The Farm Chicks

Junk Bonanza!

I'm on my way to the Junk Bonanza in Minnesota, hosted by the one and only Ki Nassauer.  I'll be doing a book signing with our book, The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen, at the Bonanza on Thursday and participating in the Blog Party, along with a bunch of amazing people like Ki, Matthew Mead, Heather Bullard, Nancy Soriano, Jo Packham, Linda of Re-styled Home, Kari (aka Artsy Mama), and Margo (aka Robolady).  I hope to see you there!

On NPR

We were on NPR today, on A Chef's Table, where we talk mostly about our childhoods, and growing up rurally.  Our segment is the third story, which was recorded when we visited WHYY in Philadelphia.  Visiting WHYY was a real "pinch me" moment for me, as I grew up listening to NPR and the show, Fresh Air, with Terry Gross (which is also broadcast from WHYY).  Although we never saw Terry Gross, it was exciting to know that she was potentially somewhere in the building.  You can listen to the podcast here:

http://www.whyy.org/podcast/chef/chef20090905.mp3

Junk Bonanza

We're so happy to announce that we'll be heading to Ki Nassauer's Junk Bonanza in Minnesota, September 17th!  We'll be signing copies of our book, The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen, and we'll be taking part in her big blog party that same day.

Ki will be signing her books

And Matthew Mead will be signing his book, Entertaining Simple, as well as his new Halloween magazine

We're really excited to be heading to Minnesota and hope that you'll be able to join in on the fun!  We'll have more details on signing times and the blog party soon!

P.S.  To read more about Ki and her junk story, click here for part 1, here for part 2, and here for part 3.

Stop by and say "Hi"

 

We'll be at Costco on Division Street in Spokane tomorrow signing books and chatting with friends from 12:00 to 3:00.  If you're in the area stop by and say "Hi"!

Recipes

Our publisher has posted three of our recipes online, including our Savory Sweet Potato Soup!

P.S.  Don't you just love the fabric on the table from Sandi Henderson?!

Hello Tri-Cities!

We're looking forward to our visit to the Tri-Cities, WA, the Yokes Fresh Market in Pasco, Friday the 17th (which is today if you're reading this on Friday).  We'll be signing books from 4-6pm.  Yokes has lots of copies available for purchase (and at a great price!), or if you already have a copy, we'd love to sign that too!

We hope to see you there!

Costco Sighting

I spotted our cookbook at Costco in Spokane today.  I was thrilled to see they are offering it at a really great price.  I'm not sure which Costco stores are carrying the book...

Image of our Orange Meringue Pie, a recipe featured in our cookbook.

Shepherd's Grain

We love Shepherd's Grain flour so much that we wanted to make sure and include it when styling shots for some of our pie recipes.  Did you notice it on our cookbook cover?

Their flour has been completely re-packaged now and appears to be a lot more widely distributed and available on the west coast.  Our connection with Shepherd's Grain goes way back to when we were just getting started with our Antiques Show.  Because of our love of the farm and the men and women who work the land, we wanted to make sure to include local foods that we knew shoppers would love.  We were drawn to Karl and Fred and their sustainable agricultural approach to farming.  We loved having them participate in the show. 

 

And although you can't find them at the show any more, you can find their products in many stores.  And the best thing yet?  You can locate the family farms that grew the grain that became your bag of flour at Find the Farmer . com, simply by entering in a code from the bag!

Sweeter Than Sweet

We met so many wonderful people and saw a lot of good friends at our signing last week.  Like these darling women who came in their grandmother's aprons:

I loved the remembrance over the pocket on one of the aprons:

And our friends Carrie and Chris brought us "canned chicks"!  Hilarious!

Mary, Mary, How Do Your Flowers Show?

I'm dreaming of oodles of flowers.  Spring. Summer.  Every type of flower.  And I love that there are no rules when displaying them.  Any vessel you love will do.  (Image from our cookbook).

