ud is absolutely everywhere!  It’s around the barn, it’s on the paved parking areas, it’s in the field, it’s around the brooder, it’s on our clothes, it’s on our boots, it’s in the homes, and it’s on doggie paws!

Due to the fact that the cattle are still in the field we are having to drive the tractor out there to feed them each afternoon.  This is causing the back of the barn to be more of a mud whole than usual.  I went out to take some photos of the guys working on the roof of the shed for the barn, and being it wasn’t rainy, Bula wanted to come along to check out the progress too.

Her reaction to being in the mud was very similar to her first time on grass when we adopted her 4 years ago this August.  She hadn’t been outside much at her previous owner’s place, because when she stepped on the grass {and in this case the mud} she looked very distressed, concerned, and helpless as she picked her paws up out of the foreign substance in disgusted.  I wish I had gotten a video, because it was the funniest thing to watch her reaction.  In the bottom right photo of the collage above, she was literally stuck and could barely pick her legs out of the thick, sticky goo.  So cute :)

Kavik loves to play and he especially thinks it’s fun to play with Bula.  She however, does not like playing with Kavik and finds being {playfully} tumbled and rolled across the floor after a giant paw comes {gently} out of no where isn’t very amusing.  For any by-stander, however it is quite humorous.

Once Bula sees that ‘Great Big Thing’, she immediately makes a bee-line to the nearest person to ‘save her’.  Here she is attempting to frighten Kavik with her wicked tongue.

After they sniff each other they start to mellow out and Kavik is somewhat satisfied to simply just be in Bula’s presence as they watch over the projects being done.

The guys finished roofing the shed late Friday afternoon.  We all feel pretty good about checking that part of the barn project off the to-do list.

Willis having to traverse some of the mud while bringing pieces of roofing to Tyler and Bradd.

My mom came down to help out with some of the tasks on my to-do list.  She was awesome and took all of our recycling back and cleaned out the side of our cottage.  Then the next day she and I scrubbed and cleaned my pantry!  I cannot begin to explain how good it felt to mark those two things off the list!  Thanks Mom!!

Everyone came out to take look at the progress of the barn.  Here Bula seems to be quite amazed at how agile Toby is at traversing the mud.

The mud really wares everyone out.  So Bula and Toby made their way back to the Cottage to take a rest.

But first I had to wash off those adorable little feeties and take some pictures.  Bula wasn’t happy about postponing going inside, but she is quite the camera-hog and didn’t seem to mind too much.  If only Toby were less camera shy… But he is a hound of mystery, and I think prefers keeping it that way.

He had a feeling that somewhere in the course of her life something had happened to her, something terrible which in the end had given her a great understanding and clarity of mind.  He knew too, almost at once, on the day she had driven up to the door of the cottage, that she had made a discovery about life which he himself had made long since… that there is nothing of such force as the power of a person content merely to be himself, nothing so invincible as the power of simple honesty, nothing so successful as the life of one who runs alone.  Somewhere she had learned all this.  She was like a woman to whom nothing could ever again happen.

Louis Bromfield, Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady

In a tradition started by my friend Kyrie of Are So Happy and carried on with Kerry of Young Ones and Linnea of PeppermintAlley, they invite you to post a quote on your site every Sunday. Quotations can be old favorites or new inspiration, funny or sentimental, famous or personal, just give credit {where credit is due} and have fun.

How do you join?

After you have made a post, link it via comments to Kyrie’s Quotable Sunday post each Sunday in January. Please invite your friends to share as well by pointing them there.  You can also join the flickr group and add your weekly contribution there.  Linnea will host for November, Kerry will host in December, and Kyrie will host in January. {I’ll do my best to link it all up so you know where to go and add your contribution!}

]]> http://highheelsinthebarnyard.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/quotable-sunday-6/feed/ 0 highheelsinthebarnyard Lauren Hurt Photography http://highheelsinthebarnyard.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/charcuterie-artisan/ http://highheelsinthebarnyard.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/charcuterie-artisan/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:30:22 +0000 highheelsinthebarnyard http://highheelsinthebarnyard.wordpress.com/?p=3681 ]]>

rian Polcyn is one of the most well known charcuterie experts in the world.  He and Michael Ruhlman co-authored the book Charcuterie.  This is the book I took our poultry/turkey brine recipe from and gave out for this Thanksgiving.  Ruhlman and Polcyn combined forces and made THE go-to book for all charcuterie recipes, tips, and knowledge.  Most chefs have their {well-loved} copy on their shelf.

