Friday Farm Photo: Have a Warm & Cozy Weekend.

We're snowed in! We have 10 inches of snow (over a layer of ice) on the ground, and it looks like it's going to be here for a while. Tonight it will probably dip down below zero (F), and the highs for the next several days are the usual lows. It's cold but beautiful.

Thankfully we had plenty of advance warning about this big storm, and except for a collapsed mini greenhouse full of baby spinach in the garden and the already frozen freezeless hydrant at the barn (which means lots of water hauling from the spring 200 feet away) things are, knock on wool, so far going smoothly.

Everyone has food, water, and shelter (not that most of them are using it), and we are tucked in for the night, binge watching 24 and basking in the heat of the glorious wood furnace, which is such a change from the little old pot bellied stove in the uninsulated Shack.

We have hot homemade pizza, cold champagne and potato chips, and a reassuring stockpile of chocolate. Inbetween feeding treats and breaking ice tomorrow I plan to slow cook a couple of lamb shoulder roasts for hours in the dutch oven and create a new sourdough starter.

Life is good.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where the occasional big snowstorm is hard work but fun—and a reminder that this former California girl would probably never survive on a farm in Minnesota (which is where our way-too-much-for-us furnace was made).

Recipe: Easy Homemade Chocolate Biscotti Cookies (and Rave Reviews for Them)

These homemade chocolate biscotti are perfect for holiday gifts (recipe here)

Every year in early December my Easy Chocolate Biscotti Recipe becomes one of the most popular recipes on Farmgirl Fare. Holiday baking season has begun!

Have you ever wondered how to make biscotti? These twice baked, crunchy Italian cookies always look so elegant and perfect, especially when packed up in little cello bags and tied with a pretty ribbon, but they're easier to make than you might think.

My simple recipe is ideal for first time biscotti bakers for two reasons: the buttery dough is easy to work with, and the chocolate makes it dark, so no one will be able to tell if all your cookies aren't the same exact shade of golden brown.

These biscotti stay fresh for several days, making them perfect for gift giving. They also freeze beautifully. The cookies have a nice (not break-your-teeth) crunch that stands up to dunking in coffee, but they also taste great on their own.

But don't just take my word for it. Below is a sampling of what others have said about this recipe since I originally posted it back in 2005. I especially love hearing about all the signature touches. Mint chocolate chips mixed in to the dough? Yes, please!

More below. . .

Thursday Dose of Cute: Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you beauty, balance, and grace this holiday season.

© FarmgirlFare.com, thankful for too many things to count.

Recipe: Easy, Creamy, Healthy Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic (Low Fat, Low Carb, Full Flavor)

This simple, flavorful cauliflower purée makes a healthy Thanksgiving side dish, but I like it all year round (recipe here).

Several years ago I fell in love with kohlrabi purée, and from there I went on to discover a whole delicious world of puréed vegetables. One of the most popular puréed vegetables is cauliflower, which is often called mashed cauliflower.

Recipes for mashed cauliflower abound, calling for everything from chicken stock and Greek yogurt to a stick of butter and a cup of heavy cream. My simple version, which has just 2 Tablespoons of butter and 2 Tablespoons of milk or cream, is low fat, low carb, easy to make, and really hard to stop eating.

You can dress it up in all sorts of ways—with sour cream and dill, cheddar and chives, even lemon juice and baby arugula—or just enjoy it plain.

Mashed cauliflower is usually touted as a low carb substitute for mashed potatoes, especially around Thanksgiving. But this really isn't fair to the cauliflower purée, because it tastes so good it shouldn't be considered a stand-in or alternative to anything.

If you have trouble eating enough fresh vegetables in autumn and winter, try puréeing them. I had no idea it was so easy to devour an entire head of cauliflower.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where you'll always get a healthy dose of good food and cute critters.

Recipe: Quick and Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Parmesan

A healthy vegetable side dish that's nice enough for Thanksgiving, yet easy enough to make for everyday (recipe here).

Hip hip hooray, it's Brussels sprout season! This is a little shout out for my quick and easy, one bowl, one pan, super popular roasted Brussels sprouts recipe. There's no need to cut a little X in each stem or boil them before roasting. You don't even have to turn them while they're cooking. And oh, do they taste good.

I gobbled up two pounds last week (they actually reheat pretty well in the microwave) and have two more pounds of raw sprouts waiting in the fridge.

