December 21, 2014

Winter is...

Christmas (obviously).

a season that seems to start at least two weeks be for it actually does.

watching snow fall and hoping it'll stick.

sledding down the hill into the pasture and getting sopping wet.

hot chocolate.

mornings when you just want to stay in your warm pajamas.

longing for spring (unfortunately this has already started for me).

What else can I add?

December 20, 2014

Coming up for air

Christmas Break...is...here!

After weeks and weeks of school, due dates, projects, stress, and fun, I have a breather (sorta. Exam studying will happen somehow). I think I shall be ensconced in the kitchen most of the time, testing out two recipes. I'll tell you how that goes. ;) I also want to read something, but need some suggestions. Anyone? 

This school year's been super busy, but super great too. I (thankfully) enjoy all my classes and am learning things that don't even involve school directly. Number one is that I can easily be sucked into the vortex of blogs or Pinterest or instagram and then I remember I should probably be working on a paper or something. It is very easy to just keep going from blog to blog to blog, and then twenty minutes have past and I've got nothing productive done. Number two is connected to number one, and it's that school comes first. It's okay if I don't get around to working out or replying to those letters. As long as I get my school done and get it done well, it's all fine. It gets rid of a lot of stress and makes school more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, with all the busyness, I haven't had time to get into the "Christmas spirit", let alone think about it's true meaning. We have Advent devotions on Sundays, but sometimes my mind wonders, so I don't really have an excuse besides being busy. :) I want to squish a lot of things into the next two weeks, but I need to make some time to sit and remember. 

Anyways, on to yummy stuff. Today I made these, but replaced the sunflower butter with tahini (weird, I know, but delicious!) and used coconut sugar instead of maple syrup. They don't have really strange or unusual ingredients, so anyone could make them. I also made this chocolate a few days ago. I want to make all sorts of other sweet stuff, but I'll probably stick with these and just eat a bunch to make up for variety. ;)

Merry Christmas one and all! Enjoy your time with loved ones and celebrating the birth of our Savior!

 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." --John 1:14

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.'" --Luke 2:13-14

November 18, 2014

Update #9

Greetings from the North Pole! Today it was absolutely freezing and windy, and I felt like Laura Ingalls going out all bundled up to open the coop. At first I didn't wear gloves and my hands became quite numb. No frostbite though! :)

We've been getting ten eggs a day on average, though today it was only eight. I think that's probably what it'll be like in the winter. We have had several humongous eggs (all double yolkers), which are so big the carton can't be shut!

The pictures below are from last week, when there was a surprise dusting of snow. When I let the girls out they were very quiet and peered about curiously.



See that one in the very front, with the teeny comb? That's Winnifred.

October 7, 2014

A salad for fall

What? Salad and fall? That's practically an oxymoron. Salads go with summer, girl. Get with the picture.

Cold-season Salad
1 1/2 c. chopped cabbage
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 small apple, chopped
1/2 c. chopped yellow squash*
1/2 c. roasted beets* 

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/3-1/2 c. olive oil
2 t. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 t. each thyme and basil

Oil, grease, or butter a frying pan. Saute cabbage and onion on medium to medium-high heat until cabbage cooks through (some of the leaves may turn golden and crispy). Add the apple, beets, and squash. Continue to saute until everything is warmed through to your liking.

For the vinaigrette, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl or pitcher. Drizzle as much as you like over the salad. Enjoy!  

*I threw this salad together yesterday. I looked in the fridge and there was yellow squash and beets. Into the frying pan they flew! Feel free to sub butternut squash or whatever other goodies you may have.

September 27, 2014

Fall is...

"brrrrrr" worthy mornings.

watching the trees on The Hill out front turn color (there's already a lonely little red waiting for the rest to catch up).

darkness at 7:30.

pumpkin everything...duh.


sunshine on cool days.


trying to stay on top of school.

dreaming of Thanksgiving dinner.

comfort food: soup, stews, roasted anything, warm baked goods.

pulling out scarves, sweaters, and fuzzy socks. Sometimes a little prematurely. :)


raking leaf piles.


wind rustling through the trees.


damp days.


