Maple Toast N' Eggs!

My sister-in-law shared this recipe (by the looks of it, she got it from Taste of Home) and it's really tasty!  Anyone who owns laying hens knows what it's like to be constantly on the lookout for good egg recipes and this one doesn't disappoint.

Here's what you'll need:

• 12 bacon stripped (cooked and broken into pieces)
• 1/2 C. Maple Syrup
• 1/4 C. Butter
• 12 slices of white bread 
• 12 FARM FRESH Eggs
• Salt & Pepper

Cook your bacon and break into pieces.  In a small saucepan, warm butter and syrup until butter is melted and mixes well with the syrup -set aside.  Trim the crust off the bread & feed it to your chickens (if you don't have chickens, just toss them) and use a rolling pin to flatten the bread.  Generously brush one side of the flattened bread with the syrup & butter mixture and press into ungreased muffin tin syrup side down.  Divide bacon evenly among cups and break one egg over the bacon.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with foil, and bake @ 400° for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are cooked just how you like 'em.  If you've got a sweet tooth like mine that just won't quit, use the leftover syrup mixture to drizzle over the top. Enjoy!!

Before, After, & Egg Salad...

Before coloring...

After coloring...

Egg Salad!! 

The HUGE golden yolks from our chickens make a beautiful egg salad!  I'm not much for measurements; I add a little of this and a little of that until it's just right.  My husband and children will let me know if it's edible or not.  This went over well -the only thing I fear is the poison gas that is sure to fill the walls of our little ranch home this evening!

Here's what I added to about 20 eggs:

• Light Mayo
• Salt & Pepper
• Lemon Juice (The juice of 1 small lemon will do-Add some zest too)
• Granulated Garlic
• Paprika
• Dill
• Onion
• Mustard
• Love

Easter Tradition!

I thought I'd share one of my favorite Easter traditions!

Looking at me, you probably wouldn't guess that I'm part Greek.  My great-grandparents came to America, arriving through Ellis Island, from Greece. Growing up, one of my fondest memories of Easter was the egg-cracking game.  As an adult, I've learned more about the symbolism of this tradition and have enjoyed continuing the tradition with my children. The fact that this tradition wouldn't be possible without the incredible, edible egg, makes it even better! 

In the Greek Orthodox Church, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, shed on the Cross, and the hard shell of the egg symbolizes the sealed Tomb of Christ— the cracking of the eggs symbolizes His resurrection from the dead.The egg is seen by followers of Christianity as a symbol of resurrection; while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.

The Rules:
The game is called tsougrisma (prounounced TSOO-grees-mah & means clinking together or clashing) (τσουγκρισμα in Greek) and it involves two players and red eggs.  Each player holds a red egg, and one taps the end of her/his egg lightly against the end of the other player’s egg. The goal is to crack the opponent’s egg. When one end is cracked, the winner uses the same end of her/his egg to try to crack the other end of the opponent’s egg.  The player who successfully cracks the eggs of the other players is declared the winner and, it is said, will have good luck during the year.  You just keep going until there's one person standing with at least one end of his/her egg still intact! 

In our family, the first person would say, Christos Anesti "Χριστός ἀνέστη!" - "Christ is Risen!" before clinking eggs with his/her opponent and the opponent would respond, Alithos Anesti "Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!" - "Truly He is Risen!" or "He Has Risen Indeed!

It's a fun way to remember why we celebrate Easter and a great learning game for children.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Happy Easter!

Who needs to color eggs when you have chickens that do it for you?!?  We'll still be coloring so the kids can have some fun, but I absolutely love their natural colors.  Do you color your eggs or do you just enjoy their natural color?

Chick 'N Coop Giveaway!!!

Attention my chicken lovin' readers!  Here's your chance to give your chickens a complete makeover!  I wish I could say that I was the one able to give this amazing package away, but the credit here goes to Purina, The Green Chicken Coop, and GRIT!  Register HERE to win a year's supply (28 bags) of Purina Layena Plus Omega 3 poultry feed provided by Purina and the Elizabeth chicken coop from GreenChickenCoop.com.  I know how awesome it would be to win this for my girls, so I couldn't help but share the info with you fine people.  Good luck!  

