The Chickens That Flew the Coop

 Soooo.... my chickens are a bit spoiled in that they get to free range in the evening before bed time. Because of that they think they should be able to roam whenever and wherever they want. Add to that the fact that at least two of them are starting to lay eggs and you have a chicken revolt going on as they look for places to drop their eggs. They are always looking for ways to escape and or hoping I'm coming out to let them out. Yes, they have nesting boxes but that doesn't stop them from wanting to try and lay an egg behind the chest freezer in the garage, or the stack of bricks against the fence. My kind and helpful cousin brought us this much larger coop for the girls as I was plotting a bigger abode for them. The story behind the giveaway of this coop is best saved for another day.

I was getting things put away and happened to walk into the laundry room and spied Penny and Betsy on top of the coop. This is the second time I've caught them up there and I wanted to get a photo so I stepped out on the back porch only to have Penny fly straight toward me and land outside the pen. Betsy, who is still on the coop in the photo, followed suit immediately and they both came running up to me to see if I had a treat for them. Yes, these girls are spoiled. I was contemplating going to buy some sharp shears to clip their wings when it dawned on me that the ramp on the back of the coop is their launch pad to getting on top of the coop. What you don't see is that the other side of the coop roof is a lift top with corrigated tinted sun room plastic which they would never be able to get up on. So I've removed the ramp you see to prevent another escape. You have to give them credit, they are smart enough to plot an escape for sure.

Two of the three eggs I found this morning. The one on the right is called a jello egg as the shell is super soft. The other one was dropped by the feeder and was another jello egg, so this tells me they are starting to lay and trying to get it right. I might need to boost their calcium intake a bit, although Penny has been laying eggs for a month now and they are getting larger all the time.

Summer's Fresh Bounty Enjoyed - Smoked Chicken & Tomato with Basil Openface Sandwich

 My first full summer here in beautiful Wallowa Valley and the garden gods have been pretty good to me.

Our tomatoes are doing better than I had hoped, as the weather here can be rather unpredictable, but in spite of that I've been able to put up a batch of delicious pickled beets and roasted tomato salsa. I have a nice crop of Basil of different varieties, so pesto will be in the near future here. We are lucky to have a local grocery store that does smoked meats which is nice for those days when you want something simple and easy. The other day I had a craving for Italian something, anything, but I'm in the middle of a sculpting and painting frenzy in order to get ready for Hallowbaloo in Seattle. So I rummaged around my kitchen and fridge and this is the result. Nice nutty, whole grain bread topped with a smear of mayo and thin slices of fresh picked tomato, topped with shredded smoked chicken, topped with minced fresh Basil and a sprinkle of course ground pepper. Mmmm! Heaven!

Smoked Chicken & Tomato with Basil Openface Sandwich

Sliced whole grain bread of your choice
fresh, thinly sliced tomato
mayonnaise
smoked chicken
fresh minced Basil
course ground pepper.

spread mayo on bread, top with a single layer of sliced tomato, top with shredded smoked chicken, sprinkle with fresh minced basil and pepper. Enjoy!

Meatless Monday - Italian Quinoa Patties

Alrighty then! I've been gone so long from my blog that I took Google by surprise. I will have to start posting more often. Anyhew, I'm baaaack! From moving and getting a big garden in to baby chicks and tearing out flooring to chasing stuff from room to room so the new flooring could be installed..... to tearing out cabinets and having to find a place for everything that was in the old cabinets to painting and more, I've been way too busy to even think about blogging. We are almost at normal now, and am so happy with the results. Will post pictures when all is done.
For now I want to share a recipe I found on Pinterest and tweaked of course, that filled the bill for our meatless Monday plan. Quinoa is a super food grain that is also very versatile. We had these delicious patties, accompanied by fresh from the garden salad and baked potatoes. I made a creamy spicy mayo to top the patties with and even Nature Guy went back for seconds. We will do this again, perhaps as little meatballs for marinara. So yummy and easy as well!

Italian Quinoa Patties
1/3 c. quinoa cooked in 2/3 cup water according to package directions.
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon each fresh minced parsley and basil
3 tablespoons each fresh minced chives or green onion, and yellow onion
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Rinse your quinoa and add to small pan with the water. Bring to boil and turn the burner to low, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool. After cool beat eggs and add those along with the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let sit 5 minutes. Using wet hands form 4 patties about 1 inch tall. In a frying pan place 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and turn burner to medium low. Once hot add patties and cook covered for 5 minutes on each side. They should be golden. Serve with spicy mayo, recipe below.
6 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon spicy chile sauce, and teaspoon sweet chile sauce.Whisk together and serve with patties.

Enjoy!

Here Chick, Chick Chick.....

We recently acquired some little chicklets, that started out cute and tiny. They were just little balls of fluff and super sweet. Betsy is the black one, and Prudy is the one up front, with Penny behind her.

 We also added two more, who are growing quickly. Here's Bella, the terror of tiny town, although I think the other chicks are putting her in her place without me having to put her in time out as you see her here. You can tell she's not happy...lol.

Here's sweet Daisy, the quietest and prettiest of the flock. 

Betsy has grown quite a bit in the last week, with full feathered wings and a tail to boot. Chickens aren't much different than humans, in that they like company, like to be noticed, and love to eat. These little darlin's are all laying hens, at least we hope they are all hens. Penny was stretching her neck earlier, looking as if she was going to crow, oh dear! If any turn out to be a rooster by mistake, they are looking at cold storage, but that's the way of the world on a small farmette. We have two Gold Sexlinks, two Ameracaunas, and one black Austrolorpe. All are purportedly good layers of large eggs, and supposedly good natured and hardy. Hardy I believe as they took a 600 mile journey with me last week. I hope they are as sweet as they are supposed to be.
So the fun begins, with heat lamps, changing bedding daily, poop patrol in the brooder at least twice daily and water changing. I figured out that if I elevated their food and water a bit, the feeders tend to stay cleaner. Bella and Daisy love to scratch and toss things behind them with their feet so this has been great. I've found a great forum for getting questions answered regarding raising chicks at Backyard Chickens Forum. If you have started a similar journey into Chickendom I'd love to hear from you!

Breathe

Sometimes we need a reminder to breathe as we dash through our day tending to our tasks. Here's an uplifting and pretty reminder, complete with pearls and lampwork beads. Find this at:

Simply Sheryl's

Tropical Breezes

Palm trees and breezes...

shells on warm sandy beaches,

wait to dress pretty girls.

Simply Sheryl's

Broken China Heart Pendants and a Statement Bracelet

 Reality has limits, imagination is boundless.... a great way to lift your spirits any day! This bracelet can be sized to fit anyone.

Amongst all that junk mail,
It feels so divine
When someone cares enough
To send a Valentine!

Have you thought about what you could give that special someone? Well, I'm hear to give you some ideas. So for all you see here, and more stop by Simply Sheryl's