Sterling Spring '09 Catalog

The Spring '09 catalog from our publisher is especially lovely.  Lots of great books coming out.  I was super squeally (a new Serena word) when I saw our book listed inside:

They even give our Farmhouse Apple Pie recipe!  You can leaf through the new catalog here.

"Come on in"

Serena and I headed out to Chaps Coffee yesterday to go over plans for the book signing with our good friend Celeste.  We always have such a good time. Our visits usually begin with a cup of coffee and a yummy scone while walking around looking at whatever changes she's made to the shop.  This time it was the entry way...oh my goodness...it's amazing!  With the help of a new friend she papered the walls with scraps of old wall paper, sheets of music, recipe cards, pages from vintage books, old flash cards and on and on.  She then hung her collection of old horse paintings.  Such a fun and warm way to welcome visitors to her sweet shop!

Yokes Fresh Market

We've been really lucky to partner with a wonderful local (Washington and Idaho) chain of supermarkets, Yokes.  We love their support of our local farmers and how wonderful they've been with cheering us on.

They've recently launched a freshly designed website, which features tips, recipes, and a whole lot more.  You can even find several of our recipes there!

We're looking forward to several appearances at a few of their stores in April and May, where we'll be signing books (they'll have lots of books available in-store for purchase) and they'll have ingredients available for a select recipe from our cookbook.  Here's our Yoke's signing schedule:
April 17, Pasco, Washington 4-6pm
April 25, Sandpoint, Idaho 12-2pm
May 1, Spokane Valley, Washington (Argonne store), 4-6pm
May 2, Mead, Washington, 10am-12pm

www.yokesfoods.com

Celeste, The Hostess with the Mostess

We've been talking a lot about Chaps lately, and for good reason - we'll be having our first book signing there, hosted by our friend, Celeste, on Friday, April 3rd, from 11-6.

The Hostess, Celeste:

     

Yummy food will be available in the cafe, as well as boxed lunches.  We'll also have lots of books and Farm Chicks merchandise available.  And we're sure Celeste has lots of cute little doo-dads up her sleeve, to make us all feel especially welcome.  We can't wait!

Chaps is at 4237 South Cheney-Spokane Road in Spokane, Washington.  Take I-90 west to exit 279.  Go south approximately 2.5 miles.  Chaps is located in the Latah Shopping Plaza.  We hope to see you there!

Floyd & Margaret

I went to visit Floyd & Margaret today.  When I called, I said, "Hi Floyd!, it's Serena".
"How's business?", he asked.
"It's good", I said, "but that's not why I'm calling.  I have a surprise.  Are you going to be home for a little while?"
"Maybe we will, maybe we won't", he replied, in his standard matter-of-fact style that we've grown so accustomed to.
"Well, I'll take my chances", I said.
When I pulled up to their house, no-one was around.  When I got out of the car, I heard Margaret calling out, "YOOOO-HOOOOO!"  WE"RE DOWN HERE."
The wind in the fields was whipping so hard it took my breath away.  By the time I reached them, I was shaking like a leaf.  But not them.  They were hard at work, feeding the cows.  Margaret stopped what she was doing and turned to me with a warm smile on her face.
I was really excited to show them the book and the story we included about them.  And after seeing their feature in the book, Floyd said with a grin, "I don't look a day older, and I sure don't feel like it either.  Did you know the Doctor says I have the blood of a 20 year-old?  And look at Margaret!  She's never dyed her hair, even once.  Still the same beautiful hair she's always had!", he said, pointing to the wisp of hair peeking out of her scarf.
I couldn't help but smile.  And shiver.  It was really cold.
And after a nice visit, Floyd finally said that it was time to get back to work.  Next stop, the neighbor's hundred acre parcel down the road, where there were more cattle to feed.  And as he and Margaret jointly lifted another bale of hay onto the four-wheeler, he turned and said, "God is good, Serena.  God is good."
And as I drove the long way home, my mind wandered, thinking about my family, my love for Colin and the boys, and hopes and dreams.  I can only hope that everyone of us can be as happy and blessed as Floyd and Margaret.

