Heritage Hill Homestead

Featured Blogger ~ Rosie from Rosie's Country Home

This week's Featured Blogger was also nominated by her fellow bloggers.  Please stop by Rosie's Country Home and congratulate her for being this week's Featured Blogger! 

While you are there, be certain to check out her delicious sounding recipes like: Teriyaki Steak & Quinoa and No Yeast Whole Wheat Bread.

Congratulations Rosie!

Please help me choose the next Featured Blogger.  If you have a blogger you'd like to nominate as our Featured Blogger of the Week, send me an email at senioreditor@homesteadblogger.com .  Keep in mind that Featured Bloggers must be at least 18 years of age and their blog must be encouraging, uplifting, and/or inspiring. 

Who knows, you may be our next featured blogger ! 

The Porch Painter

We are very blessed to have a very good, resident porch painter!


It looks sooooo much better.  Thanks Christina!

It's a perfect spring day for painting
and picnicing
and picking wildflowers







PS. We're doing well. Getting through the tough lessons of who is boss and what is expected around here.
Sorry, can't post pictures of the tw*ns yet. 

Learning New Things :)

Blessings!

   As always, we continue to learn new things :) As promised, I am here to share our experiences and adventures and keep up this blog once again:) Sooooo, here goes!

   Our newest little adventure since coming here is tapping Maple trees! I can tell you, I was nervous about the whole thing. Like anything else we learn for the first time, we began our in depth research to make sure we were doing it all the right way at the right time. We searched and searched and searched but each place we found sites with printable pages only to find that it would make a booklet with no more than 4 pages. Surely there is more to it than this? So we searched more and more and more, always coming up with the same enemic information. Little pictures identifying the bark of Sugar Maples, Red Maples, Silver Maples and Boxelder trees. All tappable and all edible. Drill a hole, tap a spile in until it flows (or drips quickly), hang a bucket with a lid to keep out the debris and rainwater and empty once a day! It CAN'T be that easy!

   After weeks of searching and coming up seemingly empty handed we made a trip out to talk to a fella in BRF that runs a place called Buzz and Brew...he has supplies and information on keeping bees, tapping trees, wine and beer making etc. I asked him what a good book for the information I needed would be and he walks over and picks up a little 4 page pamphlet sized booklet, hands it to me and says..."there ya go!" Huh? I laughed so hard cuz it was exactly the pages I had printed out a few weeks earlier! I asked him if it was really this simple and he said, "yep! It's so easy the trees could do it themselves!" :P He gave me little hints about boiling off the water to make the syrup when we are done and it's simple as that! Soooooo... here's some pictures of our tapping adventure :P I do warn you though...my daughters have teased me ruthlessly about how "girlie" I look when I tapped MY tree :P

   For all their teasing though...my tree is flowing fastest :P

Papa drilling the trunk with a 3/8 inch auger bit to just about 1 1/2 inch depth. The debris is nice and light colored so it's a good tree.

The girls armed and ready for the task.

The buckets were purchased used but  the lids and spiles are new.Miss Mary-Ann tapping her tree (in all fairness if I have to reveal my inept attempt then they have to suffer right along with me:P)Miss Sarah gets hers tapped in.Then girlie me :POnce we got the spiles in just the right place, it starts immediately pouring out. Some faster than others, of course:DJiggle the wire to attach the lids on to keep out rainwater and debris from the trees...bugs get in it anyway but you just strain them out when you pour them into the waiting buckets.And there you have it!I must admit, we do tend to check them every few hours just to see how much we have:P Our first day we must have checked in a couple dozen times to find the next morning that we only got about 1/2 a cup of sap :D

   Since then we have found that it varies by day. The temperatures have a lot to do with it. If it's too warm at night then it won't flow as well in the day. If it's at least 30 at night then the daytime makes a lot more.

   Just yesterday we pulled in over a gallon!

   Oh and don't let it fool you. It sounds like a lot of sap but in reality it will take approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup! There are many more trees on the property that we intend to tap in hopes of speeding up our gathering time.

   According to the experts, a single tree can give you between 15 and 20 gallons of sap and still keep the tree safe for next year:) It is our hope that we will be able to add this to our list of self sufficient and self sustaining life on the farmstead:)

   Hope you enjoyed it as much as we have!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

What projects are you ladies working on????

I just read on Crystal's message boards that several of the ladies are working on crochet projects, knitting projects and yes even sewing projects.  I felt a little like the black sheep of the family when I posted that I am currently working on 3 recipe scrapbooks.  LOL  I don't crochet or knit, and I wanted to finish these projects before starting a new sewing project.  Two of them are for Christmas presents for my SILs and are more than 70% done I would say.  The third one is for a friend and I haven't even started it yet.  I am hoping to get my goodies out tonight and do some work on them though.

