What do Chickens, Smoked Paprika, and Timeless Treasures have in Common? They all ROCK! :)

Our coop and chickens

CHICKENS ARE COOL!!

Hey! Have you ever thought about having chickens? If you haven't I will have you talked into getting some in no time. I know at least 5 people that have gotten chickens from talking to me, or coming out to see my coop! My best friend Janet met me for lunch one day to ask me about the care and keeping of chickens. Well, that was over 2 years ago, and she now has over 80,(yes 80!) chickens! She is even thinking of breeding certain breeds to sell their eggs for hatching! Why do I like chickens so much? Well, the obvious reason: Eggs. The eggs from farm-raised, and free range chickens are the absolute best eggs you will ever have! Why? Because they have access to bugs and weeds. They get to roam free, or in a fenced in area or yard. They are not stuck in a cage and fed only engineered food. If you put a farm-raised free-range egg next to a store bought egg, you will see a clear difference. The farm-raised egg will be almost orange, compared to the store-bought pale yellow. The other difference is how the yolk stands up...see how the store-bought egg is almost flat, and my chickens egg has a nice sturdy, round shape? That's because the store-bought egg is old, How old? Well, who knows?

One of my chicken's eggs on left...store bought on right!

 Obviously in the winter months, my chickens don't have access to bugs and plants, so I have to supplement their diet with good things like fresh organic vegetables, yogurt, fruits, and I even spoil them on cold winter mornings with warm oatmeal and flaxseed! Another reason for the difference in nutrition and taste is, once again, how old the egg is. Some eggs in the store are over a month old! How much nutrition can there be in those? Plus,farm eggs are beautiful and they come in a rainbow of colors! How cool is that?


The  beautiful eggs from my chickens



 

 I will talk in future blogs about my "girls" and more about eggs...I don't want to seem too pushy...:)

FOOD!!

Ok,  Let's talk food! Here is the recipe for the English Muffin bread from last week: Thanks for your interest in it, it really is so so good!!




English Muffin Bread with Apple Butter
  



English Muffin Bread

 



5 1/2 cups warm (not hot) water
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 packages (1/4 oz packet) Instant yeast (rapid rise)
11 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour
melted butter-for brushing top of bread midway and end of baking
*you will also need: non-stick cooking spray, plastic wrap and Cornmeal*

1. Prepare dough: Stir water, salt, sugar, yeast, and flour together by hand in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle) just until combined. (The dough will be very sticky!)
2. Spray a piece of non-stick cooking spray and lay it loosely over the mixing bowl. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour.
3. Spray 3 standard loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle in a handful of cornmeal. Turn and tap pans until coated with a thin layer of cornmeal. Tap out any excess.
4. Spray your hands with the non-stick cooking spray and divide the dough evenly between the pans. The pans should be no more than half-way full.
5. Spray more pieces of plastic wrap and lay them loosely over each loaf pan. Let rise again until the dough domes and is just peeking above the edge of the pan.
6. While the dough is rising, pre-heat your oven to 350.
7. Evenly space loaf pans in oven and set timer for 30 min. After 30 minutes take out one pan at a time and brush tops of loaves with melted butter.
8. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
9. Immediately turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack and brush again with butter. Cool completely before slicing.
10. ENJOY! :)

Lately, I have been almost obsessed with Smoked Paprika. Yes! Smoked Paprika!!! I just love all of it's rust-colored smoky goodness...I've been putting it in Chili, on popcorn, and even a little on some chicken I was frying...mmmmmmm! So I was happy to find this recipe, and it is SOOO good! If you love corn, shrimp, BACON, and my new fav Smoked Paprika, you will love this!! Here is the recipe: :)

Smoky Corn Chowder with Shrimp

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
pinch of crushed red pepper
6 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed (I used fresh corn that I had frozen, and roasted it in the oven for about 15 min at 400 for added sweetness)
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup half-n-half
coarse ground salt and fresh pepper
basil slices or parsely for garnish

1. Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set it aside on a paper towel to drain. Drain all but 1-2 Tbsp. bacon fat.
2. Raise heat to med-high, add shrimp and sear on one side for two minutes. Flip over and sear 30 more seconds. Remove shrimp from pot and set aside.
3. If you need to add a little oil (or bacon fat) to the pot, do so. Add the onions to the pot and saute 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper, and pinch of salt and pepper. Saute another minute.
4. Add the corn to the pot and toss to combine,
5. Add the stock and half-n-half to the pot. Stir to combine. Keep on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Taste...need some salt and pepper? Add a pinch or two! :)
6. If you have an immersion blender, place it in the pot and pulse it a few times until half of the soup becomes creamy, leaving whole kernels as well. If you don't have an immersion blender, ladle about a cup and a half of the soup into a blender and pulse until creamy. Pour back into the pot and stir to combine.
7. Serve chowder with the shrimp (cut into pieces if you like) and reserved bacon crumbles.
8. Garnish with basil or parsely as desired
9. ENJOY! :)

Smoky Corn Chowder with Shrimp

Vintage Treasures!

One last thing..I am really into vintage things these days, who isn't? What's old is new again! I remember living with MANY antiques in my house growing up, and I couldn't wait to have my own house with NO antiques...well, boy has that changed! I have raided my Mom's house more times than I can count for wonderful vintage treasures that mean so much to me because they had belonged to a loved one that has long passed. The tureen above that is holding the chowder was my Great-Grandmother's on my Mom's side. I am so happy to be using it, and I absolutely love using anything my Grandmother or Great-Grandmother's used. It makes me feel close to them, and I wonder what dishes they served their family in this or that. So...every week I will be featuring something old that I treasure. Maybe it will be something from my family passed on to me, or maybe it will be a treasure from the thrift store! It will be fun to resurrect the past!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments on my first blog!

The kids are just a little excited as we are on our way to Minneapolis for the Justin Bieber/Carly Rae Jepson concert!! (Can you say Mom of the year??) :)

Until next time...
Kerry:)

  

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