Tangy Goat Cheese Dressing, Are You An Apocaloptimist? Great Off-Grid Video, Fast No-Heat Fridge Pickles

Tangy Goat Cheese Dressing-
I'm a big fan of buttermilk and I'm always on the lookout for salad dressing recipes. I've never found a really great "ranch" dressing blend, but I did find this. It has goat cheese and buttermilk, what a combo!!! I saw this on PBS Ediblefeast show, but can't find it online. I took some rough notes when I saw it channel surfing, and modified it slightly. It comes out really THICK! This made 1 QT. exactly. and here it is-

10 oz. goat cheese (1 Costco log)
2 cups buttermilk (I used low fat)
2 TBS fresh Tarragon, minced
1 TBS dried tarragon
2 cloves minced fresh garlic (I used 1 TSP. garlic powder)
2 TBL. olive oil
3 TBL. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
You could also add other fresh herbs, basil would be nice!

Put goat cheese in medium sized mixing bowl. Chop tarragon and mix with oil, in a small bowl. Crush it into the oil. Mix vinegar with oil, and dried tarragon, and add to the cheese. I used a large spoon to break up the big chunks. Add the buttermilk and use a whisk to slowly mix the dressing. I went up and down with the whisk to break up the cheese more, then just whisked it until it was smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit in the fridge a bit before serving. It's very tangy and smooth, nice on a chilled salad!

Are You An Apocaloptimist -
Someone who knows it's all going to sh**, but still thinks it will turn out OK. Example below:

"It" most commonly refers to the environment, or humanity, but could be other things as well.

Guy 1: "The environment is being degraded at an unparalleled rate, we're literally destroying ourselves... but, it'll probably turn out OK. If we fail, the planet will likely heal itself in our absence."

Guy 2: "Man, he's such an apocaloptimist."  From Urbandictionary.com

 Great Off Grid Video-

This guy has incorporated so many brilliant ideas! Like turning a new freezer into a fridge, awesome!!!

Fast No-Heat Fridge Pickles-

I've recently moved away a bit from just canning pickles, to fermenting. Still waiting on those. I do like making fridge pickles, except for the heating of the brine. Why heat up the kitchen? Last night I stumbled on to some really fresh, big pickling cukes, so I bought some. I found this recipe Quick Refrigerator Pickles and decided to try it. I did use classic pickling spice instead of just 2 spices. I also added 1 tsp. of black tea leaves for crunch, 1 bay leaf, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. It was SO much FASTER! I had 4 QTs. done in 15 minutes and the kitchen is cool! I'll let you know how the flavor is in a week :)  If I can wait that long!!! They smell divine.  I'll be trying this recipe next Refrigerator Pickled Cauliflower, Carrots, You-Name-It, photo below. I love other pickled veggies, especially carrot and cauliflower...

Anya & The Box, Cute Fall Display

It's a box, what do I do? (all cell phone shots)

I can chew on it

I can stick my head in!

Can't get all of me in

I can sit on top of it and wrestle it

Time for a rest break

What does it smell like?

Now what do I do?

Cute Fall Display
I saw this out this morning, a local store front-

I LOVE the wooden Paris suitcases!!!

One Hot Dog

From facebook- imnotrightinthehead

What's not to love!

Raining, I'm Bored- Let's Bake! Good Homesteading/Chicken Books, Unusual Coops

Raining-
We actually got some significant rain late last night and most of today, a surprise. It's been only about 60, and still cloudy. I opened up some windows to let the fresh air in, then closed them a bit later as it was pretty chilly. The clouds were breaking, a little blue sky, now a downpour and some thunder. Many time these summer storms blow through and we get wind, no rain, maybe just some thunder. Rain is nice....

I'm Bored, Let's Bake!
Being bored out of my mind, and finally off pain meds, I decided to bake. I need to use up some eggs for my favorite Citrus Angel Food Cake  I panicked when I realized I was out of cream of tartar, but there are easy substitutes for it. In this case, an equal part of lemon juice. No worries, it worked great! I also add about 1 tsp. of pure orange extract. This cake is so easy, you'll wonder why you never tried it sooner, if you haven't. It's addicting!

                                            

Good Homesteading/Chicken Books-
I've worked on a few library books the last couple of weeks. I REALLY like this one, short and sweet-
Finding Good Farmland , a Storey Basic book (love those). Hoping to someday move to a rural area, this one would be great for a novice like me, or someone more experienced. My favorite list was on page 73- Red Flags For a Problem Farm, really enlightening. Excellent read!

                                 

I also got from the Library, Free Range Chicken Gardens. This is a good read, with lots of ideas. There is more to the book than just gardens for chickens despite the title. Some of these ideas are great if you have lots of time, energy and $$$. It would be more beneficial if you were completely redoing your landscaping layout. On a budget you have to work with what you're given many times. I'm not a big fan of chicken poop everywhere either. Eh. I have already done many of these ideas, and this may vary climate-wise. There's no way I would do a lot of hardscaping with the hot summers here. I'm also not a big fan of gravel paths in general. My garden is frozen in the winter and so free-ranging in limited to the dirt veggie area. I wouldn't buy this personally, just check it out for the great eye candy. Most of the chicken information can be found free online.

                                               

My last chicken related book had lots of great ideas, City Chicks  It had much more interesting tidbits, including a chapter on teaching your chickens tricks! THAT I will be trying! I would really recommend this book. It's cool! I just wish the photos were in color.

                                    

Unusual Coops-
I was going to post a few photos here, but then I struck gold! Hanburyhouse.com has a wonderful pages with designs from all over the world. There's more here too Facebook Chicken Coops  Here's a couple of my favorites-

               
                             From Thefancyfarmgirl.com, a bit over the top, but cute

                  
                                                           From FB page

                       
                                                   S.W. Earthship style

 
WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? (Individual perspectives on the matter)

Woody Allen: I mean, it was, it was ... a legal chicken ... It wasn't like it was a blood relative or anything. (And don't believe anything that Mia says about me.) 

Aristotle: To actualize its potential. 

Pat Buchanan: To steal a job from a decent, hard-working American. 

Roseanne: Urrrrrp. What chicken?

HOW DO COURT RECORDERS KEEP STRAIGHT FACES???

                                

HOW DO COURT RECORDERS KEEP STRAIGHT FACES????

From a Facebook posting:  Not for the kiddies!

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place.

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
_______________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
_________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget..
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's 20, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitting me?
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid
____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: She had three children , right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death..
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
___________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral...
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________
And last:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No..
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.