Life at the Hacienda

This must be just like living in paradise.

[haciendalife]

Ode to Gluten Free Baking

Over the last 15 years I have really gotten into cooking and baking. Hence this blog;) Unfortunately, I had to change my diet a couple years ago due to some health issues. For almost 2 years now I have been following the FODMAP diet – some days more strictly than others. This diet was a life saver for me, and I’ve learned a lot about digestion. I’ve also learned a lot about foods that my body doesn’t digest well, and can now avoid them instead of being sick all the time. If any of this speaks to you, I would recommend picking up IBS: Free at Last by Patsy Catsos. I would credit her for fixing/healing my gut when the doctors threw up their hands and said it was all in my head. Okay, in all fairness, first they took out my gall bladder – but that only worked for a few months.

So hooray for me, not only was I able to eat without getting sick – I was losing weight. But it’s really not as glamorous as it sounds. Yes, I was dropping clothing sizes and bra sizes – but a lot of it was due to giving up wheat, lactose, sugar, caffeine, salsa, most fruits, lots of veggies, and legumes…to name a few. If you still think it sounds glamorous, then consider Friday night pizza. Or anytime a pizza presents itself into your life. Think about the chewy gluten-filled, doughy crust; and the gooey, stretchy cheese; and the spicy, tangy sauce.There isn’t a whole lot about pizza that jives with the FODMAP diet. Good thing I love a challenge!

I found work-arounds to just about every favorite recipe in my life – except pizza crust. Finding a GOOD gluten-free (not that I have problem with gluten, but it’s the easiest way to know something is “wheat free”) pizza crust is pretty damned impossible. Truly. I have tried all the store-bought crusts AND mixes. I have tried everything the frozen gluten-free pizza world has to offer. And from that research I can share that if you want to spend a cool $60, you can get Amazon to ship you about a dozen frozen pizza crusts from the Smart Flour company. They also sell their ready-made frozen pizzas at Fred Meyer. Pretty good in a pinch. Still, I missed tossing my pizza dough – the ritual of making my Friday night pizza. I missed the smell and flavor and texture.

And then it all changed. Pinterest FODMAP recipes were becoming increasingly common for me, and I discovered the Gluten Free on a Shoestring blog, by Nicole Hunn. She was advertising some bread recipes as her new Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread cookbook was coming out. Her recipe for gluten-free Sweet Hawaiian Rolls was on Pinterest and I tried it. Because, who doesn’t like sweet Hawaiian rolls? First, being able to make a bread dough – A REAL BREAD DOUGH – one that is soft, smooth, and elastic, and feels alive in your hands. The smell of this dough…and the way my house smelled when the rolls were baking. Tears in my eyes, people. I have always been a self-proclaimed bread girl. I love my bread. I grew up on quality sourdough from the local French bakery. If bread was my life, being from the Bay Area made sourdough my religion.

Enter Hunn’s book, and the chapter on “wild yeast” breads, starting with sourdough. And since I had two weeks off, and making TRUE sourdough bread is a sort of culinary bucket list item of mine, I threw caution to the wind and went for it. I trust this cookbook, and follow it to the letter. Yes, Nicole, there is flour and butter stains on the pages, and I have sticky notes and bookmarks flagging pages. In fact, with the amount of baking I have been doing in the past few months, I would like to nominate Ms Hunn for the Nobel Prize in Gluten Free Baking. She is the real deal, and did ALL the research and trial and error for us – so all we have to do is follow her recipes. 

One thing I have learned is that gluten free bread doesn’t freeze well – and you lose texture and flavor. To solve this, when I make a dough (bread, cookie, pastry, etc) I only bake-off what I am going to eat in the next couple days. The rest of the dough goes into the freezer. So far (knock on wood) this has been working; I just switch the dough from freezer to fridge a day or two before I want to bake it, and it’s ready to go. Most of the recipes call for working with chilled or cold dough anyway.

So here we go! The Sourdough Bread Adventure!!

The first step was to make the wild yeast starter. This involved mixing sorghum flour, teff flour and water in various amounts, over 4 days. This picture represents a volume of about 1c of liquid yeast slurry, however it has risen to the 3c marker on these mason jars. CRAZY!! 

Here’s the deal with gluten-free baking, and Hunn’s cookbook in general. Weighing and mixing flour becomes your life. At first the idea of weighing ingredients went against the nature of my Western culture -- but you get the hang of it. And it eventually becomes second-nature and goes pretty fast.

This is late on Day 4, when the liquid yeast slurry became more of a dough. Again, more mixing of flour. I’m not sure I would do this again - as it involved a lot of waste. Part of getting to this point means discarding most of the liquid slurry each day, as you add more fresh flour and water.

