Remember those cute little chicks I showed you a couple of weeks ago? They are super ugly now, and let’s not even talk about the stink. The Frankenchicks outgrew their half of the brooder in the basement, so Shawn moved them to the Chickshaw in the garage today. Even though the Chickshaw is meant for the smaller, cuter, egg-layers, the meat birds will hang out there until Shawn builds their chicken tractor.
The future egg layers
Hey, Shawn got new glasses
The ugly chicks, a.k.a. Frankenchicks or dinner
The Chickshaw in the garage, just awaiting the addition of wheels
The Frankenchicks in the Chickshaw
Yesterday, Shawn the lumberjack did a bit of tree pruning around the workshop. He eventually plans to remove two of the three trees that infringe on the building’s roof, but for now, he just did some trimming. Under the trees, there is a wild rose bush that has sent runners about 16′ up into the branches. Is it unreasonable to think about taking out a large life insurance policy on your husband when he goes all mountain man and starts one-handed chainsawing while on an extension ladder? I think not.
I tried a little experimental baking with new ingredients. Katie, from Millhorn Farmstead Creamery, had a recipe for Paleo Molasses Cookies on her blog so I thought I’d give it a try since molasses cookies are a favorite of ours. I have not baked with almond and coconut flours before. The coconut oil was interesting too. It is hard and crumbly in the jar and had to be slightly warmed in the microwave (20 seconds) to soften it to a consistency of shortening. The recipe said to chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking, but I don’t think that was long enough. My first tray came out as one giant, flat mess. The taste was OK, but you could definitely get a hint of coconut and the mealy feel of the almond flour. The second batch burned, and the third batch, while not as runny, still did not look like the thick cookies pictured on the blog. Not sure if I will try this again.
This might sound trite, but Idaho potatoes taste really good. We’ve had them baked, and they are fluffy and sweet. Tonight I tried a recipe for garlic mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot. They turned out great and were a good accompaniment to Shawn’s smoked ribs. I may have used 8 cloves of garlic instead of the two the recipe called for.
I was going to make a salad, but that just seemed like too much food
On our last trip into town (the vast metropolis of Coeur d’Alene, population 44k), we learned that you can’t buy hard alcohol at the grocery store. It is only sold by the Idaho State Liquor Division in their stores. So much for competitive pricing, but the salesperson did tell us that it is cheaper than liquor in Washington. I think this may be the first thing we’ve found that is cheaper in California.
Still not tired of this view…
Panoramic right before sunset