Plain and Simple

Coconut is a food that has many possibilities- coconut oil for one thing which I love using, coconut flour which I am learning to use and a 1lb bag goes a long way, coconut meat which can be used for all kinds of yummy foods, coconut milk, coconut cream, so on so on. Here is a wonderful link to a site that gives you all the benefits and info on coconut.

I recently found a site that showed how to make your own coconut flour from shredded coconut and she also showed how to make coconut milk from shredded coconut. I was intrigued so this morning I made some and am looking forward to trying it in smoothies.

You start with 2 cups shredded coconut in a bowl add 2 1/2 cups very hot water, I used just before boiling water. Let this sit till water is lukewarm. Then use clean hands to press on the coconut squeeze with all your might do this for a few minutes. Then strain, I used cheese clothe and squeezed all the milk out. The coconut shreds can be used one more time to make more milk(though I have not done this yet) and then dried in a dehydrator, once dry run through your blender till fine to use as flour. Here is where I found the videos on how to do this.

Ashley went to Tenn this weekend with my mom to see our Aunt. My mom's sister, she had alot of fun shopping they hit all kinds of thrift stores, antique stores, book stores, and an art shop. We missed her dearly though. Saturday we went to Baton Rouge to the temple and then hit Whole Foods, when we are over there we stop by and I load up on things that are cheaper to buy there than our health food store. If we need something our little store is so nice they will order it for me if they don't have it, I also stock up there when needed. Wyatt sells pickled quail eggs there they are really nice people that have done a wonderful job introducing a small community to healthier eating. Whole foods just has much better prices and variety and when I'm there why not stock up. We found Forbidden Rice and bought some, it is an Asian black rice really neat looking we are looking forward to trying it.

I saw this on a movie and have always loved the idea. So I have been on the hunt for real silver at a really cheap price sometimes you can find miss matched pieces really cheap, but I haven't been lucky but about a year ago we went to a yard sale that had a little box with free stuff and they had a bunch of gold flatware. It is plated fake stuff and it was in very bad shape after sitting in salt water for awhile after the house it was in was torn down by Hurricane Katrina. But they were free and unique looking. I finally got around to doing something with them, hubby drilled holes in them and this old enamel lid for me and we strung them with fishing twine.  The big serving spoon makes a wonderful sound when the other pieces bump into it and it didn't cost a dime. It looks very neat in our new cottage garden.

We fenced in the cottage garden Saturday after we got home so the babies above would stop eating the parsley and chives. :0) they played on the old oak tree by the house after hubby cut off some big limbs that were dead. They are playing queen of the mountain...

Wyatt put this jar up for me as well. The glass that was there I was getting tired of and this was easy to do. I will probably paint the metal black I think soon. I think an antique blue canning jar would be really neat but they are not wide mouths and it needs to be a wide mouth.

A fledgling dove that was hiding in the garden this morning. Its parents were watching from a tree I moved to where I hope the cats don't find it and the parents I hope do.

A new ingredient, Kelp powder, what to do with it? When at Whole Foods I will pick up stuff that we've never had, to try.

This is Mushroom the pony that was used during a field trip for 4H. He was a cutie his buddy was a female, full size, Belgian, draft horse she didn't like being separated from him. She's there behind the lady in pink they were eye level when Mushroom was on the podium.

My partner in crime at our volunteer work. She and I run the table and the paperwork. She enjoys the microphone a little to much and breaks out in song every once in awhile. We also laugh just a little to much and find the oddest things to discuss and laugh at. Girls camp last year was a blast with her as my helper in the kitchen. She is going this year but I am not, camp will not be the same I think. :0)

All the missionaries goofing off till they are called to do some work.

My days are sometimes slow lately I am looking forward to summer.
We had dinner with two Amish families last week, that was fun the children were cuties especially the baby and toddlers. They were down from Ohio visiting a mutual friend for the week and so we were invited to meet them.

We have been picking huckleberries and dewberries, watching the birds with their babies and making their nests, working on our gardens, and planning out projects. We have a busy summer, an 18th birthday coming up for Ashley, camping, family visiting, and canning. That I am looking forward to this year and have been planning what we will do.

I love this time of year....

Love,

Erika