Month: November 2019

Family Photo Friday!

Family Photo Friday

Today’s photograph is of Emily after she and the others had finished their Thanksgiving Day feast of baked sweet potatoes and pomegranate poms. In the background, Gracie is taking care of an itch.

We started with dessert, the pomegranate, because since it was a holiday, “dessert first” was fine. Emily is more ladylike with this treat, and so I usually hand feed this to them. She doesn’t like to get the juice from the poms on her face. The others just shake it off, and so they are more likely to grab too hard and splatter juice in all directions. Emily, above all, is a proper lady.

I had not expected Emily to let me take her photos and especially this closely. She is normally shy, but I think their Thanksgiving Day menu put her in a good mood, or at least good enough to not be so shy with the camera.

Emily had a very rough late fall molt and lost all of her neck and head feathers except for a few that hung down in back like a pony tail. (Can you really call it a “pony tail” if it is on a chicken?) But her feathers have come back enough to keep her neck warm, though they still have a bit more to go before they are at their fullest and most iridescent.

I appreciate that she allowed me to use her photo for today’s post even though she is still not at her “feathery best.” You can see the tiny cream-colored feathers covering her ears. It looks as if she may be waiting to hear me say, “I almost forgot. I have one more Thanksgiving Day treat for you!” Chickens are always hopeful.

In the photo below you can see how shy Emily really is while Amelia’s boldness is undeniable. This photo was taken several weeks before Emily’s late fall molt began.

We are truly thankful for all we have and for you, our readers. We hope that all of your days, holidays or not, are filled with many wonderful things, including the small things in life like sweet potatoes and pomegranates or anything else that you particularly enjoy.

Each post shares a glimpse into my journey as a writer and illustrator. Every “Like,” “Follow,” and “Comment” is truly appreciated. Some strange mix-up happened with this post earlier today. Hopefully it is okay now. Thanks!

Bessie’s Best Ever Sweet Onion And Walnut Mini Muffins

Bessie’s Best Ever Sweet Onion and Walnut Mini Muffins

Bessie was very eager to get this recipe out to you before the holiday season officially starts. We both agreed this is one of our favorite “good any time” recipes, especially when you need to dress up leftovers.

This is also an especially easy recipe for anyone who is new to baking, and that includes children and chickens. Her step-by-step illustration makes it especially easy too.

Onion and walnut may seem like an unusual combination, but as Bessie reminded me, “Julia Child said a great chef needs to be inventive.” I’m sticking with Bessie and Julia, and I hope you will too!

Bessie’s Best Ever Sweet Onion and Walnut Mini Muffins

Small Bowl Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs

Large Bowl Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly butter three mini muffin pans.

Part A

Chop finely 1 onion, enough to make 1 cup, and put in small bowl. Melt butter on low heat, and pour over onion. Mix with spatula. Make sure butter has cooled before adding two eggs. (This is so you don’t have scrambled eggs!) Mix with spatula.

Part B

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix with spatula.

Add wet mixture in small bowl to the dry mixture in the large bowl. Mix with spatula until everything is nice and moist. Fold in the walnuts. The muffin batter will be thicker than most muffin batters, but that is okay.

Part C

With a spoon, scoop The muffin batter into the buttered mini muffin baking pans. Fill each one about 3/4 full. The batter will rise some, but not as much as a regular muffin. This is because of all the chopped onion and walnuts. Yummy!

Bake at 400° for 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Additional Information Bessie is also considering adding some sprigs of fresh thyme to the butter as it melts to add a little more savory taste and maybe even some other herbs like chopped chives. She has a feeling this basic recipe has endless possibilities, and she may be right!

These are great warm and great cool. You can make them early in the morning and they will still be moist and tasty in the evening…or even the next day if there are any left! They are great by themselves or with most hearty wintertime roasts, stews, or soups. (And that includes soup made from all of that leftover turkey!)

Each post shares a glimpse into my journey as a writer and illustrator. Every “Like,” “Follow,” and “Comment” is truly appreciated!

(Bessie and I followed Emily’s smart advice and made individual cutout pictures for each part. This lets us move them around until they are just right, and Bessie won’t need to draw them all over again for each new recipe. Thanks, Emily!)

Family Photo Friday!

Family Photo Friday

Today’s photograph is of Gracie. I have realized I don’t often share photos of her, even though this website is titled “My Life With Gracie.” Usually she is so busy with her leadership duties I’m only able to catch a photo of her tail feathers! So when I had a chance, I took this photo.

Earlier this week, I shared with you how my chickens now have bales of hay around their coop and run area to serve as wind blocks. This photo shows Gracie on top of a hay bale inside their run area. This has become her favorite morning lookout spot as I leave for work.

You may remember a recent “Family Photo Friday!” post of Amelia which showed her right eye rather close up as she was examining the camera. She was using her right eye because it is better for viewing things closeup. In today’s photo, Gracie is using her left eye which is better for viewing things far away. She is not going to let any predators sneak up on them from a distance.

What a good guardian she is for my little flock! She is not being distracted by the camera while keeping watch over her friends with her farsighted left eyes.

Below is a photo showing Gracie a bit perplexed by why I am still taking her photo rather than getting their “Daddy-is-going-off-to-work” mealworm treats. At this moment, my priorities are obviously not the same as hers. (Safe home and happy tummies for all!)

For today, I hope we will all see just as Gracie sees: motivated by love with farsighted bravery. I also hope life will provide you with your favorite most enjoyable treats. (I am quite sure that will not include mealworms! And that just means more for the chickens!)

Family Photo Friday

Each post shares a glimpse into my journey as a writer and illustrator. Every “Like,” “Follow,” and “Comment” is truly appreciated!