Chickens and Selfies

Somehow we got into the habit of calling the girls "sister(s)"..It's pretty cute, especially when we start talking about the sisters in our chicken/dog voices, the dogs light up and practically wag their cute little tails off! They absolutely love their sisters..I cracked up the other day when just Winston and I were hanging out inside and I saw him catch a glimpse of himself in my floor length mirror, so I started pointing to the mirror like a lunatic saying "who's that baby, where's the baby!? Then I was like what the what when he was practically spinning in circles looking all over my room..I soon realized that I was talking in my sister/dog Mom voice and he must have thought one of the sisters was in my room.  It was hilarious!

The sisters are officially teenagers now - actually as of a few weeks ago.  Much easier to handle than the human teenagers.  Like, really!!  I am beginning to believe that I was destined to be a Mom to dog and chicken teenagers, rather than the human kind.

Agnes has the most beautiful green eyes.  When I'm holding her I always tell her how beautiful they are...hopefully she will continue to allow me to admire her beauty and she won't peck my face..because that hurts..like for real.  My girls have not pecked me yet, but I was talking a selfie with a chicken once (who takes selfies with chickens? < quietly raises hand in the back of the room > ) and it pecked my nose.  It hurt like a mother!  So, anytime I have my girls within pecking range of my face I instantly flash back to that mean chicken.  I can't make this stuff up.  This is really my life. 

  

  

The girls each have their own little personalities, which is pretty darn adorable.  Agnes and her sad face make me giggle to myself...she is actually my most photogenic sister, and bless her heart,she has the saddest little face.  Rest assured she is a very happy hen who thinks she is the boss!!

Quite often I would, one at a time, let the dogs sisters sniff out the sisters, and touch beaks while they were still little infant sisters in the brooder.  The day I finally decided to let them free range with the chickens was a big day.  

Scuba was the only one I was worried about because he would lick his chops like he couldn't wait to get his jaws clenched on some fresh, juicy chicken..To my surprise he loves his sisters!!  He is very protective of them and just likes to hang out near them.  The boys swear that he is afraid of them, but if some little beak came chasing after me to peck my paws, I would probably run too.  

Brodie is the same, he mingles well with the sisters and as long as we throw his ball he honestly pays them no attention.  I have noticed if we don't throw his ball for a while he will start playing with the sisters to get them riled up, which makes me totally nervous, so I panic until I can find his ball to toss it.  Well played, Brodie..well played.  ;-)  

Wintson, on the other hand...Oh Winston..what am I going to do with my almighty barker!  He still has to be on a leash when they are free ranging.  I don't yet trust him with them one bit.  He is the only one that doesn't listen to commands (from anyone) and will full force senior citizen dog run after them.  He makes me so nervous, so for now he is a work in progress.  As long as he is leashed he doesn't even try to go near them, but he won't take his eyes off them either..

  

My sweet Cora is probably my favorite.  She is the only one that will sit as quiet as a little house hen while I pet her.  She'll coo and cluck a little, but won't move a muscle. 

I think she likes me the best too.  And I swear she knows her name.  Ok, well I haven't decided yet if she really knows her name, but if she hears her name, or my voice she comes to me, or turns her head towards me.  Perhaps it's my fabulous sister/dog Mom voice!?   Either way, I just love that girl!!

It's certainly never a dull moment around this little homestead, and with these little sisters around things are especially bright and shiny!!

Thanks for reading!

xo

Carrie   

E.I.E.I.O

Between this semester at school, work and just life in general.. I have purposely neglected my blog. In my spare time I usually have my face stuffed into a pile of flash cards and books.  I absolutely love being in school again and don't mind one bit that it takes up the majority of my time.  I think I could be a professional student at this point in my life. I love learning, especially about something I'm so passionate about.  

Besides all that..I have some exciting news that I want to share with you guys..

Last month we added four more pets to the bunch..This makes 8 total...Three dogs, one nameless fish...and four of the most precious baby chicks that you ever did see.  

