First off, Happy New Year! Happy 2010!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Refund!
First off, Happy New Year! Happy 2010!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Once in awhile . . .
Gus was watching to U.S. Farm Report and he heard that there’s a possibility of a blue moon on New Year’s Eve. He’s been up in the hay mow all day setting up a telescope.
I said, “Gus, you realize that a blue moon is pretty rare. It might not show up. Plus you have the big New Year’s Eve party. . .”
“Don’t worry, I can multitask,” he said.
Sheesh,
Black
Monday, December 28, 2009
Rolling in it
We were recycling all the wrapping paper from the Christmas festivities (ok, the goats do serve a purpose). Gus overheard Farmer talking about his big New Year’s Eve party. Farmer said, “We’re going to roll in a new year with friends and family and watching the ball drop.”
Gus asked later, “How many rolls is he going to need? More than a dozen?”
2010 is shaping up nicely,
Black
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas. . .
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Waiting Up
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Cookies!
Gus wanted to make cookies for Santa. So, we broke out the baking stuff and whipped up some cookies. We actually used about 5 pounds of flour more than the recipe called for . . . but that’s the Gus factor.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl and use your electric stand mixer to beat until light in color. Add the egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low and gradually add the dry ingredients. Beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half. Wrap it in waxed paper and stick it in the refrigerator for a couple hours.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Dust the surface where you’re going to roll out the dough with some powdered sugar. Use 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time. Dust your rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath to make sure it is not sticking. If the dough has warmed up while you’re rolling, stick a cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Now get out your cookie cutters and cut the dough into desired shapes. Stick your Christmas trees, rain deer or dinosaurs at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until they’re just starting to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let them sit on a baking sheet for 2 minutes after you take them out of the oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
We used a little orange juice mixed with confectioner’s sugar for a nice icing.
Enjoy,
Black.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Scape Goats
The goats invited us to a Christmas concert. I’ve never mentioned the goats before because, quite frankly, they’re a pain in the you know what. Gus and I went down to hear them sing. Talk about disappointing. It was a dozen goats lip syncing to an old Michael Bolton Christmas album and bobbing their dumb goat heads. Typical.
Gus found a recipe for sugar cookies. Tomorrow should be interesting.
Black
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Way the Cookie Crumbles . . .
Friday, December 18, 2009
Roger's Really Radical Recipe
Gus was so interested in tamales we called Roger for the recipe. Roger said this was a family recipe handed down from one generation to another. Gus asked if we could share it. Roger replied, “Sure. You’ll never get them to taste like Grandma’s anyway. Especially without the secret ingredient. . .”
· 4 to 5 dozen dried corn husks
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tamale trouble
Obviously Gus had bigger eyes than his stomach. I decided to explain what tamales are. I told Gus that tamales are corn meal dough, sometimes stuffed with savory or sweet fillings, and cooked in a leaf wrapper. Usually corn husks are used for wrappers and the tamales are traditionally cooked by steaming them. In Mexico, tamales were once as ubiquitous as sandwiches. That means that they were everywhere.
Gus said, “Oh, you mean you’re not supposed to eat the husk?”
Maybe that’s why he had a belly ache.
Black
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Hot Tamale, Cold Today . . .
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
South of the Border Merry Christmas
It’s not every day you get a big box in the mail. And it’s also not every day that you get a big Styrofoam cooler in the previously mentioned box. I was a little hesitant about opening it. I may be a bull, but I saw the Godfather. . .
After awhile I opened it. It was corn tamales and a Christmas card from Roger “el Toro Loco”, our friend the professional rodeo bucking bull.
It’s great to hear from your friends during the holidays. Even better when they send good food.
Thanks Roger!
Black
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Snow Day Wednesday
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Jingle Horse Pick Up Your Feet . . .
A funny by product of the holiday season is when the bah humbuggers interact with those filled cheer and good will towards others. Gus tried to hitch up a set of sleigh bells on Roy. Hilarity ensued. You ever see a big ol’ work horse chasing a big ol’ Angus bull? In the snow? Funny.
Black
Monday, December 7, 2009
Jingle Jingle . . .
It’s been nonstop jingle bells here on the farm. It snowed for the first time and that really seems to have charged Gus up. He started singing jingle bells at the crack of dawn.
All I want for Christmas is laryngitis.
Black
Friday, December 4, 2009
Letter's from the farm
I heard Gus holler, “Hey Black! I’m writing your letter to Santa. How do you spell rhinoceros?”
I don’t even like rhinoceroses. Only 20 more days left in this holiday season. Will I survive?
Black
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Technology, glorious technology . . .
Well, we had a technological melt down today. Gus was worried that Santa wouldn’t be able to read his handwriting. Make that, hoofwriting. So, he started typing the whole thing out on the computer. The trouble started when he clicked print. Paper started spitting out of the printer at a rapid pace and the pages rained down like snowflakes.
It took hours to get it to stop and even longer to pick up the mess.
Technology . . . sheesh.
Black
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Gift Horse?
I decided today I’d be nice to Gus and actually help him with his letter. I mean, it is a Christmas letter to the guy in the big red suit.
“Gus,” I said, “You know the Roy and the other horses can’t actually deliver that letter, right?”
“Why not?” Gus asked.
“Well, the Pony Express was the name they used for the first fast mail service to cross the continent west of Missouri. They took the mail on horseback.”
“Um . . .” Gus stuttered.
“What?” I asked.
“Do you think Roy will give me back the $19.95 he charged me for express delivery?”