tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29621311682370050732024-03-13T11:46:38.121-07:00Eastside Farm ChroniclesStories of our everyday life on the FarmSusan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-63587097976969772762014-10-22T20:55:00.001-07:002014-10-22T20:55:43.713-07:00A Long and Winding RoadI'm Back!<div><br></div><div>After taking a break from blogging in favor of that hussy and temptress Facebook, I am ready to return to my original love...Eastside Farm Chronicles.</div><div><br></div><div>In the past two years we have: raised prized winning tomatoes and collard greens, gone from a very large plot of rented land to just our own property (drought was a part of that decision), from a flock of 70+ chickens to their heartbreaking slaughter of all but 6 by a fox pair. *We replaced them and now we have about 54 hens and one little, but busy rooster!</div><div><br></div><div>The greatest impact on our life has been the departure of our restaurant business partner. Believing myself to be Super Woman I was convinced I could continue to run both the catering division and take over the duties of the partner. I have done that very thing...and are at the end of our catering season. Well, we do have one more weekend- Wine and Food Affair on Nov. 1&2 at ACORN Winery, but they are like family! </div><div><br></div><div>Working as hard as we have has been exhausting yet it has been rewarding. We are blessed with an amazing support network starting with our families, friends and wonderful staff. </div><div><br></div><div>The best thing to come out of all of the work and stress has been the relationship Jeff and I have. It was good and solid to begin with, but having one another to rely on AND get to do something 24/7 with the one you love, respect and admire, has been a gift! I love you, Honey!</div><div><br></div><div>After working from mid-March to yesterday with 3 days off, would you believe we have left town and are in Oxford, Mississippi for the annual Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium! Vacation has begun! We had an amazing dinner tonight at SnackBar. Truly worth flying this far to eat it. </div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow I will post pictures and re-establish my connection with my writing and with all of you that read it. </div><div><br></div><div>Love to all of you!</div><div>Susan</div><div><br></div><div>*i got new red cowboy boots! Yee Haw!<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qnm75dM4j-c/VEh8Pv72O4I/AAAAAAAAARk/KUw9vI3hNsE/s640/blogger-image-1779956228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qnm75dM4j-c/VEh8Pv72O4I/AAAAAAAAARk/KUw9vI3hNsE/s640/blogger-image-1779956228.jpg"></a></div></div>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0Oxford Oxford34.367013 -89.530535tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-81999582079355756432012-10-10T21:18:00.001-07:002012-10-10T21:19:37.071-07:00Coming back to LifeMost folks I know have been wondering what happened to me...wondering where I've been. Well, I have been " living the dream", a.k.a. Working my Ass off for months!<br />
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May 1st is the beginning of "our season" starting with tomato planting, catering picks up (this season was kicked off with a pig roast for 200!), then it is tending to the farm and going on catering site visits. By July we are picking some produce and the CSA produce box subscriptions begin for the next 12 weeks. <span id="goog_332942671"></span><br />
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We were very lucky this year to have more and bigger events than ever before! We did more than 10 pig roasts, weddings at wineries, weddings on hilltops, dinners for 6, dinner for 400!<br />
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People ask me, with a little awe and ...not sure what else, "how do you guys do it? How can you work so hard day after day"? I smile and say, "oh, we love it"!<br />
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We really DO love it, but hell! I am exhausted! I am pushing myself to get work done. Being this busy is a happy problem, please don't get me wrong. We are committed to the restaurant, to the catering division, to the farm, to our animals and most importantly, to one another.<br />
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While in the throws of event season I did do a couple wacky things, like the time when I reached into my purse at an event to pull out my cell phone...and instead pulled out the tv remote control. During this season I have lost my ear piece, lost my jam box, lost my favorite watch and haven't had time to look for it! Shoot, I need to stop writing and finish my taxes!!!<br />
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Our last wedding was the most complicated event I have ever coordinated (130 guests on a huge piece of private property and locations with 3 bars and running water in only one of the locations). It was a smashing success! The client <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">was happy, the staff was great and I was overjoyed and relieved.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">What I didn't expect as a result of all of my brain power being immersed in the wedding has been the inability for my brain to accept any new information! I believe I truly lost my mind! I never imagined this kind of outcome. I believe this is sometimes referred to as burn out. Hmmm...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">We do have some very fun little getaways planned for November (thank God for house sitters!) and I have finally opened my Mother's treasure chest of beads! I can hear my friends saying NO...not another hobby!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">Color and texture make me happy so I will play and design and dream...and repair my tired soul!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-13841841082469444652012-05-15T23:11:00.002-07:002012-05-15T23:11:54.239-07:00The Central Texas Brisket Tour...More to come. Late. Must sleep!Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-56851867621881241172012-03-22T18:00:00.001-07:002012-03-23T08:38:32.382-07:00Beloved New Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kZQ7Fc17cyA/T2yYJCh4ioI/AAAAAAAAAPI/GrwqLJk4ONY/s1600/New+Mexico.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kZQ7Fc17cyA/T2yYJCh4ioI/AAAAAAAAAPI/GrwqLJk4ONY/s200/New+Mexico.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<i>Little things that remind us of New Mexico</i></div>
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When Farmer Jeff and I were trying to figure out where to go for our honeymoon (several years ago!) we just couldn't come up with one specific idea...until we asked each other, "what do you want to eat"? That did it! We both wanted to go to New Mexico for deep, rich, earthy foods.<br />
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I had been to the area a couple of times and could hardly wait to go back. Farmer Jeff had never even passed through the state. I knew it was dry, desert with mountains and quaking aspen, and simply beautiful.<br />
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I will jot down some of the places we ate and come back to fill this in. I know, I promised this blog so y'all could see where to eat in New Mexico!<br />
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<b>Albuquerque:</b> Run, don't walk, or even fly to ...<b>Frontier Restaurant</b> : <a href="http://www.frontierrestaurant.com/">www.frontierrestaurant.com</a><br />
It is honestly one of my favorite restaurants on earth. Their cinnamon rolls are sinful, made even more decadent by the pat of butter added after they are heated. The pot of hot green chile that you can self serve over any of your food is sublime. Anything you get there will be good. Open 20 hours a day: 5am - 1am, I would guess that there is always someone there getting food ready. I often go there for breakfast and get the breakfast burrito (one egg, hash browns, cheddar cheese and green chile...and add sausage for $5.89!!! Get that puppy and ladle hot green chile over the top of it...I am making myself hungry!<br />