What can I add?

September 24, 2014

'fessing up

For the past month, I've been eating like a cave-girl.

That's right, I've been eating Paleo. And not just Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol Paleo (AIP). It's not that I have an autoimmune disease (that I know of), but the hows and whys behind it made sense to me. So after my last bowl of homemade yogurt, I was off!


I'm calling this "'fessing up", because I was a little afraid to write it after this post. I had just said I didn't have any serious health problems and was happy to eat rice casserole. Well, I guess that wasn't strictly true. I did have some health problems (though maybe not as terrible as the ones I'd mentioned) that I sorta brushed aside or didn't want to admit to. I had some digestive issues and felt tired a lot. 


I'm not denying that God sent me peace. He did and I still agree with what I said in my post. There is not a perfect diet out there that is going to make me feel like Supergirl all the time. I will always have bad days and good days. But eating AIP has helped me. I don't feel tired anymore and my digestive stuff is much better. 


This post isn't to make you all eat like I do. It was just to spill the beans, so to speak (or berries, since I can't have beans, haha). It will obviously cause changes on the blog, since my recipes will now be AIP or Paleo. Also, I felt like I should write it just to clear up any confusion about the other post.


So anyways, that was my little "confession". :) I hope you didn't start wagging your finger at me. I must admit, I felt rather silly after switching over to AIP. I thought I had decided against grain-free, let alone dairy-, nut-, egg-, legume-, and nightshade-free! But things happen....


Note: I am not eating Paleo because I believe our Paleolithic ancestors ate this way and therefore I should. I am basing my decision off information from this book, blogs like these, and personal experience. 

Oh, and thanks, Wondermark. Why eat Paleo if you can't make fun of it too?

September 12, 2014

Links: Waiting for fall

"Get Your Latte Off My Late Summer" from The Art in Life. Guilty as charged. The beginning of the week was cooler, so I was quite happily sporting a light cardigan and then I whipped up a loaf of pumpkin bread Tuesday evening. :)

Another pumpkin recipe: fudge. Must try!

Why I don't use almond flour when baking (+ it is crazy expensive). Though I would probably not say no to, say, a small piece of almond flour gingerbread cake or a cookie. :)


Wow. This girl's story is amazing!


-----

Soooo, about that "coming soon" post. Apparently high school is a lot more time consuming then one would think! Don't worry, it's nothing too terribly exciting, just something I think is worth writing about. :)

September 6, 2014

Links: In which I am a thrice proven health geek

Woot woot! This article makes me happy.  

I work out, as I said before, and The Paleo Mom has a really good post on why exercise is important. It's really motivated me!


The cartoon at the beginning of this article made me laugh. Out loud. I'm not quite sure why it was so funny.


Time for deliciousness! This looks really good, as do these scones. You gotta love scones. And ice cream. And cobbler. Okay, enough of that. 


----

So, this link stuff may or may not be a regular occurrence around here. Warning if it is, because you should be prepared to read a lot of things like those above. They are my obsessions at the moment (and have been for the past year or so...). 


Also, some of the observant of you may have noticed a bit of a theme (besides the Rachel-being-a-geek one). There should be a post in the near future that explains that.

August 30, 2014

Update #8: The Egg

Now, ladies and gentleman, what we've all been waiting for. I present to you...the first egg!

I opened up the nesting boxes, not knowing what exactly to expect. After all, they'd only just started squatting yesterday. Yet there, lo and behold, was a little brown egg.

And when I say little, I mean little. It's not quite two inches long and about one and a half wide. 
Here it is on the camera cap.
And then compared to a paperclip.

Sizzling with some kale.
Finished product! Sorry for the poor picture quality.

Now I shall carry a basket down when I let them out and shut them in. It's pretty exciting, folks.

