I wrote this blog post in about 15 minutes. Then sat on it for almost a year. Because, even now, it's a hard topic to talk about
 
However, I am eternally grateful to the women who have shared their stories before me and today is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Day. So, I'm finally hitting that share button in case my experiences might help someone else.

I used to cling to the wishes I made when the clock struck 11:11.

Someone once said in passing "oh, it's 11:11, better make a wish!" I laughed as one does at such superstitions but after having my first baby, I began to cling to those 11:11 wishes. And it seemed that I saw 11:11 on the clock alll the time. AM & PM both. Because god knows I wasn't getting much sleep in those days.

My wish was simple. And it was the same every time. "Please let everything be OK." That might seem like such a general statement but it was a desperate wish.

I knew things weren't good at the time. But I didn't have the words or the perspective to explain or even understand just how bad things were myself. I'm not sure I have the words now either. It was like drowning or suffocating. Or both.

It wasn't until a few months ago when I happened to see the stove clock hit 11:11 (am this time) that it all hit me. I hadn't noticed the clock strike 11:11 in quite some time and when I noticed it that day, memories of all those desperate/suffocating feelings hit me like a truck and I realized for the first time that all those wishes had come true. Everything IS ok now.

Is everything easy? No. Is every moment of every day enjoyable? No. Do I get enough sleep? Still no. Although the night time wakings are so much less than they used to be. And something has eased inside. I suspect that it has a LOT to do with the kids being older and more independent. With being able to work by myself on the farm for at least a part of almost every day. With a slight ease of household chores as the kids learn to take on a few small chores of their own.

There is no doubt in my mind that my 11:11 wishes were fueled by post partum depression. And looking back, I am a bit shaken at just how lucky I am to be on the healing side of things given that I was never treated*. Especially considering that I certainly was not healed from my first post partum period before the second began. In fact, it was nearly 6 years after my first and 3.5 years after my last child that the fog finally began to lift.

I never seriously considered self harm and I think that is one reason that I slipped under the radar. I filled out the depression questionnaires at my post partum appointments but even at the time the questions seemed inadequate. And there's a heavy emphasis put on thoughts of self harm and/or harming one's children and those thoughts are certainly important to suss out but I'm here to tell you that a person can be in a world of hurt without thoughts of causing physical harm to themselves or others. People can even get up and carry out the necessary tasks (and more) every day even though doing so feels like wading through a waist deep slurry of tar.

Now that those feelings are memories, I can see clearly just how dark those times were and how much I was weighed down by it all.

Why did I never get help? That's the magic question isn't it?

There is not nearly enough support for mothers. Period. But especially post partum.

Doctors are overworked.

Therapy is HARD to access. Therapists are swamped. Therapists are hard to find. You don't always connect with your first therapist. Therapy is expensive.

There is a stigma. Whether you choose Therapy or Medicine, there is a stigma. Simply admitting you are struggling comes with a stigma.

Medicine is scary. It has side effects. You don't always get the right medicine or the right dose of the right medicine the first time and the adjustment process can be scary. Or at least that's my perception

So why am I sharing this? I could say that I'm sharing my experiences to draw attention the inadequacy of our medical systems or the lack of a 'village' for mothers. I could say it's to advocate for better post partum support for women. Both at a systemic and a family level. And those statements would be true.

But the most compelling reason for me to share my struggles is that reading others' stories when I was in the thick of it, helped me to understand at least a little bit what I was going through. Those stories gave me something to hold onto and helped me realize that I wasn't alone in struggling with motherhood. They gave me hope that maybe something could be done about it.

More than once after reading a story from one particular college friend**, I would pull up the medical center phone number, on the brink of making a doctor appointment. Unfortunately bridging the gap between *wanting* to talk to a doctor and all the steps it takes to actually be in front of a doctor (and to talk openly with them) took more courage than I was able to muster.

Thank God I somehow made it through anyway. But not everyone is that lucky. And no one should have to struggle through the fog and despair. So I'm sharing my story in case it might be the catalyst for even one struggling mom to find some help. 

For those in the trenches ... take this as a sign to talk to someone. 
For those on the other side of the conversation.... please realize that this is probably one of the hardest conversations your person has ever had. ​

For those that this post might cause worry: More than a year after realizing my 11:11 wishes had come true, I can say that things continue to improve and I finally enjoy being a mother. I love playing Uno with my kids, I am fascinated by the way they take in books and by the stories that they craft themselves. We regularly work in the kitchen or greenhouse together and it's finally fun. 

