Horses, Horses, Horses...

...and a few cows. But really, this post is about the horses.

Since spring, my daughter has been anticipating a visit to the farm where my Mom's friend's friend boards her horses. (follow that?)

Sunday afternoon the time finally came. My younger brother's family was there, my mom, and Natalia and I, and the kids were soooooo excited. Even little Eli had been saying "pony? pony?" all morning. My mom's friend Teresa kindly gave each of the children a pony cart ride, let them lead Moakey around and brush her. Then the oldest 3 got a ride on a wonderfully gentle 12 yr. old "real-sized" horse named Max.

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, the air brisk, the leaves bright red and orange and yellow.

Grandpa even stopped by on his way home from his bike ride.

My girlie was in horse heaven.

And I was excited to learn that you can be an owner-less 4H equestrian participant once you turn 8. A much cheaper alternative to riding lessons, especially for a beginner. I'm definately filing away that tidbit for the future!

Belated Anniversary

Our 11th wedding anniversary was actually the 24th of June, but Pete and I have rarely celebrated it on the real date. Usually we plan a weekend away sometime in the summer months. This year we split the weekend into two parts: a Friday evening, and then a Friday overnight with a full day on Saturday.

Our Friday night date took place about a month ago. We ate out at a local Mexican restaurant and bowled a few frames thanks to a merchandizer double deal coupon. We both hadn't bowled since college...at least 12 years ago. It was rather humorous, I must say!

Our Friday overnight and all day Saturday took place a week ago. You may recall that last year we took a day trip to Washington D.C. and visited the Natural History Museum and the National Art Gallery. This year we were interested in going to the American History Museum as well as taking in the free Clock Tower tour in the Old Post Office and visiting the WWII Memorial. If we had had more time we would have visited the newly dedicated Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial too. Alas, IKEA was calling our names and we wanted to beat the traffic out of D.C.

When we lived in Maryland, the White Marsh Mall IKEA was 15 minutes away. It was a dangerous but very handy store for us as newlyweds. This trip was primarily to pick up an inexpensive coffee table. And we set a new personal record! We were in and out in 15 minutes! If you aren't impressed, well then, I'm guessing you've never been to IKEA.

Our timeline was tight by this point because we were determined to finish out the day at our favorite Mexican place in Bel Air. (Can you tell we like Mexican cuisine?) LA TOLTECA is this tiny restaurant housed in a former bank, with delicious, authentic Mexican food, perfectly proportioned servings and value, and an absolutely fantastic staff. And they bring you warm tortilla chips, salsa and a spicy white sauce as soon as you sit down. That white sauce single-handedly won us over the first time we dined there.

It was a beautiful day weather-wise to be walking around, enjoying the sights. Cool but sunny. Hardly a cloud in the sky.

Here are a few pictures I took while we were downtown and up in the 315 ft. Clock Tower.

Brunch

I love brunch, and I love the ladies in my care group from church.

I invited them all to my house this past Saturday for a time of fellowship. The simple joy of sitting undisturbed around a table, enjoying a leisurely breakfast, sharing our hearts and news of our families...it was nourishment for the body and soul.

I kept thinking, I must remember to take some pictures! Guess what? I forgot to take some pictures. Here are a few of the table at least. Simple, natural elements of autumn. My favorite type of decoration.

When it comes to hosting I know you're never supposed to try out a new recipe, but I kind of did anyway. I combined two of my trusty recipes into one, and added 2 ingredients to another, so it wasn't too risky.

Here are the recipes if you're interested.

Potato, Spinach & Sausage Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

8 frozen hash brown patties

1/2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. butter

1/2 c. shredded Mont. Jack, or white cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

a dash of basil, parsley & dill

4 frozen sausage links, chopped

1 dozen eggs

1 cup whole milk (or half-n-half)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grease a 9x13, create a single layer of hashbrowns in the bottom, and preheat the oven to 350.

2. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat and saute onions and garlic for 4 minutes. Mix with cream cheese and spinach in a small bowl, then spread evenly over hashbrowns.

3. Layer shredded cheese, chopped sausage and seasonings next, then whisk together eggs and milk and pour over top.

4. Bake for 50-60 minutes till set, and let stand at least 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 generous servings.

Baked Apple & Raisin French Toast with Praline Topping

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf French bread (sliced 3/4" thick)

8 eggs

1 c. milk

1 c. half-n-half

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded

1/2 c. golden raisins

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 1/3 c. chopped pecans

3 Tbsp. honey or molasses

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, half-n-half, and vanilla, then set aside.

2. Grease a 9x13 and put a single layer of bread in the bottom. Combine apple, raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon and then spread over bread. Finish with another layer of bread.

3. Pour egg mixture evenly over top, cover dish and refrigerate overnight.

4. Combine butter, sugar, pecans and honey (or molasses) and spread over top just before baking in a preheated 350 oven for 50-60 minutes.

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park

Someone recommended Lake Tobias Wildlife Park to us as a great place to take kids that was semi-local and affordable, we just can't remember who. But it's been on my radar for awhile now, especially since I acquired 2 coupons for "buy one get one free" safari tour passes that expired end of this month. We had put it on the calendar for this past Saturday and were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous day of weather!