August 29, 2014

Update #7

The chickens are almost nineteen weeks. Most of them have bright red combs and wattles, but a few still have dull, smaller ones. I've named a few, actually. Angela (she's noisy), Florence (she has a smaller comb and wattle), and Amy (she has a longer tail than the others). I have several names in my head, but I can't tell the rest apart...yet.

No eggs yet, but I have very good reason to expect one in the next few days, since at least two of them are starting to squat. This means that they will start laying very, very soon. I'm hoping maybe Sunday, or tomorrow. :)

Several of them have also started to escape. They fly up onto the fence and then jump down. We've shooed them off the fence a couple times, but now I'll look out the window and there will be a hen, innocently pecking at the grass. Just today I had to put four back in the run! It's all right with me, though, as long as they stay near the coop (which they have).

And now...pictures! These are from a week or two ago when they were free ranging.




And these are from my sister's birthday party.


August 20, 2014

Greenie beanies

Green beans. Fat. Salt. An oven.
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Yum.

Roasted Green Beans
originally from The Paleo Mom*

1 1/2 lbs. green beans
3 T. fat of choice (I used avocado oil)
1 t. salt (or half pepper and salt. Either way is scrumptious)

Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Wash and trim green beans. Snap in half if desired. Place in bowl and toss with other ingredients until well coated. Spread on cookie sheet, place in oven, and roast for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Random Happy Stuff:

One of my brothers (who shall remain unnamed): "Do you think I am a good brother? I think I am a good brother. Do you think I am a good brother?"**

The above said Brother and I are kinda tired after watching How to Train Your Dragon. We were also...um...rather hyper this afternoon while playing Scattegories Categories. Good times.

Chickens will start laying in three weeks! I'll try to post a picture of the first egg, if I don't fry it first.

School starts in two weeks! I love school things (schedules, books, sharp pencils, knowledge). Then, around November, the novelty wears off and it's just school. 

Apples, kale, bananas, and grapes. nomnom.

*so apparently I could call these "Rachel's Roasted Green Beans" if I wanted, just because I left out the lemon juice?
**well, he did accidentally delete this post while I was writing it. So...maybe? ;) (just kidding, I do love you, -------)

August 2, 2014

Suggestions (books and a smoothie)

I'm still plowing my way through "Confessions" and, now, "The Church History". I've set a certain number of sections I have to read each day and I think hope I'll be done at the end of the month. 

With all that to work on, I haven't had much time for the fun stuff that I really want to read. So for all of you fortunate people who do have time, here are two of the best books I've ever read.

1): "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

Pride and Prejudice (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)Love, love, love. This is definitely worth while. Funny (it actually got me to laugh out loud), serious, romantic, and delicious. You read right: delicious. I just couldn't put it down!

2): "Persuasion" also by Jane Austen.

Persausion by Jane Austen [Unabridged Edition]I think I may have liked this even better than P+P. It was an equally scrumptious read. I absolutely love the romance. The two characters care deeply for one another and develop well. This isn't mushy, ya'll. The book is a little mysterious at first (why is Captain Wentworth acting this way? Ahhh!), but its resolve is lovely.

Also, you should watch the movies too. Not just any old version though. This one for "Pride and Prejudice" and this one for "Persuasion".

Now, on to the recipe!

The Chocolate Covered Blueberry

1/3 c. canned full fat coconut milk
1 c. blueberries
1/2 a frozen banana
2 t. cocoa powder
2 t. raw honey
a splash of vanilla

Combine all in blender. Mmmm!

(Of course, I couldn't just follow the recipe, I'm too much of a rebel (yeah right). I added coconut oil, two egg yolks (leftover from coconut macaroons), used kefir and yogurt instead of coconut milk, and not as much banana and honey.) 

~photos courtesy of Barnes and Noble~

July 27, 2014

On health and life. Sorta.

I'm interested in health and can get obsessive about it, like I said in this post. I believe food is important and definitely has an affect on your overall health. However, it needs to be kept in balance with everything else.

