hen house happenings

the girls spent their first night in the hen house. i was a nervous wreck, absolutely certain we would come out this morning to find six dead chickens. luckily my worry was in vain (as per usual). hurray!

we had talked about getting chickens for quite a while, even at our old house. when we moved in to our home though, we knew this dilapidated shack in the back would be an ideal place to house our yard birds. i need to take pictures of the inside coop, which brandon has made quite nice for our little peepers. in the meantime, here is the run, where they spend the waking hours. 

the string to the left is my pea trellis, inspired by poppies in sisters.

it has a nice roof to keep them dry and brandon burried the poultry wire about a foot deep to keep predators (i.e., raccoon, fox, harvey, etc.) from digging their way in. brandon has poured many hours into this taj mahal of chicken love. my primary contributions were using the staple gun to secure the wire and painting the door like a good hippie. yes, it is brown and turquoise. yes, those are leaves stenciled across it. what of it?

harvey regularly entertains this pose.

off of the right side of the building shack (see above picture), there is another door. brandon set it up so we can access the nesting boxes (and eggs) without having to disrupt the birds too much.

the mottled one in front is the only one with a name: frankie.
mostly because she looked like a franciscan monk when we
brought her home, with a large white spot on her head
and a circle of black "hair" around that.  

we have three buff orpingtons (the orangish ones), one plymouth barred rock ("frankie") and two unknowns. we hoped to have three orpingtons and three barred rocks, but the feed store put two similar looking breeds together and we ended up with two of the others. we think they might be black stars. in which case we have a brood consisting of the left column below:

from my free-range chicken garden book

and lest you think our life has been taken over by chickens, i will share a photo of the sour cherry crumble pie i made last night. as you can tell it was a hit, with each of us going back for seconds. even my grandma would have wanted more than a "lil' sliver" of this pie! i am looking forward to having another slice tonight while i sit out on our back deck, watching the chickens peck around.

pop quiz

so this sums up my thoughts on the world:

and also is the reason that i think it should be an official "right of passage" that every person work in food service. 

you win some, you lose some

well we didn't buy the truck last week like we planned. brandon specifically asked about the condition of the clutch & the guy said it was fine. turns out that was not true. we were annoyed that we drove 2.5 hours based on inaccurate information. in addition, they had not replaced the timing belt ever so it felt like a ticking time bomb. we offered them way below asking price {honestly, hoping they would say "no", but knowing we could work it out if they accepted}. they didn't accept & we got in the car feeling annoyed with the way sales work. honesty people, have you heard of it? i suppose they needed the money, but it left us with a yucky feeling.

we redeemed the weekend by getting together with tiffany and having scrumptious pizza. we decided to stay the night at her place. for whatever reason we brought enough food for harvey to stay the night, but failed to bring extra clothes or p.j.s for us. always thinking about him first... staying the night gave us a chance to cruise denver auto-row and hit up lots in ft. collins on the way back. we didn't find anything, but got our annual fill of stereotypical used-car salespeople.

to further redeem the weekend, we found a yardsale where everything was half off. it was the biggest yard sale score i have had, on a sunday to boot!

we got a set of spice jars, an herb garden kit, an old-school heavy-weight wrench,  an ugly lamp & two lampshades {future post on that redo to come}, & a spring-form pan. our grand total: $3! the pan is in perfect shape & is costs over $50 new. {yes, i googled it!} the spice jars not only make my cupboard look more unified, they also prevent bags of herbs from the co-op from falling down on my head each time i open the door. the random grey stick thing was in my box of jars--i guess it is for bathtub plumbing. hopefully we don't have to use it, right?

in other news, i entered a contest to win a year of free udi's gluten-free bread {which is the BEST gluten-free food ever!}. help me win by voting for my sandwich, the "AvoPestGobbler". just go to this link & click "thumbs up". the sandwhich is totally inspired by my mom & aunt kris who made similar sandwiches at grandma's the day after she cooked a turkey. i used to think "yuck, cranberry and turkey" & now i think "yum, yum, yumm!"

