Easy Greek Salad

Really, the key to any good greek salad is the dressing, right?  That's where I cheat.  I run to the local Greek Restaurant down the street and pick up a bottle of their specialty dressing.  I know I'm not the only one girls!!!  Here's the recipe we used for Greek salad at the Passover meal.  We did all the veggie prep the night before.  I have NEVER cut up that many veggies in my entire life!!!  My whole house and car reeked like red onion for days...and oh did we all cry when we were prepping them.  Didn't we Rich?  Again, this is another recipe from allrecipes.com

Recipe for 4 servings:

3/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup cucumber - chopped (option: peeled & seeded )

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 cup diced red onion

4 large black olives, quartered

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Throw it together and douse it with your favourite dressing!

Greek Potatoes

I've tried a few different recipes for Greek style potatoes.  I alternate between this one (from Menno Girls Can Cook) and this new one that my good friend Shelley gave me.  The recipe below is the one we served at the Passover meal and it is our new favourite!  It comes from the allrecipes.com site.

1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I crush in my garlic crusher)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cubes chicken bouillon
ground black pepper to taste
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered

Preheat oven to 350*
Mix all ingredients, except for potatoes, in a medium bowl.
Arrange potatoes in bottom of a 9x13" pan
Pour mixture over potatoes
Cover and bake for 1.5 - 2 hours.  Turn occasionally.

Lemon Dill Rice

This is the recipe I use at home when I cook Greek Food.  It differs a little from the one we used for the Passover meal.  It is also a nice rice to cook if you're serving fish.

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 med sized onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (I use 2)
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
Scant 1 tbsp dried dill weed (fresh is great too)
2 tsp sugar
pinch salt
4 lemon slices

Combine olive oil and rice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat.  Stir often, cooking until rice is a nice golden brown. (4-5 min).  Add celery, onions & garlic.  Stir until softened.  Add stock, lemon juice, butter, dill, sugar and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Float lemon slices on top.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer until tender and liquid has absorbed.  Once cooked, allow to stand for 10 minutes.  Garnish with dill.  Serves 6

Going Greek...

Well, it all started with the Pastor asking me if I would be willing to head up the meal for our Passover Celebration.  I asked how many people...he said, "oh, well, I don't know.  We've never done something like this before. I don't think it would be more than 50, maybe 100 people interested".  Hmmm, I thought.  Well, I've cooked for Alpha before and that was for 60ish people.  I could probably do this.  We talked about menu.  He was open to anything, but after discussing the theme of the celebration and the meaning of it we thought it may be fun to do a Mediterranean flavoured meal.  I love, love, love Greek food and I've been cooking it more confidently in the past few months.  I figured, if I could cook it for our family then I could expand it for 50ish people.  Guess what?  I didn't cook for 50ish people.  I cooked for 250ish people.  Yeah...I reacted the same way.  Here's the part where I need to define 'I cooked'.  I didn't really cook for that many people.  I organized the cooking for that many people. 

Here's how 'I' did it:
First, I phoned all the 'pros' in our church that I could find and asked them how the heck you cook for that many people.  I took notes.  Lots of notes.
Second, I planned the menu.  Lots of research, lots of math.  Two things I least enjoy.
Thirdly, I took the advice of those pro's and delegated each aspect of the meal to different people.  Those people were responsible for finding all the people they needed.  I provided them with their recipes, and offered to do their shopping for them if they didn't want to do that part.
Fourthly, I panicked.  A lot.  What if this?  What if that?  What if I failed hugely?
Fifth, I gave it to God.  If you're taking notes, I would suggest placing this first, third, fifth and so on....I prayed that God would provide me with the knowledge, the peace, the ability, the help and the opportunity to honour Him.
Rob had his hand injury in the middle of all of this and the Pastor graciously offered me an out on all of this.  He was so great about it.  He said it would be fine to order KFC.  Um, no, it's not fine.  I'll still do it!  Then I went back to step number 5, again and again.

God provided above and beyond.  He gave us peace in a crazy, overwhelming time, He gave us helpers with great attitudes and abilities, and He used it for His glory. 
I am a person who thrives on challenges and tends to take them on to deal with stress.  Backwards, I know, but it makes me who I am.