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I like reading about probiotics, fats, flour, and hydrogenated oils. I like making (and eating) fermented foods and nutritious breakfast goodies.

Unfortunately, since I enjoy it so much, I can let health control my life. For the past couple months I have been so stressed out, had an overload of information, and felt like I don't know what to believe. I want to be 100% sure of whatever I believe, or else it is guilty until proven innocent. It isn't fun.

I've researched and read and thought and doubted while trying to find the "right healthy". The one that really is true. The one that can't be contradicted. The one that is perfect.

I've been researching and reading and thinking and doubting for the past couple months. Then, two weeks ago, God sent me an incredible, incredible gift.

Peace.

Peace in the realization that there isn't a perfect healthy out there. That I need to accept what I have and live life to the fullest. Live life to the fullest for Him. He's the one who made me and loved me and saved me. He should be my life and He is. ("When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." - Colossians 3:4).

You wouldn't believe what it feels like after months of stress, fear, and doubt to be at peace. It feels like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I can now eat this delicious rice casserole in peace and am free to enjoy the rest of my day without (for the most part) analyzing my every bite.

File:Magini Still life with bottles.jpg
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I really don't have much to complain about in the health realm. After all, when I think about it, I am healthy and God has blessed me with the means to be so. I haven't been sick in over six months. I'm not overweight. I don't suffer from any chronic illnesses or fatigue. Thanks to this website, I'm getting stronger too. And I'm thankful and should use this health to live my life for the Author of life. 

So I've realized there isn't going to be a perfect diet, workout, or whatever that will solve all my problems. You know what else? I've realized that there isn't a perfect life. Not yet, anyways.

Now that isn't as despairing as it sounds. It's helping me to face the problems of life and not be as naive about it. 'Cause I can be. And I know that through all these imperfections, God is perfecting me, making me "...to be conformed to the image of His Son...". (Romans 8:29) One day, I will have a perfect life and be in glory. I'm yearning for that day more and more.

I hope you are discovering this in your life. I have by no means become a saint overnight, without any problems. This is simply a truth the Lord has shown me and I wanted to share. I hope I'm able to remember and rest in it.

July 24, 2014

Kitchen adventures

There's been a lot of fermenting going on in the kitchen. What's fermenting, you ask? Basically it's putting some ingredients together and letting it sit around for a while. For grains, fermenting helps make them more easily digestible and makes more of the nutrients available. The fermented-ness keeps your gut flora happy and healthy. Same with the dairy and vegetables you'll see later in this post.*

Least ways, that's what I understand. Go do your own research and find our what I haven't mentioned. Feel free to reprimand any inconsistent information. I'm ready to learn! :)

Exhibit a): Sourdough Blueberry Muffins.



These are based off a Kitchen Stewardship recipe. I just added blueberries, sour cream, various spices, and sprinkled some almonds on top. They're very fall-y apart-y (as we like to say) and apparently eaten better in a bowl with milk, as a sort of cobbler.


Exhibit b): Sourdough Bread.




This is what's left of the loaf I made yesterday. A delicious recipe from the Cultures for Health blog. Mostly. I added two tablespoons of butter and decreased the water a little bit. Because butter.



Needless to say, I made more today. :)


Exhibit c): Yogurt. 


Simple (we make it in the crock pot like this), delicious, nutritious, and it saves money!


Exhibit d): I told you there was a lot of fermenting! This time it's milk kefir. 


Even simpler and nutritious than the yogurt, but, alas, not as delicious. That's why you hide it in a smoothie. Or ice cream, which I'm going to try this weekend. 


Exhibit e): Pickles. Two different kinds actually.

Number one is from The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark (classic homeschooling material), which we've made several times.



Number two is from The Nourishing Cook. This one uses whey (leftover from the yogurt) and doesn't use sugar. We'll see how it tastes.




What strange things have you been experimenting with?


