Construction Update #3

It is really getting fun now! The whole process has really been alot of fun,

but we are enjoying the details now. Hummmm.....the paint.....

still not sure how that is going to go.

The fireplace is amazing! We love it!


The molding is beautiful.

And The Rooster....is having the time of his life! He said to The Farmer the other day

"Dad, you are never going to be able to move out of this house you know." The Farmer

said, "Why is that Rooster?" The Rooster said "Because your Boy helped build it."

And he really has enjoyed the process. He eats his lunch quickly so he can

"work" with the crew. He even keeps a measuring tape attached to his pants

....just in case.

Monkee Bread...Oh, Yum!

Oh....I had forgotten...How good Monkee Bread is.....

Monkee Bread

4 cans of refirgerator biscuits

(or any bread dough works)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

pecans, chopped (as many as you like)

1 c. white sugar

2 t. cinnamon

melt butter and brown sugar together. mix white sugar and cinnamon together in

a ziploc bag. cut biscuts into fourths and coat with white sugar mixture

(shake in bag). layer half of the coated biscuits in a greased bundt pan, with lots of

pecans sprinkled on top, then pour over half of the butter brown sugar mixture.

repeat with remaining biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes.

remove from oven when golden brown and turn

out onto a large plate.

Enjoy!

Keep Calm.....

A Must???? I think so!

Especially this one!

A Little Bit Of Love....

The Darlings, wonderful church leaders, hosted a fancy sit down dinner for all the youth last Friday evening. The Boy was the date for all of the beautiful young ladies pictured above, also known as his cousins. Oh, and his sister.

They all looked so darling, dressed in their Sunday best. The Young Men had

flowers for each of the Young Women and they all enjoyed a wonderful dinner

served by their church leaders.


I love this picture! Only a look, a sister can have;)

The Boy and PreShie.

Sweet friends, and all cousins at the same time.

After the dinner, they all attended a dance hosted by the high school.

An evening of great fun!

Construction Update #2

It's coming along!

Homemade Red Chile Sauce - Chile Colorado

Homemade Red Chile Sauce....YUM! After you try this...you won't go back to the can. You can

make a big batch and either freeze it or bottle it. Red chile sauce can be used for many things like enchiladas, chile colorado, tortilla soup...or whatever you like!

First....take the dired red chile, I used around 2 lbs. for this particular batch, clean the chile

by removing the stems and seeds. Rinse with water to get any dirt off, and then place in a large

stock pot. Cover with hot water and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Some like to let it sit over night

but it is not necessary.

This is what it will look like. The chile becomes soft.

Remove chile from water, be sure to save the water, you will need it.

Place chile in a blender, with 1 clove of garlic, 1 t. salt and 1 t. sugar. Blend until desired consistency is reached, adding the reserved chile water as you blend.

I ususally fill the blender about 1/2 full with chile. Remember that it is hot.

This is what you will end up with. Pour into a strainer to separate out the skin and seed.

You will need to scrape, pushing through the chile sauce.

This is what you will be left with. It should look dry.

And there you have it! Homemade Red Chile Sauce.

Enjoy!

Be Inspired

The tree that never had to fight

For sun and sky and air and light,

But stood out on the open plain

And always got its share of rain,

Never became a forest king

But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To gain and farm his patch of soil,

Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,

Never became a manly man,

but lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees,

The further the sky, the greater the length

The more the storm, the more the strength,

By sun and cold, by rain and snow

In trees and men good timber grows.

Where thickest lies the forest gorwth,

We find the patriarchs of both.

And they hold counsel with the stars,

Whose broken branches show the scars.

Of many winds and much of strife,

This is the common law of life.

*The literal winds have started in our area. Something that we endure every year.

It made me think of this great poem that my mission president taught us during my mission.

It is a poem that J. Willard taught his sons, the founders of Marriott Hotels.

I Love It...But...I Hate It Too....

Ahhhhhhhhh....................dried red chile.

My favorite is red enchiladas...mild please..I am a chile wimp!

There is nothing better than homemade red sauce. BUT.....

We are making a product right now that involves HOT dried red chile and I spent the day

coughing, sneezing, my skin burning, eyes burning, well you get the point. The Boy came to see

his Mother yesterday while she was working, and he stayed for all of 5 minutes. He said "I can't stand it here!" He too was doing all of the above. So he left me to suffer alone;)

After a long day.....with HOT chile, the BORDER, the FDA and a patient customer, I returned home. On my kitchen counter sat two bags of dried red chile....MILD....and I thought it

would be a great thing to start some enchilada sauce that I have been wanting to bottle.

