Snowy weather

Such unusual weather this year.  Michigan has been unseasonably warm and free of snow -- until this week.  Well, I guess we had one snowy day in December... but that is about it.  Finally in mid-January we got a nice load of the fluffy stuff and some cold temperatures.  I saw a forecast of 40 degrees and rain showers for tomorrow so I guess it will be going away again.  

Don't get me wrong -- I don't like cold winters and this warmer weather suits me just fine.  I'm the type that likes snow in December (gotta have a white Christmas) then by January 1st I want it gone.  So, I guess I've been fortunate so far.  It makes one wonder if this odd weather is part of a natural cycle or if Al Gore was right... 

Anyway, after feeding the chickens and breaking the ice out of their waterer, I snapped a few photos off the other day.  You can click on the photos to make them larger if you want (especially the first one -- you can see individual snow flakes!).

Homemade Kahlua and Irish Cream

These two delicious liquors are easier to make than you would think.  Much easier than the limoncello I made last year.  I made a couple of batches of each and gave several bottles away at Christmas.
So, here are the recipes I used:

Homemade Kahlua

4 cups water

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 Tbsp instant coffee

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups vodka

Blend the water, sugar and instant coffee together in a saucepan.  Just as it boils, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for a couple of hours -- stirring occasionally.  Let the resulting syrup cool completely then add the vanilla and the vodka.  Enjoy!  

Homemade Irish Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey

1 tsp instant coffee

2 Tbsp chocolate syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract (I skipped this ingredient)

Put everything in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds.  Store, refrigerated, in a tightly sealed container.  Shake well before serving.  Use within a couple of months.

Both recipes are awesome and oh-so-easy to make!  They are so much less expensive than the store-bought versions too.

My Favorite Things - A Nice Hot Corn Bag

Just a quick post today -- about one of my new favorite things.  Mom made me two "Corn Bags" for Christmas and I have been enjoying them every night since then.  It is pretty self explanatory -- it is a fabric bag or pouch filled with field corn.  You can throw it in the microwave then take it to bed with you.  I have a large one that I keep on my feet, and a smaller one that I move around to where ever I feel cold.
We keep our heat around 60-63 degrees in the winter to help reduce the amount of money we spend on fuel oil.  Before Christmas, I would freeze when I got into bed.  Now I look forward to a nice warm cozy experience.  I fall asleep twice as fast too.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday week this past week!  This Christmas was very pleasant for me -- one of my favorites.  I had today off for the New Year holiday, but I head back to work tomorrow.
I'm not making a bunch of New Year's resolutions this year -- because it usually ends up being the same stuff anyway.  I am, however, going to make a list of (fun) things I'd like to do this year.  I am off to do that now...
May you have a prosperous and peaceful year!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Here it is, Christmas Eve again.  Charlie and I are enjoying a slow paced day together, listening to Christmas music on the radio, baking cookies, wrapping a few gifts, and preparing for my family to arrive tomorrow morning.  What a nice way to spend a day!

I just finished making some Peanut Butter Cookies that are moist and chewy -- and just happen to be gluten free as well.  I thought I'd share the recipe because it is so simple and tasty.  A friend from work brought these cookies to a potluck and they were a smash!  She makes them in her toaster oven and it works out just fine.  I've doubled her recipe and baked them in a 350 degree oven.  

Mix together:

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Stir the ingredients together well.  Form the dough into walnut sized balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Use a fork to press down on the ball a little and give the cookie that signature peanut butter cookie look.  Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  They will still look a bit moist when you take them out.  Let them cool for a few minutes then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.  The cookies are very fragile until they are done cooling -- despite my friend's warnings, I broke the first one I took off the baking sheet.
I also added chocolate kisses to some of the cookies after they came out of the oven.  Who can complain about chocolate on top of their peanut butter?!?

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice or "Festivus for the Rest-of-Us".  Whatever you celebrate -- do it well!  Live it up!  Love one another -- spread Peace and Goodwill -- all of the good stuff that we need more of on this earth.  Stay safe if you are traveling.  Oh, and don't eat too many cookies.  :)

The Chicken Coop in Cold Weather

Living in Michigan, I was concerned about how my chickens would tolerate the cold weather.  First, I specifically chose some breeds that do better in frigid temperatures.  I looked for chickens with small combs (less chance of frostbite) and ones that don't mind confinement (some go crazy not being allowed to free-range year round).

Second, I tried to get a weather resistant coop.  It has insulation on the roof and walls, and I've placed a thick layer of straw down to keep their feet warm.  I've positioned the one window in the coop towards the South to take advantage of what little daylight we have.  

On the day this photo was taken, it was in the upper 20's outside.  Inside the coop, the thermometer read 45 degrees.  I'm still concerned for when it gets really cold outside.  I'll have to check their water a couple times a day to make sure it hasn't frozen over.  My parents gave me a length of heat tape that I have considered rigging up somehow -- or perhaps a lamp.  I guess I am still researching my options.

Anyway, they seem to be doing well so far.  I can already tell they would like to be outside and eating grass and bugs.  I guess we all get cabin fever from this weather.

So, we are one week away from Christmas... yikes!  I've got a lot to do between now and then.  I've got the week off of work (yippee!) and plan to spend a couple of days in Grand Rapids to visit a couple of friends and my family.  Then I've got a bunch of cleaning and baking/cooking to do before my family comes over here for Christmas day.  Oh, and don't forget about wrapping... and decorating... and...

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!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you and your loved ones have had a pleasant Thanksgiving Day -- I know I did.  I have so much to be thankful for in my life!
Yesterday was spent with my family a couple of hours away.  We went out for pizza to celebrate my Dad's upcoming birthday.  Today we spent with Charlie's side of the family having a more traditional Thanksgiving meal.  I brought the green bean casserole -- my favorite food on this holiday (besides pumpkin pie).
We are so blessed -- with freedom, plentiful food and clean water, work with decent wages, etc compared to the rest of the world.  Still, I find myself most thankful for my husband and our families and friends.  It is so nice to share the holiday with them and give thanks together.