*does this mean I'm an amateur zymologist? Now that would be something cool to put on an about page.

July 3, 2014

St. Augustine and kale chips

I have to do some summer reading for the school year, and one of the books happens to be Saint Augustine's Confessions.

I have surprised myself by not being bored out of my gourd and how easily I'm able to explain what Augustine is saying. If you've never read Confessions, it is basically a memoir written like a pray to God. At the end there is something like an interpretation of the first chapter of Genesis, but I haven't got there yet.

In Book I (I'm reading the version translated by R. S. Pine-Coffin), page 22, Augustine is says this, 

"Do heaven and earth, then, contain the whole of you, since you fill them? Or, when you have once filled them, is some part of you left over because they are too small to hold you? If this is so, when you have filled heaven and earth, does that part of you which remains flow over into some other place? Or is it that you have no need to be contained in anything, because you contain all things in yourself and fill them by reason of the very fact that you contain them? For the things which you fill by containing them do not sustain and support you as a water-vessel supports the liquid which fills it. Even if they were broken into pieces, you would not flow out of them and away. And when you pour yourself out over us, you are not drawn down to us but draw us up to yourself: you are not scattered away, but you gather us together."

Wow. That was what I was thinking as I read this. Wow. What an amazing, incomprehensible God we serve. Augustine is just asking questions, yet these can fill us with awe. I am enjoying the way Confessions makes me marvel at my Creator and think about Things. 

Now, on to a recipe!

Mom made this delicious kale chips yesterday. They take two hours in all to dehydrate, but the kale retains its green color pretty well.

Dehydrated Kale Chips
Tweaked from Modern Girl Nutrition

1 (very) large bunch kale
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
Salt

Preheat oven to 170 and line two baking sheets with tin foil. Wash kale and tear out spines. Mix all other ingredients, except salt, in a small bowl. Transfer kale to large bowl, pour dressing over it, and toss everything together. Spread on baking sheets in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt. Place sheets oven and dehydrate for 30 minutes. Let sit in oven 30 minutes. Then dehydrate for 35 minutes. Let sit for another 30 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. Try not to eat it all.

June 28, 2014

Update #6

(As this happened a week ago tomorrow, I guess I'm not exactly on top of the chicken updates, am I?)

The Free-Range Adventure, Which Is Not As Terribly Exciting As It Sounds:

On Sunday evening we were dining al fresco (steak and green beans and chimichurri and chicken and cheesecake and berries and I'll shut up) with my sister's family, when Dad suggested opening the "free-range portal" and letting the chickens roam. I wasn't very excited at the prospect, and it seemed kind of silly in view of all the grass they had in the run still. I relented, however, and opened The Portal.




Only six came out in the end. These brave souls explored the hydrangea beds in back of the coop (hydrangea is toxic to chickens, but the girls didn't touch it), hung around the compost, and made a mess of their straw (it's in a box underneath the coop. We blocked up after that).


Not the best picture, but there you are.

Since then we've let them out twice. Not a big favorite, but they've been spending more time outside in their run, even if it is hot. Yay!

June 25, 2014

Summer is...

the smell of catkins on the chestnut tree.

hot outside and cool inside.

picking wineberries along the road.

watching the neighbor's fireworks from our own porch (free show!).

that summery feeling. Different for all, perhaps, but still The Summer Feel. 


the air conditioning coming on and off.


ice cream, watermelon, or popsicles on the porch.


grass stains and bug bites.

What can I add?

