Cornstarch Pudding

This is a rich and decadent pudding. Perfectly delicious on its own or adorned with your favorite topping (or still warm directly from the pot).  It is perfect for filling pies, such as chocolate cream or banana pudding.

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup sugar*

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups milk, divided

2 eggs

3 TBSP butter

3/4 tsp vanilla

* For chocolate: increase sugar to 1 1/4 cups and add 2 oz of melted bakers chocolate.  Alternately to the bakers chocolate you can use 6 Tablespoons of Cocoa powder and 2 Tablespoons shortening.

Directions:

In a 2 quart or larger pot, mix the cornstarch, sugar and salt (this is the best place to add the chocolate also) until well blended.  Gradually add 2 cups of milk until there are no lumps.  Cook slowly over medium heat stirring often.

Meanwhile in a large (2 cup) microwave save measuring cup whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk and eggs.  Beat until well blended and microwave at 50% heat for 1 minute.  Whisk again and continue until the egg mixture is warm to the touch, about 115’F.

Once the pudding mixture has begun to boil, add a small amount to the warm eggs mixture and add back into the pudding, stirring briskly until the eggs are completely mixed in.  Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes.  Add the butter and vanilla.

For a smoother pudding once it has cooled slightly, stir though a fine strainer (Personally I like it a little lumpy).  Refrigerate.  To prevent a skin from forming cover with plastic wrap while warm.  Enjoy!

 

Serves 6

One additional note, if you decide to use semi-sweet chocolate chips, you will end up with a more milk-chocolate like flavor.  I would also suggest cutting the sugar back to 3/4 cups rather than increasing.

Advertisement

November 22, 2016

This week we will celebrate what is probably the largest family meal time in the country.  Even though Thanksgiving was just two days away, we all still gathered for a family meal on Tuesday.  Pulled beef enchiladas were the main dish, complete with homemade tortillas and all the fresh toppings.  Chips and salsa and guacamole, rice, white bread.  Dessert was a first time ever, Gingerbread (it was a huge hit).

In attendance, there were 2 babies, 1 toddler, 2 tweens (the cousins), and 11 adults.  As usual,the babies were stealing the show playing and being silly with each other as everyone was arriving.  My little girls were SUPER excited to see my cousin and his son show up for dinner again, and promptly ran/crawled to give hugs.  Then they went back to playing with their toys and shrieking at one another (it was rather a noisy baby night!)

Come on kids, get your plates.

You can have tacos or enchiladas.

What’s an enchilada?

They are kind of like tacos, but covered in cheese and sauce and baked.

Oh, I’ll just have a taco.

I want a TACO!! Please.

Is that two piles of chips on your plate?

I like chips. (giggles)

Ooo, enchilada’s for dinner.

I don’t know if they will compare to your generations of Mexican food making.

I haven’t had a bad meal here yet.

OK, say prayers, please!

Bless this house, Lord we pray, keep us safe by night and day. AMEN!

Amen.

Did you find your cat?

Yes, finally.

Is that why you were walking around earlier today?

Yea, she wasn’t just taking a leisurely stroll.

Have you been having problems with the cats taking off? I know you had been letting them out.

It really hasn’t been a problem with the colder weather, but the one just decided to take off.  He had been wanting in and out like every 10 minutes all day, and I finally got busy and it was either in or out for a while and he chose out.  After about an hour or so I realized he wasn’t asking to come in and started calling.  Then he didn’t come.  I was calling, shaking the food, nothing. So, I went out looking for him.

You found him though right?

Yes, after a couple hours

We had two of our cats go missing this summer for about two weeks.  One of them came back.

Oh that’s sad.

It is sad, they are barn cats so they come and go as they please, but it’s always sad when they don’t come back.  I called for them the whole time.

These are good.

I would like the record to show that there are THREE breads for this meal tonight.

There are? I only see the one.

The bread, and the tortillas and the other is coming.

Oh, the tortillas, I didn’t take one of those.

But you are eating the enchiladas…

I guess I am eating one then.

The key to Mexican is fresh because that’s what they have in Mexico, fresh.

When you find a good Mexican restaurant you want to hang on to it.

There used to be a couple good ones around here.

