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Wednesday, March 28, 2018

A Bit of This and That..

Hey everyone.. 
So glad you dropped by here today.. 
This is just another a bit of this and that kind of post.. 
One of these days I will surprise you with a post that has more focus ... Not all over the place.. smile.. 

Anyway..
We are still having winter weather here in the Maritimes of Canada.. Some snow and rain or whatever but Winter has lost it's sting for sure.. 
You can smell Spring in the air and the grip of cold seems to be gone.. 
But there is still snow and fires have to be made and a bit of bread whenever it calls our name.. smile.. 

My friend gave me this recipe the other day... 
Potato Bread.. 
I will share the recipe with you as she is generous in giving out her recipes.. 

It is lovely and light.. 

F. Steeves Potato Bread or Rolls.. 

Boil 1 large potato in water.. 
Drain off 1 cup of water and cool a bit.. 
Mash the potato very well.. 

In a bowl put the cooled 1 cup water 
3 T. sugar
2 tsp. instant yeast
5 T. melted butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 mashed potato
2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups of flour.. 

Mix well. 
Knead in your machine or by hand until smooth.. 
Place in oiled bowl and raise to double. 
Put in pan or make into rolls and raise again.. 
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes for rolls or 30 - 35 minutes for loaf of bread.. 


Out of our Living room window the other day.. 
A wet snowy day.. 
So typical of our March weather.. 

Trying to use up our preserved food... 

Homemade Chili Sauce, green beans, pickles and rhubarb jam... 

I finally got the bookshelves cleaned and organised for another year.. 

A few cookbooks.. 
Found this one.. 
The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden .. 


Really enjoy the recipes and the garden ideas.. 
Decided to make some Farmer's Cheese.. 

I saw the idea on MasterChef Australia..
This is one of my favourite cooking shows and just record them to watch when I can.. 
Anyway.. 
One of the contestants made the cheese.. 
Put whole milk in a pot and bring to a boil.. 
Pour in a bit of vinegar and the milk will separate into curds and whey.. 
Drain the curds from the whey in a cheesecloth lined strainer.. 
Wrap up the cheesecloth into a ball and store in fridge overnite. 
In the morning you will have a lovely ball of soft cheese.. 
Be sure to save the whey for bread, sauerkraut for fermented veggies.. 
I made a spread with it from the recipe above.. 
Very good with Creamery Crackers or on Bagels.. 
Kind of like cream cheese  or cottage cheese. 
Nice sprinkled over a salad, too. 

More books.. 

Loving my new mug.. 
Oh and thanks to Lindsay who inspired me to try my hand at
 Pad Thai.. 
We both really liked it.. 
With the buying a bottle of Pad Thai sauce making it much easier to make.. 
This was a Shrimp one.. I so love shrimp.. 
Do you? 

Terry and I took a nice little trip to Bangor, Maine over the weekend.. 

Dear old Charlie came with us and as usual he was a perfect dog.. 

I think he could live in the back of the car.. smile

We just took his car bed into the inn and he was good as gold..
Or so I thought.. 
The next morning Terry said that neither him or Charlie got much sleep.. 
Huhhh???? 
I slept like a log .. 
I guess Charlie was not relaxed and kept getting up and walking around the room.  That made Terry nervous so he moved the dog's bed beside us so he could pet his head every time Charles wanted to walk around.. 
He claims he petted his head for two hours.. yawn!.... 
Oh well.. one of us had a good sleep.. grin.. 

We had a great time.. 
Shopping.. 
Thrift stores and the lovely Between Friends shop.. 
It has the same stock as I tried to have in the House of Henry.. 
Crafts, old books, old dishes, new household decor, lace and linens and so much more..
Only on a much bigger scale.. So lovely..  
I bought an old blue lamp for the farm for 5 dollars,  an old 1974 Unicef Calendar with recipes for 2 dollars, a minature Daisy Churn which was new for 15 dollars and an old rabbit hook for 10 dollars.. 
I will take pics, I promise..

Here are some books I found at Good Will...
and
Some fabric pieces from there, too.. 
The Waverley ones are from Walmart.. 
Hope to make something with them.. 

Then of course the eating out.. 
Had a lovely anniversary dinner at Ruby Tuesdays as it is one of the places we always love.. 
They had the best dessert I have ever ate.. 
Apple Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch sauce.. 
We only stayed one night .. 

That is always enough for us.. 
Two days and one night and then homeward bound.. 
I know.. I am pathetic ..... 
People just don't understand that I am not a traveller.. 
Love seeing this sign.. smile.. 

It is hard to believe that it has been 48 years since this night.. 

Just a couple of kids who found their way to this place in our lives.. 

