alberta

Jim

So you thought you got rid of us, eh?

Well sorry to disappoint! I know, I know, I promised you would hear more from our family over the course of the Christmas break, and originally, we were hoping we would have a chance to connect with you more. There was so much for us to tackle over the last month! First I flew home, and then Brenna and Sunny came along, and we all had a day to wind down and relax. But not for long!

man and womanShortly after there was Christmas Eve cooking, present wrapping, dinner eating, and drinks around the fire. We did two different gift exchanges, and spent all of Christmas Day lounging in our new pajamas (courtesy Brenna the Christmas elf): a tradition I think I personally had a hand in starting.

There’s nothing quite like relaxing with people you love.

We tested out new board games on Boxing Day, and feasted on Christmas Dinner leftovers for the second day in a row thanks to the neighbors! Jess drank his weight in eggnog and Brenna spent every spare moment baking. Twyla had her annual ‘Christmas Coffee’, and Sunny had some peanut brittle that was so spicy he cried (more on that later).

Not all of our time was spent on the farm.

two girls: Brenna and Kennedy

We rang in the New Year in one of our favourite places: Jasper! We skied and braved the cold for a few days of wonderful conditions at Marmot Basin.

New Years Eve we relaxed in our hotel hot tub, which I must admit is a little fancier than my homemade one. Not better, just fancier 😉. We went out for pizza and then wound up back at the hotel with some drinks and even better company.

We came excited, and left content.

boy and girl: Surya and BrennaIt seemed to me like it all went by much too fast. I think Twyla’s Mom was on to something when she phoned us Christmas Day. When asked how she enjoyed the Christmas Eve Dinner we hosted this year, she told us that she “Came excited, and left content.” I couldn’t have described my holidays any better than that.

So in short, no matter how you chose to spend your holidays, we hope you had an opportunity to spend time with those you care about.

boy

We wish you all the best from us at Farmhouse Frontier, and are excited to see what crazy fun this year brings.

 

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cat tails
Jim

Man oh man, farming can be really difficult sometimes. I often joke to people that farming is my hobby.  But more often than not, it feels like a full time job.

There is always something to tackle here on the farm.

Sometimes its the animals, and you wake up to your neighbors livestock in your yard, or even worse, your livestock in theirs! Sometimes there are projects to be tackled in the house, like preserving vegetables, or preparing for an event. Other times there are trials and tribulations with equipment, or moving animals, the list goes on! Although the work sometime feels endless, I always try to remember how worthwhile it is. A hard day’s work always makes me appreciate the easy days.

cows eating hay

 

That being said, my chances to connect with you folks have been few and far between these days!

During the summer I find myself daydreaming about lazy fall days. In my head, whatever season is next seems to be the easy going one, but that is rarely the case. Even the fall isn’t always peaceful when you have to handle all the preparations for winter…and winter brings a bigger workload…too bad these cows can’t feed themselves!

All that to say, I really appreciate your understanding when there are times that it’s not easy for me to keep in touch.

I have, over the past few weeks, collected some pretty funny tales that I am chomping at the bit to tell you all! Sadly, there have been some things that need my attention that simply cannot wait. I guess that’s what makes this blog a bit different than most others, farming isn’t much of a science…it’s a lot of rolling with the punches and doing what you can, when you can. So that’s what we are doing, same as always. You’ll be hearing from me soon, I promise you that! We have some pretty exciting things on the way! Christmas is right around the corner, and the endless preparations for that will lead to even more stories for you.

As always, if you ever have any questions drop us a line. We love hearing from ya!

Christmas Lights on Porch

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baking pie crust
Brenna

You read the title, it’s time for Saskatoon Pie!

Yum, yum, yum! Spicy, fruity, sweet but tart, this pie is all of my favourite things. I could eat plain Saskatoons for days, but they are best in pie. I was pretty young when I first started baking, and I must say pies are still my favourite thing to bake. When I turned eleven my grandma sat me down and told me that she was planning to teach me a secret. She said that some grandma’s taught their grandkids how to cook, or how to sew, but she was going to share with me how to bake. Shortly thereafter I was gifted a muffin cookbook, an apron and some measuring cups, and the rest, as they say, is history.

One summer I decided it was high time I learned to make a pie.

I come from a family of pie connoisseurs, and as an avid baker, it seemed like a natural step. If I remember correctly Mom offered to help teach me,  which I adamantly refused. If I was going to bake a pie, I was going to do it entirely myself. (In retrospect this was a very good idea, I tend to be a bit stubborn when it comes to all things kitchen related, and it very well could have been a disaster if this first endeavor was a team effort). Mom handed me a box of Tenderflake and told me to use the instructions on the box for the pie crust, which I still use to this day. I have the recipe memorized, but I reference it every time, just to be safe.

I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but that first pie was an absolute success and I haven’t looked back! My roommate always says that you either have pie hands or you don’t, and I guess I got pretty lucky in that department! I decided to make use of them yesterday. After a few hours and flour all over my kitchen, it’s never a good pie unless the kitchen floor resembles a grist mill, I was ready to feast!

Saskatoon pie is just so freaking good!

I can always go for a good slice of pie with a cup of coffee. Pop loves it with vanilla ice cream on it, and one of my friends swears it’s better without. Or, if you’re my beau, you come home with some peanut butter ice cream as a topping (not the best combination I will admit, and Pop never fails to tease him about it!).  Peanut butter goes with everything, right?  Not so much. Speaking of different toppings, I’ve also heard it is excellent topped with a think slice of cheddar cheese!

But seriously, I think it’s fantastic every which way, and I hope you do too! Below is your chance to give it a go.  Let us know what you think, if you get a chance to try it!

 

Saskatoon Pie

Prep Time: 25 minutes for filling, 35 minutes for crust

Cook Time: 40 minutes

 

Ingredients:

  • Pie crust – if you are making the crust I just use the recipe on the Tenderflake box, but you can also use store bought crust, I wont judge too harshly 😉 You will need a top and bottom crust.
  • 4 cups frozen Saskatoons (Mom and Pop have the BEST trees for this)
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3/4  cup sugar
  • 1/8 cup cornstarch
  • 1/8 cup flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 375°, and place bottom pie crust in pie plate.
  2. In a medium pot simmer Saskatoons over medium heat. Once they have warmed and some liquid has accumulated in the pot, add the butter and sugar. Stir and bring to a gentle boil
  3. Lower the heat and add the cornstarch, flour and cinnamon. Stir until well combined, and then add lemon juice.
  4. Bring the filling to a boil to thicken and remove from heat.
  5. Place inside the pie shell, and add upper crust. Saskatoon pie works wonderfully with a lattice top. You can do basically any top style you like, I find this one the best as it doesn’t bubble out as much.
  6. Bake for 375° for 5 minutes.
  7. Lower the oven temperature to 350°, and bake for the remaining 35 minutes.
  8. Allow to cool, if you can resist it ’til then! Top however you’d like and enjoy! FYI, Peanut Butter ice cream? Not recommended.

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