Matt Bennett, over at Sybaris Restaurant in Albany, brought Mr. Polcyn out for a benefit dinner for the Albany Carousel & Museum a short time ago.  We had the pleasure of attending the dinner when Matt asked Afton Field Farm to provide our pork for the 5 course meal and some appetizers. Polcyn brought some of his own masterpieces for us all to enjoy for appetizers.

The guys over at Block 15 and Les Caves are fanatics of charcuterie like us, so we invited them to join us for the dinner.

It was an honor that Matt asked to use our pork for the dinner.  Times with Matt are always informative & inspiring, and you are sure to walk away with a full and happy stomach. Brian had the kindest things to say about our pork and how important it is to have fine farmers producing high quality product, because without it the chefs wouldn’t look so good ;)  The food was unbelievably delicious!  The combination of our pork with Brian’s artisanal talents were a winning pair.   The dinner raised a large amount of money for the Albany Carousal Museum and a great time was had by all.

Being Brian is a butchery instructor and owns the Five Lakes Grill and the visionary behind some of Detroit’s most acclaimed restaurants, when we asked to take a photo with him, he said, ‘Sure, but we need to pose in the tough Detroit pose!’ So this is us, with Brian and Matt, looking Detroit-tough ;)

other Earth News is a publication that I have been inspired, encouraged, and informed by ever since I saw it on my Mother-In-Law’s table 4 years ago.  If you have never looked into it, I would highly recommend it.

While we were in Europe, I brought the latest copy of Mother Earth News with me.  Only a few pages in I ran across an article by Anne Mendelson, titled The Astonishing Story of Real Milk.  Ms. Mendelson was able to share the two views, sides, and opinions in the history of  milk and dairy options.

Thousands of years ago in the Near East, somebody saw an animal nursing her young and had the eccentric idea of getting in on the act. A strange custom, this, using another creature’s milk for food. But in regions where it took hold, milk became the object of prehistoric skills that we can still learn from.

In the late 1960s, before waves of immigration brought people from every corner of the globe to the United States, the American food scene had two goals: to get as many different products as possible before the buying public, and to weed out alternatives that would interfere with profits. Both aims merrily coexist today, with lunatic results exemplified by, let’s say, yogurt. You can now walk into a supermarket and take your pick of “amaretto cheesecake” nonfat yogurt, low-fat yogurt with Reese’s Pieces, or milk-free chocolate soy yogurt — without being able to find anything that people brought up on the real thing would recognize as real yogurt worth putting a spoon into.

Something curious happened to our ideas about milk about two centuries ago. Residents of England and North America began placing great emphasis on one particular way of consuming it: in fresh, drinkable form.

Up to a century or two earlier, most people actually drank soured raw milk. This is not the same as the soured pasteurized milk that may be in your refrigerator right now. When raw milk sours, lactic acid bacteria in the air create a fermentation that preserves the milk and yields delicious, tangy flavors. When pasteurized milk sours, any number of other bacteria may be responsible, and they aren’t going to produce the same result.

Then around that time, an urban market for fresh milk began to take shape, fostered by ideas about health that in a few generations would make fresh milk a nearly mandatory part of everyone’s diet, especially children’s.

I think it is realistic to hope that the United States will become a place where the best elements of all the world’s great dairy traditions flourish. That prospect makes this historical look at the worst side of our dairying traditions less discouraging than it would be otherwise.

{the cottage bathrooms}

eing the Queen of this fair land leaves me feeling like Cinderella most days; though I have an awesome hunk of a King that helps me be better than I think I can be, that encourages me, loves me unconditionally, pulls way more than ‘his half’, and is always impressing me with his physical, mental, and emotional strength.