I am done with baby quilts for now (which I took pics of and uploaded on the computer and now can not find.  LOL  So I have requests out to the mommy's to send me pics of the babies with their quilts.  When I get them I will try to post for you all!) and will move on to Noah's quilt, and then the sisters and neices aprons for Christmas presents.  I love sewing up aprons.  Many moons ago every woman had several aprons to wear while housekeeping and cooking.  Now a days, I find many of my family and friends don't have one, but when they see mine they want one so badly!  LOL  So hopefully the girls will love their aprons when they receive them.

So, the question is....what projects are you working on right now??? Perhaps you are dipping candles like Chas, or making a new Spring table runner.  Tell us if you are making jelly, or sewing up pajamas (another project for the littles for Christmas this year!), or scrapbooking.  Enquiring minds want to know!

God's Paintbrush

With the shifting of the earth on its axis, we can once again see the sun setting when we are on the front porch. Last night was an exceptionally lovely evening.

In the last few minutes before the sun went down, the beauty was nearly breath-taking.

Enjoy.

A Pretty Day....

It is so pretty today!!! We are trying to get our school work finished so we can spend sometime out doors:)

We planted onions, lettuce, brocolli, and cabbage last night. We have our potatoes so we can now plant them anytime. We bought 50 pounds so we hope to get a few potatoes this fall:) We also have our tomatoes growing under lights we have now transplanted them the first time...we might have to do this at least one more time. They are looking healthy:) We are also looking into getting a few cherry trees:) Our fruit trees are doing so well.

I have been getting a little spring cleaning done...I have cleaned all the windows it is good to be able to look outside with out finger prints everywhere:) We are working on our downstairs living area too! We have decided to build some built in book cases...we are getting wood for that this weekend.  I don't think we are going to make an extra bedroom now...we just want to get the room finished and painted that might get done at a later date.

I took a lot of great pictures of the chickens yesterday I hope to post them soon...they are also glad things are greening up....we gave them some green grass yesterday they look like they were jumping for joy:) I will be glad when we can get them back out into the chicken tractor. They have been such a joy to have in our little homestead..how very blessed we are!!!  I am still wanting to get rabbits but we are now just getting used to having the chickens. I was surprised that winter wasn't as hard as I thought....it only got  to freezing a few days. I know rabbits need to be kept warmer I think? Always something to learn:)

Many Blessings,

Renee

Chicken Cordon Blue

This is a yummy dinner, with a little "wow" value, but so simple to make.

First, you are going to need to set up some "dipping stations" with three small dishes.

In the first, you will beat together 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of milk.




In the next bowl, you will add 1/2 cup of flour and in the third bowl, you will combine 1 1/2 c dry bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp dry thyme leaves and 1/3 c parmesan cheese.


To make dry bread crumbs, just pop a couple slices of bread in the toaster, and toast. let the slices of toast cool, then tear into pieces, and give a buzz in a food processor. Instant bread crumbs. If you need fresh crumbs, skip the toasting step.


Now, you need one package of the thin-sliced, boneless chicken breasts. Depending on how many slices are in your package, that will determine how much of the other ingredients you need. I had 6 slices, so I need 6 slices of ham, 6 sticks of swiss cheese (about 1/2 inch thick, 3 inches long), and 6 toothpicks.


Now take one slice of chicken, layer on one slice of ham, and a stick of cheese.


Roll them up, and secure by sticking a toothpick straight through it. Repeat with all.


Now you are going to start dipping. Take the first roll, and dip it into the egg wash, coating all over.


Second, dip it into the flour.


Next...go BACK to the egg wash, and dip again.


And last, roll it around in the crumb mixture, coating all over.


Place on a baking stone/sheet. Repeat with all.


Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. The cheese will ooze and get crispy in the edges, and the outside will be brown and crunchy.


Enjoy!







Printable Version:

2 eggs
1/3 c milk
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c dry bread crumbs
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 c parmesan cheese
1 package thinly sliced chicken breasts
sliced deli ham (1 slice per chicken slice)
sticks of swiss cheese (on stick per chicken slice)
toothpicks

In a small dish, beat eggs and milk.
In a second dish, add flour.
In a third dish, combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, herbs and parmesan cheese.

Layer a ham slice onto a chicken slice. Place a stick of swiss cheese on top, and roll up, securing with a toothpick. Repeat with all.

Coat one chicken roll in egg, then flour, then egg again, and finally crumb coating.
Place on a baking stone/sheet. Repeat with all.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

* * *

Conni is an army wife and homeschooling mom of three, living in North Carolina. You can find out more about her on her blog: MamaHen

Chicken Cordon Blue

Football Season!

Hooray!!! The next season of the Homeschool Football League has begun! I don't know who looks forward to it more, the boys, or mom.

This league is so nice, the atmosphere is so pleasant and edifying. I am always thrilled for the season to start, and sad to see it end.

Opening with prayer.












While the boys are hard at play, the moms and sisters and other family members sit along the side, catching up, knitting, chatting, and simply enjoy each other's company.












When the day is done, we have a little tradition. After the first and last days of football each season.......we have a special treat.

Got HIm!