Done

Planting Season 2010 is offiically over on the Bergen farm.

Doggy Love

I haven't blogged about our dogs in a while, so I thought I would share some pictures from this winter.  Since we were snowed in for several days, on two different occasions, we had some good doggy time. Usually our dogs go out to their pen in the morning and don't come in until it is dark, but with the very cold snowy weather, they had some bonus inside time.

Hunter (black dog): I'm going to lick his face

Mike(human:) : Get out of my face man

Bess (yellow dog): Would you guys leave me alone so I can take a nap.

One afternoon Mike had to go outside and move snow with the tractor.

Bess faithfully watched him the entire time. 

Bess also sits like this on nights when Mike is at a meeting and he doesn't get home until it is pretty late.

Mike bought hunter as a puppy and sometime Hunter still thinks he is a puppy. He will try to jump on your lap and smother you with a big dog hug.

Sometimes this involves two dogs laying on the same person.

We have more dog piles in our house than you would believe.

Bess prefers to cuddle with Mike all by herself. We are certain she thinks she is a human. She even lays her head on a pillow when she is on the couch like a human would. Now if I could only teach her to dust and fold clothes.

Mennonite Monday - Sausage and Potato Pie

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

This week Mike and I had Sausage and Potato Pie in the field while Mike was planting corn.  I think this is a great recipe to take to the field because it has your vegetable and meat in one dish. Through in a bead and some dessert and you are good to go.  Mike even commented that he thought this meal was good, so it had his seal of approval. 

Sausage and Potato Pie

Crust: 

5 medium potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1/2 chopped onion

1/2 cup bread or cornflakes crumbs

chopped parsley

Cook, drain and mash potatoes, Add rest of ingredients and spread in a greased 10 inch pie plate. 

Filling: 

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1/2 cup green pepper strips

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 can mushroom gravy 

1 can mexican style corn (drained) 

1 cup shredded cheese

Brown sausage; remove and drain on paper towel.  In 1 tablespoon fat, cook the green pepper for 5 minutes.  Stir in sausage, cornstarch, gravy and corn.  Heat. Turn mixture into potato shell, top with cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. 

 I knew I wouldn't have much time after work to make supper, so I made the crust the night before.

 While I was browning the sausage and warming the other ingredients, I put the crust in the oven.  This helped it to warm up, since it had been in the refrigerator overnight. I did not use the green pepper, because I didn't have any on hand and it would have taken a good amount of time to cook.

 I don't like my food to mix or touch on my plate when I eat, so you would think this recipe would not have been good to me, but since the vegetables and meat were meant to be baked together in a pie it don't bother me. 

Green Thumb

My thumbs were mostly brown this Saturday from all the dirt  I moved, but my garden has been started.

So far I have strawberries (Mike planted those), potatoes and onions in my main garden.  I also transplanted some rhubarb from my mom's garden and started an asparagus patch, which will take a few year to become established.

I'm planning to also plant tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, squash, cabbage, and jalapenos when it gets warmer.  What do you like to plant in your garden? Is there something else I should plant that I haven't listed? I would like to plant lettuce of some sort, but the leaves get those slugs on them and I would rather not plant lettuce then have to pick off  black slimy things. 

This big guy wanted to be planted with the potatoes, but I tried to keep my distance. You never know when they are going to jump. On a side note, I also saw more worms on Saturday than I care to see in an entire year.  I just had to keep reminding myself that they are good for the garden.

Happy Gardening

Mennonite Monday - Cheese Dip Ball

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

Before I post the Sausage Potato Pie next week, I thought I would share another appetizer recipe.  This recipe, Cheese Dip Ball, is found on page 5 of the white church cookbook. 

Cheese Dip Ball 

11 oz cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 tbl grated onion

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire

1 1/4 tsp accent

4 oz dried beef or ham chopped fine (reserve some for outside of the ball) 

Mix ingredients and shape into ball; roll in reserved meat.