I used to dream about how great it was going to be to clean floors, toilets, kitchens, do the laundry, organize cupboards, take the trash and recycle out, decorate, manage a household and family, and to maintain the yard and other small outside duties when I was doing all these tasks in the home that I owned versus my parents home or the places I lived in college.

Oh how incredibly foolish I was!

{these are all photos of the, mostly, current state of the cottage. it was a huge thing for me to show you all my home because it is no where near what i envision it or want it to be- but this is a vulnerable post, so it fits ;) }

It doesn’t get better, and any glamor I thought was going to be there definitely isn’t.  It gets harder, because you are the one not only responsible to clean up, but you are also the one responsible for the messes!  ;)

I honestly am not trying to get any pity here, but I do think that I would feel slightly less overwhelmed with my domestic duties if we had owned a cute bungalow on a 2-acre property and I had eased into the role of wife, helper, farmer, home owner, adult…{well, at least I tell myself I would feel better if it were that way}

{our upstairs living room}

Though Tyler helps me in so many ways around our homes, and even the guys who work here help out where they can, I am still responsible {and desire, choose, and truly like to be responsible} for ruling the domestic part of our Kingdom.

Here’s the run down of what my domestic responsibilities are:

-       clean, organize and maintain the 1200 square foot Cottage {this is where my King and I live now}

-       the primary cleaner, organizer and maintainer of the 2000 square foot Farm House {clarification 1: Willis, one of our paid staff members and Tyler’s right hand man, lives in the Farm house right now, Loaded for Bear practices there, and some of our other friend’s who have helped out on the farm have also stayed there.  So they have all done their part of cleaning and dirtying the place ;) Clarification 2: Our plan is to eventual live in the Farm House.  This will more than likely happen farther in the future than either Tyler or I would choose, but we love dreaming about how it will be}

-       plan, prep, and cook the meals.  Breakfast and most dinners are just the King and I, lunches, snacks, coffee, and treats are provided for some and all staff members on most days

-       keep things tidy in and around the Cottage {separating personal, farm, and others’ mail, putting left tools away, washing coolers and trays when they get forgotten, putting farm clothes, boots, and gloves in proper places when the guys are too busy and tired after a long day}

-       weekly laundry for our personal items and all farming related items {towels, rags, aprons, table clothes, etc}

-       keeping up with small yard chores around the Cottage {this happens WAY less than I would prefer}

-      garden organization {right now, one of my amazing brother-in-laws is the main garden man.  I have hopes to not just manage others in the work, planning and prep of our garden, but that I will take the reins.}

-      keep the farm stocked with certain items it needs to function {zip lock bags, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, farm store items, honey jars, laundry supplies, etc}

-     managing and overseeing all things related to the farm store.

-     designing, creating, printing, and organizing things that are needed for farm administration.

{the princess room- guest room #1}

I could honestly list more, but it would be only to help me see the reality of why I do get so overwhelmed each day and each week, more than it would help you see what my days consist of.  I think you get the gist of what it means to be the woman ruler of this place.  And parents especially can relate in the feeling of once you clean or organize something it only lasts 5-60 minutes before someone tromps through the house or uses something ;)

{the dance studio- guest room #2}

I truly am the Queen of this homestead.  It is a high calling.  There are great responsibilities.  The tasks at hand are numerous and taxing- mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  It does require good management, foresight, will-power, discipline, and patience.

{we've done some work on the place, and I am hoping to finish up main decorating things this year- but we'll see how that goes; I'm optimistic ;) }

As I type this all out, in a sort of stream of conscientiousness like I use to have to do in school, I realize how much I truly love the role of Queen.  This role has been so challenging, and it and I seem to require daily battles to put us each in our proper place, and bring reality to the forefront of the issue.  I believe it is this way due to the fact I came here as a peasant girl, fell in love with the King, and changed in a blink of an eye and what was demanded of me, my role in society, and what I felt equip to do was something so foreign to me.  As foreign as it all has been, I can honestly say that my heart’s desires are being fulfilled- and beyond.  I may have imagined how they would be fulfilled in a completely different scenario, but we aren’t meant to write the map of our lives, simply to be who we were created to be and live in that manner to the fullest of our ability, while letting the course unfold before us.

