Yummy and Healthy Meatloaf - Resolution No. 1

Resolution number 1. Eat healthier this year. Yes, we get our own eggs and meats, but it's more than that. Less "junk" food and more greens ... you know those things - fruits and veggies. But how?

Here is one of those old fashioned family favorites. Add some creamy mashed potatoes (or this year, maybe creamy sweet potato/cauliflower mix) and it's comfort food through and through.

But it's not one of those food that you think of when you think of the word healthy. Personally, if you like meat, I think this is one of the more healthy versions by using Beefalo and spinach. 

Corinne's Farm-style Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground Beefalo
1 lb. ground pork 
2 eggs

1 1/2-2c. Panko bread crumbs (can use regular, but I like these)
1T. herbs de providence (good use for left over lavender)
1 T. parsley
2 tsp. chives
1-2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

and my secret ingredient they boys see, but call herbs ...
1/2 box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Now quick, go start your oven to 350. I don't worry about "preheating" for this, just turn it on now.
Take your rings off for this one folks - dig in and smoosh it all together with your fingers. I used to use the food processor, but it does make it tougher and is one more tool to clean. Think of it as PlayDoh. :-) Remember how much fun that was? I loved it. And yes, this reminds me of playing with the stuff. All you are going to do is incorporate everything evenly until it looks like this:

Pretty, huh?
I then take out my 2 long, skinny bread pans, separate it into halves and there you go...

Yes, they are old, well loved pans. The aren't pretty, but they get the job done. For the most part. Anyway,
Pop them into the oven for approx 35-40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160.

What would meatloaf be without a sauce on top? Well, mine is a little different again. Would you expect anything less? I don't have an exact measurement, but it is approximately 1/2 cup ketchup to 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (the Asian version). That's it. Mix it up, pull your meatloaf out at 30 minutes to spread a little on top and check it's temperature. Here is mine done. Not a lot of sauce as you can see.

 Notice what else is missing? I don't know if you can see it in the picture or not, but there aren't the pockets of grease or even shrinkage of the meatloaf. Lean stuff! I'm going to do a photo blog of our bacon one of these days - it is NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING like the stuff you buy in the stores. Even the high end stuff. But I digress - this is a lean, healthy version of one of my old fashioned favorites. Add some mashed potatoes and maybe some green beans and you've got a comfort meal worthy of sharing with company.  Bonus: you might have enough left over for meatloaf sandwiches tomorrow. Happy eating!

Comments? Suggestions? What are some of your favorite comfort foods?

Scott and Farming

When I met Scott a little over 14 years ago now, one of the things that he told me about that really woo'd me was that he grew up on a farm in the rural parts of Indiana. He even told me how he worked on a turkey farm there. WOW, I thought to myself ... a country boy. And he drove a truck. Bonus.

You can imagine my surprise to find out later on, that his parents rented a house that was on a farm, but they didn't do anything other than look out the windows while the farmers worked the fields and waved at them as they drove past and that it was just a short time before they moved back to city living. Hmph.

It was only a few years ago did Scott reveal part of the truth of the turkey farm when we were looking after a batch of baby chicks. So cute and so fragile, they are fun to watch. Truth was, he didn't do much there at that ol' turkey farm. Eh, OK, he's here now working with - and enjoying the farm life. Scott came totally clean with his turkey farm experience this last year though. On one of our chicken processing days, we were discussing raising the chickens and butchering. We wandered down the conversation path to turkeys and low and behold it came out. The full truth. Yes, he did work on a turkey farm. For a day. Actually not even a full day. Just a few hours. "Seriously?", I asked wondering to myself. Turns out he spent a couple hours cleaning up after the critters. That's it. No chasing them down, feeding, or butchering.

Scott and the boys building a barn

Ask him now what he thinks. Some days he will groan about not being able to sleep in (um, you're an early riser honey), some days he will complain that he does all the work (wait, you always wanted that "alone" time to yourself), but most days, he can't imagine doing anything else. Working on the farm, building things, being creative on a budget are all very rewarding themselves - and he will be the first to tell you so.

He can set fence posts like nobody's business and fencing, well, not only is it pretty, but it's functional and straight. That is until I run into them with the tractor.
Chase down an unruly pig? You bet. And with ease.

Funny, all this time, I was thinking to myself that I picked up a country boy. Turns out, I just helped to created one.

