Here we GO!

Just sitting here getting ready for a pretty busy week.  Orientation at a new job!!  I have a few classes I have to take this week so I am trying to brush up on a few things.  So while I am studying I decided I needed a little brain food.

Yep!! Good 'ol Cookies n' Cream.  Just what my brain needed and my BUTT didn't.  

Before I go I do have a quick story for you guys tonight.  It snowed several inches a few days ago so the chickens have not ventured out much.  I opened the coop door yesterday to check on the food and water and I must have startled Chicken Little, the oldest rooster.  He started making all this noise and flew straight for the house.  The problem is I think the chickens get disoriented when they take off flying and then realize there is just white everywhere.  I do not think they know where to go.  So this is where he landed...

Yes, in the bush by the back door.  I finished doing the coop chores and went up to the house and he was just sitting there like.."you can't see me can you"?  I didn't know how long he would just sit there looking all freaked out so I just picked him up and he flew back to the coop.  Safe and sound back at home he started doing what he does best... prancing around in front of the lady hens!!  

Over and out for now...Hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Monday!!

Yummy! Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Another dinner update.  Last night we had a wonderful Roasted Red Pepper Soup with a Ham and Cheese Panino.

FYI- In Italian Panino is the word used for sandwich. The plural form (meaning two or more) is Panini. So for all those American's that like to list their daily special as Panini's you are wrong. Technically that is like saying today we have Sanwiches's. So now that I cleared that up let get down to business.

Another quick and lovely creation by the hubby... Roasted Red Pepper Soup.  We had an abundant amount of red peppers this year so before they went bad we decided to roast them, slice them, and then freeze them.  Tonight we took a portion out of the freezer to make the soup.  Adding some homemade chicken stock, milk, a bit of this and a bit of that (I can barely keep up with him in the kitchen), we broke out the hand blender and pureed the boiling hot pepper mixture.

Next, I did manage to see a glimpse of some basil being tossed in at the end.

TIP: We finely chop Basil mix with minimal Olive Oil in a food processor and then spread the mixture out flat into a freezer bag and freeze it.  Then when you want that fresh taste of basil for your nightly dish you just break a piece off and toss it in.  Some people also use ice cube trays.

While the soup was being prepared I was in charge of the ham for the panini. Nothing fancy just browning the ham in a wok.  Nicky then used two or three different cheeses added the ham and into the panino maker they went.

A few minutes later voilá!! Another delicious homemade meal.

The good thing about this meal is you could make a ton of soup and freeze into individual portions for lunches during the week.  Make a couple extra Panini or just use crackers.

Till next time...

Hawks & Visitors

There is a quite persistent hawk in the neighborhood.  Quietly stalking out the ladies....and it isn't to make friends with them.  Besides the neighbors dog our local hawks have been the hardest prey to get a handle on.  I not only prefer the chickens to free range during the day, they also seem to lay better especially in winter when they can get outside.  But seeing as it is less than 20 degrees for several days now I can't exactly camp outside and keep an eye on them. Unless of course I want frost bite!  So the only solution for the moment is to keep them in the coop for most of the day with a break late afternoon for some outside, grass, and bug time.
Just when you think it is safe-------SWOOP, you see something flash past the office window.  I ran to the window...looked, next window....looked, then decided to step out the back door to check on them.  What ya know as soon as the back door opened there it (the Hawk) went gliding out of the tree RIGHT OVER THE COOP!!! After making a brief fool of myself screaming and waving my arms around, the hawk was gone.  I am sure it will make its presence another day unless the flailing about really scared it.  Hopefully if I keep them secured long enough the hawk will eventually move on realizing chicken is not on the menu!!


Here is a story for the kids!

I want to introduce everyone to Twanda and her friends!