This was Day 7, as the yeast starter and Mother Dough have to also sit and rise for a while. All in all, I started this project on a Tuesday and finally ate the bread the following Monday. I did this during the week between Christmas and New Years, and let me tell you - you don’t want to get stuck running to town for more Whey Protein Isolate on New Years Day. After a snow storm. This proved to be a pipe dream, and after 3 grocery stores we went home with Whey Protein Powder. Best we could do on a national holiday, in a town where we are lucky to have gluten-free sections in the aisles. But I had to move on to the next step. Not really - but I had already been patient for a week. I wanted to eat my bread!! So I researched the difference between Whey Protein Powder and Whey Protein Isolate. Coincidentally, Catsos’ book on the Fodmap Diet lists the isolate as “allowable” while the protein powder is “not allowed.” Turns out this is because the powder is loaded with lactose and some other stuff, and the isolate is mostly just whey protein. Next, I re-read the part in Hunn’s book about why she uses the Whey Protein Isolate, and it turns out she found it to be the best substitute for gluten. Typical gluten-free breads have that gummy thing going on because of all the “gum protein” that is taking place of the gluten protein. In the end, for 75 grams of Whey Protein Isolate, I subbed 70g of the Whey Protein Powder, and 5g of Xanthan Gum to increase the protein content. I consider myself an “advanced gluten free baker” for doing this. It worked!

Or, at least, my bread wasn’t ruined;)

So that’s it! No recipe posted here, but you can go to glutenfreeonashoestring.com and try some of Hunn’s recipes. If you like them, and the whole  “mixing and weighing flour” deal doesn’t scare you off (I promise it’s not hard), then I urge you to order her book about baking bread. You may find yourself back in the world of baking bread on a stormy day...rolling your hands through the soft and stretchy dough while the soup simmers away on the stove. Can you smell it?? Go to her website - FAST!

[haciendalife]

Mongo Chili

I’ve been making chili for years - decades! And each time it’s a little different. My husband is a traditionalist when it comes to chili - ground beef with kidney beans, over rice. I’ve ventured into chicken chili, stew meat chili, veggie chili, throw-the-whole-pantry-in chili, etc ad nauseam.

But this chili is it. This chili is the culmination of all the years and lessons and flavors, and actually incorporates a healthy balance between my favorite recipes and the Mister’s. We call it Mongolian Chili - or Mongo Chili for short. It’s a purist version of chili, in that there aren’t any beans in it. This chili recipe is great to sit down with some tortilla chips, spooned over rice or potatoes, or however you want to enjoy. Oh ya, and it’s won a local chili contest two years running. This chili is the ONE!

To start, as any good chili does, you need to select your chile peppers. Most of the time I use a couple guajillos for base flavor, then add an ancho and pasilla for richness, and a chipotle and/or dried habanero for heat.

Grind your chiles up - we have a designated coffee bean grinder for this, although some people enjoy a kick of heat with their morning cup;) Add other seasonings to the ground chile powder - and you have your base seasoning mixture.

Now start cooking. Being on the FODMAP diet, I have to take it easy on the onion and garlic - but this chili recipe has so much flavor from other places, I haven’t missed it yet. Use however much you like. I usually start off with the beef, then remove from the pan and cook the onions, add seasonings - and eventually add the meat back in to simmer. Some people might swear the order matters - go ahead and follow your own chili routine.

You’ll notice there is chocolate in there. It’s okay, I meant to do that. The chocolate and cinnamon are my husband’s influence -- and the “Mongolian” part comes from the additions of cinnamon and coriander - in healthy doses.

While there is tomato in this chili recipe, there is far more beef stock. I only add one big can of tomato to 1.3 lbs of beef. Then I add 2c-4c of beef stock to thin it out and cook it down, and help develop it’s flavor. This step started as a “fix” after I put too much chile powder in. I had just started working with dried chiles and didn’t know how much powder they produce when ground up - or how chile powder can act as a thickener. My chili ended up grainy, gritty and SUPER concentrated. I ended up adding a whole quart of beef stock, and cooked it for an extra few hours. The fix not only worked, but made the chili even better!

Sometimes this chili has a bitter tone to it -- when this happens, I just add some brown sugar to bring it back. I used to add honey - but that’s a FODMAP no-no. Feel free to add whatever sweetener you like - maple syrup, agave syrup, etc.

This really is my go-to chili -- and I try to make it a house rule to always have some in the freezer. Good luck, godspeed, and have fun putting your own spin on it!

INGREDIENTS

1+ pound of ground beef

1/2 med onion, chopped

Garlic olive oil

2 gaujillo, 1 ancho, 1 pasilla, 1 dried chipotle, 1 dried habanero chiles

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp paprika

1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

1-2 oz dark chocolate

2 T brown sugar (or other sweetener, to taste)

1 large can crushed tomato

1 qt beef stock (or broth) -- start with 2c and add more if needed.

[haciendalife]

Chile Verde

I love Mexican food. I grew up near the border and absorbed the culture and flavors during my formative years. As an adult, each summer I fill my garden with tomatoes, chiles, cilantro and oregano -- because making and eating fresh salsa from the garden can be a religious experience. But times have changed, and my body has since decided that tomatoes are actually the enemy. Being that chips and salsa qualifies for a meal in my house, this presented some issues. How could I get my Mexican fix without slathering something in salsa or hot sauce?

