The Chicken Who Came to Visit

Speaking of chickens and eggs, we had a momentary chicken buddy this weekend!

Before we could saddle up on our bikes for our Saturday morning coffee date, we were sidelined by this pretty bird. Fin noticed it first; it (we still aren't sure if this is a rooster or a hen; I'd be happy to know!) had been quietly sitting in our front garden bed, minding its own business, when Fin spotted it and went to give a friendly sniff.



In a matter of seconds, we had a lanky, clumsy, curious (but well-intentioned, I assure you!) dog and a terrified, speckled chicken running around our front yard. Before things got out of hand, I plopped down the tailgate and gave Fin the command to "load up." She shot into the bed of the pickup truck, and the chicken clucked and made its way under my car.

By then, a small crowd had gathered. None of our close-by neighbors knew from whence this chicken came, and without a collar or tags, I had no idea how to attempt to return it. So he stayed in our yard for hours... And then we left.

We came home late Sunday after spending Easter with our family, and noticed all the pine straw in the front gardens had been, how shall I say... relocated to form chicken-sized patches. In the back, all the mulch around the garden paths had been shifted around too. Surely, we surmised, the chicken hadn't made its way into the back yard?

But last night, another neighbor confirmed: he'd seen the chicken rooting around in our gardens; I can only hope he was eating all the bad bugs. Eventually the real owners showed up—the chicken had been missing for about three days.

So, I can now say we had a chicken for a weekend. All of us on the street enjoyed the little adventure in urban farming, that's for sure.

Have you ever had a random garden guest?

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dog biscuits II: peanut butter crunchables

When I mention that I spend a couple hours of my free time once in a while making dog treats for my dog (and organic, for that matter), my words are usually met a grandiose roll of the eye. "You make treats for your dog???" they ask, as if I've just explained that yes, I've always had this second nose, and no, I'm not endowed with a superhuman olfactory sense.

The truth of the matter is, it's cheaper to make 'em than to buy 'em--for $8, you can buy a 1-pound bag of "all natural" dog treats. However, you've got to carefully read that label for any kind of funky fillers. But for about $2 at home (or less, possibly), you can make two pounds of treats with pantry staples.

Besides, making them at home is more fun. I enjoy being in the kitchen, but baking is a skill I'm still...um... working on (stay tuned later this week for my olive oil cake adventure). Why not practice on my canine cooking capabilities and spare Ryan the joy of playing guinea pig once in a while?

And how cute are those cookie cutters? I found them at Hobby Lobby for less than 50 cents. An unnecessary, but really cute, detail for homemade dog biscuits, especially for such a small price tag. 

Here's one of my--I mean, Fin's--favorite new recipes.Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Dog Treats (People: don't be afraid to try one, they're super tasty!)
Adapted from Petville

Biscuits:
1 cup water
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups whole wheat flour


Egg wash:
1 large egg
2 tbsp. milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325.

Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Add oats and butter; stir together and let sit for ten minutes. Then stir in the cornmeal, sugar, salt, milk, and peanut butter. Mix thoroughly. Add the flour, one cup at a time (you may not need the entire amount) until a stiff dough forms.

Knead dough on floured surface until smooth, about 3 minutes. Roll to 1/4" thickness and shape with cookie cutters, or simply cut into squares. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment--no need to space out too far, since they don't spread or rise. Ready the egg wash (mix egg and milk together), then brush onto biscuits with pastry brush. 

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, then toss one to your pup who's been anxiously waiting! Store in an airtight container for a couple of weeks or so. 

For a tropical twist, reduce the peanut butter to 1/3 cup and add one very ripe, mashed banana. Fin says yum!

These should turn out nice and crispy, but if they're on the soft side (it happened to me...) try adjusting your cooking temperature or time. You can also let them cool in the oven--they'll get dried out and will offer a nice crunch for your canine compadre. 

Fin knows where I've been keeping the new homemade treats, as does Ryan since I repurposed the human cookie jar for our dog, and now when I walk in that direction she starts doing her newest trick: the Fin Spin! 

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something old, something new...something in the freezer needs to be used.

One of my goals this year is to expand into other culture's foods. I've got Italian, Tex-Mex, and American foods down, but I lack experience in Chinese or Japanese foods (to name a couple; I also need to learn Indian, French, Irish, African, etc.... cuisine). Lately I've really been craving the spicy, salty, cheese-less combinations often found in Chinese food. This means lots of trips to P.F. Chang's for lettuce wraps and crab wontons. 

So the other night, when I looked in our pantry and saw the makings of orange beef stir-fry, I was thrilled. We had broccoli and carrots, flank steak from my dad's farm in the freezer, and brown rice, oranges, and chiles. Sounds like the beginning of a great dinner to me.  Happily, Fin watched as I grabbed the carrots from the fridge. She's a carrot fiend (must have great eyesight) and can't get enough, even if it's in the form of peels. Now, it is with trepidation that I approach any new Asian-themed recipe, because I am still a complete novice at the techniques and tricks of the trade. I love using the wok, but, um, just don't do it right. Maybe it's the electric coils on the stovetop... but I have a feeling it's just me.Here's the problem, I think: there was too much liquid in the pan to just sear the beef. I used (and followed very closely) Mark Bittman's recipe for orange beef stir fry, but something about the beef wasn't quite right. I probably cooked it too long, with not enough heat, so it got tough. Nobody likes to try and choke down tough meat, but overall I think the dish turned out on the better-than-average side of the scale. That's at least what I think; Ryan isn't a big fan of orange in savory dishes, so this one's not on his favorites list. :) 

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finally, something just for fin

My sweet Fin-Bear. I know she only wants to help, what with her incessant nudging, pressing her sweet heart-shaped nose into my thigh while I chop, flip, saute, or mix; what else could she possibly be thinking? Certainly she's never thinking only of herself. "Mom, are those steaks for me? Since I've been such a good girl and only chased one big buck today?" "Moooommmmmmm, you're cutting up that carrot just for me, right?" Yes, my dear, sweet Fin. I love her. But more and more, my cooking episodes are peppered with only sometimes-patient exclamations: "Get outta the kitchen, babe. Out, out. OUT!" So after reading this recipe for gourmet dog biscuits on a new favorite blog of mine, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do something nice for Finley. Because you know that even after the trouble she manages to get in (did I mention the buck???), she certainly deserves more than just store-bought, regardless of how organic her current treats are...they're not homemade. And boy, did Fin know what was going on. Not just because I kept saying, "I'm making you something, Fin! Aren't you excited?", but also because I had to prop the oven open with a wooden spoon. And let me tell you something: this is NOT a posed pic. She snuck her sweet little self into the kitchen to take a peek. I was actually worried that the rigged oven door would snap shut on her. Catastrophe averted.Perhaps the funniest part of this whole afternoon was that earlier in the day, I'd mentioned to Ryan that I wanted to make oatmeal cookies. While I was making a mess of the kitchen, Ryan was napping. He woke up, waltzed in, and grabbed a cookie off the counter. He tilted his head one way, then the other, eyeing the suspiciously flat, dry pastry with its flecks of green. "Are these cookies or dog biscuits?" I took a bite of one. "Try them," I urged. He was reluctant. I suppose I would have been, too, if I'd been hoping for decadent oatmeal cookies and gotten... a dog biscuit.

But Fin? She loved 'em. And so did her best friend Bella. 

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