A very special friend of mine surprised me today by letting Twanda come for a visit via snail mail.  Twanda and her friends went on a whirl wind trip with us all the way from Tennessee to Washington.  These three characters kept us entertained the whole way.  We drove through many states and had the privilege of visiting several tourist sites on our journey.  Never a dull moment with the five of us on the road.  One our first famous stops on the cross country tour was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.  This place is one of a kind.  Every year they pick a theme and decorate the whole building with CORN.  Corn (of all colors), corn stalks, wheat and grass adorn the entire outside.  The inside is huge as well and is currently used for many different venues. 

After walking around the huge corn palace we headed back out on the road.  Twanda was quite thirsty but we were low on cash.  We heard from some locals that a drug store up the road had free water to quench your thirst.  So you got it, Wall Drug became the next stop on our tour.  Once we arrived in Wall, South Dakota it was not to hard to locate the drug store.  It seemed like it took up a whole city block...and this ain't no BIG city.  Wall Drug is a mix between an old-time drug store, 5 & Dime, soda fountain, we have one of everything store, and a restaurant.

During the winding journey through Wall Drug my friend and I somehow got separated from Twanda and the gang.  We knew just where to look!! Yep, the water station.

After we got nice and hydrated and had some treats from Wall Drug we piled back into the car.  Off to Mount Rushmore.  We were all very excited about this one.  A huge national monument and none of us had been there before.  But you know when you are traveling with animals you always have to keep your eye out.  They are always looking for some stray to pick up and take home.

Uhhh, yes that is Twanda trying to make friends inside Mount Rushmore!!! 

Like we needed another mouth to feed.  After rationalizing with Twanda and the gang that it is a federal offense to remove any property (including wildlife) from a National monument she dropped it.  Finally back in the car for one last leg of the trip.  We didn't have any more planned stops but we were ahead of schedule and stumbled upon another historical treasure.  The site of the Battle of Little Bighorn where General Custer died.  So to take in a little history we decided to stretch our legs and go for a walk.  It was not only filled with history it was also a huge cemetery with many unique headstones.  

By the time we were done at the Battle of Little Bighorn it was getting a little chilly.  The sun was going down and we were also increasing in elevation.  As we pulled into out destination late that night Twanda and the gang starting scoping out their new home.  And for many years they lived with my friend happy and healthy.  BUT, today they arrived in Ohio ready to take on the farm life.  Hopefully they will adjust well and learn to get along with the chickens!! Wishing my friend the best and I will take good care of Twanda and the gang!!

Yummy! Venison Stack-ilada

I have decided all my Blogs about food should have Yummy in the heading.  Why, I don't really know because obviously if it wasn't good I probably wouldn't tell you about it.  Anyway, last night Nicky whipped up some delicious Mexican food. At first he said we were having Enchiladas and then he decided to stack them instead. Reminded me of a Mexican Pizza but since he made homemade enchilada sauce I chose to name them Stack-ilada's.

First he made homemade corn tortilla's which are delicious alone.. or with a pat of butter!!

After he cooked the tortilla he brushed them with homemade enchilada sauce and started layering them (3 high) with Venison and cheese in an iron skillet.

Once they were complete into the oven to finish them off.  I topped mine with additional sauce and sour cream.  Accompanied by some black beans and rice. Delish!!

On a different note it's getting close to crunch time deciding what is going in the garden in case we have to hunt down seeds. If you have any suggestions feel free to comment at the bottom of this post.  

Frigid COLD....

Well I have only one thing to say... COLD!!! Yes, this is what my phone said at about noon today. And this was the high for the day!!

Needless to say I really found no need to leave the house. Work never called so I spent my day studying for a class in front of my cozy little space heater.  I only took two breaks today: one to give the chickens some warm oatmeal (SPOILED) and once to make myself some dinner.

When I say make dinner it was nothing extravagant. With the hubby not home tonight it was just me and a nice biscuit pan full of Redneck Nachos.  One of my culinary delights.  You would be amazed at how delicious they are when you are hungry and LAZY!!