*After reading and rereading these words that I wrote over a year ago, - I have realized that I DID eventually get help, although it came in the unlikely form of a business coaching program. I signed up thinking I would learn how to grow my business. What I wasn't expecting was the validation and peace I found through group coaching and the mindset work that was part of the program. 

**my friend Amber has recently started a blog of her own to share her journey with farming, depression and motherhood. Her blog is called Caring for Calves and Kids

Wow, these past couple of weeks have been a whirl wind.

I had the incredible opportunity to visit Washington DC and talk with “the people who make the rules of America” (as I have explained it to my kids).

The National Young Farmers Coalition asked me to join a Fly-In to Washington to discuss 3 amendments to the farm bill that would provide crucial support to young and beginning farmers.

The whole experience was phenomenal. I flew into Washington DC early Wednesday morning and experienced the Metro for the first time. I may have taken the wrong train on my first attempt – those of you who know me well won’t be surprised that the first thing I did in DC was get lost. Ha.

Luckily I had plenty of time and eventually got turned around and made it to the hotel with time to spare. Wednesday afternoon was set aside for a training session with my fellow farmer advocates from across the country. The training session began with introductions and I was both humbled and inspired by the amazing work each of these farmers and aspiring farmers are doing in and for their communities.

Patrick serves as the principle of Chattahoochee Hills Charter School, a K-8 ag school in Georgia. https://www.chatthillscharter.org/

De’Andress both farms and runs a non-profit called New Cahokia Commons Urban Farm which provides it community with fresh foods and also “helps BIPOC individuals address trauma through entrepreneurial enterprises nurtured through real access to land” https://www.newcahokiacommons.farm/home

Zoe is involved with the Minnesota Land Stewardship Project, Pesticide Action Network, Rootsprings Retreat Center whose mission is to “To foster healing, learning, and connection for individuals, community and Earth centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, activists, and healers.” https://rootspringsmn.org/who-we-are/

Monika is an urban farming, growing for mutual aid and community fridges in Des Moines

And the list goes on and on…..Ana, Alberto, Jeremy, and more….. all doing phenomenal things within their communities.

To sum it up, I was in a room chock full of outstanding individuals who were both farming and serving their communities and also setting aside time to advocate for their fellow farmers. I was truly humbled.
​
During the training, we learned who each of us would be meeting with the following day as well as how to tell our stories of farming, land access and conservation in a concise yet compelling way. It can be challenging to whittle down a life story into concise digestible chunks and so this opportunity to work through our stories with other farmers and Young Farmer staff was invaluable.

The next day began with chilly photos on the steps of the iconic capital building. I had packed for 50’s & 60’s but the temps were more like mid to upper 30’s. You win some, you lose some ;)

Following photos, Monika from Sweet Tooth Farm in Des Moines and I were tasked with meeting with the offices of Zach Nunn, Charles Grassley, Joni Ernst, & Randy Feenstra. We would also be attending the meeting of the Senate Ag Committee. Our mission: garner support for LASO the Land Access Securities & Opportunities Act.

Despite the training the day before, I truly didn’t know what to expect at our first meeting of the day. Until we reached each office, we didn’t know if we would be meeting with the representatives and senators themselves or if we would meet with staffers that served them. We were told there are pros to both scenarios. I learned that staffers are typically assigned to one or two areas of policy and are expected to be experts in their fields. Each lawmaker has several staffers. It is the staffers’ job to sift through alllll of the information coming in from their area of expertise and take recommendations back to their bosses (i.e. the Rep or Senator that they work for).

I want to take a moment here to say that I had never put a lot of thought into the role of staffers. In fact, prior to this trip, I had only the most basic understanding of how the legislative process truly worked. Before the meetings I was a little disappointed that we might ‘only’ be meeting with staffers but now I have a great appreciation for the roles of the staffers and I am honored they took the time to hear our concerns and to consider the bills we are asking them to support.

Our first meeting was with Zach Nunn’s office. Rep Nunn is already a co-sponsor of the LASO act but legislators can change their mind at any time and so our job was to thank him and his staff for their support and reiterate just how important it is to continue to support and champion the bill.