About a year ago, I started the FODMAP diet. This is not a fad diet, like Paleo, Atkins or other weight-loss/healthy living diets. In fact, I hate referring to it as a “diet” because I’m not withholding rich foods in the name of slimming down for the summer. I follow the FODMAP diet because it works for me -- keeps me healthy and my digestive system functioning. Believe me, if it were just about slimming down for the summer, there would still be bread in my house. And pizza on Fridays! But I digress, you all want to know about Chile Verde. Turns out, tomatillos don’t burn my guts up the way tomatoes do. And I can still sit down with a bowl of tortilla chips and make a meal out of the sauce. #winning.

The rule for this sauce is “everything green” -- hence the verde. I start by preheating the oven to convection roast 325, then start prepping my veggies. I like to prepare everything for the blending stage at the outset. My husband will tell you to just cook it all first, and de-seed and such later. I am lazy, and would rather deal with the veg when they are cold and hard - not hot and slimy.

I toss in a few pounds of tomatillas, husked and quartered. Then I de-seed several each of poblanos, aneheims, hatch (if I can get ‘em), serrano (only a couple - they carry some heat) and some jalapenos. Now, garlic and onions are no-no’s on the FODMAP diet - BUT, for me, I can tolerate in small doses without issue. I broke it down like this: 1/4 onion and 2 cloves of garlic, which get roasted and blended into the sauce. And since the sauce only portions out to about 1/4c - 1/2c per person - and this recipe makes about 8+ servings -- well, I decided I really wasn’t getting that many fructans from the garlic/onion addition. You be the boss of you. In real life, this sauce has WAY more onion. I drizzle some garlic olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast! I usually let them go for about an hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so. You will end up with a liquidy, mushy mess of charred edges and good smells:)

After the veg has cooled slightly, dump it all into a blender (this is where the prepping ahead of time comes in handy) with a TON of cilantro and the juice from a lime. Puree until smooth. Now, this is where you can stop, and call it “Roasted Salsa Verde” -- or skip the whole roasting part, go raw into the blender, and just call it “Salsa Verde.” I get too excited about pork enchiladas to stop there, but someday I will. A bag of tortilla chips and a blender of green goodness?? Okay!

For the sauce, I pour the blender mix into a saucepan on medium heat and add some chicken stock. Just a couple cups or so, to thin it out and give all that rich, concentrated flavor somewhere to go. I let that simmer down for an hour or so -- until it cooks down enough to get thick again. Add salt as needed, and use on enchiladas, sliced meats, rice, as a pizza sauce -- OR, do what my husband does, and take your seared meat, and cook it IN the sauce. Which adds a whole other dimension of flavor. DELISH!!

[haciendalife]

Star Wars – OH THANK GOD!

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re a dick and you probably need to check your priorities. (Some exceptions may apply, like, my parents for example. Although they are retired, and really have no excuse.)

Can we all just agree that JJ Abrams got it right? Like, SO RIGHT. The last time I left a Star Wars movie in tears was Return of the Jedi. This was for many reasons (I mean, Jedi – there was a LOT happening there!) but mainly due to the final scenes where Luke is burning the body of Vader. That shit was vivid – and poignant. And the movie followed Luke through that scene for a long time – remember, while the Ewoks were blowing their horn and partying? So when Lucas pulled his douchey-wanker of a move and edited that meaningful scene out – as well as the Ewok party on Endor (I know I’ve ranted about it before, but it’s still wrong!), it was like Star Wars would never be great again. I even had a hard time getting revved about the new movie – like most of us, I was afraid to get too excited. Because we ALL know what happened last time. But The Force Awakens – NO SHIT THE FORCE AWAKENS!!!

Right outta the gate, the opening prologue – vintage. Fricking EPIC. But the main reason I was still crying while walking out to the car is because the beauty of that last shot. The whole movie was like a hot fudge sundae – just so full of goodness I haven’t had in forever – and each bite was like, “Oh my GAWD this is the best hot fudge sundae EVER!!” But that last scene was like the cherry on top. I mean COME ON! Hello, Art Dept? Cinematographer? Well done. Luke turning around, her outstretched hand – and then the camera just slowly spiraling up into the galaxy…..All I could say was “Thank you JJ.” Thank you for bringing this back for all of us to enjoy:)

Okay – so, what do we think? From what I can tell, we all seem to agree that Rey was left on her planet to be “safe.” Right? (And yes, I spent my first day back from vacation polling the children and adults on campus for research. It seemed like the best use of my time today.) I originally thought Rey and Ben were twins, and Rey was to be the Jedi who would inevitably battle her brother. And, here’s something I missed (thank you, children), didn’t realize that Han and Leia’s son was named Ben. Of course.

But now Ben is on the shit list. Dirty, rotten, weak-minded, emperor-loving, pigfucker who killed Han Solo. We want him to die the appropriate death now, don’t we? We want blood for the one who made the Wookie weep. Cocksucker. Although, I kinda related to his temper tantrums - those were a nice touch;) That human quality to let us know he was not completely lost to the Dark Side yet. Well, Ben, mission accomplished. Fucker.

As for Rey – the jury is still out. But we know she’s important. We believe her to be Luke’s daughter (oh COME ON, you do too!) We hope she will draw Luke back into the mix – if nothing else, his sister needs him now that Han is gone. Not that Han was around – but come on. Galaxies can’t stop that kind of heat;) Maybe Leia will train Rey….Maybe Luke will make himself disappear, and run away again, fearful of failing another.

