Farm Pantry...

Friday evening greetings my dears.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth tonight.. 

We had a beautiful but very cold day and tonight is very cold, indeed.. Oh well, it is Winter, eh?  

This is just a little farm post again.. 

I find you girls like these perhaps the best so here we go again.. smile.. 

We went up there on Wednesday for the day.. 

Terry and Trevor had been up the day before smowmobiling so the house was not too cold and only took an hour or so to be really warm .. 

The first thing I did was to make up a batch of no knead bread.. 

As you can see I am using my new pantry counter.. 

This is the view out of the pantry window.. 

Pretty snowy looking, eh? 

Then I put some chicken in a cast iron pot to prepare for dinner.. 

I decided to once again use the old back porch stove.. 

It is not a cook stove just an old air-tight one but I can put 3 pots plus the old kettle on it at once.. 

My friend Becky wanted to see it but this was all I had on my camera.. smile.. 

I found an old old hand written cookbook that I used when we lived in Sussex 30 years ago and decided that I would like to make a few favourites that I had kind of forgotten about.. 

This one is Braised Chicken and I think it came from a USA Country Living magazine, I think.. 

All you do is to brown chicken in butter or oil until browned on all sides.. Then add 1 cup of sliced celery and cook for a few minutes.. 

Add 4 cups of water and let it simmer away for 20 minutes .. 

Then just add 4 peeled and chopped potatoes and a bag of frozen green beans or one of your bottles of canned beans.. 

Add salt and pepper and simmer away until potatoes are tender.. 

Add seasoning to taste with your favourite herb...

Summer Savory is nice.. 

Then while that was simmering away and the bread was rising I started making the curtains for the pantry..  

Remember when we went to P. E. I. for a 70 mile yard sale.. 

I had bought this fabric  along with a whole garbage bag full for $3.00... 

This is my little sewing kit that I keep at the farm.. 

It is an old tin full of sewing supplies that I bought at an auction.. 

All these thimbles were in it... smile.. 

Then the meal was ready so I pushed everything to the end of the table and set it for the two of us.. 

That old oven cooks bread so much better then my new one here at home for some reason.. grin.. 

Here are the curtains all finished.. 

I ended up making a little valance to match.. I had put up a little red cow one as you recall but I din't like it with the plaid... 

I will put it over the sink in the kitchen, I think.. 

The black piece there is an old set of dresser drawers that I will keep table cloths, tea towels, place mats and such in.. 

We are getting the pantry done bit by bit.. 

I have to arrange the shelves and hang more stuff and get the other wall cupboards and such up... 

Terry put the heat pipe through to the living room so now the next thing is to get the sink all in... 

I hope to get to the cottage in St. Martins because I have an old cupboard or two there that I want to use... 

All in due time... 

Here are the windmills just up the road from the farm.. 

Thank you so much for dropping by my friends .. 

So happy to hear from you all.. 

And you sweet girls who leave your comments anonymously, I am so glad to hear from you, too.. 

I wish I had the time to answer each one but I really am not consistent with that at all.. 

I do try to answer questions, though and know that I love to hear from you here or on the Face Book page.. 

Well, I must go .. 

We are having Keepers tomorrow no matter the weather.. 

We have had to postpone the last 2 weeks due to storms but I hope we get it done tomorrow.. smile.. 

I will let you know how it all goes.. 

God bless..  

LINKED TO JES

and

LINKED TO.. STEPHANIE..

Just Lovely Ordinary Days.. .

Hello, my dears ... 

Thank you for dropping by the Blessed Hearth today..

Just sharing a few everyday pics with you celebrating our ordinary life. 

So thankful for these days.. 

When everything is the same but lovely non the less.. Trials come for sure and little worries that usually do not amount to much but wonderful moments sprinkled here and there making our ordinary day special in so many ways.. 

We are all fine even if we are sick and we are doing well even if it is storming outside.. 

Our bodies are slowing down and things are so long getting accomplished but we are still able.. 

Not everything is kosher but everything is still good.. 

Ordinary but blessed.. 

Coming out in the semi darkness and putting the coffee pot on.. 

Looking out on a Winter's morning and knowing that mercy is renewed and God's grace is sufficient today.. 