Still holding the same old hand and still trusting my heart to his.. 
Still thanking God for the lovely days we have had together and the sweet family we share.. 
Life is what you make it and putting our hope and trust in the Lord Jesus has blessed us beyond measure.. 

So happy to have you visit and look forward to hearing from you sweet friends.. 
I also wanted to thank you dear girls who share my post on FB.. 
It really helps.. 

Take care... 
Hugs..

Friday, March 16, 2018

These days of March....


Happy Weekend my dears.. 
Friday has rolled around again already.. 
The weeks are flying by and we here in New Brunswick go from storm to storm each week.. 
Oh well.. 
We are looking forward to Spring days although there is not a lot of snow as we have had in the past.. 
Just no tulips or daffodils growing outside yet.. 
But the market has them and they sure do cheer up a stormy week.. 

So pretty... 
The days have been a full of comings and goings and a bit of doings.. 


Made a bit of bread and an apple pie.. 
I am not a pie maker like my Mom.. 
She is an expert.. 
I used to make 30 pies at a time to freeze but have lost the touch as far as rolling out the dough.. 
Terry thought it tasted good but I was not that happy with it.. 
I divided the Cinnamon Raisin Bread dough into two loaves.. 
One with raisins and one without.. 
The link is HERE..

Then we made a little road trip to Sussex. 

We have a bit of snow but nothing serious.. 
It is a pretty drive which you who have followed the blog has seen pics of every season, I think.. smile.. 

We came home to a one of our chickens which we raised at the farm.. 
All cooked and ready to go.. 

I just had to make the Couscous and boil some potatoes.. 

It was so delicious!!  
Here is the link is HERE

My dear hubby had mashed potatoes.. As you are aware he is just not too adventurous.. grin.. 
He liked the roasted chicken with the lemon and crushed fennel seeds but asking him to eat Couscous with olives just was not happening.. It was not a lot of work so we had both..  

A little teapot I picked up at the Thrift.. 
It did not have a handle but when I was cleaning out the pantry I found one on the top shelf...Fitted perfectly.. 
Love green Depression glass.. 
Do you?  I actually love pink also although I gave most of mine to Shonda.. 

Looking through the mint to a snowy day out there.. 

Dear old Charlie is wondering why I have been taking his pic so often lately.. 
I told him to blame Penny.. smile.. 
She is a sweet follower who enjoys pics of Charles.. 
Here he is when he was just a baby.. 

Cute, eh!!  

Still making biscuits here and there.. 

So nice on a snowy afternoon with a cup of tea and Rhubarb jam... 
Recipe HERE

Just found this lovely cookbook on my bookshelves.. 

One of my favourite cookbook authors.. 
Marion Cunningham.. 
I had bought it awhile ago and kind of forgot about it.. 

Terry brought me up a grocery bag of tomatoes that I froze last fall.. 

Such a great way to put away tomatoes for a day when you are not so busy as one is in the autumn.. 
A nice winter's afternoon is a great time to do up a big pot of tomato soup.. 
Just hold them under a hot water tap and they peel so easily and they taste wonderful.. 

Made a Chicken Pie for supper.. 
It was very tasty.. 
The recipe was in Marion's cookbook above.. 
Sorry about all the cooking going on here this post.. 
I guess it is all I have for tonight.. 

I am about finished... 
Tis evening.. 
Time for this old gal to go to bed.. 
I love to read a bit every night and the bedding has all been changed and smells like Gain.. 
The window will be open and the wind is blowing.. 
Terry found the right spot for my new wind chime.. grin.. 
I would say that all is well and God has been faithful!
So appreciate Him tonight.. 

Thank you sweet friends for dropping by the Blessed Hearth another time... 
I do look forward to your sweet comments and thank you so much to the new followers and likes on the Face Book page.. 
We are now over 500.. 
I don't worry about the numbers but it is a bit rewarding so thank you ... 

May God bless and keep you and your sweet families.. 
Enjoy your time with them.. 
Tis fleeting.. 
xo
joined with FRIDAY FOTO FRIENDS.

Saturday, March 10, 2018












Tomorrow is the Lord's Day...

Today while I was working I listened to a wonderful preaching tape... 

The preacher spoke about everything that can be shaken will be shaken in the last days..
And  how we need to know what we believe and why.. 
How we need to stand firm on the word of God...

Sometimes we question ...

What is going on? 

 Things that we thought were important are in jeopardy of being tossed aside... 
This age has different values and morals.. 
Even in churches the things that used to be right can now be 
disregarded as old fashioned and not necessary..

I find myself wondering what is this world coming to?

And then I realize.. 
It is coming to an end... 

I am so glad that I have found somewhere to stand.. 
on the Rock which is Christ Jesus.. 
He never changes... 
He never gives up on me... 
He is faithful.... 

