Asian Ginger Dressing

T made this last night:  asian-ginger-dressing  It is very much like what we get when we eat at the Japaneese steakhouse.

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. In a 1 pint glass jar or larger, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute just to dissolve the honey. Let cool, and shake well before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Table Talk

This morning we were fixing breakfast and visiting and eating.  Breakfast tends to be fixed in waves with everyone milling around in the kitchen doing their own thing.  Hot chocolate, eggs, toast, spaghetti were all on the menu.   Someone mentioned they had a tiny sore throat earlier so I suggested they be sure and tonic up.  She said she already had. 

We started talking about how blessed we are to be so healthy.  Every child had something to say about how much healthier now than where they lived before.  MN was talking about how many times she use to throw up.  Naming places, bus, car, school, at homes.... Others chimed in agreeing.  

MJ then said something interesting.  He said he use to have lots of headaches.   I never knew!  I gathered as he talked really bad headaches where he would be on the couch with a rag over his face.   Made me wonder more about diet or the fact he needed glasses so bad.   You know how you look at a child and the way the squint and such you wonder how anyone can't see that they need glassess?  That was MJ.  It was also D10!   I think really D10 had glasses in the past but he broke them and they weren't fixed or replaced.  I ask him he still gets headaches.  He said not very often and when he does a glass of water usually fixes it.  

We are also talking a lot about adoption.  Dh finally called our caseworker yesterday since she wouldn't return emails about updating our home study.  It has to be updated for NM to consider us for a child.  I am really drawn to two in NM.   So for 2 weeks we have been seeking a reply from our caseworker about updating.   Dh called her and got a tentative date to come out of either March 6 or 7.   He wanted to get  with me on which date was better.  I emailed her and said either day.  She emailed me back saying she was leaving the office and would get with me today.  Still waiting on an email today.   Prayers would be appreciated on this whole process. 

Trip around the back side...

This is the "middle" tank, middle meaning middle of the property.  It is very deep, but seldom holes water long.  We have done some things hoping to get it to hold better.  Right now it is level full.  

OK I like drift wood! 

My running buddies.   Freckles usually has her head cocked sideways if she is listening. 

This is our new calf.  She is a week and one day old. 

 Redneck lawnmowers.  There are some patches of weeds that need to go.  So I had the back yard and pool pen filled with stock.  They may or may not graze it well.  Not sure if they like all the weeds when they are as big as these are.

 If you read Hank the Cowdog then you may know Mary D Cat.   This is our second black version of her.   She is love crazed.   She especially loves people who do NOT love her.  

 I really think my ewes and lambs are pretty.   These are some of the younger lambs.   They grow so fast.  I am thinking of pulling the big ones off and either selling or putting on feed to grow them faster to sell. 

That's all folks!    Life around here is just going along at a normal pace.  Hope everyone is having a blessed day.

And still more pics

First pond!  FULL!!!! to running over.  It doesn't look like it is, but on the back side it is running over.  Think we need to add a little dirt work back there. 

Rain guage looks great!  This is less than we got since dh dumped .50 yesterday morning.

Pond in front of the house.  Very full!!!!

 Middle pond, running over full.  I walked around the house pond dam to get a better picture of this pond. 

Basic Sourdough Bread

This turned out awesome!  I used coconut oil instead of butter.  Measured.... sorta... Rapadura instead of white sugar.  I used my bosch so I only kneaded once and made loaves.  Took several hours to rise even on the nice warm back of the wood stove.   I also doubled the recipe. 

Basic Sourdough Bread~ Mine was totally Whole Wheat

"Plain white, simple sourdough bread. A great starter recipe to use if you are new to sourdough baking. The dough cycle of the bread machine can be used to prepare the dough, if you like. Prep time does not include proofing time for starter."

Ingredients

• 2 cups proofed sourdough starter
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 cups white bread flour

Directions

1. Before measuring out your 2 cups of starter culture, it must be proofed: To proof, I usually start with 1 cup of starter and stir into it equal parts of flour and warm water (for this recipe, 1 1/2 cups of each would be more than enough).
2. Let mixture sit, covered loosely, for 8 to 12 hours-- the longer it sits, the sourer the flavor will be.
3. At this point, measure out the 2 cups required for recipe, and return leftover starter to refrigerator for next time.
4. Pour starter into mixing bowl.
5. Melt butter (microwave works well).
6. Add milk to butter and warm briefly (85 degrees F).
7. Add the salt and sugar, stir until dissolved.
8. Add this mixture to the culture and mix well.
9. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring until the dough is too stiff to mix by hand.
10. Turn onto floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.
11. Pat dough into a 1-inch thick oval and form loaf by rolling oval up from the long side, pinching the seam together as you roll the dough, tucking ends to form the loaf.
12. Place in lightly greased loaf pan (I spray with cooking spray), and let rise, covered, at 85 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
13. When the dough rises 1 to 2 inches above the edges of pan, it is ready to bake.
14. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
15. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes (baking time varies according to your oven and your personal taste--some like a darker crustier bread than others).
16. Remove loaf from oven and brush the top lightly with melted butter; turn loaf out of the pan and cool on wire rack.
17. If you prefer, you can shape this into a round or oval loaf and bake on a baking sheet.

