Happy Birthday Honey!!                                  

Today is my husband's birthday and I decided to make him a birthday lunch that took him back to his childhood, a trip down memory lane. I made Kenney Burgers (a burger dipped in Kenney sauce, on a toasted bun with cheese) and hand-cut fries. I also made stuffed mushrooms just because they are his favorite.

"Kenney Burger"

Mushroom Filling

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 lb. package button mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
2  8-oz. cream cheese,softened
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped imitation crab meat

                                                                                                  Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Fill cleaned mushrooms (with stems removed) with cream cheese mixture. Place in a baking dish with a couple of tablespoons of water added to the bottom and bake at 350 degrees for about 45- 50 minutes.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I bought my Kenney's sauce at Kroger. For more information Kenney's Sauce

This was my entry in the floral class in the local fair last year. I took first place as well as reserved champion. I use a tree stump for the base, painted the face with acrylic paints, sealed with a spray sealer. I then glued on artificial greenery for the hair, then glued artificial flowers to the hair. Then finished it off with eye lashes glued onto the eyes, and placed a few rind stones to the face for added "Bling"! Everything I used for this project was bought at a local craft supply store. My original idea. Pretty awesome, everyone loved it.

"Garden Goddess"

Ready for "CUTENESS OVERLOAD" these are a few of the babies that live on the farm or have visited.

Baby Birds

"Tipper"

Twin fawns born in my hay field on Mother's Day 2014

Baby "Bella"

My son and his wife's dog "Chevy", we were puppy sitting

We have had a lot of snow this week and have been trying to keep the wild birds fed. My family enjoys feeding them year round, but make that extra effort during the winter months. We always supply a premium birdseed that includes sunflower seed and peanuts, as well as store bought and homemade suet. We also like to include raisins and orange halves. Below are a few pictures of some of the visitors that we have had.

Golden Finch

Male and Female Cardinal

Cardinal

Two Chickadees and Junco

Hairy WoodPecker

A few things that I made for my son's wedding. First a sunflower tree made from a metal tomato cage, turned upside down, I then pulled the spikes together, tied with wire, forming a tree shape. Wrapped with grape vine also attaching with wire, wrapped with a couple of strings of mini lights, again attaching with wire. Then I added burlap strips to the vine and a small bird nest containing two plastic eggs to the top of tree, this included the Bride and Grooms name and wedding date, adding that personal touch.

Next I made a set of cornhole boards, with the help of my husband of course. First I applied a coat of white primer, then I drew on my own design, then painted with acrylic painted, last step was to seal with a water based polycrylic, very important step, as this product will not dissolve your paint (paint must be allowed to dry completely before applying sealant). Apply a light first coat, using a soft brush. After the first coat dries you can then apply two of three more liberal coats for a great all-weather protection. I think these turned out beautiful.

I also made the sunflower straps for the cornhole bags. Simple burlap strips, sewn on lace, velcro and glue sunflower to top.
The (2 sets) cornhole bags where a custom order from Victory Tailgate, great customer service with prompt delivery and a beautiful product. 

We have three more horses that share the farm with "Icy" the first one is "Pretty Boy" my sorrel overo gelding. Then there is "Blondie" my palomino quarter horse mare and "Jewel" my appaloosa mare. They have created quite the bond and get along very well together and do not like to be separated.

"Pretty Boy"

"Blondie"

"Jewel"

Fresh eggs daily, 1 1/2 to three dozen a day. We always have plenty for ourselves and some to share with others. I love using them in my recipes. Fresh eggs are like anything fresh, they can't be beat. These are the girls responsible for the egg production around here, we try to keep them as happy as possible, happy hens mean more eggs. If you keep them warm and happy during the winter months they will continue to lay through the winter, though they do slow down a little.

                       Let's Bake Some Bread

Country Braids

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

2 packages dry yeast

2 cups flour

1/2 cup non-fat dry milk

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup softened margarine

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

3 cups flour

In a small bowl, mix together water, sugar and yeast; set aside for about ten minutes. In large bowl mix flour, dry milk, water and sugar. Add yeast mixture and beat well. Add remaining ingredients, putting flour in one cup at a time till dough just clears bowl. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead for approximately ten minutes. Return to bowl, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place to rise for approximately an hour until doubled in bulk.

Turn dough onto floured board again and knead for a couple minutes more. Divide dough in half, and then each half into two portions, one being about 1/3 and the other about 2/3. Take the larger portion and divide it into three even pieces. Roll each piece out to about twelve inches and braid the three together, pinching the ends and turning them under. Place the braid in a greased loaf pan. Take the smaller portion, divide it into three, roll each piece to twelve inches and braid the three. Place this braid on top of the larger braid in pan. Do the same with the remaining dough in a second loaf pan.

Leave the pans in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, approximately 30-40 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

As you can see below, this recipes makes two beautiful loves of bread. I do not have a link as to the source of this recipe, I printed it from the computer several years ago and it did not have a link with it. I have tried to find a link with no luck. I have made this bread several times, as many others have said before, breading making can be a little intimidating. I have been making bread and rolls for a couple of years now, and each time I try a new recipe, I'm amazed at how much fun bread making can be, with most recipes producing amazing results. Nothing beats fresh baked bread, you house will smell amazing. For me I'm hooked.

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These sausage pockets where so easy to make and so delicious. I used crescent sheets cut into rectangle shapes using a knife. You could also use a large cookie cutter, heart or circle would be fun shapes. If you have never used the crescent sheets, give them a try. I found them fun to work with. To get started you will need:

Sausage Pockets 

1 pound sausage
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
1 egg lightly beaten
crescent sheets   
sesame seeds

First brown and thoroughly cook the sausage on medium heat, drain, reduce heat to medium-low. Return sausage to pan and add 8-oz. cream cheese, cubed. Stir until melted. Unroll your crescent sheets and cut into desired shapes. Fill bottom half of crescent with sausage mixture, leaving room around edges for sealing, add top half. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. Cut X on top of each crescent. Brush tops lightly with egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake using baking time and temperature for crescent sheets. Serve warm.