This past weekend Ella and I selected brownies for our big baking adventure. There are many, many, many different brownie recipes to choose from.
ELLA AND GRANDMA PAT’S BIG BAKING ADVENTURE
My grand-girl Ella is a very good baker for being only 10 years old. She is very precise at measuring and extremely good at reading and understanding recipes. And she really knows her way around the kitchen. For the past couple of years she has been entering baked items in the Illinois State Fair. I thought it would be a great idea for us to start the New Year off with a fun, learning baking challenge. So, we have initiated the Ella and Grandma Pat’s Big Baking Adventure. Our goal is to try a new recipe twice a month and to keep a detailed journal of each baking experience.
Our first recipe, White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Here is the recipe.Read More »
A Very Merry Christmas 2017
Every year I so look forward to Christmas. I love the decorating, the shopping, the Church services, and most importantly, spending time with my lovely family.
Fall Is Here
Last evening, we had the first heavy frost this fall. The growing season has certainly come to an end for this year. So, it is time to start thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
WINDING DOWN
Where does the time go? It feels as though it flies by so quickly? It seems like only yesterday that the excitement of the new growing season was upon us.Read More »
PEACH COBBLER
Every summer our local farm bureau (of which I am a proud member) offers the opportunity to purchase fresh blueberries and peaches. The blueberries were amazing and I put quite a few in the freezer. The peaches were perfect: large, firm, and juicy. Here is the recipe for a delicious peach cobbler.
8 fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarchRead More »
A Labor of Love
The success of the little flower cart continues to amaze me. This is our second year of selling flowers at the end of the driveway. And let me tell you, it is a lot of work. But it is truly a labor of love.
The Barn
The old barn has stood for many, many years. It has served as a home and shelter for dairy cattle, 4-H cows, and in more recent years a place of safety for raccoons, opossums, birds, and numerous farm cats.
April Showers Bring May Flowers!!!
I am so anxious and getting more and more impatient. I know we need the rain, but I am ready to plant. I have been doing some serious planning this winter and purchasing some excellent tools.
Spring Fever
This winter in Central Illinois has certainly been strange to say the least and one for the records – literally. We have had a record small amount of moisture (snow) and if I am not mistaken, February has been one of the warmest since records have been kept. And lots of sickness. Colds, flu, fevers, aches and pain. I was not spared. In fact, I just finished my second round of antibiotics to get rid of a nasty sinus infection that followed an equally nasty bout of asthmatic bronchitis. But for the past week I have had a good kind of fever – Spring Fever!! Last Saturday afternoon I worked outside in shorts and a sleeveless top and actually got sunburned! And what was I outside doing? Thinking of flowers of course!
