The Spring Activities race has begun and what is a mom to cook?

The race has begun... I feel like I am constantly running and late, and I am the kind of person that has to be 5 minutes early to feel like I am on time.  Jackson is playing baseball and Trap Shooting and Cyrus is playing baseball.  Jorja May (4) is constantly running and luckily doesn't mind being shuttled back and forth with the boys and Kyra (12) is recovering from foot surgery but a huge help even though she has a boot on her foot, so no sports for her this summer.  We are nearing the end of school like everyone, so our schedules are very full and with the Farm in the busiest season with the gardens and now pigs going to camp every week I needed something easy to cook.  We just started having smaller Ham Roasts cut out and they are awesome - they fit right in the crock pot, I even put this one in frozen, with chicken broth, carrots, potato's and onions and cooked it on low all day!

And of course I forgot to take a picture after...but everyone was very happy and we got everywhere we needed to be even if we ate at 8:00!

Have a great weekend!

Corned Beef Brisket...recipe handed down from Chris's Mom Carol...

Every St. Patrick's day I get excited to make Corned Beef Brisket...it was a recipe Chris's mom (Carol) gave to me...and I love to cook anything she used to make so it gives him another awesome memory of her.  She could take anything she had in the cupboards and make something awesome and usually with little time, something I have not been gifted with, but she gifted me with a husband that can do the same!

While it has been almost 12 years since she passed...she is in our thoughts daily.  I laugh to think what she thinks about Chris, Richard and her husband Tony (Grandpa T) and what they have created on the farm.  Tony and Carol bought the land together many years ago and built a cabin hoping to one day live in it.  I know she would be proud and I am pretty sure she has been behind them every step of the way!  So since I live with a farmer we don't always do things on the right day but we usually try to do them with in a couple of days that we are suppose to. 

This past week our son Jackson (10) has been taking Hunter Safety Classes so he can do Trap shooting...which required transporting him three days up to Dowagiac and thank you to Mom, Dad and Grandpa T and the smarts of Jackson he got his license.  Yay for Jackson and now he can follow in his cousins awesome foot steps and go trap shooting weekly! 

So today....Chris took my five little piggies (Kyra, Jackson, Cyrus, Jorja May & Jones (dog)) to the farm so I can have some alone time and as I thank you I am making Corned Beef Brisket!

Here is the awesome recipe...and as I always promise...it is easy!

CORNED BEEF BRISKET

Ingredients:
1 Corn Beef Brisket
1 Cooking Bag
BBQ Sauce
Garlic
Pepper
Carrots
Potato’s

Put the corned beef in the bag (fat up – I have to put that because I had no
idea it mattered J),sprinkle the beef with pepper and about 2 TBL spoons of garlic, cover with your
favorite BBQ sauce, cut up potato’s (usually three or four for us) and carrott’s
put in the bag and add a ½ can of beer.

Cook at 300 degrees for about 2 ½ hours

Hope you enjoy it!

Flip flop wearing Farmers Wife!

Oh it is hard not to get excited!  I pulled out my flip flops yesterday... well they weren't ever put away, but I got to wear them outside.  Yes, have you ever seen a flip flop wearing farmer's wife?  It is really the only way this lady rolls in the spring/summer/fall (or no snow weather) -- they are easy to clean, although they sometimes get stuck in the mud, but really comfortable feet make me a Happy Farmer's Wife!  And as we were loading to get into the truck to head to the farm, my 4 year old also made me find hers...because after all if mom has to wear them, she does!

Jorja May and I have been going to Kyra's school (middle school) and help teach skating, or in some cases pick up some of the kids.  It has been a great two weeks, I guess you take some things for granted!  I used to skate home from work in Chicago from the loop to Lincoln Park - it was faster then the "L" or driving, and it felt great!   Some how we always have stakes around our house --- people hand them down to us so the kids have followed in my skates and enjoy it....now we have to find some to fit a four year that will probably whoop our butts once she gets going.  It has been great watching several of the kids who have never been on skates and two weeks later they are skating around the gym!  It is exhausting, and I am grateful the gym teacher fought hard to get this program for the kids.  We have been going for two classes every two days, I can't imagine teaching it everyday all day long, but it confirms why I am so grateful for the teachers that love their jobs, we have been blessed at both of our kids schools with teachers who love what they are doing and have really become a part of our family!

I found these flip flops, they might be too dangerous to wear while doing the chores... I am pretty sure if I had a wedding renewal I would wear flip flops this time, although I wore ballet slippers the first time I got married and everyone thought I was crazy, but that confirms how much I dislike shoes!!!

I hope you get to go out and wear your flip flops soon!!

Happy Valentine’s Day or Happy Monday!

I am wishing all of my friends and family a special day. I know it is a "Card" holiday...but it is one more day I can make sure my friends and family know how much I love them.

I hope you got to spend time with someone you love! Farmer Chris splits his time between me and his Pigs (and the other couple hundred animals) --- and believe me they know how much he loves them.

As I was standing at the bus stop this morning (around 6:20) with my 12 year old daughter she was telling me a story! Kyra's class was discussing who was smarter - dogs or pigs. Most of the kids said pigs and her teacher thought they should test that theory and asked if anyone had a pig. Some kids jokingly raised their hands and Kyra spoke up and said no that she really did have pigs. The teacher said oh ok a Guinea Pig? and Kyra said no we have like 100 big pigs at the farm. Needless to say she was a little shocked. Kyra agreed that pigs are very smart, they know when her dad shows up they are going to be fed, they know if they bump Chris he will rub behind their ears, they know how to get out of the weather, they know not to touch the fence, a mama pig can deliver 15 babies all by themselves!

Don’t worry I am not jealous, I am just happy I married such a loving and caring human being!

Have a Great Valentine’s Day no matter how you celebrate it!

Crunchy Garlic Chicken...Cyrus' pick!

If you have been following me you know I try to cook a favorite meal for each child once a week...don't worry they are all Farmer Chris's favorite!  This one is Cyrus' favorite...we hope you enjoy it also!

Crunchy Garlic Chicken


1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted


2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups Cornflakes cereal, crushed (1 cup)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon paprika

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 lb) -- this time we cut into strips, before we leave the breasts whole!

Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In shallow dish, mix 2 tablespoons of the butter, the milk, chives, salt and garlic powder.


In another shallow dish, mix crushed cereal, parsley and paprika. Dip chicken into milk mixture, then coat lightly and evenly with cereal mixture. Place in pan. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).

And it was so good Jorja May wanted it for breakfast!  She was being my shy girl!

 

We hope you enjoy this as much as we do!  Have a great Sunday and stay warm!  In this house we route for the commercials!