A Couple of Months of Quick Up-Dates

So I know it's been a while since I have done any kind of post about the farm, our family, or what we have been doing, so here is a quick up-date of what all we have done since June.

 We spent a lot of time in the field this spring. The wheat did really well this year, which means we have some happy farmers...

that is as long as they think about wheat and not corn or beans. ;)

Caleb actually got to spend a lot of time in the combine this year since Pop was still out recovering from heart surgery and no one else really knew how to run the new machine.

Chester got to ride a lot and usually wasn't happy if we went to the field and he didn't ride. We would often spend a lot of time riding close to his nap time and some times he didn't make it through a ride without falling asleep.

We had lots of picnics while we were in the field. I was so very happy when we were finally done with field work and I didn't have to pack up everything and take it to the field, but it won't be long till I will be doing it again for corn a bean harvest.

We got to play with a few fireworks too.

Finally when everything calmed down we were able to make a trip to Northeast Missouri to visit my family and play with a few chickens.

WARNING: If you leave your sonic cup setting around at my folks house it is fair game for anyone to snatch it up and drink it, so be careful.

Chester got to spend a lot of time playing with his cousin...

He also got to take a late night bobcat ride with them and Grandma.

And nothing beats cuddling up with grandpa and watching some videos of tractor pulls. 

I helped the youngin's catch a snake. I was then told by my mother that it must die....it was just a little garter snake....but I did what I was told and we took it up to the chickens to feed them. After they let us down and didn't attach it my niece there decided to stomp the crap out of it till it was dead....your welcome mom! 

We also go to do my favorite pass time and we played in the creek.  I use to spend hours upon hours in the creeks on my folks farm.

After all that we had one tired little boy.

We also got to spend one weekend celibrating the marriage of this wonderful couple. Wendy is my first cousin and we were the best of buds growing up. Fact: In high school Wendy and I could kick the butt of about anyone in 2-on-2 basketball! I am so very happy for her!!!

Actually my sister and I did all the photography at the wedding....it was a long day! I got to do a lot of the bossing and staging of the groups.

Here was my partner in crime for the day. We sure did have a lot of fun working together on these pictures!

We also celebrated 66 years of marriage with these two. 

Chester loves Grandma and Pop....probably because every time he goes over there Grandma loads him up with chocolate. Not a bad deal if you ask me. ;)

And Me, well I have spent a lot of time here, at my sink putting up lots of produce....I think at this point I have put up over 70 quarts of produce and I hope I will still get a little more! 

Oh and I have an ever growing belly! :)  

Fact: at 20 weeks I had only gained 3 lbs and in the past 8 weeks I have gained another 14....I am on the same track that I was on with Chester, so we could be looking at another big baby...lol I would probably help if I stayed away from cheetos, but really who wants to do that ;)

Well there ya go, that's what we've been up to. I am tired just from thinking about all that, so I'm gonna scoot.

Later,

JP

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple-Walnut Cream Cheese Icing - Gluten Free Style

So a few years ago I posted about these cupcakes, but since then our house has become gluten free. I was in the mood for these again the other day so I thought I would try making them gluten free and....

It was a success!!! 

All I did to make them Gluten Free was used a gluten free all purpose flour.  I use Better Batter Gluten Free Flour for my cooking and it worked great. You couldn't tell the difference between the GF and the non-GF ones. I even took a couple down to our neighbors who had just gotten home from the hospital and the husband could believe how good they were....especially since they were gluten free! 

So here it is again...

Pumpkin Cupcakes

The Line-up: Flour (Gluten free flour Mix like Better Batter Flour - if you flour doesn't contain xanthan gum then add a teaspoon of it to the recipe), Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Coarse Salt, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Ground Allspice, Brown Sugar, Granulated Sugar, Unsalted Butter (melted and cooled), Eggs (it says to use 4 large eggs, but I two large one small and one XL cause that's what I had in my fridge), and 15 Ounce Can Pumpkin Puree

First preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Put 2 cups of all purpose flour, now add in a tsp of xanthan gum,  tsp of baking soda, a tsp of baking power, a tsp of salt, a tsp of ground cinnamon and a tsp of ground ginger.

You will also add in a 1/4 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg, but if you are like me and don't have any nutmeg cloves to grate, then you can use the already ground stuff.

You also need to add a 1/4 tsp of ground allspice.

I don't have any of the ground allspice, so here's what I do instead...

I take about a dozen of the little allspice balls and...

...I place them in a ziploc bag. Then I take my meat pounder and start smashing them.

I probably don't get them ground as small as I should, but its a whole lot easier than driving to the store to get a bottle of ground allspice, cause I live out in the middle of nowhere and it takes a while to get to the store. One of these days I will remember to put it on my shopping list. Until then this works for me.

Now in a large bowl break in all four eggs and whisk them together.

You need two sticks of unsalted butter, melted and cooled.

