Dedra

It is sad today to say that I have lost one of my chickens. Dedra is an Araucana...also known as an "Easter Egg" chicken because she layed beautiful green eggs. I noticed last week that she wasn't acting "right". Her feathers were dirty and messed up. I watched her for a couple of days and then Brennan noticed a really bad spot on her back. It was swollen and hot, red and angry looking. No outward infection. We put her in the dog crate and watched her a day or so. She seemed to be doing better...eating and drinking. We put her back in with the other hens to see how she would do....they of course pecked her into a corner. I put her back in the house and waited. We got her feeling better again and re-introduced her in the coop. They left her alone...but she seperated herself from everyone. I went out Christmas Eve to find her unable to get up. I wrapped her in an old shirt and put her in a nest box. She stopped eating and drinking and today we put her out of her misery. She was comatose and not really responding...wouldn't even open her eyes. It was so sad.

I went out and cleaned and disinfected the nest box and anything else she came into contact with!

Hopefully...that is the last time we have to do anything like this!

Flaker Mill

This week I ordered a flaker mill attachment for my Bosch mixer. It gives me the ability to flake any kind of grain or seed fresh...instead of storing rolled oats. I can now buy the whole oat groats and flake..or roll...them myself. I tried it today! It was cool!!! It worked perfectly and very quickly. I flaked about 4 cups of oats in about 3 minutes. They taste yummy and are a little thicker than a store-bought rolled oat. They are also absolutely fresh! Which means more nutrition for your family! Yay!

Chickens and Freezing Weather!

Wow! It is really cold today. It was 9 degrees as I drove to Seminary this morning. I came home and checked on my chickens and found frozen waterers, but happy chickens. I made some oatmeal with cornmeal mixed in and gave them some hot mash. They love it! I think it is so funny that they will roost outside with the cold underneath them. BRRRR! Got 2 eggs so far this morning. I have been getting 2-3 a day....down from 5-7 a day at the beginning of November. I have decided to keep the light on during the night to see if it will boost the egg production. It will keep them warm as well.

Under Pressure !!!

The pressure cooker and I have never been friends. I was raised by a Mom that was afraid that the pressure cooker would blow us all up if we used it! Now, back in the old days of pressure cooking that was a true worry! I remember my Mom using her pressure canner one time! She canned green beans back in 1977 or 1978! We lived in Weston, Oregon and I was in high school. She had a really nice, new Presto Harvest Gold pressure canner. It worked great! She put it in the box and we moved to Juneau, Alaska, Vancouver, Washington...I got married...the pressure canner continued to move to Montana, Utah, Northern Washington, Olympia, Washington and finally back to Vancouver. When my parents decided to move to Idaho.....I was gifted the Presto Harvest Gold pressure canner. It sat in the box until my friend, Diana Wooldridge taught me how to can grape juice. She cans all the time and is NOT afraid. She is fearless! I am jealous. I did some green beans last summer in the Presto. What a LOT of work....for a few bottles of beans!

My Mother-in-law, Colleen, showed me the wonders of pressure cooking on the stove. She makes roasts, chicken and other good stuff. It is such a timesaver! So....I decided it was time for me to be brave and try! I got a Presto pressure cooker....an older one...and started to use it! I learned to like the swish-swish of the regulator. I could do stew meat in a flash. Chicken, rice, potatoes for mashed in minutes! Awesome!

I graduated to a Kuhn-Rikon pressure cooker and left behind the swish! I lost the the regulator...but gained a modern, safe pressure cooker! I still had to monitor it on the stove, but it worked great!

Until....I met....the Cuisinart ELECTRIC countertop Pressure cooker! TaDa! Can I have a little Heavenly choir music! I LOVE IT! I can set it and walk away! I can cook beans right out of the #10 can without soaking them! (Because, let's face it...who remembers to soak the beans until it's too late) I can do stew meat, chicken, pork taco meat, rice, potatoes! It has a timer, shuts itself off, and keeps the food warm! Could there be a more perfect convenience? I bought it at Costco for $69.99! It saves up to 70% in time and because you cook the food so quickly, you keep the nutrition. And you save energy! What more could you ask for?

Eggstra ! Eggstra! Read all about it!

Finally...more than 2 eggs a day! On Saturday, my friend Melanie went to check on eggs. When I asked her if there were eggs..she said "Just one" and then she took her other hand from behind her back and had 3 more eggs. So we had 5 eggs on Saturday. Yay!

The green egg is from the Easter Egger chicken...i have 3 of them...the hens! The light tan egg is from Martha, the Buff Orpington. Still trying to figure who else is laying! Hate to stalk the coop...but it is so fun! Like a treasure hunt everyday.

The coop needs to be cleaned out. We had torrential downpours this weekend and the mud and water are in the coop as well as in the run. Yuck! The EE chicken layed her egg on the floor Sunday. It was muddy and gross. We ate it first!

EGGS!!!