Happy New Year all!

Walnuts: Farm Made Treats

Walnuts are an amazing health food.  Walnuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. Nuts in general are high in plant sterols and omega 3 fatty acids (the good fats) that have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. Walnuts, in particular, have significantly higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids when compared to other nuts.

Today I made candied walnuts (and almonds & peanuts too). I've had them by themselves, in trail mixes and sprinkled on salads - which is my favorite way! I thought after making that caramel corn earlier this week that I would give it a try and make some candied walnuts. So here is what I came up with...

1/2 c. water
1 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt, Kosher preferred - omit if salted nuts
2-3 c. walnuts, almonds  or peanuts
Preheat oven to 100 degrees.

Melt water and sugar in pot. Once melted continue to cook over med-high heat for 3 minutes (until boiling). Stir constantly so it doesn't burn.

Put the walnuts in a large bowl and drizzle the syrup over a few tablespoons at a time and stir, stir, stir. The nuts need to be pretty well coated with the syrup mixture. Set them aside on a baking sheet or roasting pan lined with either parchment or wax paper. Put the rest of them on the baking sheet and put them in the oven. And turn the oven off. The residual heat will do the rest.

Set your timer for 10 minutes and take them out, stir them up and then flatten them so they are in a single layer. Let it cool enough that you will not burn your tongue and then try one. You now have a healthier treat instead of plain sugary candy.

Now give my salad a try ...

Mixed baby greens
Crumbled blue cheese
Crumbled bacon
Craisins and / or chopped apples
Candied walnuts
Citrus dressing - I like to make my own from orange juice, a little squeeze of lime, canola oil, salt and honey. Nope, no recipe. Each time it comes out a little different, but I always do it to taste.

Do you like nuts? What is your favorite recipe/food/way to eat nuts?

Oh my! A Fjord puzzle

Quite literally! Some of you know Shauna. She was one of our first interns, turned assistant and pony rider, farm camp helper and is someone I am proud to call friend. We both have a passion for our wonderful Fjord horses and everything Fjord. Well, this year Shauna outdid herself and found this beautiful wood puzzle Fjord as a Christmas gift.

As you can see, it has a happy home in my little animal gallery - my dream farm animals that we keep building towards. The creativity of those who have a passion.

Thank you, Shauna.

Farm made Christmas Gifts

Tomorrow is Christmas! I am so excited - almost as much as the kids. One of the things I so enjoy doing is making special treats. No, not fruit cake (although I have had some amazing homemade fruitcakes before), but treats everyone will enjoy. When one of our friends brought caramel corn to our weekly Family Life group, I knew exactly what I was going to do with all that organic popcorn we got earlier this year. Here is my version of Kristi's Caramel Corn.

1c. organic popcorn kernels, popped
1 1/2 c. organic butter
3 c. brown sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
1 1/2 t. salt, Kosher preferred
1 T. real vanilla, or the seeds from inside 1 vanilla pod
2 t. baking soda
1 c. roasted, salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Melt butter,sugar and syrup in pot. Once melted continue to cook over med-high heat for 5 minutes (until boiling). Stir constantly so it doesn't burn. Remove from heat and add in soda and vanilla. It will foam a bit and "grow", but keep stirring - about 2 minutes. 

Start with the peanuts if your adding them in. Put them in a large bowl and drizzle the syrup over (approximately 1/4 cup) and stir, stir, stir. The nuts need to be mostly coated with the syrup. Set them aside on a baking sheet or roasting pan. Add 1/4 of the popcorn in the large bowl and drizzle 1/4 of the remaining syrup over the popcorn and again stir, stir, stir. Put it on the baking sheet and repeat. You will want to have a few pans to go in the oven as it makes the next step easier.

Set your timer for 15 minutes and take your pan out and stir. Mix up the popcorn and pop it back in the oven. Do this 3 more times (for a total of an hour in the oven) stirring each time. Remove from the oven the final time, mix the nuts in and let cool.

I put the popcorn in clear cellophane plastic bags and tied with a festive ribbon. If you are not bagging it up, don't expect for it to last long. My boys will go through a bucket of this stuff in no time flat!

What is your favorite Christmas treat? Enjoy the rest of your evening and Merry Christmas from Willows Edge Farm and the Logan home.