I love the new characters. Can you hear me, JJ?? I LOVE THE NEW CHARACTERS!!! (The sentence we never thought we would utter again!) I love that they are faulted, and impulsive. Naïve, but still pretty smart. They’re funny. How great was it to laugh during a Star Wars movie again??!! Watching Fin work through the mental process of how to be a good person; or Rey when she started to figure out that The Force was in her as well. “You will untie my restraints, and leave the cell door open.” Shaky and not enough confidence, yet beautifully cool. Love that these are actors that are relatively new to us. Very much like Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill were.

I’m not sure what to do with myself while we wait for the next episode. I didn’t read any of the articles about the new movies, or pay any mind to the hype. I mean, Disney?? REALLY??!!! I thought this was all going to be crap. But deep down I hoped JJ would know better than to make crap. Now I need to go back and read, and find out how long I have to wait. But it better be as good – because this new movie has re-ignited the rabid fans. And there will be mass hysteria and rioting if they fuck up the next one. Trump would need to build Disney a wall.

[haciendalife]

Such a GREAT comfort food recipe - just takes a little time and love. I started early, and marinated the chicken all day.

When it's time to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge and let it set on the counter while you cook the rice, and prep the veggies. For the rice, I like Near East brand, they do a great long grain wild rice which is the perfect flavor and amount. While that was cooking, I preheated my pan and prepped the rest of the ingredients. Also preheated the oven.

It went like this -- sautee veggies for about 8-10 minutes, until onions sweat and turn translucent. While this is happening, dry the chicken off.  Dump the veggies into a bowl, add more olive oil, and cook the chicken breasts. When the chicken is done, pull it out to rest - and then add the butter and flour to the pan -- juices and brown gunk and all!! Once the roux is done, add a few glugs of Bourbon, and cook off the alcohol. Then add the apple juice, chicken stock and herbs/seasonings, and boil until thick - stirring frequently with a whisk.

INGREDIENTS:

MARINADE: 2 chicken breasts, 3T Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/4c Apple juice, 1/2c olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. 

VEGGIES: 2 Carrots, 1/2 med sized onion, broccoli, mushrooms....whatever - just keep proportions same as carrot/onion.

GRAVY: 2T flour, 2T butter, Whiskey/Bourbon/Brandy, 1.5c chicken stock, 1/2c apple juice, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper.

Stir it ALL together, and pour into a casserole dish (or freeze at this step) Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, covered.

[haciendalife]

White Garden Lasagna w/ Chicken

I have been wanting to try a white lasagna, using zucchini instead of noodles, for a long time. The school year is upon us, and I find myself stocking the freezer with meals this weekend. I can't wait to try this one!!

Since zucchini can be starchy, I didn't want to slice it and freeze it in the lasagna in it's raw state. So I drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted for about 20 minutes. Next time I will do 10-12 minutes. And make WAY more. We used half of a LARGE zucchini (in the garden too long), and filled two trays. Next time I will use the whole thing. About 4 trays worth....

These are the cheeses - although I forgot to include Parm in this pic;)

Mix in a bowl, a container of ricotta, 1 small egg, 1/3c of parmesan, some italian herbs, grate a clove of garlic, and chop up one large sun-dried tomato.

I actually used thighs for this meal - the breast was for a different meal I was making;)

Assembly time! I started with a bit of alfredo sauce (from a jar - so there is no picture/evidence) on the bottom, then a layer of the zucchini. Followed by a layer of the chicken, and some of the shredded mozzerella.

I shredded the chicken, then drizzled some balsamic vinegar over it - for some ZING!

The middle layer of the lasagna had the ricotta cheese mix, and the chopped broccoli. I also added some chopped chantrelles to this layer. And a little bit of the alfredo sauce.

The final layer had the sliced cherry tomatoes, the rest of the alfredo sauce, and some shredded mozzerella for the top.

I put a lid on this container, and stuck it into the freezer. When I'm ready for it, I'll cook it at 350 for about 45-50 minutes. I bet it's gonna be GOOD!!!

[haciendalife]

This recipe is based on Jeff Mauro's Sloppy Lo's recipe. It's a lighter take on the Sloppy Jo, using ground turkey instead of beef. I added bacon, celery, liquid smoke, hot sauce, and steak seasoning to the recipe. And it is gooooood!!!!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. It's great on burger buns with chopped pickles on top, or poured into muffin tins with biscuit dough!

[haciendalife]

Friday night at our house means PIZZA NIGHT!!! Lucky for me, I married a man who has the same passion and dedication to pizza as I have. Typically, I go for the old standby - pepperoni with lots of chopped garlic. The grease from the pepperoni cooks up with the garlic, and they get crispy together - and then mix with the gooey ooze of the cheese....I could go on and on. As far as crust - we graduated from the Boboli's to rounds of frozen pizza dough, which get thawed-out and risen, and then get hand-tossed.

