WINTER WARMTH OF HEARTH AND HOME

This winter we’ve had a few encounters with the “Old Man,” himself. The season is trying not to be shy and sit benignly on the sidelines like last year.  Currently we are being reminded that we are hearty stock. We are forced to prove it as we experience raging winds, ice, blustery days and some decent snowfall.

I’m more mindful this year with barnyard animals to feed and strong-willed winter conditions to deal with. I still marvel at how my Dad and brothers dressed for the daily forays to the barn. Black rubber, 4 buckle overshoes pulled over leather work boots and a pair of wool socks was all that stood between them and frozen toes. Yellow work gloves under leather chopper mitts, stocking caps and Oshkosh denim barn coats. I know movement creates heat in a body. But still. On those frigid winter mornings before the school bus came, they would be breaking ice chunks from water troughs, dealing with silage frozen in the silo, hauling straw bales through mountainous snowdrifts to spread as bedding in the barn. I will never forget the wet mittens “cooking” on the woodstove, ice dropping and sizzling while an earthy smell permeated the basement.

Even a hot breakfast of many courses could barely satisfy the depth of pain created by the relentless abuse winter dished out. Meanwhile, Mom and I prepared hot cereal alongside eggs and waffles, pancakes or French toast. There were sausages and bacon, cocoa with marshmallows bobbing in steamy mugs.  After warming up with plenty to eat, we got ready for the bus ride to school.

Even standing in a howling northwest wind at the end of the driveway, waiting for the bus in our school finery, was child’s play compared to the freezing state of early morning chore time. And after school, the whole process took place again. Day after day, until thaw. Springtime, even these days, never comes too soon.

WINTER PORRIDGE

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

3 cups quick oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar and eggs. Stir in all other ingredients and mix well. Pour into a 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

BLUEBERRY CINNAMON TOAST CUPS

4 slices whole wheat bread

6 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup blueberries

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Cut bread into chunks and place in a large bowl. Combine butter, sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle over bread. Toss to coat. Combine blueberries, brown sugar and lemon juice. Place half the bread into four 8 ounce ramekins. Layer with blueberry mixture and remaining bread. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and browned on top. Serves 4.

SNOWY MORNING POPOVERS

1-1/4 cups milk

1-1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 jumbo eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin or popover pan. Pour milk into a medium mixing bowl. Add flour and salt. Whisk until blended but do not overbeat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each well. Fill cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 15 to 20 more minutes.

NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

The world didn’t end last month, but it sort of did at Cricket Meadow Farm with the recent loss of two dear pets. I know, I know…this space has been dedicated to a few too many critters. But when you have loved and cared for an animal for a dozen years or more, it’s hard not to become attached.

We lost our old faithful Golden Retriever, Buck, six weeks ago. Then, three weeks after that, Nick, our loyal and friendly Billy goat, almost canine in his attachment to us, passed away. In the fall, we said goodbye to Rusty the Rooster. The one who stood by to ease the passing of Tucker, our precious little rescue goat who died a year ago.

It’s funny how much personality a “brute beast” displays. How fond they can become of the hand that feeds them. How much life and joy they bring to a barnyard. Like people, each one is different in the way they interact with us and with each other. I am not suggesting that I see them as equal to humans. I do have the perspective of having lost to death very dear and close family and friends. I remember after my brother’s death a friend said to my mother, “I know just how you feel. We lost our dog last week.” We were shattered. But, in her defense, she meant well. She THOUGHT she knew our pain. She had yet to suffer close human loss.  

So, while I know that a pet is just that, and is never guaranteed to be with us more than a handful of years, we pour into them each day, our love and affection. Hearts get involved. In my experience, since I was a child, all of the animals in our lives have brought a vibrancy to our days. Livestock equals life. And it becomes so obvious when that life is gone. They fill a space that nothing else can. I read a saying the other day, “I love animals…it’s people I can’t stand.” While I don’t embrace that sentiment, I do “get it.” Our beloved pets never disappoint, just deliver, day after day, unbridled affection and faithfulness.

At Cricket Meadow, to our departed pets, we say farewell, R.I.P., thanks for the memories. Which will long remain, along with the paw and hoof prints on our hearts.

HEART HEALING CREAMY TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cups chicken stock

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup orzo

1/2 cup heavy cream

Grilled cheese croutons for topping

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. In a separate pan, cook orzo. When cooked, add to soup. Stir in the cream and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve with crusty grilled cheese sandwiches cubed on top.

COMFORT FOOD CREAMED DRIED BEEF ON TOAST

10 ounces dried beef

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup onion, minced

6 tablespoons flour

4 cups hot milk

8 slices thick sliced bread, toasted

Pour boiling water over beef to remove salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onions and cook until tender. Sprinkle in flour and whisk for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in hot milk, stirring until thick. Add beef and heat through. Serve over toast.