{what I want our house to look like}

oodness gracious this soup was better than I thought it was going to be!  I have been trying to come up with meals that I could make with ingredients that I already have at home so I don’t have to spend extra money going grocery shopping.  The internet is a wonderful place for great meal ideas.   I had a ham, potatoes, onions, celery, milk, and cheese.  And this recipe from food.com came to my rescue.  Let me tell you, I haven’t had this much oohing and awing and “mmm, mmm, this is so good!” at the table in a long time.  I made the soup twice in a seven day period!  I would definitely recommend this wonderful winter meal to warm you and your table guests up.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

Serves: 4-6

Time: approx. 30-40 min {I am bad at keeping track of how long it takes me, but this is my best guess}

What you need:

3 1/2 cupspotatoes , peeled and diced {I keep mine with the peel}
1/3 cup celery, diced
1/3 cuponion, finely chopped
1 -2 cup Afton Field Farm ham, diced and cooked
3 1/4 cupswater

2 tablespoonschicken bouillon granules {instead of the water and bouillon granules, I used what chicken, beef, and vegetable stock I had on hand}

1/2 teaspoonsalt {to taste}
1 teaspoon pepper

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

2 cups cheddar {or I used pepper jack the second time I made this soup} cheese, shredded

{additional ingredients you could add: red chili pepper flakes, bacon, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, garlic, different cheeses, and any other veggie or herb you might have on hand}

-Combine potatoes, celery, onion, ham, and water {or chicken/beef/vegetable stock} in stockpot and bring to boil.

-Then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender.

-Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper. {I put in the stock and salt & pepper all in step 1}

-In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook stirring constantly until thick.

-Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form and all milk is added. Continue to stir until thick {4-5 minutes- it took me longer.  This takes the most time and seems like it will never thicken, but like all cream sauces, it does and is vital to be patient with it}

-Add in cheese and stir until melted.

-Stir the cheese mixture into the stockpot and cook until heated through. {I mashed some of the potatoes up for  thickness. It gets thicker as it cools and next day}

I tasted the soup and thought it could use a little spice, so I put red chile pepper flakes in just before serving.  I put about 2 Tbs. in.  It was just the right amount, even when you could taste the spice more the next day.

odging the rain has been the main task recently ;)  The guys are working steadily on the barn.  They have been able to do some projects inside, but now it is time to move back out and work in the elements.

Before all the flooding, we had that week of gorgeous {but chilly} weather and we were able to take full advantage- even with 3 out of the 6 crew members M.I.A.  Tyler and B.R.D had to enlist some real muscles and skill for the week.

Toby, Kavik, and I teamed up in the removal of the back green-house shed roof.  Toby and Kavik would also go back and help B.R.D. and Mr. Farmer Jones dig holes for the posts to get set in.

Mr. Farmer Jones and B.R.D. worked on setting up posts to extend the shed roof on the South side of the barn.

Once the heavy rains came all worked moved to inside barn projects.

These are photos from the first day the rains came.  I didn’t venture out to take photos until a day after the rains stopped, but absolutely everything was soaked through and flooded.

Taking the floor boards off of the second story.

Now they are working hard to stay dry and warm again.  It makes me glad I have cooking, cleaning, and admin/office work to be doing inside :)

You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it.  That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.

J. Krishnamurti {1895-1986}

In a tradition started by my friend Kyrie of Are So Happy and carried on with Kerry of Young Ones and Linnea of PeppermintAlley, they invite you to post a quote on your site every Sunday. Quotations can be old favorites or new inspiration, funny or sentimental, famous or personal, just give credit {where credit is due} and have fun.

How do you join?

