I know that most of you have not even had your turkey and stuffing yet...but I wanted to share one of my favorite ways to use the Thanksgiving leftovers.   This is easy and delicious!  So plan ahead so you have enough leftovers!  Happy Thanksgiving and Enjoy! 

Stuffing Fritatta

·         2 to 3 cups leftover stuffing

·         1 cup diced leftover turkey

·         1 cup shredded cheddar

·         6 large eggs

·         2 large egg whites

·         3/4 cup milk

·         1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

·         1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

·         Salt and pepper

Sour cream  or Greek yogurt to garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400

Coat an ovenproof nonstick skillet (cast iron is my favorite) with cooking spray or butter.

Place over medium heat (on stovetop).

Mix stuffing and turkey in a bowl, then put mixture in the bottom of pan to warm through.

Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over top.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1 tablespoon of parsley (save the rest for later), red pepper flakes, and nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste… it depends on how much seasoning was used in the stuffing.

Pour egg mixture over stuffing and cheese to cover stuffing. Sprinkle Parmesan over top.

Carefully transfer to preheated oven.

Bake until the eggs are set and the sides have puffed up a little bit and cheese is golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Cool before cutting.

Sprinkle with remaining fresh parsley and serve with a little sour cream or Greek yogurt  

Frozen Mini Pizzas  

School is out for then next 10 days.  So far today I have heard "I am hungry" at least a dozen times!  I am slightly behind with my real job so I was letting B fend for herself.  Breakfast was hot chocolate and cinnamon toast.  9:00 snack Crackers, 10: 00 snack Grapes, 11:00 snack Cheddar Bunnies.  And then..:what's for lunch?"  I gave her all of her normal choices.  All I got was a blank stare and  "is there any pizza?"  I decided that  it was time to take action!  I spent less than 1 hour and made 14 mini pizzas that are in the freezer,  ready for toppings and  then into the oven.

Quick Pizza Dough
1 Package Quick Rise Yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 c. warm water
1 T. Honey
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Salt
Cornmeal for dusting

Mix the yeast and water in a glass bowl. Let it rest for 5 minutes.  Add the other ingredients.  Mix well.  Let rest for 5 more minutes.  Divide the dough into desired portions and roll out.  Place on a baking sheet that is dusted with cornmeal and prick with a fork.

For thin crust roll and put immediately in a 450 degree oven for about 8  minutes or just until they start to turn golden.

For thicker crust roll our and let rest for 10 minutes then bake until just golden.

This dough is easy to work with and has a silky texture.   It makes excellent bread sticks! 

Cool the crusts on wire racks.  Once they are cool, place them back on the baking sheet and  top with your favorite pizza sauce.  At this point you can add whatever tickles your fancy. Put the baking sheets and pizzas in the freezer. Once they are solid wrap them individually in plastic wrap and put them back in the freezer.  We don't top our until we are ready to bake them.  I keep shredded cheese, olives and other toppings chopped and ready to go in the refrigerator. When someone wants lunch, they top their own pizza and place it in 350 degree oven until it is hot and bubbly!

It has been nearly 3 hours since B had her pizza, I have not gotten one "I am hungry"!  

  

I spent $2.99 for 50 meal worms.  I think the container probably cost more than the value of 50 worms.  I have heard that it is really easy to raise your own, so I figure why not!

Here's How:

1.        Get a small plastic tub for a container. Inexpensive clear containers with vented snap on lids are available at pet stores.

2.       Place 1-2 inches of substrate (which mealworms will eat) in bottom. Use oat bran or unmediated poultry feed.

3.       Place 1/2 a potato or apple on substrate (supplies moisture and food).

4.      Add a small container of live mealworms from the pet store.

5.       Replace potato/apple every couple of days (do not let it get moldy).

6.      The mealworms are the larval stage; within 3 weeks they should pupate, then in another two weeks beetles should emerge.

7.       The beetles will lay eggs, which are minuscule and very difficult to see. When these hatch, the larvae are also very small.

8.      The beetles will die, while the larvae will grow and repeat the cycle.

9.      After one life cycle the colony should be well established and you can start using them for treats/food.

10.    Once feeding mealworms from the colony, you can offer a variety of vegetables and fruit (e.g. carrots, orange, greens) to increase the nutritional value of mealworms for your pet.

11.     Do not allow mold to grow on the food or substrate.

12.    Add bran/oats as necessary to maintain the substrate level. Start with fresh substrate occasionally (especially if mold or damp conditions develop).

13.    If you have too many mealworms, place the whole container in the fridge, as this will stop their development.

14.    Simply rewarm to room temperature when ready, and the colony will resume development.

Tips:

1.        Do not change the substrate until the colony is well-established, as eggs and tiny larvae will be lost and the cycle interrupted.

