GiGi Says...

GiGi is short for Gardening Guru(every one should have one). GiGi helps us make organically responsible choices for our gardens. So you see when GiGi said "seaweed" we listened. We met GiGi at oceanside in Deep Bay at low tide to collect seaweed to put on our garden beds as an organic fertilizer. I love looking for that perfect smooth rock and interesting driftwood and was easily distracted. Fun afternoon and I got to bring home some treasures of inspiration.

Rocks

Seaweed...
The Farmer's Wife...collecting seaweed
GiGi didn't have to collect her own seaweed...I think she had important Gardening Guru Research out there.
The Farmer... collecting seaweed
Driftwood that I wasn't able to bring home.

Dinner For Two

The farmer loves to cook for special occasions and sometimes just for his sweetie. He likes the cooking style of Jamie Oliver and goes to the Naked Chef for his inspirations. I came home to two wonderful dinners this past week. I soaked in a hot bubble bath and dressed for dinner while the farmer cooked for us. Now these two recipes were keepers! I love kid free late dinners with my farmer. Thanks :)

linguine with pancetta, olive oil, chilli, clams and white wine

1 pound dried good quality linguine pasta

olive oil

4 rashers pancetta, sliced, thinly

or dry-curled smoked bacon

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 dried red chili, crumbled

1 1/2 pounds clam

2x5 ounce white wine

handful chopped parsley, leaves

salt, and, freshly ground black pepper

Cook your linguine in salted boiling water until al dente.

Meanwhile, get a pan hot and add a couple of good lugs (tablespoons) of olive oil and the pancetta.

Fry until golden, then add the garlic and chilies.

Soften them slightly and add the clams.

Stir, then add the white wine.

Put a lid on the pan and cook for a further couple of minutes until all the clams have opened–discard any that remain closed.

Remove from the heat and add the drained linguine.

Stir in the parsley, correct the seasoning and serve with all the cooking juices.

tagliatelle with saffron, seafood and cream

A good pinch saffron

1 glass white wine

Olive oil

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 pound dried tagliatelle ( fettuccine works too)

1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) mixed seafood (prawns and mussels)

1/2 pint double cream (heavy cream)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A bunch flat parsley, chopped

Soak the saffron in the white wine. Add a little oil and the garlic to a frying pan, and cook until softened. Add the clams and mussels, shake the pan around, and add the white wine and saffron mixture. Bring to a boil and cook until the shellfish opens, discard any shellfish that remain closed.

Then, lay the rest of the seafood, parsley, and the cream on top. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and season to taste. Cook the tagliatelle in salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain and add to the fish, serve scattered with some of the leftover parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Pass the Butter Please!!

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it

killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the

research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure

out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the

yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter.

How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new

flavourings....

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared

to 5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over

eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard

Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in

other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and

only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the

flavours of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around

for less than 100 years .

And now, for Margarine..

Very High in Trans fatty acids.

Triples risk of coronary heart disease ...

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol)

and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..

Lowers quality of breast milk.

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact.... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS

VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares

27 ingredients withPAINT

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life

and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is

added, changing the molecular structure of the substance)..

You can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or

shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of

things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that

should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has

nonutritional value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny

microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is

nearly plastic . Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on

your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to butter them up')!

Chinese Proverb:

When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from

it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

Pass the BUTTER PLEASE

This is from one of the blogs I follow Memoirs of a Farm Wife

A Farm Wife Original Meme

A Housework Meme Just for You.

Do you have a daily cleaning routine?

Routine...I would love to have a cleaning routine...I do have a morning routine. At dawn, run outside and let Millie, my turkey back into the pen. Get back in the house and spend a few minutes to put my self together, Let the little dogs out, 6:40 wake up kids for school. Go to the kitchen and find the the kitchen fairies have not done their job again...put on coffee, start breakfast, put together lunch for Miss J and wake up the kids for school second time comes with a warning...finish up breakfast and call kids to eat 7:20 leave to drive to the bus stop. 7:30 I return to start my day...look for the future cleaning routine.

Do you cook on a regular basis?

We live in a small town on a farm, we have no take out or delivery. We cook everyday and every meal. When the farmer and I lived in the city we would fall prey to take out on occasion but temptation is gone. We love fresh food and it is a pleasure to cook.I just wish the kitchen faires would do their job and clean up after the meals.

Do you wear aprons?

Only on special occassions. Although I adore apons and have made serveral. Check out this one from a men's shirt, apron, Tomorrow I will start wearing an apron.

Do you make beds on a regular basis?