We served:
BBQ'd souvlaki chicken - we bbq'd 270 pieces and had 6 leftover!
Greek Potatoes - everyone got one portion, and about 10 lucky people got seconds!
Lemon/Dill Rice - lots of rice, and one pan leftover
Greek Salad - oh was it good! Just enough left over for a few lunches for the help!
Unleavened bread (in keeping with Passover tradition) with tzaziki dip
Dessert - this was not my dept but it was good!  I think there was a chocolate or orange type cake of some sort...I didn't have much time to enjoy;)
The teams had to be scheduled around the space and equipment available in the kitchen. 
Everything had to be labelled with instructions for the prep team and table setting crew.
I was on my feet for 13 hours solid and my notes looked like shredded paper by the time I was done, but we did it!

Some of the many challenges presented:
Addition of people right up to the event!  Seriously people, buy your tickets on time!
Shopping for that many ingredients and fitting them all in my car!
Not having access to the kitchen until 11pm the night before the event (there was a wedding in the day before the event)
Preparing all the food in a foodsafe manner and having the right people on hand to help with that!
Clean up for that many dishes! (surprisingly it only took 3 hours to clean over 1000 dishes!)
Coming in on budget when the meal was only $5 per person ( I think I came in UNDER budget!!!)
Naysayers in the ranks...
I have to share how disappointed I was to hear of a couple of people who talked negatively about this event before it even happened!  There was one particular 'party' who verbalized to a few people their displeasure at the choice of menu.  Really?  REALLY?  I get it if you don't like Greek, not everyone does.  The ironic reality is that it's chicken, potatoes, rice and veggies people...but instead of soaking them in sweet and sour, we're using savoury spices. I chose not to be discouraged for long.  Some people will ALWAYS find something to complain about!
Our Pastors wife was so encouraging.  We talked about how this celebration was about SO MUCH MORE than Greek food.  This celebration was about the importance and meaning of Jesus' last supper with His disciples.  This celebration was about the significance of His death on the cross.  This supper was about our heritage.  This supper was about gathering with friends and families and teaching our children more about their heavenly Father.  This celebration was meant to honour God.  It was a wonderful evening.  I didn't get to partake in the readings and such, but I did grab a quick plate of food and visit with friends.  I am forever in debt to our dear friends Rich and Shell for their joy and willingness in helping us with so much prep work.  We are definitely treating you to dinner one of these days...and it won't be Greek food!
I'll post a few of the recipes I chose for this meal in the next week and you can give them a try if you like. 

Everything was made from scratch with the exception of the tzaziki dip (mine never tastes as good as the store stuff) and the greek salad dressing (which is so perfectly made by our local Greek restaurant)  Kudos to the bbq team, the rice team, the potato peeling & prep crew, the chicken prep crew, the dessert prep team, the Greek salad gurus and the set up and clean up crews.  Your help and experience was a huge asset!  I have heard wonderfully positive things about the whole experience and that's all the thanks I need.  Would I do it again....NO!  Well, maybe.  Ask me later.  Most likely.

Oh...and did I mention that I'm a details person?  I am. To add some colour to the tables I went to one of our local daffodil farmers and bought bulk.  I love our Bradner farmers, they're so helpful and generous.  We got a steal of a deal on a large amount of flowers and he mixed several varieties up in the order just for kicks!  I love community.

Easter...

