Saturday, October 29, 2016

First

...and suddenly, we had a chicken! Really, it was about as sudden as that. After the fact, the decisions came more slowly -- realizing that the coop that came with the chicken wouldn't be large enough (we want to max out the six chickens we're allowed in our area), planning a new coop, building a new coop, stopping work on the coop every time a storm came through (thanks, Matthew...), finishing the coop. 

But here she is, our very first chicken. Her name is Cooley, so dubbed by her previous owner because she has such a calm disposition. 




Laddie is completely in love with her, and keeps trying to touch her. Which she, of course, loves. *cough* Fortunately for her sake, she's much faster than he is.


This was one of her first days with us, still in her former coop. 

I'm pretty sure she's a Blue Copper Maran -- I had NO idea just how many breeds of chicken there are! And some of them are quite stunning (I'm looking at you, laced Wyandottes!).

Cooley (or Coo Coo, as I generally call her) seems quite happy with us, and is so funny and curious about everything. Her little chicken noises are hilarious, and she loves yogurt. She'll eat out of our hands, especially if there are dried mealworms involved! I've even held her a couple times, though I'm not sure which of us is more nervous when I do that. Here she is having a refreshing "bath:"





Still no eggs, which has me a bit worried (she's probably at least two years old -- we didn't realize when we bought her that her prime egg laying days are likely past), but she also hasn't been getting enough protein and that can contribute to "no eggs." Now that she's on the proper food for laying chickens, I'm hoping we'll find some dark chocolate-colored eggs soon!

Five more, and we'll have a proper hen party.


Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Just One

While we didn't have the opportunity to start a "real" garden this year, I couldn't resist buying a few plants -- one red pepper, and one Roma tomato.

Quite honestly, I though this pepper plant was beyond hope. While the tomato sprouted, it didn't grow a single inch for months. Finally, at the end of the summer, it produced one solitary flower, and one solitary pepper.






Pretty, isn't it? But here's a little perspective...




It's an admittedly large lime, but it's also a decidedly small pepper!

Our tomato plant did better... barely. Two tiny Romas, out of the plethora of blossoms it produced (I think something must have been eating them). Ho hum... perhaps we can improve our "harvest" next year!

Sunday, October 16, 2016

The Go-To

I love having go-to's. No fuss, no muss, no question. Little by little, I add to my collection of recipe go-to's -- the best have simple ingredients and simple steps. This is one that's been a standby for years now! 

The olive wood rolling pin was a gift from my husband, straight from Greece --
I love the amazing grain!
.
Because who doesn't need a go-to recipe for scones? A never-fail, always delicious, always gone too soon recipe. It's superb plain, but it's also the perfect canvas for mix-ins (craisins, dried oranges, walnuts, pecans, chocolate...). These are cranberry-walnut. Or were, rather. They didn't last very long...





This recipe came from the sensibility.com message forums -- from none other than the marvelous Suzi Clarke!

Suzi’s Scones


Ingredients:
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (Sometimes I use whole wheat pastry flour, but they're fluffiest with all purpose)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 3 TBSP sugar 
  • 1 ½ oz./3 TBSP butter 
  • 1/3-1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk, or milk curdled with lemon juice. 

Directions:
  1. Whisk the dry ingredients together. 
  2. Cut the butter in until mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
  3. Stir in the milk, very gradually, to make a firm, pliable dough. Don't let it get too sticky.
  4. Roll out in a circle on a floured board to about 1/2" thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Put in a hot oven, 400-425 degrees, for about 10 minutes.

Hope one of my favorite go-to's may end up being one of yours, too!