Yes I need need to make my bed everyday or before I get in if it was a real out of the ordinary day.

What do you call the three meals you eat a day?

Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

How many loads of laundry do you wash in a week?

3 per day...does that mean 15???

What is your least favorite chore?

Dishes Dishes Dishes....I just don't do dishes. Growing up I never had to wash dishes and the farmer alway made sure I had a dish washer...we do not have a dishwasher on the farm. For almost a year I have had to wash dishes. I am never on top of them and there always seems to be a dishes in the sink. The kitchen fairies never do their job!

Do you keep a company ready house (or attempt to) or go for that comfortably lived in look or could you be on your own Hoaring: Buried Alive episode on TLC?

I attempt to and this really is connected to the next question. I grew up with the notion that there is a certain section of the house that is ALWAYS company ready. The farmer could never get me into a house where the kitchen is the first thing or even visible from the front door, that is where all the work goes on and could never be company ready all the time.

I once heard on the radio that 90% of women clean house like their mothers. Do you?

I clean like my mother in everyway but in the way of dishes. My mother loves to wash dishes and uses the hottest water possible. Glass is first, plates and serving platters next, cutlery and on to pots. You must alway wipe down the tray and wipe dry the sink and neatly lie the dish cloth on the side of the sink. I hate dishes and the kitchen fairies never do their job.

Do you expect your children to help out around the house? To what extent?

Miss J and Mr. D(10 and 14) are very helpful...although no one has chores. Another thing we are thinking about ... I could use a couple kitchen fairies!!

So? How about you?

New Chicks On The Block(Farm)

Thought I would do a bunch of updates on the farm animals today. Here are a few pictures of the new chicks. We have a Blue Bantam, Bonnie, newest mama on the farm. A Bantam is a miniature chicken so these little puff balls are adorable. One of our turkeys, Phyllis is setting on a nest of 9 eggs. We have three ducks; Cocoa, Mable, and Buffy all setting on nests. I have another bantam, collecting her eggs this week. All the hatchings are exciting. The chickens and the duck mother on their own without much interference from us. The farmer is building me a brooding area so I can mother some day old hatchings I am getting to add to our flock. Right now I have 3 week old Welsummer chicks a gift to the farm from Gramma B in Ontario. They are in the temporary brooding area. I will add the hens to my laying flock. The Welsummer chicken lays a deep chocolate brown egg. The Monster Meat Birds look like chickens now... fat lazy chickens. We have orders for 35 of the 48, the rest will go into the freezer. We were not happy with the commercial meat bird so we have decided to try another type of meat bird called a "Red Bro". This is a 12 week chicken and will range, unlike the Monster Meat Birds. We are learning with every experience here on the farm. Life is Sweet!

Here is a Meat Bird 4 weeks old

The Farmer is fencing in my laying hens and ducks. No more visiting us on the front porch.

Mama Tanya out with the babies
Miss S and a Bantam Chick
Miss J and a Bantam Chick(making a wish?)
Welsummer Chicks
Bonnie on the nest
Turkey Nest

Ducklings

We are a farm so we practiced selling the cute ducklings. We took them to the poultry swap with us this past weekend. Although it was just practice...we brought them back. I think we will keep this first hatch here on the farm with us.

The art work we used for the sign was an original post card made by our great niece, Miss M, she so wants to visit the farm. The farmer and I just adored the post card when we got it!

Practice makes perfect?

We brought the ducklings home...
Mama was glad too :)

Strange But True ...Our Turkey Is Home!

Miss J and her friend Miss S were walking home from the dock on a sunny afternoon and there ahead of them was our turkey that at that point been missing for five days days and all hope was gone. As the girls told us, they just knew they had to catch that turkey...and the chase was on. It took twenty minutes and two girls maneuvering with the skill of farm girls and they marched down the driveway so proud with our missing turkey in tow! It was an exciting day here on the farm. The Farmer and his wife are so happy and proud of the farm girls rescue! We have not named the rescued hen yet...any suggestions?

"Thomas" loves to pose for a picture :)

Miss J and Thomas
Miss S and Thomas
Miss J and Miss S with the turkey they rescued.

Throw The Dog A Bone

Miss J has started her own little market business with the help of Moth Hair. Together they turned out 2 batches of Gourmet Dog Treats; Peanut Butter Poppers and Cheddar Bites. The most fun was had making the treats. We are blessed to have Moth Hair to do all the fun stuff with!

Peanut Butter Poppers

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container. --- This is the original recipe, but I have found the cookies burn easily.

