Fried Green Tomatoes & Rainy Chickens
October 18, 2009
It is fall in Portland, which means one bad thing: my garden is dying! It is too cloudy to ripen the dozens of plump green tomatoes still left on the vine, so tonight I decided to make fried green tomatoes! I used a fabulous recipe from VeganYumYum.com.
Chopped up green tomatoes, fresh from my garden.
Frying one side…
Then the other!
Completed!
The full meal: drizzle balsamic vinegar and place on a bed of greens (fresh from the garden, of course!), and chopped black olives.
Today it stormed….
The chickens don’t mind the rain too much. However, the do become quite muddy in their chicken run. And poor Little Miss, with her head full of feathers, gets muddy dreads from the rain!
If You Can’t Beat Cellphones, Join Them!
September 19, 2009
Last Friday I ventured onto a public high school campus and spent the day with a junior student named Monique. If my experience had been video recorded, you could assume it was the 90’s or 80’s because the day completely lacked in technology.
Throughout the entire day, technology was only used once: a “video projector” during Pre-Calc. For those of you who have not been in a classroom in the past decade, this is an updated version of the old style overhead which used photocopied “transparencies” you could write on with special markers. The video overheads are literally a video camera which projects the image onto the wall. In the Pre-Calc class, the teacher was able to place the math textbook directly under the camera to project the page onto the wall. He also demonstrated how to plug mathematical equations into a calculator by placing it directly under the camera.
Chickens: 5 months old
September 9, 2009
Garden Flowers
July 17, 2009
My beautiful flowers that I planted by seed (gift from my mom, thanks Mom!) have bloomed!
Swingin Martinis Designs
July 2, 2009
I am posting to promote my friend Shannon’s super awesome company: Swingin Martinis Designs. She makes unique, very well made, crafty delights: purses, aprons, hair clips, clothing, and jewelry. She will even custom design the products by letting you pick out the fabric, at no extra cost. Shannon made me a custom made apron, make-up bag, and also a very adorable wallet and Nintendo-64 coin purse. I have been very happy with her products, and I get compliments on them all the time (especially the Nintendo-64 coin purse!). Did I mention her hand-made products are reasonably priced, and you get free shipping if you purchase over $30?
So, if you are looking for a great gift, or something special to treat yourself, definitely check it out!
Our Lady of Guadalupe Virgin Mary Purse (my personal favorite)
Bottle Cap Hair Clips
Pleated Purse
Protected: Overdue Update
June 5, 2009
Chickies Love Treats
April 30, 2009
Uh-oh…I have created some “treat” cracked-out chickies!
Chicks: Week 1
April 24, 2009
The little chickies are doing very well! We added the third and last one to the pack, a Buff Lace Polish hen who will look something like this when full grown:
We picked this breed because of how fancy and unusual it is. The original two chicks have grown so much in only a week. They are getting their wing feathers in and are loosing more and more down every day. They are going to outgrow the brooder very soon!
The Americana, the brown one with the larger eyes and the tiger pattern on its head, is named Clementine. She is the quiet and shy one of the bunch. She enjoys staring at the wall, being pecked by the others, and doing yoga stretches while pooping.
The Speckled, the other brown one with the single black stripe through its eye, is named Kiwi. She is the leader of the pack. She is active and likes digging holes in the pine shavings by kicking it everywhere. She also enjoys roosting on her post, pecking Clementine, and being followed by the others. She is also adventurous, as she has tried to fly out of the box on a few occasions.
The Polish, the tiny white one with the funny crown, is named Lady Macbeth or Little Miss Lady for short. She is the sweetheart baby of the group and constantly copies the other chicks. She is very vocal, and enjoys pecking at the walls.
Triple Layer Yum Pie!
April 19, 2009
Triple Layer Yum Pie
Non-dairy, gluten-free, sugar-free, 100% raw!
Crust: Fancy dates, almonds, almond flour
First Layer: Thinly sliced kiwi
Second Layer: Pureed bananas and dried coconut
Third Layer: Dried coconut, sliced strawberries
Topping: Chocolate sauce made with raw agave & cocoa powder
This pie lasted 1 day in my house–it was a big hit!
Baby Chicks!
April 17, 2009
When I was a kid, I remember discovering that my neighbors down the street had a couple of chickens living in their backyard. I thought that was the coolest thing ever, and from that day on, dreamed of having pet chickens one day. Well, dreams come true in Portland, OR, where it has become the fashionable (and eco-conscious) thing to do–have 3 pet chickens kickin’ it in your backyard and garden.
Today we got two chicks, from a really awesome new store that just opened: Urban Farm. It is owned by a couple who loved their chickens so much they decided to open up a shop and spread their knowledge. They really know their stuff, and offer free workshops on chicken-raising.
We decided to get a Speckled Sussex, which is a very pretty variety.
And an Ameraucana, which lay “Easter Eggs” (green and blue).
We plan on getting one more chick, but we are going to wait for a specific bread which comes in next week.
The baby chicks will live indoors for the next two months, keeping warm under a heat lamp. Once they have all their feathers, they will be relocated outside to their new home. With three chickens, we should expect to have about 14 eggs a week. They begin to lay 5 months after they are born.
They are good friends already:
Here is a short video of the chicks, shortly after they arrived at their new home. Enjoy!