Yep, zookeeper here.

I'm finally a chicken mama and so over the moon in love with them!! 

I picked up my girls at the end of February..We all go crazy over them...even the dogs.  I try to engage them with the dogs regularly...Hopefully they will love their sisters and not want to eat them for chicken snacks.  I can certainly say that now that I'm a chicken mama...chicken absolutely does not taste the same as it did pre-chicken mama..Obviously, we only got them to use as laying hens and will never harvest them for meat.  

They have the cutest little personalities, and I've made sure that they know I'm the mama..Although, I'm pretty sure they love Trey the most.  He's pretty easy to love the most, so I don't hold it against them...But I have thought about holding it against him when it comes to the morning shift once they move into their new house coop.

Kyle made them a roost and they love it!! It's super cute when all four of them are on it at the same time.  Which, of course, they promptly hop off of as soon as I try to snap a picture of them roosting.

I think they must agree with me that they're the prettiest little chicky babes ever since they wait in line to sit and stare at themselves in the mirror..

This is Cora...

She is an Ameracauna and will lay the most beautiful blue/green eggs.

Stella is a Silver-Laced Wyandotte and will lay beautiful brown eggs.

Agnes, my smallest girl, is a White Rock.  She knows her name and will follow us around wherever we go.  Agnes has the cutest personality and loves to have her chest rubbed.  She'll lay brown eggs.

Hazel is a Golden-Sex Link.  She doesn't really seem to like anything, or care a whole lot for anybody.  She falls all over herself to get to the nearest corner of their brooder just so no one will pick her up.  I give her extra lovin' just because I'm the mama, and that's what mamas do.  Hazel will also lay brown eggs.

Now that you've met the newest loves of my life I hope you stop back in to read about my new adventures as a chicken mama..These girls grow super fast!!  You wouldn't believe how much they change every day!

Agnes wanted to thank you for stopping by to read all about her and her little chicky chicky boo boo sisters...

Oh, and by the way.. this is her happy face... :-)

I've come to the conclusion that life is just too short not to have chickens!!

xo

Carrie

Baked Chicken Parmesan with Homemade Marinara

Holy Mother of goodness ya'll, this recipe is the absolute tastiest that I've made in quite a while. Having said that, I just had a flashback to my most recent dinner recipes, and this may or may not be the only (newish anyway) recipe that I've made lately...I've been so busy and I already feel as if I wear a lot of hats, but being the awesome multi-hat wearer that I am...at the end of the day "cooker" is just not the hat I choose to don..You feel me?  So, anywho...thank goodness for Pinterest, right!?  If only I had a personal chef...

Alright, sooo. This is easy. And fabulous.  And you may even want to lick your plate clean once you've devoured it.  

That wouldn't be very ladylike, but the thought did cross my mind.. :-)

Let's begin with the homemade marinara sauce...It's marinara-licious!  I mean you could use marinara in a jar, but come on..you might as well give it a try.  Trust me...it's totally worth it!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

8ish garlic cloves, pressed or thinly sliced

(I say 8ish cloves because I personally used a whole bulb..I have major garlic probs)

1/4 (ish aka or more) cup fresh basil

2 -28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

pinch of sugar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large pan over low heat.  

Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they are golden.

The sight of garlic makes my mouth water.  

Have I ever mentioned that I have major garlic probs?

Hello, my name is Carrie and I'm a garlicolic.

I totally just made that up, but it sounds legit, right?

Tear your basil into pieces or strips and toss around with the garlic and olive oil..

I'm staring at this picture and I'm droolin'!

Stir in both cans of crushed tomatoes..Bring to a boil, then add the salt; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 40-45 minutes, then stir in the balsamic vinegar and the pinch of sugar.   Cover and leave the sauce on low until ready to serve.

While the sauce is a brewin' you can get started on other part of the recipe..

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise in half..or use 4 cutlets, which is what I did.