PAWPRINT BARS

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

1-1/2 bags chocolate chips or chunks

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in nuts and chocolate. Spread batter in a greased 8 by 12 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

COUNTING THE HOURS TILL CHRISTMAS

Maybe it’s my age, or the fact that I have been so busy uncovering old memories from former Christmases that has stalled my preparations for this year. As I write this, and the day draws near, I haven’t finished shopping, wrapped nothing, sent no cards and baked only a few cookies. It’s like I’m in a dream state where I can’t wake up and light a fire under myself. Ordinarily…well, I’m not even going to beat myself up remembering past organization.

This year I found the old cassette tapes of Christmas music we played when the kids were little. Fortunately, my radio brother still has something to play them on. So I am singing along to songs I haven’t heard in 30 years. I found the Christmas piano book my Mom used to play out of when I was a child and I’ve even plunked out a few tunes myself. I have spent hours poring over the old the picture book of Christmas stories and poems she read to us throughout December. I’ve sat paging through colorful children’s books that I used to read to my little ones. I’ve curled up by the fire with Christmas memories of various writers. I’ve gazed at the blue stone dime store ring my long deceased brother, Dan, bought for me one Christmas when we were still in grade school. I’ve savored the old ornaments dredged from the attic. I’ve enjoyed cup after cup of Christmas tea. Gazed at twinkling lights on frosty snow. Brilliant sunsets find me watching the western sky until dusk falls heavy here at Cricket Meadow, when I light cookie and cinnamon scented candles which still doesn’t propel me into the kitchen to bake. Mornings I linger over coffee and watch blue jays and cardinals flit to the birdfeeders filled with suet and sunflower seeds hanging by the potting shed. Then I head outside to do the chores and totally ignore the giftwrap beckoning me to fill the empty space beneath the tree. Instead I smile as I whiff the fresh pine wreath on the back door where I marvel at my lack of drive for what I’m “supposed to do.”

I am not counting the days anymore; now it’s the hours. I need to focus. Soon the family will gather and I have to be on my game. I need to fill the tins with frosted sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, the holly rimmed plate with Christmas bread, I need to plan the menus for several people for several days, paper and ribbon need to cover the gifts which I still need to buy…

I may be way behind. But I’ve never enjoyed the season more. I am letting the season happen to me, instead of my usual “making it happen.” And I love it. This could be a habit. A lifestyle. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

SNOW COCOA (FOR CI-CI)

2 cups whipping cream

6 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

12 ounce package white chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Stir well to combine before serving. Place a dollop of whipped cream on top of each serving and sprinkle top of each with cocoa and use candy canes for stir sticks.

RED AND GREEN SALAD

Spring mix and/or spinach

Red leaf lettuce or red cabbage

Red onion thinly sliced

Dried cranberries

Crumbled feta or thinly shaved Pecorino

1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar or balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon gray sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Pecan halves

In a large salad bowl, toss greens, cabbage, onion, lightly toasted cranberries and cheese. In a jar with a tightly closed lid, shake together dressing ingredients: vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt and olive oil. Toss into salad and top with pecans.

GINGERBREAD STARS

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

4-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

White chocolate, melted

In a mixing bowl, blend butter and sugar. Stir in molasses and buttermilk. Beat in eggs. Stir in flour, spices and salt. Refrigerate overnight. Roll out dough on a lightly floured board. Cut into star shapes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Dip half of each cookie into melted white chocolate.

ONE HUNDRED AND ONE MICE

Maybe it was all the cute Edna Miller books I read to my children. “Mouskin’s Golden House” was their favorite. Perhaps it was Beatrix Potter’s, “The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse.” Or maybe it was the Brambly Hedge series. Or something by Arthur Scott Bailey. At any rate, our shelves are laden with cozy, endearing stories about mice. And I love them.

However. When a late night visit to the chicken coop revealed that there were 50 or more mice scrambling for cover at the flick of the light switch, I knew serious action would be in order. A hole had been chewed in the wood floor and feed was disappearing at an unprecedented rate. I was just glad the rats weren’t back, but something had to be done.

We decided that we would place live traps in the coop and, upon catching the mice, would move them to the field at the end of the driveway. That way we would avert killing them and they would be deterred from finding food and shelter with the chickens. After trapping nearly 100 in two weeks, I am pleased to report that all three traps were empty this morning allowing me to believe (though I have been scorned for my view that they won’t return) that they have sought a home elsewhere and I have a clean conscience regarding the demise of legions of mice.

I will say this, though. Even though I am hard pressed to kill a mouse in the out buildings,  I have a no tolerance policy regarding mice in the house. The old lake cabin harbored hundreds of mice over the years and I remember the smell and sight of everything mouse. And suddenly, mice lose their charm and all out war prevails. My heart is only SO soft.