Brennan went out this afternoon to water the chickens and....found an egg! WooHoo! I thought he was joking and put an egg from the fridge in the boxes. Monte went out to check the boxes and found another one! I am so excited! It's like a treasure hunt! They are small...but perfect! Great for a first effort! Now..I just have to figure out WHO layed them...2 different colors...so 2 girls are laying!

Canning

Summer Canning is here! I have started to can up a storm. The WSU Extension Office has a class call "Stocking the Pantry". It is a food preserving class covering Drying/Freezing, Jams and Jellies, Canning Fruit and Pie Fillings, Pickling Food, Tomatoes and Salsa and finally, Pressure Canning Meats and Low-acid foods. I missed the first 2 classes but I have learned SOOO much in the classes I attended. Mainly.....I need to be much safer in the way I process our food! I learned that head space is important, as is how much you crank the ring. I have been turning them WAY too TIGHT! I always wondered why I had juice sputtering out of my jars! RING TOO TIGHT!! I have now been following the guidelines given and have been very successful with my "problems"!

I do have one thing to say! Follow a CURRENT-TESTED-RECIPE! Use the Ball Canning book or go to an Extension office and get the most up-to-date information regarding safety in food preserving! Don't use Grandma's pickle recipe or just turn the jam jar upside down to seal! (I am totally guilty of that one---been doing it forever!) It's just not safe anymore~you must water-bath process Jam and jellies....pretty much everything...including pickled foods! (I just water-bathed the first pickles in my life!)

Botulism is odorless, colorless and tasteless! Use approved canning methods ALWAYS and you can rest easy about serving your home-canned foods!

OK....here is my RANT! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT HOME-CAN BUTTER!!!!

There is a frightening "RECIPE" flying around the internet and LDS Churches everywhere that it is SAFE? to can butter! Don' t be an idiot! IT IS NOT ONLY UNSAFE...IT COULD KILL YOUR FAMILY!! There is no "canning" done....you are just heating the butter and doing the old upside down seal trick! It is NOT safely processed!

If you have done this....throw out the jar, lid and contents! Once it is contaminated with botulism...it is considered hazardous waste! NO KIDDING!

I actually was gonna try this before I took the canning classes! So glad I didn't do it! Not even worth the risk!

You can buy commercially canned butter by Red Feather!

The photo shows apricot nectar, cherry pie filling and 6 pints of dill pickles waiting for the canner!

Be safe and have fun canning for your family!

Granola

Yesterday in Sunday School our teacher, Sister Morgan told a story about living in a ward where the Relief Society had a lesson on the Word of Wisdom. In that lesson comments were made that if you ate meat MORE than 2 times a week or didn't feed your kids homemade granola you weren't keeping the Word of Wisdom! Funny! And confusing for some...the Bishop had to counsel with the Relief Society to correct the misinformation. So...in honor of Sister Morgan, I give you a recipe for Granola! I made it this morning and it was really yummy! I got the recipe from Joyous Notions. It is a great "food storage friendly" recipe and healthy.

Granola

Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Add 1 c. of chopped nuts (i used almonds today). Toast the nuts for a minute or two. Add 2/3 c. honey or real maple syrup, 1 t. cinnamon and 1 t. vanilla. Mix well and pour over the following things that have been mixed together in a really big bowl!

10 c. rolled oats (NOT quick oats)

1 c. unsweetened coconut (bulk @ Winco)

2/3 c. brown sugar

Line 2 sheet pans with foil and spray with Pam. Divide the granola between the pans and spread it out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes....stir at the halfway point.

Let cool and enjoy! Yum!

The Word of Wisdom was given in 1833 to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is a health law that members of the Church follow today. Members abstain from Alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, coffee, tea and other habit-forming substances. It encourages healthy eating and moderation in all things. By following the Word of Wisdom we are promised strength and vitality as well as wisdom and knowledge. It is a true principle from the Lord.

Fresh Raspberry Pie

Raspberries are crazy this year! I went out and picked enough for a pie this morning and there are still bunches to get ripe! Yahoo...I love raspberry jam! It feels pretty good to bake this pie from scratch! The recipe comes from Mennonite Girls Can Cook! I love their blog!



Fresh Raspberry Pie


1 baked 9 or 10 inch pie shell
About 4 cups of fresh raspberries


Put the raspberries in the pie shell.

In a microwave safe bowl mix 1 cup sugar, 3T. cornstarch and 1 cup water together. Microwave on high for 2-5 minutes...stirring every minute (It took about 4 minutes in my microwave) until thick. Add 3 T. raspberry jello and stir till dissolved. Let stand for 10 minutes.


Carefully spoon the glaze over the berries. I was fussy and turned my raspberries upside down so the filling wouldn't go in the hole. :)


Refrigerate for a couple of hours and serve with whipped cream!

Pizza Dough

Here is the recipe I use for pizza dough! I make it in the Bosch and it will make 2 sheet pans of pizza.

