Flour tortillas... and more squirrel talk!

I know, more squirrel talk! I imagine there will be a lot of squirrel talk for the next week or two. I'm obsessed! Today there were three babies hanging out in my backyard. I worry about them because they obviously haven't been taught about the rules of being a squirrel. They lay around in the sun in the middle of the grass, not even blinking when I walk out to see them. I worry about neighbourhood cats and big birds and any other animals who may prey on the little guys. Kyle made a makeshift house for them that we sort of shoved as far under the hedge as we could. We put old towels in there, and hope they figure out it'll give them protection and shelter from the rainy week ahead. I've already seen changes in them, though, so I have my fingers crossed that their instincts will kick in and keep them safe. They're just starting to climb now, and it's so cute to watch them.

I love this one!

The littlest guy, who we've named Acorn, was sunbathing and napping right out in the open!

I made flour tortillas for the first time today and they were a huge hit! I didn't realize it was so simple, but this is definitely the way I'll do it from now on. I pretty much love making anything that requires me to knead dough. It's so therapeutic! At any rate, I made these so we could have the kids' wish for Fun Food Friday - tacos. I used the taco method I wrote about here.

Flour Tortillas

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup very hot water

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the shortening, and use a pastry cutter to mix it in until it's crumbly. Add the hot water, and combine well.

Put the dough on a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise for 15-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 16 balls. Roll them in your hands until they are smooth. Roll them out with a rolling pin on a clean counter.

Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Do not add oil of any kind! Dry fry them for one minute on one side, flip it, one minute on the other side and then flip it again for a final minute on the first side.

Meditteranean sandwiches and baby squirrels!

Finally! Blogger is working again. It felt like an eternity that it was down.

It's been quite the couple of days in my backyard. Since I got the feeder it's become quite the little animal sanctuary. All kinds of birds seem to flock here to hang out. It's incredible, and I am definitely not complaining. Yesterday I found the most amazing, beautiful and oh-so-sad thing while I was putting laundry on the line outside. This little guy in the picture to the right came out from under the hedge looking quite shaky and weak. He is obviously too young to be away from his mama, so I can only guess that something terrible happened to her. He wasn't very afraid of me, and had no energy to run when I walked over to him. I stuck a dish of seed under the hedge, and sure enough, the little guy (who we have named Stonewall) jumped on and started feasting. In the afternoon, another little guy came out from the hedge with the same shaky legs, only he was black (and we have named him Shadow). Unlike Stonewall, this one is a lot more timid with humans and made some really sweet protective sounds when I went to put the dish near him. THEN.. in the evening Kyle walked outside the front door with our dog Tibbs, and two more little black squirrels came running up to Tibbs! Not only that, but when Kyle and Avery went to take a bike ride down to the YMCA, these two little ones chased them down our driveway, and then headed down the road towards them. I feel so bad for these little orphans! I have told the kids that we can't befriend them since it really isn't good for their future. We will be putting out some seed and water for the next week or two until they seem stronger and more capable of living on their own. The two babies who chased Kyle and Avery on their bikes are off on an adventure already, down a different street. I miss them already! The other two were seen in our yard this morning, looking a bit stronger.

Isn't this little one sweet? He's the timid guy who was making adorable sounds.

Dinner was simple and delicious yesterday. I made a Mediterranean sandwich on focaccia bread with a side of canned baked beans. I got the sandwich from The Essential Vegetarian, but altered it a bit.

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Mediterranean Sandwiches

1 focaccia loaf

(you can make your own or buy one... I was going to bake one, but with the squirrel chaos, I ended up buying one)

1/2 red onion, sliced very thinly

1 green pepper, sliced very thinly

2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, crushed, divided

3 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup medium cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350. Line an oven tray with aluminum foil.

Combine the sliced onion, green pepper, red pepper, basil and 2 cloves of garlic in a bowl with the balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine, cover and set aside.

Mix the olive oil with the remaining 3 cloves of garlic. Slice the focaccia in half with a serrated knife and brush the bottom half with the olive oil and garlic mixture.

Pile the veggies on top of the oil brushed focaccia, and top with the grated cheddar. Add the top half of the focaccia and place on the prepared baking tray.

Cook for about 15 minutes, until cheese melts.

Maple in the County, I love thee... and other things.

