Farm Photo 1/31/08: Breakfast Blend

Winter Colored Sheep

But this is all about to be wiped out by white. It just started to snow, and they're predicting 7 or 8 inches of accumulation by tomorrow. Unfortunately we have a lot of driving to do today. Yikes.

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where former California girls still get a little freaked out during snowstorms.

Farm Photo 1/29/08: Farmyard Kitty

Topaz Reminds Me Of A Teddy Bear

Want to see more?
Topaz Photos
Farm Cat Photos
Farm Cat Stories
Haybarn Photos
Haying Season Photos
Farm Landscape Photos

Update: A Place To Bark & The America's Giving Challenge $50,000 Grant
A huge thank you to all of you animal lovers who have so kindly donated to Bernie Berline's A Place To Bark non-profit animal rescue during this exciting and important fund drive. Bernie is absolutely overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity from around the world, and the Zoline Foundation is so thrilled by the tremendous response that they've upped their $25,000 matching donation (which has already been matched!) to $35,000.

Right now A Place To Bark is in second place in the Giving Challenge, but the competition is quickly gaining on us, and only the four charities with the largest number of donations (not the highest amount of money donated) will win the $50,000 grant. These last two days will be crucial. All it takes to help Bernie realize her dream of constructing a shelter building for the hundreds of animals she rescues each year is a $10 tax-deductible donation made through A Place To Bark's Six Degrees badge, which you can find at the A Place To Bark blog or on my previous post: A Place To Meow, A Place To Bark, Another Phone Call From A Foodie Farmgirl, More Prizes, & How To Turn Ten Dollars Into Fifty Thousand. 100% of all donations go directly to the animals.

Everyone who donates will automatically be entered in a drawing for all sorts of wonderful prizes, including signed copies of books and beautiful original works of art created by Bernie and other talented artists.

In addition, I'll be holding two separate drawings: one for a half hour phone call from this foodie farmgirl (we'll chat about whatever you like) and one for a signed copy of the fun new cookbook, The Cornbread Gospels, by Crescent Dragonwagon. Simply leave me a comment or send me an e-mail (farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com) letting me know you made a donation to A Place To Bark and if would like to be entered in one or both of the drawings. Again, thank you!

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where the dogs bark whenever they like and life is the cat's meow.

How To Contact Me

There's Nothing Better Than A Big Donkey Hello

Welcome to the farm!

I always love hearing from readers, and your feedback is always greatly appreciated. You're welcome to e-mail me at farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com, but please bear in mind that it can sometimes take me four to six weeks to reply.

If you have a question or comment about one of my recipes, please consider leaving it in a comment on the specific recipe post so others can read and benefit from what you have to say. I receive all blog comments via e-mail, so even if you leave a comment on a very old post I'll receive it and will do my best to reply.

I regret that I am no longer able to answer e-mail messages that are full of general questions about moving to the country or living on a farm. After spending countless hours over the past few years answering these types of messages and then never hearing back from 99% of the senders, I've realized that my limited time is better spent sharing more stories about my crazy country life, posting more recipes and photos, and of course maintaining the farm. However, I'm working on a page of Frequently Asked Farmgirl Questions that I hope to have ready one of these days.

Thanks so much for visiting Farmgirl Fare. I know there are a zillion places you can go online, and I'm thrilled that you've chosen so spend some of your time here with us.

All the best to you,

Farmgirl Susan
FarmgirlFare.com
InMyKitchenGarden.com

Farm Photo 1/27/08: Fence As Farm Art

Form And Function (And Unfortunately Falling Down!)

Want to see more?
Handmade Fence Photos
Farm Landscape Photos
Found Art & Farm Junk Photos

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where we find beauty in the everyday and prefer to use terms like seasoned and weathered rather than broken down and falling apart.

Farm Photo 1/26/08: Donkey On Duty?

Faithful Chicken Guard. . .

Or Donkey Naptime?



I'll Let You Decide

But don't be fooled by the open eyes. Remember, Dan can even sleep standing up.

