Meet the girls!

I'd like to share with you a few images of our new backyard beauty. (Read that dripping with sarcasm). Yes, we will be doing something to pretty it up some so it's not an eye sore, but for now, it will have to do.

First - the inspiration photo from Mother Earth News:


And now, our (T's) interpretation:

This is the back, behind the nesting boxes. These are doors for us to collect eggs from (latches have since been installed). Note the two small handles for T to cart the coop around the yard with (I think the big handle bar would have been easier, but what do I know?).


This is the larger, main door. T can get in and out from here for cleaning, feeding and watering (latches have since been installed here as well).


And here is the door for the chickens to get in and out into their pen through.


Monkey did enjoy helping T build the pen (she did do some hammering on the coop itself, too).
(I don't know what the red dot is - I probably lost control of the paintbrush while brushing out my license plate. Oops.)


Like I said - it's not pretty. But I'll take care of that later (I do have bigger fish to fry right now).

I'm thinking T needs to make the big door look like a barn door (this will also mimic the doors on our big shed). I'm also thinking I want to give it a clapboard type look - or put wood shingles. We'll see what I can find for free/cheap in the coming months (I also need to keep it LIGHT since T will be lugging the thing around the backyard!).

What are we looking at?


Oh? HI!
Meet Tallulah (red), Maisy (white), Carmella (white), BBQ (black), Stew (black) and Pot Pie (black). T knows the breeds - I do not. Deal with colors. HAHA They are 9 weeks old today (so no eggs for a little longer - if memory serves, I believe it's around 20 weeks they start to lay).


Who needs TV when you have chickens?


I'll admit it. I was laughing at him when I took the picture, but did join him once I'd put the camera away. We've been sitting out there quite a bit since Sunday.

So far, they've decided to stay in the coop all day but sleep in the pen at night. Weird birds. T needs to set them up a roost in the coop. A coworker of his who raises chickens said that will probably help them figure things out.

Welcome to the Farm!

Recipes of the week:

These are in no particular order. I tend to change things around depending on the weather (if I can grill, I'm going to grill!) or on when I need to use meat by.

We've got two from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

First up is a Marsala Chicken-and-Mushroom Casserole. Chicken Marsala is a favorite meal of ours. So this casserole seems like a nice variation.

Second from RR is Spinach and Ricotta with Shells. It's one of those so few side dishes I've snagged for nights I'm grilling.

The last recipe is from Real Simple Magazine. They call it a kid-friendly meal - though in our house, most anything is kid friendly, if you haven't noticed. It's Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce. I need a few easy meals to save my sanity. I want to continue enjoying my kitchen, not have it be a chore, the way I'm starting to feel.

So, there you have it. Check back on Friday for the reviews - and remember to enjoy your kitchens!

First two images are from Every Day with Rachael Ray. Third image is from Real Simple Magazine.

Reviews of recipes:

So, if you hadn't noticed by my lack of a post yesterday, the start of Sew Fun Sunday is being put off until next week.

Updates as to why will be coming later this week. Here I go again - keeping you in suspense.

Even with my new found love of stir fry, the Napa Noodles were not a hit. Monkey ate the noodles and not much else. T ate it but he didn't enjoy it much, either.

The Zesty Chicken-Noodle Casserole were ok, but not loved. I excluded the chilies because I get heartburn easily lately. I'm going to try it again when the threat of heartburn has passed - with the chilies. It was missing the zing and I think we will enjoy it much more made "correctly."

The Spicy Meatball is another recipe we aren't saving. The meatballs all stuck together in one big lump - and there was no sauce. We didn't enjoy it enough for me to even try tweaking it again. We're just throwing in the towel on this one.

And to prevent a complete wash out for the week, the Ginger-Sesame Stir-Fry was excellent. This is from Country Home magazine (March/April 2009). The magazine is no longer in print (cry) and the recipe can not be found on their website, so I'm sharing it here.

Ginger-Sesame Stir-Fry
1 tbs cooking oil
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz boneless pork loin, cut into bite-size strips
2 medium carrots, thinly bias-sliced
1 1/2 cups snow-pea pods
1 tbs sesame seeds
2 tbs reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4-1/2 tsp crush red pepper
1/4 cup bottled plum sauce
1/4 cup water
2-3 cups cooked cellophane noodles, rice vermicelli noodles or rice
Snipped fresh cilantro and/or chopped roasted cashews (optional)

Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. Preheat over medium-high heat.
Add onion and garlic.
Cook 2 minutes.
Add pork and carrots.
Cook 2 minutes more.
Add snow peas and sesame seeds.
Cook and stir for 3 minutes.
Add soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper.
Cook and stir for 1 minute more.
Stir in plum sauce and water.
Heat through.
Serve over noodles or rice.
Garnish with cilantro and/or cashews, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

You could use broccoli, sweet peppers, leeks and/or asparagus.
Also, it says you can substitute cubed firm tofu for the pork.

Enjoy your kitchens!

Sweet Treat Saturday:

I've got two to share this week. And both were divine.

My Grandma D's cousin G gave her this recipe, which she then shared with me. Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins were a breakfast treat this morning. T decided he wanted more blueberries so picked up some frozen blueberries. The recipe calls for fresh, but really - frozen were just fine. Judging by the mess on Monkey's face, I'd say they were a success.

The other is for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies. I know this originated from my Mom's recipe box but where it came from before, I can only guess. I'm guessing it was from my Great Aunt Vi because she was a pretty darned good baker and I have a lot of goodies passed down from her). I will say there was not enough filling for my taste. As you can see from the pictures, the filling is pretty thin. You can also see we've almost eaten all of them. HA (I froze a few). Next time, I'll be doubling the filling (WHAT? I like frosting!).

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

Shells

1 can pumpkin pie filling

2 eggs

4 tsp baking powder

4 cups flour

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp milk

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

Mix together in a large bowl.

Add chocolate chips.

Drop on baking sheets (I used a small measuring cup to get even sized shells).

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes (I ended up needing to leave them in for 13-14 minutes).

Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Filling

Mix on medium speed:

2 (3 oz) packages of cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

dash of salt

Beat until smooth.

Gradually beat 2 cups powdered sugar and 2-3 tsp milk until thick and of spreading consistency.

Enjoy!

Sew Fun Sundays

When I started blogging, I don't really know entirely what I wanted to accomplish, but I find I've gone over to the cooking side of things too much. Cooking, meal planning and food prep in general do take up a lot of my time. I'm starting to feel like it is taking over too much of my life.

So to infuse something different into LTRLT, I've decided to start a new feature: Sew Fun Sundays (I googled this to make sure I wasn't stealing an idea from someone else - I'm peculiar like that). I don't do nearly as much sewing as I'd like to. This will give me an excuse!

I've also decided to make Mr. Linky parties for this feature for other bloggers to link up and share their sewing fun. (This will require I learn how to use Mr. Linky first).

Projects don't have to be big. It can be something as simple as a throw pillow (I'm sure there are more simple - it's just the first thing that came to mind) - or as difficult as Monkey's flower girl dress I need to get started on.

Rest assured, I'll still be doing the new recipes. I just need to shake things up around here a little!

So, check back either this Sunday or next for our very first Sew Fun Sunday!