Thankful for a Beautiful Day & Blogging Friends

The snow has finally melted with all the rain we had Friday , Saturday was breezy , so things dried out a tad. Yesterday we had a beautiful day and I just had to get outside for awhile. Geronimo and Chief Little Roo are starting to venture out with the hens now , the guinea fowl were enjoying the sun too. As I was walking around I saw some chickweed that had survived the snow and bitter cold , I decided to gather some , so I headed back to the house for gathering baskets. Unfortunately the hens had found most of the chickweed and cleaned it out , so I headed to the north side of the garden and found a patch they hadn't found. I gathered the chickweed in my basket , then I gathered some pine needles for tea and 3 eggs from the hen house. When I came back in the house I did a google search for chickweed recipes , a recipe came up that was on Herbmentor.com and it caught my eye because Leslie over at Comfrey Cottages (http://comfreycottages.blogspot.com/) had mentioned that website to me on her blog. The recipe was simple enough , so I made it for lunch and it was yummo! I've posted the recipe on my " Herbal Spirits " blog , if you're interested , you can find the link on the sidebar.

I was reading some other blogs yesterday and found 2 other recipes I had to try. Jeanne over at ( http://wildwoodsartstudio.blogspot.com/2010/02/cornbread-one-mans-trash.html ) had a cornbread recipe posted that I made to go with my pinto bean soup last night , it was very tasty. We also had fried apple pies for dessert , thanks to Patrice who had a link on her blog for " Fried Peach Pies " click here to check-out the link ....................................................( http://frugalgravy.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/found-a-website-that-will-make-your-mouth-water/ ) , I didn't have any peaches , so I used my homemade apple cinnamon applesauce to make some fried pies and they were delish. They didn't look as pretty as the ones pictured on that website , but it's the taste that counts and hubby gave them a thumbs up , so that's good enough for me. I very seldom fry foods , so they were a real treat. Thank-you Jeanne , Leslie and Patrice for the links and recipes you shared. That's why I love blogging , every one's so giving , always sharing and there's so much to learn from each other.

So , What's cooking in your kitchen ?

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend !

~ Be Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

~ * ~ Chilly Beans & Jalapeno Cornbread ~ * ~

Leasmom wanted me to share the recipes for my chili and cornbread , so I decided to post them today , it's a great meal for chilly October nights. I love chili beans , but I usually make them different each time , depending on what ingredients I have on hand and how much. So , I'll try to give a estimate of the ingredients , since I didn't measure most of them.

Chilly Beans

1 lb ~ Dry Pintos

1/2 lb ~ Dry Kidney Beans

1 Quart of canned tomatoes ( From Garden )

1 26 oz can of Del-monte spaghetti sauce ( had on hand instead of tomato sauce )

2 lbs of ground round or ground beef

1 onion

1 large bell pepper (I used 3 small ones from the garden)

Fresh Garlic ~ 8-10 cloves or to your taste (we love garlic)

3 tbsp of chili powder

1 tsp of paprika

Prep beans and rinse , put in pot with water to cover , bring to boil. Turn heat down , cook for 15 minutes. Turn beans off and let soak for a hour or two , you can do this the night before and let them soak overnight. At this point you can add beans to a crock pot or finish cooking on the stove if you're at home for the day. Go ahead and add canned tomatoes and sauce , you may need to add a little more water. Turn beans back on and let them start cooking again. Brown your meat , onions , peppers in a skillet , add to beans. I use my garlic press to mince the garlic cloves , add to bean mixture. Add chili powder and paprika , stir in well. Let beans continue to cook until done. I like hot chili beans , but since the grands will be eating them too , I just chop some jalapenos to add when we serve the beans.

Jalapeno Cornbread

2 eggs

2 cups self rising cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup veggie oil ( I use canola)

1 cup of buttermilk or 1 cup milk (add 1 tbsp of vinegar) for sour milk

2 jalapenos , seeded and diced

8 inch cast iron skillet , greased and sprinkled with cornmeal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add eggs to large bowl and beat slightly , add buttermilk and oil to egg mixture , stir well. Add 2 cups self rising cornmeal and 1 tsp of baking powder to mixture , stir well , add jalapenos , stir again. You can add some cheddar cheese to the mixture if you like or I just sprinkled some on top of the batter since I only had a small amount of cheese on hand. I'm not sure about the baking time , I just keep a close eye on it and bake until done.

Let me know if you have any questions.

~ Autumn Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~~ Lambsquarters ~~

~ Notice : The top center leaves that are emerging are powdery white ~

~ Lambsquarter ~





Friday I tried lambsquarter for the first time , it was delicious. The garden is full of this wild weed , I plan to harvest as I pull weeds from the garden. I created my own recipe and it turned out well , so here's how I made it.

~ Lamb's Quarter Stir-Fry ~

2 tbsp of bacon grease or olive oil

2 cloves of garlic (minced )

1 quart of lamb's quarter leaves

Lemon pepper seasoning

Parmesan cheese

Cooked noodles or rice

Saute minced garlic in oil of choice , until it is clear looking. Add lamb's quarter and stir-fry until done , add lemon pepper seasoning to taste. Serve over noodles or rice , add cheese and enjoy !

I used store bought lemon pepper seasoning , but I plan to make my own lemon basil / Pepper seasoning soon. Let me know if you try this recipe , would love to know what you think about it.

If you would like to know more about lambsquarter , be sure to check~out this link below

http://prodigalgardens.info/june%20weblog.htm#Lambsquarters

Annette has a yummy sounding recipe

( Lambsquarter & Navy Beans ) posted here

~ http://the-wardhouse.blogspot.com/2009/05/lambsquarters.html ~

I plan to try it soon.

~ ~ Greenest Blessings ~ ~

JoyceAnn

Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes

My BIL shared this recipe with me a couple of years ago. This is the first time I've made it with homegrown potatoes and fresh herbs , it was delicious. Thought I would share it with you , I did add my own extra touch. I sprinkled them with parmesan cheese when I removed them from the oven.

Small Potatoes ~ Red or White

Fresh Minced Garlic

Fresh Rosemary

Parmesan Cheese

Olive Oil

Salt & Black Pepper

Wash the potatoes and cut in half , place in large bowl. I minced my garlic with a press and toss it in with the potatoes. Wash and chop fresh rosemary , add to bowl with potatoes. Pour a little oil over potatoes , salt and pepper if you like.

Toss it with your hands until oil and herbs coat potatoes. I also greased my baking dish with olive oil to keep them from sticking. I used my pampered chef stoneware to bake them , bake at 450 until done/browned. When I removed them from the oven , I sprinkled them with parmesan cheese. I only had the parmesan cheese in shakers , but next time I will grate some fresh cheese for this recipe. I'm not giving measurements , just adjust to your taste. We love garlic , so I added about 6 to 8 large cloves but your family may not like that much garlic , so add to your taste.

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn