Of Ducks and the Death of a Dream

This bit takes place back in late May and early June. It’s only now that I can talk about it.

I find that life is odd in that a crushing blow can come in any disguise. This time it came as ducks. This is serious business. A dream of mine was laid to rest just weeks ago. The wound is still fresh.

I’ll start somewhere in the middle. I’m not always good with times and dates.

Somewhere back yonder in my late thirties I thought I would own me some omelets- I mean chickens. Don’t quite remember how the notion was first placed in my head, but there it sat. Much research was done. Much. I researched chicken houses, chicken tractors, the Eglu and building my own chicken structure. Rather, someone who knows how to correctly use power tools, building me a chicken structure.

Much research was done on types of chickens. Bantams and Standards, Brown egg layers and white egg layers. There are silkies, cresteds, cockerels, BBQ’ers (it is what you think it is) and leghorns. I even shanghaied the family into attending the State Fair Poultry competition. Chickens are serious business. I wrote down breeds and winners and contact information. The owners, nice farm people, watched me assured I was some important city girl come to invest in a large amount of ribboned poultry. A lot of pictures were taken. Sixty dollars worth of books were purchased so that much knowledge would be gained.

There were naysayers in my life. “How can you keep chickens with cats?”, they said. “Farms, cats and chickens have existed for hundreds of years”, I said. “You can’t have a rooster in the city!”, they said. “You can order them by sex.”, I said. “They’ll eat up your flowers and tear up your yard.”, they said. “They’ll eat the weeds too.”, I said. “They’re messy!”, they said. “It will be fun.”, I said… This last one was my undoing. Did you hear the wail? That, dear reader, is what a dream that is dying sounds like.

So, you ask how does this relate to ducks? I’m getting there. If you remember, in late May I left my home and traveled to Colorado for my sisters wedding. I knew a small amount of mayhem and foolishness would ensue whilst I was gone. I returned to find two baby ducks growing on my backyard patio. They were precious. Small. They had names. Jedidiah and Levi. I don’t know why those names were chosen. It doesn’t really matter.

Being a responsible parent, I investigated into the perpetrator of this malfeasance. The “perp”? The eldest daughter. Soon to be High School graduate, intelligent child, should have known better. Stern talk was made about pet ownership responsibility, research and the life purpose of ducks. I let them stay. If only…

The eldest daughter spent much time working at her summer job and at summer visits with her father, living in another city. These activities took her away from the care, love and attention 2 baby ducks require. More and more of my time was spent caring, loving and attending. Yes, I loved those baby ducks. Each morning, when I went out to spend time in my backyard, they greeted me with their little ducky cheeps. Under my watchful eyes, they would waddle through the backyard curiously pecking at leaves and such. We fed them grasshoppers. They joyfully played in the water that sprayed from the “needing to be repaired” outdoor faucet.

At first they lived in the cage that was purchased for my chickens. Humph. A wee pond was improvised for them from a hamster cage. Soon, they needed something bigger. I bought a toddler pool. They were happy and cheeped their appreciation. They swam round and round, playfully ducking under water. Such good times. They also poo-ed. Poo is a small word. As soon as the pool was clean and they were replaced, they poo-ed. I don’t understand that. I had been warned by the naysayer that fowl do poo.

Ducks poo in exponential amounts. Each morning and evening was spent changing out the foul, discolored poo water.

Mornings are important. A disagreeable start to a day translates to a disagreeable day. Many disagreeable mornings ensued. It was a difficult time. It was hard to balance the affection for the cute duckies and what came from their hineys.

The end had to come. I issued the proclamation, in my best person of authority voice, that all things foul -fowl, had to leave immediately, if not sooner. Henceforth, never to return. Balking and hemming and hawing came from the “perp.” Threats were made. Jedidiah and Levi left in a box (that they very quickly poo-ed in) to be returned to the feed store from whence they came.

That, I guess, is the end of the story. No more ducks. No more dreams of chicken ownership. The ducky poo ruined everything. But, you know, looking at all the chicken sites for this story, I can’t help but dream…

My favorite chicken sites:

The City Chicken

McMurray Hatchery

Brown Egg Blue Egg

You tube video

Technorati Tags: ducks,chickens,dreams,chicken tractor,chicken house,Eglu

A dreamy way to spend a summer afternoon

   We are having some unusually cool and overcast summer days here in Texas.  Perfect timing for a summer dream to come true.  I need to gather a few things.  Come along with me.

   Definitely going to need a few of these hanging out above me. (Click the second one down on the right,The Flamenco, it’s my favorite.)  They’re as good as candy .  Probably going to need a freestanding hammock.  One that  holds two people so Lovey can join me.  And of course my favorite lemonade which just happens to be very pretty to look at.  It helps when the weather cooperates and it’s that perfect temperature, where you don’t feel warm or cool, which makes me a little sleepy.  Oh, and if the place you are choosing to dream is too warm, play song #68 from my Playlist below.  So right in the middle of a good summer book I drift off…

A good recipe for Strawberry Lemonade

Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

1 lemon, sliced thin, ends discarded

2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

1 1/2 cups sugar

7 cups cold club soda

2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 12 lemons)

ice for serving

Mash the lemon slices, strawberries and sugar in a large non-reactive pot or deep bowl until the slices release their juice and the sugar begins to dissolve.

Warm lemons quickly in microwave (10-30 seconds, depending on your microwave) till they are just warm.  Roll on counter to soften.  The warming and rolling seems to help them yield more juice.  Juice the lemons.

(Above are the tools I use to make lemonade.  The juicer is on the left and is from Wal-Mart.  The masher in the middle is plastic coated so that it doesn’t scratch my non-stick pan.  The little thing on the left is a strawberry huller.  To use it, stick one side into the strawberry under the hull, pinch the hull and pull up.  Makes quick work of a lot of strawberries and the kids can use it too to help hull all those strawberries for the homemade jam you’re making this summer!)

Stir the club soda and lemon juice into the strawberry/sugar mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Pour over ice to serve.

Tips:

• Mashing the lemon slices with the sugar is called “muddling.”  Muddling is sort of like meddling except that meddling is done with your teenage children and their facebook account.  But I digress…  “muddling, or lightly mashing the sliced lemon to release its essential oils gives this lemonade a balanced citrus flavor, without an overwhelming acidity.”
• You can also use regular water
• You can substitute fresh or frozen blueberries and raspberries for the strawberries
• I use about 8 lemons as I never seem to have 12 lemons

When life hands you a beautiful day, make lemonade!

Friday Morning Collecting

   Once again, I think I mentioned a different topic to post but I had to share this.  So consider this a blog commercial and not a post!

   I peeked into my art room today and what a mess!   Right now it seems easier to collect stuff that’s already pretty than to even think about making it. Here’s a few things I found today yard sale-ing.  Did you find any pretties today?

         

   These are my favorite find today.  Actually, I picked these up at The Goodwill, $1 for both.  They have a iridescent shine.  I’m sure there is a name for this type of glass. 

   I seem to have started a Tin collection.  I have several now.  They’re charmingly utilitarian.  I use them in the bathroom to hold lip gloss and cotton balls, etc.  This one looks cheery holding flowers I think.

    And what do you think of this little dish?  So nice to toss rings or bracelets in.

   That’s all.  Have a happy weekend!

The Promised Summertime Dinner Recipe

Gosh, somewhere back in time I remember promising my favorite summertime dinner recipe. S-o-r-r-y! We took a family vacation (to Colorado- more about that later), I came back and watered flowers, ate cookies, then I found myself and here I am ready to share that recipe with you. You’ll love it. It will have been worth the wait.

When I last made the recipe it was more “wet” than usual, as you’ll see in the pic’s, but was still tasty. Maybe we nibbled on the chicken a little and had less to add… Here at last is my quick go to, no cooking, summertime recipe!

This recipe came from the August 2008, House Beautiful magazine

Almond Chutney Chicken in Lettuce Roll-Ups

Chicken Salad:

1 3-pound roasted chicken

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

Grated zest of 1 large lemon

Juice of 3 large lemons, or more to taste

2 Jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced, or hot sauce to taste

9-ounce jar Major Grey Chutney, cut into bite-size pieces if necessary

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

3 large stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 cup whole salted almonds, coarse chopped

Lettuce Cups and Herbs

1 large head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried

1 large bunch fresh basil, washed and dried

1 large bunch fresh cilantro, washed and dried

8 radishes, thin sliced

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced into thin rounds or 2-inch sticks

1 Pull the meat from the chicken carcass, discarding the skin and bones. Cut it into bite-size pieces.

2 In a large bowl combine the onion, lemon zest and juice, jalapeno, chutney, mayo, salt, and pepper. Fold in the chicken. Taste the mix for lemon, mayo, and spice, adding more as needed. Let it stand for 20 minutes to blend flavors or refrigerate overnight.

3 To serve, blend the celery and nuts into the chicken mixture. Mound the salad at one side of a big platter. Pile up the lettuce leaves at the other side, and cluster sprigs of herbs in the center. Tuck the radishes and cucumbers next to the herbs.

4 Put a few herb leaves in the bottom of a lettuce “cup,” top them with a spoonful of the salad, a slice each of radish and cucumber, and roll up.

Above are all the “fixin’s.” I use the almonds (purchased slivered to save on prep time) and the celery as an add on and not mixed into the chicken salad. Everyone adds their favorites. In the magazine, one guest noted as he waved his basil leaf, “These are the key to the whole enterprise!” I agree, the basil is fantastic and, you know, you really should have some growing in a pot in the backyard.

Something new to try…

We also like to eat the chicken salad wrapped in Spring Roll wrappers. If you’ve never used these before, you’re in for some fun! The kids will like making these. Above, is a brand I’ve found in my local grocery store. Spring Roll wrappers are made of rice and tapioca and need to be softened in water to eat. To make them, get a large bowl and fill it with warm tap water. Put one spring roll wrapper in the water at a time and let it soften for a minute (or less). They are translucent and will feel rubbery and bend easily when ready. Take out of the water and lay flat on a plate. Fill with the lettuce, chicken salad and fixin’s. Fold up like a burrito, which is fold ends in first and then roll up. The wrapper will stick to itself and stay in a nice little package. As seen in the pic above, Spring Rolls make a pretty presentation when you layer the cilantro and a radish slice on to the wrapper first, then a piece of lettuce, then chicken salad.

A few more notes if you’re still hanging around here and not out by the pool…

• About the roasted chicken; I purchase mine at Costco as it is affordable and much larger than the one I can purchase at the grocery store. Go for the big chicken, you’re going to want a lot of this hanging around in your fridge.
• To get lemon zest, I use a size “fine” Microplane. These are available at your favorite kitchen store or places like Central Market.
• If you want to tone down the “heat” from the jalapeno’s, be sure to remove the veins and seeds. That’s where your heat is. To keep the oil off of my hands (and later out of my baby kitty eyes when I take off my makeup for bedtime!) I wear a sandwich baggie like a glove to pull out the veins and seeds. Then I can just toss the baggie out with the veins and seeds.
• Major Grey Chutney can be found in the ethnic foods section of most grocery stores. It comes in regular and spicy. I’ve used both and liked them both. The mango pieces in the chutney are large and need to be chopped up.
• I use whatever lettuce I have on hand, Bib or Iceberg.

Yummo! Please invite me over to help you eat these!

Next blog: A dreamy way I’d like to spend a summer afternoon

Weekend in Houston

Went to see Lovey's Dad for Father's Day in Houston. Grandpa found himself a nice place to take a nap and DR found half an inch where she could squeeze in too. Looks like he's okay with it. Also spent a day adventuring in the big city. Houston is a fun place. Very active inner city life, lots of restaurants and curious things to look at. Here are a few snapshots from the weekend and a few fun things to do if you ever find yourself down that way.









Java Java Cafe is the best place for breakfast. Doesn't look like much from the outside does it? Good, good food and interesting art from local artists is inside and out. They have the best croissants. We weren't there for breakfast this visit but I still stopped in to get a croissant "to go". A girl has got to think about breakfast for tomorrow.




The artwork on the outside of Java Java changes every few months due to a group of local grafitti artists. "It's all good" as Java Java appreciates the beautification and thus the artists are allowed to operate in broad daylight. No faces shown, though, in my pics. I'll have to get a pic next visit of the finished art. I love, love, love grafitti. It's so homemade and personal.

We went exploring in The Heights. They call it The Heights because it's way taller than the rest of Houston - by a foot. I did feel a little light headed there. The elevation, you know.

She's so cheezy!



Spend any time in Houston and you're sure to run across a car from Houston's Art Car Parade. And these artists have such great names. One is "Atomic Dog: One Nation Under a Groove". Don't you want a handle like that? I'm going to have to sic little sis, KT, onto that. "Pleeeez, you know you want to. And change my ringtone on your phone while you're at it. My life doesn't suck and I want your ringtone to sing out to the world that "I'm bringing sexy back."