Thanking Him and feeling His sweet presence in our moments.. 

Just another ordinary day .. 

Thank you, dear Lord..

 Planning the menu and perhaps trying a new recipe.. 

Sharing it with the sweet man who has been by my side for 45 years.. 

Phoning my Mom or sister and then the phone rings and it is one of our children..

Blessed with friends near and far and hearing their sweet voices every now ant then..

So ordinary but so sweet..  

Getting some craft supplies together and doing a little research on Pinterst..

Making a new table runner or a valance.. 

Loving the creative urges that are so ordinary.. smile..  

Putting a pot of soup on the stove or mixing a salad.. 

Baking a batch of cookies and listening to the Christian Radio station. 

Rejoicing sometimes to a truth spoken that quickens our spirit and we say.. Yes, Lord.. 

Folding a load of lavender scented laundry.. 

So thankful for the ordinary.. 

Terry bringing home a parcel or card from the mail .. 

An ordinary but welcome surprise... 

A hot cup of tea with just a rice cake is ordinary but so satisfying..

Reading an old book that has been read before but full of inspiration and the joys of living.. 

Writing a blog post for sweet girls who bless my life ..

Ordinary simple pleasures.. 

Watering the plants and scrubbing a floor.. 

Ordinary chores but necessary.. 

Decluttering a closet or organizing a cupboard.. 

Ordinary housework but the music makes it sweet.. 

  

Putting a match to a stick of Sandalwood incense, closing the curtains and setting the supper table... 

The fires are burning and the candles are lit.. 

The CD plays a sweet melody and life is good..

Smelling the coffee.. 

An ordinary but good thing..  

Going out into the cold evening to a warm little church and hearing the Word of God .. 

Looking across the way and seeing sweet grandsons listening so intently....

Yes, thank you my Lord for Pastor teaching on embracing the ordinary.. 

Going to bed.. 

A warm shower, clean flannel sheets and reading His Word.. 

Knowing He is near... 

Just waiting to hear from me .. 

Thanking him for my ordinary day and the dear ordinary people who bless my life and make it so wonderful..

Just wanted to include a little recipe for some friends of mine.. smile.. 

  

Tried my hand making Jar Salads.. 

So nice to have in the fridge for a quick lunch or whatever.. 

This is an Asian one.. 

A layer of dressing then shrimp then rice noodles, bean sprouts and then lettuce.. 

The first one was really good but after a day or so the rice noodles became soaked with the dressing and were a bit gummy.. 

My friend suggested not putting the dressing in until you served the salad and I think that is a great idea. 

I loved loved the dressing though.. 

Here it is... 

Soy and Rice Wine Vinaigrette

4 tsp. rice vinegar 

4 tsp. soya sauce

1/4 cup of oil ( of your choice) I used canola 

grated fresh ginger to suit..

pinch of garlic

pinch of hot chili flakes.. 

Put all in a jar and shake.. 

Makes enough for a couple of salads.. 

*I loved it over the hot rice noodles, too.. 

Add a few shrimp, chopped green onions and veggies of choice and you have a nice bowl meal.. 

You can find lots of recipes on Pinterest and such.. 

Really, all you do is put whatever salad you want to make such as Greek, Spinach or whatever and put it in layers in your mason jars..

Keep them in the fridge for a few days at a time.. 

Let me know if you make these and what kind ... 

We had to cancel our Keepers of the Home last Saturday due to snow but it looks like good weather this Saturday so it will be on, Lord willing.. 

Hope we have a good turnout... 

Please let me know if you are planning on attending. 

Thanks dear hearts for stopping by and leaving your little notes.. 

Take care of yourselves and your families and enjoy these ordinary Winter evenings..

 They will soon be over.. 

xo

 I Thessalonians .. 4:11

Also, make it your goal to live quietly, to mind your own business and to work with your own hands as we instructed you..

International Standard Version

Linked to.. Roses of Inspiration...

Keepers of the Home Meeting ...

Hello everyone.. 

Just a little update on our Keepers of the Home meeting.. 

We all met on Friday night for a change and the girls seem to like the evening meetings better so perhaps we will change it up a bit.. 

