Happy Friendsgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Our official Thanksgiving dinner was so great! There were 82 of us there this year...lots of laughs, delicious food, and amazing beer and wine :)

On Saturday night I decided to do an encore of Thanksgiving for some friends so I named it Friendsgiving! It was an organic farmers dream...

Turkey Fresh from Skillington Farms


I tried a new technique on my first ever Thanksgiving turkey. It's called spatchcocking. I got the idea from The Bitten Word (http://thebittenword.typepad.com/thebittenword/2009/11/thanksgiving-2009-roast-spatchcocked-turkey.html). You cut the backbone out of the turkey and break the breast bone. The turkey can lay flat and it cooks much faster. Mine cooked in 65 minutes and was so moist! I covered it in olive oil and sprinkled it with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Then I put onion, garlic, apples and oranges on it. Delicious!

Sweet Potatoes in Orange Bowls

The sweet potatoes were the last from our garden. I cooked them in the microwave and then mashed them up with butter, marshmallow fluff (okay, not really organic or healthy), maple syrup, cinnamon, egg, and a little salt. Then I halved the oranges and scooped them out. I put the mashed sweet potato in the orange cup and topped with marshmallow and pecans. Bake on 350 for about 30 minutes.

Corn and Green beans from the garden


And for dessert....

Black Raspberry Pie (my dad's famous pie) from berries pick at my uncle's house.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies from the last of our pumpkin from the garden this year.


It was a delicious dinner made from all homegrown or local food! The evening was finished off with a competitive game of Catch Phrase!

A Farm Girls Birthday!

Last week was my birthday (Happy Birthday to me!), and what do you give a farm girl to celebrate? Farm themed cupcakes! Look how cute! Thanks Carissa!

Pigs, tractors, chickens...


Aren't they sweet!?!?! They put my face on a pig!




Cupcakes are from
Chez Jean Bakery & Deli
8923 S Meridian St # B4 Indianapolis, IN 46217
317) 881-9010

Happy Halloween!

Here's some pictures of my pumpkin for this year...





We had our annual bonfire at the neighbors house last night. Hot dogs roasted over the fire, s'mores, lot of jack-o-lanterns, and just a few trick-or-treaters.

I thought it was time for a few fall recipes. Here's a delicious pumpkin butter recipe that is great on biscuits or toast.

Pumpkin Butter
2 (15-ounce) cans of canned pumpkin or about 4 cups of fresh-- I used fresh
1 1/4 cups maple syrup
1/2 cup apple juice
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger -- I'm not a fan of ginger so I left this out
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Put all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. I would probably do 6-7 to make it a bit thicker next time. Stays good in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and then you can freeze whatever you haven't eaten yet.

Adapted from: http://bakedbree.com/slow-cooker-pumpkin-butter



Another great fall recipe is Apple Cinnamon Bread.

Apple Cinnamon Bread (http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/apple-cinnamon-bread/)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups chopped apples, skin removed

Topping:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 4 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice, and cloves. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add in oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Next, add the sugar and mix until well combined.

4. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until flour is barely combined. Gently fold in the apple chunks. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.



5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter in the loaf pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until loaf is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen sides and remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.



ENJOY!