Heathers in Bay City closed.

What was Heathers?

It was like a specialty restaurant, they did Vegan and gluten free, things like that.

Why did they close?

Not really sure, I heard it was a surprise and that the co-owner wanted to travel and not work there and closed it.

Meat Meat??

Do you want some more?

Yah.

BAHAHAHAHHA!!

I guess she wants more too.

Moo Juice?

Milk?  I need your cup.

What was in this cup?

Juice.

MOOOOOOO JUICE

Thanks for the nod by the way.

Your welcome, I had to get creative to find the logo!

How did you end up finding it?

I Googled your name and your Facebook page led me to your website.

Did you find the girl in Gladwin with the same name?

No, I don’t think so.

There is a girl in Gladwin that is about the same age as me, looks about the same and has a similar career.  It’s crazy.

You know, there is a woman there that has the same name as Mom and they are about the same age too?

No way.

Really.  There is also a girl in the area that apparently looks just like me, I was actually mistaken at the spa there for a member of someone else’s bridal party.  They asked me if I had just been there and that everyone left already.

Maybe Gladwin is like some parallel universe or black whole.

I really liked the olives in the enchiladas.

There were olives?

I thought that’s what those were, I wasn’t sure olive or jalapeno, then took a bite.

Really?

It’s crazy.

So, I have a story.

I’ve told you that my Mom is coming to stay with us when Nugget is born. So, while redoing the rooms we decided to get rid of an old queen mattress we had and get a twin so when Nugget is old enough it will just become hers. I had someone that wanted it, and it was great, but then they backed out.  Well, after the baby shower, I went to this one day only chance to enter a contest thing.  I entered in my, my husbands and my mothers’ name.  And we actually won!  I was so excited when they called, then they told me it was a queen mattress, no exchanges! So now we are stuck with two queens.

You could put them together and have a super huge king.

Who would like some gingerbread?

(Everyone)

Will you scoop the ice cream?

(both babies were happily eating away on little bits of the gingerbread)

Do you want some cake and ice cream?

CAKE!! YAH!

Where are the big kids?

Playing somewhere.

BABABABABABA!

Ok, here is a little more.

AHAWHAHHHHHHHHH!! (Doors slamming)

HEY! Be nice to your sister! Leave the door open!

You know better than to be slamming doors.

So I am cooking a turkey at my house this year, I am a little nervous.

(Now, here enters a bunch of discussion about brine, grilling, and other such methods or cooking a turkey and this goes on for a while)

Want to know my dirty little secret?

Of course.

I cook mine frozen. (This link will give you the basic instructions)

(Now, you’d have to see the near evil look shot across the table at me by the resident chef.)

What!!!

I do, I take the outer plastic off and toss that bad boy in the oven.  After a few hours, I pull all the stuff out, the giblets and what not, season it and put it back in.

(Enter many disbelieving and sarcastic remarks)

Hey I’ve made a few, and there is no mess, they are super moist and no one  has died.  They do take like all day to cook, though.  It’s almost twice as long.

It’s awful quiet back there.

I was just thinking they were being rather quiet.

( The two older kids come parading out with a rather large banner they colored of Michigan State’s stadium along with a rather lengthy explanation that ended in GO State!)

Hi! Are you hungry?

Not yet.

Well fine, don’t come to me then.

She was just fine with me.

Oh sure.

No, really the girls love him.

(As my cousin snuggles the baby)

He shoulda had girls.

Bye bye? Bye bye?

Are you ready to go home?

Nite nite.

Ok.

See you tomorrow right?!

AH… I forgot.

Now you remember.  See you tomorrow.

What are you doing?

Taking all the kids to see Grandpa.

Ah, good. Good luck.

Thanks.

Good night everyone.

 

 

Hot Fudge Cake

This is a family go-to recipe, especially in the fall and winter.  It is rich and chocolatey and will warm you up in no time.  Recently featured at one of our Tuesday Dinners, I thought I would share the recipe with you!

 

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour (or cake flour for a lighter cake)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

1 1/2 TBSP cocoa powder

2 TBSP butter

1/2 cup milk

Topping:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup boiling water

 

Directions:

I use a separate container to mix the dry ingredients for the cake in.  I find it is easier to shake them all together in a Tupperware than try to mix them in the baking pan.  You will need a 9-inch square pan or an equivalent.