Want to see more?
Donkey Doodle Dandy Photos
Donkey Photos
Chicken Photos

A year of Farm Photos ago:
1/19/07: Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Life Is But A Dream
1/21/07: Nothing Slows Farm Boss Patchy Cat Down
1/25/07: It's Just Not The Same Without Her

Two years ago:
1/22/06: Not Stuck, Just Resting
1/23/06: Watered Down Handmade Fence
1/24/06: Slash
1/25/06: Dusk From A Different View
1/26/06: Can't Look Over Something? Try Looking Through It

And out of the kitchen came:
Savory Cheese & Scallion Scones

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where you grab forty winks whenever you can, and the donkeys are even cuter when they're sitting down.

A Place To Meow, A Place To Bark, Another Phone Call From A Foodie Farmgirl, More Prizes, & How To Turn Ten Dollars Into Fifty Thousand

A New Furry Face On The Farm

Many of you know that last June our magnificent New Cat died suddenly, most likely from a snake bite. And then a week later we lost Gretel, a sweetheart of a tabby cat who was my beloved companion for 20 years. What you don't know is that early last November we lost yet another cat, one you'd never met (she was very private). Twin was a beautiful Siamese mix who was Molly Doodlebug's half sister. Their mother, an incredibly smart calico cat named Ollie, was one of the seven semi-feral felines that came with Windridge Farm. There were several litters of kittens born before I was finally able to get everyone caught up and spayed and neutered.

Twin was an outdoor cat who came to live in the house after she'd had her leg badly torn apart, probably by a coyote. I didn't think she would ever walk again, but with the help of Dr. Susan's Cat Repair Kit, I nursed her back to health (hydrogen peroxide is an amazing thing!), her leg healed up just fine, and she spent ten happy years amusing us in her own quiet way. She didn't meow, she couldn't purr, and she pretty much stopped moving around once she realized that inaction was the best way to lose The Doodle Monster's constant interest in attacking her.

With both Twin and Gretel gone, only 12-year-old Molly was left in The Shack. The thought of being the 4-1/2 pound Doodle Monster's only potential indoor victim terrified Joe so much that, despite the fact that he happens to be extremely allergic to cats, he suggested we rescue a couple of cats from the always struggling, always overcrowded, and always underfunded no-kill shelter that we've been donating money to for years. Then he let me go there alone.

On December 1st, I visited the shelter and adopted the three adult cats who had been there the longest--because really, three cats is only one more than two. (My dear friend Beth kindly pointed out that three is actually a full 50% more than two, but I told her we weren't doing the math that way and to please keep that fact to herself.)

Topaz, who is pictured above, had been living at the shelter for 15 months. There was a big 'QUARANTINE' stamped on her paperwork because she had bitten a small boy and a teenage girl, and nobody wanted to risk adopting her. She was curled up on the bed within an hour, and when I crawled in next to her later that night she ever-so-subtly shifted her body so that it was pressed against mine, gave my hand a lick, and began to purr. I started to cry. She's a total foodie, and her favorite place to be is on Joe's lap.

Panther-like Whiskers (who now goes by Mr. Midnight) and frisky little Sarah Kate had both been at the shelter for 8 months. These two are the best of friends, and if they ever stop chasing each other around the house I'll snap some pictures of them and introduce you.

It's been a long time since I've lived with young cats, and adopting this instant family has been way too much fun. I forgot how much energy two-year-old cats have! It's been quite a change going from animals that lay still for so long you have to check to make sure they're still breathing to crazy critters who start their day by doing top-speed laps around the bedroom and bouncing across the bed to wake you up.


Settling Into Life On The Farm

Adopting a pet from a shelter is a win-win situation for everyone. As shelters go, ours is very nice and the animals are treated well. But it isn't home.

For the past 8 years, artist and animal lover extraordinaire Bernie Berlin has been running a full-time, non-profit animal rescue in Tennessee called A Place To Bark. . . And Meow. Last year alone Bernie rescued and found homes for over 500 unwanted animals, many of whom were abused or injured. She literally goes to the pound and takes home dogs who are scheduled to be put down the next day. I think Bernie is one of the most wonderful people in the world, and right now she could really use our help.

A Place To Bark is a 501c3 non-profit rescue funded entirely by donations and Bernie's own personal money. She keeps the animals in kennels on her property but is in desperate need of a shelter building. Bernie currently has 50 dogs in her care, and she brings them inside her home during cold weather. It's getting a little crowded. But there is a very good chance that A Place To Bark will win one of four $50,000 Network For Good grants being awarded during America's Giving Challenge.

