Melt-In-Your-Mouth Short Ribs

Ingredients

6 serving-sized pieces beef short ribs (about 3 pounds)
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed French Onion Soup
1 Bottle, 12 oz. Dark Ale or Beer
Hot mashed potatoes or egg noodles

Directions

Place the beef into a 5-quart slow cooker. Add the brown sugar, garlic, thyme and flour and toss to coat. Pour the soup and ale over the beef mixture.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours* or until the beef is fork-tender. Serve with the mashed potatoes or noodles.
(Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.)

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Now back in stock our very most popular soap:

Cola Float

Satsuma Guava

I know many of you have waited for these since our sell-out over the holidays!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

This recipes looks quite easy not to mention delicious!

Grilled Chicken Fettucine

Ingredients

1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
12 ounces dried fettuccine Regular
1/4 cup purchased pesto
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Dash black pepper
Toasted pine nuts (optional)
Snipped fresh basil (optional)

Directions

In a small saucepan heat whipping cream and butter until butter melts. Gradually add Parmesan cheese, stirring until combined. Cover and keep warm over low heat.

For a charcoal grill, grill chicken on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F), turning once halfway through grilling. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place chicken on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)

Meanwhile, cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Cut grilled chicken into bite-size pieces. In a medium bowl toss chicken with 1 tablespoon of the pesto. Add remaining pesto and Parmesan mixture to the hot cooked fettuccine. Add tomatoes. Toss to coat. Arrange fettuccine on a serving platter; sprinkle with pepper. Top with grilled chicken. If desired, garnish with pine nuts and/or basil. Makes 6 servings

Grilled Chicken Fettucine

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

I had been keeping my eye out for some kind of storage unit so I could organize our ingredients and products better.

And this is what I found!

An extremely heavy, solid wood, antique corner hutch!

It is 6 1/2 feet tall and 4 feet wide and made of solid wood. It barely (and I mean BARELY) fit through the front door and almost killed hubby bringing it in. It was too big to fit in the room that I had intended it to go in so it is at the end of a hallway. Which is perfect!

The gal said she paid over $300.00 for it an estate sale.

My cost…..$60.00! I was so thrilled with the piece that I didn’t even try to offer her a deal!

Once we get the remodeling done I want to either sand it down and restain it or paint it.

I love this so much I want to search for more old pieces…
Unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t have any spare floor space!

Corner Hutch Inside

Corner Hutch Outside

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Usually when the weatherpeople talk about snow it never comes.

They warned us for a week it was coming.

Yea right.

It came.

Not only did it come but it came in a huge way.

You would think living in Washington state we would get snow on a regular basis….

We don’t.

We get rain.

The snow lasted a week and it snowed every day.
We got around 9″ which is huge here.

I stayed home each and every day and worked my butt off making soap.

It’s disappearing now.

Temperatures, even overnight, are now above freezing.

And….
As Usual….
I’ts raining!

Here are a few pictures of SnowMageddon 2012.

Brodie & Jasper playing in the snow

Backyard with about 8"? of snow

Icicles on The Truck

Our Street

Flower pots

Butterfly bush weighed down by snow

Snow casualty: Rosemary branch broken

Jasper thinking it's just too damn cold out here!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Now those of you who get snow all the time might not think this is a big deal…

But you have to remember….

IT DOESN’T SNOW HERE!

Or at least not very often or for very long…

IT RAINS!

Tomorrow could very well be a doozy….

It is predicted that a major snow storm will arrive over night and we could  get up to a foot.

Of course as always I’m not quite buying it til I see it…

But I have my camera and my Flip at the ready…

Along side my hot chocolate and Baileys!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

http://www.countrymeadowsoaps.com/

You can’t buy cute stuffed or rubber toys as they are shredded in mere seconds.

I will show you some of the toys we have that have held up.

You can get most of them at your local pet store or you can check out Indestructible Dog Toy.

Dura Chew Textured Tug
Dura Chew Bacon Bone
Dura Chew Textured Bone
Jolly Egg
Double Action Chew
Dura Chew Bacon S
Paw-zzle Ball
Double Action Revolving Chew
Dura Chew Airscrew
Unbreakoball

And just this week…
Moose Antlers!

Because the ‘boys’ (Brodie & Jasper) are 70 lbs. and 64 lbs. respectively I bought the biggest antlers they had and I can tell you the boys love them!

I wasn’t sure if antlers would be considered a fight-over toy by the boys so they only get them under closer supervision and I never allow one to take it from the other. They each get one and unless it is dropped or left unattended they must respect the other dog and leave him alone.

The ends have been cut flat so there are no sharp points and this also allows the dogs to get at the bone marrow…and in case you are wondering….the antlers are naturally shed.

These are expensive ($25.99 each) so I only let them have the antlers for a couple of hours then they are put up keeping this particular ‘toy’ a special treat item!

I will tell you once these wear out and get chewed down I will be getting more. I think it is money well spent!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

Basil Sage Mint (very nice scent blend!)
Bergamot Tarragon (TO..DIE..FOR! I predict it will quickly become a best-seller!)
Cucumber Wasabi Cilantro (another TO..DIE..FOR scent blend! This will quickly become a hit!)

Still waiting for packaging design:
(I’m hoping to get to this over the weekend)

Jamaica Bay

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

They had great flavor but I think to bring it over the top you need to add chopped avocado!

Since we don’t like Greek yogurt we used regular plain yogurt.

Also instead of using pita bread we used flat bread….which was really thin that it broke through in places…not to mention that I really didn’t like the type we bought. Next time we will go for the pita bread!

Chicken Gyros

Tzatziki sauce: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Pita Bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

Directions:
Shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com

I made this over the weekend and they were so EASY and fun!!!

At first I was thinking maybe I should drizzle icing or frost with cream cheese frosting….but truth be told…they don’t need a damn thing!

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread

Makes: one 9x5x3-inch loaf

For the Dough:

2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

In a large mixing bowl (I used just the bowl of my stand mixer) whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until butter has just melted. Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract. Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees F.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula. Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter. The eggs will feel soupy and it’ll seem like the dough and the eggs are never going to come together. Keep stirring. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes. The mixture will be sticky. That’s just right.

Place the dough is a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. *The dough can be risen until doubled in size, then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning. If you’re using this method, just let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes before following the roll-out directions below.

While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling. Set aside. Melt 2 ounces of butter until browned. Set aside. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Set that aside too.

Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out. The dough should be 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long. If you can’t get the dough to 20-inches long… that’s okay. Just roll it as large as the dough will go. Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough. Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture. It might seem like a lot of sugar. Seriously? Just go for it.

Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips. Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again. You’ll have six stacks of six squares. Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book. Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown. The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw. A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto a clean board. Place a cake stand or cake plate on top of the upside down loaf, and carefully invert so it’s right side up. Serve warm with coffee or tea.

I think this bread is best served the day it’s made, but it can also we wrapped and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.

___

Seriously….
How can you resist that!!!??

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Shea Body Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com