Mom, Where Does All This Food Come From?

Today Alex was able to see where much of this food we make comes from when we visited friends of ours at their parents farm. Not to mention she also got to see her friend Ava who, since moving to Iowa recently, we don't get to see much. 

You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl (or her daughter). 

First, I should explain a little about the imwalle's farm. They have a beautiful farm house in St. Mary's, OH with just about any farm animal you would like to see (although I did not see any chickens out there this time). You're first greeted by two dogs (one being a puppy who Alex did not care for once he jumped on top of her and tried to nibble on her little pudgy cheeks). I'm pretty sure those dogs run the place as we were shown how the puppy herds the goats, and the older dog was walking around in the horse barn like he was one of them. 

Aside from the dogs, there were also several cats (duh it's a farm), two goats, two horses, some ducks back by the pond, many cows, pigs of various sizes (huge mamas, itsy piglets, regular piglets, and "teenagers"), and I believe there were even some bunnies. This always makes the Imwalle farm one of my favorites. 

For months now Munchkins has been obsessed with books containing farm animals; however, today she learned that real horses are much larger than the ones in her books. She wasn't really sure what to think, and I noticed her eyes kept drifting to the next random cat she had noticed. 

One of Alex's first words was "moo" although we couldn't get her to say much of anything today (she was in awe). I think Ava and uncle Ross were more into the cows than she was.  

You can't really tell above but they are looking at the teeny tiny piglets

"That is a funny looking dog mom"

Corralling the goats back into the barn!

Munchkin had a good time, and we always look forward to seeing our good friends Ross, Ashley, and Ava. Thanks for letting us come out. 

Fresh Eggs and Pickled Beets

Well, it's been a while, but we knew this qould happen when I entered back into the real world of a full time job. Munchkon and I cook almost every noght, but it's hard to find time to write after she goes to bed. 

I have talked often about my grandmother and the time I have spent with her, and this is definitely something I learned to like with her. I continued my love for pickled beets and eggs last year when I was living with my mom. Therefore, I have been meaning to try this recipe for some time. 

A co worker supplied me with a dozen fresh eggs straight from his chickens.

First, we waited while the eggs hard boiled. 

Next, all the eggs needed to be peeled. I know exactly what you all thinking, "have fun peeling 12 eggs with a one-year-old".  Well, fun is exactly what we had. I peeled the eggs, handed the shells to Alex, and she threw them away (she lives to throw things in the trash for me). 

Next, we tried the beets...

And Munchkins said they're good!!

We had to boil the beet juice, Vinager, and sugar...

The eggs, liquid, and beets all go in a container, and sit in the fridge for at least a week until pickled. 

Munchkin and I can't wait to dig in, but I'm glad that several days later Dad has finally stopped complaining about the smell. 

A Fun Night... Applesauce and Cookies

The munchkin and I had a lot of fun tonight hanging out in the kitchen!

Part One...

We received some more goodies from Great Grandpa's yard

When Great Grandpa gives you apples... Make applesauce!

And that is exactly what we did; however, if you've ever made applesauce then you know how long it takes to peel and chop every single apple. So while I got to work with the knife Munchkin had a healthy snack of (yep you guessed it) apples. 

After peeling and chopping the rest is easy...

1. Add to a pot with enough water to cover the bottom

2. Cover and cook on low stirring occasionally until consistency you want

3. Taste and add sugar to taste (will vary depending on type of apple)

Pretty easy... And no brand can beat homemade applesauce.

Part Two...

As if this wasn't enough fun for a night we also promised Dad some chocolate chip cookies. 

I am constantly searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie (I don't make them often enough so the search continues). However, I found this recipe to try...

http://www.bakedbyrachel.com/2013/08/soft-batch-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/

Let me just tell you that one of my favorite things to do is bake with the munchkin because she makes it so much fun!

Adding and stirring ingredients...

Hey, get your hands off those chips!!!

The funniest part of the night was when I let her taste the batter before we added the eggs (just butter and brown and white sugar) and her was her response. I just wish I would have gotten a video as she was smacking her lips and nodding her head. 

All that was left was to spoon onto sheet and bake. If you read the recipe you would say, "but wait, it said to refrigerate overnight" and you would be right.  However, we didn't want to disappoint Dad so we vetoed that step. 

Here they are... They are okay but I think we should have refrigerated the dough because dad calls them cake cookies.  

Not the perfect recipe yet, but your welcome to continue to join us on the search. 

Greek Yogurt

Alright, for the past couple months I've been trying to get myself to like Greek yogurt (you know like how I used to not like tomatoes and today I love them); however, it's a no go on the Greek yogurt. Yogurt = yum, add Greek stuff to it = yuk.

Anyway, I was telling my colleague friends at work about my dilemma, and my friend Liegh Ann sent me this recipe...

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH CHICKEN

And it's Healthy...So much better than fried!!!

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup Greek yogurt -plain
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Spread mixture over chicken breasts, bake at 375 degrees for 45 mins--Absolutely Delish!

So I thought I'd give it a try, and since its Labor Day today's as good a day as any. 

First, Munchkin had to sample the cheese, and make sure it was good. She seemed happy with the way it tastes so we preceded as planned. 

I poured the indigents in a bowl, and then  munchkin was able to do her thing...

Stir, stir, stir

Next, she helped spread the mixture on the chicken. I love how hard she concentrates (she is a thinker). 

It's as simple as that. Put it in the oven and wait...

Surprise, surprise Munchkin just couldn't wait. While the chicken was cooking she got started with some baked beans. 

We all enjoyed the chicken very much, and I decided that is one way I like Greek yogurt (along with ice cream and smoothie form). 

Last but not least... Chocolate milk

Thanks Grandpa!!