Egg-citing news!

WE HAVE EGGS!

Our little feathered ladies have kicked into action, and after a week away from Paradise we came home to 4 little brown eggs in the winter coop. I stepped on the first one and stared questioningly at the other 3… “hmm what is that?” I though, in the red warm lamp light of the coop I suspected poop of some creature much larger and then as I noticed I had just cracked something underfoot… the realization of egg production came rushing to mind. Eggs!, they are eggs! WE HAVE EGGS! Eggs! finally after all these months and the last few weeks of guessing when we would get our first egg, and there it was under my furry sorrel boot!

This silent snowy winter wonderland that is upon us is really  calming and crisp, yet I feel panicky about everything we have yet to do! The coop still isn’t to the state of finish I had hoped, our root cellar never got built, our mud room addition is a work in progress, and my freezer is still full of fruit awaiting jamming. I picked up my old dehydrator on our little trip and am looking forward to using it! Also got a old deep freeze from the grandparents which means we can buy a 1/2 a bison or lamb, locally naturally raised, that is if we don’t fill it with venison hunted right here on our land with our bows.

No recipes today, just a happy little post celebrating our egg production system moving forward!

Lushious Little Spelt Carrot Loafs

Mmm these little carrot loafs are my take on the Rebar Carrot Cake Recipe, and of course carrot cake wouldn’t be complete with out creamy cream-cheese frosting.

Chedda’ Chive & Chili lock down

I confess. It’s true. I am guilty as charged! This recipe is neither healthy, nor easy, nor local (per say), nor is it allergen friendly. What it is however is kickin’ and cheesy and wrapped in gooey organic goodness. I found a recipe online somewhere for Apple Walnut Cinnamon roll cupcakes, and I made a version of these at work the other day, and while working with the dough I kinda fell in love with it’s silky elastic-y body. And so in another effort to make interesting lunch treats for my daughter I decided to make a savory take on the sweet buns.

This is defiantly more of a Sunday afternoon recipe than an after work ordeal. It takes time and love and a few cups of tea before you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor, but somehow when you get there it’s all worth it. 

Rock ‘n Veggie Rolls

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This is a real crowd pleaser, they look like way more effort than they are, and once you make them yourself, I am certain you won’t buy the “asian appetizer sampler” from M&M ever again!

Start by browning both sides of firm tofu slices about 1/4” thick you will need three of them, season with S+P and brown in a blend of canola oil and sesame oil, set aside to cool a little. Add to the hot pan: 1 jalenpeno diced, 2 garlic cloves minced, 2” ginger knob finely grated and 1/4 of a red onion finely minced. Get these guys all browning and then add: 3 julienne carrots (sliced finely lengthwise). Reduce heat.  You want the carrot to get just tender… not cooked through, about 1-2 minutes only. Add equal parts about 1-2 tbsp each: soy sauce, rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, and just a splash of sesame oil and coat mixture evenly. Turn off the heat, but leave your pan on the element and add two big handfuls of bean sprouts, 3 green onions diced, and your browned tofu now sliced like the carrots. Mix everything together and place in a bowl. Add a little cilantro chopped and a small handful of fresh spinich finely chopped. Toss everything and set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate until your almost ready to serve the spring rolls. Before using strain the juices from your filling.

shitaki soba noodles * return of the mushrooms!

Ok, so maybe you are thinking.. again with the tofu and mushrooms? enough all ready.

But in all honesty this recipe is truly an amazing combination of flavors, and it takes about 12 minutes to make. I am sure you could easily add chicken and cashews instead of mushrooms and tofu and it would be just as wonderful.

In this recipe I used 3 of my favorite ingredients: Soba king rice noodles (the pumpkin flavored ones) SilverKing Tofu (firm) and fresh local mushrooms (I used shitaki tonight)