Dutch Pancakes

When you start raising chickens for their eggs, eventually you start to look for recipes that make good use of your eggy abundance.  This past week I made a recipe that was both delicious and helped use the eggs that I've been stockpiling -- Dutch Pancakes (a.k.a. German pancake or Souffled pancake).

There are a variety of recipes available on-line, but I took my recipe from a book that I've been adoring lately.  I've omitted the fruit topping recipe that is in the book -- although it looks amazing, I just stuck with maple syrup for the topping.  I also omitted orange zest from the batter because I didn't have any.  I'm going to list the recipe as I made it, then encourage you to buy the book to get the real thing.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Beat together 4 eggs, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract with an electric mixer on medium speed.  On low speed, beat in 3/4 cup milk then 3/4 cup bread flour and a few good shakes of cinnamon (who needs measuring spoons?).  The batter is ready -- it is just that simple.

I used a nice sturdy skillet that my Grandmother gave me -- one that she used for years.  You'll want something that can go in the oven and is non-stick.  Heat the pan on the stove top and melt 2 Tbsp butter.  After the butter stops sizzling, pour in the batter and put the pan in the hot oven.  Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees.  Then lower the heat to 400 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes.

The pancake puffs up because of the eggs and also the gluten in the bread flour.  When you pull it out of the oven, the pancake deflates in the middle, but the edges stay crispy and raised.  Add whichever toppings you prefer and serve (up to 6 servings, but Charlie and I split one for a filling breakfast).  It tastes a lot like french toast -- yum!

Now, as I stated before, this recipe was adapted from a book that I absolutely love!  When I first got my chicks this past Spring, my mother bought this book for me as a gift.  It has lovely photographs (the author is a chef and food stylist) and 125 recipes that use either eggs or chickens as key ingredients.  It is also a memoir about raising chickens on a small scale -- like I am doing.

The book is arranged seasonally -- which is a unique approach that I really like.  For instance, it starts in early Spring -- with the arrival of young chicks in the memoir, and seasonal recipes like "Herb-Buttered Chicken with Spring Vegetables".  It moves through the seasons making good use of fresh fruit and vegetables.  As a vegetarian (not vegan, obviously) I really like the egg recipes.  My husband eats meat though so I will make use of the chicken recipes as well.  I'm looking forward to trying "Baked Eggs with Basil-Mint Pesto", "Cinnamon Breakfast Popovers", and "Rhubarb Ginger Custard Bars".

I highly recommend this book and think it would make a great gift for the chicken lover in your life.  Even if you don't have chickens, the recipes are great -- and not too complicated.  This is one that you will return to over and over.  Lovely!

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

I'm taking a break from all the nature photography to offer up a recipe I made from my last good haul of tomatoes from my garden (a few weeks ago).  It's called Panzanella salad -- it is easy to make and you can add or subtract from this recipe as you please:

Gather heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden, red onion, garlic, green olives, and fresh mozzarella -- chop, chop, chop.  Blend olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add salt and pepper.  Mix it all up.  Use day old crusty bread and chunk it up.  Mix the bread in a few minutes before serving.  It soaks up all the juices and softens up.  This salad doesn't really keep more than a day because the bread gets too soft -- but don't worry -- it disappears quickly.  Healthy and delicious!!!

See, I told you it is easy!  You could also use cucumber or bell pepper and feta cheese instead of mozzarella.  It is really up to you.  Look around the internet for other recipes to see the variations or if you are the kind of person who wants to know specific measurements.

Garlic Scape and Mushroom Quiche

I wanted to make something other than pesto with my garlic scapes this year.  I've also been wanting to brush up on my quiche making skills.  The chickens are still a couple of months away from egg-laying, but I must be prepared (I already have friends lining up to try a quiche made with happy chicken eggs).  So, the natural choice was to try making a garlic scape quiche.

For those that don't know, garlic scapes are the curling tops of garlic plants.  The are milder than the bulb of the garlic and can be used much like other vegetables.  They do make an awesome pesto and I've read that they are really good in stir fry.

Today I chopped up about a dozen scapes (cut off the flower part and just use the green "neck") into small pieces.  I also used a small can of mushroom pieces and some grilled onion I had left over from another meal.  Anyway, saute' them with 1 Tbsp. butter until they are softened a bit then add the mushrooms to join all the flavors for a few minutes.  Remove them from the heat and let cool a while.  

I used a frozen pie shell (deep dish).  If you have time to make your own pie crust - I salute you.  Maybe someday that will be me.  So, I put the frozen pie shell on a cookie sheet, then add the veggies to the bottom.  On top of that I grated parmesan cheese.  I was thinking a little swiss cheese would have been nice too.

I whisked 5 eggs and about 1 cup of half and half together then added salt and pepper.  Some recipes call for nutmeg -- I didn't add it, but the amazing thing about quiche is that you can pretty much make it however you'd like.  I then carefully poured the egg mixture over the veggies and cheese, then put it into my preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.  The timer is actually about to go off....

Wow!  It looks really good!  I can hardly wait to cut into it -- but you gotta let it rest at least 5 minutes.  It keeps cooking after you take it out, so don't worry if it doesn't look quite done.  I imagine there are a thousand varieties of garlic scape quiche that could be made.  Just pick and choose other veggies (or meat if you eat it) and different cheeses and herbs. 

I'd be very curious to hear what your favorite combination of quiche fillings are.  I've got to start stockpiling ideas because my little chicks are growing up quickly.  

Zucchini bread

It has been a long time since my last post.  I am sorry about that.  I just got back from vacation in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  I have a couple of photos that I hope to post soon.  For now, I wanted to get this post completed.  I made zucchini bread and wanted to give out the recipe.  

