A cup of Hot Chocolate for my friend, from the Dairy Mistress

That rain the other night gave the Dairy Mistress Field a good drink! The grass is heaving up out of the ground now. This is one of the three acres John sowed a few weeks ago. (The other two are for hay) I am sure you are wondering why it is called the Dairy Mistress Field.

Well, we bought a bag of very good seed with just the right proportion of grass and legumes for fattening cows, and grass fed dairy cows, and it is called the Dairy Master seedmix.  Well, I said, this is an equal opportunity farmy. I get to be the Master of the Dairy and everything else for that matter.  Girls are farmers too. So it was renamed the Dairy Mistress seedmix.  So you see the field has named itself.  Better than being a Dairymaid anyway!!  Those funny little puffy dairymaid caps are not appealing! 

Yesterday I put up the new electric fence (it is just out of the shot but looks like a long fishing net), which  created two fields in Pats Paddock. Daisy  has stayed very nicely on her side.  She actually sniffed at the new fence with the end of her nose  and now has a deep respect for fishing nets. 

I led Mama and Mia  across from their own field, through the barn and out onto the North side to have a wee munch in this lovely long grass on the other side of Pat’s Paddock. Mama loved it for a while then reappeared back in the Salad Bar Paddock, trailed by Mia in her role as handmaiden,  for a wee lie down. (Remember we are not looking at Mama in this shot we are looking at all that lovely forage!)

And that was the grand total of her excitement for the day.

Actually TonTon being a herd dog is getting the idea now.  He has finally understood that I want him to herd the sheep from behind the sheep. So as I lead the sheep, he brings up the rear, with a very concentrated look on his face, tacking back and forth behind the legs of the last sheep (usually Mama) which is very good, but when the sheep stops so does he. We have not quite got to the bit where he actually moves them along himself. So far he only follows them with great determination. He waits for the sheep to move again then up he swoops, mouth set, eyes focussed, head at just the right angle, stick firmly in his mouth and stalks along behind. I need to look up the instructions again!

I have a beautiful young friend who has just had a baby and it occurred to me that she may like to have a nice sweet, milk enriching, hot chocolate drink in the evenings.  So here is the recipe for the best and simplest hot chocolate.  I cannot bear those processed powdered sugary mixtures. So here is Ganache. I read about this first at remedial eating. It is quite divine.   And is wonderful as a hot or cold drink.

First break up an 8 oz block of dark semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate. Organic if you can find it.  Break it up into tiny pieces and place it all in a heat proof bowl.

Then pour one cup of very hot (almost boiling but not quite) heavy whipping cream over the tiny chocolate pieces. Let this melt for a few minutes then beat smoothly with a spatula for a good couple of minutes.  Stir well without introducing too much air. Pour this mixture into a jar, cool and refrigerate until you need it.

Good chocolate is high in flavonoids which are kind of anti-oxidants. In small quantities it can lower blood pressure and is said to be good for your heart. So buy the chocolate with the highest cocoa content you can find and the least amount of added sugar you can bear.  Then you can feel smug about your ni night drink.  Perfect for when you have a craving for something nice but not too sweet and also a little bit healthy.  You can sip and relax while you sit and feed your beautiful baby.

Just stir a tablespoon (or two) of the ganache into a cup of hot milk.  Or whip into cold milk and pour over ice.  This is also a good drink for kids who like a hot chocolate before bed and parents who do not want them drinking a lot of processed sugar before bed.  Actually Ganache is a traditional French icing (or frosting as they say in America!) So I guess at a pinch you could use it for that too!! It can store in the fridge in its sealed jar for a couple of weeks so it is very easy to prepare. 

Sometimes I add a wee bit of home made coffee liqueur or kahlua to mine. I know!  So good.

Good morning.  The weather man has told me that there will be no Bendy Tree  wind today. WOW.  So there will be no hiding in the barn today.  The light already looks golden out the window so I shall go out and begin my work.

Have a beautiful day.  Enjoy your hot chocolate!

Love celi