Staying Healthy and Strange Things at the Ranch

November is one of my favorite times here in Texas. Yes, spring is lovely with the wildflowers, but after a long, hot summer, the cooler temperatures are such a welcome reprieve that you just want to be outside. For those of you in the north who look forward to spring after a long winter, that's how fall is for us. But lately, I've been noticing some strange things.

Our Mexican Heather is still in full bloom, which isn't so strange, but seeing it covered in honey bees is. For the past month, it has been inundated. You go out on the patio and you hear the low hum of the bees. It's kind of cool and creepy at the same time. But as long as they leave me alone, they're welcome to hang around.

And then the other day I was sitting in my thinking chair in my office when I saw something white on the magnolia tree outside. As in a flower. But magnolias bloom in the spring. So I went to investigate.

Some new shoots had grown out of the trunk and, apparently, they didn't realize it's November.

I'm surprised the bees hadn't found that.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, we've been trying to keep things on the lighter side. Or at least low-carb. And since hubby is convinced that he loses a pound every time we have salmon for dinner, we've been eating it once or twice a week. And my favorite side for salmon is asparagus.

There are so many good things about this meal. Not only does it help our waistlines, but because it's all cooked on the grill, there's almost no cleanup. However, if you don't have a grill, you can roast them in a 400 degree oven.

The asparagus is so simple. Just rinse and trim your spears. Put them in a lidded container and drizzle with some olive oil.

Then add some lemon pepper, which is the same seasoning I use on my salmon so they pair perfectly.

Put the lid on and tossed everything. Then throw it on the grill either while the salmon is cooking or afterward. Depending on the thickness of the stalks, it takes 3-5 minutes per side. You want them tender, but not completely limp. And a little bit of color is nice, too.

This is a perfect pairing all the way around. And since our eating will soon lapse into the indulgent category for a brief time, healthy and waist-trimming is a very good thing.

What strange things are going on where you are?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Ranch Life and a Cover Reveal - A Brother's Promise

There hasn't been a lot of cooking going on here at the ranch lately. Well, at least nothing you haven't seen before. However, the weather has been perfect for enjoying some walks.

Saturday, my companions and I set off into the woods to gather pine cones. I like to use a lot of nature in my holiday decorating, so it was a good excuse to wander about. And there may or may not have been some Christmas music playing on my phone.

That's when I saw it. Do you see it?

It may not be much, there's some golden fall color on that oak tree. And that makes me happy.

As we continued on our quest, my companions soon had a lead.

Why yes, I do believe. There were pinecones here.

Pinecones there. Pinecones everywhere!

Now I just have to add a little "snow" to them, but that's a job for another day.

Something else fun happened last week. I received the cover for my March release, A Brother's Promise.

Y'all, I love this story. It's so sweet and it's one of those that practically wrote itself. You're going to love little Sadie. Here's a little bit about A Brother's Promise. 

He didn’t realize he wanted a family… Until he suddenly became a single dad.

After his sister’s death, rancher Mick Ashford’s determined to ensure his orphaned niece, Sadie, feels at home. And accepting guidance from Christa Slocum is his first step. But just as Christa and Sadie begin to settle into Mick’s heart, Sadie’s paternal grandparents sue for custody. Now Mick must fight to keep them together…or risk losing the makeshift family he’s come to love.

A Brother's Promise is available for preorder here.

And now I'm working on a Christmas story for next year, so in my world, Christmas has already begun.

That's what's going on in my world. What's happening with you?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins - Blame Ruthy

Yes, I blame Ruthy for this post. Last week she shared a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (you can find that here). I was skeptical to the say the least. I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to pumpkin. But I was curious. So when I was craving something sweet this past weekend I got to digging through my low-carb, sugar-free recipes and came across a Trim Healthy Mama recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (recipe here). Since I had everything on hand, including some Lily's stevia-sweetened chocolate chips, I figured why not give it a try.

The results were pretty good. A nice, moist muffin with delicious pumpkin flavor.

However, I might skip the chocolate chips next time. It's not that they were bad, I just don't want anything getting in the way of me and that pumpkin flavor. At least not this time of year. Give me pumpkin or give me... Well, pumpkin.

After the first muffin, the dogs and I went for a walk in the woods.

It wasn't cool, but it wasn't blazing hot, either. Instead, it was just right. Nothing that would stop Maddie and Marvel from playing in the water.

Look at this tree covered in fern.

I just think that looks so cool. It gives the tree a lacy appearance. Very frilly.

Then it was back home for another muffin. 

What flavor combinations have made you curious enough to give it a try?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Deadlines, Easy Meals and Unearthing History

 While I continue to work toward a deadline with a story that is giving me fits, life goes on. My husband still wants to be fed, so I've been doing my best to keep things simple and/or use the CrockPot as often as possible. Fortunately, we've had a couple of cool fronts pass through which have actually put soup back on the menu.

I love soup. It's so versatile and the added benefit of the CrockPot is very high on my list right now. Last week, I make some of my favorite Southwest Chicken Soup.

You can find the recipe here. One of the best things about this is that I can start with frozen chicken breasts and then let it cook all day.

While I've been living in my office, hubby has been out having some fun around the ranch. He's always been a huge history buff and has often told me about the Karankawa Indians that once inhabited our area. When his father was a boy, he would go out and walk the fields after a rain storm or when the farmers tilled to search for arrowheads. This is a small part of his collection.

