Twisted Oak Farm

Apple Cider Donuts and Math

It’s been awhile since my last update, or even my last post. In fact, it’s been so long that I don’t even remember the exact date that we actually got to spend our first night in the farmhouse. But we’re in now!

I DO know that we’ve been making our new home in the farmhouse since June and so much of our lives have changed because of it. For starters, we are outdoors way more here than we ever were living in the suburbs. Our kids spend most afternoons riding four-wheelers and playing with their cousins (who own the farm next to us). We’ve enjoyed many Saturdays lounging in the river and soaking up as much Vitamin D as possible.

You already know what a big fan I am of having family meal time, around the table, as much as possible. Since we’ve been at the farm, not only have the number of nights around the table increased, but so have the number of people joining us. From my son and his wife, to my sister-n-law and her family, to my college girl, my parents, and a few of our friends, this gathering is what my heart was created for.

But one of the biggest changes, moving to the farm, has brought our family was the decision to transition from public school to homeschool. I KNOW RIGHT?!!! Have we totally lost our minds??? I can honestly say that no, we have not lost our minds. It is already proving to be one of the greatest decisions we’ve made.

Our first field trip as a homeschool family (with our cousins).

Now let me state this for the record. We have been very blessed with our years in public school. We had great teachers, wonderful staff, and exceptional support. Our decision to switch to a home education was based solely on God’s calling on our lives. How long God calls us, in this season, I’m not sure but for now we are trusting His purpose and cherishing these new moments.

So what does homeschooling look like for us? Glad you asked. (he-he) It looks like waking up at 8:30 am, doing some light chores (making our beds, etc), and breakfast around the table. It looks like starting our days in our gratitude journal and discussing the day’s lessons. It looks like Apple Cider Donuts and Math.

DONUT HOLES, that is!

October is one of my favorite months! Anyone else? Actually ALL the -ber months are my favorite. But there is something special about October. Since today was October 1st I knew I wanted to wake the kids up with something sweet and delicious to help welcome in Fall. And I knew these donut holes would not only waken them with a warm aroma, but it would also help get us through today’s math. (ha-ha)

And let me tell you, it was successful at both!

These donut holes were very easy to put together, but be warned, they are extremely sweet with their sugar and cinnamon coating. Pair them with a cold glass of milk or a pound of bacon to off set the sweetness. (I’m just kidding!) Or am I?????

Apple Cider Donut Holes

Donut Mix

1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp apple pie spice
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter (melted)
1 tsp vanilla

Sugar coating:

1 stick butter melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together egg, milk, butter, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk till combined.

4. Spoon batter into greased mini muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes.

5. Once donuts holes have cooled (at least 5 minutes) roll them in melted butter and then sugar and cinnamon mixture.

6. ENJOY!

They broke bread and ate with glad and sincere hearts. – Acts 2:28

Farmhouse update no. 3

I have been living in leggings, t-shirts, and my Chacos for the past week. I don’t think I’ve done my hair either. I’m not even sure what day of the week it is.

As of this past Thursday, we have officially moved back to Missouri! And now we are patiently waiting for the day we get to finally stay in our farmhouse.

I love how the bathroom tile turned out!

Renovations are getting closer and closer to being done. Base trim and kitchen backsplash will be going up this week. Light fixtures are being installed and I am in love with our kitchen lights!

The one thing that’s holding us back is also the biggest….plumbing. Praying that will come together this week.

Farmhouse Update

It’s been a minute since I’ve spent some time here, but wanted to give you all an update.

WE’VE SOLD OUR HOME AND WILL BE MOVING TO THE FARMHOUSE THIS SUMMER

We will be moving in just 3 short weeks to be exact! I can’t even begin to describe the pool of emotions that I feel right now. (Excited. Fear. Nervous. Giddy. Shock.) I am in complete awe of how quickly this all came together.

There is still much work that needs to be done at the Farmhouse. So while the kids and I are holding down the fort in Oklahoma, finishing up school and work, and packing up our current home, my sweet husband is in Missouri overseeing renovations at the farm and working at his new job.

This past weekend I picked out and purchased the new refrigerator, stove, and backsplash for our sweet farmhouse kitchen. I’m already dreaming about the first meal I will make in that space. It’s gotta be memorable!

I’ll be heading back to the farm in two weeks and can’t wait to see and show you all the progress!

