Dandelion Jelly

I always see bloggers making Dandelion jelly or using the greens. We had a large abundance of dandelions in Niobrara and since there were plenty that we knew for certain were chemical free at our farm my mom and I decided to give this experiment a try.

RECIPE FOR DANDELION JELLY

1 quart of lightly packed fresh organic bright dandelion flowers (try to use only yellow petals discarding the green which I just pinched off)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zest of,  thinly chopped 
5 1/2 cups lavender sugar with lavender
1 vanilla bean split (we didn't have a vanilla bean so just used Mexico vanilla)
1 (1 3/4 ounce) package dry pectin

Directions:

1. Using stainless steel pan, boil the flowers in 2 quarts of spring water for 10 minutes, cool, and strain, pressing the liquid out of the flowers gently, then restrain through a coffee filter.
2. Measure 3 cups of the liquid, add the lemon juice, zest and pectin. Optional: add 1 split vanilla bean.
3. Put into a deep jelly kettle and bring to a rolling boil, then add sugar and stir to mix well.
4. Stir and boil hard for 1 1/2 minutes, or until mixture sheets from a wooden spoon, skim, carefully remove vanilla pod, pour into hot clean half pint jelly jars and seal.

It honestly tastes like a fresh local honey more or less. The lemon does also stand out. It was a lot of work but I think I would do it again as a fun spring activity. Also don't you just love our super fancy stove?? Obviously our cabin needs a kitchen make over at some point!

Thanksgiving Pies

 I know Thanksgiving was weeks ago and Christmas is right around the bend but I finally took time to load photos from my first ever pie from scratch adventure.

I have made many a pie but usually use store crust and pumpkin from a can. This year it was all from scratch! I had pumpkins from our garden (grown merely for decoration) that seemed sad to just toss in the yard waste so figured I would give it a shot.

It may have taken several hours, lots of phone calls to my mom, and one redo, but in the end totally worth it.

The pies turned out delicious if I can brag a bit. Thinking I might have to make a few for Christmas as well.   

Both pie recipes came from the good ol trusty Joy of Cooking. 

Homemade Noodles

My mom always makes the best chicken noodle soup! I think it’s partially due to her amazing homemade noodles. Nothing store bought even comes close.

 I decided it was finally time I learn how to make these delights.

I was actually shocked at how simple and easy it was.

 With my mom's assistance I made my first batch and I can surprisingly say they turned out quite well.

Thankful

This Thanksgiving my thankful list is very long. I feel very blessed to be able to enjoy the holiday with great friends and family enjoying delicious food. It was fun to bake this year and it brought me great pleasure when others enjoyed my creations. A few mishaps of course (ooops Pumpkin pie needs eggs!) but overall a success. Now time to relax and enjoy this time with family. 

"Apple Pie"

This time of year all things apple are not only delicious but also seem to scream fall. Last night we tried an apple pie martini that inspired me to make my own infusion for the upcoming holidays. So simple to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser!

High School Football

My high school (well really my alma mater) auctions off a dinner in the skybox for each home football game as a fundraiser. My mom and aunt usually cater it but I helped a few weeks ago. It was fun to come up with creative food to serve!

Vine Fresh Tomatoes & Cucumbers

Make delicious salads. A lil basil, a pinch of salt & pepper, a bit of mayo (although sure there are much healthier options I should explore) and a scrumptious healthy salad is all yours.

Loving garden season and fresh veggies and herbs!

Another Delicious Cake to Bake

I found this lemon cake with black tea frosting recipe on a the fabulous blog Honey & Jam. I instantly knew it was the perfect Birthday Cake to whip up for my mom. It was yummy, not overly hard to make, and the frosting was pretty.

My mom claimed it was great – sure the abundance of candles led to that decision.

You can find the recipe here.

Bake this Cake!

You will not be disappointed. It starts out with all your usual ingredients.

But there is a twist, a surprise of sorts:

Beets! In the cake and the frosting!!!

The beets give the frosting the coolest hot pink color and honestly the taste was amazing. Didn’t taste like vegetable cake at all but instead quite delicious. I originally found the recipe here. If you want a printable recipe go to Joy the Baker.

My first Pinterest Delight

I love Pinterest!! I have several things I want to DIY, many rooms I would like to copy, and all kinds of yummy recipes saved up. You can follow me here. My first attempt was these delicious Energy Bites.

Found on Pinterest via Smashed Peas and Carrots
I made them last night and must brag a lil and say they turned out pretty darn great!

Here is the recipe in case you want to recreate. Easy peasy and super healthy
No-Bake Energy Bites
(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Apple Picking

I LOVE going to the apple orchard and carefully picking each apple off the tree. Crazy I know. We are lucky as have this great orchard – Ditmars Orchard – right outside of town.

I picked enough apples to not only make several of these fun lil apple tarts for a charity dinner.

But also to make apple crisp for family dinner.

And hopefully apple sauce if I get to cooking before the apples spoil!

Research for Retirement

I just ordered the following books:

The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball

Growing a Farmer: How I Learned to Live Off the Land by Kurt Timmermeister

Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff

A trend seems to be forming. I really need a white farmhouse, big red barn, and a few hundred acres…..

Fresh Herbs

Using fresh herbs transforms any dish from ho hum to pow if you ask me.



And growing your own herbs seems foolproof and easy. I have had great success the last few years. I started with this small wheelbarrow full of a few hers (mostly mint and lemon verbena for ice tea).



And have progressed on to the wheelbarrow, plus this cool old wagon wheel my dad gave me, and a few scattered in the garden.
It’s very enjoyable being to walk outside and snip off a few fresh herbs whenever I am cooking or mixing up a drink. Everything tastes better with fresh herbs added.


Now I just need to figure out how to dry and save some for the loooong winter months. Any pointers?