Plantin Flowers & Bakin Bread...

All in a good days work... along with gettin up at 5am, checkin on pregnant Does, feedin/waterin the barnyard (& family too), raking 3 barnyard pens of feathers & poo... stop in and visit the other side of my life, Our Little Farm

Anyways... my honey & brother went to Lowes today & I asked him to pick me up some flowers to plant while he was there... he did a really good job picking out flowers. 

Today was a beautiful day to plant (tomorrow we are planting the garden), 

it felt good to get my hands in the dirt.  I planted some herbs too.

Cooked for 7 people tonight, had no idea what I was cookin when I finally got in the kitchen, I hadnt laid anything out.  But I did have a roll of sausage & some cheese in the fridge... got to lookin in the pantry & seen spaghetti sauce, Italian chunky tomatoes.  Also had frozen spinach.  Knew I needed some bread to go with dinner but didnt have time to wait for bread to rise... so I remembered a quick, easy, good round bread recipe a friend had shared with me last year that I've used from time to time.

This bread is so good.

Italian Round Bread

• Time 35 minutes
• Serves 8

Ingredients

---

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2-3/4 cups water at 110 degrees
• 1/2 cup dry milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 7-1/2 cups flour
• Olive oil
• 3 teaspoons parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons parsley
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt

• How to make it

  ---

• Sprinkle yeast on water then stir to dissolve then add dry milk, sugar, salt, oil and 3 cups flour.
• Beat with mixer until smooth about 3 minutes.
• Gradually add enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough that leaves sides of bowl.
• Cover and let rest 15 minutes then knead until smooth and satiny about 5 minutes.
• Divide dough in half and shape into flat circles about 10" across.
• ***or do what I did & shape them into loaves. 
• Place loaves onto cookie sheet which has been oiled with olive oil.
• Rub tops of loaves with olive oil then sprinkle with parmesan, parsley, paprika and garlic salt.
• Bake at 350 for 25 minutes then served with herb butter.
• ***Linking up to Homestead Revival: Barn Hop #60***

Fresh smoked sausage

I ordered some fresh smoked sausage from some friends & they delivered it today so ya know we had to try some for dinner...

HM plain dried bread chunks I use in a Breakfast Casserole I've come to love to make

Quick & Easy Breakfast Casserole, Fresh Smoked Sausage, Cranberry Bread w/Nectarine Jam

(if you search my blog with all these names it will take you to the recipes)

All these shells are from eggs that went to the freezer today... froze bags of 6, 4, 3 & 2 eggs for different recipes. * I rinse, dry, crush my shells & feed back to my chickens & wild birds.

Lets Talk About Freezin Eggs...

Did you know you can freeze eggs for future use... well I didnt til a few months ago. As most of you know I have a lil farm & here on Our Little Farm we get alot of eggs during the Spring & Summer, I use a ton of eggs in my kitchen to bake, cook with & we also eat many, many, many eggs. I also sell my yummy farm fresh eggs... but sometimes my egg customers cant meet me or they just arent ready for more eggs (they sure dont go through eggs like I do, lol). Anyways if ya ever find yourself over flowing with eggs & ya dont know what the heck your going do with em all... Freeze em :)

Take however many eggs you need for a recipe... lets say 6 (breakfast casserole), clean the shells, crack the eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt & whisk up, carefully pour into freezer bags, get the air out & freeze. We just bought a food saver a few months ago too so thats what I'm using & love it. Now to thaw your eggs out just run cold water over the bag & use. Or you could let them thaw out over night in the fridge.

...Easy Peasy...

Cinnamon Roll Bread...

I made bread yesterday, one loaf to go with dinner (slow-cooker lasagna) & then I turned 1 loaf into cinnamon roll bread on accident, lol. I meant to make cinnamon sugar swirl bread...

So good ya dont even miss the icing...

Ok, so I meant to make 1 loaf into cinnamon sugar swirl bread but then I spotted the 2 sticks of butter I had on the counter all day to soften & thought to myself... heyyyyy, I'll add a stick of butter, then the cinnamon & sugar. Never crossed my mind it would be just like a cinnamon roll, duh Jennifer. Sometimes I'm so silly but thats ok it makes life fun. Anyways... after it got done bakin I realized it was a big ol loaf of cinnamon roll, lol. After it cooled I sliced it up & put it in a container... its really good this mornin with my coffee ;)

Made some PB cookies too, 4 dozen... almost all gone! Goodness my family can eat. I had to hide some in the oven & freezer. Shhhhh... dont tell, thats between y'all & me, lol ;)

Bread Recipe...