3 c. warm water
2T. honey or sugar
2 T. yeast I use SAF
1 T. salt
1 T. Dough enhancer
6-8 cups flour-all white, all wheat, or a combo

Put water, honey and yeast in mixer. Mix up and let sit for a few minutes till it bubbles. Add 3 c. flour, salt and dough enhancer. Mix till smooth. Add flour until it cleans the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes if using white flour, 8 minutes for wheat and combo.

Rise till double and make your pizzas. Bake @ 400 degrees for around 15-20 minutes.

I don't put the salt in my dough. I like the taste a lot better. Try it both ways and see which you prefer!

OMGsh! She's a Rooster!

So....We have been noticing that our hen named Jeaneen has been growing! ALOT! She is way bigger than her sister hen and has more comb and wattles! Well...apparently Jeaneen is now JEAN! A ROOSTER! Jean is such a nice boy that I am going to keep him. I didn't really want a rooster because they are noisy etc. Jean is a very sweet rooster that is very social and is nice to the hens. So he gets to stay! I don't have the heart to give him away! Here is his picture with some other pics of the new coop! Monte did a super great job and I think it's the bomb! I have a nice chair to sit on next to the run so I can watch and listen to the soothing sounds of my peeps! Heaven!

Chicken Update!

The coop is officially done! The chicks spent their first night----last night! They seemed to enjoy being in the new bigger space! They have definitely grown and aren't little balls of fluff anymore! I love to sit and watch them peck around. It's very soothing!

Baby Chicks !

Wow..It has been busy around here! I got my first batch of chicks...ever. I have always wanted chickens for the delicious eggs! My husband is the best and decided to build a coop...he is in the process right now. The run is built, the house is started. They, Monte and Brennan, started framing yesterday but the weather was terrible, rain, hail, wind. Maybe this evening after work we can get some done. We got the windows at a re-claimed building supply store and we have basically scrapped the rest of the lumber. We did have to buy a big air nailer and stapler, and some treated wood. But not that much.

The chicks started out as 3 Barred Rock, 3 Aruacanas, 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 2 Buff Orpingtons. Brennan named his Barred Rock "Aretha Franklin". Unfortunately, Aretha died overnight. I get so attached. It is sad. But...the other 9 girls look great! They will eat out of my hand and don't scatter when I come in to check on them. They are getting feathers REALLY FAST! We got them on Friday as little fluffy puffs...They are now fluffy puffs WITH full on wings! They can't go to the coop until they have all their feathers...about 4-5 weeks! That will be here soon! They are supposed to start laying at 20-25 weeks...so in the summer, we should start getting some eggs.

More Pics on Friday...1 week old!

FASTER, STRONGER, QUIETER!

So...I have had my Bosch for a few years. They last forever! I could have just kept going strong for a long time. But...the "new and improved" Bosch Universal Plus came out recently...and I HAD TO HAVE ONE! So...I subbed for a co-worker for a couple of weeks and saved up my pennies! It arrived today....yes! It has a stronger motor, bigger capacity, the cord goes in underneath it (that used to really bug me that the cord just hung around behind it...always in the way!) and suction cup feet...so it doesn't move around when it kneads.

But it gets even better....I made my usual 5 loaf batch of bread! It is a dream. Quieter! Stronger! Easier to clean! (the drive-shaft comes out of the middle in the Universal Plus).

I LOVE IT! If you want to make nutritious bread for your family...where you control what is in it, you KNEAD (get it!) a Bosch mixer and a Nutrimill Wheat Grinder!

The other great thing is that you can make triple batches of cookies or whip 1 egg white into 1 1/2 cups of meringue...It is so user friendly!

Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

Yesterday was Shane's birthday...19 years old! He asked for this cake. It is a favorite around here and usually when someone else eats a piece they want the recipe! It is really moist and fudgy; but the best part is the layer of peanut butter between the cake and the frosting!



In the words of Brother Bennett...Super-Duper Double Deluxe!



Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

2. flour

1 t. baking soda

2 c. sugar

1 c. butter

1/4 cocoa powder

1 c. water

1/2 c. buttermilk

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

Chocolate Frosting

Combine the first three ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add the cocoa. Mix well and add water, buttermilk, and eggs. Mix really well. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils. Add to the flour mixture and mix until batter is smooth.

Pour into a 9x13 pan, greased. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes and spread on the peanut butter. (I put the peanut butter in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds to make it more spreadable. That way it doesn't rip up the cake when you spread it on.)

Let it cool completely. You can put it in the fridge. Frost.

Chocolate Frosting

1 16 oz. pkg. Powdered sugar

1/4 c. cocoa

1/2 c. butter

1/3 c. buttermilk

1 t. vanilla

Bring cocoa, butter, and buttermilk to a boil over medium heat. Pour over powdered sugar. Add vanilla and beat unil smooth.

Spread over cooled cake.

My First Post

This is my first post! I thought I would add a photo of the bread I made the other day! 5 loaves in 90 minutes using a Nutrimill wheat grinder and my Bosch mixer! I love them! I decided to start this blog to give you ideas I learn along the way, food storage recipes and just yummy stuff I have found, random thoughts that go on in my head...scary...and of course funny stuff that happens to me!