For the cake, mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder (not baking soda, that ends in disaster), salt and cocoa.  Soften the butter (I do this by adding it to the milk and microwaving for about 30 seconds).  Add the butter in milk to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.  Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

In a large measuring cup pour in the boiling water.  Add the sugars and cocoa and stir until there are no (or very few) lumps.  Gently pour over the top of the batter. (You could also pre-measure the sugars and cocoa into a bowl and add the water over top, then stir. Either way be careful, it is boiling water.)

Bake in a preheated 350′ oven for 25-45 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch. If the cake part giggles if you wiggle the pan, it needs a couple more minutes.

Alternatively, this cake also microwaves very well and makes it a quick last minute dessert.  Microwave on high power starting at 6 minutes.  Microwave 2-minuteute intervals until the cake is springy to the touch.

Cool slightly and serve with whipped cream or ice cream as desired.

11/15/16(The White Rabbit Dinner)

I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date……..  This week I have been like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, always running just a little bit behind no matter how much I am  hurrying.

Now after an  hour of hand to hand combat, I type this with one baby sleeping on my lap and the other “resting” in her crib. Strike that she escaped and is climbing all over me.

I was in fact late for Tuesday dinner this week and was assured I missed all the good conversation.  For dinner, we had Buttermilk bread, homemade chicken strips (the recipe is an invention of my Dad’s), baked macaroni and cheese and peas.  For dessert, there was Hot Fudge Pudding cake.

In attendance, there were eight adults, one tween, a toddler and a baby.

The conversation went something along these lines:

How much chicken would you like?

It doesn’t matter, just pile it up for me!

I got pictures of the food for you.

Thanks!

Mama poo…

Uh oh, quick let’s go!!

Yea!!!! Good job! (all you adults out there that have done potty training I am sure you can relate and all at the table participated in congratulations of such an accomplishment)

We have a celebrity in our midst

We do? Who is that?

Nikki, she won a logo design contest for one of Detroit’s National Philanthropy Day Dinner.

That’s great!! Congratulations!!

I think the baby is hungry.

Oh good she is eating! (she had not been feeling well)

So, what is your baby’s name going to be? Has any one guessed yet?

No one has guessed it yet.  I will give you the same clues I gave my co-workers.

It is a classic name.  It will not start with a ‘C’ or a ‘D’.

Veronica

Susan

Shanequa

Mildred

No…

Rosalina

No, but that is pretty.

Is it more Eastern or Western?

Western.  The way I came up with this name, was I met a lady in Amsterdam and ened up spending some time with her.  I just thought she had the most beautiful name.  She was origionally from California.

Sophia

Bella

Isabell

Nope.

Amelia

When I was pregnent I had Persephone and Caeleigh on my list but Lee couldn’t spell those, so I had to take them off.

(And the guessing went on and on and on.)

How did you come up with Elizabeth again?

It’s John’s Grandmother’s name.

Is that Hot Fudge Pudding Cake?!?

Yes it is.

You know that was almost my choice for bithday dessert?

Really?

Well it is delicious..

Yes, but it is quite a long way from Black Forest Cake.

You know, I am not even sure I remember how to make the Black Forest Cake, I just got lucky it turned out I guess.

It was amazing though!  This pudding cake is a close second.

Why is the whipped cream melting so fast!

It’s because it’s cream from Sugar Dot’s milk.  There aren’t any stablaizers in it.

Look at you talking all chef-y.  No stabalizers in the whipped cream.

Hey, when you break out like I do from eating whipping cream from the store you pay attention.

It is like my egg allergy, what ever is in the commerical eggs or the feed they use makes me sick, but I can eat farm eggs.

I agree, its just the funny little changes that can cause problems.

It is delcious.

Didn’t you have to leave?

Are you trying to kick me out?

(Smirk) You said you had to leave early tonight.

I did, at 7:30.

See.

So which villan did every one else pick?

I don’t know, I didn’t ask anyone else, I was just thinking of you.

Gee thanks.

I didn’t mean to offend you!

So who was your favorite villian?

