Hot food on a stormy day...

That sounds like a title one would expect to read in January. But check the calendar, we are nearing the end of May and still having weather that is impersonating Winter. The high here today was 65 degrees F. It has been raining most the day (for the 3rd day in a row!). On the other side of the coin, the hot food. I had all the ingredients on hand to make Mujadara and now there is a steaming pot full of it on the stove. Garnished with a spoonful of plain yogurt, I am thoroughly enjoying my bowl.

Banana Muffins with add-ins

During March, I was on a muffin kick. I was making muffins several times a week. It started with a request for healthy cranberry orange muffins and evolved to many combinations. Many of the combinations are banana based. This was intentional because by using ripe bananas I could eliminate the added sugar. If the bananas were especially ripe, their natural sweetness was just right. Here are few of the banana based muffin combinations I have made.

Basic recipe:

2 ripe bananas (about 1 cup mashed)

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup baking mix

Mix all the ingredients together until moistened. There will be some lumps, this is okay. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-18 minutes. Now for the fun part.

Banana Pecan - add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans (or other nut of your choice)

Banana Pecan Oatmeal - same as Banana Pecan, but with 1/2 cup old fashioned oats and some extra milk to moisten.

Banana Chocolate Chip - add 1/4 cups chocolate chips (or more if you want)

Almond Banana - add 1 cup sliced almonds. I was accused of being stingy with the nuts in my recipe, so this was to make sure my dear husband had enough nuts in his muffin. (1/2 cup would probably work too).

Double Chocolate Cocoa Brownies

Way back in March, I wanted to make some brownies. I didn't want to make a special trip to the store so I looked for a recipe that called for ingredients that I had on hand. I came across this recipe at Smitten Kitchen and it looked like just what I had in mind.

I made the brownies and they ended up more like fudge; sort of soft and not very brownie like. None of the fudge/brownies went to waste as they were still good enough to eat. Bonus was that my hubby didn't like them so I got them all.

For Mother's Day I decided to try again. The key change I made from the first round was to extend the baking time and add the chocolate chips.

Ingredients
10 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Add butter, sugar, and cocoa to a microwave safe bowl.
2. Heat mixture at 30 second intervals and stir. Continue until butter is melted and combined with sugar and cocoa. It looks sort of grainy.
3. Add the vanilla and stir.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing in the first before adding the second.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour into an 8x8 inch parchment lined pan. The parchment makes it really easy to remove and clean up.
6. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes.
7. Let cool before cutting into squares. Per the original recipe, it really helps to chill the brownies in the refrigerator before cutting.

Enjoy!!!

Giant Chickens Invade Loomis!

Not exactly, but the the chicks are getting huge. I had to add a second roost in their house because they didn't all fit. They have changed so much over the 12 weeks since we brought them home. Soon we will have a surprise for them, even if it means having to bunk with White Chicken.

Vegetable Garden 2010

This Spring has been really busy for me. I spent several nights last week pulling weeds to clear the rows from the garden plot. The seed starting efforts this year were also impacted by my lack of time. I was able to grow one flat of seedlings. The second one didn't make it. I decided to supplement my homegrown seedlings with store bought ones in order to fill out the garden. I took a trip to Eisley's Nursery on Saturday morning and planted on Sunday.


Compared to last year's garden, there are some notable differences. The first is the quantity of pepper plants. I told my husband that this was going to be the "Year of the Pepper" and I wasn't kidding. There are about 70 pepper plants in plan. Some are the same varieties as last summer, some are new. I am excited for both.


We also have tomatoes (of course!) and I am trying out the Three Sisters Garden approach with corn, beans, and pumpkins. So far, I am optimistic because it has rained 2 of the last 3 days and the seedlings are off to a good start. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Golden Laced Wyandotte at 10 Weeks

The chicks are 10 weeks old. It has been a while since I profiled one of our breeds, so today, the Golden Laced Wyandotte is in the spotlight. The Wyandottes were not on my original list when I went to the feed store to get the chicks. I asked the salesgirl about the breed and she mentioned that she had raised Wyandottes last year and that they were really sweet. Since their coloring is quite stunning, I decided to get some. 4 to be exact.

Wyandottes are of the American Class of chickens and are considered a heavy breed. They originated as a cross between a Silver Laced Wyandotte and an unnamed breed called a Winnebago.

The chicks are getting bigger everyday. Here is a close-up of the Wyandottes and Orpingtons in the chick condo. They are quickly out growing it. Today, I had to move their feeder out into the run so they would have more room inside.

Notice their size in comparison with the quart sized container on the right. It's amazing how much they have grown since bringing them home. The dark ones are the Wyandottes.

Caught in the Rain

The past two weeks have been a mixed bag of weather. We have had rain, hail, wind, blue skies, and sunshine. We even lost power. Clearly this was one of the rainy days. White Chicken decided to stand on the back porch instead of in the coop or under some other shelter. She made me laugh when I saw her standing there with spiked feathers.