Teen Boys

The word that comes to mind is "STUPID", but guess that and teen boy is close to the same sometimes.  

The smiles on their faces say it all!  It was fun!!!!

Rain guage says almost 2 inches!   Still raining.

Rain Pictures

I snapped these from the front porch as it is still raining. 

This is looking straight out see the tether ball pole and ball? Dump  truck is in the yard.

 See the boys boat?  they may need it.  They are talking about going boating in this.  I told them to go for it. I will take pictures if they do.  It is cold, about 48 degrees and still raining.   Wonder how long it will be fun?

 I think the rain gauge says about 1.5 inches.  

 Dh was working on moving the pond sludge so that when the pond was full it would drain that way instead of around the windmill.  He cut a channel. I saw a duck swimming in it a few minutes ago.   T just came by to tell me, "We have ducks swimming on what use to be dry land."  

I have already fussed at the boys for leaving the water filling the pool!   It was funny when I ask them who did it.   Took them only a short time to tell me the rain filled it to overflowing.

 For those that know our property, this is looking toward the middle pond.  I think it is full.  

 Goofy apple tree is still blooming even after temps being 24 degrees one morning.

That's all for now!  I will add more after it stops raining!  Or if the boys go "boating". I think they are coating up.  Yep they are!

Blogging

Blogging just hasn't been happening.   Not sure why other than life has!  I just can't seem to find time to gather my thoughts and type about it. 

Some of the things that have been going on that I have missed.  Both my heifers have calved.  December calved in January, and January calved in Feb.  December had trouble and we had to pull her calf.  It wasn't fun!   Then we went to the dairy and bought 3 more to go on her.   Next afternoon one of them was dead.   All looked good as I went off to retreat.  I came home and we had lost one more of them and her calf.   So we are back to one calf on her, that she doesn't like.  That means she has to be milked twice a day besides making her let the calf nurse.   Why you ask did the calves die?  Scours!   Dairies are famous for having them.  This seemed to be a very strong strain that hit fast and wiped them out quick.  I was watching for signs of problems.  

I haven't bought any more calves, but we really need some for both heifers and also for some of my other cows that have big calves on them.  For now we are bringing in about 3-5 gallons of milk a day.   I am sharing it and using it.  

Other sad news is my old dog died.  RC has been here since he was about 5 weeks old.  My son gave him to me to "watch" since he was afraid he was developing parvo and needed tlc which son didn't have time to do and work.   That was about 11 years ago.   He got named RC because he quickly became my shadow, like the soda commercial "Me and my RC".   He didn't suffer.  He chased sheep for me that morning was sick acting that evening and dead the next morning.  That was a much better way if he had to go.  

Other news is we are blessedly wet!   I took grandson to the hwy for mommy yesterday evening and it was muddy, road was HORRIBLE.  It started raining about 9 and rained off and on all night.  Pond filled up over night so we did get some run off. I don't even want to think about chores or worse yet a trip to the hwy!   We had planned on a flea market trip, but instead will just stay home.  I do have an appointment to keep grandkids this evening, so someone (DH) will make the trek to the hwy to get them.  

Tomorrow we are off to Cowboy Church and then the Rodeo.  This is one of our traditions!  Kids can't wait all year for rodeo.  We are all going to Cowboy church, all being our whole Church family.   This is something we have also been doing several years.  It is fun!

Sourdough!  a new friend from retreat shared some of her sourdough starter with several of us.  I fed it yesterday and plan on making a loaf today to see how it goes.  I am excited.  I have been reading lots of different recipes.   My friend gave me a loaf she had made.  It is great!  I hope mine is that good.  

On the kid front all is "normal" which for most families wouldn't be normal, but for us it works.   Have been dealing with some kid issues, nothing major.  So often you just wonder if the issues are adoption/abuse related or kid/teen related.   For some issues you parent the same, others you really need a different way of parenting. 

We would still like to adopt again.  I have inquired on several kids both in TX and in other states.  I did get a reply from NM that they need an updated homestudy.  This happened once before and we got the run around for over a year.  We had to be matched with a child to get our homestudy updated, we couldn't be matched with a child until our homestudy was updated.  Finally we started in Austin and worked our way down and wow the decided they could update ours.    I hope we don't have to do that again.   I really really am drawn to the two kids in NM.   Prayers that our homestudy can be updated quickly and painlessly are needed.  

Chore time has come, as I got up to go do chores the heavens opened and the rain came harder.  I postponed chores!  Then I looked at the radar, we will have a tiny window of not rain to get them done.  I should have been paying attention to the radar.  As soon as it lets up we are going to have to do it quick as there is a nice shower behind this one.    I may also throw in the towel and grab a coat and GO.   

Ok off to get wet and muddy and do lots of praising God for the wonderful mud and rain and water.   I love it!   All have a very blessed day!!!!

Retreat

We had a wonderful weekend at our H.O.M.E Retreat.   We had about 50 woman and several littles attend.  It was a fun filled weekend.   I think all total I got a little less than 10 hours of sleep.  

Not a bad transformation, from this...

 To this! 

I spent a lot of time the week before getting ready for retreat.  This week I have spent a lot of time trying to find my energy.  I think I left it in Brownwood.  Maybe I need to go see if I can find it.   :)