Toss them with lots of lemon juice and Parmesan or Pecorino, or gussy them up a little with some garbanzos and dijon. If you're lucky enough to have any leftovers (I always double the recipe), try tossing them with some bowtie pasta, crumbled bacon, and pan-fried (in bacon grease) fresh breadcrumbs. Oh my.

Need more convincing? Here's what Farmgirl Fare readers are saying about this recipe:

—I ended up making this last night as the vegetable accompaniment to our meat and it was a great hit! Even my younger brother who is an avid veggie hater ate these up!

—After reading your blog, I put a pan of these little cabbages in the oven last night. They never made it into a bowl. I had to try one, then two...Crunchy outside and butter soft inside.

—I did the "simple" with Orecchiette pasta and lots of parmesan. So savory and perfect! I never thought to cook them at such a high temp, but I loved it. Thanks!

—Just made the "gussied up" version for a mid-morning snack :) My house smells heavenly and I am one happy camper. I stuck a handful of split fingerlings around the edge of the pan that were due to be eaten, and life is indeed good. I am sharing this recipe with everyone who will listen!

—Made these slightly gussied up (no chickpeas) for Thanksgiving to rave reviews. Just delicious. And so easy!!!!!!!!

More Thanksgiving vegetable recipe inspiration from Farmgirl Fare:

Easy, Creamy Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic

Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Onions, Apples, and a Hint of Orange
Kohlrabi Purée (I love this stuff)

Napa Cabbage Broccoli Slaw with Radishes & Creamy Dijon Dressing

Shredded Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemony Caper Dressing

© FarmgirlFare.com, the sprout crazed foodie farm blog where one of us has been known to eat leftover roasted Brussels sprouts for breakfast.

Recipe: Roasted Leek and Potato Soup with Arugula

This simple, flavorful soup is thick and rich but not loaded with calories or cream (recipe here).

It was 11°F on the farm Wednesday morning. Soup season has begun! I could probably eat soup every day in winter, and this Roasted Leek and Potato Soup with Arugula is one of my favorite recipes.

In anticipation of our first arctic blast—which arrived several weeks earlier than usual—I harvested as much as I could from the kitchen garden on Monday and Tuesday, including a small bag of arugula, a big bag of mixed baby lettuce, a bigger bag of tatsoi, and a several bags of kale.

I see a lot of salads in our future, but on Sunday I dug up several pounds of the best looking Yukon Gold potatoes I've grown in years, so this scrumptious soup is also on the menu. It's hearty and healthy and full of flavor, especially if you use homemade chicken stock, which freezes well and is ridiculously easy to make (instructions on how to make your own chicken stock are included in the soup recipe).

No leeks? Just use onions. No arugula? Try spinach instead. The roasted leeks and potatoes also make a delicious side dish. Snuggle up and enjoy!

Love the peppery bite of arugula? Check out these other Farmgirl Fare arugula recipes:

All Purpose Arugula Cottage Cheese Dip/Spread/Sauce

Arugula Pesto (tastes great on pizza!)

Arugula Pesto Cream Cheese Spread

Arugula Salad with Pan-Fried Herbed Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

Did you know arugula is easy to grow? This gourmet green thrives in cool weather and doesn't take up much space. It's also really good for you. Learn how to grow arugula from seed in less than a month here.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where polar fleece season has also begun. Woohoo! (This Sunday's 75 degree forecast has to be wrong.)

Monday Dose of Cute: It's Monday!

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Friday Farm Photo: Have a Lovely Weekend.

Morning view out the bedroom window (taken on 10/25; that tree is bare now).

More hayfield? Here.

More farm landscapes? Here.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where white-tailed deer have taken over the hayfield. On Wednesday morning we even saw four big bucks at once. This evening Bert and Bear started barking like crazy at three does up close to the house; all three of them just stood there staring at us. Mom and the twins are still out there and doing just fine; we see them nearly every day. The babies are almost grown up!

Wordless Wednesday Dose of Marta Beast Cute

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Thursday Dose of Festive Cute

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Monday Dose of Cute: Hangin' with the Big Dogs

This is a low maintenance time of year with the sheep. Breeding season is over, lambing season won't start for another three months (which I know will go by in a flash, it always does), and there's still enough good food out in the pastures so that we don't have to do any supplemental feeding. We're behind trimming hooves, but we're always behind trimming hooves.

If the weather and the grass hold out, we may not have to start feeding any of our homegrown organic hay until winter, which would be really nice. In another few weeks we'll separate out the 15 bred ewes (including the two that I'm afraid aren't pregnant since they were seriously flirting it up with Da Big Guy the other day) and start giving them a daily ration of grain to make sure they're consuming enough calories to sustain the twins and triplets that are probably growing inside most of them. This past lambing season we ended up with 19 live lambs from 9 mamas, and not a single single.

