6 Great Holiday Recipes In One Night! God's Little Acre Give Away Contest Goodness!

Hey Ya'll!!! Whew!! Ya'll hit us with your favorite holiday recipes and they are all FANTASTIC!! Thanks to all of you who entered! So here's the thing, Michelle and I get pretty busy around the holidays. So busy that we were way behind in any holiday baking and cooking... We usually have a fun little party on Christmas Eve, and this year was no different, only our Christmas Eve Party was spent trying  out YOUR recipes!! Boy we had fun and I'd like to share our attempts with you! Now, granted... you guys shared your favorites, your BEST, and I can tell we've got some practice to do to make ours as pretty and perfect as yours!!   

First up!! 

1. Heather's Honey Caramels...

Now, let me start out by saying that candy making takes a special touch....and good dry weather sure helps. Candy has a hard time setting up when it's rainy and moist. This year just so happened to be one of the rainiest and warmest ever. Soo, our honey caramels didn't turn out as planned. However, when God gives you runny carmel...ADD IT TO THE BOTTOM OF A CHOCOLATE PIE!! At least that's what we did! Thanks so much Heather!! I used our raw milk cream and honey and felt incredibly healthy making this delectable candy treat!!! 

Can you see that yummy dripping caramel on the bottom there?? I added walnuts too! 

Now, I didn't get pictures of the process for this one...to busy actually making it! ha!! But I do have a picture of our final result!! Soooo good!! 


1 cup Honey
3/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Butter
Sea salt for sprinkling on top.

Combine honey and cream in a sauce pan and bring to a boil on high heat. Stir occasionally while it cooks. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches soft ball stage. I like to use a candy thermometer.Remove pan from the heat and immediately stir in vanilla and butter. Stir until butter is completely melted and combined. Pour into a generously buttered 8 X 8 inch dish sprinkle with sea salt and let cool. Then cut into 1 inch squares and wrap in small pieces of wax paper. Store in an airtight container.


2. Jan's Famous Monkey Bread

biscuits (it took 2 cans and I'm thinking to make my own next time... sugar/cinnamon/bunt pan

So, Jan's had a lot of practice with this one. She actually dropped off one of these puppies for us the day before and man alive, it's addicting!! I'm told she makes this over 100x a year!!  We actually made hers on Christmas day. It was still good but not nearly as good as Jan's... It goes to prove that the person behind the recipe is just as integral as the recipe itself! 

sugar/cinnamon/butter simple syrup

 Ours is simple old monkey bread. Biscuits quartered and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Syrup made with stick of butter cup of sugar and two tablespoons of cinnamon all brought to a boil. Pour syrup over biscuits in a bunt pan. Bake 350 for 50 minutes
I wish I had a picture of Jan's monkey bread she dropped off.. but it didn't stick around long enough!!!!


3. Jason's Awesome Rolls

Finished Product!!!! 

Letting dough rise in a warm place

getting ready to punch down dough

here we go... my favorite part!

woosh!!

Now, these turned out to be the best rolls I've ever made... definitely not as pretty as Jason's but I'm guessing just as tasty because I can't imagine them tasting any better!! I used freshly ground wheat
or rolls / buns / or whatever you want to make with it 

1 tablespoon active-dry yeast
1/2 cup (4 oz) warm water
1/2 cup (4 oz) milk (whole, 2%, or skim)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour

use to brush on top before cooking
1 tablespoon butter

1. Combine the ingredients for the dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl, if mixing by hand), stir the yeast into the warm water and let it sit until dissolved. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, oil, sugar, and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Add all the flour and stir until it forms a shaggy dough.

2. Knead the dough: Knead at low speed, or by hand against the counter, for 8-10 minutes, until smooth but slightly tacky. It should spring back when poked.

3. Let the dough rise: Cover the mixing bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

4. Shape the rolls: Dust your work surface with a little flour and turn the risen dough out on top. Divide the dough into 12 pieces with a bench scraper. To shape into rolls, tuck the edges underneath to form a plump little package, then roll the dough against the counter or between your palms until round.