After you have made a post, link it via comments to Kyrie’s Quotable Sunday post each Sunday in January. Please invite your friends to share as well by pointing them there.  You can also join the flickr group and add your weekly contribution there.  Linnea will host for November, Kerry will host in December, and Kyrie will host in January. {I’ll do my best to link it all up so you know where to go and add your contribution!}

It was a roller coaster of emotions, actions, and responses for me today.  One moment I was completely overwhelmed, snapping at people and the next I was excited about the task at hand, laughing, and being jovial.  Those days are always exhausting.  And honestly I annoy myself more than the day itself does.

I am kind of a perfectionist.  I would say that the area where my perfectionism comes out the most is in my personal habits, mindset, and lifestyle rather than in the actual works that I do.  I’m more bothered by being irritated or short in my tone and speech with someone than if my chocolate chip cookies turn out well.

Even though I am not a perfectionist in some ways that seem more ‘typical’ to a perfectionist, I struggle with the balance of performing well.  I want to have a personality that is warm and welcoming- at all times; not just when I am ready and prepared to be nice and to give of myself {who doesn’t though, right?}.  I want my home to be decorated as cute as it is in my head :)  The fact the my life is frantic, hard to schedule, constantly changing, and a million other things isn’t enough for me to just pause and take a good, true look at my life and think ‘Well, considering everything, I am doing really well.  My home is pretty clean {for a farm house}, we have meals on the table at least three times a day, a husband who is madly in love with me, and I have purpose and a hope for a future’.

Maybe I’m more impatient than I am a perfectionist.  It just isn’t enough that I’m still working on some of the same things I’ve been working on for the 3 plus years we’ve been married and here on this property.  Even as I type it out, I think, ‘Good grief girl!  Get a grip!  Life is a process, and you don’t get from point A to point B without traveling some miles and experiencing certain things’.  I’m still in process.  And I’m in process of learning to live in process.  It’s like us being in sustainable farming.  One definition of sustainable is the capacity to endure or long-term maintenance of responsibility.  I stand by, promote, and proudly share about our farm being one that can sustain.  I realized while making chocolate chip cookies today, that the same mindset could and should be put to my personal life as well.  The capacity to endure and to accept that it will be a long-term process of maintenance.

The recipe I use for the chocolate chip cookies I make is the recipe that Bradd The Rad Dad {aka: BRD, Tyler’s Dad} has mastered and gladly shared with his daughter-in-law.  Though I have been making these cookies for three years, I still end up with some burnt, some too mushy and falling through the cooling rack, some too big, some too small, and some that are simply perfect.  BRD’s chocolate chippers are the image of perfection.  Every time he walks in the door with a bag of his chocolate chippers it literally takes my breath away and makes my heart skip beat.  Honestly.

Making chocolate chip cookies, like any meal, requires forethought, effort, resources, patience, time, flexibility, love and care.  Today as I pulled my first batch of cookies out of the oven and saw some too done and one fall through the cracks of the cooling rack, I found myself thinking, as the air left my sails, ‘Well, I knew today was going to be like this {that I couldn’t be perfect in my efforts} and I’ve been in a snappy mood to my husband and crew {not being perfect in my personal goals and habits} and I spent all this time on making these cookies for everyone and they turned out horrible!’  I wanted to just give up.  I wanted to choose to remain in a bad mood, requiring Tyler to come in and make me feel better by giving me his full attention, giving to me of his efforts, and to hug away my bad day.

What would that accomplish?  How would that be sustainable?

Life is a choice.  And when you pull that sheet of cookies out of the oven and they didn’t turn out as you expected, you have the opportunity to let it run off your back like water and to think positively about not only those cookies, but every step that led up to them that you did in the day.  That is exactly what I’m trying to work on each day- that mindset of choosing to be positive and to think of myself as wonderfully as the Lord sees me and has made me.

I’m not saying that positive thought is magic and can do the miraculous, but I pulled the rest of the cookies out of the oven once the timer buzzed, and they were pretty darn perfect.  And the boys all said they were the best cookies they had ever tasted and just hit the spot after a long cold day.  And they were talking about all of the cookies, including the ones that I didn’t think were perfect or even worth eating.

hicken pie just seems to be the thing my taste buds are craving right now!  I’m not sure it’s the time of year, the weather, or that I want to replicate the best homemade chicken pie I had in Dufftown, Scotland with wonderful family.  Probably it’s the latter.