Maleficent

Captian Hook

HAHA! Those are who we picked.

 

And honestly everyone, that is about all I can remember about the conversation at this point!  Here is hoping next week is a little more time friendly!

 

 

So, what do you do with the kids?

Farming is hard work. It takes the help of everyone on a small family farm, including the kids.

Over the last couple months I have had different friends ask me, “So, what do you do with the kids when you are doing chores?” Or “What happens if there is a farm emergency?”

Most of the time the answer is, they go with me.

A lot of the time my oldest will stay in the house or play on the swing set with the babies while I milk the cows, clean water buckets or other farm tasks that don’t take too long.  She has also stood guard when I’ve had to run out in the dark to find an escape critter or dealt with an emergency while I wait for help to arrive (I thank God all the time my parents live close and don’t question the get here now phone calls).

Other times, I am able to sneak out very early or very late while they are sound asleep. When my toddler wakes up she runs to look for the bucket of “moo juice”. The baby, well she likes to start her day way, way too early. But she loves the wagon ride even if sitting waiting for the cow to be milked is boring.

 

The long and the short of it is, sometimes it isn’t the easiest thing to have little kids and the farm, but they aren’t an inconvenience.  They are learning lessons about responsibility and personal strength they won’t get anywhere else.  I love nothing more than to see all of my girls enjoying farm life and each-other.  I love knowing I can trust my oldest to make smart choices if I can’t be right there.  I adore seeing the babies giggle when a gigantic horse or cow sniffs their hair.  So, what do I do with the kids? I let them farm.

Happy Birthday Amanda!

So by now I am sure you are noticing we have had quite a few birthday celebrations.  It gives testament o the number of people that come to Tuesday Dinner.  In fact, November 8th is actually also one of my “sisters” birthday– Happy Birthday Liz!– but she is not home with us so Amanda (my biological sister) got to celebrate this birthday solo.

We had a couple new faces, my cousin, and his son, so happy to see them! And another dear friend of mine popped into play with the babies.  In attendance, there were 11 adults, 3 tweens, 1 toddler and 2 babies.  The meal had a bit of a Greek theme to it, Gyros (made with lamb brats from our lamb) complete with Tzatziki sauce and fresh pitas, stuffed grape leaves, rice with tomatoes and green onions.  The kids had hamburgers, being slightly less adventurous.  For dessert, there was Tiramisu Cheesecake.

Hey! How are you!!!

She was so excited to see her cousin when we got here!

He was pretty excited too!

You’ll have to bring him over this summer, I am planning a kiddie farm camp, get some work out of these kids!  My friend has a little boy who wants to help me garden, so why not?

Just let me know, it’d be good for him.

You’d just have to watch him around the sheep… we wouldn’t want him having a “blueberry” mishap like his father…

…Don’t even go there!… Laughing all away around (My cousin may have mistaken sheep pellets for berries when we were growing up, it’s one of those things you can never live down)

Did you really just pipe whipped cream into her mouth?

So how many teeth does your little guy have now?

You can definitely feel at least four.

Ouch, she’s got two and is working on more… and bites!

Oh yeah, he does too.

(meanwhile said babies are destroying a basket of toys happily together, the older kids and toddler are causing mischief elsewhere)

Kids, come get your plates.  Yes, you are going to eat the rice too.

Hello,

Hey! you brought me jars!  AND gift bags and paper! You are awesome!

The rest of you better sit down. Take a seat or you won’t eat!

Well Hi there! (My friend that isn’t usually with us walks in) We weren’t expecting you!

Oh, I just came in to play with my babies.

There is an extra burger if you want one…

Now you’re speaking my language.

Prayers, please!

Bless this house, Lord we pray, keep us safe by night and day.  Amen!

Thank you!  I wanted to make sure she did it this week, she totally skipped out last week.

No, I heard her.

I think you were imagining things.

Well, Tuesday Table, said she didn’t so it was written in stone last week.

What no bread!?!

The pitas are bread, have two.

Wait! We are missing a bunch of stuff! (Mom runs back into the kitchen, and brings back the stuffed grape leaves, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce).

Here this one doesn’t have cucumber (a tiny bowl) and this is regular good stuff.