It's been an interesting couple of days in my life. Friday started out really well! We were all up and out the door on time. I took Tibbs for his morning jaunt and then he joined me on my morning run to the grocery store to pick up a few vegetables for the calzones I'd planned on making. On our way back home I was flagged down by an elderly fellow with a terrible limp. His name was Gary and he was heading home with a cart from a different grocery store dressed in only a sweater over his clothes (on a rather cool morning below zero!) and asking if I would be kind enough to drive him home. I felt awful for him, and couldn't say no. He seemed harmless (and was!). I put his groceries in the back and opened the door for him. He graciously got in, rubbing his hands together for warmth. We introduced ourselves and he told me this ride home was worth a million dollars for him; he'd lost his wife 3 weeks ago, and was feeling completely lost without her. He talked about his traveling he did with her, and how she was his constant companion. He said that when she died he felt like he lost his own life. It was very sweet, and very sad. I'm glad I took the time to stop and do him a favour. It's amazing how someone can be in your life for a fleeting moment, and can make such a huge impact on it. Thank you, Gary.

Shortly after I got home, however, I got the worst migraine I've had in a really long time. I couldn't even get myself off the couch for the rest of the day. I was so very thirsty and drank more tall glasses of water than I can even remember. I slept for three hours and it did nothing. Needless to say, I didn't make the calzones, only pizza. So much easier! Eating didn't shake the migraine, so I ended up in bed and asleep by 8:30pm. Luckily, I woke up this morning migraine free. Not sure what all that commotion was about!

This morning we headed into Prince Edward County for Maple in the County. We went last year and loved it, so we made sure to find some time to head out there again this year. We all love the County, so any excuse to get out there is a great one. A lot of people head out there for the food - pancakes with maple syrup and maple syrup smoked meat, but not us! Nope. We figure we make good pancakes on our own (and don't eat the meat), and we can get the local syrup anytime from the market or from Campbell's Orchards. Instead, we go for the farms! I love animals - a lot. This love has been passed down to my children, especially the younger two. We went to two of the same farms today that we visited at last year's Maple in the County. My son Tiernan was positive that the sheep that took a liking to him today was one of the lambs he bonded with last year. Aww. It's so sweet to see the little lambs suckling from their mothers with their tiny tails wagging as fast as can be. I was seriously in heaven.

Last year at this farm we bought a slice of Maple Sugar Pie. It was so sweet, but also so delicious. My daughter really doesn't like pie, but this pie she loved! We decided to go ahead and treat ourselves to an entire ($15!) Maple Sugar Pie. We brought it home, put it on the far back of the counter, and went out to dinner. When we came home, said pie was eaten by a certain pie-loving dog. We had only gotten him earlier that month, so we didn't know he had a thing for pies. I was so furious. $15! GONE. Ahhh. Anyway, this year, we bought ourselves another $15 Maple Sugar Pie. And this time when we left to go to Avery's soccer game? We left it on the top of the fridge. If Tibbs had found a way to get it down from there, he deserved the dang pie. Alas, the pie was safe when we got home.

Another farm we have stopped at both years is the Alpaca Farm. How I would love to own my own herd of Alpacas! They are seriously the sweetest little creatures, ever! We recognized a bunch from last year, but I couldn't get any great pictures since they were huddled in their little barns away from the chilly wind.

We also stopped in at Campbell's Orchard at Tiernan's request. He loves visiting with Abby and Sophie (Golden Retrievers), the pot bellied pig (Wilbur), the many chickens and roosters, and the bunnies - though we didn't see bunnies today. They also love the shop that's full of yummy baked goods, many different food items from the local shops - like the smoked cheddar from Black River Cheese that we picked up, cookbooks, neat little treasures and lots of vegetables in the summer, and the best part - APPLES from the Orchard in the late summer and fall.

We also made a quick stop in to one of my husband's favourite breweries - Barley Days Brewery. Kyle was on a mission to pick up some Sugar Shack Ale & Working Man's Stout. While there, the brewer, Alex, poured both Kyle and I a special oak cask aged Sugar Shack Ale. Now, I am not a fan of beer. I mean... I'm really not a fan. Typically, I don't mind the initial taste of some beers, but can't get past the after taste. When Alex poured it for me, I didn't have the heart to say no.. so I picked up my little taster... and tasted. Oh my. I loved it! That did not taste like beer! That tasted sweet and wine-like. Shocking! So.. we also picked up a couple of bottle of that as well. :)

Today was a really good day. Nothing like some good, crisp, fresh country air to tire everyone out so I could get them to bed early. There is method behind my madness, I'm telling you!

Tomorrow promises to be another good day. Can't wait!

Happy weekend, everyone!

I just love how Abby the dog decided to join in on the picture as I was snapping it and saying "Smile!'. :D Cute puppy.





P.S. Is that not the best chicken, evvvverrrrrrrrrr??? Oh my... LOVE. LoveloveloveloveLOVEher.