The next 3 meetings were all about asking our legislators to add their support to the LASO bill. We were kindly received in each office and felt like we were able to provide valuable perspective on both land access and other issues facing farmers in Iowa like the need for more meat processing facilities and all of the unseen things needed to support those facilities like adequately trained inspectors. Other things that came up in conversation included the LFPA or Local Food Procurement Act, the Choose Iowa program, the need for more formalized farmer to farmer learning opportunities and the capacity for small farms to implement conservation practices and how the government can be supportive of our efforts.

Did we make an impact? I think we did. Young Farmers staff was upfront with us that there is no easy way to measure the response. Support can wax and wane as the farm bill progresses through the legislative process. A Rep that supports LASO or any other bill now might drop their sponsorship later in the game. Or someone may sign on late in the game after marinating on our stories. While LASO and the other bills include an allotment of money to fund programs, I learned that even a mention or acknowledgement of each bill in the final Farm Bill would be a win. A mention is the ‘foot in the door’ that can lead to stronger support and hopefully funding during the next farm bill.

I know I was certainly impacted. I understand government and the legislative process in a way now that I did not before. I am honored to have been involved in the legislative process. And most of all, I am encouraged both by organizations like Young Farmers and by the incredible farmers who are working everyday to create opportunity for farmers and those who wish to farm, to protect our environment, and to strengthen our food system.

Ok, cool but what is LASO? And why do I care?

LASO or the Land Access Security & Opportunities act addresses what is arguably the number one problem facing farmers and aspiring farmers today. Accessibility and affordability of land. If you can’t buy or rent land, you can’t grow crops or raise livestock and so all other problems are mute until you find land.

 As Nathan and I found out when we were thrust into the land market, needing not only a home for ourselves and our then newborn baby, but also our livestock, farm land is incredibly difficult to find. And incredibly expensive when you do.
And if you do manage to find a piece of land that fits your needs (ie. Has a livable house, water, septic, electricity, the right number of acres and maybe if you are really lucky a stable outbuilding or 2), you’re likely going to be bidding against the neighboring farmer who’s been doing this a few decades  and has much deeper pockets than any of us that are just getting started.

While Nathan and I did ultimately find a home for our farm, our “diamond in the rough,” if you will, I can't emphasize enough just how much luck was wrapped up in finding this piece of land. Opportunities for new farmers were limited then and they are even more so now. We have many peers waiting in the wings, hoping for the day that they too will find a piece of land that fits their needs and that they can afford to buy or even rent. Young families are leaving Iowa and rural communities are suffering.
So what does LASO do to help with all that?

The  creators of LASO recognized that the US and the needs of its farmers is too diverse for a one size fits all solution. So the exact details of how LASO will function will likely look different across the nation. LASO allows for community based solutions, meaning that farmers in Arizona can create solutions that will fit their land access needs which are likely different from the solutions that Iowans might come up with. And urban farming communities can develop solutions for their communities which will likely look different than the solutions that rural farmers will need. LASO, if enacted in full, would work with local non-profits to “provide funding for direct assistance and services to help farmers and ranchers afford and acquire land, cover closing costs and down payments, secure clear title on heirs’ property farmland, capitalize infrastructure and site improvements, acquire business technical assistance and farm viability training, and other activities.”

If you want to dig into LASO some more, I have included a summary of the bill at the end of this blog post.

At the end of the day, I'm just so grateful to have had the opportunity to advocate for myself and for my fellow farmers in this way. Nathan and I want to express our gratitude to you, our supporters. Without you we couldn't do this work of farming and we certainly wouldn’t be in a position to advocate for farmers and rural communities. Every sale, every word of encouragement sustains us for another day.
​
Your farmer,
Emily

Below is the summary of the bill prepared by the National Young Farmers Coalition
Legislative Summary
The Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities Act would address the interrelated challenges of land access and tenure, as well as access to capital, markets, and technical assistance to help producers start and grow viable farm businesses, retain access to land, and transition land. The bill would authorize and expand USDA’s Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program with appropriations of $100 million per year.
Specifically, the bill would:
● Make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, State and Tribal governments, non-profit service providers, community lending institutions, farmer cooperatives, and other eligible entities to strengthen land, capital, and market access outcomes for historically underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest owners and for producers operating in high-poverty areas.
● Provide funding for direct assistance and services to help farmers and ranchers afford and acquire land, cover closing costs and down payments, secure clear title on heirs’ property farmland, capitalize infrastructure and site improvements, acquire business technical assistance and farm viability training, and other activities.
● Prioritize projects that provide direct financial assistance to producers, involve collaborative networks or partnerships, utilize innovative land access and farmland protection and affordability tools, facilitate transition of farmland from existing producers to the next generation, and incorporate other factors that will compound the program’s impact.
● Establish a stakeholder committee to develop a process for evaluating applications and distributing funds to ensure the program is responsive to the needs of farmers and ranchers.