So the Tzatziki sauce is made with the real yogurt.

Have you tried the milk yet?

No, not yet.

You should, this is skimmed milk and it is going to be more like whole milk from the store than skim.

So have you noticed a difference with the milk?

Yes, I was having a real issue with heavy dairy product, like sour cream and whipping cream, see even the little bit I had the other day made my hands break all out.  However, the heavy cream from my cow doesn’t do that to me.  I also have a friend that was having dairy issues and doesn’t have the problem with the farm milk.

Why do you think that is?  What’s the difference?

I think some of it is how I treat it, it’s not high pressured anything.  I just gently pasteurize it, and the other is that my cow is an A2 type.  Which basically means she doesn’t have a gene for a protein in the milk that a lot of people have an intolerance to.

(Here is a link to some very basic information in case you are curious)

(BAHBBBAAAAA BAHBHA BHA BHA)

So what made the grape leaves sweet?

Golden raisins.

Hmm, interesting.

So, how does one eat a hamburger with only a bottom bun? ( Toddler was ripping pieces of the top bun off and feeding it to my friend, feel free to insert a toddler/shark chomping sound here)

He is very chatty tonight! I think that is the most I have ever heard him talk!

He sure is, I did promise him a taste of tzatziki sauce too.

I tried to get her to have lasagna for her birthday, but she just wouldn’t do it.

Consider it Greek lasagna.

Don’t forget to write down your birthday’s everyone!  There are getting to be too many for me to just know!

Who’s birthday is in March? I’m sorry, you are just going to have to choose another time.  I am not sharing.

There is some talking about CSA (community supported agriculture)

That is what I would like to do ultimately.  It would really help us get going.  I have stacks of facts and figures and plans.  While I was pregnant I was totally gonna do it!  Then the baby came and I said, well maybe in a couple of years…

So what does a CSA do?

Well it reduces the risk for the farm a little, because the customers are basically share holders and they get a share of whatever they are purchasing like a crop share or a share of an animal.

Right, but if the farmer is bad and isn’t producing obviously people wont want to “buy stock” in that farm.  It also helps provide starter money.  That is our biggest challenge right now.  To provide beef, we have to buy a calf two years in advance out of pocket.

Some more chatter along this line goes on, and can I just tell you, the babies in the back ground are just going wild tonight!  Such volume!

I don’t know that I could do organic.  One its expensive and two, I just could not give antibiotics to a sick animal to save its life.  Even if it is meant for food.  So many of those farms don’t.

Well the one I go to does!

Oh! That’s awesome!

Yeah, and so those animals obviously aren’t organic any more, so they go to a different part of the farm, but really they are obligated to treat the sick animals.

That’s good, that makes me feel a lot better about organic animals, I never really understood how they could not treat dying animals, just to keep a title.

No, they are supposed to, in fact in my next magazine I am planning to write more about it.

I look forward to reading it!

Hey you found “The birthday candle”

Sure did! So lets all sing..

Wait! Where is she at, she was going to sing happy birthday special for her aunt.

She already told me she had a special song for me.

Ok everyone “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Amanda, Happy birthday to you!”

Ok, it’s all you!

“Sto Lat! Sto lat!

Niech zyje, zyje nam.

Sto lat! Sto lat!

Niech zyje, zyje nam.”

WHOA!  What language was that?

Polish.

Where did you learn to sing happy birthday in Polish?

My teacher.

It was really cool at their Halloween party, which was also their teachers birthday, one of the other room moms had told them it was time to sing happy birthday to their teacher, and they just all busted out singing with Polish Happy Birthday.

Well, I am going to have to take off, my kids are waiting for me.

Thanks for visiting!  See you soon!

So what kind of cheese cake is this?

Tiramisu

caffeinated cheesecake huh?

You have to at least try one bite.

If anyone feeds this to the small child, she will be spending the night with you. You have been warned.

Can she have ice cream?

That’s fine. (Just imagine a two-year old eating ice cream with her hands)

You eat ice cream the way I want to eat icecream.

Uhoh looks like a brain freeze!

What desserts don’t you like?

I really can’t think of any, I used to say chocolate cake but you proved me wrong there.

