Farmer Boy Kitchen Tips: How to boil water

Things you'll need to work with:

1. Water (preferably clean)
2. A Container (pot, kettle, pan, bucket, or something of adequate size to hold the amount of water you wish to boil - it should also preferably be clean.)  * Note: it must be fireproof.
3. A source of heat (stove top, microwave, open fire, the sun, or in a pinch - the hot air coming from a politician will do.)

Directions: 

1. Pour the water into the container.
2. Place the container over the heat. *Note: Be careful not to spill it on an open flame, as it will extinguish the flame.
3. Wait till it boils - but don't watch it; or it will never boil! * Note: After it boils, use it as you see fit. But be careful, it's hot!

If this doesn't work out for you, please don't blame me!
* Note: An alternative to waiting for it to boil would be, to add salt to the water; which speeds up the process. *Note adding salt to the water will make it taste saltly.  * Note: If you add salt to the water, be careful not to spill it onto an open wound, as it would be like adding salt to an open wound!  * Note: That would hurt!

Please feel free to leave a comment on this subject.  Thanks.  :)                         The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Laura's "Sweet Memories" Shop - Closed for the Winter

Now that my shop is closed for the winter season, it means that I can sit back, relax and rest... NOT!  While I may not have day full of waiting on customers in my shop, it doesn't mean that I will be sitting idly by with nothing to do!  That is just not my nature at all.  I would rather wear out than rust out!

Perhaps I'll be able to get to some of those tasks that I've been putting off - like cleaning out and re-organizing my office!  It sure doesn't take long before a pile of papers, notes, book keeping, and receipts finds its way into the fray.  And I found myself saying all year, "I'll get to it soon." And soon never came!

I also have a number of craft projects to work on, as well as more research on Laura and her family.  I'm hoping to get my family recipes better organized.  And, who knows, I may even be able to put them together into a book form and share them with everyone.  Now, that is a real ambitious project!  We'll see what the Lord allows.

But, one thing that I know I will do all winter is, continue to write postings, here on my blog.

I'll be including some additional recipes, since they seem to be popular with my readers.  Since I prepare each dish before I post them, in a recipe testing, it means that I'll be busy in the kitchen. It also means that I'll be eating on a regular basis!  Hope I don't put on too much extra weight! :)  But, maybe, since I won't be in the shop, snacking on my candy stock, it will balance out!  :)

I hope winter finds you trying out some of those recipes.  And I hope that you'll leave comments on there as you do.  I love hearing how things came out for you.  I'd like to have more followers of my blog as well.  If you haven't become a follower, I hope you'll sign up right now.  And, if you would, forward the blog page to a friend, so they can sign up too.

I'm still doing a lot of exploring into my ancestry, trying to find out more about the people whose recipes have been passed down to me.  It's been fun and very revealing to see who my ancestors were.  My folks never talked much about ancestry as I was growing up.  So I really didn't know about much more than a couple grand parents, great grand parents, and some cousins.  Now that I'm older I have a deeper appreciation for those people who have gone before me.  And it is really interesting to find out about those folks that I didn't even know existed way back when.  I don't think finding facts about them will really change me, but it is fun to see how certain gifts and talents from the Lord are handed down through the generations.  Of course, you also find out about some of the curses that people brought upon the family too!  As time goes on, I'll try to share some of the good things with you in my blog postings.

The Wilder Home & Museum are also in, "Off Season".  They will, no doubt, also be involved in working on projects over the winter months.  They have a large-scale expansion program underway, which I will keep an eye on for you.  But, for the moment, Rocky Ridge Farm will be resting from the annual 50,000 visitors it receives, readying itself for the spring tourist season again.

So, life goes on in the Ozarks.  I, for one, hope that this is a mild winter; not like that seventh winter the Ingalls family experienced!  But it might be a good time to re-read that account, "The Long Winter".  I also try to re-read all of Laura's books over the winter.  I may blog about those as I read them too.  Anyway, I'll be here.  If you wanted to contact me about anything regarding my blog or my shop, the web site has a link to email me - http://www.laurassweetmemories.com/   And I'd love to hear from you.  I've made a lot of nice friends all around the world, by having Laura's "Sweet Memories".  Hope to have you join in that group.  So check back on this blog from time to time and keeep in touch. Thanks.