June 23, 2014

A new blog (sort of) and another recipe

When I started this blog, I imagined it to be full of recipes, encouraging and interesting posts, some chicken stuff, and maybe some family tidbits. In other words I imagined it to be like my sister's blog, which I (and I know other people) enjoy reading. It didn't really work the way I hoped, because (shocker!), I'm fourteen and she is twenty-six! That means I can't write like I've experienced all the stuff a college-graduated, husband-caring, baby-toting, adult has. Hey, Rebekah, don't you love my description? :)

So after a talk with Mom, I decided to stop trying to be more mature than I am or imagine my life as something different. I wanted to share about things I've experienced, and so I shall, but it'll be from who I actually am, a fourteen year-old, not what I might have wished I was. Now expect to see chickens, recipes, gardening, and a thoughtful post now and then. Because I can be serious. :)

To start off with a bang, here's a recipe for--bum ba da bum ba daaa--pesto! Of course, there are hundreds upon hundreds of pesto recipes out there. Like this. And this. And this. Feel free to check them out, I'm sticking with ours (which we had before the internet-blog stuff happened, as Mom has just informed me. So there.)
Pesto Recipe #six hundred eleventy five                                                          
2 c. basil, packed
1/4 c. olive oil
2-3 T. pine nuts (I usually just do two)
2 garlic cloves
2 T. Parmesan cheese
1/2 r. salt

Combine all but cheese and salt in blender. Add cheese and salt. Process until smooth. Makes for one pound of pasta


You can easily freeze this and it only takes a few hours to defrost. Delicious on top of pasta, steak, eggs, sourdough bread (tee hee), and salad.

June 15, 2014

Update #5

So it's been a while. I've been rather busy with various thing (and maybe a leetle lazy). Sometimes I feel like a chicken with its head cut off, running around and forgetting what I should be doing. Maybe this summer isn't going to be as relaxing as I thought.....

Anyway, here is an extremely late update on the girls. They went out for the first time about four or five days after we moved them. We were going to wait a week, but then I needed to clean the coop. I couldn't do that with eleven curious chicks crowding around me!

 
      
What's all this!

We had to forcibly remove some. It took them a few days to figure out the ladder, and it was just yesterday that they started to come out all at once. Usually there were two left in the coop.

As Dad said, "Hey, where's Betty going? I'm coming too!"



At half time during the Argentina-Bosnia and Herzegovina game (we are such wild soccer fans, don't ya know*) I thinned the kale and let the girls have a go at the seedlings. They loved it!

Sorry about the silence. I'm trying (note the word "trying") not to put too much pressure on myself to write a post. I have an idea for one, but don't expect anything till after this week. I'll be busy practicing for Honk!jr, which you should all come and see. Find details here.


Also, happy Father's Day to my wonderful Daddy! Thanks for letting me get chickens and for building the coop!


*not really. Mom just grew up in Argentina, so we had to cheer them on. Gooooo Messi!

June 4, 2014

And this our life, exempt from public haunt,

Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything. 

I would not change it.

-"As You Like It", act II, scene I

Yesterday (Sunday) my family took a little trip into Delaware. We visited Winterthur, a public garden and mansion-turned-museum. If I remember correctly, the Du Pont family (yes, related to the Du Ponts of Longwood) lived in the large mansion during the early 1900's. I like the history of that time period, and whenever I go to Winterthur I have this longing to be transported back to the days when the Du Ponts still lived there (in a swishy gown and long pearl necklace, of course).


The three photos below were taken last year, but it gives you an idea of how grand the house is.





The gardens are lovely, especially the Quarry Garden, which was an actual quarry at one point. When we visited, primroses carpeted the marshy floor in bright colors. 






There's a little stream that runs through the Quarry Garden. I loved watching the crisscrossed ripples it makes and the tiny waterfalls that trickle down from overhanging rocks. There's just something wonderful about streams, rivers, and even the ocean.

We also toured a lovely little peony garden. I love this kind of flower.




Hey! That's not a peony!

And we must always stop to pay a visit at the fish pond! 





Also, does anyone else feel themselves become strangely poetic when they're surrounded by beauty? I had some of the silliest and most random thoughts yesterday! Such as, This stagnant pool isn't the same as the stream. It is water, but it doesn't go anywhere like the stream. It was in much more poetic wording, though. :)

All in all it was a lovely day. Picnic in the car, beautiful scenery, and my family. Oh, and an elderly lady with an English accent at the end. ;)