The "New" Roof is on......

It is truly amazing to watch these hard-working Amish gentlemen take the barn down piece by piece and then re-build it.  They started with the roof.   Their goal is to remove the old roof, reinforce the rafters and then put the new roof back on as quickly as possible to protect the structure and wood on the interior of the barn.  We have been praying daily over all of these men to keep them safe, especially with how high the barn roof is, its actually kind of scary to watch.  The project was started a little over a week ago and the roof is completely finished!  It really looks amazing and had we not started this renovation I'm not quite sure how much longer that old roof would have lasted.  There were actually two layers that needed to be removed, the old first shingle layer and then someone years ago must of repaired the roof by just placing slate shingles over top.  The weight of the roof was so heavy that some of the rafters and beams had started to bend.  They were able fix all of the issues and the roof looks amazing.  

We still have a long way to go, but it's really exciting to see the progress!!  I cannot wait to see the new windows and big barn doors that will go in to add some light on the inside and make "The Barn" a really special place to host a wedding or event!  Here are some of the pictures so far!  Make sure to sign up for our Newsletter for our weekly updates on "The Barn" renovation!!  Check out this sneak peak on what the future holds.

One last thing, my Dad heard that every barn has a coin that is put in when it was originally built.  We are still looking for the coin in hopes to find the exact year that the barn was built.  Has anyone else heard this?  When we asked our Amish builders they had not heard of it before, but we are still hopeful.

We continue to trust God every step of the way!!!  

-Chris & Becca 

"We live by faith, not by sight."  

2 Corinthians 5:7

My Favorite Chocolate Zucchini Muffins!!!

I wish I could tell you that I developed this recipe, but this recipe is just perfect the way it is.  I try to find ways to sneak vegetables into my desserts/muffins so they are not empty calories.  These particular muffins are great to make for a kids birthday party at school because they are grain-free, gluten-free and nut-free.    They also taste great for a quick breakfast on-the-go.  You can make-ahead and freeze, pop them in the microwave for about 20 seconds and they taste like you just pulled them out of the oven.  When I make these for breakfast I will cut the chocolate chips in 1/2 or even just eliminate them.  They taste just as good without the chocolate chips, but make it a great treat for a birthday party.  

I sent these into school for Gracie's 8th birthday this past year and all of the kids loved them.  They had no idea what they were eating!!!

Check out the recipe on one of my favorite websites Against All Grain.  Danielle Walker has a host of great allergy friendly recipes on her site.  I've also downloaded her Cookery App and bought her cook-book.  I use them both weekly!!

Enjoy!      - Becca 

What do you do with all of your Squash and Zucchini in the Summer?

We love the summer because we always have a ton of fresh vegetables on hand.  We joined Good Work Farm CSA this summer and their weekly share has been absolutely amazing.  We would like to say that since we live on a FARM we grow this enormous garden, but we've quickly learned that God did not give us the gift of growing vegetables after trying to plant a huge garden that went belly up.  However I'm happy to say we love making all kinds of new things with the abundance of fresh vegetables in the summer.  We had a ton of Zucchini and Summer Squash on hand, so Chris decided to throw together Lasagna, but instead of the noodles we used Zucchini, Squash and Eggplant!!  The end-result was an empty pan and everyone wanting more!

We hope you enjoy this recipe.  This will definitely be added to our staple of favorites.

Warmly,

-Chris & Becca Lynde

Summer Lasagna

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of De-Cased Chicken Sausage
• 2 Small to Medium Sized Eggplant - Peeled and Sliced into 1/4 inch thick coins
• 2 Medium Sized Zucchini - Sliced into 1/4 inch thick coins
• 2 Medium Sized Yellow Squash - Sliced into 1/4 inch thick coins
• 1 1/2 Jars of Tomato Sauce - Either your favorite Recipe or your Favorite Brand of Sauce
• 1 6oz Bag of Organic Part-Skim Shredded Mozzarella - We used Nature's Promise
• 3/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese 
• Organic Non-Stick Olive Oil Spray
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

Step 1:  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray 9 X 11 Glass Pan with Non-Stick Olive Oil Spray.