So, for me, it will not be a vacation time, but just some more work - a work of love!
Wishing you a wonderful winter, The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

"To know that I have helped someone a little or made a day brighter will make my own work easier and cause the sun to shine on the dark days, for we all have them. 'Tis then a little place of sunshine in the heart helps mightily.  And there is nothing that puts so much brightness there as having helped someone else." Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Salute to all Veterans

Veterans Day is a national, federal holiday in the United States of America.  It was originally observed as "Armistice Day", named after the signing of the Armistice which ended World War One.  That signing took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.

President Wilson proclaimed the day, in 1919, saying, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solumn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her symapathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

WWI was, at the time, not called by that name - not realizing that the world would ever allow another conflict so terrible, it was called, "The War To End All Wars".  Too bad that title didn't prove true!
In 1954 Armistice Day was replaced by "Veterans Day" to honor all veterans, not just those of WWI.

In this family photo is one of my family members who was a soldier in WWI.  Others in my family served in other wars as well.  I hope you'll join me in honoring all the men and women who have served their country in service during any and all wars.  We salute you, who were faithful and courageous!  We shall never forget!
The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Farmer Boy Pumpkin Recipe - Pumpkin Bread

This was probably one of the very first recipes that I ever made, when I was a young teenager. It's one of those time-tested, hand-me-down recipes that can be tweaked with your choice of added ingredients.  This version is my favorite!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup of vegetable oil
• 1/3 Cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Cup of canned pumpkin
• 1/3 Cup of water
• 1 3/4 Cups of all-purpose flour
•  1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
• 3/4 Cup of chocolate chips

Glazing: 1/2 Cup of powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, 1 Tablespoon of melted butter, 1/2 Tablespoon milk

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan.  Cream the oil and sugar.  Beat into this, the eggs, water and finally the pumpkin.  Add this mixture to the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices and vanilla.  Stir well.  Mix in the nuts and chips.  Spoon the batter into the pan.  Bake for about 65 to 70 minutes. (test with a probe for proper baking)   Remove from the oven to cool in the pan and then to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.  As it cools, prepare the glazing.  You can drizzle this over the top with a spoon or put the glaze into a plastic food storage bag and snip one closed corner to create a piping bag.

This recipe is so versatile that you could use any type of chips that are available out there these days - cinnamon, peanut butter, white chocolate, etc.  And you could use raisins or dried berries in place of the chips - almost anything goes!  I've seen folks use unsalted pumpkin seeds in it too!  So, experiment and have fun - if you don't like the results, just try again.  If you have kids, and this doesn't turn out the way you'd hoped - just put more sugar on top - they'll eat just about anything with sugar on it!  :)

I can just imagine that little Farmer Boy gobbling up as much as he could fit in his mouth at one time!

Please let us all know how it comes out, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks. The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Farmer Boy's Pumpkin Recipes - Scones

I just love fall harvest time and all the great dishes that can be made from those harvests!  Here is a recipe that uses canned pumpkin, (which is much easier to use than fresh cut pumpkin!) but you can use fresh cut pumpkin, if you wish to go through all the trouble of peeling, cooking, mashing and straining!

Anyone who visited my B&B, when I had it open, will remember my fresh baked scones!  They were the highlight of the breakfast meal!  But those were blackberry scones, not pumpkin.  (Everyone went home with that recipe!)  I'll put the Blackberry Scone recipe on the blog soon, in case you didn't get it from me before.

Farmer Boy Pumpkin Scones

(This recipe makes 24 scones)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 Cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/3 Cup of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spices
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 Cup of butter (chilled and diced, to make it easier to mix)
• 1 large egg (beaten)
• 1/2 Cup of canned pumpkin
• 1/3 Cup of buttermilk

Glaze Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 1 - 2 Tablespoons of milk
• pinch of pumpkin pie spices (optional)

Directions: Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large bowl: combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, spices, baking soda, and salt.  Cut in the butter, till it resembles coarse oat meal.    In another bowl: combine the egg, pumpkin, and buttermilk.  Add this mixture to the dry mix.  Mix all till you have a loose, saturated dough.   Knead long enough to form a log, about 3 inches in diameter.  Divide the log into 2 equal logs.  Divide each log into 12 pieces.  Make a ball of each piece.  Slightly flatten each ball as you place them on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake on center rack, 15 to 18 minutes, till a probe comes out clean and you have a light golden color.                        While they bake, mix the glazing ingredients in a small bowl.  As you take them out of the oven, brush each scone with the glaze.  Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.  They can be eaten as soon as they cool enough to eat without burning your tongue.  I know that will seem a very long time!  :)

Scones are easy to make and great to experiment with, using different added fruits.  Some suggestions for fruit to go in these would be: raisins, dried cranberries, or blueberries.  You might also like to add walnuts.  Chocolate chips or any other chips go good too!  They store easily in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and can be re-heated, wrapped in a paper towel, for a few seconds in the microwave.  Have a good time experimenting - remember: working in the kitchen should be fun!

