Farmgirl Follies

Have fresh peaches? Make pound cake!

Posted by Farmgirl on July 31, 2009  |  3 Comments

Here is another summer dessert recipe from my kitchen to yours. You’ll need several fresh, juicy peaches for this recipe. And then you’ll need a treadmill, but we’ll worry about that later. Make this over the weekend and share it with your family and friends. It’s mighty tasty and very sweet.

Fresh Peach Pound Cake

Cream together until fluffy:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
Add eggs, one at a time:
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Reserve 1/4 cup flour, then sift together remaining dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Fold in peaches.
2 cups fresh peaches, pitted and diced

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 10-inch tube pan or two loaf pans and dust with white sugar.Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Stir in vanilla.
Reserve 1/4 cup of flour for later and sift together remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the creamed mixture. Use reserved flour to coat the chopped peaches, then fold the floured peaches into batter. Spread eveninly into prepared pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.

It’s the little things …

Posted by Farmgirl on July 30, 2009  |  1 Comment

… that add comfort and interest to our homes.

All can be found at Farmgirl Finds. Come discover little things to feather your nest.
We’re open Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. New primitives arrive weekly.

Mountain view

Posted by Farmgirl on July 29, 2009  |  2 Comments

Sunsets amaze me … when I stop long enough to look.

Rough and ready

Posted by Farmgirl on July 29, 2009  |  No Comments

Many decorating decisions are based on color. For me, decorating is all about texture. And it just so happens that my love of rough, rustic textures commonly colors my home with neutrals and natural schemes.

I like it rough.
What is it about texture? Rough surfaces worn smooth with time … aged barn wood … abrasive stone and brick. Smoother surfaces show bumps and bruises from daily life. Textured surfaces hide it all. Forget smooth and sleek. I like things a little ragged around the edges.

Do you prefer cotton or burlap? Laminate or hardwood? Beaded board or smooth, painted surfaces?  Brick or stone? Texture makes a house a home. And the rougher the better, I say!

I like it natural.
Wood, earth tones highlighted by deep color and natural elements make me happy. I pepper my home with liberal dashes of eggs and nests, shells, sticks and stones (that don’t break bones), and found items my children inevitably bring into the house. Natural items have the best texture.

Nests gathered by little hands (the eggs aren’t real) …

Wood elements from primitive contraptions …

Groupings of like items …

Driftwood garlands instead of fabric over a window …

Texture adds layers to your decor. It adds warmth and coziness. It adds interest. And what could be more interesting than old wood floors topped off with a cowhide rug?

Hides have become a prominent part of my decorating scheme. I don’t know why I like them so much … maybe because beef cattle are an important part of our lives. Maybe because they  have a marvelous texture and color. Maybe because I Should Have Been A Cowboy like Toby Keith.

Or maybe because hides are a contrasting partner to the primitive antiques and rough textures I love.

What’s your style?
Do you find it hard to stick to one particular style? I do. I like to mix it up, change my mind and rearrange. There are always two constants, though: rustic antiques and lots of texture. I’m always rough and ready for more.

Now go grab your sandpaper and rough up your life!

Knee-bucklin’ good summer dessert

Posted by Farmgirl on July 28, 2009  |  4 Comments

Farmgirl’s Blueberry Buckle

In large bowl, combine:
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

In separate bowl, combine:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Streusel topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed, light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground nutmeg or cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsps. unsalted butter, room temperature

Slowly mix dry ingredients into butter and sugar mixture, alternating with a 1/2 cup milk. Gently fold in blueberries. Butter and flour a 9-inch Springform pan. Gently scrape blueberry mixture into pan, smoothing until even. Top with streusel topping. Bake 60-70 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove sides of pan.

Note: Only a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream could make this any tastier!

Step 1: Gather your ingredients.
For maximum flavor in all of your recipes, be sure to use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.

Step 2: Combine sugar, egg, butter and vanilla in a bowl.

Mix it up reeeeaaal good. Red is such an energizing color. I love it.

Step 3: Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl, then add to butter mixture. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with a 1/2 cup of milk.

Step 4: Gently fold in the blueberries. Mmm.

Step 5: Gentle scrape buckle batter into a buttered and floured 9-inch springform pan. Then smooth it out, nice and even.

Step 6: Time to make the streusel topping. Who doesn’t love streusel topping? *crickets*
Combine flour, butter, nutmeg or cinnamon or both!, brown sugar and salt.