For now, though, the entire flock is fat and happy and living together (minus our ram, Da Big Guy, and his buddy Teddy) with their guard dogs, Daisy and Marta, out in the securely fenced, big front field. This means peace of mind for us, and an easier job for the dogs, since they don't have to worry about any of their sheep wandering off in search of better snacks.

Twice a day I head out front to count and check on everyone and visit with the dogs (and maybe do a little sheep snuggling too). Lately the flock has been resting at the very far end of the field, but I don't mind the hike. With the lovely weather and beautiful autumn color we've been having, this is definitely one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. And it's always more fun when Bear and Bert come along with me.

18 more photos below. . .

Friday Dose of Cute: Have a Relaxing Weekend.

© FarmgirlFare.com, still getting used to the fact that it was 21 degrees this morning. Polar fleece, here we come!

Wordless Wednesday Dose of Chicken Cute

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Tuesday Dose of Cute: Color Me Autumn

Mother Nature always gives us a leaf changing show in the fall, but we never know how good it will look or exactly when it will happen. This year? The time is now. And it's looking very nice indeed.

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Saturday Dose of Cute: Front Field Afternoon

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Recipe: Arugula Salad with Pan-Fried Herbed Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, & Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

A flavor-packed main course salad bursting with seasonal bounty (recipe here).

It may have taken until October, but I finally have tomatoes, potatoes, and arugula in the kitchen garden at once. Let everyone else go on about apples and butternuts and pumpkins; I'm making this Arugula Salad with Pan-Fried Herbed Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, & Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette.

Somewhere in the midst of an overwintered kale extravaganza and a lettuce explosion last spring, I forgot to plant any arugula. Fortunately this cold-loving little brassica can go from seed to salad bowl in less than a month, so the two small patches I planted in early September are already providing us with peppery bounty.

Despite several nights in the low 40's and even one chilly dip into the 30's, my four Sweet 100 cherry tomato plants are still ripening up a few fruits, thanks to an old bed sheet protecting them from the cold. And although the Yukon Gold potatoes were ready months ago, I've found that the best place to store them is right in the ground where they grew.

These herby potatoes taste great on their own, and the quick kalamata olive dressing is nice on other salad greens too. To make this a more substantial meal, simply add some slices of leftover grilled chicken or steak.

No arugula? Try some nice crunchy romaine lettuce. I've been having really good luck the last few years growing Parris Island Cos, a tasty heirloom that is amazingly heat tolerant.

Seasonal eating can sometimes be a little tricky, and even a little tiresome, especially if you live in the middle of nowhere. But after 19 years of tending a large garden while living far from many ingredients, I've learned that the (sometimes year-long) wait for a special dish just makes it taste that much better.

It's a brief and special time in the garden right now, when the late summer bounty overlaps the first fall harvest, and this scrumptious salad is the perfect way to celebrate it. Once, until next year.

P.S. Arugula Cottage Cheese Dip/Spread/Sauce and Roasted Leek and Potato Soup with Arugula.

© FarmgirlFare.com, always eating well, just not always on time.

Monday Dose of Cute: It's a Brand New Week

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Weekend Dose of Good Clean Cute

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Friday Dose of Cute: Heading into the Weekend

Have a good one.

More sheep? Here.

More farm landscapes? Here and here.

© FarmgirlFare.com, always moving toward the food.

Thursday Dose of Cute: Down at the Sheep Barn

Great Pyrenees livestock guardian Daisy and nine-year-old pet wether Teddy.

Bye, bye, breeding season! These weeks are flying by so fast it's frightening. On August 27th we moved our six-year-old ram, Da Big Guy (born during the 'D' year) in with 15 ewes, and last Thursday we moved him back out. If all went (and goes) well, adorable bouncing baby lambs should start arriving the end of January.

A ewe cycles every 17 days, so we kept the ram in a pen with them for 37 days: two cycles plus a few extra days just in case. Hopefully, though, lambing season won't last nearly that long. Last year nine ewes had 19 live lambs (plus one newborn that died), which was fantastic, but they spread those lambs out over a month.

The idea is to have all the lambs arrive in as short a time as possible, although that doesn't always seem like a great plan when you're short on sleep and babies are being born every time you turn around. But the alternative—endless days of round the clock barn checks with nothing going on—is even more exhausting.

