Kasha - TheFarmGirlCooks

Author: Kasha

Soda Bread Knows No Season or Nationality

Posted on March 6, 2013February 25, 2018 by Kasha

"I don't know why they only sell it in March. Irish soda bread tastes good at ANY time of year." While walking through Shop Rite a few weeks back, I saw the buttermilk display in the milk case and thought, 'OOOH! It's that time of year - I need to make soda bread!' Apparently, I said this aloud and not in my head. "I don't know why they only sell it in March. Irish soda bread tastes good at ANY time of year." It wasn't an all-out request for homemade Irish soda bread, but it was implied, and knowing Fletch...Read More

I Love You, Honey!

Posted on March 1, 2013February 25, 2018 by Kasha

Especially when you're whipped with butter and splashed with vanilla. WHAT?!?!?! Where did you THINK I was going with that? Honey Butter! Slathered on a delicious piece of toast, of course! Compound butters are no stranger to The Farm Girl. This maple-orange butter was equally delicious on roasted acorn squash, baked sweet potatoes and wheat toast. I was in the mood for something sweet and remembered making a honey-buttercream to top a yellow butter cake. It was fabulous, but way more work than I was up for at the time. I had some Irish soda bread on hand so I toasted some slices...Read More

Baby, It’s COLD Outside!

Posted on February 20, 2013February 25, 2018 by Kasha

So warm up that kitchen with a simmering pot of classic beef stew... Says the girl who, up until about a year ago, didn't eat beef. Occasionally I'd eat pork, rarely chicken, always bacon (does that count?). Then something clicked. Perhaps it was having a very persuasive man sitting across from me at a restaurant table holding up a fork with a hopeful glimmer in his eye. "Don't you want to try some? It's DELICIOUS!" (more…)

Hello, Sweetheart

Posted on February 13, 2013February 25, 2018 by Kasha

The Boy was up before me this morning. As I staggered out into the living room clutching my head ('tis migraine season at the farm), he asked, "are we up late today?" I chuckled (as best I could, considering), "nope, why do you ask? The sun is different today, right?" "Yeah! That's it!" Yes, my dear boy, spring is on its merry way, and not a moment too soon. It hasn't been much of a winter in terms of bad weather, really, but it's been ANNOYING! I don't think there's any other way to put it... And like most everyone...Read More

If mares eat oats, and does eat oats….

Posted on February 5, 2013February 25, 2018 by Kasha

...why is this one eating my kid's shoelace? I mentioned in my last post that we visited the babies (they literally cry like babies) at Edgwick Farm in Cornwall, NY. I had a blast, Thomas was standoffish and quiet. He claimed later that he didn't like all the poop in the yard. He's not so far off, at 8, from his early years in diapers, so I don't get it, but perhaps he just had an off day. We all have 'em. But how can you when you're getting to cuddle with THESE?!?!?!?! I think I counted 9 doelings climbing...Read More

Jumping on the Bandwagon

Posted on February 1, 2013February 25, 2018 by Kasha

I don't care about the Super Bowl. I don't know which teams are playing. In fact, I will not even watch it until the last quarter, and that is only if my kid turns it on. But I concede. The Super Bowl is as good a reason as any to have a bunch of friends over for food and fun. However (and I will forever hear Marissa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny, "howev-uh, in 19-sixty-faw the correct ignition timing would be faw degrees be-faw top dead cent-uh."), Super Bowl snacks should not be limited to wings, sliders and nachos. Don't...Read More

Food in a Flash: Sweet Pea Soup

Posted on January 27, 2013May 22, 2018 by Kasha

I cleaned out my freezer (Again. This is becoming a problem.) and found 2 bags of frozen peas. There are only so many peas you can force an 8-year-old to eat before they become ammunition and are shot at the cats as they pass by the dinner table. *lightbulb moment* Make soup! Sadly, the hoarding tendency is hereditary. My kid is turning into his grandfather and I may need to buy him a storage shed for his birthday. The Boy decided (20 minutes before the school bus was to arrive) that it was time to un-package a remote control car...Read More

Back to Basics: Homemade Croutons

Posted on January 18, 2013February 25, 2018 by Kasha

I grew up on store-bought croutons from a box. I sprinkled them atop iceberg lettuce in a turquoise Tupperware bowl and doused the mess with bottled French dressing. The rest of the family was content with homemade 'Russian' dressing: mayo, ketchup and sweet pickle relish. Isn't that kinda like Big Mac sauce? I haven't had a Big Mac in years! I'm guessing, though, that like everything else made today, they're not as big as they used to be. Except hearts... hearts are as big as ever and filled with much love. Case in point: The Boy After a particularly rowdy...Read More

Cumin Lentils with Onions

Posted on January 13, 2013February 25, 2018 by Kasha

Do you like my chard? It's in one of our greenhouses - we call it Papa Bear. Baby Bear houses lettuce, bok choy and red komatsuna. Mama Bear is home to arugula, kale(s), and a dozen varieties of fresh herbs. If I catch anyone in my cilantro stash I may have to dig out my slingshot and peg them with a dry pinto bean. Beware the wrath... LOL So, I bought myself a new pot: Lodge 6-qt enamel dutch oven. It's red and I ADORE IT! I find myself using it for everything. Perhaps that's because I have absolutely no...Read More

Carrot (not Apricot) Jam

Posted on January 2, 2013April 1, 2018 by Kasha

I gotta tell ya, I couldn't wait for 2013 to get here. I am seriously in need of a fresh start and today is it. Because, really, who could start anew on January first with all of those wonderful party leftovers lying around? The Christmas tree is out of the house (thank you, Fletch) and waiting for Mom to collect and erect in her backyard. She is a birdwatcher, you see, and those trees provide shelter and perches and nesting places for backyard birds throughout the winter and spring. My father expertly sunk a large PVC pipe in the yard...Read More