Cheddar Bites

The Cheese Dog

1 cup Rolled Oats

1/3 cup Margarine

1 cup Boiling Water

3/4 cup Cornmeal

1 tablespoon Sugar

2 teaspoons Beef Bouillon

1/2 cup Milk

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 Egg

2 - 3 cups Whole Wheat Flour

In large bowl, combine rolled oats, margarine and boiling water; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk, cheese and egg; mix well. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition to form dough.

Knead in remaining flour until dough is smooth and no longer sticky (about 3 to 4 minutes). Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness, cut with square shaped cookie cutter. Place treats 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven at 325°F for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before serving.

Miss J and Moth Hair working hard in the kitchen!
Yummy Gourmet Dog Treats
Miss J at the Poultry Swap!

The Cat Came Back!

We had a great Easter Weekend. Filled with food, fun and friends. We were all missing one friend here on the farm, Ridic our beloved farm cat was missing for the entire weekend. Monday had marked day 5 and my hope was gone. Eagles can swoop down and pick up a cat quick. Ridic, was safely returned to us last night. It turns out he got stuck 40 ft up in a tree and was rescued by a neighbour. We are so grateful for his return.

Miss J and Ridic!

Don't Let The Turkeys Get You Down

Turkeys are just one of the many updates for this week...the farm has been busy growing. We got a breeding trio of heritage turkeys on Wed. One Tom and two Hens, they are a mixed Broad Breasted Bronze and Miriam. I just love the Tom and he just might be sweet on me too. We were hoping that both hens would hatch out 8 -10 eggs and from there we would build our breeding stock. Well we got the three turkeys settled and had to run another errand. When we came home...we found that we only had one hen. We have a theory that our Maremma Sheep dog, Kumi may have chased her off. The next morning, Kumi was barking at the back of the property. When the farmer saw her bolt off after something. He was on her tail and right there was the hen. She had survived the night and found her way back to her new home...Kumi chased her off again. We spent the next hour up and down the area she ran off to with no luck. As we made our way back to the house...I remembered "Don't Let The Turkeys Get You Down." Losing that turkey was getting us down. I don't have much hope of her return...but stranger things have happened...

Three Turkeys arrive on the farm.
Hen foraging for treats.
Tom checking things out
The farmer and Tom

Traditions~ Old & New

This year is a journey for the Thibaudeau family. We find ourselves reflecting on our past holiday traditions; some traditions like Easter Morning Egg Hunt have with out questioned been carried on. Before moving to Vancouver Island it had been a tradition to spend the long weekend here with family we were not able to see often enough. Living here now this year we opted for spending the weekend at home. We are celebrating Easter in many ways. I am taking the time to appreciate the signs of spring and the wonders of nature. Also making memories with dear friends and family. It is a tradition for my friend Mothhair to make Easter Basket Cupcakes for the kids at her Sunday School. We doubled the recipe and the fun by making them together. We Had a great time baking and decorating them. Good Friday has always been a meatless day. So held fast to our tradition of Fish n Chips for dinner on Good Friday, only this year we made them. The beautiful halibut fillets and secret batter recipe was courtesy of Captain Al of Wild Pacific Charters . The Farmer made the homemade mayonnaise for the tartar sauce. The seasoned wedge fries and fresh squeezed lemon topped off the meal. We are so blessed with the abundance of fish here on the West Coast.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

36 cupcakes

Frosting

Coconut

Food Colouring

Jelly Beans

Shoe String Licorice

Make your favorite cupcake and frosting recipes

We made chocolate and Vanilla

We were spoiled because Moth Hair's Husband made us a big batch of his great frosting.

Tint the long coconut with green food Colouring.

Divide Frosting and tint different colours.

We used pink lilac and yellow.

Pipe the frosting on the cupcake, top with some green grass. Nest three jelly beans. Top off with a licorice handle. They are the cutest little easter baskets cupcakes.

Deep Fried Battered Fish

Cut fillets into serving-size pieces. Dredge fish in flour; shake off excess. Dip fish into batter and fry in oil, turning once, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon; drain on paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle with salt to taste. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

Wedge Fries

4 large Russet potatoes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons Baby Bam

Make sure the oven rack is in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 450

Scrub the potatoes under running water with a vegetable brush. Pat dry, cut into wedges.

Toss potatoes with oil and seasonings

Arrange the potatoes in one layer on the baking sheets.

bake for 15 minutes, turn fries and return to oven for another 15 mins until nicely browned

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Baby Bam

3 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Stir well to combine, using a wooden spoon.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Yield: About 3/4 cup