Yesterday I went to the freezer, and there was no more dough :( So I had to make some from scratch. Out at the Hacienda, it's not practical to just hop in the car and run to the store;) So we keep a lot of essentials on hand - fixings to make any kind of bread are always around. I found a great recipe on Pintrest - from crunchycreamysweet. And the recipe was spot-on! Light, almost flaky, but with some stretch and chew and softness inside. GREAT for a pan or deep dish! The recipe makes 3 rounds of dough - and I put the rest in the freezer. Will try it with a thin crust next time.

I cheated last week, and brought home Papa John's  - it was a busy week, and having something ready to eat for a couple nights was awesome. But then Friday came, and I was all pepperoni'd out! What to do for pizza night???!!! I noticed, when I was watering the garden that morning, that we had a lot of ripe tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse. So I grabbed a mix of those, and a zucchini from the squash bed - tossed them into a casserole dish with half an onion and a handful of garlic cloves, and roasted them until they were ALMOST done.

While that mix was cooling, I rolled out the dough, and pressed it into an oiled quarter sheet pan. Then came the teaspoon drops of ricotta cheese -  enough to have a few drops on each piece of pizza. I like using ricotta, occasionally, for pizza because it adds a smooth creaminess. Changes it up;) Next, I chopped up some basil, oregano and parsley - and sprinkled it over the roasted veggies, mashing and squishing the veggies into smaller chunks. That mix got poured over the ricotta, and then baked at 425 for about 15 minutes.

The result was light, delicious, SUPER RICH FLAVORS -- but fresh garden veggie goodness with a creamy backbeat and and soft and flaky bass line:)

[haciendalife]

FESTIVALLLLLLL!!!!!

It's that time of year again. Time to wander down the rabbit hole for a few days, and get my silly on! No cell service, no nothin' from the outside world. If you have never ventured into the music festival world, then you have been missing out. I have been festin' for a good long time now, and consider myself to be a seasoned professional when it comes to prep and packing for such events. Still, this morning I find myself browsing Pintrest for new packing tips and ideas.

This year I'm evolving my groove, kind of. For YEARS I have been shlepping tubs of bling to my campsite - to be sure it is as bedazzled as it needs to be for a good 4-day run of fun. And while there is something to be said for having a festive campsite, I am sensing that the time has come to scale down - and simplify. While I have slowly been doing this over the years (I no longer bring the big folding table or ANY cooking supplies), this year I will be scaling down on the bling. Maybe not so many paper lanters, no more leis, beads, feather boas, novelty glasses etc -- all the shit that looks fun to have "just in case" while packing. But then just becomes clutter at the campsite - even if it doesn't get unpacked.

I'm all about being prepared. Just the essentials. The stuff I know I use every year. And that's it. Minimalist. Even the clothes I'm bringing are different. Not as many shorts and t-shirts. More skirts and tank tops. Because every year, shorts feel heavy and hot, and I end up rolling the sleeves up on my t-shirts. And layers - this year I am bringing leggings for under my skirts - for morning and night. Then I can just take the leggings off during the day -- and there is no need for a whole wardrobe change or extra outfits. Lightweight layers -- which pack really easy!

This is such a special time for me - and I put a lot of effort into doing it just right;) Festival is the present I give myself each year - and I am fortunate enough to have a partner who would rather stay at home with the dogs, and water the garden, than haul his cookies down to camp in a field with a bunch of dirty hippies for 4 days and dance to bluegrass music. So it's really become MY thing. I look forward to it every year - and it's usually the thought that gets me through most hard times. Reminding myself that "eventually this will pass, and I will be at fest. And it will be sunny and warm, and people will be happy and spreading love and good energy, and we'll listen to some JAMTASTIC music and party like rock stars. And for those 4 days, everything will be OK."

So here I am, once again, on the eve of another road trip south. Been starting little piles of "stuff" for the last two days. Did some last minute shopping yesterday, and have been slowly preparing the homemade  food items I'll bring with me. The other day I made some delicious granola bars, yesterday I made a killer batch of salsa (which I could still taste this morning when I woke up;) and this morning (before it gets too hot) I'll bake a couple loaves of zucchini bread. My friend usually brings the french press, coffee, homemade hummus and crostini, and various other snacks. This fest is our annual visit - and this year we will celebrate 10 years of friendship. Cheers!!

Today will be about checking the tent and sleeping bag for mouse poop (yuck!), packing the car, freezing some water bottles, and making some decisions about gear I'm still on the fence about bringing. Then, tomorrow, by 7:30 or 8am, I'll hit the road and hit "play" on that 5 hour playlist I created the other day -- the one that only has bands that I've seen at a fest. Naturally;) And I'll suffer morning commute traffic so that I can get to my friend's house by 11:30am. We'll load her stuff into the car, and hopefully be at the gate by the time it opens at 1pm. This will ensure our greatest chances of getting a good spot at the campground. We usually get the same "row" each year - it's the most flat and the most shaded. And we usually end up within spitting distance of some friends we've met along the way - which makes it even more like coming home:)

Time to get. it. on.

[haciendalife]

Well first, please direct your attention to the top left corner of this picture. We had a rare, spotted Wookie-Ninja pass through the greenhouse, he stopped, assessed, fined us for not having proper permits (or prior Wookie permission), and went on his way.

