A new normal??

I stayed awake most of last night listening to the wind howl against the house.  The house swayed and shuddered.  This is an old house, so she has been through many storms.  "A tough old bird" as my husband said this morning.  Still, you can't help but worry when the wind is roaring through the valley.  The high tunnel held as well.  Since we are new to the high tunnel, I was a little worried.

October 2011

I found a picture of last October when we had a snow storm as well.  Not much accumulation, but still snow in October.  Maybe this is going to be normal.  I can remember my Grandmother and Grandfather telling me stories of large snows the likes of which I had never seen. 

October 2012

Well, we are warm and dry and the animals all have warm shelter and plenty of food and water.  I have fed and milked and I am ready for a day of warming up the house with the oven cooking!!  I hope to also get some time watching the fire burn in the stove with my feet up!!


What are you up to in the storm?  I hope warm and dry!!

Getting away from the grocery store

 Today we are waiting for the perfect storm to come.  Yesterday we went to town to buy the remaining items we would need just in case we really got the big storm and the power went out or whatever.  We had to laugh at what landed in the truck.  Goat food, chicken and turkey food and dog food.  No human food at all.  I am finally at a place where I buy in bulk those items that I do not produce here.  I must admit that it is more work to make all of your meals and "convenience" items yourself.  That being said, I really enjoy the results of making things myself.

This evening I made a homemade chicken noodle soup with chicken I canned and stock.  I decided to make the noodles.  While making the noodles, I decided to make fettuccine for later.  It was certainly easy enough to make a larger batch of pasta dough!

I also decided that we needed a breakfast item.  I had leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge and since I was in a pasta mood, why not make a potato dough for sausage and cheddar hand pies.

The storm may or may not come, but we are certainly prepared for warmth and eating!!  I hope that everyone get through whatever weather is thrown your way without much damage!!  

Lemon/lime Soda

As I write this, I am sipping on a cup of lemon/lime soda that I made.  Yes, I made it.  I enjoy the taste of a soda now and then.  I used to drink a Dr. Pepper at lunch every day.  After Christmas, I came down with the bug that Gwen came home with from Afghanistan.  Nasty foreign bug!  The end result was that I no longer wanted my Dr. Pepper at lunch.  Probably not a bad thing, but strange.

Recently I purchased the 75th edition of the Joy of Cooking.  As I skimmed, I noticed a recipe for simple syrups and a blurb about soda not being very good for us.  I decided to try to make my own to see how it would compare.  

As usual, we have been sold a bill of goods by the food industry.  On my, is the soda good!!!  I spent about ten minutes making the syrup and purchased a 99 cent bottle of seltzer water.  

My first attempt is lemon/lime.  I still have a bunch of oranges and that is going to be my next try.  

The following recipe is adapted from the 75th edition of the Joy of Cooking:

Simply syrup for lemon/lime soda

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of water

2 lemons

1 lime

Place the sugar and water in a sauce pan.  Squeeze the lemons and the lime into a small bowl, set aside.  (I do wash the lemons and limes with a little soap to make sure all residues are off)  Cut the rind of one of the lemons into strips and place in the sauce pan with your sugar and water.  Slowly bring to a simmer.  Stir occasionally.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Allow the syrup to cool and then pour in the lemon/lime juice.

To make the soda, place desired amount of seltzer water into a glass and add syrup to taste.  Enjoy!

How easy is that??  If you decide to try I would love to know what you think!