We all arrived around 6:30 and sorry to say I messed up the coffee.. grin.. 

But all is well that ends well.. 

One of the Keeper's husbands brought us some wonderful Tim Horton's ... 

Then we had a little lesson.. 

It was called Ten Ways To Make Life Lovely.. 

A dear friend came and taught us how to make an infinity scarf on our arms.. 

Yes....and in only 30 minutes.. 

I think it took us a bit longer... 

Or some of us .. grin.. 

This dear girl helped me but I was sure she was going to give me a skite on the side of my head as I was a bit thick and could not seem to grasp it... 

At first.. 

Then it clicked in and I managed to finish mine.. smile. 

This is a picture that Carmen sent me this morning to show me what she made with her scarf.. 

Now is that fair? 

Just to be so smart at everything.. grin.. 

And last but not least... 

This one turned out lovely as you can see.. 

I think she has a natural talent for knitting.. 

You can watch this on YouTube to see how it is done.. 

Here..

Then Carmen taught us a lesson on herbs and made us some tea that is very good for you.. 

She also brought along some samples and notes for each of us to take home.. 

It was on Yarrow and Plaintain.. 

So interesting.. 

Thank you so much Lynn and Carmen.. 

We all appreciated it so much.. 

When we were finished we had a lovely lunch that everyone contributed to and it was delicious as always.. 

This is the recipe I used for the sandwiches ... 

Easy Sandwich Pinwheels

Author: www.dailydishrecipes.com

Serves: 50 Pinwheels

Ingredients

• 5 10″ flour tortillas
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 4 Tablespoons of chopped green onions
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
• a pinch of Sea salt, to taste
• 10 slices of deli ham
• 10 slices of deli turkey
• lettuce

Instructions

For Cream Cheese Spread:

1. Cut the cream cheese into cubes and put it into a bowl (I used my stand mixer). Add the green onions, minced garlic, parsley and sea salt. Blend for about 3 minutes, or until entire mixture is combined and blended.
2. Spoon mixture into a sealed container and refrigerate for an hour. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in a tightly sealed container.

When ready to serve:

1. Lay flour tortillas on a flat surface. Spread the cream cheese mixture across the entire flour tortilla.
2. Layer the deli meats on top of each other completely covering the flour tortilla.
3. Layer the lettuce on top – use enough lettuce to completely cover the deli meat.
4. Roll up each flour tortilla.
5. Use toothpicks to secure the tortilla. Depending on how thick you want them, will determine how many toothpicks you use. I was able to slice 10 pinwheels so I used 10 toothpicks. If you are able to slice 10 per tortilla you will wind up with 50 pinwheels at the end.
6. Enjoy!

Read more: http://dailydishrecipes.com/easy-sandwich-pinwheels/#ixzz3QdgRPibm

Thank you all for stopping by and hope you are having a good Monday.. 

Take care and God bless.. 

Linked up with Stephanie over at THE ENCHANTING ROSE...

Keepers by the Sea Over Niter....

Hello my dears.. 

How are you all doing?

Friday night we did indeed have our Keepers by the Sea Over Niter.. 

Several could not make it but we still had a great time although I must say that they were truly missed ... 

They all arrived around 6:30 pm... 

When they arrived the spaghetti sauce was simmering away.. 

The napkins had been brought out and ready for the girls to set the table..

I was disappointed that I was not able to do the things that I had planned ... 

My back decided to act up and I could hardly get around for a few days but thank the Lord it did not prevent us from getting together..

Brother...

 I am beginning to think that Terry should start finding a nice field somewhere with a gate for me... 

Or perhaps I should just close my window at nights and not let the wind and rain blow in on me when I know that old Arthur is just waiting for a chance to show up... grin...

Anyway... on with the story..

The girls were so kind and helped put together the Caesar Salad and we get the food ready in a buffet style..

We  had pasta with tomato or a new creamy basil sauce and a lentils meatloaf which they all liked..

It was a new recipe and it was a risk but having no oven and only two burners kind of taxed my imagination... smile..

There were also lovely baguettes and garlic dipping oil.. yum... 

Afterwards the dear girls generously cleaned everything up...

Terry was working away so Sammi was present.. 

A bit confused with so many ladies... 