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<b>Santa Fe: </b><br />
<b>Cafe Pasqual's</b> - we go for breakfast. It seems a little pricey for any meal, but it is great food. I like to get the Huevos Motulenos- Eggs, sauteed banana, peas, roasted tomato/jalapeno salsa...heaven!<br />
<b>The Shed</b> - this is where the locals go for their dinners. Known for their red chile sauce<br />
<b>Bobcat Bites- </b>green chile cheeseburgers that can't be beat!<br />
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<b>Bernalillo: The Range</b> - this place has the most incredible stacked red-sauce enchiladas.<br />
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Where to stay: Can't really recommend any places in Albuquerque.<br />
<b>Santa Fe: Inn of the Governors</b>...LOVE IT! Both times I have stayed in the rooms with the fireplace. Don't miss their tea with bizcochitos, little cookies with anise. YUM<br />
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Will post pics soon!Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-77870638270013759132012-03-13T18:10:00.001-07:002012-03-13T19:18:39.068-07:00Visits to Tennessee for food and more food...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Music lovers know that Tennessee gave us Tennessee Ernie Ford, that Sun Records in Memphis first recorded Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, that Nashville is the home of the Grand Ol’ Opry and that Paul Simon sang about Elvis’s home, Graceland, located in Memphis, TN.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O4vmFC__MOo/T1_wxdwqNiI/AAAAAAAAANo/m8xfCVyYJhM/s1600/SunStudios+where+elvis+stood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O4vmFC__MOo/T1_wxdwqNiI/AAAAAAAAANo/m8xfCVyYJhM/s320/SunStudios+where+elvis+stood.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Where Elvis Stood at Sun Studios)</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DCrp9WFvbq4/T1_1P4X5GeI/AAAAAAAAANw/2-I3Nd0IxS8/s1600/2010+Elvis+Grave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DCrp9WFvbq4/T1_1P4X5GeI/AAAAAAAAANw/2-I3Nd0IxS8/s320/2010+Elvis+Grave.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(The Grave site of Elvis Presley)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What people
don’t know about is the GREAT food from Tennessee. Jeff and I have travelled
several times to this great state and gone on self-guided food tours. In
Belvedere we visited <a href="http://www.fallsmill.com/index.html">Fall’s Mill</a> the producers of our grits. They use quarried
granite millstones from 1900. Not only do we love their white grits but we also
love their whole grain pancake mix! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Memphis is known for ribs, and so far we have tried them at Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous and the Neely’s. We have also driven to <a href="http://www.southernbbqtrail.com/whole_hog.shtml">B.S.Scott’s Bar-B-Que in Lexington, Tennessee</a>, for Pitmaster Ricky Parker’s “whole hog
barbeque”. Click on the link for <a href="http://www.southernfoodways.com/">Southern Foodways Alliance</a> film maker <a href="http://vimeo.com/joeyork/videos">Joe York</a>'s documentary on Ricky Parker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SlyHImTNefg/T1_2BBJyt8I/AAAAAAAAAN4/nhBvejzwhic/s1600/B.Scotts+BBQ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SlyHImTNefg/T1_2BBJyt8I/AAAAAAAAAN4/nhBvejzwhic/s320/B.Scotts+BBQ.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Ricky Parker's Hogs before being cooked)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not to be
missed is <a href="http://www.caseyjones.com/OldCountryStore/buffetmenu.html">Casey Jones Village</a>. We stopped by there and were treated to the best
EVER cornbread/pancake fresh off the griddle along with “fried pies” that were
warm and tender and flakey and GOOD! If you haven’t had enough to eat you can
stop at the ice cream fountain for a custom sundae. I got vanilla ice cream,
bananas, hot fudge, whipped cream and salted peanuts! YUM!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Memphis has
<a href="http://roadfood.com/Restaurant/Overview/6514/guss-world-famous-hot-and-spicy-chicken">Gus’s World Famous Hot & Spicy Chicken</a>. They might fight for the title of “burn
your mouth” spice…but they will lose. They <u>will </u>win “mighty fine fried
chicken”. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a long
day on the Graceland Tour, we went in search of Fried Chicken and were guided
to <a href="http://unclelousfriedchicken.com/">Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken</a>. I liked
the “Sweet Spicy Love” more than the regular, but both were great! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TbUahPjyPOw/T1_3gAfGHAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/WG45c7TOAak/s1600/2010+Memphis+Uncle+Lou.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TbUahPjyPOw/T1_3gAfGHAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/WG45c7TOAak/s320/2010+Memphis+Uncle+Lou.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(That's ME with Uncle Lou!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Memphis was
a trading center for cotton and hardwood. It is now home to FedEx, AutoZone,
and International Paper. While Mempis is
still an important city in Tennessee, Nashville is the crown jewel of the state
with a very healthy economy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Healthcare
is one of Nashville’s top industries. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">The
city is known as the nation's health care center.</span> Nashville is the
largest publishing center in the Southeast and one of the top ten largest in
the country.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Of all of the
products manufactured in the city, music is what makes Nashville most famous.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>The music industry in Nashville
is responsible for a good chunk of the city's tourism activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">When doing research on where to eat in Nashville, every
single list will include <a href="http://www.lovelesscafe.com/eat/cafe-menu/">“the Loveless Café’</a> just outside of town. They are
famous for home-style cooking including their biscuits. A friend and her dad were traveling through town and after eating at Loveless took a dozen biscuits back to the hotel for late night snacks after visiting the downtown Honky Tonks. No names...but you know who you are! :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s not forget <a href="http://southernfoodways.org/documentary/film/hot_chicken.html">Prince’s Hot Fried Chicken in Nashville</a>. Located
in a non-descript strip mall several miles from downtown, this little
storefront has people waiting in line from the time the doors open at 11 am
until closing time. There aren’t many seats and the turnover isn’t fast because
the chicken is cooked to order. They offer different heat levels. I started at mild
although I love and can tolerate heat. Jeff ordered the medium. The mild was
plenty hot for me and the medium was almost uncomfortable to eat. We
watched an un haired man wiping his
sweating head about every 30 seconds as he ate the HOT chicken. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nashville also has the amazing <a href="http://thepancakepantry.com/index.html">Pancake Pantry</a>. Located right
across the street from Vanderbilt University, it’s a local’s place, but one in
which everyone feels welcome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The tradition of Family Style lives on at <a href="http://monellstn.com/ndininginfo.html">Monell’s</a> in the Germantown
neighborhood of Nashville. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were taken there and sat at the large community table
with 8 other people. Bowls and platters of food were brought to the table and