During the past few years we've significantly reduced our flock in an all around effort to simplify our lives and reduce expenses, so besides Da Big Guy and his 15 babes, we had a separate splinter flock this year of just eight sheep: three 2013 lambs that we'll have butchered next spring, three big old pet wethers (they also make great ram companions), my baby Cary (who I decided not to breed again after her first horrible experience), and nine-year-old Silly, a sweet old retired girl who is Da Big Guy's mother.

When we pulled Da Big Guy out last week, we put Teddy (aka Uncle Teddy) in with him and merged the rest of the flock back together.

We combined this merger with a sheep working session, trimming some hooves, running everyone through a zinc sulfate foot bath to treat foot scald (raw spots between the toes from moisture), and giving everybody a dose of organic garlic juice and apple cider vinegar as a natural wormer and all-around health tonic.

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Wordless Wednesday Dose of Jasper Cute

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Recipe: Healthy Rice Salad Packed with Raw Vegetables and Fresh Greens

A pile of fresh vegetables and herbs is stirred into hot rice, then tossed with a simple olive oil and lemon dressing: easy, nutritious, gluten-free, delicious!

We love rice, and of course we love all-natural foods that are produced by socially responsible companies. So when my publishing network, BlogHer, asked if I was interested in creating a healthy recipe using one of RiceSelect's Royal Blend® rices as part of an upcoming ad campaign (which helps me and over 3,000 other mostly women bloggers bring you all our blog content for free), I said sure.

RiceSelect™ is a research based company focused on high value organic and all-natural products. All RiceSelect products are verified non-GMO and are grown, milled, and packaged in the United States under the most stringent farming and production guidelines. Their farms use a sustainable environmentally friendly process that assures socially responsible production.

There are three RiceSelect Royal Blend® products, and my recipe calls for the Royal Blend® with Brown, Red, & Wild Rice, which is an all-natural blend of Texmati White, pre-cooked brown, wild, and Thai red rice. It has no added sodium, a wonderful nutty flavor, and is ready to eat in less than half an hour.

In the 15 minutes it takes the rice to cook, you can turn a simple side dish into a healthy, colorful, flavor-packed feast. A pile of fresh vegetables and herbs is stirred into the hot rice then tossed with a simple olive oil and lemon dressing. It's delicious warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Recipe below. . .

Sunday Dose of Beagle Cute: Picking Dinner, Choosing Yoga

Fresh salad fixings from the organic heirloom kitchen garden.

Ready to do something really good for yourself? It's not too late to join me for Marianne Elliott's upcoming 30 Days of Yoga: A Lifetime of Well-Being. The preparatory lessons start next week.

You can read more about this wonderful course (which I've done before) here, and you can register here. I hope to see you there!

Meanwhile. . . (more photos below)

Friday Farm Photo: Have a Beautiful Weekend.

After a brief rainstorm yesterday.

More hayfield photos? Here.

More farm landscapes? Here.

© FarmgirlFare.com, shiny and bright, not a coyote in sight—but we can hear them howling out there all night.

How To Make Pear Butter in the Oven: Easy, Low Sugar

Very ripe pears are the secret to this flavorful, foolproof pear butter that will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. No canning required! (recipe here).

Pears are in season, and there's nothing like homemade pear butter. This popular Really Easy Low Sugar Pear Butter recipe I shared a few years ago is so simple, and it tastes divine.

There's no peeling or coring required, and because it cooks in the oven instead of on the stove top, you don't have to babysit a simmering pot for hours. It's also a great way to use up bruised and battered pears, which taste extra sweet.

Pears are plentiful and cheap right now, and in many places they're available locally grown. Unfortunately pears are also high on the Environmental Working Group's list of Most Contaminated Produce (apples are #1), so it's especially important to seek out organic pears if at all possible.

A good mature pear tree can literally produce several hundred pounds of fruit each year, so ask around. You might discover that a friend or neighbor would love for you to take a bushel or two off their hands. You can also search LocalHarvest.org for fresh pears near you.

If you're facing a mountain of ripe pears, making pear butter is the perfect way to use them up. You can process jars of pear butter in a waterbath canner, but it will keep unprocessed in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks (I never have any around longer than that).

Homemade pear butter makes a wonderful gift, and if you don't want to bother with the canning process, simply tell the recipient to stick their jar in the fridge and enjoy it right away.

P.S. Easy Autumn Pear and Apple Crisp and 100% Whole Grain Ginger Pear Bran Muffins.

© FarmgirlFare.com, sharing recipes, stories, and photos from our crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres—but not real good about sharing the homemade pear butter.