Here are some of pics of our girls from a couple of weeks ago, enjoying a snack (tomatoes, lettuce & apples) in the yard on a gorgeous 50° day in Wisconsin, in January!!  Now the yard is covered with snow and we're lucky to get to 10° during the day -needless to say, the girls haven't set a pretty foot out of the warmth of their coop in days.  

The Bearded Ladies...Ameraucanas!

Miss Crooked Tail, The Welsummer

Goldie, The Easter Egger & Red, The Barred Plymouth 

 Sparkle, the big-breasted Speckled Sussex.  

Travis always says she'd make good soup-I say, not in my kitchen!

Goldie, The Easter Egger & Sparkle, bringin' up the rear!

   

Little One-The Leghorn Silkie

This is Little One- the big white Leghorn (A.K.A Leggern) with the largest, brightest red comb in the flock.  She came to us early this summer after being hatched at a nearby elementary school.  She was the sole survivor and needed a place to stay, so we took her in.

Anyone who has raised chickens knows how hard it can be to integrate new chickens into an existing flock, especially ONE bright white chicken in a sea of dark feathered friends or maybe I should say, enemies.

We decided our Silkies would probably accept her without trying to kill her, so that's where she went.  For the first couple of weeks, we kept her alone and then put her in with the Silkies and separated them by wire so they could get acquainted.  Once the wire was removed, all was well in the world.

We built a separate coop for our Silkies after learning the hard way that our big girls would attempt to eat them if we put them all together...theirs is the little one on the left.

We often open the doors and let all the girls, big and small, outside to roam around.  So far, they all get along when allowed to roam together.  They do keep to their own territory though; it reminds me of tween boys and girls-all the Silkies on one side and the Big Girls on the other!

Little One did manage to make her way into the Big Girls' coop one afternoon and a beastly Ameraucana decided to attack her beautiful red comb.  She was probably jealous-women can be so difficult.  Thankfully, Travis was outside and was able to rescue her.  He brought her inside, I washed up her comb, put some antibiotic ointment on it and off she went.

Needless to say, she has never entered the Big Girls' coop again & the incident confirmed that she'd never be able to be housed with the big girls as I had hoped maybe she'd be able to do one day.  At this point, I'm sure if I were to show her her own reflection in a mirror, she'd swear it wasn't so.  I'm certain she thinks she looks just like her coop mates.  We'll just let her go on believing.

 

Chicken Poop Lip Junk!

My sister-in-law & brother-in-law brought me one of these the other day at our monthly Wiedenhoeft Sunday lunch, or dinner, as lunch is often called out in the country.  Then what is dinner, you ask?  Well, supper, of course!  I digress.

Back to the star of this show, Free Range Chicken Poop Lip Junk!  The primitive style package is cute and sure to please any chicken lover.  In fact, I haven't had the heart to open it yet.  I may just hang it on my wall in the kitchen for character or for that moment of dry lip desperation that's sure to hit once the balmy days of Wisconsin winter set in.

This gift also made me realize that I've sealed my seat in our family as that person; you know, the crazy chicken lady.  Once people start buying you random gifts related to your obsession and passing them around secretively before giving them to you-giggling all the while, I think it's a sign.  Thank you Brad & Jenny for making it official.  I digress again.  

Grandpa says: 

If ya' got dry lips

put chicken poop on 'em 

so ya' won't lick 'em.

Simone Chickenbone Natural Put-Ons, the creators of this fine chicken poo product, point out that there isn't really chicken poo or poo of any kind contained in this lip junk.  Actually, the ingredients include avocado oil, jojoba, sweet orange, lavender essential oil, bees wax & vitamin E.  Sounds yummy.  All of their products are made with natural ingredients & are earth-friendly too...bonus!  

As the winter rolls by and my lips start to crack, I'll let y'all know if this junk really works!  

By the way, I've missed y'all and promise to pay more attention to you.  I swear.