Updates from the Homestead

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Homestead Life
Well it has been awhile since I updated life on our homestead.  There are so many details to share that I am just going to hit on the highlights!   


On the first of the month Tobin and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary!!   It was a wonderful day.  We decided to stay home and have a bbq. I am glad we did.  We grilled steaks and had potato salad and a nice green salad and homemade ice cream.  We enjoyed spending the evening with our family and reminiscing on the last 29 years (we have been married for 25 and known each other for 29 years).. lots of sweet memories to share.    


The 4th was very quiet at my house.  Tobin had to work on the holiday so we did not have plans and the kids seemed to have their own plans brewing.  Leanne was at a house sitting job and Isaac was with her.  Emily, Jacob and Sierra spent the holiday with friends at the Oregon Coast.  Tobin and I really enjoyed our empty nest evening.  He helped me water the garden and we enjoyed sitting out by our pond soaking in the sunshine and heat before he had to leave for work.  The kids spent the night with our friends, went to church with them in the morning and were home later on Sunday.  Leanne is still house sitting and goat milking. 


Tobin has been making his way through his to-do list on his days off and this week made it to “fix the spring pond”..  we have a spring pond near the garden that we use to water the garden.  It has an underground pipe that runs from the pond to the garden.  A couple of years ago the kids were playing in the pond and messed up the dam that holds the water at a high enough level to be able to reach that pipe.  So we have been watering the garden by hand with 2 and 5 gallon buckets getting our water from our main big pond.  If I water the garden myself it takes me about an hour, with help it takes anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour (depending on who the help is )  Tobin fixed the dam and the water level rose high enough to reach the pipe and we had water in the garden once again!!   So the boys and I spent some time getting our watering system up and running and figuring out what PVC pipes went where..  and getting plenty wet and muddy in the process.. LOL..  We all cleaned off in the pond when it was over.  I will do another blog entry and show you my system after I get some pics of it.   


In the Kitchen
I have also been doing a lot cooking in my kitchen.  Recently I made another banana cake.  I had 3 overripe bananas to use up and a cake sounded good… and it was!  My recipe is HERE ….


 


I also made some peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream!  That was delicious.  I used my basic recipe and made changes.  Here is the recipe…. 


Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream



6 eggs
3 cups cane juice crystals
1 cup peanut butter, the healthy type.. no sugar or hydrogenated oils added
2 t vanilla  (only the real stuff)
2 c. whole cream
1 cup chocolate chips, chopped fine (I ran mine through my food processor)
Whole Goat Milk, as much as needed to fill ice cream maker container (whole cow milk will work too..  :)
1 T arrowroot powder (helps make the ice cream smooth.. but this is optional if you don’t have any) 


In a big mixer (like a Kitchen Aid or Bosch) mix together (with the wire whip) the eggs and cane juice crystals until light and lemony colored.  Add peanut butter and vanilla and mix again.  Add cream and arrowroot powder (if using).  Add the chocolate chips. If using a Bosch I take out the wire whips and mix the chips in by hand. When all of this has mixed together completely pour it into your 1 gallon ice cream maker container.  Now add whole milk up to the fill line.   Continue according to your ice maker directions or you can read basic directions HERE. 


I also made cinnamon rolls the other day.  I used my oatmeal dinner roll recipe and made half of it into hamburger buns (we were grilling burgers that night) and made the other half into a pan of cinnamon rolls.  They were pretty much gone by the next day.


 


Yesterday I finished up another batch of feta cheese.  I was completely out of whey and my salsa and sauerkraut supplies are getting very low so I knew it was time to make cheese so I can have the whey.  Below is a pic of the cheese and the amount of whey I got from it.  I have one jar in the fridge and one in the freezer and a jar of feta cheese to enjoy!  You can find my feta cheese recipe HERE.


 


That is all the updates from my homestead for now. Hope you all are enjoying your summer on your homesteads!  

Comments

  1. CatherineAnnJuly 9, 2009 at 4:17 AM

    Happy Anniversary! How wonderful :) . May you have many, many more years together!


    All of those kitchen goodies look delicious, you've made me hungry ;) !

    Blessings,

    Catherine :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. CandyFooteJuly 9, 2009 at 5:36 AM

    Happy anniversary! That is such an awesome testimony - 25 years!! Congratulations!


    I really enjoyed your update.

    Your sites always bring such peace to me. Thanks!


    ~Candy~

    ReplyDelete
  3. justmestracyJuly 9, 2009 at 5:09 PM

    I have a surprize for you over at my blog. Stop on by to see. You are truely a Blessing.

    ReplyDelete

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