Foodie Friday: Pickled Eggs With Red Beets

Well, dear reader, it is hard to believe it is one week before the Easter holiday. One of the staples of our Easter dinner is pickled eggs with red beets. I make these eggs a week in advance so they have time to pickle through and turn a beautiful deep purple. Pickled eggs have been a staple in our family's Easter dinner for as long as I can remember. My grandmothers made pickled eggs with beets for our family holiday meal. I can remember eating several at a time, often wearing red beet juice on my Easter outfit.

Although The Bean and The Bibbed Wonder eat pickled eggs with beets, they prefer deviled eggs. For our Easter meal, I usually make both because I can't give up the tradition of making pickled eggs with beets. Our Easter meal is rather simplistic compared to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I usually bake ham with brown sugar and serve pineapple sauce with a side of fresh roasted asparagus, pierogi, chocolate pie, and lemon meringue for dessert. It's a simple and delicious meal that does not require a lot of time in the kitchen.

Although The Bean is now fifteen, I continue to do an Easter egg hunt for her and her BFF. They may be big kids, but they are still kids and enjoy searching high and low for candy and money-filled eggs. Honestly, the Easter egg hunt is as much for me as it is for the kids. I genuinely enjoy making their Easter egg hunt challenging. Oh, I also continue to hide their Easter baskets. My goal is to stump them and have them look for at least an hour before we play the Hot/Cold Game. I hope my girl never tires of this tradition.

What Easter traditions do you enjoy? Is there a staple at your Easter table that you make year after year? Without further adieu, here is my recipe for pickled eggs with beets.

Pickled Eggs with Beets

2 Dozen Hard Boiled Eggs, Peeled

2 Quart Jars of Pickled Red Beets (I prefer Grambarbs pickled beets)

1 Cup of White Sugar

1 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Cinnamon Stick

10Whole Cloves

1 Medium Onion Peeled and Thinly Sliced

In a glass container, place beets with juice reserved on the side, peeled hard-boiled eggs, the cinnamon stick and cloves, and the sliced onion. I like to layer these ingredients, beginning with the onions on the bottom, then the spices, then the beets, and finally, the eggs on top.

In a stainless steel saucepan, combine the liquid from the pickled beets, the vinegar, and the sugar. Heat over medium flame until it comes to a slow boil. Remove from heat and pour the liquid over the eggs. Seal tightly with a lid and place the glass container in the refrigerator.

I do this a week in advance so my eggs have time to absorb the pickling brine. I also gently shake the jar throughout the week to ensure all eggs are covered evenly. These eggs are a beautiful and delicious addition to your Easter table.

A few notes: I find that store-bought eggs peel better than farm-fresh eggs. Also, when the eggs have finished boiling, I drain the pot and then fill it with ice water, crack the shells, and add a teaspoon of baking soda to the ice water, and the eggs peel much easier. Canned or pickled beets from the store can be used in place of home-canned pickled beets. Adding a bay leaf adds depth to the flavor, but I prefer to use just the cloves and cinnamon sticks.

On this sunny but chilly spring day, stay safe, be smart, have a wonderful weekend before Easter, enjoy playing Easter Bunny as long as possible, and keep washing your hands. High-quality, handmade goat's milk soap also makes a lovely Easter gift...insert a wink.

I Wish I Were Five Again...

As I sit staring out the living room window, my view is filled with blue skies and fluffy white clouds. A large decorative crab apple tree is beginning to bloom with pale pink blossoms. Singing birds sit in its branches, reminding me of the ever-changing seasons. This reminds me that, like it or not, time continues to move forward. This has been a year filled with growth and change. Along with growth comes growing pains. With change comes discomfort and longing for what was.

This year, I remodeled The Bean's bedroom. We packed up all her storybooks and placed them in the attic for safekeeping. Her childhood momentos were safely packed away so that someday, when she is ready, she can revisit them and relive the fond memories we have created as a family. Our dear friends made us an offer to purchase her swing sets, reminding me that "you don't need them anymore." My girl has plans to turn her doll furniture-filled, fairy-themed playhouse into a "beach-themed hangout." Sigh. Change does indeed hurt.

As my darling girl turns into a young woman, her dreams and goals she carried with her as a child also grow and change. When she was small, really, just a few short years ago, she wanted to attend IUP and commute to school so she could stay home with us. She felt that attending the college her dad and I attended was important. When she was small, family traditions were very important to her. Now, as a young adult, she is thinking in broader terms. Attending college in Florida appeals to her. She now believes that moving at least two hours away from home is a must to have "the full college experience." It does not escape me that part of this is my doing. I have always encouraged her to dream big. I've reinforced the idea that the world is her oyster, and she merely needs to pluck the pearl of her choice. I have repeatedly stated that she "needs to stand on her own two feet, and when push comes to shove, she needs to know she can take care of herself and those she loves." I have pushed the idea of independence, self-worth, and inner strength.

