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Saturday, October 12, 2013

6 ingredient Beer Bread

Some of you may know I have a fear of baking with yeast.  My first experience was in 4-H and not a very good one so I have tended to shy away from baking with yeast my entire adult life even though I love baked goods made with yeast.  So that being said when I found the recipe for Beer Bread in Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest cookbook, I knew I had to try it especially since was recommended for serving with that Fried Corn Chowder we happened to love.



Beer Bread

Ingredients

3 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
12 oz. can beer or non-alcoholic beer
2 T. butter, melted

Directions

In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add beer; mix well.  Pour into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan.  Drizzle butter on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 40-50 minutes, until golden.  Slice while still warm.  

Enjoy and I may or may not be able to speak from experience when I tell you that this bread is pretty dang good with the melted butter accidentally gets omitted.  (I found the melted butter in the microwave as I was cleaning up the kitchen after we ate our Fried Corn Chowder and Beer Bread.)

We have loved every recipe we have tried so far from Hometown Harvest so don't forget to enter for your very own chance to win a copy of the cookbook!

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.
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Thursday, October 10, 2013

8 tips for meal planning

Feeding a farmer during planting and harvest season is not always an easy task and more than likely every farmer has their own "rules" for eating when they are busy in the fields. Over the past 13 years, I've tried to learn the "rules" of The Farmer and his dad, but even then it isn't foolproof.

However, I will say that these 8 tips usually serve my mother-in-law and I well.

8 tips for meal planning on the farm

  1. Supper will never ever be at the same time every night especially during planting and harvest season so we must be flexible as well as the meals we make and/or buy.
  2. A slow cooker can be your best friend, especially one with a keep warm feature.
  3. Sometimes fast food or carryout from a restaurant are your best option.
  4. Messy is never good whether we are talking about sauces, sandwiches, etc...
  5. Easy to eat is essential.  
  6. Planning is good essentially when it comes to meals, but you must also be flexible that plans can always change.
  7. Never try to guess what they are thinking.  Sometimes they will want to grab their food and go and sometimes they will stop and eat with you on the tailgate of the truck.  
  8. Be flexible, never take it personal, and enjoy every moment as some of our kids' best memories involve taking dinner to their dad or grandpa and sneaking in a ride in the tractor, combine, or semi.
So while following #1, #2, and #4, and possibly #5, #6, #7, and #8, I'd like to share this quick and easy recipe from Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest for Layered Potatoes & Onions.  

Layered Potatoes & Onions


Ingredients

3-4 lbs. potatoes, thinly sliced
3-4 lbs. yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 c. butter, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh chives to taste (optional)

Directions

In a slow cooker sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray, layer 1/4 each of potatoes, onions, and butter; add slat, pepper, and some chives.  Repeat layering, ending with butter and seasonings.  Cover and cook on high setting for one hour.  Turn slow cooker to low setting; cook for 5 hours more.  Serves 10-12 or one hungry farm family.  

Be sure to enter my giveaway to win your very own copy of Hometown Harvest!



Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

Additionally, I am participating in Indiana's Family of Farmers Table Talk Series and received a gift in exchange for my participation.  I'm one lucky girl!



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Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Fried Corn Chowder

The temperatures are starting to drop a little and on days like that soup sounds perfect to me.  So when I found this recipe for Fried Corn Chowder in Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest , I knew we were going to have to try it and we were not disappointed.  Even my normal non-soup eaters liked this chowder.



Fried Corn Chowder

Ingredients

3T. butter, divided
2 c. fresh or frozen corn
2 T. dried, minced onion
2 c. potatoes, peeled and finely diced (this was 4 potatoes)
2c. hot water
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Directions

Melt one tablespoon butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Add corn; cook, stirring often, until tender.

Meanwhile, melt remaining butter in a separate large saucepan or stockpot.  Add onion and cook until lightly golden, stirring often.  Add potatoes and hot water. Simmer until potatoes are tender.  Drain half of the liquid.

In a bowl, add flour to milk; whisk until no lumps are visible.  Add salt and pepper.  Stir flour mixture into hot potato mixture; blend well and stir in corn.  Simmer until flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.  

Serve hot with Beer Bread and bacon bits if desired (unfortunately, we didn't have any bacon.).  Makes 6-8 servings.  

This chowder was relatively easy to make but my hands were busy so I apologize for the lack of photos during the cooking process.

This was the perfect lunch on a rainy Sunday even if we were slightly depressed since the rain is slowing down the harvest season on our family farm.  

Be sure to enter my giveaway for this awesome cookbook and good luck!


Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.

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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Hometown Harvest Cookbook Giveaway

Harvest finally started on our family farm last week.  This is one of our family's absolute favorite times of the year.  And although it is not going quite as planned with some rain and fog the last few days, we are so excited for harvest to be here.  So when Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest cookbook arrived a few weeks ago, I was super excited to start cooking some new recipes that are perfect for the harvest season.


So far, we made Fried Corn Chowder and Beer Bread from the Church Social Soup Supper section.




Parmesan Pork Chops (recipes coming soon) from the Thanksgiving Dinner to Remember section


and Layered Potatoes & Onions from the Slow-Cooker Potluck Pleasers section.


And this is just the start.  There are several other recipes marked in the cookbook for us to try this harvest season.

Now besides getting to try new and exciting, yummy recipes with each Gooseberry Patch cookbook I get to review, the best part is that they always send me an extra one to give away to one of my lucky readers.  So here is where you can get in on the fun...

To enter the giveaway for one copy of Gooseberry Patch's Hometown Harvest, all you have to do is comment on this post.  You will have 3 opportunities to comment as follows:

1.  What is your favorite thing to eat/make in the fall?
2.  Which of the above recipes are you most excited to see on my blog?
3.  Which recipe would you rather see on this blog:  Tortellini Caprese Soup, Brussels Sprouts & Shallots, Turkey Noodle Soup?

It really couldn't be any easier.  This giveaway will run through October 14th.  Good luck!!!

Special thanks to Gooseberry Patch for providing me with this great cookbook to try and share with you. If you would like to purchase this or other cookbooks, please visit their store. Additionally, this post does contain an affiliate link.
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