits

Thursday: Pizza's in the oven and Movies

Friday : Chicken Garlic Chive Meat Balls

Saturday: Rib Eye Steaks Potato Hash

Sunday: Half Turkey and Dressing

December Week One

Lager , my over sized "spoiled" farm dog.

With the help of Blue Apron I am learning to pair wine with food.

In the past I stuck with what I know I like.

Friday: Chicken Meat Balls Braised Kale & Spiced Mash

Saturday: Pork Chops with Pairs Oven Fries

Sunday: Meat loaf with Bacon Baked potato Green Onion

Monday: Stuffed Shells and Beef Sauce

Tuesday: Tamarind Glazed Cod

Wednesday: Roast Chicken Potato Latkes

Thursday: Harrisa Lamb Burgers

Investigating ideas for the holiday

19 degrees this morning. 

Change in the air , new season.

Farm Dog

Lager

Maine Farm Bureau's First Annual Plow Day

Today we attended The Maine Farm Bureau's "First Annual Plow event"

As an "event" it was not a huge success only two team of horses showed up. That being said it was a wonderful opportunity to exercise the team, meet new (like minded) people and visit with old friends.

The fields we massive and nice for the horses to plow. They had lots of long straight runs.

Team Mack and Mike from Hooves and Hounds Farm , with Bob Jerrier driving.

Team King and Pete from Windy Hill Farm, with Dick Fortin driving.

I plan to look into Maine Farm Bureau more,  the members seem to be very passionate about many of the things Bob and I feel are important to agriculture. www.mainefarmbureau.com

Circle of Life

Team Mack and Mike spread manure today, on the back pasture.

Every year we fertilize, and the pasture has really changed and developed.

Tom was heart broken watching. When you own an odd number, someone gets left out.


Monday : Hamburger Mac and Cheese
Tuesday: Chicken Khao Soi Soup and Wings
Wednesday: Crispy Cod and Spiced Couscous
Thursday: Roast Pork Braised Endive
Friday: Grilled Pizza

Time to Turn the Clocks

I hate when we change the clocks! Front , back I do not care, it messes me up for weeks.
 Being in retail it is difficult  enough to try and form a healthy eat, rest pattern ( we are mandatory "full flex").
 Changing the clocks and loosing 5 hours of day light is hell on earth. Morning chores and evening chores are done in the dark.
DO NOT try and tell me I gain sleep that is BS my boys want to eat same time every day year round 6:1 am and 6:15 pm!

This is very often my view. Thank God for white socks  and blazes.

This week on the menu:

Thursday night: Home made grilled Pizza's and the Pat's game!

One has red sauce and one has white.

Friday: Our own farm ,Grilled burger, Fresh and local bacon and organic red onion slices.

Saturday : Local Flounder and fries

Sunday : Lasagna roll ups , from my freezer made meals.

Monday: Cobb Salads after a full day of meetings

Tuesday: Pork Meatballs in Butter Lettuce Cups

Wednesday: Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Thursday: Salmon Pastrami on Rye

Friday:  Grilled Pizza

Sunset on the Farm , End Of October

Sunset on the farm. Back pasture.

Tom Boy 

The leaves are almost done.

Mike and Mack

Mike comes to the gate as soon as I approach , Mack is more reserved. ( and happy eating)

Thomas and Mini

Freezer Cooking

I am a crazy busy foodie... I love everything food, cooking shows, cook books writing menus planning meals.
I have the farm and a job in town  with an impossible schedule.
 Like most people I have two days off a week.
So for this reason one of my favorite vacation activities is bulk cooking and that's what I spent two days of my vacation week doing. I shop early in the day and then I go home and get organized, separate ingredients gather up my containers then I cook.
Sometimes I cook for four to six hours straight, chopping roasting stirring stock pots.
But when I am finished I have meals for as many as eight or ten nights. When I return to work and days are exhausting I find relief knowing whats for dinner. I grab a dish from the freezer pop it in the oven and head outside to do night chores , when I return inside dinners done and clean up is easy.

This is one of my very favorite starting points for bulk cooking. A couple roasters are perfect. I season with salt and pepper some garden herbs and stuff with onion and garlic.

I roast, cool and pick separating into parts, every piece is transformed.

a chicken pot pie 

or two

Waldorf salad

chicken stock for use in soups and rices

two pounds of beef browned and lasagna roll ups and sauce created.

Freezer Cooking

Decide what to make

Gather the recipes

Make your shopping list

Shop early or the night before

Cook day , make time to do just that

 Choose the correct containers and label

I use Amazon Reditainers and Sharpie markers.