Throwback Archives – Farmhouse Frontier

Guys, the best season of the year is upon us: FALL!! Honestly, I am just so excited. All things creepy, spooky, cozy, snuggly, and pumpkin spice-y come out of the woodwork, and I have to say, I’m totally here for it. I love how crisp the air feels when you take your first step outdoors. And how beautiful the leaves look when they change from green to yellow to orange to red. I love how they fall all over everything, and crunch when you step on them. It’s truly magical, you’ll never be able to convince me otherwise.

This fall has been a strange one, I must admit.

As I’m sure you saw, back at The Farm, we’ve already had snow! (Which admittedly isn’t totally unheard of in September, but it’s still a bit early). Here on the other side of the country, it’s been pretty dang hot. My heart is yelling “Drink some hot chocolate! Curl up under a blanket! Wear some fuzzy sweaters!” and my head is yelling “Brenna it’s 34°, run as fast as you can to somewhere with A/C so you don’t melt!” Naturally, my head won, and I have sought asylum inside a local Starbucks, drinking something very chilly, and very non-pumpkin spice-y.

I think one of the things that makes fall so special is all the anticipation.

Kids and adults alike have returned to school, and there’s a buzz in the air. There are new books, new classes, new friends and new places to explore. The weather is changing (in weird ways, apparently) and there is excitement in the all around. For some, there are lingering thoughts of eating unreasonable amounts of turkey at Thanksgiving. Or if you are Jess, you’re already wired thinking about Christmas. The thing I look forward to the most about fall, is dressing up for Halloween.

Halloween has always been a family production.

I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that this post doesn’t have much to do with farming, but it has a lot to do with family. We have always picked a theme (usually from a movie), and then our characters, and got to work with creating the most amazing costumes. I remember spending hours with Dad looking for the perfect red coat at Value Village for when he went as Captain Hook (Jess and I were of course Peter and Wendy). I remember searching the school gymnasium for Mom on Halloween, only to find her wearing the perfect emerald cloak and pointy hat for her Minvera McGonagall costume. Jess and I went as Harry Potter and Hermoine Granger, and I must say, my accent was perfect! 😉

One of our most famous Halloweens was the year Dad came to the elementary school dressed as Shaggy. Mom had immaculately replicated Scooby Snacks using some coloured paper and a cereal box. My friends were delighted to find that there was still cereal in the box, that Jess and I happily shared. Our Mystery Inc ensemble was complete. We had Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and a gaggle of kids in creepy costumes following us around.

My parents were always wonderful with supporting Jess’ and my imaginations in a million different ways.

From the books they read us, to the endless imaginary tea parties I invited them to. Or all the times I wanted Mom to comb her hair with a fork (you can thank The Little Mermaid for that one). They always made the space and time for us to explore and play. For a while I thought that Halloween was an extension of that: just another activity for our enjoyment. I have since come to realize that their love of Halloween, the effort and the creativity they put into all of our outfits and experiences wasn’t just for us. It was something they had come to love and enjoy themselves, and they were teaching us to love it too. If you want proof of that, just check out this picture of Mom as Catwoman and Dad as Joker almost 30 years ago! They killed it!

Nothing gets my creativity racing like planning our Halloween costumes.

Without a doubt, this sense of fun that my parents always seemed to bring to this holiday has had a huge impact on my love for Halloween (and all things costume involved, really). Fall just wouldn’t be the same without us designing our Halloween costumes way too far in advance, and sending text messages and pictures of the final products back and forth to each other. Fall, and Halloween, make me miss everyone back home, but I know that much like every other year they will have something amazing planned for it.

Halloween is going to be very special this year, because we have someone new on the farm: you! We will be sure to keep you all up to date with the plans, plotting and scheming for Halloween, and we are sure you won’t be disappointed! I don’t know how they plan on dressing, or where they plan on going, but I know without a doubt they’ll have a blast, and I can’t wait to hear all about it.

Any costume/event suggestions for us? Comment below and let us know what you think would make a good group ensemble for us this year! We would love to hear from you!

You know how sometimes you have those go-to recipes under your belt? Something that’s likely quick, awfully satisfying, and ignites the warm and fuzzy on the inside? A dish that makes you feel nostalgic and content. It is exactly what you need after a long day, or a rough night? Well for me, that recipe is for quesadillas.

And not just any quesadilla’s, I’m talking about the quesadilla’s that they used to serve at The Three Amigos Cafe.

Now, I know you’re thinking to yourself (or at least Pop is as he reads this over) “Jeez Brenna, what are you doing? This is a farming blog!” Yeah, I know, I know, but bear with me. I like food. I like making food, and eating food (I mean, who doesn’t?), and talking about food, and taking pictures of food, and pretty soon I’ll be blogging about food (more on that another time).

One of my favourite things about food is how it brings people together.

Making muffins, and cooking up dinners were always a great way I could contribute to the work on the farm. When I was too small to operate a tractor or chase the cows, I was at least able to toss together a batch of something delicious. I loved seeing my family gathered around the table (or sitting on the grass, or in the back of a pick-up, or in the cab of a tractor) enjoying something I had made them. A favourite memory I cherish is of my parents enjoying a mid-summer supper, long ago. The night Jess and I created a restaurant experience for Mom and Pop serving up quesadillas, piping hot.

Quesadillas are easy to make, like SUPER easy.

You can make them with so many different ingredients, they cook up in a snap, they aren’t toooooo unhealthy, and my goodness they are satisfying. When I was about 8 years old I found a recipe for them in a kid-friendly cookbook, and they became just the handiest snack around.

I quickly got Jess hooked on them, and we made them after school whenever Mom had the ingredients on hand. One summer evening when Mom and Pop were out in the field working away, and Jess and I on kitchen duty, we knew just what to make. In the spirit of Mary Poppins, my favourite thing to do when it ~~comes~~ came to chores is was to turn the upcoming project into a game…and that summer night The Three Amigos Restaurant was born.

As he was always better at drawing than me, and because I was the oldest and thought it better for me to deal with the oven, Jess oversaw the menus…

We knew that Mom and Pop had been working hard all day, so we decided to really roll out the red carpet for them, with a variety of different drinks, an appetizer, and two (gasp!) different types of quesadillas up for order.

It seems silly thinking back on this now, but this memory of a small contribution to farming is one of my dearest. I love summer on the farm; how the hard work brings people together, and the evenings spent around the table with everyone after toiling in the hot sun.

For this reason, these quesadillas are my go to. Sometimes I put eggs or veggies (woohoo I’m so healthy), but most of the time I do them Three Amigos Style, just like what Mom and Pop got when they came in for food that summer night. It wasn’t the fanciest meal, but it was made with the utmost love and best intentions.

Here’s the recipe below if you’d like to give it a try, let me know how it turns out!

Three Amigos Cafe Quesadillas

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (for 4 quesadillas):

1 1/3 cup salsa (your spice preference, I’m a fan of spicy, but you do you)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 flour tortilla shells
additional toppings to your hearts’ content. Refried beans are a Three Amigos favourite, but you can also add cooked veggies, chicken, beef, or a scrambled egg.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (not mandatory, but it makes clean up easier!).
Place tortillas on cookie sheet, and place 1/3 cup of salsa on each tortilla, spreading it so it covers half of it.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheddar, and any additional toppings, on top of the salsa, and fold the tortillas in half.
Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes on each side.
Allow to sit for a few minutes, then slice into 3 or 4 triangles (a pizza cutter works best).
Enjoy! (They are AMAZING dipped in sour cream or guacamole).

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