EGGceptional..

Have I mentioned I love chickens?  It seems we have finally eradicated our ugly chicken virus and my chickens are healthy, happy and approaching their first birthday.

I had purchased 6 little chicks - all sold to me as hens.  As they grew, one didn't match the others.  It turns out I ended up with a fine and handsome rooster who takes his job very seriously.  He struts and crows and protects his harem from pesky interlopers.  He is truly magnificent.

But then I'm a little partial.

Since we seem to have beaten the virus, the worst of the winter weather is behind us and I conveniently have a rooster to do a rooster's job I have decided to allow my chickens to make more chickens.  Cuz, again... I love chickens and 5 chickens is not enough.

Since I'm trying to encourage my chickens to make more chickens I am not gathering their eggs on a daily basis.  I want one of them to get broody and start sitting.  They need a batch of eggs to do that.

I am still unsuccessful at convincing my hens to sit on eggs.  Today I gathered up the existing clutch preparing to try again in a week.  I immediately became concerned.  I was thinking that one of my poor hens must have gotten VERY hurt in this process. It had to hurt.  How could it not hurt??  Yikes!

I took this 'ostrich egg' to Peter to seek his input.  He has experience at these things.  He's a doctor even.  He could assure me that this was normal, or at least that I did not have a hen with problems.

His first comment was "that seems a strange color..."
Then I looked at his eyes.  They were twinkling and he had a repressed grin on his face.

Yep.  I was on the getting end of a practical joke.  Seems THIS egg was layed by one of our geese late last week.  Peter had put in the chicken coop three days ago and was just waiting, waiting waiting for me to make this discovery.  I did not disappoint.  Someday I hope to be less gullible.

I have a new love

I have a new love and my new love is called German Pancakes.

I was hanging out at the second hand store yesterday flipping through cookbooks.  One book had a recipe for German Pancakes.  I considered purchasing the book at the exorbitant price of $1.99 but it was the only thing in the book I wanted, so being frugal as I tend to be, I just memorized the recipe.

Last night, before dinner I whipped up a pancake as an appetizer.  I'm sure that somewhere pancakes make a perfect appetizer.  

It was so good, this morning I made more for breakfast.

They are fun, tasty and quite easy to make.  And I must write the recipe down before my brain purges it to make room for more stolen recipes and other important things like walking, talking and delivering mail.

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  
• Put 2 Tablespoons of butter in a pie pan and put it in the oven while it preheats.  You want the butter melted and the pan hot but be careful not to BURN the butter (I tried that already, it doesn't work so well.)
• Mix together (I used my hand blender) until fluffy:  3 eggs, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup milk and a pinch of salt.
• Pour the mixture into the hot buttery pie plate and bake for 20 minutes.

(oh man - I just noticed how disgusting the front of my oven is.  please ignore the smears and finger prints!!)

Remove from pie plate (it should slip right out), put on a plate, sprinkle with melted butter and cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar, maple syrup, warm jam, fresh fruit or any combination.

My Little Pasta Shop??

A few weeks ago a friend wanted to make home made pasta.  Being as I had experience at just such an activity, and I had a spare pasta machine (or two) I volunteered to show her the (spaghetti) ropes.

We had originally planned on having several other women joining us but last minute scheduling conflicts and sick children meant it was just the two of us.  We made basil fettuccine and a bit of angel hair pasta.  She fell in love with the process as well as the finished product and refused to give me my pasta maker back.  Harrumph.  I trust I will get it back when she get's her own.

She enthusiastically told some co workers about her delicious home made pasta and before you know we had a party.

Beth, Linda, Chris, Terry and I joined together to make pasta. Lots of pasta.

Someone piped up and said we should open a pasta shop and quit the post office drudgery.   I'm sure it wasn't the wine talking.

We had so much fun we are planning to get together and make soap in a month or so. I expect our next  idea will be "My Little Soap Shop!"

Back to nature

There are a few inventions in the last couple centuries that I can live without.  We don't have a microwave.  That's fine. No dishwasher.  No problem.  No Cable TV.. that's fine too.

But there are a few things that make this world a better place and a few of them I find imperative to daily life.  Hot running water is one thing I'm terribly grateful for.  Forced air heat is another thing I'm very happy to have.  But these things I could manage without for a short time.  Maybe not happily but I COULD manage.

As of last night our little house on the ditch has had a "technical" problem that requires a professional to repair.  The impossible inconvenience of this problem has made certain aspects of my daily life challenging - to say the least.  I am disgruntled.  

The temperature is hovering around freezing.  My options are limited.  This is not working for me.  Peter thinks it's funny.  But then the inconvenience to him is not as great.

Hopefully the repairman will be able to make an appearance this morning - even though it's Sunday.  Otherwise I might have to move into a motel or go stay with the freighbor...