Mares Eat Oats...

     Today is an exciting day at our house.  In a few hours, I'm going to have 40 goats in my yard!  A local company called the Goat Lady rents herds of goats by the day to eat... well... everything.  Many people around here use them for blackberries, but we don't have much of a problem and I like the ones I have.  But the other big problem in the Pacific Northwest is English ivy.  It's like kudzu in the South.  It doesn't grow quite as fast, but it does smother everything in its path.  In the four years we've lived here, we've lost three large maple trees to ivy.  Ivy is also terrible for combating soil erosion and can even make it worse.  Considering we live on the side of a hill, erosion is a big concern of mine.

 It looks like a beautiful woodland setting.  And it is.  But most of the green on the floor here is ivy.  All it wants to do is crawl up trees and smother them to death.  

Again, mostly ivy.  You can see the ivy advancing up the trees in the background.  It's insanely beautiful, but so, so, deadly! 

Goodbye, ivy.  I look forward to replacing you with non-invasive natives.  Preferably ones that make food...

I'm going to try to post pictures throughout the day so stay tuned!

UPDATE!!
THEY'RE HERE!!!

 First came the truck...

Then Mr. Farmer let the boys help him install the fence.

And then it was time to release the goats!!

 A couple of the babies.  Mr. Farmer says that babies that are raised nursing from browsing mothers gain much more weight and are healthier than kids raised on the bottle.  Who knew, right?


And here they are!  They have attacked the ivy with such vigor, I'm afraid they may run out of food by the time the afternoon is over!  One of the does is pregnant and may kid any time!  I'll try to get a picture of her when she comes near the fence again.

Such an exciting day!

More pics soon!

UPDATE AGAIN!!

I'm pretty sure this is the doe that's due any minute. She hasn't done much traveling up and down the bank. (Update: This is actually a sheep.  I thought it looked pretty sheepish, but didn't know for sure.  I asked Mr. Farmer today [5/12] and she is, indeed a ewe and still full of lambs!  Still no babies yet, but we have actually retained their services for two more days because we were so happy with the job they did!  Still time!)

This is toward the end of the day.  You can see how far up the trees they've eaten and there is a noticeable difference on the bank.

 We have been telling the kids all day not to touch the fence as it is electrified.  It pulses so you can touch it 20 times and not get zapped, but that next time, boy you wish you hadn't done that.  Guess who is the only one who got shocked today.  ME!  I had my hand through a hole.  I wasn't touching anything at all, but I still got zapped.  It was like a strong jolt of static electricity.  The goat I was petting felt it, too.  She forgave me though, when I offered her a few tasty weeds.  Sorry goatie!

We will have these beauties until Sunday morning.  I will post a few after shots then!!

Check out my next post for before and after pics!

A Quick Tropical Brunch...

     Just like last year, I came home from Hawai'i all inspired to make some of the same foods I tried at our hotel.  We had brunch daily and it was obvious to all that this is the height of papaya season.  They were so sweet and soft they almost tasted like honeysuckle.  So fragrant!  Last year, I devoted myself to enjoying them with a twist of lime, but this year we were provided with mint.  I'm not sure if two things could possibly be more perfect for each other.  Such a beautiful marriage!  

     Twice, the hotel provided a bagel bar with lox, cream cheese, hard boiled egg, tomatoes, and capers.  Being vegetarian and all, I tried one with everything except the salmon.  Friends, that is some serious yumminess.  

     And finally, we rounded up more than a few brunches with a fruit smoothie.  My favorite was the mango, though I had a pineapple mint one that made me weak in the knees one sultry morning.

     And so I came home determined to replicate this deliciousness in my own kitchen.  I love how quick this is to throw together since when I usually make brunch, it's served at 11 because I've been cooking it since 8.  I tend to be rather elaborate is what I'm sayin'.

Quick Brunch Menu

Vegetarian Super Bagel
2 bagels
1 hard boiled egg, peeled and sliced
2 Tbs no chemical cream cheese (some lovely goat cheese would be a great substitute)
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
 2 tsp capers, drained

Slice the bagels and spread 1 Tbs of cream cheese on each.  Divide the hard boiled egg between the two, add tomato, and sprinkle with capers.

Mango Smoothie
1 mango, peeled and sliced
1 C plain yogurt
2 C crushed ice

Add ingredients to a blender and blend at high speed until smooth.

Notes:
My boys liked strawberry and banana in theirs as well.

Papaya with Mint
1 ripe papaya
2 sprigs, mint, washed (use a mild mint variety such as peppermint)

Slice the papaya in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Slice each half into four.  Serve slices with mint leaves.