Now to the eggs add 1 cup of white sugar, 1 packed cup of brown sugar and the melted butter.

Now whisk them all together, and then...

...add in the dry ingredients.

Whisk them until smooth.

Now add in the pumpkin puree and...

...whisk it in.

Now spoon the batter evenly into the cupcake tin liners. Fill them 1/2 to 3/4 the way full.

Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, so for about 20 to 25 minutes. You might need to rotate pans depending on your oven. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely before adding the frosting.

Ok now lets make the icing or frosting (whichever you call it)

Maple - Walnut Cream Cheese Icing

Icing Line-up: Cream Cheese, Unsalted Butter, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup, Maple Flavoring (I must have lost my maple flavoring cause I couldn't find it this time but it was just as good without it!), and Chopped Walnuts

Your butter should be at room temperature. As you can see mine was a little melted, but it still worked.

Now using an eclectic mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until blended.

Now beat in two packages of cream cheese.

Add in 1/4 tsp maple flavoring and...

 

I couldn't find my maple  flavoring this time so I didn't add any and they tasted just as good without it.

...one cup of maple syrup and beat them in.

Now you need about one cup of chopped walnuts.

Now using a spatula fold in the chopped walnuts.

Chill for about 20 minutes so it can firm up.

Once the icing is ready and the cupcakes have cooled, ice them and enjoy. 

I hope your cupcakes turn out as good as mine did!  if you have any questions give me a shout!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Makes 18 – 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose Gluten Free flour ( I use Better Batter)
1 Teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour already contains this)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed.

Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.


Maple-Walnut Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring (Optional)
2 cups walnuts, toasted, chopped

Directions

Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in cream cheese, then maple syrup and flavoring. Fold in the chopped walnuts. Chill until beginning to firm, about 20 minutes.



They are so yummy, I just know ya'll will love them!

JP

Up-Date from the Field - Video Blog

Hey y'all this is the first week of hotter temps and dry conditions so it has been a all hands on deck. So to give you an up-date on what I'm doing right now I thought I would do a video and tell you about it.

I just love the way I look right there

NOT.....but this is better than the first video I shot :)

One thing I didn't tell you in the video is if we don't get this rain over the weekend we will be in the wheat field next week, and if we do get this rain over the weekend then we will be in the field as soon as it's dry enough to run.

Gotta head to the hay field, so catch y'all later. 

Let me know what you guys think of video up-dates....if ya like them I will try and do them more often.

JP

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup (Gluten or Gluten Free)

 

Long before Caleb and I went Gluten Free I had thought about making my own cream of mushroom soup because I hate having to deal with all the cans when I would buy it. I would rather have it in my canning jars that I could wash and re-use. Well I never actually looked up a recipe and made it, but then we went gluten free and we could no longer use the store bought stuff....grr.

I miss the convience of using the store bought stuff, but o-well.

So, after being gluten free for a while I really started missing some of my recipes that used cream of mushroom, so I looked up a recipe and tweaked it to work for us.  And to be honest I really like it so I thought I would share it with you guys.

FYI: I will give both the gluten and the gluten free versions so you can decide how you want to make it.

I didn't take pictures when making this so the next time I make it I will and I will up-date this with some pics and step by steps.  

A few things about this recipe:

1. the original recipe called for 8 ounces of mushrooms, I found that was way too many for me so I only used 4 ounces, which made my pack of mushrooms go farther. 

2. I used dried onions instead of fresh ones cause I have them and they are easier. If I had dried minced garlic I would do the same thing.

3.The original recipe called for 1/4 tsp of nutmeg I cut that out cause it just didn't sound right in there and I like it just fine without it. But if your feeling froggy feel free to add it.

Ok lets get to the recipe....

Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

4-8 ounces Fresh Mushrooms
2 tablespoons Onions, chopped
1 -2 Garlic Clove, minced
2 tablespoons Butter
1 1/2 - tablespoons Corn Starch

1 1/2 - tablespoons Potato Starch

2 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup Cream or 1 cup Evaporated Milk (I use Cream)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Directions:
1.) Chop mushrooms into small pieces.
 

2.)Melt butter in large pan. Add in onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until onions and mushrooms are soft.
  

 3.) Whisk corn starch and potato starch together. Then Stir 2 Tbs of that mixture into the mushrooms and onions.

 
4.) Add in the chicken broth and heat until slightly thickened, while stirring frequently.
 

5.) Whisk the rest of the corn starch / potato starch mixture into the cream along with the salt and pepper. Add cream mixture in to the soup and heat to thicken while stirring frequently. 

*I never seem to get enough salt in it. So my food usually needs more when I use it, but that's not a big deal. I would rather have too little salt than way too much.

Canning Instructions: 

Prepare jars and lids like normal for canning. 

