Sharing...with Friends

We are finally getting some much needed rain...and lots of it!  I had to water the garden several times in the last few weeks and we were irrigating the orchards...unheard of in January!  Thank goodness for the rains! 

Last weekend my two gf's and I took a 3 day weekend up at the cabin: we knew it would be our last chance for a while, because of the coming storms.  I did the cooking: Macaroni and Cheese, Corn Pudding (my new favorite comfort food), big pot of chili with beans (made at home and brought up), homemade bread, cherry AND peach cobbler and cinnamon rolls.  I brought fresh eggs, potatoes, sausage and bacon for breakfasts.  I cooked up everything Friday evening when I got to the cabin...then we laid around until Monday...eating, talking, laughing, sleeping and watching BBC Mystery Series of DVD: Poirot, Miss Marple, Midsomer Mystery and Sherlock Holmes.  My friend brought Eat Pray Love and I fell asleep before the darn thing even started!  Saturday night we were ALL asleep by 7:30 p.m.  I kid you not...we had no idea what time it was until one of us got up to use the loo! Of course, she woke us up and said no way...we aren't old ladies!!  We heated some chow, popped in a movie and stayed up until 11 and then went back to bed!  It was soooo cold up at the cabin..we had two electric heaters on, the pellet stove AND the fireplace roaring and we were FREEZING!!  The plan for the summer will be to have the new wood burning cook stove put in and a propane wall heater...the wall heater will be used *JUST IN CASE*.  Because we are a farming operation we get propane at a lower rate, so I think I'll take advantage of that perk. We also are going to need to do some insulating...and window replacements...you could feel the cold coming through the single pane windows...brrrrr!

Chili with Beans Fixin's

Homemade Sausage Added at the Cabin...Yummy

My friend, Paula's citrus and broccoli are looking good...she even got a few avocados off her dad's tree...isn't that something!  I sure hope my little avocado tree gives me some nice fruit in the years to come.  I did get lots of oranges and lemons this year.  It's so wonderful to have friends that share...and to be able to share with them, too.

Quick Corn Pudding

One pint of canned sweet summer corn

One pint of canned sweet creamed summer corn

1/2 cup of butter (melted)

1/4 cup of honey

cup of sour cream

2 eggs: beaten

Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (or your homemade mix...recipe to follow)

Mix all of the ingredients together well, put in a casserole dish and bake for an hour in a 350 degree oven....YUMMY!

Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix:

2/3 cup all purpose flour

 1/2 cup yellow corn meal

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

mix it all together and store in a tight lidded container

To make muffins:

add  2 Tablespoons of oil

1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk

Had to share this photo of my friend Paula fixing the hole left in the roof when the snow knocked down the cook stove chimney last winter...yes she's in her PJ's (it's in the low 20's) and yes, she's a very good friend...what a trooper...someday I'm going to compile a book of all of our adventures over the last 40 years...it would be a best seller I'm sure!