Notes:
Because papaya is a rather tropical fruit that many "mainlanders" have never tried, some may not know how to pick a good one.  Check that your papaya doesn't have any large bruises, wrinkled skin, or signs of mold.  A good papaya will yield slightly to pressure and you should be able to slide your fingernail through the skin without much force.  (I wouldn't suggest the fingernail test until you actually own the fruit...)  One of our friends once asked me if you eat the skin.  You can, though I don't find it particularly appetizing.  Mostly, I use the skin to hold it and eat it like watermelon, but of course you can peel it off if you like.  You can eat the seeds, too.  They're kind of peppery with a final taste similar to horseradish.  Might even be good on a bagel... Hmmm...

 

Review:
My boys didn't go for the "green balls" but they loved everything else!  It's a nice little treat to break it up a bit during the week.

We Have Returned...

The last time we went to Maui, our children were much younger which made car trips unpleasant, our hotel room got messed up so we had to switch rooms twice, the kids got crazy sick, and I injured my knee so badly that I needed surgery when we got home.  

 Me, rocking a hospital gown on what was supposed to be our "date night."

None of these things are Maui's fault, yet neither my husband nor myself could really shake the dread before this trip.  I'm happy to say that this vacation was much, much better!!  Nobody needed surgery and we got to see much more of the island.  We honestly didn't understand why people liked the island before having mostly seen miles and miles of sugarcane fields and a couple of towns.  This time we saw the historic towns of Lahaina and Wailuku as well as some of the interior and even the crater of one of the volcanoes that formed Maui.  

View from the top at Haleakalā National Park.

While we were driving to the top, the clouds followed us and settled about half way up the mountain.  It was like being at the edge of the world.  On the way back down, surrounded by fog, I finally saw my first Nene (the state bird).  You never saw somebody so excited to see a goose.

I had embarked on our trip imagining we'd spend our time hopping from one trendy restaurant to the next, but my husband wasn't keen on that idea.  "I want to eat like Hawaiians eat," he said.

We did have a couple of fancy meals.  One at Kō at the Fairmont Kea Lani and one at Cuatro in Kihei.

Our meal at Kō was very good...

but Cuatro was better.  The best meal I had all week.

The rest of the trip, we focused on down-home Hawaiian comfort food.  On a night out, we found Mama's Ribs and Rotisserie near Napili.  Can't beat it for meat and macaroni salad, and the vegetarian lasagna was pretty good, too.

We found fresh and fabulous Malasadas at Napoleon's bakery in Kahului.

The one shining beacon from our last visit was the Olowalu General Store.  Brandon found his precious manapua and this is the hallowed spot where the boys tried their first shave ice.  To commemorate, we stopped and had, you guessed it...

manapua

and shave ice!  Done right, with vanilla ice cream on the bottom and generously dusted on top with li hing mui powder.  And doused in lots and lots of high fructose corn syrup/artificial flavorings/artificial colorants.  Like God intended.

And speaking of sugar coated awesomeness, just in case you need a reminder that sugar is a processed food, this is a sugar mill.  It's surrounded by fields of sugar cane in all directions, not terribly attractive and it's got at least two smoke stacks that periodically spew stuff into the air.  It ain't your grandma's molasses boil, folks.

Between the sugar cane fields and the volcano, is a small goat farm which produces some of the best cheese I ever ate.  Surfing Goat Dairy is a must visit if you are ever in Maui.

 These are some of the babies who had just been weaned.

 They sell rams as pets here.  If I'd been able to fit one into my carry on, we'd have been goat owners today.

There was a short tour, which I missed unfortunately, since both boys needed potty breaks.  But I assume it went something like this: These are the older goats, they're awesome.  This is where we milk the goats, it's awesome.  This is where we process the cheese, we're awesome.

Do you know what they make with the lovely milk?

 Chèvre of many flavors, and aged cheeses including feta and cheese balls.

 Mozzarella, perfect for a caprese salad.

The smoothest, fluffiest, cheesecakes I've ever had.  It's was like eating whipped cream.

 And chocolates.  Terrific, imaginative chocolates.  We had an apple curry, a mint, a couple of different kinds of lime as well as a few others.  I was not sad.

 We all loved every bite.  I am supremely sad we don't live on Maui now.

 This naughty little guy is one of the farm cats who popped by for a visit and a morsel.  Unfortunately for him, we are immune to feline pleas for people food as we've got a similar four legged stomach at home.   He is pretty though, isn't he?  Silly boy.

We proceeded from the farm to our volcano excursion, and as we were on our way down, our eldest made it known in no uncertain terms that food needed to be forthcoming in the very near future.  We stopped at a small convenience store and my husband came out with all sorts of good stuff.  Most of the gas stations we went in on Maui are nothing like gas stations on the mainland where you might find a few bagged salty things and a bland egg salad sandwich.  On Maui, bento boxes, and plate lunch items, hot food, cold pasta salads, comfort food at its finest all laid out before you in your local Shell.

