Herbed Beef Patties

Herbed Beef Patties

1 1/4 lb. lean ground beef

3 Tbsp. cold water

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Dash pepper

Dash paprika

All-purpose flour

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup fine seasoned bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Topping:

1 cup spaghetti sauce

3/4 c. grated Cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp. Parmesean cheese

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs such as

basil leaves, thyme, sage, or oregano

In a bowl, combine beef, cold water, garlic salt, oregano,

pepper and paprika. Mix to blend well.

Divide meat into even pieces. Shape each piece into a patty about

3/4 inch thick. Coat patties with flour. Let sit for a few minutes.

Then dip patties into beaten egg and into bread crumbs.

Brown patties on both sides in butter in skillet.

Arrange patties in a shallow baking dish.

Pour a little spaghetti sauce over patties. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce over patties.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until patties are hot and cheese

has melted. Sprinkle with herbs and serve.

I made this with some pasta and it tasted yummy!

It goes together pretty easy too.

Things are Busy on the Farm!

I've been away from here too long!
But, it's been a crazy summer here at Buckeye Grove Farm so far.

On Memorial Day I took my husband to the ER, thinking the stomach bug had been hanging on too long.

Within hours he was in emergency surgery. The surgeon said if we had put off getting to the ER, he wouldn't have lived. Yikes.

His mom has diverticulitis, and now we know that Al does too. His intestine had ruptured early on Memorial day.

I had to leave the hospital before he was taken into surgery. That was tough. The surgeon gave him about 50% chance of making it through the surgery. But, I needed to get home to milk the cows. I knew that the farm still had to run.

He did well, and was released 3 days earlier than they usually release a patient.

I've since taken over the milking, and most of the barn chores. Friends of ours from our church came in and did fence work for us, and some made some hay.

We're finally getting into a "new normal" for our family. It's been really strange to reverse roles, even if temorary! He's been taking care of dishes and laundry. (Although the first lesson learned was that 12 pair of heavy work jeans do not wash well when put in the washing machine all at once)! I've been doing both milkings that includes feeding. Our neighbors, who are renting our other house, have pitched in and have been a tremendous help! Huge thanks to all who have been there for us! :)

I'm planning on getting some new recipes that I've tried up and posted soon.

Along with some new pictures that I've taken so far this summer.

We also have started our beef herd. We've decided to cross some of our Jersey's with beef bulls and have some beef cows on the side. So far we have an Angus heifer, named Spunky (she's ornery!) and our little Hereford heifer, born a month early, her name is Dottie.

Hope that everyone has a great week!
I'll be posting some goodies soon!

Quick & Easy Christmas Early Bird Review!

                                                    Another Early Bird Review!

The cookbook is Gooseberry Patch Quick & Easy Christmas. So, we're having some Christmas in May! I find that it is very hard to choose just 2 or 3 recipes. They all sound good! And easy!

My first recipe I decide was Cinnamon Biscuits. They are so easy to put together and make a wonderful treat!

Cinnamon Biscuits

2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cinnamon

2 C. sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 (8oz. ea.) tubes refrigerated biscuits

Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a medium bowl. Place melted butter in a seperate bowl. Seperate biscuits. Dip biscuits into butter, then into cinnamon mixture. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Makes 20.

I'm always a fan of soup. I like how easy soup is to put together, and it is filling. This soup is so creamy and is wonderful on a cool rainy day, which is the weather we've been dealing with here in Ohio!

Easy Cheesy Chicken & Dumpling Soup

4 (10-3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

4 (14-1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 (14-1/2 oz.) cans sliced carrots, drained

10-oz. tube refrigerated biscuits, quartered

In a large stockpot, over med.-low heat, combine soup, broth and milk; mix well. Add seasonings, chicken and cheese; stir until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Mix in carrots; top with biscuit pieces. Cover and simmer on low until biscuits are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serves 8.