Easter Season was a busy one around here!  I think, perhaps, more busy than Christmas was...and that's sayin' something!  It was a very fun and meaningful Easter. 
The week prior to Easter was a crazy one.  Our schedule was packed, work was crazy, and we heard of 6 people who had passed away. It was a hard week, but we were blessed despite of it. Our Pastor put a lot of planning and prayer into how to make the Easter season a memorable and meaningful one.  I think it was particularly a special Easter for the kids.  I think they are really starting to grasp the meaning of their Heavenly Father and how His death (and resurrection!)was so necessary for mankind. 
We started off the celebrations on Passover Sunday with a traditional Passover meal at our church. Pastor Tim did a full Passover ceremony with a traditional Seder plate and readings followed by a meal.  It was a unique evening and I was honoured to be a part of the meal prep team. (I'll do a post on that one soon;) 
Then, Good Friday, our church hosted it's annual breakfast and 'Art Walk' where an intimate and meaningful atmosphere is created to help us all interpret what the cross means to us.  The Art Walk was beautiful, with so many expressions of love for Christ. The men prepared the breakfast and it was wonderful!  Both of our brothers came out to join in the festivities.  There was a short service after the Art Walk and then communion.  On Friday evening we headed over to hubby's Moms house for a family get together.  The kids had a great time hanging out with their cousins. 
On Easter Weekend Saturday, it was warm and gorgeous here so we did yard work all day!  My brother came over and lent a much needed hand and we got huge amounts of work done!  Saturday evening Rob and I took the kids to my parents and headed out on a double date with some friends. 
Sunday morning we headed over to a neighboring church to see our nephew be baptised.  It was so special to see him make this decision to publicly declare his love and obedience to God.  It was especially meaningful to me as I was baptised on an Easter Sunday when I was younger.  Sunday afternoon we headed over to my parents for an Easter celebration!  We were originally going to be joined by several family members, but in the end it was just our family.  Mom prepared a lovely meal, we pigged out on strawberry shortcake and paska, the kids did their Easter egg hunt, and, AND....we watched the hockey game!  It's play off season here folks and hockey is the name of the game! 
Easter Monday the kids were off, but Rob had to work, we just had a relaxed day here and, as per usual, Uncle Ken joined us for supper.
'Oooohhhh....the good ol' hockey game...'

Paska, sans icing & sprinkles....good thing I only make this stuff once a year!  I have such a weakness for paska....

Baking for Teacher Appreciation...

Like many schools, our school picks one week each Spring to honour our teachers and the amazing jobs they do!  I am so grateful for teachers!  As a 'class mom' it is my job to make sure that these teachers feel special this week!  I ask parents to sign up for one day during the week where they will commit to doing something for the teacher...maybe a hot coffee/tea, flowers, a treat, or even a card or time in the classroom.  In the past 4 years I've always made a full, hot meal for Olivia's teacher so that they get one night off when they don't have to cook!  This year I was too 'chicken' to do a meal for Olivia's teacher because he's a vegan!   I respect it, but can't relate to it hunnny!  So...this year it was fresh, hot from the oven, pans of blueberry cinnamon buns for Livi and Abby's teachers.  Hope they enjoyed them!  It's a pretty easy recipe, and if you have a large mixer then it'll do the work for you! 
Here's my recipe:
-- Mix 2 tsp granulated sugar into 1 cup of warm water. Sprinkle scant 2 tbsp of dry yeast on top and let sit for 10 minutes. (I do this in my kitchen aid bowl so it's ready to have ingredients added)
-- Once proofed (poofed) stir yeast mixture to mix. Add:
2 large eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil
1/2 sugar
1 cup warm milk 2 cups all purpose flour
Beat together well.

Now work in 4 - 4.5 cups of flour (I switch to the dough hook for this one)
Work it in until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.  You can let it knead in your machine for a good 5 minutes once it's all blended, or, turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes.  Should be smooth and elastic.  I love working with the dough so I always opt for a few less minutes in the mixer and do some kneading by hand...work out those frustrations girls!

Place dough in greased bowl, turn once to grease top.  Cover with tea towel and place in oven with light on and door closed.  Let rise for approx 1 hour until doubled in size.
Filling:
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup brown sugar mixed with 2.5 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cups blueberries. (I use frozen)

Now, divide dough into 3 equal parts.  Roll each into 9x12" rectangles. ( I do one at a time)
Spread 1/3 of butter on each piece
Sprinkle 1/3 sugar/cinnamon mixture on each
Scatter 1/3 berries on each piece

Starting on the long side of the rectangle, tightly roll up each piece into a log.  Cut each log into 9 even pieces and place in greased  8x8 pans.  (I always use pie plates)
Cover with tea towels and let stand in oven with light on and door closed for another hour.

Bake at 375* for 20 minutes...watch, they burn easy. 

Glaze:
Blend 1.5 cups icing sugar with:
1/2 cup softened butter, 2-3 tbsp milk or water
1/2 tsp vanilla
Drizzle over buns once they've cooled a little.