Middle of the afternoon yesterday it hit me, chicken noodle soup would be PERFECT for supper.

The problem?

It's 2:47 and I have no chicken thawed out. 

But I needed chicken noodle soup today. The damp cool day was begging for chicken noodle soup.

Tell me I'm not alone? Chicken noodle soup just hits the spot on a rainy day, doesn't it?

Could I do it? 

Remember to remove the metal clip sealing the bag shut. This can be tricky to do straight out of the freezer but I simply ran that end of the package under warm water for a few seconds and it loosened enough to cut away the metal clip and the rest of the packaging easily peeled away too.

Next place the block of chicken backs in a microwave safe dish and use your defrost settings to thaw the chicken. Turn every couple of minutes and separate the backs as they begin to thaw. In total, thawing the chicken backs took me 20 minutes but I lost time by not being present each time the microwave paused and insisted that I come turn the backs ;)

Once the back were thawed I put them in my insta-pot along with 2 small yellow onions, 3 cloves of garlic and some herbs (my favorite for chicken noodle soup are rosemary and thyme) and salt and pepper. I used the onion and garlic skins too because I knew I wouldn't be canning this batch of broth.

Once everything was in the pot, I fill it with water to the fill line. Now I was ready to start up the insta-pot! I used the soup setting for 1 hour with natural release which adds another 15-20 minutes. By this time it was approaching 4pm and I headed to the living room to sew with my oldest daughter. 

Now, I chose to come back to the kitchen around 5 and make homemade egg noodles but if you have egg noodles on hand, you can absolutely use them for this soup.

Once the insta-pot had done it's work and released pressure, it was around 5:30pm. I used a strainer to strain about half the broth into a large stock pot and placed it on the stove over med-high heat. Once the broth was boiling, I added the noodles and 3 or 4 carrots that I had chopped earlier when chopping the onions and garlic. While the carrots and noodles cooked, I sorted the meat from the bones and added the meat to the soup.

Voila! The best chicken noodle soup and I turned the burner off right at 6pm which is our normal supper time.

Bonus: We had enough soup left over for tomorrow's supper AND about 1.5 quarts of extra broth that I stuck in the freezer for future use.

Moral of the story: keep a package or 2 of chicken backs on hand for when a Chicken Noodle Day just sneaks up on you!

Ingredients

• 2.5lbs chicken backs (1pkg)
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3/4-1 gallon water
• herbs to taste (I used about 2 tsp each of dried rosemary & thyme)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 12 oz dry egg noodles

Directions

• remove packaging, especially the metal closure
  
• thaw chicken using defrost settings in microwave
  
• place chicken backs, onion, garlic, herbs into insta-pot and fill with water the the fill line
  
• use soup setting for 1 hour and allow to naturally release pressure
• use a strainer to separate meat and bones, etc from broth
• pour about half of the broth into a stock pot and bring to boil on stove top over med-high heat
• add noodles and carrots to stock pot and simmer until carrots are soft and noodles are done - 15-20 minutes
  
• while noodles and carrots cook, remove meat from the bones and add meat to the noodles
  
• allow remaining broth to cool and then put in fridge or freezer to use at a later time*

*if you use the garlic and onion skins, DO NOT CAN your leftover broth. It is perfectly safe to freeze but do not can it 

Enjoy!
​Emily

Today I am going to share my all time favorite fried chicken recipe with you. ... But it's not my grandma's fried chicken.

Don't get me wrong, my grandma's were both great cooks, but I didn't get the chance to learn much from either of them. One grandma did not allow others in her kitchen. The other we just didn't see as much.

So where did I learn to cook?

Well my mom of course! And she does make some pretty good fried chicken but this is not her recipe either.

Mom's fried chicken is the kind that you fry on the stove top with lots of oil and while it's delicious it's also time consuming, a bit messy, and most importantly it requires me to stick close to the pan and monitor it. And I'm just not good at that. I can't help but drift away from the stove and start on the side dishes and before you know it, there's smoke rolling through the kitchen because I've forgotten all about the chicken in the pan.

So, learning to 'fry' my chicken in the oven was life changing. And skipping all that oil has it's pluses too.

