Birthday Card

Artist's Gallery

Simple Flower Card

This cheery sunflower made a lovely birthday card for one of my pen friends in Germany. Did you guess, it’s the same flower as in my last post? In fact, I’ve painted that picture at least four or five times! I used to use up extra paint from other projects by slapping it on cards. I’d actually build of a stock of near-finished cards to pull out for any occasion. I started out using pieces of cardstock, cutting them to size, but then bought pre-cut 4x6 cardstock cards to paint on. It wasn’t really paint-quality paper, and I had trouble with some wrinkling, but it worked well enough for countless cards.

Sunflower Card

Artist's Gallery

5x7 Original Acrylic Greeting Card

I have been painting greeting cards for almost as long as I’ve been painting. Naturally, I thought I should share a few here! I’ve always liked cards since they’re so small, easy, and not overwhelming to paint. And the recipients never fail to be so delighted to receive a handmade card! This card was for my Grandpa’s birthday a couple years back. It’s from a photo of a sunflower in our yard with the barns behind. I love that blue sky.

New Henhouse

Backyard Poultry

Inside the New Coop

Here is the interior of the new addition to the henhouse. We are looking in from the tan access door in the last picture. The old henhouse wall is to the left, shed wall to the right, and a closed-off door on the end of the shed is directly ahead. We built up the floor with skids and scrapwood pieces again, making sure it was sealed tightly. This new part measures about 5’x8’, making for a combined house of 8’x9’, enough for about 24 chickens with a good outdoor run space (not including the rooster). Coming next spring will be a pophole door between both houses, and one in the wall directly ahead to the outdoor runs. Now it’s time to settle in and wait for spring to come!

Expansion Plans

Backyard Poultry

Henhouse Addition

After enjoying fresh eggs all summer, we couldn’t resist planning to get more chicks in the spring. Who knows, maybe we could even sell eggs! Well, Ohio weather in November is a lot more favorable to building projects than snowy March or muddy April, so we began to make renovation plans for the fall. Our current henhouse sectioned off a corner of the shed, so it made sense to extend the wall to enclose the whole end of the building. We used OSB board again, and put in another door identical to the one already there (see, we do learn from our mistakes!). Coming next are a couple coats of paint on the door, and a hook and latch.

Winter Days

Backyard Poultry

Acorn in the Snow

Contrary to what I had read, the chickens were not afraid of the snow, and soon were venturing out into it. I actually worried about their feet getting frostbite! Here is Acorn checking out a new snowfall. The chickens loved to eat the snow, and eventually it’d all disappear from their pen! (I would actually put it in their house by the scoop full for them to eat!) I wonder, did it taste something like popsicles?

Pepper

The hens would often spend winter days up on the roost, especially when the afternoon sun was shining in the window. Except for Puzzle, who would only get up there if it was really cold—or really bored. Pepper (seen here) was the bottom one on the pecking order, so I think it had more reasons than one to spend a lot of time up on the roosts!

Fresh Straw

Backyard Poultry

Pepper and Midnight in Straw

We put loose straw down inside the runs frequently so the chickens would have something fresh to scratch in when the ground was frozen. Their droppings got pretty concentrated over the winter in such a small space. The hens always loved to scratch through and eat the hay seeds left in the straw. By spring there was quite a layer of (somewhat moldy) straw to deal with, but it worked okay. The straw made great compost!

Second Try

Backyard Poultry

Design #2

This tarp design worked a little better. Sorry I don’t have a better picture. This one is attached to the shed wall right above the run, over the straw bales, and held down by crates. The only drawback was having to clear the snow off as it accumulated so as not to bend and break the runs. The one around back of the shed was attached right below the window, slanting a bit over both runs, so the snow slid off somewhat. I still couldn’t let them in really severe weather, like when it got down to 0 or 5 above outside, but then they were pretty happy to hunker down inside anyway.

Stranded!

Backyard Poultry

Nighttime Dilema

Ahem...one detail we overlooked…. The tarp made the chicken house drastically darker. The window under that tarp is its only light source. Cover it up and the whole house gets dark at least several hours earlier. Which means the chickens must come in that much earlier or they can’t see to roost! Well, as you can see in this picture, they were taken by surprise and have gone to the place with the most light—the outside run—in the cold wind and snowflakes! I had to take a flashlight in to get them inside that night.
Oh well...it's back to the old drawing board!

First Tarp Try

Backyard Poultry

Tarp Canopy

Here is our first try. Pretty impressive huh? ...Or tacky? It was quite an operation: 1) We lined the runs up along the house, opening into the pophole. 2) We lined the perimeter of the runs with straw bales. 3) We mounted heavy 15’x20’ tarps on ferring strips underneath the eaves of the shed. They draped down over the runs and were secured with bungee cords and rock-filled crates at the bottom. I’m telling you, it was an operation! Do you think it will work?

Wintertime

Backyard Poultry

Winter Plight

If you thought that we were finished with the tarps last time, guess again! That system worked in fall, in cold weather, in wind, but not in snow. Foot-deep snowstorms. Obviously, the chickens needed somewhere to go on winter days; the alternative was being shut in their 4x8 house with a literally titanic rooster. From the picture above, they already look like they have cabin fever! I had a friend in Georgia who had a similarly-sized house for her chickens—even had screen on several sides—and no covered run space, which was fine for her since she had little or no snow. Ohio winters are a different story!

Heart Cake

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Independence Cake Variation

Here is a creative variation on the Independence Cake! We liked this recipe so well we decided to have it again, but a flag didn't seem quite appropriate (or worth the work), so we wanted to try something else. I arranged the strawberry halves in a heart shape (not nearly as neatly as my sister did the flag!), surrounded by blueberries. Maybe serve on Valentine's Day...? Get creative! What other red and blue designs could you make?

