Canned Chicken ('n Dumplings)

After figuring out that canning meats is NOT rocket science, I decided to defrost the store-bought, on-sale chicken breasts and can them:

I partially cooked the venison I canned last month so I did something different and used the raw pack method with the chicken.  I just cut the defrosted breasts into bite-sized pieces, jammed them into hot (warmed up in the oven) pint jars and poured boiling water over them.  Lids, bands, into the pressure canner for 75 minutes at 11 lbs. pressure.  Easy Peasy!

A few days ago I decided that it was time to try out my home-canned chicken.  Because not only did I want to see how it went, but I didn't have anything defrosted for dinner.

I whipped up a batch of dumplings and served them and their accompanying gravy over the warmed up chunks of home-canned chicken:

Now that I look at the picture, that big ol' dumpling & gravy
doesn't look too appetizing.....but is sure did TASTE great!

Not quite an "instant" dinner, but it did save me from having to cook any meat for the meal.

Dumplings & Gravy recipe for Chicken 'n Dumplings:

2 Cups Flour
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
3 Tbsp. Veggie Oil
3/4 - 1 Cup Milk
1 Egg

Mix above together in large bowl until gooey (and they will be gooey!), set aside.

In a large pot, add six cups of water and five chicken bullion cubes and bring to boil, making sure cubes are completely dissolved.  Drop dumplings by the spoonfull into the boiling broth, then turn heat down to medium, cover and let cook for approximately 15 minutes.  Check around 10 minutes to make sure the dumplings haven't sucked up all the gravy and aren't sticking to the bottom. 

Serve dumplings and gravy over chicken (leftover, canned, or just-plucked & cooked).  Or just eat the dumplings & gravy......not that I've ever done that.

Wood Working

Each day the circumference of stick-free ground increases around the house.  And by the end of woodburning season, there won't be a stick, branch, twig or other piece of kindling within walking distance. 

There are enough trees on our property to provide kindling and firewood for a long, long time, even after we've cleared adequate pasture for Ms. Melman, Nugget & the goats.

With the clearing of pasture comes the unfortunate destruction of trees.  But it also gives us a lot of potential firewood.  I say potential, because not all of it makes it to the wood pile.  There is just not enough time (and Paul's energy) to take advantage of all that wood.  I know it drives Paul crazy to set a big pile of brush aflame when there is still fuel suitable for heating our home, but we'll never get the pasture cleared if we pick every single log out of the pile.

So up it goes:

One of the many burn piles set aflame this year.

But he's also managed to get a big stack of logs for future wood burning:

So we can all keep toasty warm in the winter:

You smell something cook'n?

Rhiannon's Room, Part 2

Rhiannon's room has been painted for a few weeks now and I'm really liking the wall color and even the white painted trim!  The pictures of course, don't do the almost-lime-green wall color justice, but let's just say it's brighter in person. 

I bought some hot-pink material at the store and made simple curtains and added tie-backs with a few strips of bright green trim, put up a mirror behind the door (at toddler-height) and painted the bottom half of a small wall section with chalkboard paint.

My Mom & I have been having a blast decorating the room.  And she just so happened to be in the "big city" last week and couldn't resist buying more accessories:

Aren't those the CUTEST stinking owls you've ever seen?!
Peel & stick instant artwork!

There are still a few things to do though.  I need to frame out the chalkboard, make some sort of chalk & eraser holder, add a few pictures, make a wall-mounted headboard and maybe even add some white crown moulding.  There's also a little rocking chair that I'd like to repaint in some funky colors.

This has been soooo much fun!  Thanks for the inspiration and help, Grandma!

Sad / Happy Day

Those of you who may have been following my blog for a while may remember the day We got a Harley.

Then we had the "incident" with the goat kids (all my fault, BTW).

Later there was the conversation with the neighbors when we found out that Harley had more than likely killed one of their Polish Crested roosters.  And the mysterious deaths of two of Christine's Silkies earlier this summer.

And some not-expected venison on the dinner plate.

We haven't had a single chicken "incident" in a few months and Harley has been sticking around the house like a good dog. 

Until earlier this week.  Another dead hen and the rooster was missing for a day.  I found the rooster, pretty chewed up & missing tail feathers, but alive.  The rooster is now recooperating in the small kidding pen; I think he'll make it.

I've been putting it off for too long and I guess this really was the last straw.  Kidding season is just around the corner and I cannot have him chewing on any more livestock.  I called a local large dog sanctuary, the Humane Society and put an ad in the local paper.  And today I met Harely's new owner.

She's on five acres in the country, down a dirt road away from any busy streets, and has no livestock for Harley to chase / chew on.  She has a beagle mutt (just like Moonshine!) and no children at home.  She lost her German Shepherd of 14 years a few years ago and hasn't been able to look for another companion until recently.  And she saw my ad in the paper and called me.