3/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

spaghetti (measure how ever much you think you will need)

fresh mozzarella, sliced, or you can use 3/4 shredded mozz

I use Bel Gioioso fresh mozz and let me tell you, it's a game changer!!

Preheat oven to 450.  Line your baking sheet or dish with foil, parchment, or a sil mat if you have one.  I used foil and lightly spritzed it with olive oil.

In a large pot of boiling water cook your noodles according to the package instructions.  I typically use thin spaghetti and I boil the noodles for 8 minutes. Once the noodles are complete, drain well.

In a small bowl combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan.  

One at a time brush the butter on both sides of each chicken breast.  I seriously contemplated not using butter.  I thought about using olive oil, or even just plain ol' water, but I still ended up using the melted butter.  Make it your own, if you so choose...you could even use an egg.  

One at a time dredge the chicken breast in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs to the chicken to coat.  Place onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Flip and bake about 5 more minutes, or until the crust is a golden color and the chicken is cooked through.  Then remove from the oven.  

Not done just yet!

Spoon a tablespoon (ish) of marinara on each chicken breast, then place one slice of the mozz cheese on top.  Place back into the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted on top.

Grab a plate and top your spaghetti with your homemade marinara-licious sauce, then add one of those amazing looking chicken breasts and top with any left over basil you may have.

You guys...it's so good!!  Like I want some right now!!

Definitely a keeper in my cookbook, especially the marinara-licious sauce!!

Let me know how it turns out for you...

Enjoy,

Carrie

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole - A Crock Pot Recipe

My very first blog post was a double recipe post that included a recipe for hash brown casserole.  It has been a while since I made that recipe..well, to be exact it was December 24, 2012.  I remember the date because it was an awful day in my life to be a casserole.  

The three of us went to the Kennedy's for Christmas Eve dinner.  Kyle's Aunt told me to make any side I wanted, so I asked him what he would like me to make, and I rolled with it.  It just so happened that his cousin's wife, Na'Kita, also made hash brown casserole.  Don't you hate it when that happens?  Apparently, communication is not my strongest suit because this happens with my family all the time. At dinner I got a spoonful of Na'Kita's casserole as well as mine.  Hers was sooo good..like dee-licious, and mine was terrible.  I'm talking..nothing good about it.  It sucked.  I rarely, if ever, make food that sucks, so I worried about this for weeks...months even..ok, obviously years, since I'm talking about it now, and I confess that sometimes it crosses my mind when I lay in bed at night. The struggle is real, people.  It was so embarrassing..I mean, I wasn't necessarily embarrassed that I goofed on the recipe, just mostly that his family must think that I'm the worst cook ever, especially since this is something I'm actually good at, and I failed.  For the longest time I couldn't figure out what in world went wrong..Then one day it hit me that I had forgotten to add the cheese.  Like the main ingredient..of all things..the glue that holds it all together..and I forgot it.

I banned that mean ol' hash brown recipe from my book. Clearly, it was the casseroles fault, so I had to find a new one.  My Mother and Lynn both make this recipe often, and there are never any leftovers. The recipe is originally from Six Sisters Stuff, with minimal modifications, and if you follow them then you know they only share the goodness.

Crock Pot Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients

 1 32 oz package frozen hash browns

2 cups shredded cheddar

16 oz sour cream

1 10.75oz can cream of chicken soup

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

Yields 8-10 servings

Directions

Spray crock pot with nonstick spray.  In a large bowl combine all ingredients until evenly coated.  Pour the mixture into your crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until the onions are soft.

The end...

Easy cheesy, right!?

This is seriously so creamy and delicious!  It's perfect for Thanksgiving, a holiday brunch, or just to warm your soul with some southern comfort food on these cold nights!

Just don't forget the cheese!!

