::30 Days:: 9

Finally! Our internet is restored and we are go!

Seems silly to catch up on missed days, so let's just pick up where I left off and pretend the gap between days does not exist, shall we?

So without further ado....

When I walk to the mailbox, I keep an eye out for those wild grapes.  Still green? Birds gobbling them up? Ripe yet? A couple weeks ago, the vines were loaded with grapes, they're dwindling down and I hope there will be enough to pick in the next couple of weeks. Still too early to pick, so fingers crossed the birds don't get what's left!

The last two jars of 2011's wild grape juice concentrate from the freezer. I tried to make it last, making it every now and then. Good stuff! Let's hope I can make at least 10 pints this summer.

Kids and books, it happens.  Put the two together and there's going to be rips, scribbled on pages, broken spines and books dropped in liquid, or food spilled on them. I recently went through our books and pulled out all the damaged ones, too far gone to repair or donate. Waiting for Andrew to make a trash run and throw them away, but in the meantime, the kids are having a blast drawing silly faces on the books, adding captions and mustaches, glasses and zits, and completely changing stories around. The first time I let them do this, I got two hours of quiet! TWO HOURS! Why didn't I think of this before?!?  Letting them draw on these old books is guaranteed leave-mama-alone-time! I just may keep those books around a little while longer!

Made 3 loaves of banana bread tonight. I love when the house smells all banana bread-y and I look forward to eating a slice after it's cold and sat in the fridge overnight. I know what I'm having for a snack tomorrow!



Good Eats: Stuffed Pepper Soup

This is so good you guys! Oh my gosh! This is just like making stuffed peppers but in soup form!!
I've been hungry for green peppers lately, and then, perfect timing! They go on sale 2 for a dollar! Went out and bought 10! Used 2 in some great steak kabobs on the grill when we had a freaky warm day and couldn't bear the thought of cooking indoors. Used some more peppers in omelets on a breakfast-for-dinner night. Peppers mixed in scalloped potatoes. Peppers mixed in cooked ground beef. And now, Stuffed Pepper Soup!

Picked this up off one of those store magazines you get for free by the door, but can't remember when. I clipped it out to try and with my pepper craving, it seemed the perfect time to make it! I've never made stuffed peppers for the kids, but I could easily imagine their reactions to me plopping a soft, mushy, stuffed pepper on their plates and expecting them to eat it. Can't you just hear the "ewwws" and "what's this?" and see those scrunched up faces???  I figured stuffed peppers deconstructed into a soup would be easier to swallow-- in more ways than one!

It's a slow-cooker recipe, but I didn't get started on it until the afternoon, so I just simmered it a few hours on the stove instead. It smells heavenly and after an hour, every single child came in and asked what I was cooking. After telling them what it was, I scooped a tortilla chip into the mixture and shoveled it in their mouths-- instant "yum!"  Come dinner time, I had no problems getting them to clean their bowls! It's *that* good! 

I also made the mistake of doubling this. No need!  This makes a lot! Only a pound of meat? I thought it wouldn't be enough, so I doubled it, and I'm left with a lot of leftovers. But I'm not complaining-- I'll happily eat this for lunch tomorrow! It was just a little bland for my taste, so I spiced it up by adding more black pepper and some steak seasoning spices-- ah, much better!

Here's the recipe, let me know if you make this!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 lb. ground turkey (I used ground beef instead)
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
6 oz can tomato paste
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used beef broth)
3 cups chopped green pepper
2/3 cup uncooked rice (white or brown)
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 tsp dried basil
black pepper to taste

In large skillet, cook turkey (or beef), onion and garlic over medium heat until browned. Drain any fat and transfer mixture to a slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients and stir gently to mix. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Add water to thin if necessary. 

(my version: cook meat in a big pot, drain fat, add remaining ingredients and cook on a low simmer for 3 hours)

Enjoy!!

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

Still have leftover eggnog in the fridge?

Here's a yummy recipe to help use it up:

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

It's a really moist, yummy cake, and what cake doesn't look good when you cook it in a Bundt pan?