The things that were important when I was only ten years old are still just as important to Him today.. 
He is still genuine... 

When my soul is perplexed and I don't know what is going on then  I need only to trust... 
in Him...

He will see me through.. 

His presence today in my kitchen was as real as it was the night He saved my soul and filled me with his Spirit...

Yesterday while following behind Terry in the truck I was singing this old chorus..

Where would I be without Jesus... 
Tell me where would I spend eternity?

Oh, I am so thankful for the Grace of God.. smile.. 

He is so available to whosoever will.. 
And He is as close as the whisper of His Name..  

Take care dear hearts...
Thanks for dropping by and leaving your sweet notes.. 
Have a blessed weekend..

Love to you all...

Thursday, March 8, 2018

A Stormy Day here in New Brunswick...

Good Evening lovely people... 
Welcome to the Blessed Hearth.. 
So happy you dropped by.. 
We are in the midst of a storm here in New Brunswick.. 
The wind is blowing rather hard and snow is coming down.. 
It is to turn to rain later on tonight.. 
Typical March weather for Eastern Canada ... 
All is cozy and snug here on the home front, though.. 

Charlie likes to inspect it all and see how it's going out there.. 

Checks it all out and then wants back in.. 

Wondering on what is keeping me... grin.. 

I was in the pantry making some cookies.. 

We haven't had any around here since Christmas, I think.. 
I am saying that the weather made me do it.. grin.. 

In between house chores I was checking out some books I bought at the thrift stores this week.. 

Love the new cook book.. 
Miss Dahl's... 
She had a show on for awhile and I loved her vintage dishes and cooking style..  

I made her Spinach Barley Soup.. 
Oh my.. 
It was delicious!! 

Spinach barley soup


Recipe by Sophie Dahl from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights
 
Serves 4-6
-3 tablespoons of olive oil
-1 onion, chopped
-2 large fresh sage leaves, chopped
-6 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
-6 cups of spinach, washed and chopped
-3/4 cup of pearl barley
-Salt and pepper
-1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
 
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, put in the onion and sage leaves and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes. While that's cooking, heat the stock in another pan. Stir the spinach into the onion mixture and cook for another few minutes. Pour in the hot stock and cook, covered, on a low heat for 10 minutes. Add the barley and leave it cooking for another half an hour or until the barley is soft. Season to taste. When it is ready, ladle into bowls and sprinkle the Parmesan on top.

I used chicken stock and did not add sage as I am not a sage lover... I used parsley and stirred the parm in the soup.. 

We had a lovely Caesar Salad in my new salad bowl for lunch..  




This afternoon I did up a tea towel that I picked up, too.. 

Hoping to do up a bunch of these... 

Terry worked outside blowing snow for awhile... 
I had bought myself a new wind chime from Amazon.. 
The one Dustin gave me has been beaten around a lot so I brought it in and ordered another one.. 
Terry put it outside our window last night and let us just say that we woke up quite often.. 
The wind was fierce..  
He said in the night.... 
" Something has got to change with that wind chime, Faye!"
grin.. 
So today he went out and put it around the corner.. 
Tonight we will see how that works.. grin.. 
Then he decided to have a break.. 
The paper and a race he had taped makes for a stormy afternoon.. 
And a few zzz's.. grin.. 

Charlie kept himself entertained at times.. 


I don't know what he thinks he sees out there.. 
He has to look under the dining room table and a tea trolley to see anything.. 
He give a few huffs every now and then.. 
One thing for sure is that he leaves a mess on the windows... 
Sometimes deer come and try to get some old apples that had fallen and so I think he is looking for them.. smile.. 

For supper I cooked a pork chop and a half.. 
I am not a meat eater and Charlie even gets half of my half.. grin. 
We also had baked potatoes.. 
Love love my potato baker.. 
Found it at a thrift store many years ago.. 
The potatoes taste just like oven baked but just a plug in instead of turning the big oven on.. 
A bit of coleslaw and pickles and that was supper.. 

Evening is here again... 

Time to light a bit of incense and make a cup of tea.. 

I am enjoying the sweet scent of these incense sticks I found at Chapters on half price.. They even came with it's own holder.. 
What a lovely smell.. 
I am thanking the Lord for the little cheque that finds it's way into my account now every month.. 
I am not a spender perse but sure enjoy these little finds.. smile.. 

Like this tea towel ... 

Right??? 
smile.. 

Thank you so much for visiting.. 
Sure have enjoyed your visit here on this stormy day.. 
Looking forward to hearing from you.. 
We need 2 more likes on the Face Book page to make 500.. 
(hint hint)  smile.. 

Take care and enjoy your sweet families and the last of these long evenings this week.. 

Time changes on the weekend and Spring is around the corner..
I will miss the long evenings, myself.. 

God is good ... 
xo


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