Easy Dinner Tater Tot Casserole

Here's a quick, easy and most importantly, tasty dinner. Because of family food allergies to MSG, we do things a little different around here. So here is my Tater Tot Casserole using our own pork and chicken noodle soup ( much more affordable version) instead of ground beef and cream of ... soup.

1/2 lb. ground pork
1/4 c. flour
1 can chicken noodle soup without MSG

Ingredients

1/2 can whole milk (or half and half)

1 c. shredded white cheddar cheese
1T. parsley
1/2 t. chives
1/4 t. celery salt
1/8 t. paprika
 1/2 bag tater tots
2 fresh eggs, beaten
optional, french fried onions
Side: Green beans

Brown ground pork, and if excess fat, drain off. Move off heat and sprinkle with the flour and stir until all pork is covered. Pour in chicken noodle soup, milk, cheddar cheese and herbs and put back over heat. As it starts to simmer, you will see it thicken. Stir it occasionally so it doesn't stick and burn.

Using an 8" x 8" pan, fill the bottom with the tater tots - pretty much half a standard bag. The tots can be frozen or thawed - it's a small dish and cooks well.  Break the eggs into a cup or bowl and scramble well and then pour over the potatoes and mix. Now take your pan with the mix and pour it over the tot & egg mixture. If desired, you can add french fried onions. We love them in our family.


Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes.
We served it this time with some green bean that we froze from this summer.


Here it is, ready to eat ... I couldn't get the picture soon enough. Everyone was ready to eat!

All the ingredients that are bold in the list are things that we grew here at Willows Edge Farm this last year.

Winter

While I've never been a big fan of winter - the cold seems to zap my energy, attacks my arthritis and I feel like hibernating - there are some things I truly love.

Garden d'Lights in Bellevue

Snow covered, evergreen trees.
Ponies playing (and eating) in the snow.
Pigs playing in mud - oh how they love that.
Christmas Eve services.
Christmas.
Christmas lights, decorations and music.
Seeing The Nutcracker.
Spending time with family and friends.
Caroling.
BAKING!
Sharing the baked goods.
Bellevue's Snowflake Lane.
Being silly. Or at least sillier. 
Hot chocolate.
Real apple cider.
Driving around with the kids all bundled up in their jammies with cups of hot cocoa, looking at Christmas lights.
Wrapping presents.
Opening presents.
Surprises.
This is just a start. I think I will keep adding to it, as writing it down makes me happy. What about you? What are your favorite parts of winter?

One of the best parts of winter though is December 21st (or 22nd) when Winter Solstice appears and the days start to get longer. Little by little, we have more sun. Can you hear the excitement in my voice? If you are like me and are excited about those longer days coming, try writing a list. It really does improve your mood.

Tweet, Tweet! We're on Twitter

Oh my goodness - so many people on Twitter, we just had to join in to the fun. Are you there? You can follow Scott's musings of the day ... life around the farm ... by finding WillowsEdgeFarm on Twitter.

Scott really did say, "my life isn't that exciting." On the contrary ... it's always an entertaining story from the barnyard when he comes inside. I laugh some days, tear up on others, but there is always a story. I thought it would be fun for him to share.

So check him out today! Pass him on to your friends. Always good for a little entertainment.

Is summer really only 6 months away?

Kids and interns learning horse anatomy with a game.

In looking at the calendar I realize I'm behind schedule. This time last year we already had our Farm Life Camp lesson dates set. Gosh, we had already started selling them as Christmas presents for a few amazing grandparents and aunts!

I'm not ready.
I'm not, I'm not, I'm not.

OK, with that moment out of the way, we at least have been discussing it ... More or less than last year? What dates? What happens when the farm sells? What new activities do we add in and what do we drop? What will our pricing be? So many questions, but not a lot of answers yet. They are coming though ...

Did your kids attend last year? What was their favorite part? Least favorite?

It's so funny - we always have at least one kiddo everyday who says, "I don't want to clean stalls" and that is ALWAYS the child who tells us they would rather clean the stalls than clean their room (laundry, dishes, etc. whatever their chore at home is) when they are done. I think that some of them believe that is what we'll be doing it all day. Fortunately for them, it accounts for about 15 minutes of our day!

We know - we've got to kick it into high gear for those of you very organized parents. We had half our our camp filled by the end of February last year!

Comments?