*This is not my recipe, I got it off www.backyardchickens a few years ago & love it.

2 cups warm (almost hot) water

4 tsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. sugar

-Combine together and let rise for 5 minutes

1/4 cup oil

5 cups bread flour

2 tsp. salt

-Add to yeast mixture and knead until smooth and elastic.

Cover and let rise for 20-25 minutes. Beat dough down and make into loaves (this recipe makes 2 loaves). Here's the trick to get your bread to come out right. You need to roll out the bread into a rectangle, then roll up into a loaf, like you would when making cinnamon rolls. Lightly slice top of bread to get diagonal cut look when baked. (refer to pic) Cover and let loaves rise (I put my loaves on separate cookie sheets) for 20-25 minutes. Bake on 350* for 20-25 minutes, until top of loaves are golden brown. Let bread cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Cinnamom Rolls from the bread dough...

I just roll the dough out like I would for a loaf of bread but one I get it rolled out, I spread softened butter on it. Then I sprinkle white sugar (not brown) and cinnamon all over the top of the butter. Then roll up and slice into cinnamon rolls. Let rise for 25 minutes and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Then I make a glaze and pour over the tops after the rolls have been out of the oven for 3 minutes.

A Saturday At My Mommas...

My momma & Clinton asked us to come over & build alittle deck on the back of their place... she'd cook us dinner (but she did want me to make & bring my potato salad). So I made all the teenagers go & we had a very nice day... we are the kinda of family that when one of us ask for help on something we help each other out. All families should be this way :)

Momma & The Teenagers :)

The food was great

The day was beautiful

The men worked hard

Then some played alittle

and loved on the dogs

I mostly enjoyed the day...

chit chatting with my momma & crocheting.

and took pictures :)

...Favorite Easter Candy...

I do believe Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs are my favorite Easter Candy...

I ♥ chocolate & Peanut Butter. I only bought 1 egg this year to enjoy...

so I'm gonna sit here & savor every yummy bite.

Whats your favorite Easter Candy?

ps I tried those choc. covered marshmallow egg things...

my ol my they are so yummy too!

Abby & Jake... Spring Break 2012

2 out of 4 of my younger sisters rugrats have been with us since Easter... they love coming down to visit us & Our Little Farm & we love havin them here, they are cute, funny lil people & ya NEVER know what they are gonna say. I love them so much & I'm so happy we can give them all these great childhood memories & their 2 older sisters. They called their momma this mornin ready to go home, so shes coming to get them tomorrow then they will cry to come back, lol My wish is one day they will get to move down here by us.

Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #22

I needed a loose mineral holder for the goats so one mornin I thought milk jugs would do the trick, I've got one inside the goat barn & then I put this one outside in the run, I need to refill em, I put alittle in em when needed.

~ True Story... Jake comes in the kitchen & says "Is my pizza done?!?!" I say "I'm still workin on it." Then he says "Hurry up girl, I need my pizza!"... these rugrats crack me up everytime they stay with me, lol

Just look at them smiles.... Jake told me today he wish he didnt have to go to stupid daycare, he wish my house was daycare.

Funny Story... Yesterday while I was in the house crocheting I could here them down in the barnyard playin & laughin & just havin a good ol time... well here comes Jake (5) soak in wet from head to toe tryin to tell me one of the goats knocked him in the nasty duck pond, well I didnt believe that story but he was stickin to it, lol. Then Abby (6) came in & I asked her, she was stickin to the same story but I could tell something was fishy... I told them I wanted the truth, that they wasnt gonna be in trouble. The Jake blurts outs... "Abby pushed me in!" Abby blurts out... "well Jake told me too!" I was laughin so hard by this time, come to find out it was Jakes idea to blame the poor goats... silly kids.

Easter 2012

...Family Is Everything...

So happy I got to spend the day with people I love

~4 out of 5 sisters~

We had a beautiful family filled Easter day...

Dying Farm Fresh Eggs...

~This post is a repeat from Easter 2011 ~

Kaylin & I dyed 4 doz. of our farm fresh eggs yesterday...
(I'll be makin egg salad with them)

In a small cup or similar sized container, mix drops of food coloring with 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Then add 1/2 cup water

I found these very cool eye dyin ideas on these 2 blogs...
Cackles & Berries and Sprout 'n' Wings I'm really glad I found them, I will never buy a dye kit again. Hope everyone is havin a nice Easter with your family/friends...