Enjoy,

Carrie

It's the Great Pumpkin - Tutorial

Naturally, when I think of Halloween I think of all the little ghosts and goblins excited to dress up to go to peoples houses for treats.  Staring out the window and anxiously asking their parents every two minutes if it's time to go yet, even before the sun goes down.  When I was a kid in the late 70's early 80's we didn't have neighbors, so we would load up in my aunts car with our homemade costumes, and go to a nearby neighborhood for our treats.  Now-a-days I do live in a neighborhood.. My neighbors and I gather around the fire pit as the kids swarm in by the truckloads to fill up their buckets or pillowcases with treats. When your kids get to be too old to trick or treat it takes a little bit of the excitement out of it, so I love being able to see all the little ones stop by and say "trick or treat" and I always try to be a house that has good treats, as long as I can keep Kyle and Trey out of the candy bowl!

My favorite little pumpkin and I many Halloweens ago...

 I'm not a huge fan of decorating for Halloween.  Now, don't get me wrong I love looking at the far out cool flashing zombie bride a few houses over, and I just about plow a row of mailboxes down every time I pass this one house trying scope out the eerie display covering the entire yard.  That one is creee-py, especially in the dark..Early one morning when Catharina and I were passing by there...I was trying not to look because it was dark..and my imagination scares me more than anything..then a black cat appeared out of no where. We both screamed and grabbed onto each other the way we do when we think we see a snake in the road.. We just about jumped out of our running shoes, and then couldn't stop laughing at ourselves!  I love scary and all, but I think I'll stick to my scary staying inside my tv, or on the big screen.  

 I guess I just don't have the creative gene for creepy, because this is about as creepy as I get...Boo!!

I'll take pretty over creepy any day of the week.  I absolutely love Fall decor..and that, I can do!!  Next to Christmas it is definitely my fave to decorate for.  Trey and I ventured across the state line this week to visit the Mennonite farm where I buy my garden supplies.  They were practically giving their pumpkins away this late in the season, and I may have gone a little overboard.  Trey likes to pick out one pumpkin for carving, and the rest I had a hard time deciding, so I may have picked out a few too many... They were all entirely too pretty and sooo inexpensive that it was hard to resist..between my back seat and my trunk, it totally looked like we had just robbed a pumpkin wagon.  After we loaded up our pumpkins, we headed to Lowe's to pick out some beautiful Fall plants.

I love decorating with pumpkins, and any excuse to play in the dirt is a great day to me..so I decided I would turn a few of these babes into flower pots. By the end of this blog..you'll know exactly how to do it yourself!  It's not hard by any means, in fact, it's so simple that if you have never done if before now, you'll wonder why not!

I chose these two pumpkins to begin with. You can use any style pumpkin, no matter the size. 

You want to cut out the top just like you would for carving a jack-o-lantern, except make it a little farther out, closer to the edge.

This style of pumpkin is a lot thicker than a regular pumpkin, so it takes a little more effort to get the top off...Once you get the top off it should look similar to this..

Next, get all of the guts out, and scrape the opening to make it a little wider..

Now the real fun begins..

Fill your pumpkin with potting soil, and then start planting!!  You will slowly begin to see your masterpiece coming together...

I had to have a helper for my other pumpkins...I ended up breaking all but one of my carving knives..Teenagers can be very handy!!

As you are working on them don't be afraid to fill it up as much as you can...plants are no exception to the more the merrier rule!!  By now you have a pretty good idea as to what look you are going for and you can get creative!

One thing I love is bringing them inside to decorate....

They make fabulous centerpieces for your Thanksgiving table, or even a great hostess gift if you are going somewhere else for Thanksgiving, or to a Fall party..Imagine several of the mini pumpkins filled with beautiful greenery and flowers, all bunched together on a pretty tray in the middle of your table to make one centerpiece..Just beautiful!

Whatever the reason you have them, they are beautiful, and if you live in a climate that actually has Fall-like weather, they should last you the entire month of November..

Just don't forget to water them!!

Here are a few from years past that were my favorite..

If you really want your porch to pop, then this if for you!!