Harley, I'm going to miss you.  And I'm sorry that we couldn't provide an adequate home for you.  But I truly hope that you will love your new owner and home.....even more than you did us.

PS - as I don't like to end on a "bummer" note, I'd like to mention the funny/ironic tidbit that I just yesterday bought a 50 pound bag of dog food.  Of course.  At least I won't have to buy dog food for Moonshine.....for like a year.  Ugh.

'Nother Rant

So, this is what happens when I look at the news online.  I get all in a huff. 

Not sure if you've seen the headlines, but some Iraq war vet came back, shot at some people at a party, went on the run, then shot & killed a Ranger while she was trying to stop his vehicle inside a Washington National Park.

So what happens when any crime involving a firearm happens?  People start blaming the inatimate object for the crime.  Not the person.  Not the circumstances that may have lead to this horrible crime (he was said to have post-traumatic stress disorder).  It's all about the gun.  Can you hear the wardrums drumming "More laws, more restrictions, more laws, more restrictions....boom, boom, boom". 

I'm waiting for another news clip to say "Ranger killed by a Midnight-Special Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle with Night Sights, High Capacity Clip and Expresso Attachment".  Because you know that gun just got up and started shooting by itself. 

And this is what some dim-wit had to say about it:

"The many congressmen and senators that voted for the legislation that allowed loaded weapons to be brought into the parks ought to be feeling pretty bad right now," Wade said.

Wade called Sunday's fatal shooting a tragedy that could have been prevented.  (Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees.)

Uhm, so Wade actually thinks that this guy would have stopped his vehicle, disposed of his weapon, THEN continued into the National Park because if there WERE a law that outlawed firearms in National Parks (by us "normal" people, not the "special" people like Rangers or Police) he would have adhered to that law?

Really?  Really??

Yes, Wade, this could have been prevented.  Say, if this man didn't go through hell in a warzone in Iraq and come home mentally scarred.  Say, if this man was willing to get help or go through consuling.  Say, if he made a half-dozen other choices in his life, this may have been prevented.

But do NOT say, or even insinuate that having a law that prevents firearms in any particular area prevents shootings.  It only prevents the law-abiding, gun carrying citizens from protecting themselves or those they care for.  There are laws preventing the posession of firearms in courtrooms.  How many stories have you read where there is a shooting in a courtroom?  Too many, unfortunately. 

A man brutally shot and killed at least one person, and I hope he pays for his crimes, here and in the afterlife.  But it was a man who commited this crime, not the weapon.

Rant done.  And to show you how scatter-brained I really am, you'll have to compare this blog post to tomorrow's Girly-Girl photo shoot of the progress in Rhiannon's Room!

The Logistics of Hay, Part 2

This is how I've been hauling the daily rations of goat hay:

We've long since gone through the last round bale that was kept here at the house under tarps so I've been having to haul hay from Ms. Melman's barn every day.  It's really not that much of a chore as Paul or I are up by Ms. Melman and Nugget twice a day, but it is making the back of my car a total mess. 

But until we get some sort of hay shelter or a lean-to or barn or shop or whatever structure down by the house, I will continue hauling hay to the goats via the hatchback or bed of the dually.

I've seen a blog post a while back (somewhere, lost in the blogosphere) about making temporary shelters using cattle panels as the sides, t-posts to hold them up, then a cattle panel "hooped" over the top and covered with tarp.  Kind'a looked like a quonset hut.  I think that may be in our immediate (or as immediate as things happen around here) future since we're going to have to get several more bales of hay before spring.

It's finally starting to feel like winter around here; only supposed to have a high of 43 today and tomorrow.  The only think good about that is that the wood stove will be cranked up and I'll be making.......Pea Soup!

Got to go find that ham bone from Christmas now; it's already been buried in the depts of the freezer.

Happy Chocolate New Year!

Happy New Year! 

Yeah, yeah, Happynewyear, blah blah blah.....get on with it.  Tell us what we came here to find out; who won the Chocolates!

I apologize in advance to the winner if you have made "Eat less and exercise more" a part of your 2012 Resolution. Just hop on the treadmill for another hour. Or twelve.

First you all have to suffer through several pictures of the Official Name Picker.

Picking names is such a draining experience, so we'd better eat a 1/2 lb. of bacon before starting:

Then we must ground ourself, take a deep breath, and meditate on the basket of folded papers:

And finally, pick a winner:

Tina at Our Rustic Roots is the winner!

Shoot me an email at carolynrenee at centurytel dot net with your mailing address and I'll get the chocolates sent out to you.

For everyone else that entered, I still wish you a Happy and Healthy 2012!  Just try to curb your jealousy and restrain yourself from writing nasty comments on Tina's blog! :)

PS- Just wanted you to know that I did go back to my original chocolate post & enter those that didn't make comments on the "official" post.