i've been doing all kinds of crafty projects in an effort to avoid homework. i need to take pictures and post them, but i hear a 10 page paper due tomorrow relentlessly beaconing me. it might be a bit before i get the photos up, but rest assured that the ugly sassy-brassy lamp above has crossed over into coolness.

going hippie

we just joined a CSA, grant farms. i am really excited for the fruit that is coming our way this summer and suddenly concerned with the weather and growing season for northern colorado. initially i figured we would buy into the veggie shares, but then i realized that there are more vegetables on my "enemy list" than i would like admit. fruit though? i've never met a fruit i didn't like!

i can't wait for the summer to roll in with cherries, round out with apricots and nectarines, and finish off with oodles of apples. oh, and berries scattered all in between.

it came with a hefty price tag, at least that is what i thought originally. then i realized that it feels that way because you pay it all up front. plus we are going to have all kinds of delicious fruits that i would otherwise pass up at the farmers' markets. all it took to convince brandon was one word: pies!

as for eating our veggies, we can buy things we will actually eat at the farmers' market. i just don't want to deal with the pressure of beets staring back at me every week. fruit pressure seems much more bearable.

redemption

this has been the week of mistaken purchases. first, i bought chicken, thinking i was getting an awesome deal on a bunch of poultry i could freeze for future use. however, the good price was because it required minor surgery to remove the skin and bones. my price savvy euphoria faded quickly as i set up a butcher shop in our kitchen. i guess the experience made me realize how convenient those boneless, skinless, individually-wrapped chicken cutlets really are. now i know.

i also bought some wine in a rush (same shopping trip--it was a flop). i came home to relax after a tough week and savor my wine... bleh! i didn't check the label and ended up with a type of wine that is super sweet and so not my style. i scoured the internet in search of some way to redeem my mistake. and this is what we treated ourselves to tonight:

mmm, delicious roasted pears, braised in butter, honey, and sweet wine. 

we saw julie and julia this weekend, so perhaps that influenced by creation (and my reckless use of butter!). regardless of the inspiration, i am glad that the wine didn't go to waste.

good answer

last night i made a dinner i had been thinking about for a couple of weeks. i was imagining a sort of mushroom stroganoff and thought the night of our "big storm" would be a great time to make this winter meal.

sadly, the meal turned out more like mushroom and onion gravy over pasta. blech! i reverted back to my childhood ways and spent more time picking out the onions that didn't get fully sautéed than i did eating.

i was so disappointed that it didn't turn out well. i have been on a good role with cooking lately, creating things from scratch that have turned out surprisingly well; therefore, it was due time to have a total flop. never-the-less, i still felt like a kitchen failure.

brandon ate his meal and when i apologized half-way through for how repulsive it was, he said, "it's okay. thanks for trying something new."

i was floored by how spot on his response was. it was just what i needed to hear! i knew the food was gross so i didn't need to hear the words from his mouth and feel worse. his answer made me feel so validated and appreciated that i was okay with my failure.

good answer there brandon!

whatcha got cookin'?

been making gluten-free goodness in the form of chocolate chocolate-chip with walnut cookies. these didn't last but a few days and were a great consolatory gift for a friend that is going through a rough break up.  nothing like cookies to mend one's heart.

brandon caught a huge salmon that we cooked up with rob & becky--so fresh and delicious!

mmm, doesn't that salmon look scrumptious there on our counter?  

and last, but certainly most important, was that sara "mia" was here!  she came and we kayaked and we biked and we kayaked some more.  it was one of the most fun weekends i have ever had--unfortunately we did little to document it.  she is so brave and always willing to try anything once so we capitalized on that and introduced here to four new ways to recreate.  

gf goodness

here it is folks: my best gluten-free creation thus far!  i can't take too much credit, but i will say i made this loaf a little fancy with rosemary and whole garlic cloves.  mmm.  we loved this bread and managed to put a good dent in it before dinner.  this is going to have to make a few more appearances in the future.

in case you thought we were living painfully dull, boring, unemployed lives, you are wrong.  we are baking our own bread!  :)

snow update: it is on its way and i got a call from my boss that i start sunday--the day the mountain opens!  wohoo for working!  i am going to have a busy schedule, but i think it is going to be full of variety and good people so i should enjoy the hectic pace...

