Making a Change

Last June we moved into the house and all the space was amazing......then winter arrived and we froze. The furnace does not heat the whole house and the propane bill was almost four times what we paid at the old house. With all that in mind hubby has decided he wants to move...where?  That is yet to be seen, since the place he wants needs some major rehab. He has purchased an old barn and about four acres of land. The barn is amazing, yet needs much work. I can close my eyes and see a big country kitchen and all the bedroom space, a loft for the grandkids to come stay and the thought of not a neighbor in sight. The question is, where to stay until the barn is livable. That to be would mean the roof fixed, wall closed and water and electric run with my number one must have ...a bathroom! Hubby claims to have a plan that he will hopefully share with me. If there werent so many of us I would say get a camper , park it and live there while you work. The rest of the family is not so keen on that idea. There is an artesian well and beautiful views from all four sides. I am ready for a change.....sounds of chicken and the morning rooster wake up call. A goat of two grazing in the pasture and maybe I can grow something!  That part is questionable LOL.

All this said I went outside yesterday to find the boys busy. making a chicken tractor.....WHY...because they bought three chicken and a duck! Jumped the gun, I think, but they are here. The dogs enjoy them , the cats were curious and oh how I hoped whatever got BINGO did not come down the hill for a late night snack.


I woke this morning to find them all fine, thank goodness. I did not want to explain to two little boys about missing chickens.

 JJ and his chicken Batman ( we don't know boy or girl chicken, but he names everything Batman )



Carsen being brave to let Batman sit on his shoulder

Carsen chicken "DORA"

Dad's girlfriend and Mandy checking out the chickens

The BOYS getting Daddy to hold DORA.

Now let me say when I dreamed of chicken I thought big fluffy hens who lay eggs each day....I will need to be patient I guess. They say be careful what you wish for....In this case I totally agree. All this could have been mush worse, where they bought the chicken there were horses for sale. They could have brought one of those home.

Now between packing to move, college courses,crocheting for the shop...I will be watching two boys, four dogs, cat and three kittens, three chicken and a duck! 

Before all this amazing fun arrived I had just finished this cute catepiller set, all it needs is antennaes and it is ready to go.

With chicken on our minds I went to an old favorite for dinner tonight.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/chicken-and-dumplings/

 Chicken and Dumplings

Prep Time: 15 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 30 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 whole Chicken, Cut Into Pieces (cut Up Fryer)
• Salt And Pepper
• 1/2 cup Finely Diced Carrots
• 1/2 cup Finely Diced Celery
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
• 6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Dumplings:
• 1-1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1-1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley (optional)
• Salt As Needed

Preparation Instructions

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in flour.

Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. In two batches, brown chicken on both sides and remove to a clean plate.

In the same pot, add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in ground thyme and turmeric, then pour in chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine, then add browned chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

While chicken is simmering, make the dough for the dumplings: sift together all dry ingredients, then add half-and-half, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside on a plate. Use two forks to remove chicken from the bone. Shred, then add chicken to the pot. Pour heavy cream into the pot and stir to combine.

Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Add minced parsley if using. Cover pot halfway and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Check seasonings; add salt if needed. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Try this and enjoy your day!

Rock Painting at Pattibears Place

Friday was the first class in rock painting I have given so far this season. Three young men seven, ten and thirteen came. Normally my first class is a bunny so the student learns to make fur strokes and gets the basics of rock painting.  This was not the case, not only did these three not want to paint a bunny, they each wanted to paint a different animal.....and none had fur!

The littlest decided on a turtle ... and angry turtle. He did fairly well for a first time and added some great color to the turtle shell and in the end he did look angry turtle.

Student number two had a rock, not shaped like any animal, so we took another route and painted the animal on the rock.  Not the rock into an animal , like we normally do. He made a lizard, colorful with it drawn completely by him.

Number three had heard his mother say the day before in my shop that she wanted an owl and he found a rock that would work. Just let me say feathers are harder than fur to paint, and this student had never painted before either. But, he listened and tried his best and in the end MOM got an owl

This is how it usually goes!

Find a smooth rock, for a bunny a baked potato shape works great. As you get more experience you can work around odd shaped rocks. Basecoat your rock with black acrylic paint. This gives you a base to work from and helps get shadow and depth to your painting. Use a wide brush, ( good brushes are not necessary for this part )       Use chalk to outlind where the face is, the ears and where the back legs are. This is just a guide and will be covered up later. It helps to look at a picture, I recommend the kids books on HOW TO DRAW ANIMALS a great source to show features and proportions.

Next thin some white paint to use for your fur strokes. The most important thing to remember is to stroke in the same direction the fur grows!  Outline the ears, nose and eyes. you will fill these in later. Remember there is never too big of a mistake you can't correct....Just paint it black and start again! The back legs are painted like wheel spokes coming down , the face fur grows up from the nose and to the sides from the eyes. The cheeks are little white puffs with a triangle of white between for the chin.

As you practice your fur lines will become finer and you can get even more detail. Let your white fur lines dry completely.

The back of the bunny, no tail yet, that is a final detail

add brown for the eyes and flesh for the nose and ears

Delute brown paint to a tint and cover the white fur lines. Leave the cheeks and chin white

Add some white eyelashes around the eyes, paint in the pupils and add awhite reflection dot. Brush in a few black eyelashes and last but not least  Do not forget the tail....and you are done

Classic Potato Salad Recipe

With Father's Day coming up on Sunday, there has been alot of talk about what to buy Dad.....and what to feed him. The answers vary. Some up camping for the week tend to lean toward fisihng gear and cribbage boards, while other are getting him that T-Shirt with the clever saying. But, dinner seems to have one thing in common....potato salad so I looked up some and this one seemed most like what the shoppers were talking about. Enjoy and have a great Father's Day

Classic Potato Salad Recipe: "Scroll down to see more potato salad recipes
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
5 to 6 med. potatoes, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, peeled, cubed, cooked
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 eggs, hard-boiled
1 to 2 Tbs chopped green onions, optional garnish
1 tomato, cut in wedges, optional garnish
Preparation:
Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss gently to combine well. Cover; chill for 2 or more hours for best flavor. Garnish with chopped green onion and tomato wedges if desired.
Serves 6 to 8.
More Potato Salad Recipes"