I've tried a number of recipes and here's my favorite. This one is good for our 'cut up' chickens where you have wings, legs, breast, thighs all in the same package but it also works for our packages that have only legs or  thighs or wings. 

When I make this recipe using our 'cut up' chickens, I typically set the breast aside to use for a different meal but you could also slice it into strips and 'fry' it too.

Because I have the oven going already, I like to serve my fried chicken with smashed potatoes and roasted veggies. I just use whatever veggies are in season. Right now, I like to serve squash, sweet potatoes, cabbage or the brussel sprouts or snap peas that I froze last fall. Soon we will have fresh salad to add to the table as well!

Enjoy!
​Emily

Can we talk about the weather?

My kids are home from school today due to freezing rain and snow. Maybe yours are too.
Snow definitely wasn’t on my bingo card for today and it isn’t convenient. It’s so easy to curse the weather and wish it away. But snow is moisture and so I will take it.

I was planning to write about my favorite fried chicken recipe today but the weather is weighing on my mind and so Fried Chicken will have to wait for next week ;)

This weather isn’t convenient. It could even be dangerous for those who have to be on the roads. But dang do we ever need the moisture.

Iowa has been in a drought for more than 190 consecutive weeks. That’s 3 years and 8 months since we’ve had adequate moisture in our soils.

Really think about that.

We have been in a drought for almost FOUR YEARS. The last time we had a drought like this was in the 1950’s.

It's easy to forget we are in a drought when water flows freely from our taps and water restrictions are distant memory from last summer. We never forget it here on the farm though. We depend on a well and we see the effects of too little moisture first.

We need water for our vegetables to grow. We also need water to clean those vegetables up and bring them to market. We need water to quench the thirst of our animals as well as our own. Water is necessary to clean ourselves and our clothes and our dishes. Our kids love to play in water and I yearn for a time when I can let them do that without my chest clenching with worry.

I have a hard time holding my tongue when someone says "man, I wish it would stop raining!" or "gross! It's snowing!" And it happens Every. Time. We. Have. Rain or Snow.

I know it's inconvenient. I know gray skies dampen moods and mess up plans.

But without rain and snow, crops - FOOD - will eventually cease to grow. 

Nathan has videoed dust-nados in neighboring fields. I’ve witnessed tumble weeds blow across the road in front of my vehicle twice in the last week. My stomach flips upside down every time I see a swirl of dirt rise from the ground. I can’t help but think of the dust bowl.

We have the tools today to avoid such a disaster but have we implemented enough of them? Or has greed and willful ignorance left too many fields ‘naked’?

Have too many trees been cut down?

Have we replaced enough ‘lawn’ with deep rooted, drought resistant, prairie plants? I fear not.

And so for right now, I don’t care if the moisture falling from the sky is rain or snow or if it means I have to cancel all my plans. I will take it. And I will be thankful for every drop.

Your farmer,
Emily

*Successful Farming Magazine & U.S. Drought Monitor

Let’s talk lamb!

Have you seen lamb on our product list and wanted to try it but just not sure how to cook it? Well, there are a lot of great recipes out there so I will share a couple of my favorite today and also where to look for more!

The most common question I get is: “If I want to try lamb what should I get?” And my recommendation is always either ground lamb or lamb chops. Ground lamb, like any ground meat, is just easy and it floats right into a lot of simple meals. But to really get the experience, lamb chops are where it’s at! Lamb chops are also simple to prepare and pack a lot of flavor.

My favorite lamb chop recipe is: Seared Lamb Chops with Mustard-Herb Pan Sauce. This recipe is a classic because in it, I provide instructions for cooking the chops themselves separate from the sauce. This means that you can enjoy the chops as is, without any additional seasoning, or you can rub the chops with any herbs you like before cooking them. I personally really enjoy rosemary and garlic with lamb. And if you choose to make the sauce, you make it in the same pan as the chops so it is a really flavorful one pan dish :)

Ground lamb can be used in almost any dish calling for ground meat. From lamb burgers to lamb chili, lamb lasagna and more, ground lamb is very versatile. My favorite recipe to showcase the lamb itself though is Lamb & Broccoli Pasta.

I can’t end a blog post about cooking lamb without sharing my absolute favorite recipe for Leg of Lamb. Leg of Lamb can range from 3-6 pounds and as such can be intimidating. However, with this Super Simple Buttermilk Leg of Lamb recipe, you can’t go wrong. It is a no fuss recipe and with just 3 ingredients you really can’t mess it up :)

In addition to these great recipes, we also have free recipe books from the  American Lamb Board we can give you when you visit us at Produce in the Park as well as when you purchase lamb here at the farm.