The last recipe that I picked sounded wonderful, but I didn't realize how wonderful it would be until I took my first bite. This pizza is addicting!! I actually crave this pizza, and may have to make it again this weekend! It's easy to put together, and is perfect for company. That is, if you really feel you must share...personally, I could eat the entire pizza!

Chicken & Rosemary Pizza

2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese, divided

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 red onion, sliced

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

13.8 oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough

In a bowl, toss together 1-1/2 cups cheese and remaining ingredients, except pizza dough. Roll out dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread cheese mixture onto dough to within 1/2 inch of edge. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until golden. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serves 4-6.

Quick & Easy Christmas cookbook giveaway!

Of course, as you know, with each review, there comes the fun part! A Giveaway! This giveaway works the same as the others have. Leave a comment here at this blog post, and you will be entered in the giveaway. Please make sure I have some way to contact you to let you know.  Giveaway starts right now and a winner will be randomly picked on Tuesday, May 31 at 9:00 p.m.

Good Luck!!!!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Violet Leonard of VA. She was chosen as the winner of the GBP cookbook 101 Easy Everyday Recipes! 

On Monday, there will be another Early Bird Review, including another cookbook giveaway! Think Christmas!!  I've picked three delicious recipes, and I can't wait to share!

Have a great weekend!

Recipe Reviews & Cookbook Giveaway!

Here is the first cookbook review and giveaway for the month of May.
The cookbook is Gooseberry Patch 101 Easy Everyday Recipes, and it's a wonderful book
full of some easy to put together recipes!

I had a difficult time choosing the recipes, because they all sound yummy, and I can tell you right now, I'll be cooking from this book often!

The first recipe is a soup recipe. I love putting soups together. And since we have had some warmer, more like summer than spring weather, I was in the mood for stuffed peppers, so went for the Unstuffed Green Pepper Soup. Even my daughter dug right in!

Unstuffed Green Pepper Soup

2 lbs. ground beef

2 (10-3/4 oz. ea.)cans tomato soup

28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

4 oz. can mushroom pieces, drained

2 cups green peppers, diced

1 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 to 4 cups beef broth

2 cups cooked rice

In a stockpot over medium heat, brown ground beef; drain.

Stir in soup, vegetables and brown sugar. Add desired amount of beef broth. Simmer covered until peppers and onions are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in rice about 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

The second recipe really caught my attention because I've never though of pancakes being savory. This is perfect for the pizza lover in the morning!

Savory Breakfast Pancakes

2 cups biscuit baking mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

1/2 cup pepperoni, chopped

1/2 c. tomato, chopped

1/4 c. green pepper, chopped

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Garnish: pizza sauce, grated Parmesean cheese

Stir together baking mix, milk and eggs until well blended; add remaining ingredients except garnish. Heat a lightly greased griddle over medium-high heat. Ladle batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle; cook until golden on both sides. Garnish with warmed pizza sauce and Parmesean cheese. Makes 15 pancakes.

Of course the last recipe I chose had to be dessert!! My favorite part of any meal!

Oh, Harry! Bars

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

4 c. quick-cooking oats, uncooked

6 oz. pkg. milk chocolate chips

2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

In a bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in honey and ginger. Stir in oats. With moistened hands, pat mixture into the bottom of a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and lightly golden, about 25 minutes. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and peanut butter on high for one minute. Stir; heat for another minute. Stir until all chips are melted. Spread chocolate mixture over bars and refrigerate until set. Cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

Now that you've had a "taste" of the goodies that are in this cookbook, you have a chance to win a free copy! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, along with a way to contact you if you are the winner. Giveaway starts right now, May 11, 2011 and will end one week from now, May 18, 2011 at 9:00 p.m.  Good Luck!!!

UPDATE: Due to issues with Blogspot, this giveaway will end on Friday, May 20 at 9:00 p.m.! Two more days for a chance to win! Also, if you left a comment on Wednesday or Thursday last week, and do not see it posted on here, I have all comments forwarded to my email and I have them saved. Blogspot lost about 50 comments that was posted here, so they will not show up on this post, but I do have them, and will be doing the giveaway with them included.