2.      Once you have lots of mealworms, it is fine to completely clean out the substrate - filter out the mealworms, discard the substrate, and start over.

Baked Egg Muffins

Ingredients

·         6 slices bacon

·         1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

·         1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

·         6 slices bread, crusts removed

·         6 eggs

·         salt and black pepper to taste

·         6 tablespoons heavy cream

·         6 tablespoons shredded cheese (use your imagination)

Directions

1.     Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate; crumble and set aside.

2.     Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups.

3.     Combine the melted butter and maple syrup in a small bowl. Flatten a piece of bread with a rolling pin. Brush the bread with the butter mixture. Line the muffin cup with the flattened bread. Repeat with the remaining bread slices. Bake in a preheated oven until the bread crisps, about 3 to 5 minutes.

4.     Sprinkle crumbled bacon into the bottom of the toast cups. Crack an egg into each cup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each egg with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until the whites are just set, about 10 to 14 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your taste.

We lost poor Rose yesterday because I have been so busy I was not paying close attention to the hens.  Even when Brooke came in and told me  “Rose is doing something weird with her head” I did not make it a priority.  The reality is I didn’t know that was a symptom.  But,  had I acted when she told me, Miss Rose might still be with us. 

So I am preaching to the Choir here.  But a few simple steps can make all the difference. 

Watch for Symptoms:

Look at your chickens every morning.  In the morning they should not have the same full crop look that they do at the end of the day.  Watch also for unusual head bobs.  This could be a sign that they are having trouble getting food down because the crop is full. 

When the crop does not empty bacteria can begin to grow and infection can set in.  This does not happen overnight, it can take a few days.  That is why it is important to look at the birds daily.  When sour crop/ impacted crop is caught early it is much more treatable If you are not watching for the signs, by the time your bird is listless with a pale comb, it is probably too late. 

Avoiding the problem:

In order to avoid crop problems you should make sure that along with pellets there is an ample supply of poultry grit available for your chickens.

The grit breaks up the food in the crop and without it the food cannot be broken down and digested, the calcium in the grit also benefits laying birds.

If your chickens are not free range and they get all of their food supply from you there are few things to remember.  When you are giving treats make sure that they are either very large or chopped very small.  Grass is notorious for causing impacted crop.  A large piece of leafy green kitchen left over could have the same effect.  Their digestive systems are made to handle things that they peck, not gulp down whole.

I think the thing that caused Roses trouble was some deli meat.  Had I had left the slices whole they would have had to pick at them.  I tore it into pieces, but they were not small enough and they gobbled them down.  I would imagine that because of her large size and appetite, Rose ate several large pieces that got stuck in there.  Remember…just like us everything in moderation.

Treatment:

There are several good websites that explain the treatment.  Just google impacted or sour crop.

One interesting thing that I read is that if you have a bird with a crop problem you can feed her fishing maggots.  They swallow them whole and the maggot works on the stuff in the crop and then gets digested.  I am going to look around for a supply just in case.  I read that you can order them online but, with crop problems, time is of the essence. 

Cast of Characters Continued...

 Best Friend, so named by the then 3 year old Brooke. Best Friend is our oldest and most distinguished hen. At the end of March she will be 8. She has not laid a green egg in a while but is living out her days keeping everyone else in line.

Tiny. She is our next oldest hen. She will be 7 in April. Best Friend's sister Buttercup hatched her. Her egg came from a friend of a friend. We thought she was a mutt. She was so small compared to the others that hatched with her that she was an instant hit with the then 4 year old Brooke, who carried her everywhere. It wasn't until Tiny was 5 and Brooke had started 4H that we discovered that she was an actual breed. Bantam Blue Breasted Red Old English Game Hen. It was too late in the year for Brooke to enter Tiny to show, so she used her for showmanship. The judge asked he why she didn't enter Tiny, Brooke explained. She entered Tiny in open class and won Best of Show. Tiny has won may ribbons has been a faithful companion to Brooke.

Brooke encouraged me to start using my blog.  I have made a few posts but haven't quite gotten the hang of it.  She suggested that it would be easier to do the blog and the page at the same time instead of trying to play blog catch-up...She is so smart! 

Over the next few days and weeks I will introduce you to the cast of characters!  Character number one my daughter Brooke.  At age 3 she loved all things poultry. She is the reason we have chickens. She wanted ducks more than chickens but when she saw the cute little chicks she was hooked! Although she still insisted that we call her Baby Duck! Now she is 10 and still just as crazy about the poultry!