Little did I know how soon those ideas would come to fruition. I also did not understand the angst that would accompany my child's search for independence. Sigh. It is becoming quite clear that as my child grows, so do her problems. I knew from my experience in the classroom that ninth grade is a challenging year. I have cherished and thoroughly enjoyed every stage of my daughter's life. I have always viewed her as a priceless gift to be treasured. It does not escape me how very blessed I am to be gifted the opportunity to be her mom. I continue to believe this, but this year has been a doozy.

There isn't anything out of what I consider typical teenage shenanigans and teenage angst. Social dilemmas, boys, making questionable choices, and school are all part of growing up. I have told my daughter her entire life that making mistakes is how we grow, and I believe this to be true. I, of all people, know a lot about making mistakes. What I was not prepared for was how difficult it would be for me to see my girl struggle. As a parent, it is HARD to watch one's child work through stress, anxiety, pain, and insult. It takes every fiber of my being not to go "mama bear" and swoop in to fix things for her. However, I also recognize that sometimes I need to listen, be a sounding board, sit quietly, and not offer advice.

During a recent difficult situation, my darling girl curled up beside me, cried, and told me she wished she were five again. Oh, to return to the days when choosing a story to read at bedtime was the greatest dilemma. I shared with her that I, too, miss those days, but watching her grow into a strong, brave, independent young woman is so exciting and rewarding. How can it be that my heart breaks for her, but I also am so excited to see what the future holds for her? I communicated that I am so proud of her for who she is becoming, and this will be an ever-changing, ever-evolving process. It is so painful to do hard things. It hurts to know your choices and feelings will hurt someone else, but it is so important to honor your feelings and do what is right for you. Her strength and bravery amaze me.

She will change her mind at least a dozen times before she settles upon a career choice and a college. She will have her heart broken and break hearts as well. I know that one of those hearts will probably be mine, and that's okay. I, too, will long for the days when she still needed me for reassurance, safety, and comfort. However, watching her grow in confidence, reassurance, and self-trust is rewarding. I want her to believe she can do anything. I want her to understand that sometimes, doing what is hard is the best choice. Most importantly, I want her to trust her abilities and know her self-worth. I pray she moves through life with grace, dignity, empathy, and sympathy.

On this beautiful spring day, stay safe and be smart. It's okay to wish you were five again. Trust the process. Bad days don't last forever, and keep washing your hands.

Farm Update

My little Aggie girl with little spotted Blythe on my lap. Baby goats are the best.

We have officially welcomed spring and are thrilled to send winter packing. However, winter is not going away without a fight. The past few days have been cold and dreary, and there have even been snowflakes in the air. I am ready to return to warmer temperatures and steady weather patterns. Here on the farm, spring is in the air. The fields and pastures are beginning to turn green, buds are sprouting on the trees, the daffodils my Grandma Tilly planted by the spring house are up, and baby goats are bouncing around the fields.

We currently have eleven baby goats. I am pleased to share that all is well with the mamas and babies so far. Scheduling later delivery dates has significantly impacted their overall health and wellness. Everyone is healthy, happy, and thriving. All eleven babies are now bouncy and playful. The pure Nubian babies are a little slower getting their feet under them, but they have much longer legs to learn to maneuver than the stout little Boer goats. Cindy Crawford's baby, Aggie, continues to be the farm favorite. She is an absolute delight. She is now standing on our shoulders, climbing on our backs, and jumping into our laps when we sit down. I have never seen a baby this friendly and outgoing who is not a bottle baby.

I am also happy to share that all moms are attentive and nurturing. No one has rejected a baby, no one has delivered their babies and abandoned them, and no one has injured their little ones either on purpose or accidentally. Socks, our fuzzy brown Boer doe, left her little ones in the pasture field last night. When The Bibbed Wonder did the evening feeding and barn check, he counted and recounted the baby goats to discover two were missing. He had to take a flashlight to the pasture field and scour the field for the babies. They were cuddled up together, sleeping. I liken this to a human mom saying to an obstinant toddler, "It's time to go inside. If you don't come now, I am leaving. Okay, I'm going." Most children will follow reluctantly. I believe the baby goats refused to go, and Socks decided enough was enough and left them. This is why being observant and diligent during baby season is essential.

