Weeds update!

This morning the sheep got some alfalfa cubes with some goat grain and some surprises! I tore up some dandelion, plantain, and bedstraw and added it in. At first they ignored the greenery, but soon were gobbling it up! as soon as they were done Lil Boy went in search of more dandelions, and Jett went after some plantains. Looks like the Voth method works quickly on sheep! Going to see what they do after this weekend and if they clear the area enough will be moved into the hoop house area this coming week.

FLEECE

1/2 of Lil Boy's fleece is now ready to spin! the other half will be quilt batting. Oh my god am I glad to be done carding!

Socks! or rather sock...and a toe

Hooray! I have finished my very first sock! I was too excited to wait to put both up here, so I have one, and the toe! Im using the book "Socks from the Toe Up"

 Ive got to say that after months (literally) of struggling with an online pattern, this one is magic! see for yourself!

Chain saws and Horses and Sheep, Oh my!

Well GOL is over, I actually did pretty well and even won me a T-shirt!

And My stump was beautiful too!

That was a couple of weeks ago, this past week I got to gallop up a snow machine trail with a good friend of mine.

And of course been working with Lil Boy!

Busy busy!

FRIDA!

*cough* feeling quite ill and looking at a good deal of Frida Kahlo's artwork, while watching Frida. Great film, and inspiring. I think I have a new favorite artist!

Broccoli cheddar soup a-la Panera Bread

So I am obsessed with this soup, and there are no Panera's around me, so I scoured the web and found a very similar recipe! I made it over winter break and it was really good! The Sterling kitchen is testing it out tonight with some of Paul's improvisational magic!

try it out, and enjoy!

Broccoli cheddar soup

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 7-inch sourdough bread boules (round loaves)

4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)

1 large carrot, diced

2 ½ cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat.

2. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth.

4. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.

7. Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

8. Discard the bay leaves.

9. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

10. Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted.

11. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick.

12. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.

CAMERA!!!!

Finally got the new camera, let's hope this semester allows me a little time to use it, or rather to do projects to photograph, fingers crossed!