Actually, he was a big pain.. grin... 

Then later it was dessert time... 

Some of them really enjoyed it... grin.. 

Some lovely fellowship and at 1 am this old gal tried to make it up the stairs to bed while the rest stayed up until 4:30 am..

Yup... that is late... smile.. 

They were up and about at a good time though and after chatting with our coffees for a bit we headed out to Fiories for breakfast...  

Charlene took these pics and I swiped a couple from her.. smile.. 

Later after shopping over at the House of Henry they all headed back home to their dear families... 

The Balloon Fiesta was going on in Sussex, too.. 

This lovely picture was taken by Char....

Thank you, dear... 

As for Sammi and I... 

We SAT and tried to get our backs back on track and wait for our sweetie to get home.. 

He had been gone most of the week.... 

Then to church the next day.. 

I will chat with you all later and tell you about a little field trip Terry and I took on Monday.. 

Here is the recipe link for the Lentils Meatloaf....

Just click HERE....

I did not add the oatmeal but replaced it with 2 slices of bread made  into crumbs and soaked with a 1/4 cup of milk.. 

And I cooked it in my slow cooker.. 

Looking it up on the web I found a great idea on how to remove it much easier  with foil handles.. 

Look in the directions HERE..

Well ladies.. 

Hope you all have an awesome evening.. 

Sorry, I did not have a chance to answer your comments last time but hope to do better this posting.. 

Thanks for dropping by and welcome to the new followers .. 

Glad to have you..

Love and Prayers...

An ordinary day...

Hello my dears..

How are you all doing? 

What a beautiful day here in the Maritimes... 

Terry was out and about cutting down some limbs and gathering them up.... 

See how the grass has greened up ... 

Later on in the day he had the little tractor out doing the garden.. 

He generally has a lovely one.. 

Veggies galore ...

 Last year, the garden did not fare well because it was so wet and he was working away some plus we were at the cottage ... 

We did manage to get lots of tomatoes and such, though.. 

My main thing is to have lots of cukes, tomatoes and green beans..

And lots of herbs, of course, but they are my responsibility... 

Last year a sweet friend gave me a lot of basil which is my favorite herb to eat..

I really hope to get a good supply of my own growing this year.. 

It needs to be planted here as the beds at the cottage are not good for basil for some reason...

The canning season is almost upon us here... 

The fiddle heads are out so I have heard and the rhubarb is coming right along.. 

I need to make dandelion jelly then apple blossom and Queen Anne's lace jelly.. Oh my... 

Today, I cleaned my kitchen and family room ... The counters and cupboards all needed a through going over and the floors needed done again.. 

I also worked on some little prizes and such for our Keepers Meeting on Saturday... 

These two old cups are on their way to being pin keeps.. 

We are meeting tomorrow night and setting up tables and making a few favors and centrepieces for our Mother's Breakfast.. 

That should be fun... 

This afternoon some friends phoned and said they were dropping in... 

 I thought they would be here for Supper so I peeled and chopped these up... 

Potatoes, carrots, turnip, red onion and whole garlic cloves... 

Don't peel the garlic.. 

Dry the veggies well then sprinkle on some salt, pepper and dried Italian seasoning... 

Drizzle on some olive oil and mix well with your hands and spread in a tray..  Roast in a 350 degree F. oven...

Discard the garlic or save them and squeeze onto some toast...

We really like root veggies done this way..I  marinaded a few pork steaks and put them in the oven at the same time.. 

A nice salad and supper was ready... 

The only thing is that our friends didn't show.. 

I guess there was some miscommunication going on.. smile.. 

Oh well.. next time.. 

It is evening here now and the kitchen is darkening.. 

Time to make my evening tea... 

In my favorite cup.. smile..

Lots of things to work on... 

I was sitting beside my grandson the other Sunday and I noticed he was reading the book of Exodus... 

Now I am reading it through again.. smile.. 

Thank you dear friends for your sweet comments last posting.. 

I appreciate your concern and your lovely personal emails.. 

You guys are great.. 

And you who have blogs are such a blessing, too.. 

I find so much inspiration out there... 

Thanks for visiting tonight.. 

Talk to you all again soon.. 

God bless...