Hay, Hay, Hay ... Goodbye

The hay crop on the County Line so far reminds me of that old 1970s song. (Yes, all you copy editors out there: I know I spelled the song wrong in my headline. Creative license, you know!)

See those two bales behind the tractor and baler? That was the total of the crop in one 40-acre field. Sad, isn't it? A normal first cutting in that field would yield about 55 bales.

It just hasn't rained enough to produce much alfalfa. Bugs also dined on the crop, despite spraying with two applications of insecticide. Expensive insecticide, I might add.

The first cutting is often the best cutting. Let's hope that's not the case this year.

After swathing the field, Randy couldn't find enough alfalfa to rake it together into a windrow.


The bales are from last year's harvest, but I wanted to show that it really is an alfalfa field, so I used the old bales as a little window dressing.

On the other end of the same field, Randy raked two windrows together to make it easier to bale, but he was still stirring up dust because of the sparse yield.


That 40-acre field was the worst. In April, Randy planted some oats into another old alfalfa field. The yield was better with the oats/alfalfa combination, though some rain still would have helped increase the harvest.

We rent the big-yielding, 2-bale field from another owner. We pay 2/3 of the expenses and get 2/3 of the crop. Let's see: How do you divide 2 bales into thirds? We will pray for a better second and third cutting, I guess.

Otherwise, we will still be singing, "Hay, Hay, Hay ... Goodbye."

Wholly Guacamole

I must admit: I am probably more likely to buy guacamole than I am to make it. I don't know why. It's not that hard or time consuming to make.

When we were at Jill's & Eric's over Mother's Day weekend, she served us homemade guacamole with panini sandwiches. It was delicious (and it wasn't just because I wasn't cooking.)

The hardest part of making guacamole is selecting the right avocados. Other than that, it's a breeze. For the record, the experts say the best way to tell if an avocado is ready for immediate use is to gently squeeze the fruit in the palm of your hand. Ripe, ready-to-eat fruit will be firm yet will yield to gentle pressure.

That's all great in theory, but sometimes I get fooled. Selecting an avocado sometimes mimics selecting the perfect watermelon or cantaloupe. Easier said than done.

The guacamole is a great accompaniment to the Chicken Enchilada recipe from yesterday's County Line or any Mexican meal.

Jill served the guacamole with paninis made on their George Foreman grill. It's an assemble-your-own meal. She usually has several varieties of breads. She buys unsliced specialty breads, then slices them fairly thick since they are smashed down in the grill.

Then she supplies a variety of sandwich meats, grilled chicken cut into strips, different cheeses, thinly sliced peppers and thinly sliced onions. (You can even caramelize the peppers and onions a bit in a saute pan.) Then she has mustards, spaghetti sauce and flavored mayonnaise you can add before or after putting the panini on the grill. A little guacamole could also go on the inside of the sandwich before grilling.

Put a little butter on the bread before you pack your selections between the two pieces. Add your fillings of choice, smash between the grill. There's usually room for two sandwiches at a time on the grill.

Cook until browned and enjoy!

Wholly Guacamole
Jill got the recipe from the Joylicious website

(serves 4-5)

• 3 ripe avocados, pitted and skin removed
• 2 ripe roma tomatoes, small diced
• a handful of cilantro, cleaned and finely chopped (omit if you do not like cilantro)
• 1/2 medium purple onion, peeled and finely chopped (Jill used green onion)
  
• 1/2 lime, juice only
  
• 1 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a mortar and pestle or large bowl. If you do not own a mortar and pestle you can mash the avocados with a fork or potato masher. Thoroughly mix the ingredients — if it needs more acid, add more lime, a little at a time. Same goes for salt. Place in large bowl and serve with tortilla chips. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate.

You can also use guacamole on sandwiches, salads, meats and use it for dips for pita wedges, pretzels, crackers, etc.

Ole!

I know my Mexican meal offerings aren't authentic. But they are highly requested meals around here.

When Brent was home, he asked for chicken enchiladas one night. I used a recipe from my friend Katie Minks, who brought them to a church potluck and then shared the recipe for Jill and Eric's Family and Friends Cookbook.