You want to flock with birdies like these. What do you think a place like this goes for inner city?








Flowers for you!










We liked the topiaries at this garden center. There were also huge animal topiaries galloping down the median of the street. Horses, a T-Rex, giraffes and dancing bears.






Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen makes my current favorite enchi-lotties. (Because you want to eat a-lottie of them!) Notice it's not just "Sylvia's", but "Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen". That's to let you know that they are serious about their enchiladas, enough to dedicate a
whole kitchen to them. They say it's "Absolutely worth the drive!" on their menu. Lovey didn't think so but he drove me anyway. That's why I call him Lovey. We were so close and Lovey and DR were so hungry and we had to pass a lot of restaurants to get there and we couldn't exactly remember where it was and it was not pretty... I think I may have taken advantage of his goodness.

I first read about these enchiladas in Texas Highway magazine. On our next trip to Houston we drove ALL
THE WAY DOWN WESTHEIMER to get there. It's a long way people.

This is the Sarita Enchilada Dinner. It's a heavenly combination of sauteed zuchinni, corn and queso topped with a light cream sauce. Sounds strange, but it's good. Their hot sauce is also the best I've had in a Mexican restaurant. And you know, for me, that's a good sign of things to come. So that's my commercial for Sylvia's (12637 Westheimer).

After all the drama, Lovey said "It was good but I still don't think it was worth the drive." That's what lack of nutrition, mixed with elevation madness from The Heights, will do to you.

And if you ever do find yourself in Houston, you might as well skip on over to Old Town Spring. Thads is the best store. Doesn't it look like something out of a dream? He picks out the best stuff for all the holidays and all the home deco's are so wonderful.














You should plan to spend a whole afternoon at Spring. There's a shop somewhere there that sells fudge (lunch is served!) and then go see Lil' Miss Isabella at The Wild Goose Chase. Isabellas' human has a store that is so prettiful.


Isabella sits on the counter and makes sure you buy something.





















So I hope you enjoyed this eye candy. I'm still gonna send out my favorite summer recipe but this will keep you occupied till then.

Cup O' Bunny with your Donut Muffin?

I know, I know. I promised Muffins that taste like Donuts but can you believe this little guy? He is very happy to be in this cup because earlier he was in Mr. Beau Hiney's mouth.

Here's the hunter cat pretending he's a flower.



Then little baby bunny was so grateful to me that he jumped himself right into my little, teeny teapot so I could take some more pictures of him. Somebody should write a story about him because he is so precious and has such good manners.

With three cats we have Wonder Pets (see Nick Jr.) moments aplenty. One word such as "Bunny", "Lizard" or "Snake" and people are scampering out the door to liberate whatever has found itself in the mouth of one of our kittiez.

And don't you worry about that Mr. Beau Hiney, he usually gets his comeuppance. Somewhere I have a pic of him with his intended lunch wrapped around his neck and him looking a little confused about who actually has who.

Enough of the baby bunny... here is the loveliest of muffins recipe. They are sure to put you in a sugar and butter coma. Make sure you have a couple cans of Spaghettio's or something else the kids can fix themselves for dinner later. You don't want to waste this coma.

I found this recipe at http://bread-and-honey.blogspot.com in the "Breakfast" category. Alicia has an interesting blog with lots of good food.

Donut Muffins
adapted from Orangette

For muffins:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs

For topping:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a standard-size muffin tin with cooking spray.In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, and whisk to mix them thoroughly. Set aside.Combine the milk and the vinegar in a measuring cup, and set aside.Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or, alternatively, in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters nearby), and beat on medium speed for a few seconds, until the butter is soft and creamy. With the motor running, add the sugar in a steady stream. Continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the mixture increases in volume and lightens to pale yellow. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until they are just combined.With a wooden spoon, mix 1/4 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue to add the dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dries. Mix until the dough is smooth and well combined, but do not over mix.Divide the batter between the cups of the muffin tin. Bake until the muffins are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-32 minutes.When the muffins are cool enough to handle, prepare the topping: melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, and pour the powdered sugar into a deep bowl. Using a pastry brush and working one muffin at a time, lightly brush the entire outside of the muffin with butter, and then roll it in the powdered sugar. Shake off any excess, and place the finished muffins on a rack or serving platter. Serve.


