Spring Weather

Mud everywhere and it's wonderful because that means snow is melting and it's warm. We got up to almost 40 degrees yesterday and it's supposed to stay that way the rest of the week. There's still a lot of snow yet to melt but at least some of it is on it's way out.  I know there will be some spring storms bringing in more snow later but this sure feels good now.

Yesterday we calved heifers at the neighbors.

Fry Bread

Also known as Indian Fry Bread, these are delicious no matter how they're served.

There are yeast and baking powder versions, this is a yeast recipe.

Fry Bread Recipe:
1 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1/4 Cup Warm Water (100-105 degrees)
3 tsp Sugar, divided
1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
5oz. Can Evaporated Milk, room temperature
2 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
flour for kneading
peanut or vegetable oil for frying

Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1/2 tsp of sugar, set aside to proof.
In a bowl combine flour, salt, and remaining 2 1/2 tsp of sugar.
Add yeast mixture, oil and milk to flour, mix well.
Dump out on lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 mins.
Cover and rise until double.
Punch down and knead, divide into six equal portions and shape into balls.
Cover and rest 10 minutes while preparing fry oil.
Add 3/4 inch of oil to a 10 inch cast iron skillet* or an electric skillet. **
Heat oil to 375 degrees.
One at a time, roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness, cut a 3 inch slit in the center of dough, cutting almost to, but not through the bottom of the dough.
Fry until puffed and lightly browned on each side (bread should puff almost immediately after being added to the hot oil) drain on towel.

Delicious plain or top with:
Butter and honey
Cinnamon and sugar
Taco fixins' for supper
Fried egg for breakfast

Notes
*To tell if oil is hot enough for frying when using cast iron, dip a wooded spoon into oil, if bubbles form around the spoon, the oil is hot enough to fry
**An electric fryer can also be used if the diameter is at least 8 inches or make fry breads smaller to accommodate

Winter Routines

It's been fairly routine around the ranch lately. Still plenty of snow on the ground and mostly cold although we've had a few nice days. The days are filled with feeding, chores or fixing something, and then walking with the dogs to make sure they get enough activity since they don't get as much work in the winter.

Taking the dogs out for a walk...

There they go....

and then they come back very proud of themselves.

The sheep trailing up from the creek for corn.

Oatmeal Brownie Cookies

I was craving cookies and brownies yesterday so I came up with a combination

and the result is chewy oatmeal brownie cookies.

4 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
1 1/2 Sticks of Butter
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Rolled Oats

In a double boiler (or microwave) melt together chocolate and butter.
Pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl, add sugars, stir well to combine.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, stir in vanilla.
Add flour, stir until combined.
Fold in oats.
Place dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until dough is cold enough to roll.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls, place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes until set and surface looks "dry".
Do not over cook, they will still be gooey in the middle when warm but will set up and have chewy centers when cooled.

Who's Whistlin Now

To start the story I have to tell you that I can't whistle, never have been able to, not one little peep, and JML has had 15 yrs. teasing me about it.

So JML got a shepherds whistle about a month ago.  It took him a couple of hours to start getting some sound out if it and he's been working at it constantly (driving me crazy)ever since. He's getting it figured out pretty well but he still spends a lot of time cussing at the whistle.  Then today we were watching our favorite border collie sheepdog training video (see below) which has a tutorial on using the whistle. As we were watching JML says to me (the girl who can't whistle) "why don't you try it" and after some more teasing he gets me to try it.  So I put the whistle in my mouth just like the video says, gave it some air....and what do ya know, I can whistle! Guess he can't tease me about not being able to whistle anymore, thanks Andy :)
P.S.
If anyone out there wants to share their techniques, tips, or stories on the shepherds whistle we'd love to hear about it!

Check it out, First Steps in Border Collie Sheepdog Training
It's a beginner to intermediate video, but no matter how much you already know about training dogs there's always more to learn (especially if your obsessed with border collies like JML). One of the reasons this is our favorite video is because he doesn't just show the perfect scenario setup, he also shows when things don't go so perfectly.  Another reason we like this video is because Andy shows three different dogs that are quite unique from eachother in their personality and desire to work.  He then goes thru the processes of starting each of these personalities. It's great filming, advice, and very easy to understand.