You could sprinkle some powdered sugar on this, or make a light glaze if you want, but this tastes good as is.

My kids love this and so do I!

Don't you just love my covered cake stand?

I love pulling this out and using it, it makes the cake extra special!

The recipe uses a spice cake mix.  I've made this twice now and I'm curious how this would taste with a regular cake mix-- if it would taste more eggnoggy and add in a bit of nutmeg as well. I still have plenty of eggnog left and family is coming over in a few days. I may use them as guinea pigs and have them try it out for me!

Here ya go!

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

1- box spice cake mix

1- box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 C vanilla yogurt

1/4 C vegetable oil

1 C eggnog

3 eggs

1 1/3 C toasted, chopped pecans (I omitted the nuts in mine)

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350*. Coat Bundt pan with grease and flour (those baking sprays make this a cinch!).

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and mix until creamy. Stir in pecans.  Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (the first time I made this, it came out undercooked, the next time, I ended up cooking it for almost an hour and it came out perfect, so keep an eye on this and use that toothpick!)

When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve and enjoy!

From The Inside Out

What is it with the weather and the calendar, man?

These last few months have been strange, to say the least.

Flipping the calendar to September suddenly took away hot summer weather and, in an instant, Autumn was here. Not complaining really, there are lots of great things associated with Fall--

the start of a new school year

apples

and all things apple-related

cooler weather

sweaters

fall festivals

pumpkins

carved and pie

Halloween

changing colors of the leaves

that crispness in the air.

Flipping the calendar to October usually means more of the above.

But ever since October 1st got here, it's been cold, man.

Like, want to start a fire cold.

The temperature never got higher than the mid-40s today.

We seriously considered starting a fire, but we hate to start so soon on the wood pile.

Instead, I'm turning to baking.

If I can't warm from the outside, well, we can start on the inside.

 Apples.. you can see where this is going, can't you?

Bet you didn't think I was going here.



Anything better in the tummy than warm apple crisp?

 How about vanilla ice cream on top of warm apple crisp!?

Oh yes, the cold is much easier to face when one is warm from the inside out.

Apple Crisp

serves 8

Peel and core 8 apples. Cut into largish pieces and place in baking dish. Sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon on apples and stir to coat.

Combine 1/2 cup  (1 stick) of softened butter, 1/2 c flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and dash of salt. Mix until crumbly.

Pour crumb mixture onto apples and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Let sit so you don't burn your mouth and serve warm with ice cream.

Smile.

Say yum!

Dinner Tonight: Five Spice Pork Kabobs

What's the point of looking at all those recipes in magazines if one never tries them?

I have magazines I save just for the recipes I want to try, but then they get lost in the clutter and I never get around to trying them. I am vowing to start trying a new recipe every week and start going through all those magazines, picking out something that, surely, the whole family will love.

This came from a recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens, July 2011.

Five Spice Pork Kabobs

Now who doesn't like eating food off a stick?! yum!

These reminded me of those teriyaki beef-on-a-stick things you can get at chinese restaurants and it looked simple enough to try. The only thing missing was the spice-- Chinese five-spice powder. We planned to make a trip to a town that has an international grocery soon, so that went on the list. As soon as I got all the ingredients I needed, I was so anxious to try this!

Here's the recipe:

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp packed brown sugar

1 tsp chinese five-spice powder

1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin

8 skewers (if using wooden ones- soak in water to prevent burning)

1/4 c peanuts

1/4 c cilantro sprigs

lime wedges (optional)

For sauce, in a small bowl, combine ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar and five-spice powder. Set aside. For kabobs, trim tenderloin, slice thinly, then thread slices onto skewers. Brush skewered meat with some of the sauce.

Grill kabobs directly over medium hot coals for 3 to 4 minutes. Brush with remaining sauce. Turn kabobs and grill 3 to 4 minutes more or until fully cooked. To serve, sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro. Serve lime wedges alongside. Makes 4 servings.