I always cook more when my kids are home. Randy and I eat leftovers after they are gone, but I like making "fresh" meals for the kids. It's not that they won't eat leftovers: They do. But I guess it's just in the Mom code - at least, this Mom's code!

Having Brent home in late May gave me an opportunity to put some meals in the freezer for harvest, too. I doubled the enchilada recipe and put half in the freezer. I also have BBQ Meatballs in my freezer stash. It will be great to be able to pull a meal or two out of the freezer during the busy days of harvest.

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 small onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups cooked, chunked chicken
6 flour tortillas

Saute onion in a little olive oil or butter until tender. Remove from heat. Add soup, tomatoes, sour cream, 3/4 cup of each cheese; mix well. Put 1/4 cup on each tortilla; top with 1/3 cup chicken. Roll up tightly.

Put a thin layer of the remaining soup mixture in the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Place filled enchiladas, seam-side down, on top of the soup mixture. Cover with the remaining soup mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dress baked enchiladas as desired, using shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, etc. Serve with refried beans, Mexican rice and chips.

Recipe Notes:

• I chopped up some green onion and sauted them instead of using a small onion.
• I used shredded cheese that already combined several cheeses, so I just added 1 1/2 cups of that to the soup mixture.
• I didn't measure the remaining cheese. I just sprinkled it liberally on top and baked it. (I'm sure I used more than the remaining 1/2 cup.)
• We like chicken breast, so I just cooked it in the microwave until done and then chopped it.

I used guacamole that I'd purchased at the store. But when we were in Omaha during Mother's Day weekend, Jill made a homemade guacamole. Check back tomorrow for that recipe.

Ready or Not

May 30, 2011

Ready or not, here it comes.

The hot, dry days of the past week have turned that sea of amber waves much more gold than green this past week.

June 5, 2011

Do you remember playing hide and seek as a kid? The person whose turn it was to be "It" would cover their eyes and count to the agreed-upon number. Some "Its" counted faster than others. If they were taking their turn, you'd better already have a place in mind to hide because they were going to be seeking before you had nestled into your hiding place.

That's kind of the way I feel about harvest this year. The countdown is on.

But there's no hiding. Hot, windy days have translated into a furious race toward the start of harvest. Those hot, 100-degree days have changed the field's palettes from green undertones to gold in a week.

My checklist for Harvest

• Lots of canned pop (check)
  
• Extra sandwich buns in the freezer (check)
• A few extra meals in the freezer (check)
• My big toe healed and ready for action ... uh, not a check. I'm in my fashionable, hard-soled boot for one more week. If only it would have healed as quickly as the wheat has turned, I'd be in good shape.
• My to-do list cleared so I'm ready for harvest action ... again, not so much.
  

But just like that childhood game of Hide and Seek, "It" is out there, seeking for me whether I'm ready or not. And it looks like it just might find me later this week. Somehow I don't think shouting "Olly Olly Oxen Free" is going to work in this case.

It's a Dog's Life: The Opening Chapter

Meet Millie.

She's the newest addition to the County Line menagerie.

We picked her up at the Hutchinson Animal Shelter yesterday. Who knew it would be so complicated - and expensive - to rescue a dog?

Randy has delighted at telling people we are adopting. He thinks he's pretty funny. And I will admit, a few of our friends did double takes when he first announced our intentions to adopt. I may have rolled my eyes a time or two after the 10th time I heard it.

We have been thinking about adding another dog at the County Line. Brent's dog Ralph is at least 10 years old.

We finally quit talking and did something about it when Brent was home for a visit. He helped us look and did his share of dog petting at the Animal Shelter. But he told us it was our decision.

Here she was May 20. Who could resist that face? At that time, she was known as Prudence. We decided she looked more like a Millie to us.

Even though it's nothing like adopting a child, there is some pressure. When you walk down the hall of pens at the Humane Society, the cacophony of sound is overwhelming.

"Pick me! Pick me!" they all seem to say.