we all ate as though we would never eat again! When getting ready for the "Taste the Place" Tennessee dinner I tried to talk Jeff into fixing the salad we had there. It was strawberries, Cool Whip and pretzels. It was oddly satisfying, but I couldn't persuade him! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No tour of Nashville would be complete without a little side
trip to Franklin, TN and to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.merridees.com/">Meridee’s Breadbasket</a>. Franklin is a darling town and the favorite residence of many of the Nashville music stars. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Morning at Meridee's</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't remember in what town we found this little place but the food was good and the folks were nice. Isn't that what counts? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A glimpse of the dining room...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jeff is wondering how in the world to get this home!</span></div>
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<br /></div>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-65967819489889595162012-03-12T17:52:00.000-07:002012-03-12T17:52:27.797-07:00Our Hope Chest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This has been a bizarre week here on the farm.<br />
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First was the botched batch of eggs in the incubator. The second and much more serious incident was of our 12 year old Chocolate Lab, Callebaut, ingesting 27 pills prescribed to his "sister" India. India is epileptic and requires phenobarbital to keep her from having seizures. At first we guessed at how many pills he had eaten at 10. It wasn't until later that evening that I did the actual math and discovered how many and, therefore, how serious this was.<br />
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He ate the pills on Friday and as of today, he is still at the pet hospital. For the first 20 hours he was not "arousable". By Saturday morning he progressed to opening his eyes when talked to. I have been to visit him each day. On the first visit could barely lift his head, but he did...and he tried his best to lick me. He nuzzled me, licked my cheek and then stuffed his muzzle in my ear to give it a lick. I laid down with him, sang to him, napped with him, and have been able to hand feed him.<br />
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Yesterday he was much more alert and really wanting to greet me but ended up just throwing his block head back and whacking me in the face, so I maneuvered out of bonking zone. I was showered with licks and slobber and then the tail was wagging non-stop! It was very reassuring to see his progress.<br />
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Today he was actually up on his front "elbows" in the Sphinx position. Once I saw him he tried to get up to greet me but couldn't quite do it. I got to feed him again (voracious appetite) and he was able to easily drink water, too. A couple of times he tried to get up but just couldn't. Between losing muscle strength in already aged legs and still having the drugs in his system, it is just going to take some time. The nurses were going to work with him today to see if they could get him up on his feet and build up some endurance. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fkpHFd_o8eo/T16ZmMpD32I/AAAAAAAAANY/DjJmF_WsMeY/s1600/eggs+in+moving+tray.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fkpHFd_o8eo/T16ZmMpD32I/AAAAAAAAANY/DjJmF_WsMeY/s320/eggs+in+moving+tray.JPG" width="320" /></a>We are hoping we can bring him home today, but this will be only if he can stand on his own and go to the bathroom without the assistance of a nurse. I love my baby boy...but I do draw the line!<br />
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This weekend has been so rough and joy-robbing.. We need something that offers promise of life.<br />
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This is one of the reasons for starting a batch of eggs/chicks. I have dubbed our incubator, "The Hope Chest" because we need to feel hopeful, to be filled with dreams of healthy baby chicks and the promise of future egg-laying hens. After all of the angst of our dog's life threatening accident, we need a little hope.<br />
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With luck we will have chicks by Easter, and Callebaut home tonight!! Thanks to everyone for their kind wishes and prayers.Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-25045679402263379512012-03-07T07:56:00.001-08:002012-03-07T07:56:04.650-08:00Starting Over<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For a whole day, yesterday, I had warm and fuzzy feelings. We were incubating eggs and we would be hearing the heart melting "cheep cheep" that only chicks can speak. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last night we arrived home to discover our incubator heater had spiked and now the internal temp was 110 degrees. It is supposed to be 100 degrees and a variation more than .5 in either direction is as far from 100 as it can get. These eggs were toast. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am sad and almost didn't want to share this "bad news" but y'all are here for the reality of farm life. These things happen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ZinFarmerChefJeff and I came to the same conclusion as to the "why". It took over 9 hours for the eggs to come up to the temperature of 100, but the heater apparatus was "set" to heat, so once the eggs reached that 100 degrees, the very un-user-friendly, non fuzzy-logic low tech heating unit just kept cranking out the heat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Today's plan: load up the incubator with the eggs at the same time (around 11pm) and then tomorrow during the day, leave the office several times to come home and check on them. I am also going to see if I can find a better heating source as this one is so wonky that it is a miracle the damn thing even works!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I will continue to say I am sorry, thank you and farewell to the little eggs that were on their way to becoming chicks, but didn't. </span>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-8417494766797899402012-03-05T17:28:00.000-08:002012-03-05T17:28:43.847-08:00Playing God in the Kitchen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNxV8K5DX_E/T1VdfRr4z-I/AAAAAAAAAMU/U4CX_7sFSbw/s1600/egg+shot+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNxV8K5DX_E/T1VdfRr4z-I/AAAAAAAAAMU/U4CX_7sFSbw/s1600/egg+shot+1.JPG" /></a></div>We are so excited to be getting our equipment set up to start a batch of eggs in the incubator. We took a long break after our last incubation in 2010. That batch of eggs failed to develop and I have finally discovered why. The temperature gauge I had was incorrect and the eggs never had a chance.<br />