This is the "good job" picture -- the tomatoes are FINALLY in their forever-home. Oh thank goodness!! They are happy, and settling in. Got a lot of new flowers in the week after this picture was taken.

Next up -- the other raised bed, for the peppers:)

[haciendalife]

Got one of the raised beds done for the new greenhouse. Decided, at the last minute, to put some soaker hose down. I wasn't sure if the hose would reach far enough into the greenhouse for watering. Plus, having added almost 150 sq. ft of growing space to my garden this year, might be nice to just hook a hose up to this, and do other chores;)

[haciendalife]

Building a Hoop House: The Structure is UP!!!

All I can say is, WE BEAT THE RAIN!!!

The end walls are not up yet, as they require more construction - and I really only studied the video up to the point where they got the plastic sheeting on. Will have to go back and start re-watching the parts on "end wall construction." I know enough to say that, once they go in, the plastic will tighten up. Even now, I can pull on the ends of the plastic and it gets more taught.

But the whole construction part only took my husband and I a couple hours. We had the supports mostly built, so just added the 90 degree joints, and placed them over the rebar pegs. Had to rearrange some of the rebar - of course. Exact measurements and math are NOT my strong suit. I'm more of a visionary....

So the main structure is 1.5" pvc pipe, with 1" pvc running along the length in 3 places for added support. Then we wrapped the bottom with 1x4 planks of cedar, connected to the structure with conduit c-clamps around the pipes. Then we draped the plastic sheet -- which was in the last 10 min before the wind started to blow in some moisture! It's not "neat and tidy" -- as we were racing the rain and growing breezes. But we screwed in metal strips, to sandwich the plastic in against the wood base board.

I also have some extra metal strips and wood planks for the end-wall pieces. And some landscape rope to toss over the greenhouse in a couple spots to keep the plastic down. Also, got some rebar pins -- which we will hammer down and clamp to the wood bases to anchor. Again - all stuff that can happen over the summer. Before Fall - that's the next milestone for the "finish work" on this structure.

That being said - the next thing I will focus on is the interior. My plan has always been to build permanent raised beds inside -- but now am thinking I might want to change that up. Something needs to happen to the tomatoes - they need to be transplanted. Soon.

Here at the Hacienda, work is never done - there is always something that needs doing! So, I'll get back to the sun patio and the rest of the staircase, the one that leads from the new patio to the new greenhouse. And then put some pavers down through the vegetable garden...maybe in the berry garden as well. The whole idea was to raise the temperature in that area, but I think it will also blend in nice, add interest, and connect the different "fragmented" areas of the backyard. Draw people off the deck, and into the other gardens -- eventually down to the pool. Someday, down a tiki path in the woods to the lower patio and fire pit.....

Could be that I have a little more space in the driveway by next Fall - gotta keep using up those pallets of stone and block!

Right now I'm just happy that the new greenhouse is up, and that my whole "maybe I'll terrace the east side of the house" plan is coming to fruition....

[haciendalife]

Building a Hoop House: The Structure

Well, I left Lowes feeling REALLY good. I made a pretty comprehensive list, and got a few extras of everything. You can see some of it in this picture. And STILL....I got the wrong kind of fastener for the structural supports, and must return to Lowes this morning. I hope the weather cooperates! Yesterday was perfect greenhouse construction weather. And I'm hoping to finish it today if the weather holds. And put the plastic sheet on...as long as it doesn't start to get windy....

Luckily my husband helped, because two people to work on this REALLY makes it go faster. And make sure to have the right equipment. When I was working on making sure the outline was square, I started to go a little mad. But then, I was using a regular carpenter's tape measure -- which was pretty rigid, and didn't stay in place, or snapped back into the reel -- and flopped around -- when I was running out 18' of tape. In going back to the youtube video I was watching for this project, I noticed they used a softer, bigger roll of measuring tape. The flexy stuff with a giant metal loop measured into the end. So yesterday I picked that up at Lowes, too. And it was PERFECT for measuring one piece of rebar to the other. Made it go FAST.

I finally determined that, in order to get it square in the space I cleared, I needed to make it about half a foot shorter. (SIGH.) But okay. So I had to go back and crunch those numbers into Pythagorus' Theorem -- and get a new measure for the diagonal. And once I did that, and moved my 4 corners to the new spots -- YAHTZEE! It was square.

Next, my husband cut two 3' lengths of PVC pipe - while I hammered in the remaining pieces of rebar. Every 4' there will be a support, so there needed to be rebar hammered down every 4' as well.

When the 3' lengths of pipe were ready, we put 45 degree joiners on them, and placed them over the rebar. Then we attached longer pieces of pvc pipe on the other end of the joiners, and held them up to see where they crossed at the apex of the structure. I knew I wanted the sides to be about 3 feet high - but I didn't know how long that made the roof supports. Or how high that  made the greenhouse at it's peak. Geomtery, yes. Trigonometry, fuck no! We marked the longer pieces of pipe where they crossed, and then measured. 4' and 5" became the length of the roof "ribs".