We are pleased that our new bucks, Ace and Ollie, seem to throw more doelings than bucklings. Ace and Fauna delivered a beautiful Nubian buckling we named Donald. We are following the alphabet with names. Fauna's triplets have landed on the letter D, so we have Donald, Daisy, and Dellie. I am encouraging The Bibbed Wonder to keep Donald intact and sell him as a herd sire. I believe he will make someone a beautiful buck when he is grown. He also has a quiet, gentle disposition and is friendly and cuddly. His mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother are gentle, intelligent, and excellent milk producers. Someone would be very lucky to have him as their herd sire. Of the eleven babies born, we only have four bucklings. I consider this a good thing.

Other things happening here on the farm include the geese again laying eggs. However, as in years past, something comes in each night and eats the eggs. I would like to put up a trail camera to capture the image of what is doing this. My bib overall-wearing buddy wants to set a trap and catch it in the act. Catching the hungry egg gobbler will be its demise, and I don't want to be part of that. We currently have twelve adult geese, and I feel our flock is big enough to enjoy. However, I am not against purchasing goslings and hand-raising them. I would like to expand our flock to include fruffle geese, buff geese, and greylag geese(the breed of my sweet Goostavia).

I believe my husband is ill. He has been exceptionally agreeable to my farm family expansion ideas lately. He never agrees to anything without a great show of nay-saying. I know he will give in. He knows he will give in. It's just the getting to the giving in that makes me exhausted. Last week, we went to the feed store. On the way, I negotiated twenty-five baby chicks of various breeds and egg-laying colors. He tried to talk me down to ten. However, he gave up fairly quickly, and I ordered thirty. I asked him if he felt okay, and he grunted and mumbled something about me being spoiled. On April 26th, my thirty baby chicks will arrive, and I can't wait. My girls are getting older, their laying is inconsistent, and I am excited for new, colorful breeds of chickens.

I also have the hair-brained idea of getting the funny face, which is so ugly that only a mother could love Kun Kun Pigs. On Saturday, my bib overall-wearing buddies' last two pigs will go to the market. I feel bad that his pigs have become infertile, and he can no longer rationalize keeping them. We have doctored them, had extensive blood work done multiple times, changed feed, and changed boars, and nothing has worked. It has been almost two years, and the situation is not improving. I have no love for the seven-hundred-pound temperamental monstrosities, but my husband adores them. We have been looking at "exotic" breeds for fun and curiosity. Kun Kun Pigs are small; they max out at two hundred pounds. Two hundred pounds is about the size of our largest goat. The breed is known for being gentle, personable, and intelligent. They are also less destructive and don't root as much. Best of all, and what won me over, is they eat snakes!

We have a water snake problem. Our large pond is home to at least a dozen aggressive, baby goose-eating, five-foot-long, or larger water snakes. If I happen upon a water snake while walking the pond's perimeter, I am prepared to run because they come after me. The Bean will not venture near the pond. Giant snakes can be seen basking on the rocks at the pond's edge and on the island in the middle of the pond. I am afraid to build a duck house or buy my dream floating duck house because I know it will be overrun with water snakes. I understand snakes have their place in the ecosystem, but we are inundated with nasty, aggressive, slithering beasts. The snakes eat what my dad called his "bully frogs," and they eat the fish. Also, I don't like snakes, especially ones that aren't afraid of me.

So, dear reader, here is my plan. I plan to purchase baby Kun Kun pigs, raise them as pets, unleash them in the pasture that encloses the pond, and have them take care of my large water snake problem. I then plan to build my duck house, or, even better, take advantage of my husband's illness, which is causing him to say yes to all my ideas, and buy a floating duck house, then get Muscovy ducks to eat all the baby snakes. When the snake population is under control, I plan to get fruffle ducks. I am a mastermind, an agricultural genius, if you will. Also, I have no intention of finding a cure for what ails Eric. It's nice not to be told no a thousand times when I know he will say yes anyway. Sigh.

As part of my "snake population control" plan, I also plan to add peacocks and peahens to the farm family. I believe if I can create a use and rationale for all the fun critters I want, he will continue to say yes to my ideas. Peacocks will be Stage II of my plan. I must research peacocks' housing and care needs before presenting Stage II to The Bibbed Wonder. Now, I must find a rationale for miniature Scottish Highland cows, miniature donkeys, and retired Amish workhorses. I have a lot of ideas. It's a good thing my bib overall wearing fuzzy bottoms adores me. I even feel like I am a lot sometimes. Insert a wink.

So, dear reader, that is what is happening here on the farm. Don't forget that on May 4th, you are invited to join us for our Springtime at the Farm event. You can see little Aggie in person, along with the other babies. My chicks will be here, too. Of course, so will my human friends with their lovely creations and delicious food. On this chilly spring day, stay safe, be smart, and keep washing your hands.