Farmhouse Renovations Part 1

The home was built in 1973 by my husband’s great grandparents.

I found an empty notebook, one day, while cleaning out closets and thought it would be perfect to write down updates and progress as we begin to renovate our farmhouse. And then I thought….of course I should share it here as well!

This is Part 1 of many on this journey of buying a farm and making it a homestead. I do not claim to be an expert by any means. In fact, I am quite challenged when it comes to picking out paint colors. But I am giddy and humbled at the thought of taking something from ruins and turning it into something of beauty. (There’s a sermon here I’m sure!)

The kitchen: you could not see the floor or counters before we removed everything. This space will get new paint, new floors, and backsplash!

We spent this past weekend emptying the home of trash, left-over furniture, ripping out carpet and flooring. It took most of the day, and we were pretty well spent by the end of it, but stepping back and looking at a clean slate was quite satifying.

Now comes the hard part, for me, anyways. I am ready to dive in and start painting and decorating. However, I have to patiently wait on the plumbing and electric to be checked properly and updated. Currently, there is a giant hole in the backyard from a water pipe issue, a hole in the bathroom wall from a water leak, and many other challenges that need to be taken care of before the remodel can begin.

My first coffee in the farmhouse kitchen. 😉

At one point I stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, looking all around me, and thinking there are so many things that should leave me feeling discouraged. Yet, all I felt was peace. I could sense a connection with this house, that will soon be our home, and I knew without a doubt that the peace I was feeling was all God.

I want to say THANK YOU for being here and being apart of our blog. I look forward to sharing this part of our lives with all of you! And I can’t wait to see and share what God has in store for our family and our farm.

They broke bread in their homes and ate with glad and sincere hearts. – Acts 2:28

The Best Salted Caramel Sauce

Well guys, we are FARM OWNERS! Yep! We finally signed the papers and received the title to our very own 45 acres, with a farmhouse! It still feels so surreal but we are excited and can’t wait to begin the renovations in making this place our homestead.

I read a quote the other day that said “What if I accept that what I really want is a small, slow, simple life. A mediocre life. A beautiful, quiet, gentle life. I think it is enough.” I don’t know who wrote it but they were speaking to my spirit.

And that is exactly what I see when I think about our future on the farm. A simple, beautiful, gentle life. Life with chickens, cattle, goats (kids request), our own garden, and all the homemade jams and sauces my little farmhouse kitchen can store. (In cute little glass jars of course)

I had been wanting to attempt my hand at making my own caramel and chocolate sauces (this will be next), so one evening I just went for it! I had all the ingredients, which are ONLY 3, and whipped up the most delicious caramel sauce I’ve ever had.

The first taste and I knew we had a winner! My 12 year old may have said something along the lines of “This stuff could make you a millionaire.” I wouldn’t go that far, buddy. But maybe we should call this the Millionaire Sauce because it definitely tastes like a million bucks to me. 😉

The BEST Salted Caramel Sauce

2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups of SALTED butter – I love and use Vital Farms Butter with Sea Salt
1 cup Heavy Whipping cream – room temperature

Directions

1. Heat sugar, in a medium sauce pan, over medium heat. When you see the sugar begin to melt, start whisking!

2. Whisk continually until sugar completely dissolved. At this point you can slow your whisk down. But keep an eye on your sugar, this is the stage it can burn.

3. Melted sugar will become a golden amber color. IT’s GORGEOUS! Now, add your butter and whisk till butter has melted and both sugar and butter are combined.

4. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Be sure your cream is at room temperature or your Carmel will begin to harden and clump on you.

5. Remove from burner and let cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and store in the fridge. This sauce will keep for one month.

Serve over ice-I cream. Drizzle over your favorite latte. Dip our Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie in it. You can’t go wrong with this caramel sauce. But beware…….you may find yourself wanting to hide away in the corner to simply stick your entire face in the jar. 😉

“They broke bread and ate with glad and sincere hearts.” – Acts 2:28

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

I LOVE baking cookies. I did as a young girl, too. There was something natural about it for me. Like it was something I was meant to do. Here’s the funny part, I loved baking them, but I DID NOT EAT THEM. Crazy right?! I didn’t start enjoying the taste of chocolate chip cookies till I was an adult, but, I have far made up for it since then.

I can’t wait till we move out to our farm and raise chickens to have our own fresh eggs.