Here's How It Works:
Six Degrees has partnered with the Case Foundation to create America's Giving Challenge, sponsored by Parade. The four charities to receive the highest number of donations through their Six Degrees badge will receive $50,000 for their cause. A Place To Bark is currently in second place! America's Giving Challenge runs until January 31st.

Here's How To Donate:
The minimum donation is $10. All donations are tax deductible and must be made through A Place To Bark's Six Degrees badge (found below or on the A Place To Bark blog) in order to be counted toward the challenge. You can make your donation via credit card or paypal. International donations can be made via paypal. Anonymous donations are welcome. In order to win the grant, A Place To Bark needs to have the highest number of donors, not the highest amount of money donated. (Note: there is a 4.75% service charge added by the Network For Good to your donation, so you can choose to either 1) donate the full $10 to A Place To Bark and pay a total of $10.47 or 2) pay a total of $10 including your service fee which means that $9.54 will be given to A Place To Bark.)

In addition, all donations up to $25,000 made to A Place to Bark's Six Degrees Badge between now and June 1st will be matched by the Zoline Foundation. That means your $10 donation instantly becomes $20! Does your employer match donations? That could mean another $10 for A Place To Bark.

And there are prizes! Everyone who donates through A Place To Bark's Six Degrees badge during January will automatically be entered in a drawing for all sorts of wonderful prizes, including signed copies of books and beautiful original works of art created by Bernie and other talented artists.

And for those of you who were hoping to win the Phone Call From A Foodie Farmgirl during last month's Menu For Hope, I'll be raffling off another one:

Thinking about moving to the country? Have questions about living on a farm? Wondering if you're crazy enough to trade your civilized existence for days spent wearing overalls, carrying a pitchfork, and hanging out down at the feed store? Well here's a chance to have your questions answered. On the day of your choice, I'll call you and we'll chat for half an hour about whatever you like: country life, organic gardening, cooking and food, bread baking, raising sheep, putting up hay, starting a bakery, starting a blog, living 140 miles from the nearest mall and 30 miles from cell phone reception, the best place to buy rubber boots, how to process and vacuum seal a deer. . .

If you'd like to talk, simply leave me a comment in this post or send me an e-mail (farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com) letting me know you made a donation to A Place To Bark and would like to be entered in the drawing. If you're outside the U.S., I'd be happy to do a live chat with you via gmail.

And for those of you who would rather bake than chat, I'll hold a separate drawing for a copy of the fun new cookbook, The Cornbread Gospels, signed by author Crescent Dragonwagon. Again, simply leave me a comment or send me an e-mail letting me know you made a donation to A Place To Bark and would like to be entered in the drawing. You're welcome to enter both drawings (which are in addition to Bernie's prize drawings). I'll randomly pick the winners in early February.

You can make a donation through the badge below (click on the 'share' tab if you'd like to place the badge on your own blog or website), but I urge you to go over to Bernie's blog so you can read more about her exhaustive efforts and meet some of the animals that she has rescued. The photos of all those happy faces never fail to bring tears to my eyes, but what gets me the most is that the biggest smile of all is always the one on Bernie's beautiful face. Giving sure feels good.

From Bernie: Just think, if you donate and we win, every time you read my blog you can say to yourself...It is because of me, because I took the time to spread the word, to donate, that this shelter was built and that these animals were saved and are alive.

Thank you.



© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where life is full of laughs and there's always plenty of fresh cream for the cats.

Cozy Breads For Cold Winter Days:My First Recipe Roundup For FoodieView & Focaccia: My New Favorite Flatbread

My First Foray Into Focaccia

Up until the other day, I'd never made focaccia. When I decided to test my friend Stephen's Quick Rosemary Focaccia recipe for an article I was working on, I realized that not only had I never made focaccia, but I'd never even eaten it. I know, I know, where have I been? I have no idea. Probably too busy eating pizza. You know I love homemade pizza. What I know is that after devouring large hunks of this rosemary focaccia for three meals in a row (yes, I ate it for breakfast, and no, I didn't have it with my meals, it was my meals), I am ready to embark on a focaccia making rampage.