Blissfully Unaware

This post title seemed appropriate when I looked back on the date of my last post. March 29th. On March 29th I had no idea that the next day would be spent in the ER with hubby, wondering if he would still have all his fingers when he left. On March 30th Rob had an accident on the farm. He caught his hand in a piece of machinery in the barn. One of my greatest fears with a husband who's a farmer is injury. Rob works alone and is around equipment all the time. Often I stop in to say hi or bring him a treat...I think we both know that I'm checking in on him and making sure he's ok. Haying season is the worst:) There's always a small part of me that panics when he phones from work...usually it's just a call say 'hi poopsie!' and 'I'm thinking of you'...or more likely, 'I'm going to be a *few* minutes late'. But on this particular day it was a call to say 'I hurt myself pretty good and I'm thinking I should head to the clinic.'

I could tell something was off...he didn't sound too hurt, but there was something in his voice. It took me just a few minutes too long to realize he was in shock. I picked him up at the farm and off we went to ER. The staff were great, he was in within 10 minutes and was receiving treatment shortly thereafter. The big concern was infection. Barns aren't exactly the most hygienic places for an accident!
From this point on it really just seems like a blur. I feel as though I've been living in my car for the past month driving here there and everywhere. Life had to become very organized and scheduled and the days didn't have enough hours in them to get everything accomplished. The timing of the accident was interesting. On one hand, we had just shipped our big flock out so the day to day farm responsibilities were less than usual. On the other hand, we had 13,000 birds that HAD to be moved into the layer barns before they reached a certain age and in order for that to happen all the barns had to be cleaned and prepped for the move itself.
This is where God took over...He saw our anxiety, felt our helplessness, and took over. Rob and I can't even begin to put into words the overwhelming peace we have felt. It's as though nothing happened. Life was put into perspective very quickly. Things that normally feel so bothersome and mundane became things to appreciate and acknowledge.
Before Rob was even out of surgery we had more help than we knew what to do with. People we don't even know were offering their assistance. Fellow farmers came to the rescue, machinery was fixed, barns were cleaned, and flocks were moved! Kids were babysat so I could be available to work on the farm, meals were delivered, and cards were flowing into the mailbox. We even recieved a card from a family in Colorado who knows us through their daughter. They were letting us know that they, and their church, were praying for us! Our church family rose above and beyond the duty of a family and did everything they could to support us. Our friends, family and church prayed us through every step of the trauma. Men took time off their own jobs to come and work on our farm. All of those who volunteered their time didn't even ask if they could help...they just showed up and helped and organized more people on their own. We prayed for safety for these men, many of whom had not worked on a farm before. To feel this kind of love, to experience Christ's love through these friends is more than we can ever express in words. I can't imagine how we would have done all this without our church family. I have always been a strong advocate of church involvement, and this experience causes me to stress just one more time to all of you how important it is to invest your time and love into your church community. It's not a matter of having the resources of friends to help in a crisis, although this is a huge benefit, it's the way you experience Christ's love through these people.
Well, this blog post could go on for days, but to sum things up; we are so thankful that the surgeon was able to re-construct Rob's fingers. We are thankful that he will slowly regain use of them, if not entirely, then we'll settle for partially! We are thankful that the cost of therapy and all medical expenses will be covered. We are thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who protected us and embraced us. We are thankful for friends and family who carried us through this trauma.  Thankful for those of you who followed us through every step of the way with phone calls, texts and emails.  We are so thankful for our marriage and the unity we were able to feel despite the crisis.
Rob is thankful to be back at work...the crazy man won't stay away from his beloved farm! He has months of therapy ahead, and will need to take it easy, but that's a small price to pay for a farm accident! So, if you are one of the many friends that helped us through this, then we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
I didn't get too many pictures...too busy! But here's a few I snapped with my phone along the way...
Here's hubby 'supervising' a few days after the accident:

Here's my bro who came to the rescue and put in some good time doing mundane chores with me on the farm:

Here's a few fierce warriors to braved the flock change...from left to right:

Josh, who's experience on a layer farm was such an asset,

Wayne, who said...and I quote "I'd deal with complaining customers all day before I'd ever chicken farm!"

And Stef, who kept us entertained all day! Stef's quote: "I was really careful with the chickens...well, the first few anyway...."

Thanks guys...you're the BEST!

And last, but certainly not least.... 'Dr. D' and fellow farmer and friend Dan who also played a big part in getting the job done! Way to go guys!