• fri-mon days: bachelor
  
• fri-sat nights: typhoon!
  
• thurs morns: volunteers in medicine
  
• tues & weds: adventures with brandon & harvey

thankful for family and desperate for snow

for some reason or another, i have had a lot of trouble uploading these photos.  anyhow, we haven't been up to too much, just praying for snow and applying to a temp agency so we can maybe have some form of income.  oh, how we are feeling this economic crisis--and the effects of global warming!  :)  we just want snow and then all will be well as we can then begin working at mt. bachelor as planned.  until then, we are entertaining ourselves with lots of hikes and time with family.  not a bad way to spend your time when unemployed.

this photo is one of my favorites of harvey.  we were bouldering with ross and his friend christian.  i discovered that i have absolutely no upper body strength, so i chose to focus on taking pictures of the icicles that formed along wychus creek instead of climbing.  harvey has a bit of separation anxiety and was trying with all his might to get up onto the rock where i was taking pictures from.  in between jumps i caught this photo of his crooked little ears peeking over the edge.  
and these two photos are of my most epic domestic adventure to date: making my own french fried onions.  "why," might you ask, "would a girl vehemently opposed to onions fry her own?"  because my favorite thanksgiving dish is actually green bean casserole; forget the turkey, stuffing, and even the jellied cranberry sauce.  the thing that takes priority on my plate is green bean casserole... which happens to have gluten in every ingredient aside from the green beans. instead of forgoing my favorite thanksgiving dish, i made it in my own gluten-free kitchen.   
the smoke alarm was blaring and harvey was in panic mode as he thought i was trying to burn our house down, but indeed, these little greasy onion pieces were superb!

we had what i like to call a progressive thanksgiving (not in the ideologically progressive sense, rather in that we progressed from house to house in celebration of giving thanks).  we started at the overstreets and each had salad plates full of food.  we then popped over to my dad's place for a little pumpkin pie, and finished the night with my mom and matt, enjoying a truly gluten-free feast.  needless-to-say, we drove home in solidarity with most of america: feeling the burden and pains of overeating, but giving thanks for the plenty that was on the table and the family that surrounded it.

worldwide participation

i came home from work tonight to find this in the google search box: 

what to make for dinner tonight

indeed, my husband googled what the people of the internet thought he should eat for dinner.  i was at work and therefore not a contributing party to this decision.

he settled on cereal, if you must know...

mediocre movies

so we are crazy about netflix. it is so nice to go online and pick out movies you want--then they just show up! last night we watched "i now pronounce you chuck & larry" which didn't turn out to be worth it.

the movie is an adam sandler flick, but was a disappointment to this sandler fan. (i can't justify what i like about him, i just DO!) anyhow, it was about these two friends pretending to be in a domestic partnership so one of them could have secure pension benefits for his children. at the end of the movie i told brandon i thought it was kind of lame and he said, "yeah, but it was funny." the thing is, i don't recall laughing.

i feel like i have been more critical of comedies lately--i need my stomach and face to hurt from laughing to feel like it was worth my attention.

also, i spilled a tupperware full of quinoa all over the computer desk. i don't think there is anything else in the world that is more difficult to clean up: it is tiny, a little bit sticky, breaks apart when you touch it, and matches our carpet. i dumped the carton on accident about 0.2 seconds before brandon walked in the door: welcome home honey! he was wonderful and helped me clean it up, although i am sure we are going to continue to find it until we move out. new overstreet house rule: no eating quinoa at the computer!

fun with quinoa

tonight's dinner included gluten-free lasagna and a side dish of quinoa with sun-dried tomatoes! (don't worry mom, we had broccoli too!)

the quinoa was incredible--i would even recommend it to those not living a GF lifestyle. so delish! (p.s. quinoa is pronounced: keen-wa)

here is the recipe:

1 cup quinoa
1 tsp olive oil
8 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), diced
8 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
pinch of chili powder

