I am actually so excited for the change in pace for May here, because it gives me the excuse to tell any straggler kids around here that on the ‘off days’ of not taking out meals, it is cereal or ramen noodles for supper…
we have gotten into a depressing little routine here on the farm… wake up, school work and run or workout, clean, cook, yard work and then stare at the TV (or play video games) until the sweet release of sleep comes and we can repeat the exact same thing the next day
the kids have been helping me with some spring jobs here that they never knew happened… Sienna mentioned to me ‘when did you do this before?’ and I tell her ‘when you were at school’...
for the first month or so, I would receive emails everyday with things that were being cancelled… hockey for Sienna, hockey camps for Ethan, baseball, school, dental appointments, Easter, vacations, graduation for Brandon…
you know what wasn’t cancelled? home schooling, yard work, house work, dishes, laundry, the WIND, bills, spam emails, subscriptions to things I accidentally signed up for… and apparently the social pressure to clean and paint your entire house…
spinach salad with strawberries
Ingredients:
Dressing:
- 1 lb fresh spinach
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, (optional – toasted)
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tbsp chopped red onions
- 1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
Directions:
- chop the spinach and toss the spinach, strawberries and almonds into a bowl
- in a mason jar (or whatever you use to make dressings), shake up the dressing ingredients
- pour over and eat immediately
I certainly went through all the stages and then invented a few during my grief cycle… denial and isolation (well, I bought hand sanitizer every week for a month going into this so I wasn’t in denial… definitely in isolation)… anger (nailed that… still nailing that)… bargaining (tough to bargain when you are alone)… depression (is this the feeling you get in the morning when you want to suffocate yourself with a pillow??)… acceptance (I also like to call this despair… has a nicer ring to it)
the ones I added were – replacing every good habit that took me 40 years to develop with a bad habit… worrying about not having anything to worry about… not shaving… talking to strangers like they are life long friends… googling Zoom backgrounds for 3 hours before I realize how long I’ve been staring at my phone for… starting group chats with anyone that will have me… then leaving the group chats because I can’t stand anyone on them… crying while running… thinking cake and peanut butter marshmallow bars are a breakfast food…
pickled creamy onions
Ingredients:
- 4 medium onions, sliced thin
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp celery seed
- miracle whip (or mayo)
Directions:
- slice up onions and place in a big bowl
- heat water, vinegar, sugar and salt
- pour over sliced onions
- cover and place in a fridge for 3-4 hours minimum or overnight
- drain
- add celery seed and miracle whip until onions look creamy
but ENOUGH WITH THAT… here we go… SEEDING… the hope every year that we will plant seeds into the ground and new life will come… (oh yes – I have gotten very spiritual during this time as well… tough to miss church when it is virtual and you are can’t possibly say that you are busy)
I have never been more excited for seeding in my life... we are fortunate to have freezers full of beef (I cut this blade roast in half for this shredded beef recipe) and deer sausage and chickens… the Farmer’s only way of ‘prepping’ for this was to come home every few days with giant burlap sacks of rice – so we are set in the rice department…
seeding usually feels so rushed with sports going on – but this seeding I get to experience the sheer boredom that my ancestors got to go through during this time of year… I am excited to see what creativity and inspiration comes from this (more sleeping is my guess)
I feel grateful that I came to terms years ago with the fact that I would be cooking massive amounts of food for the foreseeable future and started to really love and enjoy it (it is one of those mind tricks you can do – where if you tell yourself enough times that you like something, you will start to like it – kinda like quarantine)
instant pot shredded caramelized beef
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs flank steak
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- kosher salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup Mexican beer, (or root beer or water)
- 1 tbsp honey
- buns and toppings
Directions:
- cut the steak into four pieces
- pat steak pieces down with the chili powder, onion powder, paprika and salt
- in the Instant Pot, put olive oil and then steak pieces
- add the rest of the spices (if any leftover) and add garlic, juice and zest of lime and beer
- cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 8 minutes (more if a larger steak/roast)
- once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function and release the steam
- preheat the broiler on high
- remove the steak and shred – place onto a baking sheet
- add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid
- drizzle honey over it
- broil for 2-5 minutes, until the steak caramelizes
- toss with additional cooking liquid if desired
- serve on a bun with toppings of your choice (this can also be used in a taco)
so here it goes… meals to the field
experimenting with new recipes, new ways to cook and enjoying one of the only fun things left for us to do… EATING
here is hoping that everyone has a safe and happy seeding – that it rains on our crops and we all start to see new life coming out of the wreckage the last two months has been
I will supply recipes for you to try – not all will be great but I hope there are a few that you enjoy along the way here… and we will get through seeding and spring together
coconut lemon muffins with honey butter
Ingredients:
Muffins:
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flaked or shredded
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk, (stirred up with a fork)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Honey Butter:
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tbsp slated butter, melted
- 1-2 tsp lemon zest
Directions:
- preheat oven to 350 degrees
- spray lined muffin cups
- spread coconut on a baking sheet and place in oven for 5-10 minutes until toasted
- in a bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt and zest
- in a mixing bowl, combine eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, br sugar, coconut milk and oil
- add in the flour mixture
- place a scoop in each muffin tin
- bake for 16-18 minutes or until set
- cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes
- drizzle with honey butter generously
i feed a farmer 
Terrific recipes… strawberries in a spinach salad is novel… and the dressing sounds great!
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