Other lamb recipes available on my blog:
Lamb & Rosemary Koftas (ground lamb)
Greek Roasted Lamb Shoulder Roast (can also use leg of lamb)
Braised Lamb Shanks
Shepherd's Pie (use lamb kabob for the 'stew meat')

Have you tried our lamb? Tell me about your experience in the comments. What is your favorite lamb recipe?

Enjoy!

I originally shared this recipe with our Date Night CSA customers back in June of 2019 and it was a hit! This simple recipe is a great introduction to lamb. You set the chops aside before making the sauce so you can sneak one plain and then dress the rest up with the delicious Mustard herb sauce for a restaurant quality meal!
​
This recipe is also easy to double or triple. Just make sure to sear your chops in batches so you don't over fill your pan. Then make the full amount of sauce after cooking all the chops.

​Seared Lamb Chops with Mustard-Herb Pan Sauce
 
Ingredients
4 bone-in lamb chops
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon mustard
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold butter
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or 1 TBSP dried chives)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
 
Directions
Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb chops until golden brown and medium rare (130 degrees F), about 3 – 5 minutes each side.
When chops are done, transfer to a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Reduce heat to medium-low and de-glaze the skillet by carefully pouring in the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until broth has reduced by half.
Stir in the mustard and lemon juice and simmer one minute more. Add the butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the chives and rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour sauce over chops and serve.

One of the things about farming in Iowa is that it's very seasonal. We work like crazy from March through about Thanksgiving and then the ground freezes and the plants die. Many of the animals go to butcher in October and November and chores, while still a daily presence, decreases to a few necessary minutes each morning and night. The work takes a sudden shift from what feels like around the clock outdoor physical activity of growing/nourishing/harvesting and reactivity of customer interactions to largely indoor/office work. Catching up on the books, researching that new idea, making crop plans and ordering seed for next year, making decisions about if and how to grow the business. Hard mental work that gets pushed aside during the spring/summer/fall but that is soo necessary to running a business. At the same time, the physical demands lessen and the days get darker and colder and even though I know how exactly worthwhile it is to go outside despite the cold and snow, it gets MUCH harder to cross that thresh hold and step outside.

And then there's the holidays... whew boy, those holidays can certainly bring stress. I've thought a lot about the holidays this year. THE matriarchs, aka - the grandmas that held everyone together, on all sides of both families have passed away in the last few years and we've been floundering a bit as long held holiday plans and traditions shift and morph into something new.

I've also come to realize that the holidays and the traditions and magic that we associate with them are so important to keeping spirits up during the cold, dark winter days. We have been blessed with a few nice days this past week but it gets dark so early that it’s hard to take advantage of the nice weather after school and work. And so, we focus on the season before us and bask in the lighted trees and the hot chocolate and the music that we all know so well.

Besides lifting spirits in the moment, traditions also tie us to each other and seat themselves deep in our memories. I will never forget making Christmas candy with my brother, mom, grandma and great grandma. This is one tradition that has largely fallen to the wayside over the years but I will never forget the coziness of 3 women and 2 children all working together in great grandma’s tiny apartment kitchen. And nothing was more fun than getting to help great grandma pull the peanut brittle after mom dumped it from the hot pan onto the cool cookie sheet. Trust me, you haven’t had truly good peanut brittle until you have had peanut brittle that has been pulled!

One of my favorite Christmas memories is driving through the luminaries in Anita, IA with mom & grandma. And after the luminaries, we would always drive up and down every street in town soaking in allll the Christmas lights. I find myself drawn back every year - even though my kids don't seem to think it's nearly as captivating as I do.

To be fair, my kids are just now old enough to really take in the wonders of Christmas so maybe this year will be different. It's interesting, sifting through two families worth of traditions, keeping some, discarding others and ultimately creating our own traditions that will hopefully populate our kids' winter memories for a lifetime.

One thing we have landed on is a tradition of giving - just doing a little something to help us focus a little more on others and a little less on ourselves as we pass the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Last year was a food pantry advent calendar, this year we are making blankets to donate to Lydia House via the Elk Horn Public Library. Making fleece tie blankets with a 4 & 6 year old has been a true adventure. Maybe after this I can teach them to tie their shoes. Ha. I should probably hide the scissors though as they now feel they have license to use them a little more freely than I might have intended.