Warm wishes from Wisconsin

Sweet Mara from Wisconsin warmed our hearts with this photo of our book on her kitchen counter!  We look back at all the time spent testing recipes, working on projects and editing text and realize it was all more than worth it when we hear from the Mara's out there.  Thank you for your well wishes and we hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did creating it!

Just a reminder!

First of all...a BIG thank you to everyone for your supportive comments and e-mails regarding the book.  It means so much to us!!

Also, don't forget to keep your receipt.  If you're anything like me, you have receipts floating around the bottom of your purse, in your coat pocket or the cup holder in your car...hold on to this one and send it along with the postcard in the back of the book to redeem your free one year subscription to Country Living magazine.  Enjoy!

Update from Country Living magazine: The price of the book includes the "Special Bonus" offer of a one year free subscription.  It does not renew existing subscriptions.  If you already subscribe...it would make a great gift for Mom, sister or friend!

Shipped!

We've been getting word that many of you have received your books that you pre-ordered from various websites.  Although it's early, we've heard the book has also been seen in Barnes & Noble stores (and online) as well as websites such as Target.com and amazon.com.  Yay!

Early Release Party

We've had a lot of calls and emails about our book signing party at Chaps.  Just to clarify, yes we will have books for sale at the signing, even though it's a few days prior to the official release date.  We'll also have lots of Farm Chicks merchandise available as well.  And have you ever eaten at Chaps?  One word:  DELICIOUS!  We hope to see you there!  We'll be there from 11-6.

Book Signings

We have some of the dates/locations for our book signings set.  We hope to get to meet you at one of them!  (Books will be available for purchase at each signing event).

• April 3rd - Book Release Party - Chaps Coffee, Spokane, WA - 11am-6pm (Books will be available for purchase, even though it's a few days before the official release date).  And, if you feel like shopping, there will also be lots of Farm Chicks merchandise available.  And, Chaps will have lots of delicious food available in the cafe, so you can stay for lunch if you'd like!
• April 17 - Yokes Fresh Market - Pasco, WA - 4pm-6pm
• April 25 - Yokes Fresh Market - Sandpoint, ID - 12pm-2pm
• May 1 - Yokes Fresh Market - Spokane Valley, WA (Argonne) - 4pm-6pm
• May 2 - Yokes Fresh Market - Mead, WA (Market) - 10am-12pm
• June 6 - The Farm Chicks Show - Spokane County Fair & Expo Center - Spokane Valley, WA - 1pm-2pm

Book Review: The Homespun Heart

Monica at The Homespun Heart did a really fun review of our book by baking up a bunch of the recipes and inviting friends over for a tasting.  So fun!

Dark Chocolate Butter Cake

This cake is unbelievably delicious and perfectly dense, just like a bundt cake should be.  And the whole time you're eating it, you're wondering what is that flavor?  The secret is a hint of cinnamon and strong coffee that brings out the flavor of the chocolate like never before.

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), softened 
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup brewed espresso or very strong coffee, cooled
Raspberry Sauce, for serving (optional, recipe follows)
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Prepare the pan: Heat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 10-inch (10- to 12-cup) Bundt pan well; then dust with cocoa powder, knocking out excess.

Make the batter: Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside to just slightly thicken.  Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, beating for 5 minutes and occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a medium-size bowl; set aside. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating on high speed after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Whisk the espresso into the milk mixture by hand. In thirds, alternately add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mixture, beating on medium speed and blending well after each addition.

Bake the cake: Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - 65 to 70 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. Loosen the cake from pan using the tip of a knife, then invert the rack over the pan and turn the cake out onto a cake stand or plate. If you like, drizzle with Raspberry Sauce or top with whipped cream, or use both.

