Broccoli Stem Supper

 This summer we planted and grew a lot of what I thought would turn out to be broccoli. I'm not sure what the plant actually is, but we ate a lot of what grew regardless!

Since I thought it was broccoli I looked up early in the growing season that the leaves could be eaten while the plant matured, and we did a lot of taco shelling with it's large, hearty, fibrously lengthy oval greens.

Out of these I would cut the long tough stem and usually feed them to our birds, who would also reject them as feed! Tonight I tried something new and I regret not experimenting sooner. Instead of discarding the stems, I cleaned and chopped them and added them to our soup.

Oh yum! As the stems softened, they added a fragrance to the air that mixed well with the chicken stock, made from carrots, onions and poultry juices. The softening also rendered them nearly potato like in texture and flavor, an entirely pleasant surprise!

Now that winter is here, I have finally seen a little frozen broccoli flower on one plant. I'll be looking for it to seed again next year, now that I have some better ideas on how to use it.

What's for lunch?

Snacks round here usually consist of an assortment of proteins and fresh fruits and veggies.

Summer Fun at the Ballpark

Last night my family celebrated my moms birthday with a trip to the movies.  Cheney Stadium, home of our local minor league baseball team the Tacoma Rainiers, hosts free, outdoor movies in the summer.  It was our first  time going, and the weather was absolutely perfect!
We arrived at the stadium just as the film started- scheduled as "starting at dusk" which apparently meant 6:45pm. The Lego Movie was one none of us had seen...Im not sure I'd recommend it exactly, but it was pretty funny and had a nice message at the end. Awww, sniff sniff!
Now, growing up, one of the values firmly entrenched in me was; Sneak Food Into the Theatre. I've ptetty much incorporated that to mean sneak it into ANYPLACE I go, be it a ball game (no shells at my feet), play ( no crunchy stuff), even restaurants (who does that?)! We had every intention of continuing this tradition, but lo and behold, we were actually encouraged to do so!
Yea, a home cooked meal of organic chicken, rice, corn and sweet potatoes,  freshly picked from the garden summer squash and lettuce leaves to wrap around each bite... and of course our own air-popped popcorn drizzled with olive oil and seasonings. Mm-nnn!
There are a few more of these movie ops coming this month; the next showing will be Despicable Me 2. Bring a blanket and let the kids run wild on the grass while you lounge in a seat behind the home team dugout. Remember, its a family event, so the beer stands aren't open. Bring your dinner and a snack- Cocktails not included!

Blackberry Pie Time

This is a magical time of year- the noxious weed called Blackberry suddenly becomes laden with huge, thumb sized berries just waiting to be consumed. Forget your picking jar and you'll feel compelled to collect them in your mouth!
We brought in a couple handfuls and I tossed them into my 6" Longaberger ceramic pie plate with a yummy albeit dry coconut crust. Made with two eggs, coconut oil, and coconut flour, it wasn't terrible crust by far, and soaked up the berry juice deliciously. Pressed into the dish and then baked for less than ten minutes, allowed to cool, and then filled to the top with fresh berries and the most minute sprinkling of coconut sugar. Its hard to go wrong in taste when there is so much coconut yumm added!
I then sprinkled the remaining crust globs onto the top if the pie and baked it all until golden. Ir was truly yummy and I had to get my fork up to defend against prying fingers trying to eat it all! I was saving it for breakfast, but late that night the siren call of those dark purple- black berries invited me to eat roughly half before retiring to bed.
A few things that might have taken this from yummy to tummy even faster ... perhaps placing the berries directly into the pie crust. Heating and reducing them - and of course adding more berries and or sugar couldn't have hurt! The crust could have been improved as well probably, but it was edible and within my paleo eating preferences.
Get out your pickin' jars, break out the pie tins, and welcome the  abundance of my favorite summer delight - the Blackberry!


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Let me give you 10 dozen candles free in July!

Strawberry Rhubard Paleo Muffins (without strawberries)



Got Bread?

Growing up Norwegian, I feel bread is an absolute must with every meal. Okay, maybe not every meal, and maybe not always bread, but definitely some sort of starchy goodie. My favorite restaurants are often judged by the quality of their bread before supper offerings! Probably the food item I crave most and resisted Paleo conformation because of is Bread. And now, friends, I am happy to say I have found the most delicious temptingly rich, don't eat too much of me or you may need a nap, muffin batter.

I know a muffin is not a bread, but it's darn close. I hoped that pouring it into a bread tin wouldn't waste all those homegrown eggs  (6!) down the chute because of non cook-ability, but I had no trouble cooking it thoroughly. Look at the perfectly browned crust and beautiful rich golden bread... yum!

