First Birthday Success.

From the City...

photo credit: Megan Ward

Well I just might think we nailed this first birthday business.  

After the pink eye fiasco I was planning on just cancelling the party altogether but the girls at work convinced me that a first birthday party is a pretty big and special one. Especially when it's for the first baby of the fam and so we sucked it up and we did it.  Simon did all the grocery shopping and cleaning and I did all the cooking and somehow it came together as a pretty great celebration.  

Just a few friends and fam (10 people in total), definitely not the event it was going to be rather a much smaller, more intimate affair.  

Deep down I am so so glad that we celebrated this little meatballs special day with some really good people and some really good food.  

Cake recipe here (which we doubled)

Icing recipe here 

Pizza dough recipe here 

***I highly recommend all three.   

-amelia

Henry's Birthday

From the City...

Amy's little Henry is turning three.  Amy being my best friend from our days of high school, shesh, 10 years ago and Henry her, not so little, three year old boy.  Henry is one pretty special kid, he's shy  and quiet but funny and quirky, just like his mama.  

It's his third birthday party this weekend and it's gonna be a big one, both for him and for his parents.  See normally this family lives up in Pangnirtung Nunavut but are living back in Ontario for the year while husband goes back to school and mama has second baby (a girl!).  

This is the first birthday that Henry will get to share with his grandparents on both sides, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends.  

Like I said, a big one.  

Here's what I'm bringing.  

1.  Find a plastic animal of your liking as well as a good container.  I used a peanut butter container but a mason jar would work if you're making for an older child.  Glue the little sucker down.
2.  Really make sure to glue him down.  I used hot glue but crazy glue might be better.
3.  Paint the whole thing a colour you fancy.  We have lots of blue left from the mural so it was an easy decision for me.
4.  Marvel at your handiwork.  

I got the inspiration from this great blog. 
I made Laura's play doh recipe, which is honestly the best one ever.  You can find it here.
You can't tell but I made an apple print bag to put everything in.  You can see how to do it here. 

Bye! 

-ab

Countdown to baby...

From the country....

So Christmas was a bit of a bust this year. Mark and I came down with the flu to end all flu's on Christmas eve and were dead to the world until after boxing day. The beautiful turkey, fresh out of the brine was eaten on boxing day(my goodness was it tasty!), the fresh seafood was frozen for another day (when we could stomach it), and X mas was pretty much cancelled.

Shortly after X mas we celebrated Nate's birthday with kids, cake, music and games. We had 9 boys here in attendance and one girl. She sat on the couch while the boys wrestled on the floor. It was a fine day. My oldest gaffer is 6 years old and boy does he make a Momma proud. His ability to love everyone in the room makes my eyes water.

So now we are in baby countdown. I have been pretty hush hush on the arrival of our 3rd farm hand but now I feel the whole nesting urge bearing down. I am folding gently used baby clothes and gingerly putting them in clean drawers, buying last minute supplies, spending time sourcing a used car seat, baby swing, and other baby amenities. I am in my 35 week of pregnancy and had both boys at 37 weeks. It won't be too long now before another beautiful being will grace us with it's presence.

Now I have a minute to really focus my thoughts on having a newborn in the house again. I started having cramping and have been told to take it easy so that I don't go into preterm labour. I haven't even been to the barn in what feels like weeks. Mark has been doing the chores while I leaf through seed catalogues, tea in hand and start planning the next years harvest. He also has started me on doing a proper budget for all my farm plans (which could quite possibly be the most frustrating thing about farming- but a proper budget is a must!)

I have begun to wrap my head around going through labour for the 3rd time and hope that this birth happens in the comfort of my living room here on the farm.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

From the City (temporarily in a small town)...

So my M.I.L had some of her gal pals over for a celebration dinner the other night and I totally used it as an excuse to make a pie. I love making pies. I never do it because it's just Simon and I and we would literally eat the entire pie in one night and not even think twice.

It was a pretty easy decision to make a strawberry rhubarb pie because all that good stuff is in season. I also had three bunches of rhubarb from my CSA share that needed to get used up so this seemed like a pretty great excuse.

Perfect pie baking music

This is my favorite pie crust recipe! It's a pretty basic pastry recipe but if you've ever made pie you'll understand that pastry is kindda like a fine science.

If you over work it, it gets tough

Measure everything perfectly (you can't eyeball pastry)

The ingredients need to be nice and chilled

Touch it as little as possible

Make sure to let the dough rest at least an hour after you've made it.

p.s I love the pioneer woman.

Thank you Sylvia!

Note: this recipe contains Crisco. Now I understand that true pastry makers are gonna scoff at this recipe because it doesn't contain butter (...cough Laura cough..) but the Crisco makes it a little less sensitive, cheaper and much easier to pull off. I use half butter, half crisco so you can still get that nice buttery taste. Do what you wish, no judgement here.

Sylvia's Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 whole Egg
• 5 Tablespoons Cold Water
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Pie Filling:

4 cups (1 L)

chopped rhubarb (1 inch/2.5 cm)

2 cups (500 mL) quartered strawberries

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour

Simon bogarting my pic..yet too cute to not include.

In large bowl, toss together rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and flour; scrape into pie shell. Moisten edge of pie shell; cover with pastry top. Trim, leaving 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang; fold overhang under pastry rim. Seal and flute edge. Whisk egg yolk with 1 tbsp (15 mL) water; brush over pastry. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut 4 steam vents in centre.Place foil-lined baking sheet to catch drips on bottom rack of 425°F (220°C) oven. Place pie on rack above; bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C); bake until golden and filling is bubbly, 55 to 70 minutes, shielding edge with foil if browning too quickly. Let cool on rack.

Before

After

A Sunny and Beautiful Long Weekend.

From the country...

We had 2 reasons this weekend to get the family together, eat and enjoy the warmth of spring. It was Easter of course and a birthday party for lil’ Lucas. Sunday started with frantic kids running to find chocolate in an early morning frenzy only a 3 and 5 year old could experience. After a quick breakfast of hash browns, toast, tea and coffee we tucked into the preparations for the party.

Mark made homemade potato chips (really his specialty…), cut carrots and beets with spinach dip. I had made the chocolate cake a day earlier, whipped up a chocolate butter cream icing and some sugar cookies with royal icing. Amy decorated the cake adding an Easter theme with chocolate eggs and pastel writing in her patented birthday font. And of course everyone consumed copious amounts of chocolate.

For an impromptu dinner we had a fresh grass fed lamb roast, roast red fingerling potatoes, a fresh salad (picked moments before) and a night walk listening to the mating chorus of the spring peepers for dessert

We ate, sang along to Simon and Mark on the guitar and bass, and played one too many games of capture the flag. We put our busy lives and chore lists aside and had fun being together basking in the sun and being pushed around by the wind.

Now as I sit on the couch nursing a cold, labouring with sore muscles I didn’t even know I had, I pause to appreciate and once again fall in love with the people in my circle. Everyone took the day to stop and run around with a special little boy and to take a moment to revel in the youth of spring. It was a picture perfect day.