It was easy to say no to a few. Those who growled at us were immediately eliminated. The pit bull mixes were a no-go. The incessant barkers were crossed off the list. The St. Bernard puppy was cute, but he would have eventually eaten us out of house and home. Brent & I liked the golden Lab. Randy vetoed it because of our experience with a golden Lab named Sandy who liked to roam. We don't really know what happened to Sandy.

Millie is a Chow/Shepherd mix. She's a little over 2 months old. We picked her out 2 weeks ago and finally jumped through the last hoop to bring her home yesterday. Just like a baby, we thought she'd already changed in the two weeks since we first met her.

I was relieved to find out that her sister had already left the shelter. Now we're not the ones responsible for breaking up the family. Millie has a new family. I'm not sure either of them knows what to think about that.

Ralph has been put in charge of training Millie to be a farm dog. Brent's dog Mindy did the same for Ralph years ago.

At least the doghouse is finally getting some use. Ralph has always refused to enter it. Millie has already made herself at home.

To qualify for adoption, we had to:

• Have Ralph's and Big Cat's vaccinations up to date ... $200 later, they are.
• Pay $100 for vaccinations and spaying for Milly.
  
• Pay $26.45 for a collar and assorted puppy necessities.

Having a new dog: Priceless?

Well, that remains to be seen. But she is awfully cute.

Ode to a Dandelion

"Roses are red,

Violets are blue;
But they don't get around
Like the dandelions do."
-Slim Acres

The County Line is no Botanica, but I do have exotic plants in my yard.

They are called dandelions.

"Dandelions are among the toughest and most adaptable exotic species of plants."

University of Missouri Extension Specialist Patrick Byers
in the May High Plains Journal

I'm sure they will want to sign me up for Stafford's Garden Tour this weekend. My yard is full of exotic plants.

The dandelion is the "most under-appreciated plant in our yards," Byers said.

"Dandelions are native to Europe, and are not native to North America. Dandelions came over with the earliest settlers, probably as seeds mixed in with bedding for animals or with other seeds brought over for planting."

Sure, those flowers at Botanica were beautiful. But there's a simple beauty in the intricate white "bloom" that decorates ditches and, yes, our yard.

They are a marvel in "engineering." Each seed head may contain up to 300 seeds that are windblown.

Dandelions can be used for salads, to make a tea or to make dandelion wine. I won't be doing any of those things.

But I can take pictures of my exotic plants.

You just have to admire their tenacity. Somehow I don't have trouble keeping dandelions alive. If only that were true for tomato and pepper plants.

Comfort Food

Brent was home for a few days last week between his intercession class and his summer school courses at the University of South Carolina.

And, as luck would have it, he got sick. I don't know whether it was something in our house or something that's blooming and aggravating his allergies.

But a little comfort food was certainly in order. Macaroni and Cheese filled the bill.

Back when the kids were really little, I remember making homemade macaroni and cheese for my two and for a little neighbor girl I was babysitting. And all of them turned up their noses and wanted the boxed version with the powdered cheese. I remember thinking that I didn't know why I'd wasted my time.

But my two eventually came to appreciate the homemade version. It's just a simple, nothing-fancy recipe from my old Betty Crocker cookbook.

Nothing says comfort food like mac and cheese.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 to 1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (or other pasta)
1/4 cup margarine or butter
About 1/4 cup chopped onion (if desired)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 3/4 cups milk
8 oz. processed cheese loaf, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Cook macaroni as directed on package. Melt margarine; add onions and saute until softened. Add flour, salt and pepper, stirring constantly, over low heat until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minutes; remove from heat. Add cubed cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted.

Add drained macaroni to the cheese sauce. Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake, uncovered, in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes.

If desired, make a crumb topping from:
1 sleeve Ritz-style crackers, crushed into crumbs with a rolling pin
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Stir together cracker crumbs and margarine. Sprinkle over the prepared macaroni before baking. Bake as directed above.

Serve with BBQ Meatballs and a green salad.

Note: I didn't have elbow macaroni, so I substituted mini farfalle.