The rest of the afternoon was spent cutting the pipe and using that awful, wretched pipe cement to make the five support pieces. Sadly, I got all 45 degree joiners -- and I will need 90 degree joiners for the peak of the roof. Ooops. I guess that is where my design differs from the one on Youtube.

In the pic below, you can see that the supports are all ready to go -- just need that ONE LAST joiner. But it's all laid out in place. Today, after getting the new joiners, I'll finish that part, and place the supports over the rebar pegs.

The next part will be the "finish" work. There will be three 15 ' pipes that run the length of the structure, for support. And then I will run 1x4 planks of cedar around the bottom of the frame. This will also add support, but will be what I use as "baseboard" for the plastic sheeting -- or "skin."

If you are curious, the video I watched on Youtube was from the NMSU Coop Extension -- a very cool guy named Del Jimenez was teaching a group of gardeners to build a 17x 32 foot high-wall hoop house. It's a great video, and includes a materials list;) I had to adapt to my size, which is turning out to be about 7'5" x 15'5" -- or something close to that;)

Stay tuned....if the weather holds, my plan is to finish this project today, and move the tomatoes and peppers in TONIGHT! Building the permanent raised beds that will go inside will happen....probably over the next couple weeks. But it needs to happen because my plants are needing to be transplanted again - and the tomatoes need to be caged! But getting the house built will be quite a feat! And not worrying about the colder nights that keep popping up will be sooooo nice:)

[haciendalife]

Building a Hoop House - the retaining wall

So this is the latest update in the Hoop House blog. I actually got this far a couple weeks ago. Didn't take long to lay down the landscape fabric and haul in some gravel - which is good, because we were trying to beat the rain - and were fighting the wind. Which can be challenging when working with large sheets of fabric:)  Bringing the tractor up the hill from the front driveway means that it has to be dry enough to not spin-out or get stuck. This step in the process was brief, but needed to get done - and was catalytic in getting this project going again. I had lost my mojo during the week of rain and needed "something" to happen to get this show back on the road!

Tilly is always happy to supervise, she's so smart! I know it doesn't look like much, but what that is, is a few days of back pain. And not the blocks - well, not totally. Don't get me wrong, the blocks are pretty heavy when you consider how many times I have to move and lift them. It has taken up to 30min per block in some cases, when placing them. I'm sure there is a much more efficient way to level the area so that I'm not going block by block -- but I never claimed to be a pro. And filling the whole thing with gravel and leveling the entire space (which was my original plan) just isn't going to happen -- for various logistical reasons, I had to scrap that idea in order to just keep moving forward with this.

I spent a few days managing my PTSD surrounding retaining walls. The thought of being bent over these ridiculous chunks of concrete; shuffling them around and checking for level at every angle; checking for level compared to the rest of the blocks; and the (often) ENDLESS checking for level,  removing the block and adding more gravel, checking again, removing the block and taking away gravel, checking again......repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat......hence the PTSD. That was my life last summer when I was putting in the other walls in my Great Terrace Adventure! Occasional breaks to stretch the back muscles and straighten the legs is a must!!! Ending with a good 15 minutes -at least - of stretching was crucial if I planned to be able to work the next day. These things we learn....Zen and the art of retaining walls....

At any rate - a few hours of "wall time" after work each day, and I finally have the base layer down - and LEVEL!! Going to try and stack the rest of the layers on the wall today, before the rain comes back. Then get to town for a shit ton of pvc pipe and some fasteners and rebar. And some other random stuff on my Lowes list. Rain shouldn't last more than the weekend -- if at all. Which means that next week is FINALLY about construction. HOO. RAY. I feel like my poor tomatoes have been in foster care for the past month!! They are in DIRE need of being in their forever home so I can start staking them;)

[haciendalife]

Building a Hoop House

Last year, at about this time, I realized that I needed another greenhouse. Mind you, almost 10 years ago - when we bought the hacienda - a greenhouse was one of the first priorities. So we got one - and it's a beautiful 8x10 polycarbon sided, metal frame, sliding doors, solar-powered automatic vents...the whole nine;) Given that all 5 acres slopes toward a wetland, I picked the most flat/level space I could find, and built the greenhouse there.

That greenhouse is still there today, and has been an active growing space off and on over the years:) But sadly, it's not in a spot that gets enough sun year round - and does better as garden storage. My first thought was to move it. But my husband vetoed that idea. So I told him I would build a second one - and he was fine with that. I researched greenhouse kits - thinking all I really needed was some space to house the tomato starts when they got too big for the seedling tents.

And then I REALLY gave it some thought, and talked it over with my gardener buddies. Eventually I decided I may as well put a full size greenhouse in the selected spot. I mean, why not? If I'm going to clear and level some land - why not really go for it? I also started looking into a more simple style of greenhouse. I'm not a construction genius, and this will be a solo project. So I need it  to be easy;) Finally settled on a hoop house. Easy construction model, lightweight materials and plenty of DIY videos on youtube. I can do this!

This was all decided sometime this past Fall/Winter, with the idea that I would break ground as soon as possible. I had my eye on Spring Break, a good chunk of time to build this hoop house. But Spring Break came on the heels of record-breaking rain storms, so it wasn't dry enough (or safe enough) to be using the front loader on a slippery slope. This was a huge setback, as my tomatoes are getting out of control, and need a new home. Fast!