Time for a little brightness

It's time for a little change and tonight it starts with the blog. A little brighter, eh? Watching the rain pour down and now in the darkness of night, listening to the water pour down the gutter, I have to go somewhere else. Somewhere else in my mind at least. So today I've been dreaming about spring and gardens. And vegetables. Which ones will do well with my "new" garden designs.

Sunflowers and blue sky. Ahhhh.

Yep, this time of year, typically between Christmas and mid January, I start thinking about gardening and what to do for the next season as we are by no means a mono-crop farm. This year I have apparently started early. I think it had to do with the lack of a "real" summer here this last season. There were at least 2 days of Farm Life Camp that instead of having our normal, fun popsicles, we had hot cocoa. I'm really, really ready for a warm summer again.
So next season, we have talked about creating a "green house" area to start some plants early and get a jump on the season. Tomatoes, snow peas, green beans, colorful nasturtiums. All for my vertical gardens. This season, we will be doing about 4 times as many vertical rows - exciting and scary! Scott also has plans for a sunflower garden. That sounds bright and sunny and right about now, it actually sounds amazingly beautiful.
Now to start dreaming of the horizontal gardens...

Christmas musings

Evan and the Snow Princess

I love Christmas. The joy of the season, going to see the Nutcrackers dance at Snowflake Lane this year, singing Christmas caroles and of course, the smell of the tree in the house!
This year though, we decided to work on our budget. Yuk. I hate that word. I know I shouldn't but it just makes me feel like a child again with an allowance. And what a time of year to re-start the budgeting again! We started with the tree. We had a family vote and instead of going to our annual Christmas tree farm and cutting down the tree as a family event, we headed down to McLendon's Hardware on their Saturday Sale and picked up a tree for $14.88. That was a savings of a little over $20. The boys were excited as it was extra money for their presents.

2010 Christmas tree

Finally home, tree in stand and watered it's now time to decorate!  For those of you who've done budgeting before, you know how Murphy likes to creep in and throw you a curve. Not only did 4 of our 5 strands of lights not work, but the beautiful angel that sat atop our tree for over a decade decided that last year was officially her last year. Oh my goodness - when it rains it pours. Sorry boys. Savings gone plus some.
But what a blessing it was to receive a check in the mail for some reimbursement that we had turned in months ago! Enough to cover the lights and a little extra. Can you see the lighted star at the top of the tree? It's not exactly what I was looking for, but it will do. Here's to hoping that the rest of the lights and ornaments stay put and on.
Merry Christmas!

Half a Pig for Christmas

How about half a pig as a fabulous Christmas present? We have one half left of our absolutely amazing, better than organic pork. Better than organic? Yep. If you've read the news lately, there are plenty of shops, including a local store, claiming organic. Even the growers are saying, nope, we are not organic.

So in this day and age when anyone can say the word "organic" and have no proof or actual accountability, we call ourselves better than organic. Come on out. We will introduce you to the pigs. Your's specifically if you wish. We will show you the food they eat. Heck, we'll give you some if you wish to take it home and play with it :-)  We also feed them some great table scraps, fruits and veggies straight from the house. We've also fed them raw goats milk!

Whoohoo - these guys have a great diet! And while we don't claim organic, we are truly happy to show you exactly what they do eat. Honesty and integrity. Pork you will be impressed with. Truly!

Yes, It's Still for Sale

Surprisingly to us as well as others, the farm is still for sale. It seems funny to me at times, because the Realtors all love it. One group of them wanted to have their Christmas party here on the farm. Sorry, closed for the winter ;-)

So, we are just waiting to see. Patience. It's really not one of my virtues. But the Big Guy is working on me. One day at a time. Yes, we've seen properties here as well as other areas that are larger and ready for what we want to do and how we want to grow, but all in due time. Which, for those of you who know me personally, you understand just how hard that is for me to actually say...in due time. It goes something like this: ARGH!! Why hasn't it sold yet? Tantrum!! Oops, I'm supposed to be waiting. OK, God. I'll wait. You will bring the perfect people along who will love and cherish the farm as much as we do. Wow...this happens sometimes daily. Sometimes a few times a day :-)

We are thankful that we have a warm house, feed for our animals (and people) and great people to support us. Well, at least that is the tip of the iceberg for this evening.

That said, Good-night!
Corinne Logan