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Here are all of the eggs I can choose from. I am going for the ones in the bowl with the towel. They are the cleanest and have the truest colors. I skipped the olive/khaki eggs in favor of the nice browns, whites and green/blues.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1Tud8GE8FY/T1VnprSJeGI/AAAAAAAAAMk/xJEqT9N8kbM/s1600/top+of+incubator.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1Tud8GE8FY/T1VnprSJeGI/AAAAAAAAAMk/xJEqT9N8kbM/s1600/top+of+incubator.JPG" /></a></div>I have cleaned up the incubator and now it is all shiny again. The little eggs have a better chance of being healthy chickens. More details to come!Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-88187580274689911082011-12-05T22:21:00.000-08:002011-12-05T22:38:48.517-08:00The Visitation of the Starlings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nPSQDZG68-g/Tt2xRsbMizI/AAAAAAAAAL4/RuVXzduh5x0/s1600/starlings%2B005.avi" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fv22.nonxt2.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D0ace0bec524e6dca%26itag%3D18%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1323173287%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3DDB2B33E6C050265E1C0EEF981DF21731104619A1.B6AB14DBB6645391F5DFE077D29AB648698F463%26key%3Dlh1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fv22.nonxt2.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3D0ace0bec524e6dca%26itag%3D18%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1323173287%26sparams%3Did%2Citag%2Cip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%26signature%3DDB2B33E6C050265E1C0EEF981DF21731104619A1.B6AB14DBB6645391F5DFE077D29AB648698F463%26key%3Dlh1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last blog I posted was October 28th...two days before I broke my ankle in New Orleans. HOWEVER, I am going to skip over that story to share the video I shot today.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FarmerChefBuilder Jeff and I started noticing the annual gathering of the starlings over the last few days.Today they came into the backyard, creating a deafening wall of sound. I ran out with the camera and caught some in flight. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">A side note about the birds: European Starlings were Introduced as part of a plan to introduce to the U.S. all birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare. They crowd out native birds (</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bluebirds, titmice, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nuthatches, swallows, wrens; sometimes even American kestrels, flickers, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">acorn woodpeckers) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">and can destroy crops. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> *</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">See National Invasive Species Information Center of the USDA. </span>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-18137318416823158402011-10-28T22:40:00.000-07:002011-10-29T05:42:26.956-07:00Southern Trip 2011 - Clarksdale, MS & Delta Divertissement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FrwxXTPMet0/TquHc940pmI/AAAAAAAAAKo/UuAq32FXPTo/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photo%2527sMother%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FrwxXTPMet0/TquHc940pmI/AAAAAAAAAKo/UuAq32FXPTo/s320/Susan%2527s+Photo%2527sMother%2527s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To pick up where we left off...we left NOLA on Tuesday morning after a spectacular breakfast at <a href="http://www.mothersrestaurant.net/">Mother's</a>. We drove across Lake Pontchartrain and then north up to Mississippi. On our way we stopped at various antique stores (didn't find anything there) and then just high-tailed it to our serene place in Clarksdale, Mississippi. I can't put my finger on what makes it so special. Maybe it is the quiet, the stillness, only to be broken by the flock of birds that live in the big bush. I wish I could tell you where it is, but they are getting all the business they can handle. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Mississippi Delta Bottle Tree in Clarksdale, MS</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dwZRPvbP-U/TquGW_zKBuI/AAAAAAAAAJg/6MUXokBFv2s/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+Abe%2527sDinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dwZRPvbP-U/TquGW_zKBuI/AAAAAAAAAJg/6MUXokBFv2s/s200/Susan%2527s+Photos+Abe%2527sDinner.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W5564RDs-rQ/TquGf3oQUQI/AAAAAAAAAJo/l4eVm63ppSc/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W5564RDs-rQ/TquGf3oQUQI/AAAAAAAAAJo/l4eVm63ppSc/s200/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+046.jpg" width="200" /></a> We went out to dinner at our favorite little place in Clarksdale for Delta Tamales and barbecue pork ribs, <a href="http://www.abesbbq.com/">Abe's</a>. We had discovered this place and eaten here several times before we heard the story of the owners. They are descendants of Lebanese "peddlers", so named because they sold their wares off of their bicycles. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ew1M-JSA9vo/TquGM5qSrUI/AAAAAAAAAJI/bzzsqUR-Fs4/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Tamales+Abes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ew1M-JSA9vo/TquGM5qSrUI/AAAAAAAAAJI/bzzsqUR-Fs4/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Tamales+Abes.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Delta Tamales from Abe's with no extra chile or cheese</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OcM6qCMACTk/TquGTPli45I/AAAAAAAAAJY/qvhNTinbza4/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Tamales+Delta+FF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OcM6qCMACTk/TquGTPli45I/AAAAAAAAAJY/qvhNTinbza4/s200/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Tamales+Delta+FF.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yj50D-JwL4k/TquFppCll4I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/EICJYyZTlAk/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Delta+FF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yj50D-JwL4k/TquFppCll4I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/EICJYyZTlAk/s200/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Delta+FF.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Delta Tamales from Delta Fast Food in Cleveland, MS</div><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4VWn_UGNCfk/TquGQWtvZlI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/IqBAdunNLV4/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Tamales+Crystal+G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4VWn_UGNCfk/TquGQWtvZlI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/IqBAdunNLV4/s200/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Tamales+Crystal+G.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S6AVKbmE7ac/TquGkzlg1FI/AAAAAAAAAJw/H5tUF6lvJf4/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+ChocPieCrystalGrill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S6AVKbmE7ac/TquGkzlg1FI/AAAAAAAAAJw/H5tUF6lvJf4/s200/Susan%2527s+Photos+ChocPieCrystalGrill.jpg" width="200" /></a>Once in Greenwood I was on a mission to try the famous pie at Crystal Grill. Okay, this seemed like a good idea at the time. Apparently Jeff was still on his tamale quest. The pie was a chocolate meringue and the meringue tasted like toasted marshmallows!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mbslxUQVCqM/TquGJxDMOiI/AAAAAAAAAJA/7ag0S1kzAcI/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Quail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mbslxUQVCqM/TquGJxDMOiI/AAAAAAAAAJA/7ag0S1kzAcI/s320/Jeff%2527s+Photos+Quail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Lunch at the Viking demonstration kitchen was amazing. Made with free range quail by Chef Nick of Giardina's in Greenwood, MS<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">True Southern Hospitality - A stunning cocktail buffet set up on a blueberry farm. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zp6L-St5aUc/TquGGHLzrDI/AAAAAAAAAI4/S6nsx1GFvZo/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photo%2527s+Okra+Sand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zp6L-St5aUc/TquGGHLzrDI/AAAAAAAAAI4/S6nsx1GFvZo/s200/Jeff%2527s+Photo%2527s+Okra+Sand.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinwheel Pickled Okra and Cream Cheese Sandwiches. Delicious!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vmkdvqCHRlI/TquHBDtFIII/AAAAAAAAAKI/0gwEJDkEaBc/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vmkdvqCHRlI/TquHBDtFIII/AAAAAAAAAKI/0gwEJDkEaBc/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+060.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wBMWDbsDFSU/TquHH7kzFYI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/nb9VxVGTfOs/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wBMWDbsDFSU/TquHH7kzFYI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/nb9VxVGTfOs/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+061.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">We were fed wonderful vegetables grown by and in the garden of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Greenwood.