You will need a pressure canner and will process the full jars of soup at 10 lbs of pressure for 40 minutes.  With soups you must can with a pressure canner to get the correct heat / seal something...pretty much so you don't get sick! If you don't have a pressure canner I would recommend Freezing instead

Freezing Another option if you don't have a pressure canner is freezing it. Just put it into freezer safe containers in 1 1/2 - 2 Cup batches. Then when ever you need it just thaw it out and use it.

~ If you have any questions feel free to ask.

*Ok for those of you that can use wheat flour here is the recipe for you....the only difference is you use all purpose flour instead of corn starch and potato starch.
 

Cream of Mushroom Soup (glutenized)

4-8 ounces Fresh Mushrooms
2 tablespoons Onions, chopped
1 -2 Garlic Clove, minced
2 tablespoons Butter 

2 -3 tablespoons Flour (separated)

2 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup Cream or 1 cup Evaporated Milk (I use Cream)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Directions:
1.) Chop mushrooms into small pieces.
 

2.) Melt butter in large pan. Add in onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until onions and mushrooms are soft.
  

 3.) Stir 2 Tbs of flour into the mushrooms and onions.

 
4.) Add in the chicken broth and heat until slightly thickened, while stirring frequently.
 

5.) Whisk the rest of the flour into the cream along with the salt and pepper. Add cream mixture in to the soup and heat to thicken while stirring frequently.

Up-Dates and Life Changes (Going Gluten Free)

First things first...

Chester is going to be a big brother!! Coming this November are little two bedroom house is gonna get a little smaller and boy are we excited.  As of today I am about 16 weeks along and feeling great. Thanks for all the prayers that were sent our way as we were trying to get pregnant again, God is good!

In related news Chester has since gotten a big boy hair cut and...

 he has turned into quite the ladies man...sunggled up close with one little girl while holding the hand of another...oh my!


Now for the big news that I have been putting off talking about for oh about 8 months....this new isn't bigger than being pregnant, but it is more life changing.

After a trip to see Caleb's sister last Thanksgiving in Denver we have decided to go gluten free. Yeah I know we grow this beautiful stuff...

 And we can no longer eat it. 

Why you are probably asking?

Well about a year and half ago Caleb's sister was diagnosed with Celias Disease . And celiacs is some thing that actually can run in familes. Well on the way to Denver after eating dinner (lunch) Caleb started feeling yucky and having a spell where he just felt like crap, (headache, nausious, feeling like he was really weak and going to pass out)  nothing fun feeling that's for sure. He had been having these symptoms for a long time now. They would just pop up every once in a while, but he wouldn't ever go to the Doctor about them...until he had an anxiety attack that was related to the symptoms, then he went to the Doc and all the Doc diagnosed was the anxiety attack and didn't look at the symptoms that caused it. That's really annoying!

*On a side note, I had to take over driving while he tried to sleep and I couldn't make a sound and there wasn't allowed to listen to the radio or stop for anything fun...Needless to say when he was feeling a little better I I kinda gave him a ear full about figuring out what is going on with him and going to the Doc till he got an answer, cause 4 hours of having to be silent and drive with no radio kinda pissed me off...I won't lie. My belief on sickness/illness/cronic pain is if you aren't going to go to the Doc and figure out what is wrong with you than suck it up and don't wine about it...I'm all sorts of compassionate aren't I. 

Any way when we got to his sister's house we did some talking with her about things and she was saying that the symptoms very much sound like some of the symptoms of celiacs. So long story short we did some shopping, bought some supplies, came home and cleaned out my pantry and I am now a label reading gluten free hippy....lol 

It's not just Caleb that has to be gluten free it is me too. I have been having digestive issues for a long time and nothing seemed to help with it. I had thought it was more problematic when I ate greasy foods so I just blamed it on the grease...but then it would happen when I ate a turkey sandwich and that got me all sorts of confused. My sister who has had some of the say digestive issues said her Doc though it could be gluten....which got me thinking about that, but I wasn't about to go gluten free all by myself cause that would mean no more pizza....but since we thought it would help Caleb I thought I would do it too.

But since being on it, we both have noticed a big difference and we feel soo much better!! 

Facts about going Gluten Free:

• There is no such thing as good gluten free bread. It's all really dense and hard as a rock! 
• If you don't have to go gluten free but do just for fun, just know that Caleb and I think you are crazy! ;)
•  After making a dozen different Pizza dough's I finally found one that is eatable, but it's still not as good as gluten pizza
• Gluten Free pasta isn't bad
• The gluten free cakes and cookies I have made have all been really good...except I did make a store bought box of browines that weren't eatable, which was really sad!

This has been a huge lifestyle change for us and it means we aren't able to eat out as much or fix stuff near as fast to eat. We are now those people that are high maintenance at family dinners, but oh well we feel better and we are so thankful for that!

I tell you all of this because tomorrow I will be shareing a recipe for Cream of Mushroom soup and it's gluten free and I wanted all of you to know why. I am also sharing the regular gluten version too, for those who don't need the gluten free version.

Lots of Love and Good Bread,

JP