Who ordered the chicken?

Chicks are in! Waiting for our mail order chicks has been a lot like waiting for labor to kick in. We were told a tentative date with the disclaimer that they could come in before or after that date. So we have been on stand-by all week, and then this morning at 6:15 the call came- chicks are in! Moonpie (age 4) is ecstatic! Her bantam chicks are tiny and she has named all 4 'Cupcake'. Buddy (age 20 months) likes them from a distance. Mainly he likes to throw feed at them...Being urban homesteaders we have very limited room for chicken care. Taking this into consideration we had decided that we could handle 4 grown chickens. When I went to place the order I soon realized that I needed to order 8 to meet the $20 minimum order fee. Upon receiving my confirmation email I remember some small print about small orders being 'packed' with extra males to ensure warmth. The poor expendable male, like a groom on his wedding day...Now here we are, with SIXTEEN chicks!!! With at least half of those being roosters! Seems like we will be learning the art of chicken harvesting sooner than expected. Chicken lesson #1: when ordering a small number of birds for a backyard flock, go in with a friend so you don't end up with more then you bargained for! Now, on to breakfast. Eggs anyone???

chicken pot, chicken pot pie

my brother has made it clear that it is not nice to have a blog and not write in it, so here goes. all is quiet on the homestead front, trying to get the kids over the sniffles. i've been treating them with herbs for bronchial issues, thinking the cough was all chest related. apparently it is a sinus thing (thank you dr.!) so we are now on a nettle/eyebright combo. we've never used this so i'm interested to see how well it works. as with anything else, herbs work differently for individuals. so between that, watching my peas grow (beautifully by the way) and waiting for baby chicks to arrive, all that i have to write about is tonight's dinner: chicken pot pie. mmm! i like to make chicken pot pie after i've roasted a big chicken. we eat on it for a couple of days and then i use the leftover chicken to make a pie. it is probably the most involved thing i make, but it is in no way difficult. don't be disheartened by all the steps- it really is worth it!

this is the order i do it in. i find it best to make the crust last because it is most pliable right out of the food processor.

filling:
olive oil in pan
saute: 3/4 cup onion
1 large garlic clove
after these are soft add:
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots (about 2)
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup peas
(if you don't have-or like- these veggies, just substitute whatever you have. tonight i have no potatoes so i doubled the cauliflower and added a cup of corn)

sauce:
in a bowl mix
1 1/2 cups water or veggie stock
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
3 tblsp thickening agent ( i use arrowroot powder)
1 tsp mixed spices (sage is nice with the chicken!)
salt and pepper to taste

add sauce and leftover cooked chicken to veggie mix on stove top and let it slowly thicken

crust:
blend in a food processor until it all holds together when pressed into your hand
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 tblsp cold butter
4 tblsp cold water

put veggie/chicken/sauce mix in a greased pie pan. roll out crust and lay over mixture. vent with a fork.

bake on 350' for 40-45 minutes.

this filling mix makes enough for me to make 2 pies. i just make an extra crust and i have one to freeze (before baking)!

bread baking day...

Today is bread day. I made a loaf and a dozen rolls. I love the process of making bread-the patience it takes, the feel (and taste) of the dough, and of course, the smell as it rises and bakes. The kids usually help me, but they were busy designing easter eggs, so it was just me in a quiet kitchen. The recipe I use is a simple one passed on to me by a friend:

6 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

1/3 cup vital wheat gluten (you can get at most grocery stores on the baking aisle)

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup raw honey

2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

2 1/2 cups warm water

Mix water, yeast and 2 cups flour. Let sit (proof) for 15 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients. Knead for 10 minutes.

Oil 2 bread pans. Turn dough over in the pans to oil the top (won't harden in the warming process).

Let rise in warm oven for 30-45 minutes.

Bake on 350 for 25-30 minutes. Makes 2 loaves of bread.

To make clover rolls:

Half the dough. Place half in a bread pan. With the other half roll the dough into small balls. Drop 3 balls into each space of a greased muffin tin. They will rise and form beautiful, cafeteria lady worthy clover rolls!

This bread is so delicious! I actually replace 2 cups of the whole wheat flour with ground up oats. That's my secret recipe. We have to make 2 loaves at a time because we practically eat one entire loaf as it comes out of the oven! I hope you enjoy this bread as much as we do- we make it (and eat it!) every week. Knowing how to make bread should be a skill we are all required to have. What a freedom it is to know exactly what goes into the food you eat and to know that you don't have to depend on a grocery store to be nourished. (We buy all of our grain from a family farm in Colorado.) I am being beckoned by my little one to rub her back. Happy baking!

water, water everywhere...

i am an overbearing mother to my garden. today with threats of impending hail storms i bravely set out to cover my delicate seedlings with tarps. so far (9 hours later) no hail. only lots of lovely, life giving rain. rumor has it that plants like rain...what this day of rain has stirred up is my interest in getting some rain barrels out there to catch the rain. i need to get on that. the dry, hot summer will be here soon. free rain would be nice.