yawn, damnit!

that lump is a horse. the horse is not dead, it is tired. there is an on-going joke at work because people call in to report dead horses in our fields. sometimes they call us directly, sometimes they call the town police. i wonder how many calls a month the five-o get regarding our animals. "excuse me, officer, but there are cows blocking the road at..." "i'd like to report a horse, it is running thru my yard. yes i understand it is two in the morning...". no wonder the animals get so tired that they keel over and sleep, they have full schedules of fence tipping midnight escapades!
speaking of sleep, although i have been slacking a bit on my posting, i really should be in bed right now instead of spending time on this silly thing. plus i have a book i am very excited to start and i know that my alarm is going to seem very, painfully, early at this point.
g'nite.

humans, ugh.

in the past week two people i know have had their dogs stolen from them. this makes three friends who have had this happen to them within the past 6 months. how are people capable of this? it really is like stealing a child. i like to think of myself as a peaceful person, but everyone has a limit... and stuff like this make me wish very painful things on the type of human who would act in this way.

feeling like may

monday night we welcomed a new addition to our farm famly, a little bull calf. as far as i know he is still without a name... but, if it comes up for a vote i am going with "brian".

i have also had baby squirrels run wild in front of my car the past three days on my way to work.

babies!

sunday baking

after a lovely sunday dinner of bbq chicken with the family we enjoyed these moist little nuggets for dessert. the remainer will be heading to work with me in the morning... and maybe i might even share!

Apple Muffins
(from smitten kitchen)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

~ preheat the oven to 450°F. prepare 18 muffin cups with papers

~ mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon

~ in a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. add the egg and mix well.

~ mix in the buttermilk gently, being very careful not to overmix.

~ stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

~ fill muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top.

~ bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

~ cool the muffins slightly before removing from the pan. then cool the remainder of the way on a rack.

a new favorite veg.

i do love my meat, but sometimes there is nothing more comforting that a big bowl of vegetables...

Celery Root Puree

2 celery roots, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 tbs white rice
1 (or 2) cloves of garlic
1 1/2 c milk
salt and pepper
1 tbs butter

~ put the celery roots, rice, garlic, and milk in a saucepan. season with salt & pepper
~ bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, the roots will get tender
~ in a food processor, add butter to the milk-root mix and process until smooth
~ season with salt and pepper and serve

this is very good with pork tenderloin, but this time i served it with a pile of vegetables (eggplant, zuchinni, mushrooms, red peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic) that i cooked in a 350 degree oven after tossing them in a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. it was a very cozy meal.

how to stop drinking, part one...

... take your friend to the emergency room after he puts his face through a giant window.

this technique is sure to help you stop drinking, at least for the evening since i am pretty sure the er would have frowned upon the bringing of beverages into the waiting room.

they do not however have any problem with yo-yos. keep that in mind, and in your purse...

sunny still!

what kind of freakin' restaurant puts a hippo head (albeit a fake one) right above where people eat?! don't they know that hippos fart out of their mouths? a little research people!