Peanut Butter Brownies: Recipe #2 from Sunday Dinner at Grandma's

Mother's Day was the perfect opportunity for me to make not one, but two recipes from Gooseberry Patch's Sunday Dinner at Grandma's as part of the Gooseberry Patch and The Real Farmwives of America and Friends In the Kitchen partnership.  Since recipe #1 was slightly nutritious, I had to go with something sweet for recipe #2:  Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients
1/3 c. shortening
2 T. baking cocoa
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt shortening and cocoa together.

Cool; transfer to a medium bowl.

Stir in sugar and eggs.

Add flour and salt.

Mix well; fold in peanut butter.

Spread in a greased 8"x8" baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!  (These brownies didn't make it 24 hours at my pig pen.)

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. If you would like to see other great recipes, check out www.realfarmwivesofamerica.com .

What is a parent to do?

Life is full of decisions.  Some easy and some not so easy.  It is hard enough when you have to make a decision that only impacts yourself; however, when you have to make a decision that could be impacting the future of your children, it is a whole other story.

The Farmer and I have to make a decision that will impact Big Sissy.  Now in the scheme of things it is a rather minor decision, but I hate the fact that the decision we are making today could be determining her future.

Big Sissy is at the age where some of her friends are starting to get involved with travel teams for sports.  To The Farmer and me, this is a big decision.  We want to give her and Bubby and Little Sissy, every opportunity we can; however, the time commitment and impact on everyone else in the family are a bit scary and this is only the first step.

I feel like at age 8 we have to make the decision on if she will have the opportunity to play sports in high school.  This is quite scary to me.  The Farmer and I both played sports, several different ones each, until high school and then were able to determine what to pursue.  Unfortunately, I don't feel this is the case anymore.

It feels like we have to decide now what one or two sports she might have the opportunity to play in high school if she so chooses.

No pressure.

Farmer Fridays - Did you know we raise rocks?

Well Mother Nature finally cooperated for a few days and we were able to get in the fields on Wednesday night.  We worked almost non-stop until a short rain shower stopped us yesterday afternoon.  The weather forecast for today is still up in the air as the sun is currently shining, but rain is predicted.  The Farmer is optimistic.

Before the rain arrived yesterday, we were able to plant 2 1/2 fields of corn and a few rows of sweet corn and everyone's moods have improved immensely since last week's Farmer Fridays.

Now I know you know we raise corn, soybeans, wheat, and pigs on farm, but did you also know we "raise" rocks?  Well not really as you can't grow rocks; however due to our year round climate and the freezing and thawing patterns of the soil during the winter, each year new rocks come to the surface of the soil.  I understand why this happens, but it amazes me each year that rocks of all sizes randomly appear in the field.

As you might image, rocks are not so friendly to our tractors and equipment so Bubby and I spent some time picking up rocks the other night.

Truth be told, we could probably pick up rocks every day on the ground we farm and still not get them all.   It is quite amazing.

And although we don't really want the rocks in our fields, they do make a nice addition to my landscaping.

Easy Mandarin - Spinach Salad: Recipe #1 from Sunday Dinner at Grandma's

The Real Farmwives of America and Friends are always up to something in the kitchen, at their house, and on their farms and I am so proud to be one.  Earlier this spring, they announced their In the Kitchen partnership with Gooseberry Patch.  Thanks to that partnership I received not one, but two of Gooseberry Patch's Sunday Dinner at Grandma's cookbooks.  One for me to cook 10 recipes from over the coming months, and one to give away to one of my lucky readers after I've made my 10 recipes.

Well for our Mother's Day celebrations with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law and our respective families, I was able to make not one but two recipe from Sunday Dinner at Grandma's.  The first one came from the Garden Patch Sides & Salads section:  Easy Mandarin - Spinach Salad

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. baby spinach
2, 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 1/4 oz. pkg. sliced almonds, toasted
Italian salad dressing to taste

Combine the spinach, oranges, and almonds in a large salad bowl.  Before serving, drizzle with salad dressing.

It appears this salad was a hit as this was all that was left.

 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. 

If you would like to see other great recipes, check out www.realfarmwivesofamerica.com .

Farmer Fridays - My Mother's Day Tribute

Well last year at this time, some of our corn had been in the field for a couple of weeks as we planted our first corn field on April 16th.  This year has not gone so well and we have yet to plant the first seed for 2012.

The Farmer and his parents just keep busy doing all kinds of odd jobs around the farm to keep themselves from going crazy from all of the rain.  (If only we could send the rain to our friends in Texas that so desperately need it.)  Let's face it, just like our homes, there is always something to be done at the farm and there is never a dull moment.  We just prefer certain jobs to others and this time of year we want to be planting corn and soybeans.

Since there isn't much action on the farm in terms of planting, I thought I would dedicate this Farmer Fridays to my mom in honor of Mother's Day.

As you know, The Farmer is the 4th generation of his family to farm and raise pigs in our county.  Although I didn't grow up on a farm, my mom did and she made sure we had a great appreciation and love for agriculture and pigs in particular as she was from a pig farm, of course.  So it is very exciting for me to be raising my kids on our family's pig farm.  I just wish my maternal grandpa was here to see it.