My chocolate chip cookies have changed a bit over the years and this recipe is hands down my favorite. I refer to them as my version of a Cowboy Cookie. They are packed with chocolate, oats, and pecans. And they are BIG!

One of the great things about this cookie recipe, here, is it’s all mixed in one bowl! No need to measure wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Makes clean up so much easier.

You want to start by placing your 2 sticks of butter in a large microwave safe bowl. (This will be the bowl you will use to mix the remainder ingredients in.) You want your butter slightly melted. I wish I could tell you why this matters, I can’t, I just know the cookies turn out perfect every time.

After you cream together your butter, sugars, salt, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla, you are simply going to add your flour, chocolate chips, pecans, and oatmeal. Stir with a wooden spoon or bakers dough whisk. (My favorite!)

TIP: Add 2 FULL bags of chocolate chips. One bag of milk chocolate and one bag of semi-sweet. I know it sounds like a lot, but TRUST me. You’ll thank me later, so will your family.

You want your cookies to be quite large in size, so use an ice-cream scoop or large spoon to scoop dough and place on cookie sheet. This also helps with making sure the cookies are the same size. They will bake more evenly.

Place cookies in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them! Everyone’s oven is different and you don’t want burnt cookies. Take them out when the outer edges are golden brown and the center looks slightly undercooked. Cool on a wire rack. Go ahead……try one before you call the family in, that first one out of the oven is always the best, and you deserve it.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 Sticks of butter (slightly melted)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 – 1 cup quick cooking oats (whichever you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Slightly melt butter in a microwaveable bowl. Then cream together butter, sugars, baking soda, salt, eggs, and vanilla till smooth.

2. Add flour, chocolate chips, oats, and pecans. Stir with a wooden spoon or baker dough whisk. This might take a little elbow grease.

3. Use an ice-cream scoop to place dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

4. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Remember: golden brown along the edges means they are done.

5. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

The broke bread in their homes and ate with glad and sincere hearts. – Acts 2:28

The Perfect Anytime Latte

Get your favorite blanket and fuzzy socks ready because this latte will have you feeling all the cozy vibes with every sip.

Sipping coffee, along side my husband, is one of my favorite things to do. It takes me back to our first date, sitting at a tiny, round table, in a quiet little corner tucked away in the lobby of Union Station in St. Louis. Now every date night, most always, ends in a café somewhere enjoying those last few minutes before heading home.

And since we’ve been spending more time at home, because of a pandemic, AND, watching our budget because we bought a farmhouse to renovate, we’ve been making our own coffee dates at home. I won’t complain about that. 😉

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Latte

1 Melozzio Nespresso Pod or 8oz medium roast coffee
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Oatmilk Creamer
1/4 Cup Whole Milk (froths the best) or any milk of your choosing

Directions

Put dark brown sugar and cinnamon in bottom of mug. Brew Nespresso Pod directly into mug. Stir gently to combine brown sugar and cinnamon
Heat cream and milk in a milk frother or in a saucepan, over the stove (then use hand held frother to froth milk.)
Pour steamed milk into mug.
Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon for decoration. *optional
ENJOY!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

I have been working on keeping the cozy, through out our home since Christmas ended. Have you ever heard of HYGGE? My friends were quite surprised that I hadn’t heard of it till now, but I’ve never really been on time when it comes to trends. But this is definitely one I can get on board with, in fact, I think I was created for this!

HYGGE – A Danish word that means coziness. It is a feeling more than a word – it is the ritual of enjoying life’s simple pleasures and making the ordinary more meaningful, beautiful and special.

I’ve been bringing in a HYGGE feel into our home by adding more candle light glow, warm oversized blankets to cuddle up with on the couch, enjoying a homemade latte in the afternoon in my favorite mug, reading a good book in the evening, even wearing fuzzy socks to keep my feet warm! (this is huge cause I can’t stand socks!)

And what speaks coziness more than a good old fashioned chocolate cake, sitting beautifully in a cake stand, waiting to be served to friends and family? It’s not a secret that any time I’m in the mood for cake (which is all the time), it’s always a chocolate cake I want.

Not just ANY chocolate cake either. I prefer a very simple, “lick-the-bowl-clean” delicious style of cake. In fact, are you sitting down for this?? My favorite chocolate cake starts with a box mix! It’s true. But there are extras and tricks that I add to the mix that makes this cake so delectable. And when you find something that you love so much, why mess with a good thing?

