102 and counting

OK, so I noticed that I have put up 101 posts already. This will be 102! Can't believe that, guess I do talk a lot. I would like to say thank you to all my followers, those who "follow" and those who follow openly for reading and posting comments. I love that! I enjoy following all the blogs that I do follow and reading about what other farmers are doing. It's nice to know that there are others out there who are farming and making an effort to be  more self sufficient and be more local aka localvores!!! So thank you for reading about our journey in life as SweetLand Farm grows!

Any guesses what Matthew bought for me? He wanted to get me something for a surprise. This is what it is. Keep reading and I'll tell you what it is...

Our supper last night was this...

I liked the colors

grab a kiddo that had been lurking in the kitchen and wanted to help, and have her stir

yummy!

I asked Matthew what he wanted for a dessert, and he said Oatmeal Raisin cookies, so I made him some!

It's called Pasta e Fagoili. Like the one at the Olive Garden. I have never tried the one there because I like mine and would hate to think differently of mine if I had theirs!! I got the recipe from my grandmother, and I have no idea where she got it from. It's as follows:

1lb hamburg or sausage cooked
1 C onion
1 C carrots (I use my canned carrots so they are already cooked)
1 C celery
2 garlic cloves
1 Qt stewed tomatoes (that is what I use because that is what I have from the garden)
15 oz can of Great Northern Beans
15oz can of Red Kidney Beans
1/2 lb Ditali Noodles, if you can find them, I never can so I use the small pinwheels
15 oz V8 Juice (more)
15 oz Tomato Juice
1 T white vinegar                           1.5 t salt                            1 t Oregano               1 t basil
1/2 t pepper                                 1/2 t Thyme
Cook noodles until al dente.                      
Cook beef/sausage with onion, garlic, celery, S & P.
 Then add thyme, basil, vinegar, oregano.
 In a large pot (it makes a huge amount, so get a big pot!) Mix everything together. Simmer until warm, serve with bread if you want and enjoy!
I usually add more of the V8 Juice and Tomato juice because the noodles soak up some, and it's nice to have some "broth" in the soup. It's very filling and usually tastes better the next day when all the flavors have blended!

Your final clues on my gift!!

got it yet??

Butter molds!! Thank you honey!! I love you!!