(People are moving around, some have gone home, the kids are goofing off and getting in trouble in turns.)

So, I have to say Mom, I am pretty impressed with my body and it took having her help me with the chores to realize it.  Its  pretty amazing that eight months ago I couldn’t even walk and now I am able to carry hay bales with one arm.

You couldn’t walk?

Oh, you probably don’t know the story.

I almost died having this baby.

What!

Yeah (laughing) I am really lucky to be alive.

Well, its good you can laugh about it now….

I know right? I’m just happy to be here really.

(I tell the whole story it, but it is long and graphic and it will emerge in a different article I am working on that just isn’t quite where I want it to be yet.)

Nite nite mama, nite nite.

I guess its time for me to get going, the little one is already down and she is ready to go too.

Lets go get your jammies on.

See you all next week!

November 1st 2016

We had another full house at this meal!  Two babies, a toddler and a tween, and ten adults (two expecting mothers).  Dad was in the mood for a fall favorite, even though it was an unseasonably warm 70 degrees outside no one had a complaint about Swiss Steak being served for dinner!  Our version of Swiss Steak involves serving size pieces of round steak, lightly breaded, browned and then cooked until super tender along with onions to form a thick gravy.  Alongside this hearty main course were mashed potatoes, cheesy broccoli and cauliflower, there was also bread with a surprise twist and homemade butter (my parents broke their curse and were able to make butter)!!

I deposited my little ones off a little early, so I could get the farm chores done a little more completely than I can with the girls waiting for me in the house.  The weather was so nice, I really needed to take advantage of mucking out stalls (nothing says fun like that).

Shortly after re-arriving at my parent’s house my sister and brother in law also walked through the door.  The baby took one look at my brother in law and started bawling.  Apparently, they have tension due to a “boop” on the nose incident.

A few more start to trickle in including the other baby that joins us for dinner.  This time around he and my daughters were engaged in the mass destruction of the living room via toy scattering.  It is very cute to watch a group of little ones entertaining themselves, to say the least.

The expectant mothers were sharing complaints of aches and pains, and that they were both getting decent sleep at night.  The other mommy in the room and I found this to be totally unjust and are jealous.

My mom pops around the corner to confirm I am in fact still making the meatballs for the baby shower this weekend.  Yes.

There was a lot of conversation going on, and it was really hard to keep up with all of it at this meal.  In fact, there was so much, that I did not realize until I sat down to start writing this out, my daughter totally skipped out on saying grace!  No one caught her either!  Shame on all of us, still we are all very grateful for the food and family.

Why is the bread so yellow?

There must be a lot of eggs in it?

Where is your husband?

He should be here really soon.

He had to drive over, it is so far. (Ha ha ha)

I will sit over here so he can sit by you, never mind I am going to sit on that side.  The guys can sit together.

Hello!

I fixed your chap, it took me a while to find the right button, but you can’t even tell.

(I can only  hope that my daughter gave a proper thank you at this point, I couldn’t hear her response)

This smelled so good, I could smell it walking all the way up.  It just kept getting better.

So we need to have a stinky smell come out of the house to keep people way?

(chatter about different stinks that might be jokingly effective)

So what made the bread so yellow tonight?

You have to guess.

Isn’t it eggs?  Is it Brioche?

Nope.

I would say cheese from the way it looks, but it doesn’t taste like cheese.

It is butternut squash from last week.

No way! You can’t even tell!

Umm, the butter tastes weird on this… I don’t like it.

Ha ha! She doesn’t want to eat it because now it’s a vegetable, just like a kid.

The ‘creative butter’ does taste weird on the bread, don’t pick on her.

I guess it tastes OK on the potatoes, but that fine.

Is that extra cheese sauce? (dumping it on veggies and potatoes)

You know it’s funny, one of the first meals I made when we started dating was broccoli with cheese.

Are you still just dating?

Well, we still date, but I meant before we were married. He looked at the broccoli and said “You put cheese on your broccoli?” and I said “You don’t put cheese on your broccoli?” and he responded, ” You know if my mother had made vegetables like this I probably would have eaten them”.  Point duly noted for future reference.

I was listening to your husband giving the news on WSGW the other morning on my way to work.

He definitely has a voice for radio.