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GSks3Aj6wqc/TquHS0ZhFZI/AAAAAAAAAKY/OIcclkO3o4I/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GSks3Aj6wqc/TquHS0ZhFZI/AAAAAAAAAKY/OIcclkO3o4I/s200/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+062.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Progressive Dinner of Chicken and sides</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4JqLwAt_ekI/TquHYJVZ__I/AAAAAAAAAKg/TLGhqKtqFMA/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4JqLwAt_ekI/TquHYJVZ__I/AAAAAAAAAKg/TLGhqKtqFMA/s200/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+068.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dinner plate - Okra, Chicken, Greens</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-myZ1eYXPszo/TquFoHn5X0I/AAAAAAAAAII/UQgc80HQc7I/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photo%2527s+Delta+Bistro+Shrimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-myZ1eYXPszo/TquFoHn5X0I/AAAAAAAAAII/UQgc80HQc7I/s320/Jeff%2527s+Photo%2527s+Delta+Bistro+Shrimp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delta Shrimp and Grits at Delta Bistro, Greenwood</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Gi7asTGylk/TquF-J4weKI/AAAAAAAAAIw/FqcrJ2CutWY/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Gi7asTGylk/TquF-J4weKI/AAAAAAAAAIw/FqcrJ2CutWY/s320/Jeff%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+025.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Southern Foodways Symposium Lunch - Korean/Southern Bento Boxes - Incredible!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T7LwXF6dk1Y/TquFm1ptiXI/AAAAAAAAAIA/f81Y7JUt4ms/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+CalvanderCheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T7LwXF6dk1Y/TquFm1ptiXI/AAAAAAAAAIA/f81Y7JUt4ms/s320/Jeff%2527s+Photos+CalvanderCheese.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new favorite cheese from Chapel Hill, North Carolina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-69896106305771299562011-10-27T13:20:00.000-07:002011-10-29T05:40:11.612-07:00Southern Trip 2011 - New Orleans & Chef's Collaborative<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iy_5zFS3nvQ/Tqm36VlorYI/AAAAAAAAAGI/XXmuHKMKmmI/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iy_5zFS3nvQ/Tqm36VlorYI/AAAAAAAAAGI/XXmuHKMKmmI/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are on our annual trek to The South. We love it here. Phase One: our free days until the Chefs Collaborative Summit '11 begins. Our first full day in New Orleans, LA (NOLA) started with lunch at <a href="http://www.napoleonhouse.com/">Napoleon House</a>. The place is dripping with ambiance. Take a look at the walls. I really don't think it has been painted for 75 years! It is a little touristy, but there are locals to give the place an authentic feel. We had a quarter of a muffaletta, the classic New Orleans sandwich with provolone cheese, salami and a great olive mix. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yj_Z5kTwMNI/Tqm34NX62mI/AAAAAAAAAGA/TllqrXEHkqQ/s1600/Jeff%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yj_Z5kTwMNI/Tqm34NX62mI/AAAAAAAAAGA/TllqrXEHkqQ/s200/Jeff%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+001.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
We got out of the "Quarter" as soon as we could (not a big fan of crowds) and went straight to our favorite "rusty/dusty" antique yard right off of Magazine Street in upper Garden District/lower Uptown. We bought the kettle in the picture along with some other cool props and metal crates that we will have to ship home. I don't think we can carry that home in luggage!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hV7c8y6nEAs/Tqm38V4jo1I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/gWLeXiqF93Q/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hV7c8y6nEAs/Tqm38V4jo1I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/gWLeXiqF93Q/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Phase Two: We took advantage of the <a href="http://chefscollaborative.org/">Chef's Collaborative</a> Summit while in NOLA. Little did we know it would include a 3 hour bus ride. (The theme of Gilligan's Island kept floating through my head..."a 3 hour tour".) First stop: a rice farmer who, along with his wife, also raises crawfish in the same rice fields, Frey Crawfish . They are very "green" and sustainable. Above is the photo of the mudbug (crawfish) sorting machine he created.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-triLQ50hOCs/Tqm3_FP0N6I/AAAAAAAAAGY/a_X9vC-h6tk/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-triLQ50hOCs/Tqm3_FP0N6I/AAAAAAAAAGY/a_X9vC-h6tk/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> These are the push boats he had made. The workers push the boat and walk through the rice fields scooping crawfish. The way this used to be done was with a motorized boat which not only was burning fossil fuel, it also destroyed the crawfish due to fuel and oil in the water.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTUHxTTWWwU/Tqm4BwleYmI/AAAAAAAAAGg/l_R1K07G3Ts/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTUHxTTWWwU/Tqm4BwleYmI/AAAAAAAAAGg/l_R1K07G3Ts/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+022.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> Here is a bag of their crawfish. They explained that the yellow tint is from crawfish fat, which as we all know, fat equals flavor. It just kills me that this is so readily available in stores in Louisiana...but not near us!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-2d4NxYQo4/Tqm4D6fueOI/AAAAAAAAAGo/xk9maqlqyBo/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-2d4NxYQo4/Tqm4D6fueOI/AAAAAAAAAGo/xk9maqlqyBo/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Here is one of the Mama Mudbugs just loaded with eggs. She will drop a couple hundred eggs.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1oCiT5itRiM/Tqm4KTUnpVI/AAAAAAAAAGw/z9Zz-osEtXk/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1oCiT5itRiM/Tqm4KTUnpVI/AAAAAAAAAGw/z9Zz-osEtXk/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+027.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> We then hopped on the bus and went out to look at the 2nd rice crop. As you can see, they treated us to true Southern Hospitality and supplied ice cold beer.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5o9TjHtVr3w/Tqm4NyNz2QI/AAAAAAAAAG4/alpSirqJlDU/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5o9TjHtVr3w/Tqm4NyNz2QI/AAAAAAAAAG4/alpSirqJlDU/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+033.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Our stop at Prejean's in Lafayette was incredible. What you see on my plate: a crawfish pie and crawfish etouffee (smothered crawfish). At the top of the photo you can see Boudin Balls, tasty sausage rice fritters with a creole remoulade sauce.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv1e_5gl2gg/Tqm4YTtM2NI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/J-GQLOFSU-I/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv1e_5gl2gg/Tqm4YTtM2NI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/J-GQLOFSU-I/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+041.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We stopped at a little grocery/butcher along side the freeway, <a href="http://www.donsspecialtymeats.com/">Don's Specialty Meats</a>, that is most famous for cracklin's, which are not to be confused with fried pork skin. Cracklin's still have a little bit of meat...Most folks I have talked to said that they couldn't help but eat a full pound bag of them on their way home. Fear not...we at a couple of them, and no more. We did, however, buy some local andouille sausage and tasso ham. As you can see from the photo above, I was surprised to find stuffed catfish available, too. Dang...they have some of the most amazing food so readily available.