Look for more Farmer Boy Pumpkin Recipes on my blog site.

If you make these, please let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks. The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Farmer Boy Pumpkin Recipes - Treat Squares

I could not include recipes at this time of the year without mentioning pumpkins.  If you have ever read Laura's account of her husband, Almanzo, and his raising of a prize winning pumpkin; then you'll understand!  While I have yet to raise one in a similar fashion, I have attempted to grow pumpkins.  But, more importantly, I have collected a number of pumpkin recipes.  Over the next few postings, I'll be bringing you some of those recipes.

Pumpkins have become synonymous with the celebration of Halloween.  But, as a Christian, I don't celebrate a day which has so many connections with the devil!  I'm not about to sermonize on this subject here, but suffice to say: any day that gives glory to false gods is, in my opinion, not something that a Christian should be celebrating.  The Bible tells us, in 1 Thessalonians 5:22, that we should "Abstain from any appearance of evil."  When I was a child, dressing up on Halloween was no more than just good, clean fun.  But things are different today!  Halloween is a holy day for real witches, but not for those who follow the Bible!  The world has embraced Halloween as a holiday, even more important to them than Christmas!  I'm glad that some churches provide an alternative costume party for kids these days, but unless they educate the kids about the evils associated with Halloween, they are apt to accept the world's version away.  Enough said.

Pumpkins are not just for Jack-O-Lanterns!  They make a great ingredient for all sorts of dishes!
Here is the first of my pumpkin recipes:

Farmer Boy Pumpkin Treat Squares

Ingredients:

• Enough Graham Crackers to line a baking dish (11 x 13 or whatever size you choose)
• 1 can of pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 can of evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed!)
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tablespoons of sugar
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1/2 Cup of melted butter or margarine
• M&M candies

Directions: In a large bowl: combine the pumpkin, cinnamon, milk, sugar, and eggs; mixing well.  In the baking pan, sprayed with non-stick spray: lay in the graham crackers.  Pour the mixture over the crackers.  Sprinkle the cake mix on top of this.  Drizzle the butter over this.  Top with the M&M's.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 50 - 60 minutes.  Let it cool completely before serving.  (It can be chilled completely in the refrigerator)  You can cut this up into whatever size pieces you see fit.

Look for more Farmer Boy Pumpkin Recipes on my blog site.

If you prepare this dish, please let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks.  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Farmer Boy Recipe - Fried Green Maters

The north wind is blowing and the temperature is dropping, the forecast is for frost - so, I ran out to the garden to gather what was left of the tomatoes!  Some of them were almost ripe, a deep orange color.  Others were pink.  And still others were light to dark green!  It was the green ones that I wanted the most!

It seems that my family had been frying up green tomatoes long before it was fashionable.  So here is one of those recipes, passed on from one generation to the next.

Farmer Boy Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 medium to large tomatoes (GREEN)
• 1/2 - 1 Cup of seasoned flour (seasoned with a pinch of: finely chopped parsley, sage, basil, ground black and white pepper, celery powder, and onion powder) (or you use whatever seasonings your family likes better)
• 1/4 Cup of Corn Meal
• 6 - 8 slices of bacon (or the drippings left over from frying the bacon = about 1/4 Cup)
• 1 Cup of Buttermilk (reserve 1/4 Cup for a gravy, if desired)

Directions: Slice the firm green tomatoes to about 1/8 inch thick.  Dredge them in the flour, cornmeal mix.  Make a second dredge in the milk.  And again, dredge them in the flour mix.  Place them directly into a pan of hot bacon drippings.
Fry the tomatoes till golden brown on both sides.  Remove to paper towels to drain.
Add about a Tablespoon of the flour to the hot drippings, along with 1/4 cup of milk, to make a gravy. *  Plate up the tomatoes and pour the gravy over them.  * You may wish to add the crumbled bacon to the gravy also.  They are good even without the gravy.   A dollop of sour cream on them is good too!

These tomatoes make a great side dish with just about any entree or even as a snack.

It is always a good thing to watch the weather and listen to the forecasts.  But better to do than to just listen!  What a great treat I would have missed, if those tomatoes had frozen on the vine!