Here’s how to make a box cake mix taste like it came from the bakery:

Use milk instead of water (whole milk is best)
Add one more egg than the instructions call for
Add a package of instant pudding mix to create an incredibly moist cake that you will want to stand over and eat straight from the pan!

Now let’s chat frosting for just a moment. Are you a “more frosting and less cake” or “more cake and less frosting” kind of friend? I’m all about that frosting! Especially buttercream. This chocolate frosting is smooth, rich, sweet, and oh so good! It compliments the cake perfectly. You won’t be able to stop at just one slice.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix
1 1/4 cups of whole milk
1/3 cup Canola Oil
4 eggs

Chocolate Frosting

1 stick butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 Tablespoons milk or heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

Mix cake mix with ingredients listed above. Combine with a whisk for 2 minutes or with electric mixer.
Pour into 2 greased 8inch round pans. Bake according to box directions. Let cool on wire racks, completely, before frosting.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together butter, powdered sugar, milk, melted chocolate and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin. *Frosting should be thick and not slide off cake.
Frost cake and enjoy!

They broke bread in their homes and ate with glad and sincere hearts. – Acts 2:28

Fish Tacos

The first time I heard about fish tacos was the summer of 2003 and since I wasn’t a big fan of fish (of any kind) I wasn’t chopping at the bit to give it a try.

That was until the moment I stepped into a little place called Rubio’s!

I was living in San Diego at the time and my sweet friend treated me to lunch one day. This was the same friend who had mentioned fish tacos the minute I arrived in sunny California. She knew I was going to be a hard sale, so she had to trick me into trying it by NOT telling me where we were going to lunch.

This was definitely one of those “Don’t knock it till you try it” moments. I was instantly hooked and completely obsessed. In fact, any time someone asks me what I miss most about San Diego, I ALWAYS say the Fish Tacos from Rubio’s.

When we decided to add more fish to our diets I knew immediately it had to be in the form of TACOS! The recipe my husband and I put together is one of the EASIEST and can be on the table in under 30 minutes. That’s sure a win in our books.

What makes these tacos even more delicious is the crunchy coleslaw mix and creamy sauce. You’ll want to serve these every week!

FISH TACOS

4-6 Tilapia Filets
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Creamy Lime Sauce

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 tblsp lime juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
fresh cilantro

Directions

Mix spices, for fish, together in a bowl.
Rinse and pat dry fish filets. Sprinkle a generous amount of seasonings on both sides of filet.
Cook either in a skillet, with a little olive oil, or cook on the grill. We cooked ours on a flat outdoor griddle.
Allow fish to cook 3-4 minutes on each side.
Cut fish into pieces, place in a corn tortilla, add shredded cabbage and a drizzle of the creamy lime sauce.
ENJOY!

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. – Acts 2:28

Farm Life……..Coming Soon

So we totally did a thing.

WE BOUGHT A FARM!!!!!

Yeah, we did! I still laugh when I tell people. Partly because I’m stupid excited and partly because I’m in shock. This is not a thing I ever saw myself doing. But, goodness, don’t you love when God knows better than us.

Now, this isn’t just any old Farm. This 40 acres and log sided home once belonged to my husband’s great-grandparents. The home was built by the very hands of his great-grandfather. It is beyond special and I am thrilled, for my husband, that he will get to raise cattle, hunt, and all the other farm things on the land once occupied by his family.

There’s some renovations to be done and I’m already pinning ideas that will make it our own. I’ll be sure to take you on the journey with us! And when I figure out how to add a Pinterest button to the blog, you can come check out my Home Reno board. 😉

There’s so many things I’m looking forward to about OUR Farm (I still giggle when I say that!).

The back deck! I have big dreams for this space. Rocking chairs, lights, plants, and a dining area where we can fellowship with friends and family!
Coffee with my sister-n-law any time we want! Family has become even more important to us in this past year, so the idea of living on neighboring farms with our family, watching our kids continue to grow, and just live life together makes my heart swell!
Sunday dinners with my son and new daughter-n-law. And of course baking cakes to be the centerpiece, in our Farmhouse kitchen, at these Sunday dinners! 😉

My mug and island are going to feel right at home in our farmhouse.

All this to say, I am looking forward to adding DIY projects to share with you all. And of course new and old favorite recipes. 😉