Today is coffee-roasting demo day!  Start out with green coffee beans. We're using some canned beans we had stored away.

Green beans are not really green---they're sort of brownish, tannish green. Green beans have a shelf life of a gazillion years. Mice don't like them, neither do insects, so you can stock up on these little gems with no worries that they'll go rancid or get eaten by critters.

Here is a comparison of green beans and some coffee that has just been roasted. 

Roasting can be done in a skillet on the stove, in the oven,  or, my personal favorite in an 80's style hot air popcorn popper.  This pic shows us roasting beans in a skillet. To do this, place a layer of coffee beans on the bottom of an iron skillet.  Don't grease the pan. (The coffee is greasy all by itself.) As the coffee is being roasted, all kinds of things happen: the color goes from greenish, to tan, to light brown. If you like dark roasted coffee, keep going until the coffee beans take on a greasy sheen. While the roasting process is going on, the chaff which has been surrounding the little beans will start to pop off and soon the air around you will have little pieces of chaff floating around. The beans also create a good deal of smoke, so have a fan going. When I use the popcorn popper, I do the whole process outside. Much tidier.

Coffee goes through 2 stages of roasting separated by a distinct 'cracking' sound. For dark roast, wait until you hear 'second crack' before you remove the beans from the heat source. Tom and I prefer dark roasted coffee to city roast (what the regular roast is called). As soon as that greasy sheen shows up, remove the skillet from the stove.  There is a fine line between dark roast and 'burnt' roast. So keep an eye on them and when the beans are perfectly roasted,  quickly dump them in a strainer. You don't want more roasting taking place while they're being cooled. (Don't run water over them to cool them! Just bounce them around in the strainer or have them sit in front of a fan!)

Let the coffee sit overnight in an open container before you grind it for your morning coffee. Those lovely little bean need to, um,  out-gas for a few hours. Also...the smell of roasting coffee is not what you think it should be.  It smells like grass or hay that's been smoldering. Do not be alarmed.  This is normal. After 24 hours, your coffee will have the aroma you've come to associate with heaven. 

Here's the link for Sweet Maria's, our 'go-to' site for everything coffee. 

http://www.sweetmarias.com/index.php

My warmest wishes are being sent out to all mothers today, and in particular my mom. May you feel the love of your children whether they be near or far, here on earth or in heaven above.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Today's post is dedicated to all those (mostly) ladies out there who do the dishes. How many dishes have you washed in your lifetime?  And dried? and put away? Perhaps 100's of thousands? only to go  and get that clean iron skillet out of the cupboard or drawer to do this...

...which, of course, only means that now you have a dirty skillet. Which must be washed...eventually.

And so the cycle begins. I did a lot of dishes when I was a kid. Washing the dishes was one of the jobs that fell to my sister and me. We did a lot of singing and fighting over and around the kitchen sink. Sisters do that, you know. Those were the good ol' days, before dishwashers (my mom still doesn't own one) and microwaves and such. You actually washed your dishes BY HAND! Incredible. 

I have dishwasher now and I use it, but I never put in pots and pans and collanders and knives with wooden handles. So I still do dishes by hand. Every day. And so do you. It's a never ending job because of this: 

I am thankful for my dirty dishes. They are reminders that I eat every day. Some people do not have to wash their dishes. So, dear Sisters (and Brothers),  those of you who are members of the Fellowship of the Sink and Towel, wash your dishes with thankfulness and dry them in gratitude.  Consider your blessings and use the time spent over the sink wisely. As you reach for your bottle of Dawn or Joy, let it 'dawn' on you to be filled with 'joy' while doing this most ordinary of tasks.  You belong to a Very Large Fellowship of loving, giving and blessed people.

Tomorrow's post is dedicated to people who take care of this problem: 

NOT!  I'm just messing with your mind now.... Have a blessed day!

We've got kitty-cats, and one of them is in 'the family way'. We're not exactly sure when she's due, so we're keeping an eye on her and watching for suspicious activity. Any good advice on the subject?

Beautiful lilacs in bloom.

 Tulips I didn't know I had until this spring.

More pretty flowers. 

Spring has sprung in Greenleaf! 

Check out these strawberries! 

First harvest.

Lady in Doggy Heaven---comfy chair and a sunbeam. All that was missing was Papa Tom.

You might think that the picture below is a photo of last weekend's "Super Moon", but it's not. The picture was actually taken several weeks ago as I stepped outside one evening and there was the moon, big as you please, coming up over the mountains.

I love the sky here in Idaho.  I love the well-tended fields, too.  And the view of the mountains in the distance. Put all these elements together and you can see why I was moved to capture the moment.

Making Tortillas

I had the priviledge of learning how to make homemade tortillas from a "Pro", Irene, the mother of my friend and neighbor, Kathy.  Irene graciously agreed to demonstrate for us how to make her authentic home-style flour tortillas. 

First, you start with a beautiful golden yellow bowl.  I suppose you can use a red or blue bowl, but I won't guarantee the results.  Next, in goes about 1 1/2 c of all purpose flour, 1/2 T baking powder, 1/2 t salt. Mix together and add about 1/2 -3/4 c warm water. You might need a little more. Everything is pretty much done by 'feel' so if that's a problem for you, you might need some therapy until that's okay. Throw in a lump of shortening---about 2 T and blend with your hands until a soft but firm ball is formed.

Preheat a cast iron griddle or skillet and lightly grease it. 

While the griddle is heating, make small balls of dough and set them aside. You should end up with about 6 balls.  Irene placed them on a paper towel while they were waiting to be rolled out. 

Next, take one of the balls and place it on a floured board or smooth countertop. We're ready to roll!

Irene used a small wooded dowel to roll out her tortillas. (I used my rolling pin at home---it's a bit on the 'over-kill' side, but it works.)

Flip the tortilla over and roll it again. You want to get it nice and thin and if you practice, YOU CAN DO IT!! That's what Irene told us.

Here is where things get tricky.  Place the tortilla on the skillet and IMMEDIATELY flip it (the tortilla, not the pan). Let it sit until brown spots form on the bottom, flip again, and remove when both sides look like the tortillas in the picture below. Stack in a pile to keep them warm. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough. 

That's it. These tortillas are SO yummy with melted butter dripping off them and running down your arm.  You can just taste the love. Add a little cinnamon sugar or beans and cheese and you'll be smiling from ear to ear! 

Go ahead and give it a try---You Can Do It!! 

Can't resist posting these pics....:D

Gosh....she's just so darn cute!

Once you get those fingers in your mouth, never let them go!

Lily helping her daddy 'work'.

Found a different finger to suck on...

Everyone needs giraffe feet in their jammies.

Beautiful baby, six days old.