5. Heat the oven and let the rolls rise: Line a 9x13 pan with parchment and spray with nonstick coating. Arrange the rolls inside the pan spaced a little apart. Let the rolls rise until they look pillowy and fill the pan roughly 30-40 minutes.

While the rolls are rising, pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

6. Brush the rolls with butter. Melt the butter and brush it over the risen dinner rolls. This helps the tops to brown and keeps the crust soft.

7. Bake the rolls: Bake the rolls until golden, 15-18 minutes.
Lift the rolls from the pan using the parchment and let the rolls cool on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. They are best if eaten within a day or two, but will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. Rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated in a warm oven.

rising rolls... not perfect, but hey! 

4 Matt Irvine Family's Old Fashioned Potato Candy
Okay, so I have to say, this one was the most intriguing to try. I had never heard of this candy. Why have I never heard of this candy!!  This was fun and easy to make and makes a beautiful presentation! 

 Here's the link for the website for the following recipe
http://www.southernplate.com/2010/12/old-fashioned-potato-candy.html

simmering our potato to add to the powered sugar

rolling out dough

rolled and ready for the fridge!

Not bad for the first time!!

Thanks Matt for introducing us to this new favorite!!!! Matt said the taste was close to Divinity... I'm not sure how to describe it. Kind of like a Buckeye without the chocolate... but it's so good!!! 

5. Harold's Creamed Cauliflower"Actually my favorite thing at this meal is creamed cauliflower. Very simple make a medium white cream sauce and add steamed cauliflower" 
Now, this turned out to be very addicting in a good way!! Harold said he grew up with his Irish grandmother always making something out of cauliflower and I was really surprised at just how good this turned out to be!!!!  

Steamed Cauliflower

salt, pepper, butter, flour for white sauce

mixing butter and flour

Also known as Béchamel sauce, it is versatile and has many uses. Pair it with vegetables, turn it into a creamy casserole or ladle it over seafood or sliced chicken. Serve "as is," make it into a cheese sauce or spice it up with mustard, dill or curry.

Ingredients

2

tablespoons butter or margarine

2

tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4

teaspoon salt

1/8

teaspoon pepper

1

cups milk

Directions

In 1 1/2-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heatGradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute.

I didn't get a final picture of the creamed cauliflower but boy o boy everyone loved it!! 

6.  Shannon's Jiffy Spoon Bread Casserole

I loved this recipe!!! I didn't have any Jiffy mix, so I found a recipe for homemade Jiffy mix

• Whisk together the following:
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably non-GMO cornmeal)
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoon sugar or sucanat
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    

This was another new recipe for us!!! I've tried some like this but this one turned out FANTASTIC!! Of course we didn't have any creamed corn on hand, but no worries... I opened up a quart jar of home canned corn and took half and put it in the food processor  with some cream and sugar... I don't know what made this dish so special but it was amazing!! Thanks Shannon!

In fact... THANK YOU ALL for participating in our fun little giveaway! We hope to have more in the future. Your recipes made our day and everyone loved them all! God Bless and I pray everyone has a healthy and Happy New Year! I also hope you love these recipes as much as we did!!! 

Chicken Bug Patrol

We are fortunate enough to get some excess fruits and veggies from our local Newtown Farmer's Market. Today we got

several boxes of corn trimmings and we love them!! 

Our little chicks are having a great time! 

Patrolling the Backyard!! Working hard Girls!! 

What Can we find? 

http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2010/April/CT2217.php

Not sure at first, checking out the goods!



  Chickens eat bugs, all bugs. The neighborhood has less flies due to the chickens eating the flies.  This summer has been very wet and rainy multiplying the insect population.  But due to our manure which is filled with fly predators that destroy the fly population by destroying the larva and due to our chickens there are actually less flies in the neighborhood this summer. Our farm is a fly killing machine.

Houseflies and stable flies on your farm can generally be reduced by a combination of diligent clean-up—not letting manure and old hay/bedding build up to create breeding sites--and use of parasitic wasps. These tiny wasps lay their eggs in the manure and their larvae feed on the fly larvae.