  Since this is such an easy recipe I don't have pictures of the process used to make it, but if you can mix you will be just fine. One comment that I will make, is that it is hard to grate onion. Mine just turned into mush, so I would consider using minced onion next time or leaving the onion out completely.


Don't forget to vote on the poll for what I will be making for Mennonite Monday in two weeks.

Mennonite Monday - Luau Bites

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

For my jewelry party, I decided to make snacks from the church cookbooks. One of the snacks I made was Luau Bites on page 3 of the yellow church cookbook.  This is a very easy finger food that smells wonderful while it is broiling.  

Luau Bites

Wrap 1/2 slices of bacon around 1/2 water chestnuts and or pineapple chunks, fasten with toothpicks.  Marinate in mixture of:

1/4 cup soy sauce 

2 tablespoons brown sugar

for 1/2 hour.  Drain. Broil turning once until bacon is crisp.  

 I wrapped my pineapple and water chestnuts in the bacon the day before, so I only had to marinate and broil them the next day.

I broiled them for a little over 10 minutes on one side and about 7 minutes on the other side.

FYI: There will be a lot of juice in your pan after these are done broiling, so don't use a flat cookie sheet. Luckily I didn't have to learn this the hard way, but it did cross my mind to use a cookie sheet, which would have been bad.

Once they were done, I put them in a crock pot to keep them warm. The only suggestion I would make for this recipe is letting them marinate for longer than 30 minutes or making more of the marinate mix because I didn't think they soaked in the flavor very well. 

Mennonite Monday - Hobo Dinner

Mennonite Monday started because I wanted to make recipes from the Bethesda Mennonite Church Cookbooks (both the yellow and the white cookbook for those of you who own them). I also wanted to take pictures of each recipe that I made, so I would know for future reference what the recipe should look like. I am by no means a great cook, but I think it will be fun to try new and different recipes each week. Not all of these recipes are for ethnic Mennonite food, but the women from Henderson know how to cook, so I can safely say that these recipes will be good. Check back each Monday for a new recipe and feel free to leave a comment if you have a favorite recipe from these cookbooks, or if you have some tips on what I should make and how I should make it.

~

After a break from Mennonite Monday last week, we are back with the Hobo Dinner found on page 143 of the white church cookbook.  This was a really good easy meal and it received the "make again" approval from Mike.  Since I don't have much time after work to make a meal, I put all of the ingredients together the night before and put it in the refrigerator, so I just had to put it in the oven when I got home. 

 

 Hobo Dinner
1 lb. hamburger
6 potatoes
1 large onion
1/2 lb sharp cheese
1/3 cup half & half
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Press hamburger in bottom of 2.5 quart casserole.  Sprinkle with half & half, salt and pepper.  Slice potatoes on meat and slice onion onto potatoes.  Cube the cheese onto the onion. Cover with the soup.  Bake in covered dish for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until potatoes are done.  Serves 6.

 I did not have any half & half, so I just used milk, which was fine in my opinion. 

 I only made one layer of potatoes, so I used far less than 6 potatoes, since I was only cooking for two. 

 Onions. 

 I used some cheese that I had on hand instead of sharp. 

Cream of mushroom soup on top. 

As I said, Mike and I really liked this meal and it was easy.  My potatoes weren't completely cooked after 1 hour, so I will slice them thinner next time, or I will allow more time for it to cook.

Your Invited

Everyone who follows my blog, is invited to a Jewelry Party at my home, Sunday, April 11, at 3 pm.

I know this is kind of a weird way to invite people, but I know there are many people from the community that follow my blog and may be interested in seeing my house, tasting Mennonite Monday snack foods, and looking at some Premier Jewelry. 

I will not be posting my address or phone number on the internet, so you will have to find a way to get a hold of me, which isn't very hard if you know where I work or who I am married to.  I would like to know if you are interested in attending before this Friday.