Don't they look Delish!! Chips, cheese and HOMEMADE Salsa is really all you need. BUT tonight I wanted to spice it up a bit so I broke out the sour cream and a jar of my HOMEMADE Jalapeños. Now I must give away my personal secret...I like to put the salsa on the nachos before they go in the oven. Nicky prefers to add his salsa after they come out of the oven.  I promise you one thing, those jalapeños from my garden are HOOOTTT! I love it!

That's it for now. If you are around here stay warm tonight... and if you aren't from around here send some $ for our heating bills.

Strawberry Jam

Although we had a few flurries this morning I still can not forget about SPRING coming!! Between looking out the window for HAWKS coming after the chickens and flipping through seed catalogues all I can think about is what to plant. It is so nice to have home grown products stuffed away during winter.  One of my favorite things that I have tucked away is Homemade Strawberry Jam.  If you are lucky enough to get some of this jam then you are special.  I have to admit that I have not made it yet. I get it from my friend Amanda.  Amanda and her mom have a tradition of making several batches every spring once the strawberries are ripe and ready.  There is nothing like a nice homemade jar of jam.  I sometimes panic when I get low (Amanda is in N.C.) but this year she really stocked me up. There is a ration program that we have to follow so it lasts us all year long..kidding... but I do keep an eye on how much is left. Amanda and her mom even put these cute labels on last year.

People are always looking for something special to give as gifts, especially to those who seem to have everything.  Most people would be more than happy to receive something homemade/handmade. Whether it is food, a scarf, or a nice photo in a frame.  Nicky and I have given small baskets of our homemade goods and it always brings a smile.  Plus if you make it in advance it's always ready to go... just add a bow and GO!!

THANKS Amanda and Cindy!!

Strawberry Jam

• 5 Cups cleaned/crushed Strawberries
• 1 box of fruit pectin
• 2 Tablespoons Butter (may use less according to the internet)
• 7 Cups granulated Sugar

* Bring Strawberries, butter, and pectin to a boil. Add sugar and bring to a boil for 1 minute, no longer.

* Scrap off excess foam and ladle into HOT sterilized jars. Make sure top is clean and seal with lid.

* Turn jar upside down till cool. (The Ball Blue Book says to process in a water canner for 10 minutes)

I am sure if you ask around there are hundreds different varieties/opinions on how to make this but I know this one is Delish. And for those of you who aren't sure I just saw this handy Jam Maker online. 

PS- all this talk about jam has made me hungry...I'm off to get some toast!!

Peeling Eggs

If you are anything like me you LOVE a nice deviled egg (or "angel egg" as Jeremy Stout, my pastor, would call it).  I do not require anything fancy with my deviled eggs but I know everyone has there own little recipe. Oddly enough I once saw a book at a friends house that was all about recipes for deviled eggs.

Can purchase on Amazon

However you like to make your eggs there is one step we all have to endure...peeling them.  If you get store bought eggs it's usually not that big of an issue BUT if you are lucky enough to get farm fresh eggs it can pose quite the problem.  The fresher the egg the more difficult it is to peel. The shell tends to stick to the inside membrane. As the egg gets older it pulls away from that outer membrane thus making it easier to peel.  I found this problem out the hard way. Two years ago I boiled two dozen eggs (from my chickens) at my in-laws and it was a disaster.  Half the white would peel off with the shell.  So after a little research I started my own study.
Everyday when I collected my eggs I would date one and set it aside in a designated carton.  After I collected about one months worth I boiled them all at once and started peeling. As the eggs got older and older it became more easy to peel.  So I determined if I want to make deviled eggs I need to set the eggs aside one month in advance.
However, there may be another alternative.  Recently Nicky's cousin, Geraldine, gave us an Egg Punch.  First you start with some beautiful and FRESH eggs.

Then you grab the egg punch. Can buy them on Amazon.

As you can see in the picture there is an EXTREMELY sharp pin that you poke into the broad end of the egg prior to boiling.  Nicky has used the egg punch several times with good success.

So whether you like you deviled eggs sour, HOT, fancy or not try these two tips for easy peeling.

PS- make sure and bring me some to try when you make them!!!