Cheesy Mice

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Ever Seen a Cute Mouse?

There’s a good possibility this goofy recipe will actually make your mother jump up on a chair and scream!! Just kidding—I’ve seen real mice in our henhouse, and they don’t compare to these guys! Another easy recipe with a whole lot of zing.

Start with three hardboiled eggs. Cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks. Mash the yolks with 3 T. shredded cheddar cheese and herbs of your choice. Spoon the mixture back into the egg whites and smooth the surface. Turn the egg halves upside down and arrange on a plate.

Cut slits into the pointed ends of the eggs and insert:

Radish or carrot slices for ears                    Carrot piece for nose

Currants (or halved raisins) for eyes                       Radish roots for tails

Serve garnished with sliced cheese, herbs, or tomatoes. Here is one mouse I would like to eat!

Hard Boiling Eggs

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Hardboiled Eggs in Ice Water

There are so many methods out there for hard boiling eggs, it can get quite confusing. In fact, my art teacher’s mother used to know her eggs were done when all the water was gone from the pan! My method is a bit different. First, your pot must allow all the eggs to sit on the bottom—too small and they won’t cook evenly. Fill the pan with enough water to submerge the eggs with at least 2” to spare and bring it to a rolling boil. Gently add the eggs with a slotted spoon (or else they’ll bust like the two in my picture above). Bring them back to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and set a timer for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, fix a bowl with cold water and ice. After exactly 12 minutes, dip the eggs out with the slotted spoon into their ice bath. Let them cool for a while, then drain and peel them. Besides peeling beautifully, these eggs should have spongy whites and moist yolks—not runny, yet not dried out and crumbly either. Now you’re ready to make Egg Salad, Tuna Pizza, Caesar Salad, Cheesy Mice, or your favorite egg recipe!

Egg & Cheese Salad

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Ingredients

Egg and cheese salad, an old favorite, is one of the perfect low-carb foods! This is one of the best I’ve tasted—creamy, flavorful, and fresh. Of course, we used free-range eggs from our backyard flock, for which there is no comparison!

The recipe is simple: First cube 8 hard-boiled eggs and 8 oz Swiss cheese.

Combine and pour over:

1 c. sour cream                   1 t. lemon juice                      1 1/2 t. mustard 

1 t. horseradish                      1/2 t. salt                     pinch ground cumin

Melt-In-Your Mouth Egg Salad

The salad can be chilled in the fridge, even overnight, or eaten immediately. Serve on top of fresh lettuce, accompanied by tomatoes, watercress, dried fruit, or whatever you choose. Enjoy on a hot summer day like today--right now it's almost 100° here in Ohio!

Funny Face Pizza

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Personalized Pizza

Here’s one recipe that’s actually cute! Who can resist a smiley face pizza? It’s very easy to make and sure to bring a grin to any child’s face!

First is the mini-pizza crust. Follow the Basic Pizza Crust recipe (1/2 c. sifted flower, 1/2 t. salt, 1 egg yolk, and 4-6 T. water), only use a 9 x 12 buttered cookie sheet and spread the batter in 5 circles on the sheet. Bake them for 10-12 minutes in a 375 oven.

Meanwhile, boil 3 dried tomatoes til soft. Mash them well. Spread the tomatoes gently over the pizzas once they’re baked to give a nice flavor (and skin tone).

To assemble the face, arrange shredded cheese on the top half for hair; small wild blueberries for eyes; slices of carrot for nose; and celery sliced across the stem for mouth. Stick them back in the oven for 8-10 minutes to melt the cheese.

You can get creative in finding other foods for the features; you could even try a cat or dog face! A wonderful idea for children’s parties!

Happy Fourth!

Gluten-Free Gourmet

Independence Cake

It looks like it's going to be a sultry hot Fourth of July, and this cool, creamy cake is perfect to celebrate the occasion! My Little Sister has been planning it all year and whipped it up this morning. I'm told it was very simple: a mixture of cream cheese and whipped cream layered with strawberries and blueberries in between. And yes, it's low-carb and gluten-free!! She decked out the top with more blueberries and strawberried for the American flag. Now all we need are some fireworks! Happy Independence Day!

Macaroni 'N' Cheese

Gluten-Free Gourmet

The REAL Stuff

Did you think you’d have to give up macaroni and cheese for a low-carb diet? Not with brown rice pasta to the rescue! This dish is really delicious. Of course, you could just throw some cheese and pasta into the microwave (or better yet buy a prepared box of gluten-free macaroni & cheese), but it couldn’t compare to this recipe’s superb flavor—this isn't just regular mac ‘n’ cheese!

First, cook your pasta. Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil, and stir in 1 1/2 c. of dry rice pasta elbows. I like to add a little oil and salt too. Return to a boil and simmer 10-12 minutes, til chewy (watch it VERY carefully or it will boil over!!). Another method, easier but longer, is to turn the heat off once the pasta is boiling, and let it set for 20-25 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Next, heat 2 T. of canola oil in a saucepan. Add and brown lightly:

1 t. marjoram                        1 t. basil                             1/2 t. paprika

2 t. ground mustard                          2 T. oat/rice flour, sifted

Add 1/2 c. of water, stirring to avoid clumps, and 1 t. wet mustard. Bring to a boil and simmer til it’s reduced and thickened, stirring frequently. Now add 1 c. of shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice) and reduce heat a bit. Stir til melted and add the cooked pasta. Heat through and serve immediately. Enjoy this gooey, flavorful treat!