Raspberry Sauce:
Heat 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until warmed, smashing slightly with a fork to break up the raspberries.  Drizzle over the cake before serving. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Variation 1: This recipe can be adapted into mini bundt cakes.  For 4" mini bundt cakes, prepare pans as described above.  Divide batter evenly between 12 mini bundt pans.  Bake at 325°F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - 25 to 26 minutes.
For 2.5" mini bundt cakes, prepare pans as described above.  Divide batter evenly between 2 sheets of the mini bundts, which will yield 24 total.  Bake at 325°F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - 15-16 minutes.

Variation 2: If you don't have any bundt pans, this recipe can also be baked in a 12"x16.5" jelly roll sheet pan.  Prepare the pan as described above.  Bake at 325°F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - 40 to 45 minutes.  Once cooled, if desired, use biscuit cutters to cut out mini circles.  Layer mini circles to make miniature layered cakes, filling and frosting with your favorite buttercream frosting.

This recipe can be found in our cookbook, The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen: Live Well, Laugh Often, Cook Much.

Image of cake by John Granen.

Fabric under the plate in image of cake by Sandi Henderson.

A World of Fabric is a World to Love

When we were loading up on props to shoot our book, we knew we wanted a lot of fabric to add color here and there and for some projects we wanted to create as backdrops in different shots.

We had recently discovered Sandi Henderson's collection for Michael Miller and knew it would be perfect.

We were so impressed with how sweet Sandi is and how generous Kathy Miller was, and really enjoyed using the fabric several times in the book.

Here, John Granen is shooting two of our appetizers on a tray we covered in Sandi's fabric, and Teri is wearing an apron (with more of Sandi's fabric) we whipped up to make a cute backdrop for the shot.  To make the tray, we just took a junky enamelware tray, and sprayed it with a strong spray adhesive.  We then centered the fabric over the tray, and laid it into place, smoothing out completely.  Then, we just trimmed the fabric exactly at the edge of the tray.  Of course, we won't be running the tray through the dishwasher ever again, but it will be cute used as a tray for milkglass vases, or to hold printer paper in my office.  You'll be able to see the shot in the book.

The top two fabric shots are from Sandi Henderson.

Book Reviews: Sweet Life in the Valley & Vintage Indie

April at Sweet Life in the Valley made one of the recipes from our book, Margaret's Special Oatmeal Cookies (as shown above), and has done a review post on the book as well.  Thank you, April!

And Gabreial, at Vintage Indie, has done a review as well, including a couple of excerpts from the book.  Thank you, Gabreial, for being so supportive.  We really appreciate it.

Waiting to Exhale

We've been holding our breath for a long time.  Waiting for the results we've been hearing so much about.

Today, we finally exhaled.  We both received one precious advance copy of our book.  The real thing.

And everything we were told would be, truly came to be.  And we're really excited to share a bit.  When you buy a copy of our book, you'll receive a free one year subscription to Country Living Magazine.  No strings attached.  Just fill out the little insert you'll find inside the book and send it in, along with your original receipt.  And the subscription is yours.  (U.S. only).  Being thrifty girls, this just warms our heart.

And there's more.  Our darling detachable apron stencil, which is high quality and can be used again and again.  We plan on sharing lots of projects that can be done using the stencil over the coming weeks and months.  We think you'll love it!

We're incredibly thankful to our publisher and Country Living for these generous additions, and love that they really understand us, and ultimately you!

Book Release Date:  April 7

Book Review: The Cottage Nest

Do you even know how special it us to us when someone writes nice things about us or what we do?!  Really really special.  And that's how we feel about the review that Jen, from The Cottage Nest, wrote on our book. *Blush* *Blush* *Blush*

Book Review: Cherry Hill Cottage

Thanks to our publisher, we were able to send galleys for review to the blog authors we've gotten significant internet traffic/referrals from.  Tina at Cherry Hill is one of those blog authors.  She's done a really sweet review of our book on her blog.

Book Review: Megan Cooley

We just saw a really sweet review of our book by Megan Cooley, a blogger and a freelance journalist for The Spokesman Review.  You can see her reviews here and here.