Any ways, my love of pigs comes naturally.  Besides growing up on a pig farm, my mom and dad showed pigs in 4-H. My mom was quite successful bringing home many purple ribbons in her 10 year career.  (For those of you not acquainted with the 4-H program, a purple ribbon is the pinnacle of success and the ultimate goal.)

Just a few of her purple ribbons

As I was looking through some of my mom's 4-H pictures, I ran across an essay she wrote her last year of 4-H at age 19.  Here's an excerpt:

"4-H is a great organization that encourages family togetherness.  I joined 4-H because I wanted to belong and share experiences with my family and community.  My interest in 4-H Club work began and developed by helping my family on the farm.  I was eager to help in any capacity.  


My interest in swine developed by helping with the farm chores.  I started by helping feed our hogs and cleaning the feeding area between the barns.  Everything did not always go smoothly.  Such as the day I was helping my dad with some sows and I had to take a flying leap, head first, over the fence; or the day I was trying to stop a pig and he ran between my legs.  With the help of my father I eventually exhibited responsible and independent behavior in caring for our hogs.


By working with my pigs, I learned the importance of organization and management in the swine business.  Raising hogs is a business that requires hard work.  I learned early to be alert, observant, and to take orders.


Hogs are important to my family because they are the source of our income, food, and way of life."


Truthfully, I don't know if I could say it any better myself.

Our likeness even goes one step further as my mom even gave a cooking demonstration on a local TV station during her 4-H career.  Although I've yet to give a cooking demonstration on TV, it appears she was ready for The Real Farmwives of America and Friends In the Kitchen with Gooseberry Patch partnership years before it existed.  Additionally, I think her recipe would have made my list of Links I Love for a Mother's Day Celebration if only she had blogged about it back then.

Big Sissy carrying on the pig showing tradition... she gets it from all 4 sides of the family.

A few party planning tips from the pig pen

Well Cinco de Mayo is almost over and we didn't do anything special at this pig pen.  It was life as normal, but perhaps that is because we are still recovering from Big Sissy's Big Day AKA First Communion.

I am by no means an expert, but a long time ago I did learn that presentation is everything and I do try to pull it all together when company is coming over especially for a special occasion.  That being said, I thought I would share a few of the ideas that worked really well for Big Sissy's party this past weekend. 

Although linen table cloths look very nice and have their place, it is hard to beat a nice quality plastic tablecloth especially when kids are involved.  Plus, they make clean up super easy.

For Big Sissy's party, we used silver tablecloths, plates, and silverware.  We then used pink and white polka dot napkins and pink cups.  To tie it all together, I found this ribbon at Hobby Lobby at 50% off.  We used it to run down the middle of our tables and to accent the mason jars we used for the silverware. 

Fresh flowers were a perfect way to finish off the tables.  We used white hydrangeas and pink sweetheart roses.

Now this next part may make you think I am completely crazy if you don't already think this, but I get it honestly.  My mom's middle sister, Aunt B, who we lost 8 1/2 years ago was the ultimate planner and would draw out a map of the tables for our high school graduation party so everyone knew exactly where each item went.  At the time, I laughed and her, but I now understand why she did it.

Now, I didn't draw a map, but I did get a piece of paper for each item that would need to sit on the counters.  I then used the paper to figure out and arrange how all the food and drinks would be displayed. 

This was extremely helpful as it helped me make sure the flow of traffic in my kitchen would work.  Additionally, it allowed me to clearly figure out which serving pieces I needed for each food item including the serving utensil.  As crazy as it may sound, this is what allowed me to keep my sanity in addition to my mom helping me every step of the way.

The last tip I will share is to plan accordingly.  Now I know this is easier said then done, but with the First Communion mass at 11am and the party at our house at 1pm, I really needed to have a menu that didn't require a bunch of hot food or last minute preparation.  Thankfully, I think we succeeded with this.

Our Menu

*Appetizers*
Cheeseball with Crackers
Colby Jack Cheese Cubes with Crackers
Chocolate Chip Dip with Graham Cracker Sticks
*Main Meal*
Pulled Pork
Potato Chips

Broccoli Salad

Jello Salad

Fruit Tray with Peanut B Dip
Veggie Tray with Dill Dip
Pickles

Wordless Wednesday - The First Communion Cake

We are very lucky to have a talented cake decorator in our family.  Jenny from A Couple of Sweet Things is married to The Farmer's cousin.  She has always been a very adventurous and talented baker, but the last couple of years she has really dedicated herself to her craft and seen great success.  We have always been proud of her, but in our book she outdid herself yet once again when she delivered Big Sissy's First Communion party cake on Friday night.

And in case you were wondering, she can not only decorate, but she is an awesome baker as this cake was absolutely devine.

And since Bubby isn't a fan of chocolate cake (I know, I find myself wondering how he can be my kid as chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting is my favorite), we had her make some of her delicious cookies.

Linked to the following Wordless Wednesday parties:

Project Alicia

Pinke Post

Supermom

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