Sneaky Strawberry-Rhubarb Graham Crisp
August 7, 2008|Comments (12)
As you may have guessed, I make a LOT of desserts before Josh goes to the field. My wonderful husband, Josh, gets a wee mite of a sweet tooth when he takes part in the military’s idea of camping (only without the marshmallows or pancakes). I just adore that man so how could I deny him cookies, crisps, and pie?
Sneaky Strawberry-Rhubarb Graham Crisp
The crumble:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat graham flour*
1 1/2 cups oats
4 Tbsp soy flour**
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup softened butter
The Filling:
1 1/2 c. chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 c. chopped strawberries (can use frozen or fresh)
1 2/3 c. sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 1/2 c. water
2 tsp vanilla
Combine the crumble ingredients in a bowl (place 2 tbsp. soy flour in the bottom of your 1 cup measuring cup and then add the flour over the top — for each cup of flour). Press half of the mixture into a grease 9×13″baking dish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Top the crumble with chopped strawberries and rhubarb (mixed together). Gaze lovingly at that color. I know that I am.
Stir together cornstarch and sugar, then place the mixture in a saucepan. Pour water over the mixture and whisk. Cook until thickened and pour over the fruit. Sprinkle the other half of the crumble over the top and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until golden brown.
After baking:
Allow to cool a bit — it will be bubbling when you take it out of the oven. I like mine still a bit warm with vanilla ice cream (or frozen yogurt) but Josh likes his completely cooled and cut into bars. Whatever floats your boat, folks. It’s a really tasty treat and fills your whole house with such a fabulous scent. Sigh. Heaven!
*Can use all-purpose instead… but then it wouldn’t be sneaky.
**You don’t have to add the soy flour but it gives home-baked foods a protein boost, rich color, great texture, and it helps to prevent them from becoming stale. What’s not to like about that?? 
Want to know more about rhubarb? Click here and read all about it.
Chicken Coop Design Class
August 7, 2008|Comments (13)
Above is our finished chicken castle… the Coop (with a capital “C” — thank you very much). Made out of scrap wood and spare parts, it was one of the least expensive projects we’ve ever tackled. Watch it go up:
Scrap lumber to make nesting boxes for laying hens
Here the coop is on its back. Josh added side boards to support the nesting boxes.
Chicken wire on the bottom of the nesting boxes
Used an old parts container to make panels
Sweet tea & GRIT Magazine: two items that make farm projects enjoyable!
The boxes and floor are lined made with chicken wire and stapled into a frame
This is an easy solution to a perch… a branch that fell doen in a storm — trimmed to fit
Doors to Nesting Boxes Easy to make and VERY useful!
A large door on both ends makes for easy cleaning and viewing
We like the red barn look — cheerful. Be warned: paint is not cheap. Painting turned out to be the most expensive part of the project.
Comments:
Sweet Contradiction, A Quest for Authenticity
August 7, 2008|Comments (18)
Am I a study in contradiction? Does my idea of how I am to live my life part company from how I actually live my life?
My friend, Steve, sent me these extraordinary paintings knowing that I would obsess over them and in turn see myself in them. That skunk. He’s always doing these things to me — stirring the brain things in my head. Yet, a little reality check every so often is good medicine.
Just the day before yesterday, I fished out my ancient hand grinder to process beef tallow and bond with the pioneers of yesteryear **nod, nod** but then turned right around and kneaded bread dough with my beloved KitchenAid mixer. While I refuse to spend time watching television or invest in fancy flat screens or plasma-whatevers, I dearly love my computer and view it as a window to the world. I make my own soaps, cheese, yogurt, pasta, and laundry detergent but I own a dishwasher and confess to cherishing it like a sister (no, closer than that). And… AND…. guess where I store my sourdough starter??? On top of my microwave.
So today, as I ponder the depths of who I am, I shift the sands a bit to reveal the woman I have become: my authentic self. There, in the midst of all the confusion there is peace — an oasis in the sands — because I find that what I have is a pioneering spirit. I never claimed to be a pioneer — just to attempt to do as much from scratch as possible in an attempt to stomp the restlessness in my soul; to simplify my life. The truth is that I make a conscious choice to make the great majority of our food and grow what I cannot make, I am unwilling to stop the good feeling train to wash all the dishes that I amass by canning, soaping, candlemaking, and goodness knows what other crazy thing. Because I allow myself these little luxuries, I wake each morning happy and excited about the day ahead. I can take the time to truly appreciate this life and how it has transformed the way I approach every single chore or task. So what does that make me? A modern spin on a classic. Sort of like replacing the 8-track player in a 1967 Shelby GT500.
Do I feel authentic? You bet your sweet bippy.
Congratulations to commenters #6, 8, and 17 chosen by Random.org! Leah, Tipper, and Jeni Hill Ertmer — you have each won a bar of my very own homemade soap to enjoy! Please email me your addresses, ladies. Thank you all for commenting. I promise to keep making soap and offering giveaways. Why not? I like you.
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