If you don't have home grown tomatoes ready for this recipe, you can use ripe tomatoes instead.  But you'll have to use more of the flour mix to coat them; as they are juicier.  And they'll probably take a little more frying.  But, be careful not to burn them!  I always seem to set the smoke alarm off, no matter how careful I am with frying inside the house!  They turn a bit sweeter in the frying - just as we should do - turn sweeter as we age or when the heat is turned up on us!  :)

If you make these, please let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks.  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

"It does not so much matter what happens.  It is what one does when it happens that really counts."  Laura Ingalls Wilder

Farmer Boy Recipe - Tomato Soup Cake

This recipe comes from my collection of family recipes.  If I had to choose a "Top 10 List" of recipes from my childhood, this would be in that list!  My great aunt made this cake for every special occasion in the family.
My family was not "Big" on cakes!  They were not a wealthy family and thought of cakes as being very extravagant.  So it was a very big deal to enjoy a homemade cake!  (Maybe that seemed to make it taste even better!)  This recipe was my great aunt's interpretation of the Campbell's Soup Tomato Cake Recipe that came out somewhere in the 1920's.  She left school at the eighth grade level to go out to work to help the family.  This would have been about the time that this recipe came out in a Campbell's promotion.  She had taken a job working in an A&P Grocery, just a half block from home.  So, I figure she would have taken advantage of getting dented cans of soup at a reduced price; even though soup was only about a dime back then - but during those hard times, you'd have to squeeze "Old Lincoln's head" till he'd cry!

Here she is, working at the Grocery!

My aunt is now long gone, but this is still a great recipe, after those 90-plus years have passed.  When I make this cake, loving memories of her flood back over my soul.

Farmer Boy Tomato Soup Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups - all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 Cups - sugar
• 4 teaspoons - baking powder
• 1 teaspoon - baking soda
• 1 teaspoon - allspice or ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon - ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon - ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon - ground nutmeg
• 1/2 Cup - raisins
• 1 Can of tomato soup (condensed - not diluted)
• 1/2 Cup of shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 Cup of water or milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl - combine all the dry ingredients.  In another bowl - combine the water, eggs, and melted shortening.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry.  Pour into a lightly greased and floured baking pan. (a 9 inch square one works good) Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.  Let it sit in the pan a few minutes to cool and then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.  When it has cooled, frost it with a cream cheese frosting.

Farmer Boy Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• 5 Tablespoons - unsalted butter (softened)
• 2 teaspoons - vanilla
• 1/2 Cup of Sour Cream
• 2 1/2 Cups of Powdered Sugar

Directions: Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the cream cheese and sour cream.  Mix well.  Finally, add the vanilla.  (If you can keep from eating it right out of the bowl,  it is more than enough to frost the top of this cake.)

Some of the best recipes have come during those hard times!  It seems that people want to please their stomach and cheer themselves up more when they are going through rough times.  Eating foods like this, helps us to remember better times. And being nostalgic helps us to relax.  The stressful economic times today, echo those of the Great Depression years; so I think it's time to bring back some of those old recipes as well. 

If you ty this recipe, please let us all know by leaving a comment here.  Thanks. The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

"A woman's real business is the keeping of the house and caring for the family." Laura Ingalls Wilder

Time's running out!

Laura's "Sweet Memories" shop will be closing for the season soon!  There are only a few more Saturdays left!  Once the shop is closed - it won't be open until next spring!
Did you know that Friday November 4, 2011 is a very special day?  Yes, it's ...

If you want a giant peppermint stick, like this Farmer Boy, you'll have to hurry into the shop!  Open Saturdays till November 12th! Hours: 10 AM till 1 PM   Hurry on in!

* Please note: this blog will continue all year, so check back again from time to time - better yet, sign up as a follower & please leave your comments.  Thanks for a great year at the shop & I look forward to an even better one next year!

The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Autumn comes to Mansfield, 2011

It looks like autumn has arrived here!  I had the opportunity to get out and enjoy some of the autumn colors, and wanted to share some with you.

This was the "Last Rose of the Summer" in my garden.

It is easy to see why Laura, Manly and Rose wanted to live here!  Well, that goes for me too!

"We have a whole five acres for our backyard and all outdoors for our conservatory, filled not only with beautiful flowers, but with grand old trees as well, with running water and beautiful birds, with sunshine and fresh air and all wild, free, beautiful things."  Laura Ingalls Wilder