We doubled the recipe and halfway through cooking on the grill, the propane ran out, so we finished this in the oven.  So good and tasty!!  I wished there was more sauce though, so the next time I make this, I'll make extra sauce. I also omitted the lime, peanuts and cilantro-- I didn't have any on hand when I made this, but I don't think we missed out on anything, it was delicious! I made ramen noodles and broccoli to go with this and the kids all seemed to like it,  as there was very little leftover meat, which I later chopped and added to ramen noodle soup a couple of days later.

Just to make things fun, and I wish I remembered to take a picture, we also had fruit kabobs for dessert. Evelyn helped thread cantaloupe, grapes, strawberries and peaches onto skewers. Talk about a major hit! The kids ate about 3 each of those fruit kabobs!

Let me know if you try this!

Happy eating!

Waste Not, Want Not

*Edited to add recipe for scratch Pumpkin pie*

I never understood that expression when I was a kid: Waste not, want not. I never asked what it meant and no one ever explained. Now that I am older and a little bit wiser, I understand now and I am trying to teach my children what it means.

At the Library on Oct 30, the kids got to paint little pumpkins. They've been sitting on the shelf, kind of forgotten, since Halloween is over and the decorations are put away. Seemed like such a waste of perfectly good pumpkins not to do anything with them. Hm, why not? I told the girls I was going to turn their pumpkins into pies!

After washing off the paint (I happened to note it was non-toxic, washable paint), I chopped them in half, gutted them, tossed the seeds to the chickens (we don't like pumpkin seeds), and popped the pumpkins in the oven. Evelyn helped puree the pumpkin and from 3 little ones came 12 cups of puree! That equals 8 pies! Yum! I made 2 pies tonight for dinner tomorrow and the kids can't wait to eat their Halloween pumpkins.

While I was preparing the pumpkins to go in the oven, I explained to the girls about not letting food go to waste. Here were some fine pumpkins and if we did not eat them, and instead let them rot, we'd have no pie. Later, when we are hungry for pie, we would remember how we let those pumpkins go to waste and kick ourselves for not using them when we had them. If you don't waste it now, you won't want it later= Waste not, want not.

I can't say for sure if the girls understand what the expression means, but they did say they would much rather eat pie than toss out their pumpkins. Whether or not they understand it, one thing is for sure-- Dessert will be savored tomorrow! :o)
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At the request of my sister, here's how to cook and prepare pumpkin for making pie.

Cut pumpkin in half. Remove stem, blossom end, seeds and stringy parts. Bake in a covered pan or covered with foil for about 1-hour at 350 until fork tender. Drain off liquid and cut into smaller pieces and process in a blender or food processor until pureed. You can freeze puree in zippy bags. I always make 2 pumpkin pies at a time, so I freeze in 3-cup portions for 2 pies. If you use pumpkin puree in other recipes, feel free to freeze in smaller increments.

My recipe for 2 pumpkin pies:

2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
3 cups pumpkin puree
3 1/3 cups evaporated milk
4 eggs


Mix all ingredients until smooth. Pour evenly into 2 pie crusts and bake 15 minutes at 450* then reduce heat to 325* and bake another 45 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Eat and enjoy!! :o)

P.S. We ate pumpkin pie for dinner and it was deeeeeeeelicious!! We had my Aunt and Uncle here for dinner and polished off one pie. Still have another pie for Saturday's dinner! yum!
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Fried Wontons:: Make Your Own!

I've said before that I love chinese food. Since we moved away from our favorite chinese restaurant 5 years ago, and discovering not a single good chinese place around here, I have been teaching myself how to cook chinese. A few weeks ago, I decided to try making my own fried wontons. They're pretty easy to make, but be sure to start a couple of hours before you want to eat these.. they take some time to put together.

I made my own wonton wrappers-- you can buy these in the store, but at the time I wanted to make these, I didn't plan ahead and I wanted them now, so I found a recipe to make my own wrappers. If you buy the wrappers, then you've cut the prep-work in half. Here's how to make your own wrappers::

Begin with 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp of salt and 1 egg.


Don't forget to take your ring(s) off and then get your husband to put it back on for you later.

Using your hands, work the egg into the flour, then add up to about 3-4 tbsp of cold water.
Knead until it is smooth and holds into a ball without crumbling. You'll need to roll this out, so the texture is somewhat similar to a pie crust.

This is what it should look like when it's done.

Cover with a damp cloth then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, get your wonton filling started:

1/2 cup of ground pork (I use a little more--about 3/4 c), 1 clove of minced garlic, a pinch of pepper. You can add a tsp of cilantro, but I didn't have any on hand and it's optional.

Mix well then put in the fridge.

You can buy sweet and sour sauce for dipping, or you can make your own.

I made mine.

You'll need 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp of plum sauce.

Stir to combine then cook to dissolve sugar. About a minute in the microwave, 5 minutes on the stove. I used my plum jam instead of plum sauce and it tastes just like the real thing. I think I'll add cornstarch to thicken it up a little bit, but the flavor is great. It keeps well in the fridge, the last batch I made a month ago is still good.

By now, the wonton dough has been in the fridge long enough.

My recipe says to use a rolling pin and roll until very thin, almost transparent. I have a big, bulky rolling pin, so instead, I used my pasta maker. Did the job just fine! I started at the largest thickness and worked my way to the 6th level. There is one more notch to make it thinner, but 6 was just right.

If you rolled it with a rolling pin, cut 3 inch squares, flour lightly and stack.

If you used a pasta maker, I trimmed the really wavy ends and eyeballed it.

Don't worry if your squares are not perfect, it'll still taste good.

Before there were chinese restaurants with their perfect pictures of food on the wall, chinese food was made at home, after a long day of working, so I'm pretty sure they didn't hack off someones head if their wonton wrapper wasn't perfectly square!
Anyway, keep rolling and cutting until you've used all the dough and you have a nice stack of wonton wrappers. It makes a lot!

Take a small amount of pork mixture-- like 1/2 a tsp or less; you can't use more because if there is too much, then the meat won't cook before the dough burns in the oil. Who wants blackened wontons with raw meat in the middle???

Put the meat smack dab in the middle of the wrapper...

Fold it like so...

Turn it around...

Dunk a finger or a thumb in cold water...

Wet one corner of the dough then bend it towards the other corner til they meet in the middle.

Takes practice.. after you do a couple, you'll get the hang of it.

Press the two corners together to seal it and it should look like:

This!

Repeat, repeat, repeat, until all the meat is gone or you run out of wrappers.

If you run out of meat, you can cut the wrappers into strips and fry them for those nice crispy strips they use for toppings in chinese restaurants. The kids love them!

If you run out of wrappers, you can use the meat for something else, cook it into the meal you're making or freeze it for another time.

This is one batch of wonton dough. It makes a lot, I tell ya! I ran out of meat, so there were 4 wrappers left, which I fried up into strips.

Get your vegetable oil hot, and fry up a few of these at a time.. about 30-45 secs on each side.
Remove and drain on a paper towel or newspaper.

Ready for eatin'!

Serve with your meal and the sweet and sour sauce on the side.

I made chinese chicken and potatoes for dinner and we had the wontons as a side.

Delicious!! The kids gobble this up!

Don't forget to get your husband to put your ring back on!!

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Again and again!"

"Mwah! I'm so happy! C'mon, let's go on our honeymoon!"

Excuse me, gotta go folks!

:o)

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Turn Your Kitchen Greek!

I haven't had a decent gyro since we moved here nearly 5 years ago. I love gyros! A friend introduced them to me way back when I was about 13 or 14 and there was a greek place in the neighborhood where we grew up. I had no idea then that I was eating lamb and what that white sauce was made of, but I know a good thing when I taste one! Ever since, I've always tried to seek out places that make gyros.

The best I ever had was a little hole-in-the-wall place in Ocean City, Md. They didn't even have a place to sit down; you ordered through a window by the sidewalk then you took your paper-wrapped gyro and sat on the beach to eat it. Heaven! My most recent, and the worst, was one of those fake-y frozen meat strips that is supposed to pass for gyro meat and bitter-tasting tzatziki sauce and stale flat bread. I was so disappointed.

I figured that I would get my gyro fix whenever I went to visit friends and family, but every time we head out that way, it's usually for dinner and we're too full to eat anything else. But when I saw my local food store with leg of lamb on sale, marked down because, I assume, lamb isn't too popular around here, I knew I just had to try and make my own gyros!

I raced home to search the handy-dandy 'net for gyro meat recipes and came upon Alton Brown's recipe for both gyro meat and the tzatziki sauce. Looked good, looked authentic, let's try it! Lucky for me, the lamb was still there the next day and I bought it. *My store would not grind it up for me, as they would have to dismantle and wash their meat grinder due to contamination of different meats, but if you try this, ask and see if your store will grind it up for you, you might get lucky.

7 pounds of bone-in, leg of lamb. I'm no butcher, but I had to cut off the layer of fat, then chop into smaller pieces so I could grind it up myself.

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My nifty little vintage grinder--Rival's 'Grind-O-Mat'. Don't you just love the names they gave things back then?? I picked this up a few summers ago at the thrift shop and it looked like it was in mint condition, hardly ever used. Not so with me! I use this baby for lots of things! Even for making relish-- chops the veggies into uniform sizes!

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Anyway, here's the lamb all chopped up. The bone and fatty bits I cut away was cooked in the oven then given to the dog and cats for a nice treat. I have no scale, but I think the bone and fatty pieces amounted to about 2 lbs., so this would be around 5 pounds of meat, more than enough for what I needed.

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grind - grind - grind

**************

I got side-tracked when we had unexpected visitors that came at 8 in the morning and stayed until nearly dinner-time. It was good to see them, but had I known they were coming, I would have planned this for another day. So I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the process like I planned to.

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You put the ground lamb into a food processor along with the other ingredients and process until meat looks like a paste. After reading the reviews and comments for the recipe, I used only a teaspoon each of Marjoram and Rosemary instead of the tablespoon it called for.

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There are two options to cook it-- meatloaf style or in a rotisserie. The rotisserie would be more authentic, but since I didn't have one, I cooked it meatloaf style. After cooking, you set a foil-wrapped brick on it to help compress the meat and squeeze any fat out.

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Here's the meat after I thinly sliced it. Smells and looks and tastes just like the real thing! I am glad that I cut down the amount needed for Marjoram and Rosemary. In the comments, someone suggested broiling the slices in the oven for a little bit of crispiness like the rotisserie would give you. We did that, and I wouldn't do it again. It crisped up a little, but it also dried it out a bit.

I made the tzatziki sauce exactly as the recipe suggested and oh! SO good! I would recommend you make this the day BEFORE you make the gyros because the flavors had time to meld and this tasted so much better the next day when we ate leftovers.

I almost forgot to take a picture of the assembled gyro! We made this just like they do in the restaurants, with sliced onions, tomatoes, feta cheese and warmed flat bread. We served this with onion rings and fries and I swear, it was just like the real thing. There's nothing fake about this gyro!

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The recipe calls for 2 lbs. of ground lamb and it made enough for 2 meals! We had plenty for another meal later on and I had some as a snack a few days later and the meat tasted even better! We still have enough ground lamb in the freezer for another time and I'm thinking we might just put a rotisserie on the wish list of items we want.

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If you're like me, living out in the country with no decent greek place anywhere, do try this! It's the real thing and it isn't as hard as I imagined making it would be. I'll be keeping an eye out for lamb in the store from now on!

Enjoy!

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Grapes

Husband and Youngest helped me pick the last of the wild grapes today. I previously picked some, but I couldn't reach the higher-up ones without some help. The ground where the grapes are at slopes down and it makes for an awkward time with the ladder. Husband came up with the idea of backing the truck up to it and putting the ladder in the back of the truck bed. *!!!* What a good idea! I was then able to nearly get all of the high-up grapes and then used the truck itself for a platform for the other areas where I just needed a little bit of help.

The wild grapes were plentiful this year, I assume because of all the nice rain we had and the birds and animals had plenty of other food to munch on. I had been keeping my eye on the grapes, waiting and watching for them to ripen. I want to try making grape juice this year, since I still have plenty of grape jelly from last year's harvest.

Youngest and I set up grape headquarters outside on the bench and got to work plucking grapes off the stems. Youngest is always following me and helping me in whatever I do. She's my little helper.

Things were going well, until a bee flew by and landed on her shoulder. I was about to tell her not to move, when she jumped, and then the bee stung her. Poor girl, I know how she feels. She took it much better than I did when I got stung by a wasp back in July. After soothing her and giving her some meds, we moved the grape operations indoors.

After cooking the grapes and straining the juice from the pulp, I found that I don't quite have enough for the recipe I have for grape juice. I'll have to play with it for a little bit, halving the recipe and then tweaking and tasting until I have it right. I have plenty for making more jelly, but I really don't want to make more jelly at this point, I have enough kinds of jams and jelly in the basement to last for a long while. Wild grapes are very tart, and it would take a lot of sugar, so maybe I'll blend it with apple juice to stretch it out a bit and also to sweeten it naturally, using less sugar that way.

Next year, I would like to try growing conventional grapes for eating and juicing. It would be nice to expand on our little mini-orchard and grow even more of our own fruits.

Rhubarb and Peaches

In the 4 years since we moved here and since I transplanted my rhubarb from the old house, this is the most I have ever harvested. Even moving them from a spot in the garden to the side of the house in the Spring did not deter them from doing well. Baby chicks pecking their leaves didn't bother them. I'm convinced that moving them to the side of the house was the best thing for them. From now on, if we ever move again, the rhubarb will be transplanted by the side of the house.

Since there is now a chill in the air, it was time to harvest the rhubarb. I pulled 90 percent and made 2 rhubarb-strawberry pies, then chopped the rest and froze them. We reallllllllly need a freezer. sigh.. That's first on our list after we get new tires for the van.

I did the next step for the Peach wine this afternoon. Last week, I strained out the peach pulp, added the sugar and then stirred daily for a week. Today I poured it through cheesecloth and divided the liquid equally among 3 gallon jars. Now it gets moved to a cool, dark place (the basement) where it will ferment for the next 6 months to a year. This time, I'll be checking after 6 months to be sure it doesn't go past wine and turn into vinegar, like what happened with the Strawberry wine I made.

Isn't it a nice peachy-pink color? I'm looking forward to trying this when it's ready!

Chicken News

I cooked up one our chickens yesterday. When the girls saw me take the chicken out of the freezer, there were all kinds of comments from them:

"Is that Buster?"

"Are we going to cook him for dinner?"

"I'm not going to eat him!"

"Make chicken nuggets!"

Youngest didn't want to eat any chicken, so I didn't force her to try any.

Middle took a bite of the drumstick and then passed it to Oldest, who ate both drums.

Middle wanted ketchup with her breast meat.

It was good, I think I could have seasoned it a little bit more.

I took the bones and thighs that no one ate and made chicken broth.

The girls kept asking me what I was cooking because it was smelling so good!

I got 2 quarts of broth from this and already used part of it for dinner tonight.

Delicious!

Eggs!! (#4-10)

The Hens have been busy girls lately! So far we have collected 10 eggs, 3 alone this morning! The Buffs must be laying in the coop after all, since there are only 2 Speckled Sussex hens and from what I understand, they only lay one egg a day.

One of the Buff Orpington hens.

They really are pretty birds.

Speckled Sussex hen.

This breed is very friendly and the girls are always holding them and petting them.

I would get Speckled Sussex again, and the roosters are handsome fellows.

Rhode Island Red rooster.

Look at that impressive comb!

I think I should have named this one 'Mr. T.'

The boys have settled down, and they aren't so aggressive towards the hens anymore.

It was getting a little rough, and some of the hens would have bloody combs where the roosters grabbed them with their beaks to mount them.

Either the hens have accepted them, or the roosters have calmed down, or both, because now they stay together in a group, with only a few breaking off occasionally.

It's fun having the chickens around and watching their antics and listening to their clucking and crowing. I'm glad I can hear enough to hear them.

Chickens are really easy to care for, and if you can, I suggest you try to get some of your own backyard chickens.