CHOCOLATE MICE

4 squares semisweet chocolate

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs, plus 1/3 cup

1/3 cup powdered sugar

24 silver dragees décor for cookies

1/4 cup sliced almonds

12 pieces long red string licorice

Melt the chocolate in a saucepan. Stir in sour cream. Stir in 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until firm. When chilled, roll dough by tablespoonfuls into balls. Mold to a slight point at one end for the nose. Roll dough in powdered sugar for white mice and chocolate crumbs for brown mice. On each mouse, place dragees for eyes, almond slices for ears and licorice for tail. Refrigerate for two hours before servings.

FARM MOUSE COOKIES

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Peanut halves

Chocolate mini chips

Black shoestring licorice

In a mixing bowl, cream peanut butter, butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour or overnight. Roll into 1 inch balls. Pinch one end forming a teardrop shape for mouse body. Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Press to flatten. For ears, press two peanuts into each cookie near the pointed end. Press chocolate chips into dough for eyes. With a toothpick, make a 1/2 inch deep hole for the tail in the opposite end. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. When cookies are still warm, insert licorice for tails. Cool.

CANDY MICE

30 Oreo cookies, halved

30 large maraschino cherries, with stems

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

30 Hershey’s chocolate kisses

30 almond halves

Red decorating gel

Split the Oreo cookies in half, reserving the half with cream filling. Unwrap kisses and set aside. Drain cherries and dry on a paper towel. Melt chocolate until smooth. Dip a cherry in chocolate until coated and set it on the Oreo cookie half with the stem going sideways for the tail. Place a chocolate kiss, pointed side out, on the opposite side of the cherry for the nose. Place two almond halves on top of the cherry for the ears. Put two red dots on the cherry body for the eyes.

DOG DAYS OF MY LIFE

I’ve had a lot of dogs in my life…at the present time we have four here at Cricket Meadow: Buck, Lily, Ruger and Nelli. I have a special place in my heart for each one. And, with advancing age and recent health issues for all but the latter, I am reminded that I may have to part with them sooner than later. Which reminded me of all the canine friends I have said goodbye to in my life.

The dog I remember best from my childhood was Smokey, a beautiful border collie mix with tan and white accents on his smoke-colored fur. He was really the mainstay of my youth in that we got him when I was four years old and he lived for almost 12 years.

We never had housedogs back on the farm. Our dogs were lavished with love, fed and sheltered well, but never set foot in the house. Smokey had a doghouse nestled in the lilac bushes in the backyard and was fed table scraps from an old iron skillet. He trailed us as we did our chores and followed us as we rode our bikes, always staying at the end of the driveway. My Dad had a  “no chasing cars” policy and somehow got the dogs we owned to refrain from tire biting and running in the road.

We all loved Smokey, who possessed a gentle personality but gave a firm bark to any stranger who drove in the yard. In the wintertime, Dad tucked his house right next to ours so he was sheltered from the wind and feeding him was easier when the drifts mounded up in the lawn.

One night during an ice storm, for some reason, Smokey sought shelter in the haystack near the barn. When Dad noticed him missing for morning chores, he discovered Smokey’s lifeless form under some fallen bales. We were as crushed as Smokey had been, and mourned for weeks over the loss of our beloved pet. Though we know going into pet ownership that it is a fleeting thing, it doesn’t make the loss any easier. We did have dogs that followed Smokey. But he was our first real dog love and none of us have ever forgotten him.

ICE STORM STEW

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pound boneless pork, cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon oil

3 cups vegetable broth

12 ounces beer

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 parsnips, peeled and sliced

1 medium onion, cut up

1-1/2 teaspoons thyme

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 apples, cored and cut into wedges

In a plastic bag, combine flour and red pepper. Add pork and shake to coat. In a 4 quart Dutch oven, cook meat and garlic in hot oil until meat is browned. Stir in broth, beer, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions, thyme, brown sugar and mustard. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and apples. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender.

CANINE CRUNCH (FOR PET OWNERS)

1 cup rice cereal

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts

1 cup dried apricots, diced

16 ounces almond bark

In a large mixing bowl, melt almond bark in microwave, stirring until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add other ingredients. Combine well and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Chill. 

HAYSTACKS

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup salted peanuts

2 cups chow mein noodles

Place chips and peanut butter in a large bowl. Stir. Add peanuts and chow mein noodles. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until chips are shiny and soft. Stir and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cool until set.

GHOSTLY FORESHADOWING

All of these glorious moonlit nights have reminded me of a story my mom once told of an incident forever a mystery to her.