Nutmeg seeds are about 3/4" and are easily grated for super fresh nutmeg. You can do this with a little teeny grater. I think I bought this one at Target or World Market. Nutmeg seeds are long lasting and can be purchased one at a time in the bulk spice section of stores like Central Market or Whole Foods. As a matter of fact, you should purchase all your spices this way as it is super affordable and you can get just the amount you need for the next 6 months so that your spices are always fresh.

Some of the muffin edges may break off while buttering and sugaring. These are "tester" pieces, so don't worry about them. Enjoy!

I'm supposed to be packing to leave for Houston. Better go.

Next Blog: My absolute favorite easy summer dinner

Of Cupcakes and Dancing

My first blog! What to write? What to write! How about the last big event and project I worked on, my sisters wedding. That'll do.
Meet Bill and Gwyn. My sister and her new hubby hail from Colorado. The whole family flew in from afar to make the wedding magic happen. And what magic it was! My job was the Cupcake "Cake", "the mother figure" did all the flowers, Brother Chef "cheff-ed", Mr. Bojangles wrote and sang a song and hitched these two together and little sister kept us laughing. Oh what I wouldn't do for a video snippet of the dance she did hiking in the Rocky Mountains! "Thank you Mama for making me gold pants." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCCtlQynXwY You can't make stuff like this up. But I digress... many other family and friends rounded out the happy wedding work party.

There was a wee amount of shenanigans... white water river rafting was squeezed in somewhere, hiking in the mountains with snow, stalking large beasties in the Rocky Mountains, shopping with starving people (you get what you deserve, people, when you put the finikiest restaurant picker in charge of scoping out a lunch destination) and the "man of honor"(?) and food (Enchiladas and the works!) arriving with plenty of time to spare. Isn't four minutes before official start time considered on time?

Take a look at the cupcakes AND something else I forgot to mention, the Altered Wedding Book I made for my sister. I'm just showing the front cover of the book, more of this will have to come later.


















The Altered Wedding Book idea came to me while perusing the special publication, Somerset in Love, http://www.stampington.com/html/somerset_in_love_w09.html Having never done an altered book I just had to try it. I used lots of different vintage paper, ephemera, lace, buttons, sewing, etc. and painting and collaging techniques. Lots of happy accidents happened along the way and I learned from those too. I'll be submitting it to one of Stampington's open calls for artwork. We'll see what happens.

The cupcakes were a fun little challenge... all 168 of them! I found the edible butterflies at http://www.fancyflours.com/. The butterflies are printed on edible wafer paper. They kinda taste like chicken! Not really. But the kids will have fun eating them. Here's how I made the cupcakes: First, the butterflies were cut out (by the bride, Natch!) and lightly dry brush dusted with Wilton silver colored luster. Then, I piped a thin line of Wiltons clear piping gel (comes in a small tub) down the body of the butterflies to soften the body so that the wings could be slightly bent in to look realistic.





The butterflies were then placed in empty egg cartons to dry the gel and help them maintain their shape. Fancy Flours offers help tips with all of this.





Now for the cupcakes: I used the large tip, 2D (or was it the 1M? - Yikes!) The 16 inch Wilton bag was great for holding loads of icing. I piped a nice big mound of frosting in the middle of the cupcakes to give the swirls support. Then, I started the swirls on the outside edge and went round and round like a Dairy Queen ice cream cone. The height of the frosting gave the cupcakes that "over the top" look that lets a simple, little cupcake be the star of the show. All those Hollywood types pay big money for this - I work for enchiladas! Edible, blue, sparkle glitter was lightly dusted on and the butterflies gently applied onto the frosting. Viola! You now have little dead butterflies all over your cupcakes. I mean, you now have beautiful Butterfly cupcakes! Yay!
I should mention we purchased all those crazy cupcakes prebaked and ready to decorate from Sam's and they gave us lovely boxes to transport them all. The cupcake/cake tiers were purchased there as well.

Can you believe that I brought 6 of those little, dead butterfly cupcakes back to Texas with me? Oh, yes indeedy. The chillies and Lovey felt all left out. Airport security was at level orange (a bright, cheery color, I think) and they tried to keep my cupcakes. But I used my Jedi magic stuff and convinced them that these were indeedy real little cupcakes and nothing they should be concerned with and drooling over.



So, now my tale is told. And with my first blog entry, I go... "Out of the strain of the Doing, Into the peace of the Done." -Julia Louise Matilda Woodruff

Next blog: Muffins that taste like donuts!