Finally we had a week of dry weather, and the following weekend I was able to excavate the area. I had marked some rough boundaries with spray paint, and tried to be mindful to stay within those lines. It went pretty fast once the sod layer came up. That's the hardest part - especially because the chunks and rolls were so heavy with moisture. But after a couple hours, it was done, and totally ready for lumber and gravel. My back was totally ready for a massage, some muscle relaxers, and pain meds;)

Standing back and visualizing the finished product, I can now see that I'll need to do a retaining wall on the upper side, and bring it around to merge into the patio and paved walkway through the vegetable garden, and down toward the pool. Pretty exciting!

I still need to finish the staircase connecting all the different levels/tiers. But am now thinking that there should be a larger landing in the staircase, just next to the hoop house. Almost like a little courtyard off to the left, before continuing up the last couple steps to the vegetable garden. It's gonna be so cute! Just waiting for the ground to dry up again so I can start building the foundation. We got more rain after the excavation. This is okay though, as the rain will help settle the ground and loose dirt. All of the sod I dug up was reused to build up berms and keep the dust/mess down, so I was happy to have rain for that part of the deal.

Will be drawing up some new plans for the staircase while I wait for sunny weather, and phase two of the hoop house dream:) Stay tuned, as I plan to blog the entire project. Creating different terraces on the east side of the house was a huge undertaking, and while the main patio level is only about 1/2 done, this greenhouse level - tier 3 - was more of a conceptual "what if" than anything else. And it's been a total blast since the first scoop last Spring - or, as my sister called it - the point of no return;)

[haciendalife]

A Significant Milestone

Birthdays and New Years....two epic opportunities to reflect and pontificate. As I have blogged about my thoughts on New Years, so shall I blog about my thoughts on birthdays. I have one coming up in a couple days, and it's a big one - by society's standards. But, as I've always said - "Fuck society and it's standards!" I mean, look at the things our society and culture values. Are THOSE the standards by which I should judge MY life?? No thank you.

So, 40. Doesn't feel like such a big number anymore. DEFINITELY entering some "middle-aged" territory, though. I think what bothers me is that I distinctly remember my Dad's 40th birthday party. And the tone was quite morbid -- his cake was a scene from the Twilight Zone. To be celebrating an age that I remember my parent being....well, there is something a little unsettling about that. But I can live with it. I think it's my lack of enthusiasm about birthdays in general that has me stumped.

Don't get me wrong - I love presents, and have already bought myself a few:) It's the fanfare - the idea that I have to plan something, and invite people, and deal with a social situation....ANXIETY!!!! And who needs it? It's Spring Break - and I have a whole week of possibility - just me and the doggies. And the rain forecast changed at the last minute to warm sunshine. In short, there is absolutely NO WAY that I am giving my birthday even the slightest consideration. Too many other things happening around the Hacienda to get caught up in birthday bananas. Yard chores and garden chores, and breaking ground on the new greenhouse....OH BOY!!!

I think, when we're younger - and so driven by our age - birthdays mean more. So many milestones to capture: 13,16, 18, 21.....For me, 30 was a big intentional birthday. I had a fabulous family Vegas getaway, and it was awesome! And that was it. Ever since then, I haven't given much thought to my birthdays. And I think, at the time, I had to go big for 30. The year that I was 30 I experienced so many life changes - quit my job, started grad school, got married, bought a house, brought home two puppies, moved out to the country. HUGE changes. And now that I'm looking at that time, from 10 years later, I feel nothing but satisfaction and pride. Those were all GREAT choices that have served me well. No regrets.

Given that I am at peace with the world, and my place in it, I shall salute 40 as she passes me by in a couple days, with a gracious heart. And perhaps a cocktail;) I have nothing more to say to her, other than "thank you for coming, another birthday is always a good thing."

[haciendalife]

Biscuit-Wrapped Fried Chicken!!!

I saw this in Food Network magazine, where all good things come from, and just HAD to try it. Next time I will make a yummy brown gravy for dipping, otherwise this can be a bit dry.

RECIPE (adaptation of the Food Network recipe)

2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1c Ranch Dressing

1c Flour

1/2 cup Bread crumbs

Biscuit Dough (I used the recipe from the side of the Bisquick box)

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, and marinate in ranch dressing for a few hours, or overnight. Make your biscuit dough. Heat a shallow fry pan with 1-2 inches of oil, to 350 degrees. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix up the flour, bread crumbs, and some seasoning to your taste. I added salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder...or something like that. Dredge the ranch-soaked chicken in the flour mixture until it's good and coated, and gently drop into the hot oil. Do not disturb the chicken until it's time to flip -- do this when you can start to see the edges turn golden brown. Gently turn the pieces over and brown/fry the other side. Remove chicken to paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Let cool. Take your biscuit dough out and roll into a 1/8" thick sheet, and cut into strips. If your chicken is cooled and the oven is preheated, wrap right away. If not, put tray of biscuit strips back into the fridge until all is right. Then wrap the dough strips around the chicken, and bake for 10-15 minutes.

SO GOOD!!!!