Rise and Shine!

We have some new additions to our family.  Back in October Bianca, Colette, Edith, Fiona and Giselle joined us.  You will probably hear about them from time to time, they are the feathered members of our family….our chickens.  They arrived via the US Postal Service from My Pet Chicken when they were just about 24 hours old.

I love eggs, the fresher the better. So I figured what better way to have really fresh eggs than to have chickens in my own back yard laying them!  Now I will admit, I didn’t really know anything about raising chickens, I’m a city girl.  But we have a lot of space in the back and I had recently planted a small vegetable garden so having some chickens just helped round out the picture I had painted in my head of all this fresh food I would be picking and cooking for my family.

I loved the idea of fresh eggs every morning and eggs for all the baking I love to do.  I love Deviled Eggs and Quiche and every other way you can think to make them.  So I convinced my very patient husband to go along with me in this chicken adventure.  Actually, I think he just decided it was best to pick his battles and that I probably wouldn’t really go through with it once I started researching about chickens and their care.  He should have known better, because about a month later we got a call at 7 am from our local Post Office telling us “our chicks were in.”  Off I went to retrieve them.  They were adorable little balls of fluff.

And since they didn’t have a chicken mother, they imprinted (a word I learned that means they identified) with me as their mother.  And I think they know that Randy is their father, albeit reluctant at first, he loves them now too.  He is often the one who goes out in the evening to lock up their hen house so that no unwanted visitors get in.  And secretly he loves letting them out to roam the garden in the morning.  They are a big hit with our grandchildren as well.  They each were allowed to name one of them.

They have funny little personalities….the chickens that is, and we are thoroughly enjoying them.  But we have yet to see an egg.  They say it takes about 6 months before they begin laying. Randy keeps telling me that the first egg will be “a $1000 egg”.  He is exaggerating of course, but we will all be thrilled when we find that first egg one morning. I’ll keep you posted.  It should be any day now.

One thing is certain, breakfast will never be the same at our house once those chicks start producing fresh eggs.  It has long been one of our favorite meals.  (Lunch and dinner are our other two favorites). The smell of fresh coffee brewing and bacon sizzling in a pan are better than any alarm clock ever invented.  Even people who don’t eat breakfast are hard pressed to resist these morning delights.  For many people it isn’t so much that they don’t like eating breakfast as it is that they don’t like to cook breakfast or they feel like they just don’t have time for it.  Consequently, they settle for a Pop Tart and maybe a cup of coffee or a glass of orange juice to start their morning.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!”  I can still hear my grandfather’s words as he stood at the kitchen stove cooking up a hardy breakfast every single day.   We always had big breakfasts.  “You wouldn’t expect your car to get you where you need to go without putting fuel in the tank, so why would you expect your body to take you places without giving it the fuel it needs to do the job?”  When you think about it like that, it makes sense.

But who can think of new things to make every morning?  Your Two Chums want to help you with that.  So from time to time we will give you some breakfast ideas.  And we promise they will be easy and delicious.  Things that will make you and your family look forward to the new day and the chance to Rise and Shine!

Chile Relleno Casserole

1 lb Jack cheese, grated
6 eggs beaten
1 cup half and half
1  8oz. can tomato sauce
2 4oz cans of whole green chiles
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Butter a 9×13 baking dish.  Spread the jack cheese in the bottom of the dish. Pour ½ cup of the half and half over the cheese.  Split the chiles open lengthwise and place over top of the cheese.  Pour the beaten eggs over everything, then drizzle the remaining ½ cup of half and half over top.  Next pour the tomato sauce over all.  Top with the cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.  This will make 10-12 servings.

German Pancake

6 Tablespoons of butter
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup flour
½ salt

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Put a cast iron skillet in the hot oven with the butter until the butter is melted and bubbling.  It will just barely begin to brown.

Place all the other ingredients in a blender and mix for about 1 minute or until it is completely blended.  Pour this batter into the hot cast iron skillet.

The batter will look like it is beginning to cook around the edges immediately.  Close the oven and cook without opening the door to peek for 15 minutes.

The pancake will rise and puff up beautifully.  Remove from the oven and serve right away as it will begin to deflate immediately after you cut into it.

There are a many ways to serve it.  Here are just a few of the things you can serve with it:

1. Sprinkle it with lemon juice and and powdered sugar (When it is served this way it is sometimes called a Dutch Baby)
2. Real maple syrup
3. Homemade Raspberry Jam
4. Apples diced and slightly warmed with maple syrup or with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and topped with whipped cream
5. Spread it with Nutella
6. Drizzle it with honey and chopped pecans or sliced almonds

These should surely make you rise and shine 🙂