Well, my husband was recently approached by a couple of fellows who have been doing some excavating in our area in search of arrowheads. Naturally, he was totally on board with that, especially since he gets to keep whatever they find. So they brought in a backhoe and a big shaker thingie (technical term, you know) that sifts the dirt from the rock and within a matter of hours, they'd found all of these. 

Believe it or not, these predate the Karankawas by quite a stretch. The arrowhead on the upper right dates back to 1500 BC. The one on the bottom left dates back to 2500 BC! I mean how crazy is that? To think that people inhabited this land thousands of years ago is mind-blowing. And hubby is having a ball.

So that's what's going on here at the ranch. What's happening where you are?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

This and That Around the Ranch

I've got a deadline in my not-so-distant future, so meals here at the Obi house have been of the quick, throw together variety. Although, we did have a cool front roll through last week that dropped our high temperatures into the 70's. That's unheard of around these parts this time of year. So naturally, I had to do something to celebrate. And some homemade chicken soup sounded like just the ticket. (recipe here)

It was so yummy. As was this quick eggroll stir fry I made last week. 

This is what you do when you're craving Chinese food but don't want any carbs. And I was able to use things I had on hand. Actually, this recipe is one I found on the back of an eggroll wrapper package way back when my youngest daughter (now 31) was just a baby. We were living on Ellsworth Air Force Base outside of Rapid City, SD and had three little ones, so going out to eat was rare for more than one reason. So when I was craving Chinese, I'd make eggrolls at home.

For the filling, all you need is:

• 1 lb. breakfast sausage (regular or spicy)
• 2 cups shredded cabbage (or a bag of cole slaw blend, which was what I used here)
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts (I did not use them this time because who keeps bean sprouts on hand?)
• Shredded carrots (unless they're in the slaw mix)
• Green onions, chopped (to taste)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp ground ginger 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp granulated garlic (you can use fresh garlic, minced, if you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Simply brown the sausage and then drain off the fat. Then add the veggies and stir fry for a couple of minutes. You decide how crunchy you want them. Add seasonings and stir to combine.

That's it! My craving got fulfilled without any carbs. 

So on a recent trip to the grocery store, I found these.

Yep, that strictly the "magical" marshmallows from Lucky Charms. I didn't buy them, but I took a picture and sent it to my daughters. One said, "It's about time!" Another said, "Obviously the idea of a millennial." Yes, these were the two that always picked out the marshmallows and left most of the cereal. Though I'm thinking these might be yummy mixed into some homemade Rice Krispie treats. What do you think? Maybe I'll have to pick up a bag.

I'm just gonna say it. I love Longhorn cattle. Regular cattle are okay, but Longhorns have flare. They have the right accessories to really compliment the outfit, right? This one belongs to one of our neighbors, but I want a Longhorn. I have made my wishes known. Doubt they'll carry any weight but, hey, a gal's gotta try. They don't know unless you tell them, right. 

So that's what's going on in Obi land. What's happening in your part of the world?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

 

Exploring with the Granddaughter

Our granddaughter spent a couple of weeks with us and one of her favorite things to do here at the ranch is fish. So after dinner one night, we drove through the woods to what we refer to as Walnut Hill lake to take advantage of a different fishing spot. Of course, our faithful companions joined us. 

While we were there, we did a little exploring. We found lots of tiny frogs. 

There was some lovely Blue Waterleaf at the water's edge.

Along with some Common Buttonbush.

As we moved into the woods, there were a lot of American Beautyberry bushes.

They're not edible, but I love the purplish pink shade of the berries.

When you're wandering in the woods, you never know what you might come across. Things that are quite unexpected.

Looming in the trunk of a cedar tree that's still very much alive.

You don't usually find sea turtles in the woods. 

Would you believe our oldest son carved this with a chainsaw a couple of years ago? And we didn't discover it until much later. He never said a word. The black is some stuff he sprayed on the carving so the tree wouldn't die. Seriously? How does one know this stuff? Needless to say, Mama was impressed.

Later, granddaughter's fishing expedition paid off with a small bluegill.

Which was rather odd because that tank was never stocked with bluegill. Then again, the tank that was stocked with bluegill has bass now. Go figure. I'll tell you what, nature sure is interesting. It's always changing, always adapting, no matter what the weather.

How are things changing in your neck of the woods?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

 

Summertime at the Ranch

It's hot here on the coastal plains of Texas. Humid, too, and that's never a good mix. Matter of fact, it usually makes me want to stay inside where there's air conditioning to counter the elements. But even when it's hotter'n blue blazes you sometimes need to escape and take a little walk. And when you're wandering through the woods, you never know what you might encounter. I was just as surprised to see this gal as she was to see me.

And this cow looked as though she'd been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

While this mama and calf were trying to stay cool.

My wandering companions decided they needed to go for a swim, too.

Fortunately, they were not with me when I stumbled upon these two.

One of the things I appreciate most about living in the woods is that I can enjoy nature even when I'm working. This cardinal was tucked in the crepe myrtle right outside my office window, chattering up a storm. We have lots of cardinals in our area and they're always a joy to watch. 

What's lurking outside your window?

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com