Stephen warned me that focaccia purists may scoff at his crowd-pleasing, quick and easy version which is mixed in the food processor* and shaves hours off the traditional resting times, but I couldn't stop eating it. Warm from the oven, at room temperature the next day, or reheated in my beloved little toaster/convection oven - this stuff is good.** It also freezes beautifully. And the smell of the rosemary-infused dough that permeated every nook and cranny of The Shack while it was rising was wonderful. I'm pretty sure I followed Stephen's recipe exactly, except I scattered a few handfuls of pecorino romano over the focaccias along with the rest of the rosemary just before baking. I also skipped the egg wash. Next time I make it I'll try using only half the amount of yeast.

Apparently there are all sorts of ways to enjoy focaccia - not to mention all sorts of toppings you can put on it before baking. But so far I have yet to get past splitting a warm hunk in half and tucking in a couple of slices of Irish Shannon, my new favorite cheese. (Yes, sometimes I do buy food that comes from far away - mostly cheese and olives and olive oil.) It's a 'full flavored hard cheese' aged three years and made with milk from grass fed cows. I found it at Trader Joe's for what I thought was an extremely reasonable $6.99 per pound and after the first bite pretty much became addicted to it.

As soon as I find some nice organic grapes I plan to try the focaccia recipe in Local Breads, my new favorite bread book by my favorite bread baker, Daniel Leader. Kevin made it last year when we each chose a different straight dough Italian bread from Local Breads to bake for A Year In Bread and said it was the best focaccia he's ever tasted. I already have my eye on a couple of other interesting focaccia recipes in some of my other cookbooks as well, and one of these days I'll have to take the time to make a truly traditional version, such as this one by Dan Lepard, as demonstrated by Fanny on Foodbeam.

Stephen's quick rosemary focaccia is just one of the recipes included in my Cozy Breads For Cold Winter Days article for the Recipe Roundup, a new weekly feature by various food bloggers on FoodieView. I tried to offer something for everyone, from tasty quick breads that are ready in under an hour to impressive yeast breads that are perfect for beginners. Many of you will recognize some of my own favorite bread recipes. You'll find all of the FoodieView Recipe Roundups here, and you can subscribe to them via e-mail here.

FoodieView is a neat site run by some really nice foodies that makes "good food easy to find, whether you're dining in or dining out." Check out the restaurant guides for nine major cities (more will be added) or search through over 1 million recipes from places like Cooking Light, Eating Well, Gourmet/Bon Appetit, Fine Cooking, Food Network, Sunset, and Saveur. The neatest part about the FoodieView search engine is that you can narrow down your search criteria by ingredient, dish, cuisine, special considerations (gluten free, low carb, vegetarian, etc.), sources, and more, including famous chefs.

As for me, I'm off to check out Michael Chiarello's Country Focaccia With Blue Cheese & Lavender Honey recipe, see if I can locate a source for organic semolina flour so I can try making Jamie Oliver's favorite focaccia, and work my way through some of the other 4,793 hits my FoodieView search for 'focaccia recipe' came up with.

Are you a focaccia fan? I'd love to hear about your favorite recipes and ways you like to eat it. I'm already drooling over the thought of focaccia sandwiches piled high with slices of juicy heirloom tomatoes from next summer's garden. (It's sure gonna be a long six months waiting for them.) My bread baking pal Beth, aka kitchenMage, tormented me the other night with a description of the dinner she'd just served: lamb burgers with blue cheese and shallots on homemade focaccia. And Stephen tells me focaccia makes a fabulous grilled mozzarella and roasted red pepper sandwich. Yum.


Stephen's Quick Rosemary Focaccia Ready For The Oven

Move over pizza. There's a new flatbread on the farm.

* A word of warning: This is a soft and sticky dough, especially if you haven't added quite enough flour to it. Do NOT reach into the food processor bowl and try to grab the finished blob of dough with your bare hands while the blade is still buried in it. Yeah, ouch. Not that I think you would ever do anything that stupid.