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YqDsPWoh_Ng/Tqm4cwuhSVI/AAAAAAAAAHY/dG3rL5WaZCM/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YqDsPWoh_Ng/Tqm4cwuhSVI/AAAAAAAAAHY/dG3rL5WaZCM/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+043.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The collaborative wanted to make sure we were paying attention. What better way to do that? Give us amazing sandwiches (muffaletta & banh mi) from <a href="http://www.cochonbutcher.com/">Cochon Butcher</a> . I don't think I have ever had a better banh mi!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6QUzBiQRf4Y/Tqm4h0Mt1YI/AAAAAAAAAHg/xiCE2eWNV8I/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6QUzBiQRf4Y/Tqm4h0Mt1YI/AAAAAAAAAHg/xiCE2eWNV8I/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+044.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I think my favorite part of the conference was the Italian-style hog butchering class at<a href="http://domenicarestaurant.com/"> Domenica</a>. We watched the very talented Chef Alon. He lived in Parma, Italy and studied the Italian method of butchery and sausage making/meat curing. It was fascinating to see him cut the pig up in a new way, well, new to us. We also learned about the heritage pig that he raises for the cured meats. I couldn't find my notes but know that it is on<br />
the <a href="http://albc-usa.org/">American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's</a> list. I can't heap enough praise on the class and the meats. They were both incredible!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m7TygnXOeO8/Tqm4mRhK1CI/AAAAAAAAAHo/p-prZixO8FY/s1600/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m7TygnXOeO8/Tqm4mRhK1CI/AAAAAAAAAHo/p-prZixO8FY/s320/Susan%2527s+Photos+of+the+South+2011+045.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Phase 3 & 4 - next post!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0New Orleans, LA, USA29.951065799999991 -90.071532329.784730299999993 -90.3290428 30.11740129999999 -89.8140218tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-66698605061457670642011-10-23T22:31:00.000-07:002011-10-23T22:33:04.258-07:00Where did the Time go?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lHJXud5hpaI/TpmZwqbmZlI/AAAAAAAAAE4/edFF4nFqVa0/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lHJXud5hpaI/TpmZwqbmZlI/AAAAAAAAAE4/edFF4nFqVa0/s320/IMG_1437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> If you are wondering why there have been no posts since April, when we began to prepare for planting, I will do what I can to explain...or should I just show pictures of what we have been doing for the last 6 months? Pics it is!<br />
<br />
We decided to simplify our lives (yes, can you believe it?) by farming on a smaller plot of land. We had been over-achievers for 3 years by farming on 2 acres. It was too much for us (me, Farmer Jeff and one other very part time person) to farm and maintain that much land/plants.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7QZwbq8bMk/TpmZ4tgrD_I/AAAAAAAAAFA/SNKIJSg75_0/s1600/IMG_1445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7QZwbq8bMk/TpmZ4tgrD_I/AAAAAAAAAFA/SNKIJSg75_0/s320/IMG_1445.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Tiger, our feral kitty, that has decided he now enjoys being pet, is hunting for gophers and voles. Go Tiger!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YItAvbjhkH0/TpmaBGK075I/AAAAAAAAAFI/0keLuVIW9sc/s1600/IMG_1452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YItAvbjhkH0/TpmaBGK075I/AAAAAAAAAFI/0keLuVIW9sc/s320/IMG_1452.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Not the normal cash crop grown in Mendocino or Humboldt Counties, rather our tomatoes in the "Green" greenhouse.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eyDU9YiZiqQ/TpmaV6lNjnI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/ldB736H6SNY/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eyDU9YiZiqQ/TpmaV6lNjnI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/ldB736H6SNY/s320/IMG_1447.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is the first evidence we had that the bees had returned. (What you are seeing is pollen on the "porch")<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwEJg8NtBn4/TpmauiafZqI/AAAAAAAAAFY/6-sSLroZfjA/s1600/First+of+the+season+garden+pasta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwEJg8NtBn4/TpmauiafZqI/AAAAAAAAAFY/6-sSLroZfjA/s320/First+of+the+season+garden+pasta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Tomatoes were late this year. Really late. Our first ripe tomatoes were one month late, around August 15th. We made our traditional first summer pasta with our tomatoes, wild arugula, goat cheese and whole grain pasta. TOTALLY delicious!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XMe4f20gcIQ/TpmaxHUog9I/AAAAAAAAAFg/j6sYjtnl6aE/s1600/On+the+farm+2011+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XMe4f20gcIQ/TpmaxHUog9I/AAAAAAAAAFg/j6sYjtnl6aE/s320/On+the+farm+2011+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We fell in love with Padrones last year and planted even more this year. We ate them every night we were home this summer! We also tried planting shishito peppers, a Japanese-style frying pepper. They were prolific! We will grow them again.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fi2TQicxAao/Tpmazrqa6XI/AAAAAAAAAFo/2xzxq7WPHg4/s1600/On+the+farm+2011+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fi2TQicxAao/Tpmazrqa6XI/AAAAAAAAAFo/2xzxq7WPHg4/s320/On+the+farm+2011+008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Once we had our first summer pasta, ZinFarmerChef Jeff fired up (literally!) the wood burning oven and made pizzas for us. He was very proud this was a totally home made pizza: he made the crust, grew the tomatoes and basil from seed and made the mozzarella. So amazed by all that he does! ..and yes, the pizza was AMAZING!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUWuV7CN6JA/Tpma-hzDD3I/AAAAAAAAAFw/xKhOhryrLas/s1600/IMG_1435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pUWuV7CN6JA/Tpma-hzDD3I/AAAAAAAAAFw/xKhOhryrLas/s200/IMG_1435.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Fear not, we are still in love with our chickens! The girls have gotten bolder and now come up on the back deck. The cats inside the house run...those birds are too big! The dogs start barking and when we shush them, they just wander off and go back to sleep! Spoiled Babies!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pL46yKxcfb4/TpmbLF9K14I/AAAAAAAAAF4/qdQTY2h_RDc/s1600/Sleeping+Brown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pL46yKxcfb4/TpmbLF9K14I/AAAAAAAAAF4/qdQTY2h_RDc/s400/Sleeping+Brown.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beloved Elder Statesman, Callebaut. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com1Healdsburg, CA 95448, USA38.6104658 -122.869160938.5729973 -122.89919189999999 38.6479343 -122.8391299tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-33438655154370373812011-04-18T12:30:00.001-07:002011-04-18T12:30:23.956-07:00Getting Ready for Planting ...here we Go!Soon...like the first of May, we will begin planting!!! Woohoo!!!Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-82021267238995526042010-12-31T00:11:00.000-08:002010-12-31T00:14:28.318-08:00Bonnie Jean's Soul Food Cafe in San Diego<iframe frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o5R-OQH3BFE?fs=1" width="480"></iframe><br />