And so, I removed the stems and seeds of the dried pods, and put them in a large pan ready to soak. Just then The Farmer decided that going out to dinner was a great idea.

So I washed my hands and we left. While at dinner, my eye began to itch...and I scratched it

do you see where I am going with this? Guess I had a little chile oil on my fingers....which...take a note here...is not removed with soap and water.

I KNOW THIS VERY WELL!!!

But I thought...since it was mild it wouldn't be so painful....wrong!

I went to bed with my nose burning, my eyes watering, my lips burning and I guess during the night, my eye itched again and while asleep I scratched, and yes, the burning in my eye caused me to wake up.

Today, I hate chile....most days I do not.

Here is a crash course on Dried Red Chile...

This is sun dried red chile. It starts as green chile and left on the plant, will become

red and very yummy. Some feel that sun dried is the way to go, when dehydrated, the flavor can change.
It is usually picked while it is still "wet" meaning that it is not crunchy, there
is still a bit of moisture in the chile.


This not an unusual site during red chile season. Chile drying on the roof
of a business or on the roof of a home.

Chile Ristras.....a very common site in New Mexico during red chile season.
Coming next....How to make homemade red chile sauce
(aka enchilada sauce, chile colorado)

What Were We Thinking????

It seemed like a great idea at the time.....

The Rooster had a dream, he got a job (pumpkins), The Darlings were so excited to work

together toward a mutual goal. They had pictures of the dream (above) posted in

their rooms, they scoured the internet for "a great deal. All good...right?

You would think so. Well, it was found, it was purchased and then there was

the small detail of the "BORDER" and after several attempts, Uncle Penguin

was able to get it home. I'm afraid we will owe him.....FOREVER.....

Anyway....this is where we are now,


THE CHART.....The Darlings are having a hard time taking turns. I know, suprising.

So The Farmer, in all of his wisdom, came up with THE CHART. And it is posted on

the fridge. They check it everyday, sometimes multiple times to see whose turn it

will be that day. The Farmer loves a chart;)

It seems to be working at the moment, unless, out of turn, someone touches the

Rhino, And then we are back to square one!

I rode with The Boy (when it was his turn) to feed the horses. I am always amazed

at how those horses love him, and how much he loves them. He has a little whistle, and

they come. Those horses are alot of work,

but work.....he loves!

Called To Serve

In Honor of our Auntie Beth....who arrived in the mission field this week.
She called...we laughed...we cried...we talked about all that is to come.
We love her and are so proud of her willingness to serve.

Ebelskivers

EBELSKIVERS

2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 T. sugar

4 eggs, separated

2 c. milk

4 T. butter, melted

(plus more for cooking)

filling of your choice, such as;

jam

chunky applesauce

pudding;)

peanut butter

sausage

any fruit

*basically anything you would like

in a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl lightly whisk the egg yolks, then add in the milk and the melted butter. Mix yolks into dry mixture, stir until combined.

In another bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Fold into batter, gently. Put a little butter (doesn't need too much) into the well of the ebelskiver pan, then add 1 T. of batter, add 1 t. of filling on the top of the batter, then top with 1 T. of batter. To turn use skewers. Cook until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serve while hot...that is when they are the best.

The Darlings enjoyed dipping them in syrup.

YUM!!

A Small Piece Of Perfection....Really!

This seems to be the theme here for recipes lately....pretty yummy....and not so good for you....SORRY! But I am so not kidding you, these are amazing! EBELSKIVERS......
or lovingly called "EVIL-SKINNERS" by my beloved Farmer. (my maiden name is Skinner by the way.) Whatever the name, they are great. Stay tuned...I will post the recipe tomorrow...I am traveling at the moment and don't have it with me, but trust me...
YOU WILL WANT IT!!

Construction Update...

Yes...those are paw prints...in the fresh cement.

Dog - O's

A tribute...to my brother....owner of "The Dog House." And also a taste of Mexico! Yes....I know.....This wouldn't fall into the catagory of "good for you" or something that you would eat weekly...BUT....it is worth it, if and when you choose to indulge;)

ENTER....

DOG - O

Enjoyed on most street corners in Mexico. When the sun goes down...the Dog-O stand shows up. It is a mobile cart with a grill and a load of mexican sodas. You can either sit at the plastic chairs and tables, that have also been set up on the street corner, or you can use the..