Instructions:
1. Place quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve and rinse under warm running water for 1 min. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add minced tomatoes and garlic and saute for 3-5 mins.
4. Add broth and bring to a boil.
5. Stir quinoa, diced tomatoes, and chili powder, return to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30 mins, or until liquid is absorbed.
6. Let sit for 5 mins, and fluff grains with a fork to separate.

the tea enemy: secret ingredients

yesterday i bought some tea from the local co-op. when a small [very small] amount of gluten gets in my diet, i have a bit of stomach discomfort, so i thought this would be a good natural cure.

well i came across this yogi tea that is called something like "stomach ease". sounded like the perfect cure to my occassional wheat invasion so i bought some. i came home and had two cups in the afternoon and one before bed--don't mock me, it tasted so good!

i awoke in the middle of the night due to a certain feeling of stabbing coming from within my stomach. ouch. hard to sleep. quite uncomfortable. so i laid flat until the alarm had been "snoozed" too many times to count. i was utterly confused about where this pain was coming from, as it was exactly like the pain i often had back when i was a gluten-lush. i knew i didn't eat anything with gluten in it so what was the probelm?

the problem was not in the eating, but rather in the drinking: it was that damn yogi tea! the ingredients listed all sounded so nice and soothing, until i read "malt barley". what? who puts gluten in tea?

so the irony is that i bought the tea to ease the pain that the gluten causes only to ingest the cause of the pain. grr. here's to more reading material in my life as tea is no longer "safe".

family time at gluten-R-us

not only did we get the chance to celebrate grandma this weekend, we also got to meet ross' girly friend: jordan. what a great, down-to-earth, beautiful girl! hopefully ross realizes what a great gal he has in his life and treats her right.

alex enjoyed watching the ducks beat the cougs on the big screen. he was a big help when the party was over--he always has been willing to help out.

the family joined together after grandma's party at olive garden. mom and i found little on the menu that we could eat, although i salivated while reading the description for the ravioli. why must cheese and wheat go together so perfectly in taste and so horrendously in my body? it was nice to take a breath and eat with the people that we love!

is it just me or does ross look exactly as he did at eight? :)

(mis)adventures in gluten-free baking

last night was my first (and perhaps last) attempt at gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. i wanted some from the co-op last week but they were $6 for 6 cookies--outrageous! so i figured my GF flour would function in the same way that normal flour does. wrong. outstandingly incorrect.

1) the best part of the cooking making process (eating the dough) was not as anticipated: the dough tasted like i had mixed in some sort of root vegetable. i couldn't identify the exact flavor, but it tasted the way an unwashed carrot or potato would taste: like dirt. blagh!
2) the cute little balls of dough i plopped out on the cookie sheet spread out so much they created one massive, paper-thin blob. hold your form!
3) the cookies i created out of the blob (with help from a small knife and a spatula) refused to come off of the cookie sheet without leaving behind a greater portion of their innards.
4) on a positive note, the GF cookies edges and chunks tasted much like real cookies.

here are photos from my untheraputic night of baking:

in other news..

the most exciting thing for our week is the purchase of our new computer (see previous post), but that is not to say that nothing else has been going on around here.

this weekend, papa and rodney came for a quick visit. they made me see two shoot-em-up movies, so brandon owes me a few "lindsey's picks". living with three men for a weekend was a bit much for me. i was, however, very sad to see them go.

brandon has had an interesting turn of events with his work schedule. due to fire danger, his drilling team has been forced to go to a hoot owl schedule: 1am-1pm. i get home at 4:30, we eat dinner, he goes to bed. as you can imagine, lots of good quality time! i just hope he adjusts quickly.

as for me, i have been gluten-free for about 1 month now. mom motivated me to cut out gluten (wheat) and dairy, as she and i are both allergic to them. they call a gluten intolerance celiacs disease (think: silly yak)

eating this way is expensive, requires major self-control and meal planning, but is well worth it. i feel worlds better and have more energy for each day. just don't put a basket of warm sourdough down in front of me!

so, if you know any good non-shoot-em-up movies, please share. also, sans-gluten recipes will be gladly accepted. other than that, come visit us!