** A technical note about Stephen's recipe: It makes two 8" - 10" round focaccias. I didn't realize until they were ready to go into the oven that there was no way they were both going to fit on my baking stone at once. If I'd made oval/rectangles rather than rounds they might have fit. (I've shaped my bread to fit the bread stone before!) Fortunately it's winter, so I just popped one into the oven and set the other out on one of the chest freezers on the covered porch next to the kitchen, protected by a large upside down bowl since Smudge the cat (who lives on the porch) was very interested in it. If it had been summer things would have been a little trickier, as I don't usually have enough space for an entire unbaked focaccia in my fridge. If both won't fit in your oven at once and you don't have a cool spot to put the second one while the first one bakes, you may want to halve the recipe.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where you're allowed to eat rosemary focaccia and chocolate cake for breakfast.

Farm Photo 1/16/08:Menu For Hope A Tremendous Success!

Yo! Do I look like I belong on a menu? I don't think so. And get your mitts off my mizuna!

As you can see, Whitey's foray into motherhood (which is so over, by the way) didn't soften her up one bit. At nearly eight years old, she's as feisty as ever - and having a grand time bossing everybody around. The other day she even laid an egg.

But this post isn't about Whitey The Chicken (though she would like it to be, and I do realize that an update about her and her chicks is long overdue); it's about the Menu For Hope food bloggers' fundraiser which raised a whopping $91,188.00 this year! Through the UN World Food Programme, over 86% of this money will go directly to an innovative school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa which helps not only hungry children but local family farms as well.

Thanks for all of your generous donations, to the dozens of prize donors and the regional hosts, and to Pim for creating this powerful event. Every year it just gets bigger and better. We had a stunning array of prizes raffled off this year, including some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. You'll find the complete list of prizes and winners here.

As for who won the phone call from a foodie farmgirl? A big congratulations goes to longtime Farmgirl Fare reader (and huge fan of my Oatmeal Toasting Bread recipe) Jane Gardner. I'm looking forward to chatting with her and am curious to see what questions she has for me.

And if you were one of the other bidders on my prize (thank you!), you're in luck. I'm going to be offering another phone call from this foodie farmgirl as an incentive for you to donate $10 during a very special January fund drive for one of my favorite charities, A Place To Bark, which is run by one of the most amazing people in the world, artist and animal lover extraordinaire Bernie Berlin.

More details will be posted here in a day or two, but if you hate waiting and want to find out right this minute how your $10, 100% straight to the animals, tax-deductible donation to A Place To Bark will be automatically doubled, then possibly turned into $50,000, which would then be turned into a much needed shelter building for the hundreds of unwanted dogs and cats Bernie rescues each year, you can pop over to A Place To Bark and read this post. Oh yeah, and you might even win one of several great prizes, too.

Thanks again to all of you who helped make this year's Menu For Hope such a tremendous success. We couldn't have done it without you!

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog that's sometimes taken over by a small chicken with a big attitude.

100% Whole Grain Ginger Pear Bran Muffin Recipe & Baking With Your Mom

Going Whole Grain Never Tasted So Good

"I'm getting tired of trying take pictures of bran muffins," I complained to my mother. "I love them, but they're just not photogenic."

"Why don't you take a picture of a perfect--oh wait, we don't have any perfect pears. I know! You can take a picture of that last overripe pear sitting next to a muffin!"

I pulled the pear in question out of the crisper drawer of the fridge and examined it.

"I can't put a picture of a bruised and battered piece of fruit on my blog. Nobody wants to see that."

"Why not? It's the secret to the muffins."

When my foodie mother was visiting for ten days last November, we experimented with all sorts of new recipes I'd been wanting to try. Because neither of us could yet lay personal claim to these recipes, we both held fast to our usually opposing opinions while we were making them. But it felt as if I'd been eventually giving in a lot more than she had, so I decided not to use her pear picture idea. Instead, I tossed the lone pear back into the crisper drawer and promptly forgot about it.

Three days later I pulled it out, noting that it had become a lot browner and significantly mushier. I realized it was now or never for the photo shoot, so I secretly snapped a few pictures while my mother was in the other room.

"I'm putting these last few muffins in the freezer," I called out once I'd cleaned up all the evidence. "I got the photos I needed."

You should always listen to your mother, but you don't always have to let her know you were actually paying attention.

