Coffee Discovered by a GOAT?

Yup you heard right, coffee was first discovered by a goat! The myth is a young Ethiopian goat herder by the name of Kaldi in the 9th-century noticed his goats acting strange, that they became more energetic, and began to dance when they ate the cherries from the coffee tree, so he tried it for himself. His exhilaration prompted him to bring the berries to a holy man in a nearby monastery, but the holy man disapproved of their use and threw them into a fire, from which an enticing aroma billowed. The roasted beans were quickly raked from the embers, ground up, and dissolved in hot water, yielding the world's first cup of coffee.

The Country Visits the City!

Most people come to visit in cars or trucks, but 

some people  saddle up and visit on horseback!  

Hank and Katerina

Gypsy

Splash is happy to rest in the shade with Patti, his driver.  

James makes sure that Splash gets a snack before moving on...

Katerina riding Lucy!  

Hey, there is a cowboy and a horse out on the lawn.  

Patti skillfully drives Splash down our 

steep driveway...

He runs on a pellets, hay, and lots of TLC!  

 Thank for stopping by friends...

Friends

I get by with a little help from my FRIENDS!  

Chickens and Ducks

Hey, wait up! 

Where are you two going?

Nowhere 

Awh, that's where I'm headed too!

The Simple Life. One Weekend at a Time.

You are sure to see Colonel David while touring Gillis Hill Farm, and if you ask, "What do you do with an enormous horse like that?"  Why he pulls carts, wagons for hay rides, sleighs, and carriages!  Besides looking handsome, Colonel David is a Percheron Draft Horse and pulling carriages is his primary job on the farm.  He can however, plow a field, but the dignified Colonel would just assume leave that job to the modern day tractor.

10-Minute Rosemary Lamb Chops

This is such a great quick and easy recipe to prepare using lamb chops and nothing complements the flavor of lamb better than rosemary.  

12 lamb chops
6 TBS fresh lemon
3 TBS chopped fresh rosemary
3 medium cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1.  Peel and press garlic.
2.  Mix together lemon juice, rosemary, pressed garlic, salt, and pepper.  Rub lamb chops with mixture and cut a piece of butter to place on top of each lamb chop.  Set aside on plate.  
3.   Preheat broiler on high heat and place a stainless steel or cast iron skillet large enough to hold the lamb chops under the heat for about 10 minutes to get very hot (about 5-7 inches from the heat source). Be sure that the handle on the skillet you are using is also metal.  
4.  Once the skillet is hot, place lamb chops in skillet, and return to broiler for about 4-5 minutes depending on thickness of lamb, or to your desired cooking temperature using the chart below and an instant read thermometer.  Lamb is cooked quickly as it is cooking on both sides at the same time.  This is called the Quick Broil cooking method.  Serves 6

Cooking Temperatures for Lamb:

Rare:

• 120-130 °F (48-54 °C) Internal appearance very red; very moist with warm juices. Approximate cooking and resting time: 20-25 min./lb. plus 8-10 min. resting

Medium-rare:

• 130-140 °F (54-60 °C) Internal appearance lighter red; very moist with warm juices. Approximate cooking and resting time: 25-30 min./lb.. plus 8-10 min. resting

Medium (with a touch of pink):

• 140-150 °F (60-66 °C) Internal appearance pink red color; moist with clear pink juice. Approximate cooking and resting time: 30-35 min./lb. plus 8-10 min. resting

Well-done:

• 150-165 °F (66-74 °C) Internal appearance no pink or red, slightly moist with clear juices

The Picture-Perfect Cowboy!

Always there with the camera is our dear friend Hank!  He is not only a true cowboy,

but a photographer too!  He captures many special moments of events, 

prints the pictures,  and frames them for friends and family.  We have so many wonderful

pictures from Hank in our home.  "Thank you," Hank for so many 

special pictures with so many happy memories.