Strawberries!

It's a little early for local strawberries, but we ran into a great deal on strawberries, so what did we do? Bought as many as we could, and put them in the freezer! I can never pass up a good deal, so I thought 5 flats (8 lb. per flat) would be plenty. When I came home from work on Tuesday night, Al had decided to pick up another 12 flats! We did find a home for 4 flats. Thank goodness! But, we were up until 2:30 a.m. doing up berries. They are so yummy!

Since berry season is getting close, and since I ended up with so many berries, I am posting a couple of recipes that I enjoy making with strawberries!

Strawberry Dessert

(from GBP's newest cookbook 101 Easy Everyday Recipes)

16.5 oz. tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided

1 qt. strawberries, hulled and sliced

13.5 oz. container strawberry glaze

Slice cookie dough and press into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Mix cream cheese and one cup of whipped topping. Spread over cookie crust. Stir strawberries and glaze together and spread over top. Cover and chill. Cut into squares and serve with remaining whipped topping. Serves 10-12.

Strawberry Bread

(For any Aunt Bee fans, this recipe is from Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts cookbook, from

the tv show "The Andy Griffith Show".)

3 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 cups sugar

4 eggs beaten

2 (10 oz. ea. pkg.) frozen, sliced strawberries, thawed

3/4 c. chopped pecans (optional)

1 1/4 cup. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Pour into 2 greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour. Remove to wire rack. Cut into thin slices.

*Really, really good with cream cheese frosting. Yum! 

Also, keep checking in, I will be doing two cookbook reviews this month for Gooseberry Patch! And that also means there will be two cookbooks that I will be giving away!

101 Easy Everyday Recipes

&

Quick & Easy Christmas

Now, I am off to bake up some of that yummy strawberry bread..mmmmm...

Catch-up Time!

Where did March go??

Where was I??

I can't belive it's April already! I probably can't believe because we've still has snow off and on.  Which is not allowed in my book after the first day of spring. 

My daffodils are blooming, but probably wondering why.  Our lilac bush is also getting little buds forming. My forsythia bush is thinking about blooming completely, but it's not as bright yellow as I would like. My grandma always said that you would get 3 snows after the full bloom of the forsythia bush. If there is any truth to that, then we are due for one more snow. 

March also means "tax crunch time" for us. So, I spent most of my days off from work at the kitchen table with the tax books, check books and calculator spread in front of me.  Glad to have all that turned into our accountant and it's his turn to make heads or tails of it all! 

We've also been super busy with babies! Baby calves are bouncing around all over the place.  We're up to 20 babies.  We keep all of our little heifers, and they will someday be part of our milking herd.  The bull calves go to the local stock sale. 

We'll also have new neighbors this week!  We have the house next door, Al's mom and dad lived their before their retirment move to Kentucky. It's in the process of being fixed up and cleaned up for a family from Florida.  They are friends with our Pastor and his family, and they will be moving in on Tuesday evening.

Over the winter, we've had to make a tough decision. In order to keep ourselves healthy and protect the farm from total dispersal, we've decided that it would be best to no longer make cheese. We've found that it was just way too much to try to balance so much. It has been only my husband and I. And along with making cheese once a week, doing 2 farm markets, milking 50-60 cows each day, haymaking, hauling manure, events, making deliveries, etc. It was just more than we could handle at the time. 

We have plenty of cheese in our walk-in cooler, and have recently put it on sale. We had a lot of fun meeting new people as we were out and about selling cheese and I'm going to miss quite a bit that went with the process. But, we're going to focus our attention on our girls, and making sure that we take care of the farm end, which is where Buckeye Grove Farm started in the first place back in the mid-1800's.

I've run across a few recipes recently, and I'm going to get them posted soon!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful spring so far, and hopefully your weather is warmer and dryer than ours!  :o)