Over the past ten months, I think my mother has made the extremely popular (and very adaptable*) bran muffin recipe I shared last year even more times than I have. She bakes them for everyone from out-of-town houseguests to the staff at her dentist's office and says they're the best muffins she's ever eaten. (Not just the best bran muffins, but the best muffins, which I consider quite a feat since there are plenty of so-called muffins out there that look and taste just like cake.) She usually adds frozen mixed berries from Trader Joe's to the basic recipe but has now declared these to be her new favorite.

When I told her I hadn't gotten around to sharing the carrot zucchini raisin version I'd fallen in love with and promised to write about last summer she said, "Don't bother. These are way better."

The secret to this recipe really is to use very ripe pears. Like bananas, pears become much more flavorful as they ripen. The ones I used were so soft I simply mashed them up with a fork after peeling them with a vegetable peeler. (I am so head over peels in love with my new OXO Good Grips Y Peeler that I've actually cast aside the beloved ancient peeler I've been using for more than 20 years. How can I have lived this long without a Y peeler?)

As we were mixing up our first batch of this muffin batter, my mother wondered aloud if it would be possible to use canned pears instead of fresh ones. I said I thought they would work fine, but you'd probably have to purée them in a food processor. "Or you might be able to just smash them up with a potato masher," I added.

A week after my mother had returned home, I received an e-mail announcing that she'd made the muffins with canned pears. They were good, she said, but next time she would use two cans of pears. I wrote back and asked how she'd smashed them up.

With a potato masher like you told me to! was her reply. I guess mothers always listen to their daughters, too.


These Are So Moist & Flavorful I Just Eat Them Plain

Ginger Pear Bran Muffin Recipe
Makes about 12 large muffins

Did you and your loved ones resolve to eat healthier and add more whole grains and fiber to your diet this year? Then this recipe is just what you need. Nobody will ever guess that these moist and flavorful muffins are so good for them. They contain no processed sugar (although there is some in the candied ginger) and are made with 100% whole grains, including hefty portions of both soluble (wheat bran) and insoluble (oat bran) fiber. Whip up a batch before you go to bed because they taste even better the next day.

Last year I discovered small bags of something called uncrystallized candied ginger in the dried fruit aisle at Trader Joe's. It was love at first bite. The little chunks have a smoother texture than crystallized candied ginger, and they taste like ginger rather than sugar. This is actually the first time I've used any in a recipe; they're so good that usually I just munch on them straight from the bag. (They taste great with roasted and salted almonds, too--something I learned from my mother.) I'm sure crystallized candied ginger would work fine in this recipe, but if you love the flavor of ginger this stuff is definitely worth seeking out.

As always, I urge you to use local and organic ingredients whenever possible. Organic wheat bran, oat bran, and whole wheat flour are a bargain in the bulk bins at natural food stores.

2 cups (3oz/86g) wheat bran
1 cup (5oz/141g) oat bran
1 cup (6oz/170g) whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons (12g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (6g) baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1/2 teaspoon (4g) salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup (5-1/2oz/156g) yogurt (nothing beats homemade)
1/3 cup (2-1/4oz/65g) canola oil
2/3 cup (7-1/2 oz/216g) honey
1 teaspoon (6g) vanilla extract (optional)
2 cups peeled & mashed very ripe pears (about 3 pears or 17 oz) or 2 15-oz cans of pears, drained and mashed + 1/3 cup of the pear syrup
1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger, preferably uncrystallized

Place oven rack in middle of oven and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a standard size muffin pan or line cups with paper liners (which makes cleaning up a breeze).

Combine wheat bran, oat bran, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Combine eggs, yogurt, canola oil, honey, and vanilla in a small bowl and mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.

Gently stir in the pears and candied ginger.

Generously fill muffin cups with batter. (I use a large stainless steel scoop, sometimes called a disher. These are also great for portioning out cookie dough and making perfectly shaped cookies.) Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 28 minutes. Cool muffins in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and serve warm, or let cool on a wire rack.

Store muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze. Defrost muffins at room temperature, or in the microwave if you're really in a hurry.