Back in the early homesteading days in Meeker county, Mom’s grandparents, Nils and Ellen Martinson, Swedish immigrants, farmers in Swede Grove and sturdy, level headed, practical people were leaving a neighbor’s home, where they had shared a meal, a few miles from their farm. The October night was luminescent, with dry leaves swirling in the air and the only sound that of the horses’ hooves as they trotted back home to a warm barn filled with oats and hay. It was mid-October and there was a definite chill setting in as they traveled the lonely dirt road.

Suddenly the team stopped dead in their tracks and Nels was unable to get them to move. Out of nowhere, and I share this tale with a great portion of skepticism, two apparitions appeared in the middle of the narrow road. My great-grandparents, staunch Bible-banging Baptists, hearty, no-nonsense pioneers, knew them to be spirits. They were stunned speechless and later would liken the experience to that of Balaam’s donkey in the Old Testament book of Numbers.

Though it seemed an eternity, in a matter of seconds what they both saw was gone as mysteriously as it had appeared. And the horses proceeded as though nothing had happened. The couple was shaken by the experience, however, and wondered if God had sent the sign as a forewarning that night.

Within just a matter of days, my great-grandfather developed a blood clot in his leg and died shortly thereafter, on October 21, 1891. He was 49 years old and left behind 6 children between the ages of 12 and 2. My great-grandmother, no stranger to hardship, had lost her first three children in one month, a dozen years earlier, to the diptheria epidemic that swept the County in 1879. She held fast to her faith, never wavered in her resolve to live out her days a woman of God and a solid gold example of how to exemplify beauty from ashes. She had 50 more years to bless all the lives of those who knew her. Including my Mom. With whom I pondered this story from time to time. Who’s to say what really appeared on the road that dark fall night? It remains just one more unanswered question in our family’s legend book.

GREAT GRANDMA’S HARVEST MOON ORANGE CAKE

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Juice of one orange and zest

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. Stir in buttermilk. Beat in egg. Add flour, soda, spices and orange juice and zest. Stir well. Fold in raisins and nuts. Pour batter into a greased and floured 8 or 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar over top before serving. 

HOMESTEADER’S SWEDISH APPLE CAKE

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

3 cups raw apples, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs. Stir in dry ingredients. Add apples and nuts. Pour batter into a greased and floured 8 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

GHOSTLY WHITE COOKIES

2 cups flour

1 cup butter

1/3 cup whipping cream

Sugar for dipping

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, butter and cream. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll 1/3 of the dough at a time on a flour-covered board. Cut into small circles with a cookie cutter. Dip each circle into sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Pierce each cookie with a fork a few times. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes, until set but not brown. Remove from oven and cool. Combine frosting ingredients together and, when cooled, frost between two rounds and layer to make sandwich cookies.

FROSTING

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Harvest Orange food coloring and flavoring (if desired)

AUTUMNAL THERAPY

Today is a perfect day to do some fall cleanup projects around Cricket Meadow. The sun is shining brightly in a beautiful blue sky, the maple is turning red and everywhere I look I see work. But I love being outside in the glorious weather, pulling stakes away from the hollyhocks and delphiniums, filling the bird feeders, cleaning debris out of the flower beds, properly disposing of a dead snake in the perennial bed, and finally, harvesting produce from a slightly overgrown and a bit neglected garden.

First the tomatoes and peppers. Hopefully, there will be enough for one last batch of salsa. Then I survey the herbs. Mountainous lemon balm plants. Spiky fragrant rosemary. Thick hedges of thyme, borders of basil and shrub- sized sage. I grab my largest basket from the shelf in the kitchen and head out with a shears to begin snipping. When my dehydrator is full, I place the rest on a screen in the garage, topped with another screen, allowing air to move freely around the herbs for proper drying. After a week or so, I begin crumbling the dried plants into canning jars and, covered and labeled, they rest in my pantry or on my kitchen shelves until I need them for cooking.

When winter has its grip on my soul, I reach for a jar of summer elixir, drop some lemon balm leaves in a china cup, pour boiling water over, steep and breathe deeply before sipping a bit of joy. And I can face the worst winter has to offer.

HERB GARDEN PESTO

4 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

8 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

Place all ingredients in a food processor to make a smooth paste. Add salt to taste, desired. Place in jars. Cover and freeze.

HERBED BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon chives

1 tablespoon dill

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup cold butter

2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, chives, dill, baking powder, sugar, soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Brush lightly with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Yield: 24 biscuits.

SAVORY HERBED TOAST SQUARES

4 tablespoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons dried savory

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 tablespoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Stir together all ingredients and mix well. Cut the crusts from a loaf of your favorite bread, butter each slice well, sprinkle with herb mixture and cut into 4 squares. Place on cookie sheets, bake at 250 degrees until slightly brown, about 1 hour.

LEMON BALM COOKIES

1 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups white flour

1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon balm or lemon thyme

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. When fluffy, add egg yolks, vanilla and herbs. Stir in flour. Use a cookie press to make desired shapes on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.