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We had a great lunch here the day after Christmas. It was SO Southern and Soulful, we thought we were either in Mississippi or Tennessee. A special shout out of thanks to Miesha, who really made the day so special. AND of course, thanks go to Beth and Chris for introducing us to Bonnie Jean's!Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-80876493717465935162010-11-23T23:15:00.000-08:002010-11-23T23:28:51.596-08:00Travels to Phoenix - the cooking show!<div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jeff and I were in Arizona this past weekend for the Sonoma Showcase Festival. (Yes, the name was sold and "Sonoma" is now being sold as a brand. Why didn't we think of this?) We were there to do cooking demonstrations at the event. Their fabulous PR person, Sandy Painter, arranged for us to promote the event by going on 3 different morning news shows.</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TOy-BZzZ0zI/AAAAAAAAAEo/o0wSIVqPfEs/s1600/crab+stuffed+avocado+tv+shot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TOy-BZzZ0zI/AAAAAAAAAEo/o0wSIVqPfEs/s200/crab+stuffed+avocado+tv+shot.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the show on Thursday morning, Sonoran Living, Jeff prepared "Dungeness Crab Stuffed Avocado with Mango and Red Chile Dressing", from his cookbook, Down Home to Downtown. While finishing up the first show Jeff was asked if he could prepare some food as props for the news broadcast the next morning out at the event location. Sure...Jeff is an agreeable guy! Since it didn't need to necessarily be what we were demonstrating that weekend, Jeff just ...created some dishes! It was pretty fun walking around the giant grocery store thinking of what food would project both Zin Restaurant's style of food while also staying seasonal AND available.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TOy-dufdajI/AAAAAAAAAEs/ZkehzCSg7Bk/s1600/Jeff+Phoenix+Fri+Am+tv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TOy-dufdajI/AAAAAAAAAEs/ZkehzCSg7Bk/s200/Jeff+Phoenix+Fri+Am+tv.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jeff came up with three dishes, one of which was Butternut Squash Hash with Applewood Smoked Bacon, using Zin's house bacon, of course! I don't have to be psychic (which I can be on rare occasions!) to know you will want to know what else he served: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto (which was fantastic!) and Zin smoked Fennel Sausage with Sauteed peppers. Mind you, it was just for a prop, but Jeff made sure it was seasoned properly! We were just to place the food on the plates, set them on a display table and then make ourselves scarce. As it turned out, Jeff was interviewed live on location and did a GREAT job! </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of the shoot, Sandy explained she has lost her Saturday morning "cooking guest" and asked us if we could appear on yet another show the next morning! We agreed and after watching everyone devour the squash hash, decided to present that dish. We were supposed to only get 2 minutes of air time but it turned into 5! The only segment available online is the Friday show. Here is the link to that one: <a href="http://www.abc15.com/dpp/lifestyle/food/dungeness-crab-stuffed-avocado-with-mango-and-red-chile-dressing">Jeff and Susan on ABC 15</a></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those that have requested it, here is the recipe for the Butternut Squash Hash with Applewood Smoked Bacon. We are making a big batch for dinner Thursday!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: #365f91; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">Butternut Squash Hash with Applewood Smoked Bacon</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">By Chef Jeff Mall – Zin Restaurant – Healdsburg, CA<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0a64a4;"><a href="http://zinrestaurant.com/">Zinrestaurant.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0a64a4;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1 medium butternut squash – peeled and diced<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1 medium yellow onion - peeled and diced<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2 slices Applewood Smoked Bacon – diced<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1 red bell pepper – diced<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2 leaves fresh sage- chopped<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2 oz. unsalted butter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">½ cup chicken broth or stock<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Heat large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until almost crisp.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Drain half of the fat. Add butter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Add chopped onion, red pepper and sage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Cook until onions are translucent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Add butternut squash and toss with ingredients.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Add chicken broth and continue to cook until squash is tender.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a wonderful dinner and be sure to express your gratitude each and every day, not just on Thanksgiving!</span></div>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-36759239820516258442010-11-10T13:36:00.000-08:002010-11-10T13:37:22.561-08:00Sun Studio and other adventures in THE SOUTH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TNsF8UoCs5I/AAAAAAAAAEY/JVwQ94f22P4/s1600/SunStudios+where+elvis+stood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TNsF8UoCs5I/AAAAAAAAAEY/JVwQ94f22P4/s320/SunStudios+where+elvis+stood.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
For all y'all who think they have "done Memphis" by going to <a href="http://www.elvis.com/graceland/">Graceland</a> and then to see the ducks swim in the bar fountain at the <a href="http://www.peabodymemphis.com/">Peabody Hotel</a>...you have missed out by not going to <a href="http://www.sunstudio.com/">Sun Studio</a>! We had a BLAST and got to see where Elvis stood when he cut his first "studio" record. The photo above shows that very spot!<br />
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We honestly ate ourselves stupid on this trip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TNsKhIvaVRI/AAAAAAAAAEc/2hvua-Byjmw/s1600/Baba%2527s+cornbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TNsKhIvaVRI/AAAAAAAAAEc/2hvua-Byjmw/s200/Baba%2527s+cornbread.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>After our day of fried chicken, we ate dried fruit in the car while driving to <a href="http://www.caseyjones.com/index.html">Brooks Shaw's Country Store</a> at Casey Jones Village, Jackson, TN, a sweet place owned by friends of ours, Clark and Juanita Shaw. Clark's daddy, Brooks, started the store and it has grown into an incredible place to eat home-style cooking and shop for ...Americana! We first learned of their incredible food at a <a href="http://www.southernfoodways.com/index.html">Southern Foodways Alliance</a> Symposium where Clark and Juanita made their famous "Baba's Cracklin' Cornbread" and we ate our weight in cornbread! We mentioned it to Juanita who sent her sister (the one that threw George Harrison out of Carl Perkin's house after Carl's funeral, but that is another story!) to take care of us. Did she EVER!!! Jeff and I were both delivered HOT cornbread along with the hot pockets of joy, fresh fried peach pie! OH LOWDY!!! I could have eaten 10 of them, or died trying! It was revealed that the chef uses dried peaches for the concentrated peach flavor. Whatever he does, it works!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TNsMvPFSbGI/AAAAAAAAAEg/LkIxRLNVgHw/s1600/B.Scotts+BBQ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TNsMvPFSbGI/AAAAAAAAAEg/LkIxRLNVgHw/s200/B.Scotts+BBQ.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>Would you believe that all this took place before lunch? We crawled back in the car, with me wondering if I could eat again in the next day, much less in the next hour! That was put to the test when we pulled up at our destination, <a href="http://www.southernfoodways.com/documentary/oh/tnbbq/rural/scotts.shtml">B.E.Scott's</a> aka Ricky Parker's Whole Hog Barbecue in Lexington, TN. (The link will take you to an interview of Ricky by Southern Foodways Alliance. Ricky wasn't around but his son was and he was kind enough to give us a tour. Don't all tours include dressed pigs? We had an incredible pulled (not chopped - our preference) pork sandwich...and climbed back in the car and drove back to the Country Store.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TNsPBigGylI/AAAAAAAAAEk/KjgX-Ann1qo/s1600/Sundae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TNsPBigGylI/AAAAAAAAAEk/KjgX-Ann1qo/s200/Sundae.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>They had promised us a "soda fountain treat"...which was!!! The fountain has been deemed one of the best 50 ice cream parlors in the US...so we HAD to try it! I had my all time favorite flavor combo of vanilla ice cream, bananas, fudge sauce, whipped cream and salted nuts! YUM!!!<br />