"SERVICIO AL BORDO"

which is Mexico's idea of drive through. A worker comes to your window...takes your order...and brings the order to you to take home. Given the level of violence in our area, we do not eat on street corners after dark, so here is our version of the Dog -O

Wrap hotdogs with thin slices of bacon...we only use Oscar Meyer all beef hot dogs (only because The Farmer is pretty picky with hot dogs). After the hot dogs are wrapped with the bacon, cook in a frying pan, on medium heat, until bacon is done and a little crispy. Remove the hotdogs from the pan and keep warm. Next, spread the bun with mayo.....


And cook in the same pan...in the bacon grease...until toasty and brown. I told you....not something you can eat at every meal!

Then....place the hotdog in the yummy bun and begin to add toppings....

avocado

diced onion

diced tomato

mustard

beans

corn

grated cheese

jalapeno

well....basically everything....

DIG IN!!!

*to my brother...."The Wennie Man"

In Case You Were Wondering....

This is where I spend my days now. The Farmer and I have pretty much always run our businesses together, and it has worked out great. I have a cozy office, at the house, that I have worked out of for the last few years. BUT, things have changed a bit lately, good changes. It now requires me to have an office (and be in it) for most of the day.

It is close to home, and for that I am grateful.

It already smells better here in my new office...since I plugged in the Sentsy! Even The Farmer noticed that;) We've cleaned, and we've organized. We have a great staff and we are

looking forward to a great season.

Historic...Yes...The Solution...No

Yes...it is a historic day in the history of the United States. It is an example of all that we believe in....CHOICE. Millions of people exercised their right to choose and that....I respect. I don't like to share my political views...and I certainly don't want to judge others for their views. But this, I would like to say, He was not my choice...and I drove for 3 hours to choose! But I will do my personal best to be supportative. Do I think that he will be able to change the world. NO!! He has professed too much...the world expects too much. No leader has ever been perfect....and he too will certainly disappoint many people...
And I would also like to say....Thank you Mr. President and thank you to your beautiful "grace under pressure" wife. You did a great job. Thank you for dedicating the last several years of your life to public service...and that is just what it was....SERVICE. You led us in prayer when we needed to pray, you defended us when we needed to be defended, you were not perfect...but then again...who is???
You are an amazing man...you have my RESPECT!

The Giving Tree

Have you read this book? It is one of my all time favorites! It is one I read often, and shed tears every time I read it. We are living this story right now. When The Farmer and I moved to Mexico ....years ago....The Farmer's father....who, by the way.... was a "real cowboy" had built a small home for us. He was in the process of building it while we were dating and he would always say..."when you are married and move to Mexico, this will be your house." Anyway, to make it a little more "homey" he cut a branch from a Globe Willow tree that stood in his yard, and planted it in our yard. When we moved in the tree was a stick in the ground and not much more. He actually backed over the "stick" a few times, and we wondered if it would ever amount to anything. But, as the years passed the tree grew and so did our little family. By the time The Boy came along the tree had grown, and actually made a little shade for him to play under. The Boy loved to play outside. From the time he could crawl he would find his way outside to play under our tree, and he often left the hose running, which I am sure was a great benefit to the tree. Somehow I think the tree really loved him too, because it grew and grew and became a beautiful tree that was almost like an umbrella on a sunny day.

Next, came PreShie, and she too loved to be outside under the willow and the same with Rooster. They could always be found under the tree digging, playing in the hose, or playing in the playhouse that also found its' home under the tree. We had many, many dinners and parties under this wonderful tree. Above is a picture of the tree last winter during a snow storm.


The tree became the home of a displaced swarm of bees last summer, and that was quite lovely as well. Had the bees not attacked us everytime we came out of the house....we would have let them stay too! The willow was the home for birdhouses built in cubscouts, it held hummingbird feeders and it supported many climbing children. This tree really became a member of our family! This past year we thought we would begin building a new home....but timing has not been right(given all that is going on in Mexico right now). So we decided that we would add onto our existing home to make it a little more comfortable, but that meant our beloved tree must be removed. And so The Boy, who loved the tree and enjoyed the tree throughout his life, was the one who carefully cut the tree down, and stacked the wood, which we will also use when our new fireplace is completed. The Boy was sad, he said it just wasn't right, but it had to be done.


And so, a chapter in our lives has closed....and another has opened. The building will begin on Monday, and we are so excited!

And....another tree has been planted, that will, in a few years become a beautiful willow, just like the one we have loved and enjoyed for so many years.