Other traditions that have stood the test of time are visiting a tree farm to pick out a live tree. I mean honestly, is there anything better than getting all bundled up and walking through a patch of carefully shaped pine trees on a brisk day while debating the attributes of each tree?  Is this one ‘full’ enough *thinking emoji*? How about this one? It’s just a skotch taller than Dad, it should fit in the dining room right? Could we be more efficient and like measure things out? Well sure, but where’s the fun in that?! And honestly the best part of the whole thing is the cup of hot chocolate or apple cider to warm up with afterwards! This tradition is getting harder to hold onto as tree farms are fewer and farther between. The disappearance of Christmas tree farms feels like an analogy for the disappearance of all trees in Iowa *eye roll or sad emoji* - but I’ll write about our disappearing trees another day.

I’m working on my brother to help create a new tradition for the farm -  BKF Xmas card! It won’t happen this year but maybe next year ;) My brother is the genius behind the camera – he takes all of the truly quality photos you see from the farm.

How about you? What are your favorite Holiday traditions? What brings magic to your house in the cold winter months?

I have spent weeks preparing for this. This COLD. I knew it was coming and I even looked forward to the reprieve - the opportunity that a frozen garden presents to spend more time on writing and baking and stitching. And yet today my body tells me it absolutely is NOT ready. My brain balks at even the bare bones chores that are left now that the broilers are gone and the garden is (mostly) frozen.

I drag my feet. Warming first myself and then my coat next to the fire.

But alas my excuses have run out. Time to buckle up and face the frozen tundra to feed the laying hens and pigs.

When I come in, I will bake bread and warm both the house and my soul.

For this is just the beginning.

 I This is part 2 of a 3 part list of fabulous ways to give new life to leftover chicken! If I'm being honest, I cook whole chickens just so I can make these dishes! I challenge you to try #4 ASAP - making Orange Chicken has never been so easy!

4. Orange Chicken

• This is a fun dish that I just added to my family’s meal list. I save time by starting with leftover chicken. Prepare sauce by combining the following ingredients in a small saucepan: 1/2 cup orange juice, ¼ cup sugar, 1 TBSP vinegar, 1 TBSP soy sauce, ¼ tsp fresh minced garlic, ¼ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp red chili flakes, 1/2 tsp cornstarch. Mix thoroughly and continue to stir until the sauce bubbles and begins to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside. 
• ​​Start a pan of rice cooking on the stove top.
• Then, toss bite size pieces (or even bite size clumps) of chicken into an egg wash and then coat in cornstarch or flour. Fry in batches in a deep pan with about 1 inch of oil or lard in the bottom. When chicken bites are golden brown, place chicken pieces on a paper towel and allow excess oil to drip off. Then toss chicken with the orange sauce. Reserving some sauce to spoon over rice if you wish. Green onion makes a nice relish!

​5. Chicken salad
         Chicken salad is so versatile. Serve it on a bun, a croissant, a bagel, plain ‘ol bread, wrap it up in lettuce or eat it with a           spoon. Anyway, you serve it, chicken salad is a simple make ahead main dish that’s perfect for summer. For a classic             chicken salad, grab your favorite mayo, a stalk of celery, a small red onion and mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
        Shred the chicken and finely chop the celery and red onion. Mix cold chicken and veggies with mayo, salt, pepper, and             mustard. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
6. Creamed Chicken on Biscuits

• This simple comfort food is hygglig on a cold winter night! In a hot skillet, combine 2 cups roughly chopped leftover chicken, 1.5 cups whole milk, ¼ cup flour, and 3/4 cup chicken broth. To avoid lumps, reserve ½ cup milk and stir the flour into it before adding to the pan. Stir gently until the gravy begins to bubble and thicken. Add salt & pepper to taste as well as ½ cup mushrooms or peas or both! Continue to simmer until the peas and mushrooms are heated through.
• My family loves this satisfying chicken gravy served over biscuits or mashed potatoes. It is also delicious over toast, buttered noodles, or rice.

I hope you and your family enjoy these recipes! Leave me a comment to tell me which recipe was your favorite or to share YOUR favorite chicken dish!

Also, click below to snag my new cookbook, 3 Meals from 1 Chicken! I created this cookbook specifically to help you make the most of each chicken. The cookbook even includes a bonus chicken broth recipe - just in time for cooler fall weather!