The Melting Pot

Literally:

Welcome to the melting pot. Not fun. The older I get, the more I struggle with intense heat like this. We're 25 miles from town and we're generally a few degrees hotter. We're praying for rain, but I can't recall ever NOT praying for rain.

My poor chickens are panting

We eat a watermelon a week around here and I stash the rind in the deep freeze for them for a treat:

 and I spray down their yard under a big tree to give them a cool place every day.  We've had several days of this

40-60 mph sustained winds that turn our usually brilliant blue skies, dirt brown. So in between the wind, and before the heat descends, I've been beginning my days like this

I've been moving hoses and sprinklers in an attempt to keep trees and grass and the garden alive and mowing at 6 a.m. 

I've been harvesting Zucchini, lots of radishes  - I'm afraid I'm going to have to replant much of the the garden

                                           

I've been graced with the first Cosmos of the season

The Crepe Myrtle is blooming up a storm although it looks a tad forlorn after another round of brutal wind

And the Willow is showing off some pretty pink flowers

We've had a plague of Tarantula Wasps take up residence in the yard, searching for the damp, cool places

I would love a wildflower garden, but it's a challenge to grow anything out here, thus, every single bloom brings me great joy

As does my trusty sidekick!

                                    

Ranchers Potatoes

 25 years ago I met a young ranch wife in Abilene at the Western Heritage Classic. She had written an article in Western Horseman that really spoke to me. She was carrying her small daughter and her young son was shadowing her as she moved among the booths at the trade show. We bonded over a love for this lifestyle, family, reading, and our children's education. We instantly became pen pals and LONG letters flew between us for years. She held my hand through the early stages of our homeschool adventures and became a treasured mentor and friend. We exchanged ideas, books, daily routines, ranch life adventures, child rearing tales, homeschooling concepts, Scripture, and recipes. We speculated over how to stretch pennies on cowboy wages. We brainstormed theories and concepts - discussed learning and teaching styles and shared stories of sweet things our husbands did and said and about the times they were grumpy. We shared, consulted, and encouraged each other. She pushed me to think outside of the box. 20 page type-written letters every week were the norm, and when the electricity was out we handwrote them. I fairly danced out of the post office when the mail included a fat, brown envelope from the Panhandle.

All that to say, I'm grateful for those days. She now lives and ranches in Arizona and has worked hard to realize her dream of becoming a writer. She paints beautiful, authentic pictures with words when her pen meets paper. I'll link to her website here: Amy I wish I had kept all of those letters (I literally had a banker's box full) because she was a talented and gifted writer long before she was ever published. 

So, today I'm sharing one of our favorite recipes from those letters. Thank you, Amy -I think of you every time I make them!

Ranchers Potatoes

6 potatoes, scrubbed

1/2 C water

1 can, chopped green chilies (I use fresh, roasted green chilies because we love it in everything!)

5 bacon strips, cooked and diced (Someone is going to ask so I'll add a note here: I don't care for the bacon bits in the grocery store. Convenient? Yes, but bacon is just better when it's cooked on the stove or in the oven, but I won't judge you if you use them. 😉)

8 oz sour cream

3/4 C Ranch Dressing

1 1/2 C grated Cheddar Cheese (I like to grate my own cheese for more flavor, but I have used the pre-grated cheese in the past.)

Pepper

*Scrub and cube potatoes and place in casserole dish. Add 1/2 C water, cover with paper towel (if using the microwave) and cook until almost done. Combine all other ingredients and add to potatoes, stirring well. Bake in oven at 350° for 30 minutes.

Note: You can either partially cook these in the microwave or in the oven. Enjoy!

New Baby Quilt Project

 Our girl asked me to make a quilt for a sweet friend expecting her first baby. She said they are decorating in a soft color palette, reminiscent of Peter Rabbit. I have a lot of fabric, but for the most part, pastels are  lacking so when I saw this Bramble Patch collection I thought it would be perfect. I initially bought a Layer Cake

Such sweet prints!

but once I settled on a design, I purchased a fat quarter pack on a 30% off sale as well as a few different cuts to finish things off. I cut everything into 5" squares in order to make the best use of the Layer Cake and I am alternating them with pinwheels. I hope it turns out the way I am picturing it. 

And yes, I'm going to have lots of leftovers, but that's a good thing because I think there a few more baby quilts hiding in here

But for the time being, pinwheel-ing continues!

Breakfast Pizza

 Today I'm sharing another recipe I've been making for a coon's age. I usually remember a recipe's origin, but I haven't a clue where I found this one. These days everything's at our fingertips, but 30 years ago we relied on ourselves, friends and family and old fashioned cookbooks for discovering recipe inspiration. Either way, this one has stood the test of time and I make it whenever I have extras. You can easily add more ingredients if you have more to feed and this heats up beautifully the next morning if you have leftovers. I usually serve it with biscuits, bacon, and fruit. It's also really yummy in a warm tortilla with homemade salsa!

It doesn't have a crust per-say, but it's always been known as Breakfast Pizza around here. 

Breakfast Pizza

1# hot bulk breakfast sausage

1 package O'Brien Hashbrown Potatoes

1/3 C chopped green chilies

8-12 eggs

1 Tbsp Worchestershire

Pepper/Salt

Grated Cheese

*Brown sausage in large skillet. I use a 14" pan. Add potatoes while sausage browns. Once the sausage and potatoes are cooked, stir in green chile. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, Worchestershire, pepper, and salt together. Poor over sausage/potato/chile combination when potatoes and sausage are cooked through. Stir gently until eggs begin to set. Turn heat down to low and cook until eggs are cooked through. Sprinkle with cheese. Cut into wedges. 

Leftover eggs are generally not appealing, but this is good if you've got leftovers!