Step 2:  Add 2lbs of De-Cased Chicken Sausage to an oiled pan.  Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium until cooked through.  While cooking, make sure you break-up sausage so it resembles ground turkey/beef.  You can also use a ground beef or ground turkey in place of the chicken sausage.

Step 3:  Layer the bottom of the sprayed pan with a variety of the vegetables.  Be sure when you are layering you cover the entire bottom with the vegetables, by overlapping them so you do not see the bottom of the glass pan.

Step 4:  Add a thin layer of sauce to cover the vegetables.  

Step 5:  Add 1/3 of the cooked meat.

Step 6:  Top with 1/4 c Parmesan Cheese and 1/3 c of Mozzarella Cheese.

Repeat Steps 3-6 two more times.

Step 7:  Bake for about 30 minutes or until you see bubbles around the sides of the pan.  Make sure vegetables are tender and cheese is melted through.  Test with a knife to see the tenderness of the vegetables.

Step 8:  Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Summer Marinated Grilled Flank Steak

We love to grill in the summer, as I'm sure most of you do too!  Flank steak is a cheap steak that if prepared and sliced properly, you have a wonderful result. This is a great simple recipe to take your Flank Steak to the next level. In the summer we will pair this steak with a big salad or serve with a bunch of fresh veggies.  

Would love you to share you summer grilling recipes!!  

-Chris

Citrus Marinated Flank Steak

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

·      The juice of 1 orange

·      The juice of 2 limes

·      ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

·      2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

·      1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder

·      3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

·      1 teaspoon ground cumin

·      1 teaspoon salt

·      2 pound flank steak

Instructions:

• Whisk the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt in a medium sized bowl. Place the steak in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over it. Press out the air, seal the bag and marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
• Heat Grill to High.  Grill Flank Steak for 5 minutes on first side, drop temperature to medium and turn steak, grill for 5 more minutes or until desired temperature.
• Move the steak away from the direct heat, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Slice thinly against the grain at a 45-degree angle.

Plan Ahead Tip:

Make marinade the night before and marinate steak or chicken overnight for added flavor and less prep the day of.

We also like to make sweet potato mashed or dice up a bunch of sweet potatoes, place them on a sheet pan that you have sprayed with olive oil, drizzle the sweet potatoes with olive oil and top with a little sea salt and cinnamon.  Bake the sweet potatoes at 375 degrees until they are soft and caramelized.  They taste amazing and are great to serve with this steak.

We are not looking back.....

Today is filled with so many emotions.  The past couple of months have surely been a whirlwind with bringing back our little family bakery, to today as the barn renovations begin.  I came back from the gym and just walked around the barn, looking at all of the little details.  It is truly amazing that this barn is still standing since it was built in the early 1800's.  I wish the walls could share all of the history with us.  We actually have a piece of old barn wood in our bedroom that has the date on it 98', with a bunch of initials carved in.  It must be 1898, because if it was 1998 it would have been my brother and I.  

I have so many memories of playing in the barn as a child.  All the laughter, the exploration of all of the junk in there always hoping to find a hidden treasure.  I cannot tell you how many times I climbed up this ladder as a child when we were playing hide-n-seek or just chasing kittens in the barn. 

Chris and I have been asking ourselves over the past couple of weeks, are we crazy for doing all of this? But somehow I keep hearing Gods voice of peace and comfort to keep taking that next step.  So today, its official, we have our permit and the renovation begins.  I cannot wait to watch the transformation and see how Chris our Amish friend, will work throughout this project.  His timeline is 4-6 weeks, WOW!!!  

We hope you will join us in our journey of the transformation of The Barn.  Our hope is it will be ready by the Spring of 2017 for Weddings and Special Events.  Be sure to join us for our Blog updates and let your friends know to join too.  We will be hosting a contest in the very near future to win a "Free" Wedding at The Barn!

Warmly,

Chris & Becca