This week we were hit by a mighty snow storm up on our mountain. On Monday, our school-age children were out of school for President’s Day. We had already had a long weekend and have not been back to school since. In the moment, our children are nothing but excited about a snow day off from school. However, they will feel different after they see the make up day schedule for spring and possibly into summer.
This has been a week of filling up the wood box and stoking the fire. Breaking water and feeding lots of protein to the chickens. The cows are huddled next to the round bale feeder. Our ducks are distraught when we let them out in the morning. Their pond is an ice-skating rink. Their grace is lost on the iced over pond and they are hilarious to watch.
I have pulled out some cookbooks and tried out a few new recipes. Baking and cooking are my winter love languages. Many years ago, someone gifted me a copy of The American Country Inn & Bed & Breakfast Cookbook. It features more than 1700 recipes from over 500 inns state-by-state and city-by-city. It is quaint.
The farm is a grand place for snow day fun on 4-wheelers, side-by-sides and sleds. Since Monday, there have been several teenage boys staying out here at the farm with our sons. They are helpful and stay entertained all day long. They are also hungry. Just like the inn keepers featured in this cookbook I have been studying, I have cooked and baked up a storm. I have also done several loads of laundry.
When we went home for Christmas last December, my children discovered how much they loved my mom’s fried chicken. A couple weeks ago, we had her on a speaker phone to duplicate her recipe and her method. This week I made it alone and fixed up fried chicken drumsticks and potatoes with a side salad. The kids loved it.
Our Pekin duck pair has recently laid eggs for the first time. I had been told by friends these eggs are excellent for baking. I whipped up a batch of fluffy chocolate chip cookies using them. I was a little nervous because the eggs are quite a bit larger than chicken eggs. The recipe turned out fine.
I bake a loaf of sourdough sandwich bread every 2-3 days. This is a family favorite for grilled cheese and toast. It is a labor of love, but it tastes delicious. We enjoyed ham and beans and chili in the crockpot too. The first recipe I tried out from the cookbook was for banana bread. I doubled the recipe, but I think it made enough batter for three loaves instead of two. I think it may be time to invest in some larger bread pans! They were huge loaves and tasted wonderful.
It looks like sunshine and higher temperatures are forecasted for later this weekend. The groundhog was not kidding about six more weeks of winter, but I am hoping this is the worst of it. I know many of us are looking forward to spring planting and outdoor activities. In the meantime, I hope you get to savor the beautiful, cozy winter snow days, neighbor.
Jody Harris is a freelance communications specialist, gardener, ranch wife and mother of four. She and her family raise Angus beef cattle and other critters on their northwest Arkansas ranch. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Jody, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
