Rose Prairie Quilts and Farm

I have had a couple of good and productive days here on the farm but they had little sewing involved. More in the way of getting ready for when the rain stops and I can get back out there in the garden  So I started my sweet potatoes, I have wrote about how to start your own plants last year  here .  I did not plant my potatoes last weekend because I figure the weatherman could be right about the rain  we're to receive and they were right. We have had 8.5" in the past few days. So I'm getting my potatoes ready by laying them out in the light, this is called "chitting" or "greening". This will lead to a stronger plant, earlier harvest and heavier yield. What you do is a week or two before planting, spread  your seed potatoes in a shallow, open top box or I just used newspaper. Lay them in a warm spot that has bright light but not direct sun. The warmth will cause the eyes to sprout while the light keeps them stubby and less prone to breakage.

 Easy Poached Eggs  In a 12-inch straight-sided skillet, heat 2 inches water over medium until bubbles cover the bottom and sides of pan.  Crack each large egg into a separate small bowl (do not use eggs with broken yolks).  When a few bubbles have broken the surface of the water, gently pour each egg into the pan, leaving room between them. Cook eggs, undisturbed, until white is just set and yolk is still runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to gently release eggs from the bottom of pan, if necessary. Using a slotted spoon, remove eggs from water. If using immediately, blot the bottom of the spoon on a paper towel to remove excess water before serving. Cook's Note If your egg white thins out in the pan, try swirling the water before adding the next egg. The moving water will help hold the egg's shape. You can refrigerate poached eggs for up to 3 hours, on a parchment-lined plate. To serve, heat water in skillet according

Today at our 30's club we had a cookie exchange and all the cookies were so yummy. I probably gain 2 or 3 lbs. I came home with a plate load which the "man of the place" attacked. But I was able to grab a couple of  peanut butter balls before he devoured them. My friend Mary made these and they have only 4 ingredients in them and no cooking involved. So here is Mary's Peanut Butter Balls 3 1/2 c. powdered sugar 2 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky) she used creamy 1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk Mix all together with an electric mixer just because it is pretty thick and hard to mix. Make balls about the size of a large marshmallow (not the new campfire so'more size) Melt (you can melt in the microwave) the bar of Almond bark or chocolate. Dip the balls in the melted  bark. Let cool Then just enjoy.  Link to homestead revival

I did not get to sew today because I was in Tulsa all day, so I do not have any thing to show. For those of you that are occupying room your sewing room and maybe running out of meals and pulling out your hair trying to figure out something good easy.  I have the recipe for you. You might have already heard of it, been around for a while and that is WW Taco Soup. It use to be 2pts per serving but now with point plus it's 4. I forgot to tell you what a serving size was, it's 1 cup Taco Soup 1 lb lean hamburger 1 lg onion, chopped 3-16 oz. cans red beans, undrained 1-16 oz. can whole corn, undrained 1-16 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained 1-15 oz.can tomato sauce 1 1/2 cups water 1- 4 1/2 oz can chopped green chilies (larger if preferred) 1 pkg. taco seasoning 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dry salad dressing mix Cook the  beef and onion until browned; drain. Mix beef and onion with other ingredients in a large pan, bring to a boil; reduce heat and let si

Today at church I had a thought come to me and unfortunately it wasn't  how to bring peace to the world.  We have singles who do not have family, are away from their family or have no plans for Thanksgiving, so I thought what about giving them a pie, pumpkin pie seeing how it's the pie of choice. But I was thinking a regular pie is just too much for one person. Then came the light bulb moment, why can't I make a pumpkin pie in a jar like I did with the cherry pie. That's what I did this afternoon, baked pies  I maded them basically the same way I did the other pies. I did buy pre-made pie crust dough and a can (15oz) of pumpkin and just made up the filling like do any other time I make this pie. I'm adding a little more info:  The jars I used are half-pint, wide-mouth Ball canning jars. That way you know they can take the heat of the oven. And if you do not have a pumpkin pie recipe, the one on the label of Libby canned pumpkin is a good recipe. Also I

  It has been so windy today that I spent the day inside, so I did some sewing and the baking that I was going to do yesterday. Pam in my stitch group turned me on to King Aurthur Flour and it's where I came across this recipe for the best bread  I have made in awhile. It is so easy and tasty. This bread is made with white flour but I have another using whole wheat that I usually make but I was making this for others who do not eat WW. Besides being easy, it only takes 4 ingredients; flour, salt, yeast and water. Than all you need is a large bowl or a container like this, The recipe will make 3 or 4 loafs (depends on size you want) Oh, the smell of fresh baked bread, life gets no better. I can gain a pound just whiffing it up. So to keep my hands busy, I finally started Barbara Brackman's Civil War blocks. I have only been following her blog since she started it this year. Oh ya I know, your thinking I have had 11 months to be working on them. But it seems

The other day I had to finish picking all the tomatoes that made it through the freeze we had last week. Which was as you can tell was a mixture of degree of ripeness, the red ones I made into spaghetti sauce. Not enough to go through the hassle of canning so I just divided it up and put it in the freezer. Then I had 11 pounds of green ones in the bag there, so I went looking for recipes to make. I found a chutney recipe I'm going to make, but this evening I thought I would make this cake recipe I found.  I am always looking for recipes that are a little on the odd side but needs to be fairly healthy. If not I'll try to "healthy" them up and this one just jumped out at me as "ODD". Reviews were positive so what the heck, it only used 2 1/2 cups and I have plenty to spare. Put some in the food processer and chopped them up. Then it's on to making the cake. Looks good Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil

 I am going to make another true confession here and that is I'm a Laura fan and have been since I was a young  teenager. My first introduction to her story was through the TV show but once I read the books that was it. I wanted from then on to live off of the earth. Now being that this was the early 70's and I did live in northern California it wasn't a big leap to take. To give you an idea of how much I loved Laura's story, my middle daughter is named after her I grew up some in downtown Sacramento and then the suburbs of Sac., so I did all my learning and growing of  my own food in small spaces. Which, by the way,  has turned out to be a benefit. That was about all I could do besides raise a few chickens, until now. So when it was Laura's turn to be the person of interest in our 30's group/club, I can say I have just been elated. Learning about her (more) is just pure heaven for me. Last year "the man of the place" and I went to Mansflei