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups zucchini - grated (and peeled if you like) -- squeeze off excess juice

1 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

optional - 1 cup nuts (I don't use the nuts myself)

Beat eggs.  Add next four ingredients and mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix completely.  Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees.  Makes 2 loaves.

This recipe has been widely used by my family.  Zucchini bread is definitely a childhood favorite of mine.  

Whenever I have an over abundance of zucchini in my garden, I grate it up and freeze it in 2 cup portions.  That way I can have zucchini bread all year long.  Yum!

Homemade elephant ears

I'm at my family's home tonight for Father's day because my Mom and I are going on a couple of day trips this week.  They decided to make some homemade elephant ears tonight so I thought I would learn how to do it and share the info with you.  Dad learned from a friend of his that makes them professionally (at fairs, etc).  

Start out with frozen white bread dough...

Let it thaw and rise...

Dad spread it thin -- very thin.  He says holes are OK...

Heat up oil to around 375 degrees -- you can test it with a little piece of dough.

Meanwhile, Mom was in charge of the cinnamon sugar.  There aren't any specific measurements -- just guess. 

Carefully drop the dough in...

Turn it over when it is golden brown...

Coat them in sugar when they come out and enjoy...

Yum!!!

Pizza time

We made pizza for dinner with the cheese I created yesterday.  I split the dough I made into two separate pan pizzas.  Mine was topped with mushrooms, onion, green olives and Morningstar Farms sausage style veggie crumbles.  I love those crumbles!  They add so much taste to the vegetarian diet.  

Charlie's had pepperoni, mushroom and green olive.  He ate it -- so I guess he liked it.  I have a few slices of cheese left over after topping two whole pizzas.  Definitely worth the $2 for the gallon of milk and the small cost from the kit.  

There once was a happy chicken...

There once was a happy chicken.  The chicken was born at a hatchery and sent to a friendly farmer the very next day.  That farmer gave the chicken a warm cozy place to stay with other chicks, just like her.

They grew up together and eventually moved to a coop with plenty of room to wander.  She heard stories of relatives who went to factory farms and spent their entire lives without enjoying fresh bugs scratched from the dirt, or even the ability to walk around.  She loved her life on the farm -- running around, eating veggies and good feed, and laying eggs for the farmer.

The chicken lived a good life, and when her time was up, she was butchered and given to a vegetarian and her flesh eating husband.  The vegetarian gave thanks for the chicken's life and prepared it for her husband, knowing that a happy chicken would be better for her husband that the factory farm relatives.

Ok, well, I'm not really a story teller -- but you get the idea.  Uncle Dave and Aunt Mary gave us a chicken at Christmas time.  I told him I would like to get a pig from him this next year (after we get a chest freezer).  Well, half a pig.  Another vegetarian friend wants to split it with me.  Her son eats meat and she would prefer to avoid buying factory meat as well.  One reason I am a vegetarian is the horrible conditions that animals suffer from on those factory farms.  I would rather cook an animal that was raised respectfully or hunted from nature for my husband -- even though it may be more expensive.  It is better for the animals, my husband, and not to mention the local farmers and the environment.

This bird was seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder (was supposed to be onion powder, but I didn't have any).  Then put 3 Tbsp butter inside the cavity with one stalk of celery cut into pieces.  I added a few pieces of onion as well.  Smear a bit more butter on the exterior.  It should be cooked about 1 hour 15 minutes or until an internal temp. of 180 degrees is reached.  I've been keeping a close eye on her because she is skinnier that most store chickens (but while I'm checking the temp. I baste it in the juices also).  Once done, she needs to be covered loosely and left alone for about a half hour....

GIzzard Stew

Yup, that's what I said... Gizzard Stew.  I promised my Dad that I would post a photo of his meaty creation on my blog.  So here you go Dad.  Your very own blog post...

Around this time he was drooling and saying "yeah baby" like Emeril would.  I can't say that I was as excited (except for the fact that Mom had quiche in the oven for us non-gizzard eatin' folk).  

"So, how did he work his magic?" you ask... well, he was kind enough to tell me what he did.  He took a pound and a half of gizzards (only $2) and pan fried them with butter and some water.  Then he added some onion and green pepper -- and I'm guessing garlic if I know my Dad.  Then cream of mushroom soup.  I'm not sure if he added any milk to the soup.  He ate it over a baked potato.  He said it was amazing -- I took his word for it.  :  )

So, there you have it.  I would have never thought I would blog about chicken gizzards.  Unfortunately I don't have a whole lot to blog about right now.  I could complain about the continued forced-overtime at work but no one likes to hear me whine.  I could talk about the weather but that is too depressing.  I haven't been creating much lately.  Oh, but I am dreaming about my garden.  I have an amazing catalogue that I must tell you about.  Actually, you should request one yourself.  Go to www.rareseeds.com.  Their catalogue has me convinced to buy from them this year.  It is gorgeous!  Oh, and the seeds are heirlooms which I feel strongly about.  I will try to get a good blog in this weekend on the subject.  For now, I must call my husband who has been gone all week working and then try to get some sleep.  I have another 11 hour day tomorrow -- sorry, I couldn't help but whine a little.

Waffles and coffee

My husband has turned into a waffle-makin' fool this morning.  He got a waffle maker for Christmas and we finally got around to trying it out today.  Waffles and coffee are just about the perfect combo for the first meal of a new year (although not entirely healthy -- so much for that New Years resolution.  Guess that will start tomorrow).  

He's quite proud of himself.  He's also got a big mess to clean up.  I don't care though -- as long as he cleans it up I'm happy.  I got some amazing waffles out of it.