Manure and wasted hay should be removed daily from stalls and pens. It can be spread thinly for quick drying, or composted in a covered pile. Properly composted organic material gets hot enough during the fermentation/breakdown process to kill fly eggs and larvae.

https://www.spalding-labs.com/products/fly_control_products/fly_control_for_horses/p/what_are_fly_predators.aspx

Just What Are Fly Predators?

Fly Predators are nature’s own enemy of all common manure and rotting organic matter breeding pest flies, including the common house fly, horn fly, biting stable fly and lesser house fly. In the natural environment Fly Predators serve as a major check of pest fly populations by destroying the next generation of flies in their immature pupa (cocoon) stage. Fly Predators are tiny, completely biteless and stingless. They never become a pest themselves. Because of their small size and the fact they live their entire life cycle on or near manure (where the pest fly pupa are typically found), Fly Predators go virtually unnoticed.

        Is anyone tired of Mr Nosy Neighbor yet?  No. You know why?  He is helping us educate people!  He is such a blessing and a God send. I don't think we could go on without him now.
 He is the driving force for God's Little Acres Urban Farming group which is reuniting the community and the nation. It is a great resource for support, knowledge, and a way for each of us to  educate so many  people on the easiness and benefits of doing everything yourselves!
   https://www.facebook.com/groups/Godslittleacresurbanfarming/    Join today! Be apart of the  future and restoring the earth to clean air, clean water, clean soil.   God created the earth clean, let's keep it clean!

Swampy woods

      As new farmers we realize that some people are just ignorant of the natural process of nature.  We are willing to educate anyone who really has serious concerns for their child's health.  The best thing for the neighborhood is for our neighbors to clear their woods out and drain their creek.  Their creek is pooled with all kinds of standing water naturally attracting flies, mosquitoes, and an myriad of different insect into their yard.





        Most of the flies that are in our area have come from the 1/2 acre wooded area on their property.  With all the rain we have had this summer their swamp area inside the woods can not dry up, it gets stagnate and is the breeding ground for the flies. We also have a creek but we keep it free from debris and dug out deep enough to drain the slopes on the sides of it.  All our water sources are kept chlorinated to be insect free.

Our neighbors have to first deal with their environmental conditions on their own land.


1. Scoop dog poop every day:
       During warm weather, blow flies breed most commonly on decayed carcasses and droppings of dogs or other pets. They can be found in homes that are near a carcass of a dead squirrel, rodent or bird.

WORM-LIKE ORGANISMS IN STOOL MAY NOT BE TAPEWORMS

Worm-like creatures in dog feces may be intestinal parasites, such as tapeworms, but fly larvae, also known as maggots, can rapidly colonize fresh fecal piles, often confusing owners, writes veterinarian Jeff Kahler. Dogs acquire tapeworms from fleas that carry tapeworm eggs, so treatment for tapeworms includes medicine to kill the worms and flea treatment to rid the dog of fleas. Fly larvae in feces are easily prevented — just promptly clean up after dogs, notes Dr.  http://www.animalhealthfoundation.net/blog/2012/06/worm-like-organisms-in-stool-may-not-be-tapeworms/

2. Clear the creek out so it flows, and drains properly and quickly. Sunshine and air flow will help dry out the water soaked landscape.

Water stagnation occurs when water stops flowing. Stagnant water can be a major environmental hazard.^[1] it can cause mosquitoes to breed and reproduce that may lead todengue.^{[citation needed]}

Insects

Stagnant water is the favorite breeding ground for a number of insects.

• Dragonfly nymphs
• Fly maggots
• Mosquito larvae
• Nepidae (water scorpions)

Health Problems Related To Standing Water

There are many dangers when it comes to standing water. Stagnant water is a favorite breeding place for mosquitoes, dragonflies and flies in general. People rarely disturb standing water which allows the insect larvae to grow into adults.

http://www.mamashealth.com/environmentalhealth/standingwater.asp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_stagnation