Well, that is good considering it’s his job.

Just like Paul Harvey.

He should start doing “The Rest of the Story”

I miss listening to that so much.  I would totally start listening to his station at any time of day if he could bring back “The Rest of the Story.”

(general mumbling of agreement)

Did you here Jared Padalecki started making his own wine?

Yeah, but you have to commit to like an entire case, and it could be terrible.

True, and it’s not like he is delivering it himself.

I think he would sell billions of bottles if he did that.

As it is I am OK committing to like one or two bad bottles, but not a whole case.

Who is making wine?

One of the actors from Supernatural.

Oh

(Now the Littles are stuffed full of steak and potatoes are running wild through the house as we start to clean up the dinner plates.)

I can’t have any pie, I have my glucose test tomorrow and they said no sugar the night before of day of.

WHAT!?!?! (This essentially came from every woman in the room that has ever taken that cursed glucose test)

That’s really strange, I had to fast 12 hours but didn’t have any meal restrictions the day before.

I was allowed to eat a small meal before mine.

I don’t know, they told me no sugar.

You know that glass of milk is full of sugars right?

I took it as added sugar…

You should have scheduled it for a different day!

I know, I didn’t even think about it when I set the appointment up.

Well, we wish you lots of luck.

Dad starts to dish out the apple pie, made with fresh Northern Spy apples.

Well, she doesn’t like fruit pie, so must not want a slice.

I am regretting ever making that comment!

(The toddler is very seriously standing on the chair next to me eating whipped cream off a very large spoon, making sure she gets all of it, and whatever I don’t quickly eat off my plate.)

Wait you missed her!

Did you want a piece?

She wasn’t at the table!

She was taking care of her baby!

Well, I did get the right number of plates out, here you go.

Well, we are going to get heading out.

Was Aunt Royleen coming tonight?

Yes about 7:30, but its only 7.

Really? It seems so much later.

Don’t forget to set your clocks back.  You lose an hour of sleep next week.

No, it’s fall, you fall back.

Right, so you lose an hour.

No, you gain an hour.

OH!! Yes!

Don’t worry  you will lose it at night.

Hello.

Here let me get you a plate.

Um, you helped put things away, were there any potatoes or broccoli left?

Not much, I only put the meat way.

I can do it, I don’t want to be waited on.

Here you go.  You aren’t being waited on.

Why are their spoons and forks all over the floor?

The baby apparently wanted apple pie and was highly offended when I pushed them away. So, I let her play with them and there they are.

I brought your gourds over, did you see them.

Yes, they look great.

And somewhere along the lines here we started talking about The Baby-boomers, Generation X, and the millennials, which of course leads to a conversation about politics.  I will honestly say it never got heated or rude.  The moral of our political story is to vote your conscious next week and make a decision you can live with.

There was also discussion  of a farm to table cookbook being put together, which is far more interesting and exciting than any political topic. 🙂

Northern corn bread

I originally found this recipe in The Joy of Cooking. I have made a couple changes, such as the sour cream because I don’t always have buttermilk on hand. I also added the corn, so it can now be classified as a vegetable, you are welcome!  Feel free to leave the corn out of you prefer.  You can also substitute plain yogurt equally with the buttermilk (or use sour cream like I have noted).

This recipe makes a 9×9 square pan or 12 muffins (which we often make and the kids love corn muffins).

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups ground cornmeal

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1-2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon baking powder

Wet Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup milk + 1/3 cup sour cream OR

2/3 cup milk + 2/3 cup buttermilk (or yogurt)

1-2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn

2-4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425′ and grease a 9×9 (8×8 will work too) or muffin pan

Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In another bowl or large measuring cup mix together all of the wet ingredients except the butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until the dry is just moist.  If you allow this to sit for 15-30 minutes you will have a more cake-like corn bread because it will rehydrate the cornmeal. If you don’t want to wait, it will turn out just fine.

Add the corn and butter and mix just to combine.

Pour into your baking vessel and bake for 10-12 minutes for muffins or 20-25 minutes for a square pan.

Best served warm!

And if you really want to go big….

Cut a nice big piece and smother it under your favorite taco fillings!  What a fantastic lunch! YUM!