We took our feast to a quiet beach and played in the tide pools until the sun went down.

 

I think my husband may have been on to something after all...

Down a Little Road...

I know I don't usually do this kind of post, but my friend Liesl, who has the best taste of anyone I've ever met, just opened her new store in Tacoma.  We went down yesterday to the opening and I wanted to share a little with you guys!

She paints furniture, sews pillows, makes awesome lamps out of wine barrels. She also has some items on consignment and antiques.

 Loves me some Edison bulbs...

My son found some Scrabble jewelry that he liked.

This is Liesl and her husband Curtis.  Aren't they the cutest things?  =)

 Also, there were snacks.  Yummy snacks.

Her shop is located on the middle floor of Sanford and Son's in Tacoma, WA.  To learn more about her shop and her style, don't miss her website!  If you live in the greater Seattle area, she does home design and if you don't she has an etsy store, too!  Plus, if you want to do like I do and pretend we have tea every day in her Pinterest album, check it out!

Congratulations, Liesl!  Much luck in your new space!

Snacks on a Plane...

     In getting ready for our trips, one of the biggest bags I pack is the snack bag.  It started when the boys were little and couldn't make it for 10 minutes without eating something.  Now that they are older, of course, they can't go 5 minutes...  Because meal service isn't until the flight is in the air good and proper, it surely helps to have some goodies for the boys to occupy themselves with. 

     One thing I pack every single time is hummus.  It doesn't need refrigeration, it's yummy, it doesn't smell too much, it's vegetarian, and relatively healthy and filling.  The carrot sticks and pita bread triangles, make it a quick meal with no utensils necessary.  Find my go to recipe here.  This trip, I'm also packing freeze dried bananas and rice cakes for a quick crunchy diversion.  Pirate's Booty is an absolute must for us every flight.  It's virtually the only time I buy it and the boys look forward to it every time.  That nifty green and orange container there is full of homemade yogurt.  You Moms out there all know how many cool things come in pouches now, and I found these awesome refillable ones by Boogin Head on zulily a few months ago.  I use them for applesauce, pear sauce, yogurt, hummus, even egg salad!  And last but not least, my friend Lauren turned me on to these beautiful chocolates from Trader Joe's which contain nothing but dark chocolate, honey, and peppermint oil.  Hello, darling, let me lick you...

     Another thing I do before every flight is make muffins with whatever fruit I've got leftover in the fridge.  This time, I didn't have really any fruit spoiling, but I had a large bag of mushrooms starting to look pretty pitiful in there so I decided to try a savory muffin instead.  These things are something else, folks!

Savory Mushroom and Olive Muffins

Yields 11 muffins

1 C Whole Wheat flour

1 C Unbleached White flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 C Skim milk

3 Medium eggs (or 2 large)

1/4 C Vegetable oil

1 C Diced mushrooms

1/4 C diced onion

1/2 tsp Finely chopped rosemary

4 tsp Chopped olives

3 Garlic cloves, pressed

Line a muffin tin with paper cups.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Whisk together dry ingredients, then add eggs, oil, and milk.  Stir until combined, then add remaining ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Use an ice cream scoop to transfer batter to liners. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Review:

I never thought in a million years the boys would like these.  My youngest won't touch muffins with a ten foot pole, usually.  They loved them!!  My husband wished there was a little more salt, but I say that's nothing a little butter can't fix.  Still, if you're going to be on an airplane where butter isn't readily available, perhaps doubling the salt wouldn't be a bad idea.

Quick and Clean...

     We have (thankfully) been well for the past few weeks, but I am still in the process of bulking up our immunity.  I am also in the process of cleaning out our refrigerator.  I had 3/4 of a head of cabbage in there and it was calling my name.  Mostly in an annoyed fashion at having been in there for so long.  Never one to tick off my vegetables, I set out to make something quick and simple right away. 

     I found a marinated pork shoulder at the store and brought that home to pop in the oven.  While it baked, I threw this quick cabbage salad together.  I hesitate to call this coleslaw, since the only real way to make it involves white sugar, mayonnaise, and enough cabbage to choke a horse, but it's sort of a slaw.  In that it has cabbage.  And it goes well with pork.

Cabbage Salad
3/4 head red cabbage
1 Tbs vinegar (white will do, but apple cider is better)
1 Tbs honey (more if you like it sweeter)
1/2 large lemon, juiced
1/4 C yogurt
1 tsp coriander seed lightly crushed
salt and pepper

Slice the cabbage into thin sections and then roughly chop into bite-size pieces.  Place into a large bowl.  Whisk remaining ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over cabbage.  Serve immediately.

Review:
The boys weren't sold.  They liked the pork, but said the salad was too sour.  My husband loved it together and I am crazy for the coriander in this.  It adds a whole new dimension to an otherwise run-of-the-mill salad.