So, after today don't toss your Halloween pumpkins just yet because now you have a great idea for another use for them!! If you want more, ask the pumpkin farmers..I promise you they don't want to throw them away!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy Fall ya'll!!

xo

Carrie

Riding in Cars with Teenagers...

Finally the market has come to an end. For months my life seemed to revolve around the market, and it was a bittersweet ending..  I will certainly miss visiting with my friends..new and old,  and spending my Saturday's with Lynn, but I am ready to move on to my next project, to sleep past 4:50 a.m and to not bake one single loaf of bread again.  Ever...well, at least until Thanksgiving.

My harvest season ended along with the market season.  With my last harvest I had one lonely, late blooming watermelon, and a basket full of beautiful peppers.  I'm thankful that it was plentiful and that I will get many cans of pickled peppers from this bunch.

One of my next projects is my holiday wreaths.  In a week or so Kayla and I will begin taking orders for these beautiful natural wreaths that will be ready for delivery or pick up the week after Thanksgiving.  We have been gathering supplies and making bows for the last few weeks, and are so ready to dive right into it.  This is my most favorite decoration to enjoy during the Christmas season.

My other project is sort of a pretty big project.  This has probably been this most difficult year I've had in my adult life, to say the least..At one point it felt like a woe is me sort of time, which is totally unlike me and I couldn't stand it to be honest.  As I was sobbing a few months ago during a vent session with my "tell you what you don't want to hear, but what you need to hear, Dad" he basically told me that I need to stop feeling sorry for myself, and make some changes in my life that will make me happy..then he asked.  "what is one thing that will make you happy..?"  and without any hesitation I said I want to go back to school.  So, he was like there ya go.. and that very same day I applied, and that week I received my acceptance letter.  Soo..it's official, and that burden of knowing what I want, but being afraid to go for it feels wonderful to no longer be weighing heavily on my shoulders!!  I'm loving it and actually enjoying spending my nights and weekends reading and doing assignments.  I don't know how long that love will last, but so far it's great..and it makes me happy!

Brodie likes to sit in the chair next to me while I'm working on my school stuff.  I think he likes to think he is going to college too..  He's probably the cutest study partner I've ever had.

and this guy wishes he could sit in the chair next to me..Knowing him he probably wishes he could sit in my lap instead of beside me..he is unbelievably jelly and crawls under the table to lay right under my feet.  I guess he's a pretty cute study partner too, I'm just a little biased to my Westie boys.

Last weekend we spent our Saturday night at the farm.  My cousin's wife has been wanting to have a party and burn this ever growing wood pile for several years now.. It was most definitely the largest bonfire I've ever been to for sure..I have to say that my family knows how to throw a good party, and I'm glad they are planning to make it an annual thing. 

It was also the weekend we kicked off celebrations for Trey's 15th birthday...He's a hot mess most of the time, but he's also one of my most favorite people in the world and I love celebrating him!!

Scuba was my little helper that supervised while I wrapped his birthday gifts..

Trey came home from school with a bouquet of balloons filling the foyer..we invited my Mom over had his favorite dinner with cake and ice cream.  My favorite dinner would have been cake and ice cream, but it wasn't my birthday...

How did my little infant baby child turn into this big, handsome young man so fast??  

Friday night I took Trey and his friends to dinner at an old diner for cheeseburgers and fries, then dropped them off at the football game.  It was the perfect ending to his Birthday week! 

Next up...the driving test.  It's funny how living through our children's teen years so vividly reminds us of our own teen years..I remember the day that I got my permit my Mom was like "here's the keys, you're driving home.."  "Whaaat??  Driving on the rooaaad??!! But..but.. there's people!!"  I was terrified.  I'm pretty sure my Mom was too because she kept kindly, yet nervously leaning towards me and asking me to please stop hugging the shoulder of the road.

Ummm... I'm not sure I'm ready for all that!!

I have a feeling there will be some very animated blog posting in my future...The blogging of riding in cars with teenagers..on the rooaaad..with people!

xo

Carrie