We had many scrumptious homemade meals that my dad’s cousin, Patricia {she goes by Pat; which is also my dad’s name, so it is somewhat necessary to clarify} made for us while we were visiting.  Each meal was full of tasty ingredients, love, and fond memories.  Pat gave us quite a few of the recipes for the meals we ate.  I have yet to make the time to create them in my own kitchen, but recently I’ve really had a hunkering for that chicken pie!

I thought I’d share the recipe so you could try it too.  When I make it, I’ll try to add some photos ;) The recipe is in metric units, so I converted {approximate} units for you.  But if you want to double check me, here is one of many websites I found.

Pat’s Chicken Pie*

Serves: 4-6 depending on portion size

What you need: for the pie filling

1 whole Afton Field Farm chicken, cooked with butter. {the recipe calls for: 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached with a stock cube}
250mls {8 fluid oz} cooking liquor
75g butter {5 Tbs}, plus some for cooking chicken
2 slender leeks, trimmed and slice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
50g {1/2 cup} plain flour
200ml {6.5 fluid oz} milk
2-3 Tablespoons white wine
150ml {5 fluid oz} double cream
150g Afton Field Farm ham or pork roast, thickly carved & cut into chunks {this equals 1/2 cup of meat, I am planning on cooking a 3 lb ham/roast and using 1-2 cups for this pie}
flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

What you need: for the shortcrust pastry 

350g {3.5 cups} plain flour + extra for rolling
200g {1/2 cup} cold butter cut into cubes
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
beaten egg to glaze

What you do: for the pie filling {all of the ‘what to do’ instructions and tips are directly from the recipe book or Pat herself}

- Melt 25g {1.5 Tbs} of the butter in a large nonstick saucepan over a low heat.

- Stir in the leeks and fry gently for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until just softened.

- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then tip everything into a bowl.

- Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining butter. Stir in the flour as soon as the butter has melted and cook for 30 seconds stirring constantly.

- Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring well between each addition.

- Gradually add cooking liquor and the wine, if using, then stir until the sauce is smooth and thick. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes, while stirring.

- Season to taste, then remove from the heat and stir in the cream.

- Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film to prevent a skin from forming and leave to cool.

What you do: for the shortcrust pastry and assembly for baking

-Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit/200°Celsius/180°Celsius Fan/ Gas mark 6
and put a baking try into the oven to heat.

- To make the pastry, put the flour and butter in a food processor and blitz on the pulse setting until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

- With the motor running, add the beaten egg and water and blend until the mixture starts to come together in a ball.

- Weigh the pastry and take off 280g {9.8 oz or approx. 2.8 cups} for the lid.

- Gather the rest of the pastry into a ball and flatten slightly.

- Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it’s slightly thicker than a £1 coin and 4cm larger then your pie dish.

- Lift gently into the pie dish and press firmly into the base and sides making sure there are no air bubbles. Leave any excess hanging over the edge.

- Cut the chicken breasts into chunks and add to the cooled sauce with the leeks and ham or roast.

- Tip the filling into the pie dish and brush rim of the dish with beaten egg.

- Roll our the rest of the pastry and use it to cover the pie. Press the edges together to seal, then trim and crimp. Make a small hole in the centre of the pie with a knife tip and brush the top with beaten egg.

- Bake on the tray in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes or until the pie is golden brown and the filling is piping hot.

Note from Pat: When I make the sauce that the ham and chicken go into I cook the leeks as directed then add the wine and cook off the wine before adding milk and the cooking liquor/stock, to thicken the sauce, plus I also add grated carrot which also helps to thicken and give flavour. For the pies that you had I used a total of 8 chien breasts. Like all cooking it is a case of trying and then adapting to what is best for you.

Happy cooking!

*recipe from the recipe book newly published October, 2011 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson,
costing £20