So, this recipe called for so many eggs because it is made with half a cup of coconut flour, which is really dense and needs a lot of eggs to make anything with it. Quarter cup Coconut oil, teaspoon vanilla, half teaspoon cinnamon, half teaspoon baking powder, dash of sea salt, and three quarters cup finely chopped rhubarb cooked at 350 for 30 minutes and bam! I am the queen of the kitchen.

Now that I'm embracing the live fresh lifestyle, cooking all natural fresh foods daily and growing and harvesting veggies and all that, I guess I'm more open to flavors and experiencing. I decided to throw a handful of coconut flakes into the batter as well and they lent a delightful contrast and chew to each piece devoured. The recipe did call for strawberries and that would have been adding pure joy. These were plenty sweet though, so strawberries weren't missed at all.

Next time I may try some tart apples and raisins, too. I didn't have cupcake liners, that's why I tried the bread tin.  Thanks for reading!

Yard To Table Chicken Dinner

Sustainable farming is growing in popularity, and on our farm we are enjoying a bounty of fresh vegetables and this week, chicken. Raising birds is, well, for the birds, but when I pull that fresh roasted chicken from the oven for my family, its worth all my husbands hard work. From the yard to the table, it averages about three hours. Now that's what I consider FRESH.
    This summer we have chickens, both meat birds and egg- layers, geese, ducks of two varieties, and turkeys. Some of the disadvantages of having our various flocks include : poop,  feathers and bird dust constantly swirling in the air, and the actual butchering itself. Looking at what I've written, one might assume bird poop is swirling in the air, and honestly sometimes it seems to be. Wherever we don't want to walk in it, there it seems to be!

    Some of those feathers are being incorporated on craft projects. When I saw stamped goose feathers at Michaels, I had to get in on that action. Rainier even taught her dad this technique in a recent class in our craft room.
The butchering so far has fallen entirely on Rays (strong) shoulders. Im afraid that being involved at that level will ruin me on eating the meat, and so far Ive been lucky enough to be hard at work watching the children while the er, cleaning happens. He has not only impressed me with his butchering skills, but his coop building skills are way cool too. Thank you YouTube! Seriously, you can find how to make just about anything on there.
    Advantages that have me looking forward to more bird raising include sharing their caretaking with our girls. I love seeing them looking intently into their coops as well as hearing the names and stories they come up with about their feathered friends. So far, only one turkey has a name, and his story will need to be shared in anothr post. Knowing our food is free of commercial antibiotics, bleach, etc is an amazing benefit and Im sure enhamces the flavor mentally as well.

Another benefit is that we can make plenty of our own chicken stock. Added to the many soup-like dishes we consume, it's full of flavor- and good ol' healthy fats. Sometimes Ray will even take a mason jar full with him to work for when his stomach is rumbling on the job. Better than a candy bar!

We save all of the bones, cartilage, feet, and extra fatty bits in a freezer bag, and then throw it all in the crockpot for a full day to cook down. Drain off some of the juice and refill with water again to soak out all the yum you can if you're trying this at home. The fat layer that accumulates on the top once it's cool is especially good when used as oil in a pan of- warmed up chicken!

I never would have imagined I would be growing up to live on a farm, full of animals who aren't just backyard pets. Interestingly enough, I find myself enjoying it... especially at the supper table :-)

Ciao!

You Won't Belive Your Tastebuds

I can hardly believe it myself, but I have found the most delicious, PaleoPancake you have ever tasted! Well, I'm not sure how many paleo pancakes you've tried, but you should definitely try this!
Start with a banana, egg, and a tablespoon of nut butter. Mix and mash well. You can stop with these three ingredients, throw it onto a warm skillet in a dab of oil and yum city is just a few minutes away.
I chose to incorporate a dash of cinnamon, some chopped apples, and steamed sweet potatoes, and, in the words repeated throughout the trilogy of 50 Shades of Grey series, "Oh My!"
The first batch I made was made with all of the above plus an additional egg. The second time I made it, (never as good as the first time is it) I forgot the almond butter and it was a bit soggier. Then I added the almond butter but forgot the sweet potatoes. Truthfully, I could hardly wait for the cakes to cook because we were devouring them as fast as I could turn them out.
You'll want to let them cook a bit longer than your traditional flour based pancakes, I think because of all the nutrients :-) According to my Everything Paleo book, bananas make a great replacement for flour in recipes because of it binding properties.
Don't think it'll work for books though... (book binding, get it?)
Let me know how your experimenting goes, or what you are using in place of flour in your recipes!