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We got ourselves a cup of coffee, some chocolate walnut fudge for the road (yes, I HAVE been doing Weight Watchers for a YEAR!) and drove back to Memphis where a fabulous dinner at <a href="http://www.restaurantiris.com/">Restaurant Iris </a>awaited us! Can you say "FOOD COMA"???Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-54024810680559911012010-10-19T21:51:00.000-07:002010-10-19T22:02:17.894-07:00On the Road Again...the annual Southern Pilgrimage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TL5slHvbwiI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/nk3xCFiDYsA/s1600/Neelys+lunch+ribs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TL5slHvbwiI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/nk3xCFiDYsA/s320/Neelys+lunch+ribs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A plate of pork ribs, barbecue beans and French fries with a plate of the famous BBQ Spaghetti</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our annual trip to "the South" began with lunch at <a href="http://www.neelysbbq.com/">Neely's Bar-b-que </a>in Memphis, TN. We devoured the rib combo plate we got with beans and coleslaw and Jeff helped me to finish my pork and coleslaw sandwich. DELICIOUS! We crawled back to the hotel and took a VERY long nap! Afterwards we went to a little place called <a href="http://www.automaticslimsmemphis.com/">Automatic Slims</a>. It was good, not great. Creative, but they couldn't quite pull it off. Close but no cigar!<br />
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For breakfast we went to Cockadoo's. They have "cathead" biscuits which means they have biscuits the size of a cat head. They were good, but not remarkable. I am spoiled by the fantastic biscuits at Zin on Sunday nights!<br />
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We bit the bullet and finally went to Graceland. It was getting embarrassing that we hadn't gone on all of our trips to Memphis...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TLzpFzChruI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ZGfNRu5I5JM/s1600/Graceland+frontdoor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TLzpFzChruI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ZGfNRu5I5JM/s200/Graceland+frontdoor.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For those of you that were born before 1970 should recognize the beautiful white front porch of Graceland. Apparently Priscilla Presley hired 2 guys from Disneyland to help create the mystique and amusement park quality of Graceland. Not a bad thing...It <b>was</b> fun to see!We had to be the youngest on the tour. The average age was about 70! The tour takes you through the main house, to see the kitchen, dining room, racquetball court and the famous underground play rooms. Pretty crazy decorating ideas...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TL4n9xmbZYI/AAAAAAAAAEE/XOc7vpGZZYI/s1600/Graceland+Elvis+Grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TL4n9xmbZYI/AAAAAAAAAEE/XOc7vpGZZYI/s200/Graceland+Elvis+Grave.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was sad to see the grave site and realize just how young he was when he passed. It was also amazing to see the level of devotion and fanaticism that still exists for Elvis. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TL5r54KdGGI/AAAAAAAAAEM/K_4Mw4rTOWo/s1600/UncleLousChicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TL5r54KdGGI/AAAAAAAAAEM/K_4Mw4rTOWo/s200/UncleLousChicken.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>From there we went to lunch at one of the places our friends, Paul and Angela recommended, <a href="http://www.unclelousfriedchicken.com/home.html">Uncle Lou's Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken</a>. It was delicious! Uncle Lou has Homestyle, Sweet and Spicy and HOT Sweet and Spicy. It was SO good!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TL50Ie0i9fI/AAAAAAAAAEU/AwQUzAnW5Io/s1600/GusFriedChicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/TL50Ie0i9fI/AAAAAAAAAEU/AwQUzAnW5Io/s200/GusFriedChicken.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Not satisfied with eating only one kind of fried chicken, we had it again for dinner, this time it was Gus's Fried Chicken. I promise we don't eat this way every day! Just the week we are in the South! Back to Gus's...<a href="http://roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/6514-7722/guss-world-famous-hot-and-spicy-chicken">Michael Stern of Roadfood</a> said it best:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">'m not sure about Gus's claim to be world famous; but if it is not, it deserves to be. Here is some of the nation's best fried chicken. Each piece, dark and white, is encased in an envelope that vigorously crunches then offers rapturous chew, all the while radiating the ecstatic flavor combo of chicken fat and pepper... (Click on the link to read all that he wrote about Gus's)</span><br />
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All of this crazy eating took place in two days...with 7 to go...and no stretch pants packed. I am in trouble!<br />
If I haven't gone into a food coma, I'll write more tomorrow about the food extravaganza...and the trip to Sun Studios!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962131168237005073.post-48623122053767560352010-08-28T23:34:00.000-07:002010-08-28T23:46:13.185-07:00We are Back in Business!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/THn-DOaOumI/AAAAAAAAADc/yQXeFaRW3KM/s1600/Zin+in+Discoveries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aZnT24QTxiY/THn-DOaOumI/AAAAAAAAADc/yQXeFaRW3KM/s320/Zin+in+Discoveries.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our farm/garden was featured in Discoveries Magazine, August 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yes, the blog is BACK! After dealing with "technical difficulties" beyond my abilities, I just said phooey and re-titled Eastside Farm Chronicles. I won't whine and tell you how busy we have been...but DANG! We have been busy!<br />
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After Farmer Jeff gave me an incubator for Christmas (yes, all his fault!) we have had a dramatic rise in the number of chickens. We also now have a dramatic number of roosters and are offering them to anyone that will take them! I have even considered butchering them and making Coq au Vin, but can't bring myself to do it...yet. It will really depend on how many more sleepless nights we and the neighbors suffer through!<br />
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I don't dare try to recap May - almost September. Suffice to say it has been a strange growing season on the farm. We have over 500 tomatoes planted...and the coldest summer in 70 years. Our melons, however, are the best ever, with Crane melons as the current favorite. They are on the Slow Food Ark of Taste along with other things we are growing such as the Jimmy Nardello Sweet Italian Frying Peppers, Petaluma Gold Rush Beans. The rest of what we have planted are heirloom varieties.<br />
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We are about to move into the "preserving the harvest" phase of the year. We have peaches to turn into jam, tomatoes to turn into sauce, pears to dehydrate, and lots more to pick! Peppers and pepper roasting will follow.<br />
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Thanks for following our journey...more tales to come!Susan aka Chicken Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08365385704695819384noreply@blogger.com1