Still hungry?
You'll find links to all my recipes for baked goods and beyond in the sidebar of the Farmgirl Fare homepage under 'Previous Posts: Food Stuff w/ Recipes. Enjoy!

* Many thanks to all of you who took the time to write and let me know that you made and enjoyed my original bran muffin recipe. I've loved hearing about the yummy variations you came up with. If you wrote about making them on your own blog and haven't already, I invite you to leave the permalink to your post in the comments section either here or on the original post.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Farm Photo 1/12/08: Winter Wash & Dry

You've Heard Of Slow Food? This Is Slow Dry

I love my clothesline and use it all year round. There's nothing like the smell of sheets and towels that have been air-dried on a fresh breeze. Because I'm a certified shrinkmaster, even in winter I shy away from our dryer. (Okay, okay, the crazy thing terrifies me, especially now that it seems to have only one temperature: Flame. Thank god the air-only setting still works so I can fluff up bath sheets without too much fear of turning them into washcloths.)

January weather in Missouri isn't real conducive to line drying, though, so the dirty laundry has really started piling up. You know it's bad when you can do an entire load of only reds and pinks--and it's a king size load. I'm just grateful the sheep don't wear clothes.

Click here to see the R-rated version of today's photo.

Want to see more?
I've aired my clean laundry a couple of times before. You'll find it hanging here and here.

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where you never know what you're gonna find.

Farm Photo 1/10/08: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

Feline Friend Or Furry Heat Detector?

Actually, the old tin roof on The Shack probably isn't real hot, but the woodstove chimney must put out some heat because cozied up next to it is one of J2's favorite winter places to be. Plus the view is great.

As for the big cracks in the top piece of the chimney, they happened when the whole thing flew onto the lawn during that bad storm back in July 2006 (the one where the greenhouse blew apart and Lindy The Chicken went missing). I figured we could just patch it back together with duct tape (I love that stuff), but Joe used some sort of special high-temp glue instead. So far so good.

Want to see more?
You'll find other pictures of J2 here, lots more farm cat photos here, and various farm life stories and tidbits here.

© 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.

Farm Photo 1/9/08:I've Been Adding To My Heart Rock Collection

In A Big Way

At 5-1/2 inches high, this behemoth is now the second biggest heart rock in my collection. (The ladybug that crawled into the photo shoot helps to give you an idea of its size.) I found it while we were out enjoying a walk around a neglected section of our property on Christmas Day. I can't think of a more perfect gift from the farm.

Want to see more?
You find several other photos of my collection of found heart rocks here, along with a few stories that help explain why a bunch of old rocks holds such a special place in my heart. One of the very first photos I posted on Farmgirl Fare back in June 2005 was of my heart rocks. I think it's an interesting sign that since then, nearly 200 more have joined them on the little stone ledge that hangs on the front of The Shack.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com

Farm Photo 1/7/08:Cute Things Come In Little Packages

Molly Doodlebug, Twelve Years Old & Still Only 4-1/2 Pounds

Want to see more?
You'll find plenty more pictures of Molly Doodlebug (aka The Doodle Monster) here. There are farm cat tales here and all kinds of cat photos here.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com

Farm Photo 1/6/08: Stock Dog Inspection

Daphne Is Very Curious - And Bear Is Very Tolerant

Welcome New York Post readers!
Click here for a brief introduction to this site.

Want to see more?
--There are all sorts of Lucky Buddy Bear photos here
--You're find even more dog photos here
--There are other photos of Daphne here
--And more donkey photos are here

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Farm Photo 1/1/08:A Donkey With A Sense Of Humor

That Daphne!

Wishing you a fun filled New Year!

A year of Farm Photos ago:
12/26/06: Reflecting On The Bigger Picture & The Little Things
12/27/06: New Cat All Fluffed Up For Winter
12/28/06: Warning Guard Donkey On Duty
12/30/06: Hot Crusty Bread Is Definitely The Stuff Of My Life
12/31/06: Farm Life Is Exhausting (Baby Cary Age Three Weeks)
1/1/07: Two Trees Dancing Under The Morning Mist

And two years ago:
12/26/05: In Loving Memory Of My Brother
12/31/05: Final Sunrise Of The Year
1/1/06: Best Wishes For The New Year

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com