Pete's mother joined us and the five of us spent about 2-3 hours enjoying only part of what Lake Tobias offers. It's located about 10-15 minutes north of Halifax, a little over an hour's drive for us. Admission is $5 for those over the age of 3. The safari tour is an additional $5 but the 45 min. excursion in the camouflaged convertible school bus is so very worth it!

If you go on the safari tour, try to sit right at the front! We didn't plan it, but our front seats offered THE BEST opportunities to touch the animals.

TEXAS LONGHORN CATTLE and OSTRICH

This NORTH AMERICAN BISON was just a baby, but absolutely massive!

ASIAN WATER BUFFALO

A mama YAK with baby that was 3 days old!

An ELAND, the world's largest anteloupe, found in South Africa. They are typically 6 feet tall at the shoulder.

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CATTLE

A cross between a zebra and a donkey: ZEBKEY, ZEDONK, DONKRA, DONKZE...

ELK (female) She came onboard to retrieve some animal "crackers" from our tour guide.

Lots of deer, llamas, ostriches, and then back at the park were some large cats, bear, camels, armadillos, reptiles, monkeys, birds, farm animals, etc. Both of the kids got to pet a constrictor snake and a caymen alligator.

Not only are the exhibits great, there are playgrounds for the kids, lots of pavilion space and picnic tables. We packed our lunch and enjoy the canopy of pine trees on a little peninsula in the lake.

We will definately go back sometime, probably a weekend in October since the weather isn't so hot and our tour guide said it gets crowded in the summer.

Farm Show

I just love our local Farm Show...and that it is still all about farming.

I appreciate that each food stand sells a different thing, and that they and the carnival rides haven't taken over the feel of the place.

I enjoy being able to pick out familiar faces in the crowded streets, though it's been 16 years.

I take delight in the friendly but competitive fine arts contest...clearly I need to kick it into high gear though. My high school rival bested me!This was the first time I entered something in 16 years...you'd think he'd show some mercy. :-)

And I'm thrilled to see my kids enjoying the parade and the animals as much as I remember doing so.
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This year, since Natalia had school, Adam and I met up with Melanie and her two youngest to enjoy a morning at the Farm Show. Melanie and I became friends way back in the first grade and it was a treat to spend time with her again.

A favorite every year is this table of corn and tractor toys.And of course there are lots of real tractors and things to climb on...till Mommy noticed the new sign that was up this year. :-(

The lawnmowers didn't have a sign on them. Yay!

Horse Girl

Anyone who spends a minute in my daughter's company these days will quickly discern her love for horses. It's her favorite subject to talk about, riding horses her dream, and what she most often will pretend to be, whinying, pawing, snorting, galloping...

In fact, her frequent response to our question about what she wants to do when she grows up is to live at our Amish neighbor's farm and be a "horse girl".

Last week I saw an ad in the local merchandizer announcing a free family event at a nearby church on Saturday: dinner, face painting, games, wagon rides, a juggling act/entertainment and (drumroll, please) PONY RIDES!!! I knew Natalia would be thrilled, but also that I'd be cooking up alot of applesauce that day and would want a break from the kitchen come dinnertime. So, we put it on the calendar.

Natalia was beyond excited to finally ride a horse, but it was forecasted to be a rainy day. I was so hoping that it wouldn't get cancelled. Thankfully, aside from the humidity and fog in the morning it turned out to be a great day weather-wise for the event!

Giddy with anticipation. (She insisted on wearing her "horsey" shirt in honor of the occasion.)

I think it's safe to say that she's even more infatuated with horses now that she's ridden one!

Shepherd's Pie

Really it's not Shepherd's Pie unless you use ground lamb, but since I have beef in my freezer that's what I used. So call it Cottage Pie if you want to get technical.

I found Gordon Ramsay's recipe online, and (dare I say it) I tweeked it...but just slightly. I wasn't crazy about putting egg yolks and heavy cream in my mashed potatoes when sour cream was much simpler. I also added some freezer corn to up the veggie count. Ramsay's recipe states that the meat mixture should have a mash consistency--so chunks of meat or veg are a no-no. We pick our sweet corn young and I think the tiny kernels added a nice element to this dish that remained in keeping with Gordon's version.

Perfect for the cooler weather we've been having, and an easy meal to serve guests, give it a try this week.

Shepherd's Pie
Makes a 2 qt. dish (about 6 servings)

POTATO MASH:
4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste

MEAT FILLING:
1 lb. ground beef (or lamb)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced (almost minced)
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/8 tsp. thyme
1/4 c. worchestershire
1/4 c. red wine
1/4 c. water or stock
1/2 small can of tomato paste (about 2 Tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pint freezer corn

1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
dash of paprika (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil potatoes in salt water (about 15 mins.), then drain and mash with other potato mash ingredients.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. In a large frying pan, brown meat, breaking it up into fine pieces. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat oil (medium heat) then add onion, carrot and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Drain meat, then add to veggie mixture along with remaining ingredients (except for parmesan cheese and paprika) and simmer for at least 5 minutes.
***You could put the meat and veggies in the same pot, but I like to cook them separately to ensure the onions and carrots are well-cooked and to eliminate any excess grease from the meat.
5. Layer in greased 2 qt. oven-safe dish, gently spread potatoes over top, then top with cheese. Take a fork and stab the top a couple times to create little peaks that will lightly brown. Dash with paprika for some color (optional) and bake for 20 minutes.