The streusel should look crumbly, like this.

Step 7: Sprinkle streusel topping all over the top of the buckle batter.

Step 8: Put your buckle in a 350-degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Allow it to cool before unbuckling the pan.

Step 9: Serve. It’s deliciously divine. Try is with vanilla ice cream.

(Thanks for the recipe, sis!)

Nothin’ but blue skies …

Posted by Farmgirl on July 27, 2009  |  3 Comments

Some days, the storms of life seem to follow us around. The day can feel oppressive and turbulent.  And then … waaaayyyy up ahead, a patch of blue sky breaks through the storm.

So we plod on until …

… the long and winding road leads us home (or almost). And the puffy clouds and intoxicating blue skies help us forget our troubles. And never once do we look behind to see if the storm is retreating. Because it doesn’t matter.

We must focus on what’s ahead … even if it appears the sky is falling!

Mark your calendar!

Posted by Farmgirl on July 23, 2009  |  4 Comments

Mark your calendars for the first 

Farmgirl Finds Tour of Homes

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009

Tour several Augusta-area Early American and primitive-style homes.
Details coming in September — you don’t want to miss it!

Gettin’ fresh

Posted by Farmgirl on July 23, 2009  |  4 Comments

I picked up some supper ingredients at Manfull Orchards today. Sweet, juicy peaches — absolutely delicious. And there’s nothing I like better than slicing peaches in a bowl with some fresh blueberries. Yummy.

There’s nothing better than fresh-picked green beans, either. And while I was out, I snapped this shot by my back path. I feel a bouquet comin’ on …

God is good.

When Good Cake Goes Bad: a heavenly recipe

Posted by Farmgirl on July 22, 2009  |  No Comments

Don’t underestimate your grill’s capabilities. You can prepare an entire meal outdoors … and here’s a dessert recipe that will knock your socks off … if you happen to be wearing socks while grilling in the midsummer heat. I wouldn’t … but that’s just me.

Anywho …

Grilled Angel Food Cake

or Fallen Angel Cake (as I like to call it!)

1 Angel food cake, cut into 8 slices
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds sweet fresh cherries, pitted
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 1/4 cups Kirsch (cherry brandy)
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar

Make a pouch with aluminum foil. Inside, add cherries, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup Kirsch and ginger over low heat on the grill.

Mix together cream, sugar, and 1/4 cup Kirsch; whip to soft peaks.

Brush cake slices with melted butter. Now, if you want to make this really easy, just pour your melted butter into a bowl and dunk your cake slices into it. It’s much easier, much faster and well, um, much tastier this way. Of course, it’s also much more caloric.

On a hot grill, grill each side about 30 seconds or until crusty.

To serve, drizzle cherries over cake and top with whipped cream.

It’s absolutely divine. Tastes a bit like roasted marshmallows … only better and on steroids.

Precious moments … gone berserk

Posted by Farmgirl on July 21, 2009  |  2 Comments

It’s early afternoon and all is quiet on the home front. The kids are napping with promises of a late night at the county fair. The dogs are dead to the world on the porch, trying to avoid movement in the heat. Thunder is rumbling somewhere to the southwest. On my way outside to do a rain dance, I decided to snap some beauty shots.

Aahhh, sweet summertime.

Now if that doesn’t make you smile, you’re name should be Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Have you read The Secret Life of Bees? Seen the movie? It’s fabulous.

Oh. Hmmm. Look what’s happening behind me! 

I think my rain dance is working …

 Oh please, PLEASE, PLEEAAASE rain. C’mon clouds. Cry me a river! We need it sooooo badly. Let that thunder roll.

Hey! It’s working … I underestimated the power of my rain dance … here it comes!

Wait a minute. Hold on just a cotton-pickin’ minute. Something is not right … it never, ever comes from the east, here. It doesn’t ever rain that direction … why is it raining in that direction?!

Oh no. No, no, nooo!

Sometimes you get what you wanted …

… and find out it’s not what you wanted after all.

I wanted rain. Jubilant, loud and booming thunderstorms. I did not want this … I did not want this at all!

How many times have I driven the vehicles into the barn at the threat of hail? Countless. Today? Didn’t give it a second thought.

But that’s not all.

Peach harvest was to start tonight at Manfull Orchards. The poor peaches! The poor … everything. And what about my brother and sister-in-law’s beautiful CSA gardens? I better go make some calls. But first … maybe another shot of this: