coop de red

before

after

Coop - sans paint

Avi prepping to paint

Taping my pattern

 Dad and I getting started

Grandpa Dick, Gage, and Dallas working hard

More of the same

Avi spying the freshly painted coop in the freshly fallen snow

voila

When the snow lets up a bit, we are going to finish the barn door criss cross in white paint.  Almost done, but it's looking great already.

three of our four girls --- happily doing what hens do pre first winter storm. 

little one aka liza

blond one 

red one

(this moment)

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

inspired by soulemama

Three days....

Three days from this week.  I do love living in Colorado!!

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Cousins

I am so grateful that Avi has three older cousins that live nearby. He idolizes them. And they love him. Here's a few shots from yesterday. 

a better gluten free apple crisp

A while back I posted a gluten free apple crisp recipe.  Well, I'm back again to tell you that the one below is soooo much better! Enjoy!!

A Better Apple Crisp - Gluten Free

1 cup Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix

1/4 cup granulated sugar

11/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

6 cups thinly sliced apples

1/3 cup melted butter

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position rack in center of the oven. Lightly grease 8x8 baking dish with gluten free cooking spray.

2. To make the crumble, combine pamela's mix, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, xantham gum, and salt in a small bowl. 

Add egg and stir to mix well (mixture should be crumbly)

3. Place apples in baking dish and sprinkle top with crumble mixture.  Drizzle with melted butter. 

4. Bake about 40 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is a golden color.  Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream.

(this moment)

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

inspired by soulemama

Bawk Bawk!

We'll it's official. We've got some girls. Hens that is. Four to be exact. I'm thankful for my Dad who designed (and redesigned about 32 times he says) our coop, built our coop, disassembled it, drove it 1248 miles to our home, and reassembled it - giving home to our first chickens that he also brought from the farm.  

Day 1 in Chicken Land

Avi, with a little cold and some freshly squeezed juice on his face, meets his hens for the first time.

He loves to feed them corn, piece by piece.

Our coop in pieces.

Starting to resemble a coop here. 

My dad working hard. The only thing purchased to build this coop were the hinges. All the lumber, chicken wire, and plastic coded fence that he used were scavenged from his farm. 

Looking more and more like a coop.

Putting in the floor.

"Can you help me hold this?", he asked.  "Yes," I said, "after I get this picture."

Avi introduces friend/neighbor Carter to his birds. Carter is delighted and says, "chick."

Day 2 in Chicken Land

The coop is done (sans the paint) and Avi is ready to do his first morning of chicken chores.  Open up the house and....

...feed and water the birds.

Grandpa and Avi inspecting the coop.

Friends Lisa and Zinnia come by to meet the girls. "bawk-bawk"

Zinnia and Avi at the coop.

Avi likes to put the corn, piece by piece, at the edge of the coop for the girls to eat. 

Just because the coop is up didn't mean the work was done. Here's my Dad setting the fence posts with the post driver.  The fence posts are the old stakes we used to staked our young trees two years ago.  The fence we bought used from Resource Boulder for $12.  

"Coming to help you Grandpa"

"Should I hold it here?"

"Yes, I can get the hammer for you"

Whatever we did, Avi was right there.  He wanted to pull the fence, when he saw us pulling the fence taut. When we swung the hammer, he would "help" hold the hammer.  When we moved rocks, he moved rocks.  He loves helping.  He and his Grandpa made a great team.  

Day 3 in Chicken Land

Today's to-do list:

• finish the fence
• fix tarp beneath for easy poop clean up
• clip the bird's wings
• head to the feed store
• enjoy Avi as he enjoys watching the birds "free range"
• more photos
• rest a little (?)
• thank my dad - again! maybe with another apple crisp? or a rhubarb galette? 

(this moment)

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

inspired by soulemama

Apples - 3 ways...

At the Farmer's Market, we brought home a box of apples for baking. 

I started out peeling, coring, and slicing with my handy apple peeler, corer, slicer to freeze the apples.  While I was in process, Jenn decided she'd like a crisp.  

Gluten Free Apple Crisp: (please see a better GF apple crisp here)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease 8x8 baking dish 

• Fill baking dish half way with sliced apples (some people prefer to leave the skin on) and set aside

To make the crumble, stir in a large bowl until moistened:

• 1/2 C gluten free rolled oats (we use Bob's Red Mill)
• 2-3 T vanilla rice milk (or soy or almond or whatever you have)
• set aside for 10 minutes

Add to oats:

• 1/2 C gluten free baking mix (Namaste pancake or muffin mix or rice flour will do in a pinch)
• 1/2 C light brown sugar
• 1 t ground cinnamon

Stir to mix

• Add dabs of 3-4 T butter

Rub oat/flour mix into butter with fingers until crumbly and moist. Add more rice milk if needed. Evenly spread crumble over the apples.  Bake 30-40 minutes until golden brown and apples are tender but not mushy. Enjoy hot with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top!

Cinnamon and Sugar Peels:

I had a bunch of peelings and cores left over. I could have composted them, but they were calling to me to do more.  So I did an internet search to try to find ideas for using the peels and cores in clever ways.  

I found a suggestion for the peels. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake for a tasty treat. Which I did. I was tired and didn't bake them long enough, but they are still delicious.  I would suggest the lowest heat possible, and crack open your oven while baking.  Check them after 45 minutes, and continue to check after that until dried to your desire. A great snack for on the go... or added to your favorite GORP.


DIY Apple Cider Vinegar

But what to do with the cores? Do it yourself Apple cider vinegar!!! 

I put the cores and any leftover peels into a wide mouth jar.

Fill with water and cover with cheesecloth or towel.  Then store in a warm, dark place.  I marked the jar with the date and in 30-60 days, voila, DIY Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.  I will keep you posted on how it comes out!

And, I still have half of a box of apples to work with.  It's gonna be a pie, crisp, yummy winter.