Tag: Farm Life

Getting Out of a Cooking Rut

I’m in a food rut again.

Making the same 5 or 6 meals over and over. When it comes time for lunch or supper (yes, we eat supper in the evening, not dinner, but that is a topic for another post), I struggle to come up with something new.

Remember the movie Julie and Julia? It is one of my favorites.

A woman named Julie is stuck as a low-level bureaucrat and in a rut. She is in more than just food rut, more like a life rut. Anyway, she determines that she will cook her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blog about her experience. She gains attention and fame, then ultimately a book and movie deal. The movie explores both her experience and Julia Child’s life while writing the book.

I am not going to do all that. Plus, it has already been done. However, over the next week, I intend to explore some of the recipes from both Volume 1 and 2 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There will be old favorites and some that I have not tried before.

Adopting a “theme” of Julia Child for the week will surely get me out of this rut.

The first dish from Julia Child week was Supremes de Volaille Archiduc which translated from the French is Chicken Breasts with Paprika, Onions, and Cream. The sauce is the highlight of this dish…warm, creamy and rich. It was easy and relatively quick to make. The main thing that slowed me down was reading and re-reading the recipe to make sure I had everything right.

I can also report the leftover chicken made an excellent chicken salad; finely chopped, mixed with celery, a bit of leftover Caprese salad and mayo.

As I continue through this theme, I anticipate making croissants at some point. Those take 11 – 12 hours from start to finish, so definitely a “plan-in-advance” kind of item.

In the meantime, I think I’ll make a trip to the butcher to get rump roast for Boeuf Bourguignon. Oh yum!

To follow all things Five Feline Farm and my menu adventures check out our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media.

104-Product Experiments and More

We have been busy on these long dreary winter days creating new products in both the kitchen and basement lab.

This episode gives you a peek into those ideas, plus our efforts on building the Spring Into Gardening workshop and our upcoming online courses. If you would like to attend Spring Into Gardening on February 15, 2020, here is the registration link.

To follow us on social media or leave a comment about your decluttering efforts, check out Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Until next time….

P.S. Don’t forget there are only a few more days to save on shipping in our on line Mercantile. Free shipping on orders over $25. Enter code SHIP25 at checkout.

103-Garden Planning

It may be dark and dreary outside, but inside we are busy planning for the upcoming garden season.

On today’s episode you will hear about what is underway with starting seedlings plus a bit more about our decluttering efforts.

If you are interested in the Coles County Master Gardener’s Spring into Gardening day on February 15, you can get more information here.

Don’t forget to shop our online Mercantile and get free shipping in January on orders over $25, just use the code SHIP25.

Until next time….

The January Declutter Challenge

Something about January feels like starting over. It is a new year and in this instance a new decade. Out with the old and in with the new. It is time for the January Declutter Challenge!

One way to start over and begin anew is to declutter.  This is not necessarily “in with the new” although some new shelving and cabinets may be required. Ours is more of an effort to clean up, reuse or repurpose as appropriate or find a new home for things that are just not needed any longer.

If you have been listening to Farm Chatter, you are aware of our challenge  to listeners (and now readers) to join in this declutter effort.

It can be daunting, but we have created a system.

Whole House Plan

It has been over 10 years since anything in this house had a real makeover. Throughout the coming weeks we will go through each and every room, sort out what occupies the room, donate what is not needed and re-organize what is left. This may eventually include refreshing paint or adding new color in other ways, but it starts with a thorough deep clean.

One Room At A Time

It is too overwhelming to think about cleaning three levels and 10+ years of accumulation of stuff all at once. That will lead to immobilization.

The antidote to this paralysis is to tackle one room at a time. Some days we have broken it down to even smaller areas: one closet or one kitchen cabinet. Think of the old saying about how to eat an elephant. One bite at a time.

20 Minutes a Day

Often what it takes is to just get started. Some times even looking at a jumbled up closet is too much to tackle. But committing to just 20 minutes a day is doable. Usually I end up spending more than that amount of time, but I know that if I can do at least 20 minutes, I have been successful for the day. Setting this small goal helps.

It may not be a fast pace, but every step is progress.  Each cabinet, closet, and drawer is one step closer to the ultimate goal of having a clean organized house.

Won’t you join the January Declutter Challenge?

While you are decluttering, don’t forget to save on shipping in our online Mercantile. During the month of January use the code SHIP25 for free shipping on orders over $25.00.