Creamy Mushroom and Rice Soup

I do not have room for any more milk out in the garage freezer, but I’m still milking Zinnia (and Joy once a day, but she’s not giving me much).

Zinnia

I am trying to find creative ways to use the milk other than just a cup of hot chocolate in the evening. I decided to try a creamy mushroom and rice soup.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results!

In a large stock pot melt 6 Tbsp of margarine and sauté:

• 1/2 cup carrot finely diced
• 1/2 cup onion finely diced
• 1/2 cup celery finely diced
• 1 pound washed sliced portobello mushroom
• 1 clove minced garlic

After the veggies are soft and the mushrooms are cooked add:

• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp. ground marjoram
• 1 tsp. lemon pepper

Let it simmer a couple of minutes and then sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of flour over it.  Once it is stirred and all the flour is incorporated, add:

• 1 quart of vegetable stock
• 1 cup whole grain rice (would probably be better with a long grain)

Simmer for about 20  minutes, until the rice is fully cooked and it is getting thick.  Then add:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Cook until it is hot and bubbly.  Make sure to stir it so that it doesn’t stick to the saucepan.

Still Milking Two Girls

I am down to milking two girls.  That honestly, is why I put Joy and Zinnia with Xerxes.  It made it easier for me to call them up to milk.

Joy coming up to get milked

Although, the scent the day Joy got bred was a bit overwhelming in my little milk room.  I’ll be sure to freeze that for next year’s kids.

In the milk room.

Zinnia wasn’t as bad.

Zinnia’s turn

I’m not getting a lot of milk, but that’s okay because I don’t need that much right now.

I’ve got the freezer almost full, so it’s mostly just what I need for my daily use.

Broccoli Chicken Penne with Cream Sauce

In a skillet sauté

• 8 oz. white mushrooms
• bag of broccoli cuts
• 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Put this in a 9×13 baking dish with 2 cups cooked penne and add the cream sauce.

Cream Sauce:  In a medium sauce pan, melt 3 Tbsp. margarine and add 3 Tbsp. flour.  Stir until the flour is all damp.  Add 2 cups whole milk and beat with a whisk (or stick blender) to get rid of any lumps.  Add 1 cup vegetable stock, 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper, and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Stir until it is thick and bubbly.

Once it is thick, add it to the baking dish and bake at 350ºF until it is hot completely through.

I will say, I do love this time of year for making creamy soups and other yummy dishes with goat milk.

Holy Fungi

Every couple of years I’ll wake up to find a giant fungus growing beneath the oak tree outside my living room window.

chicken-of-the-woods

Well, last year, my son’s interest in fungi let me recognize it as chicken-of-the-woods when it popped up this year.

my hand for some perspective

That means I harvested it.  Do you see how huge this thing is?  I had to use my machete to cut it off the ground.

I cannot tell you what a chore it was to clean it up.  It completely grew around the grass.  It was embedded in there.  I ended up throwing half of the thing away because I just couldn’t get the grass out of it.  I did also promise my son that I’m sure I missed some grass.

By the time I had finished, I had two 9×13 glass baking dishes full of mushroom.  I tried giving it to him just cleaned, but he informed me that he didn’t know how to cook it.  Um…

I called my mom, and we spent a lot of time preparing this thing and breading it and turning it into popcorn chicken-of-the-woods.

It really is delicious.  We pooped out, and we still hadn’t finished the first pan.  Of course, another marathon day of working on it followed, and the whole thing has been prepared and frozen (or eaten).

Since I had a lot left, and it was some of the big chunks, I decided to try turning it into bacon.

I started by slicing it as thin as I could.  By the way, you can use this recipe with  a portobello or shiitake mushroom cap as well.

Then I made the glaze.

Whisk together:

• 4 Tbsp. Tamari sauce (or soy if you don’t care about sodium content)
• 4 Tbsp. real maple syrup
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Dip or brush both sides of the mushrooms slices with the glaze.  Then place them on a baking sheet.  I did get smart with the second batch, and I put parchment paper in the pan to make the cleanup easier.

Bake it at 375°F for 20 minutes. Flip them over and bake another 10 minutes.

It’s delicious like this, or you can fry them in a skillet with a bit of oil to crisp them up.  Thank heavens they freeze well.

I am so bad at food photography.

I must say, as much work as it was, I’m probably still going to harvest it the next time it pops up because it was delicious!