kale soup

1 lb ground linguica or ground chourico (mild or spicy depending on your family's taste)

1/4- 1/2 rotisserie chicken (i use white and dark meat, whatever i have left on the chicken from a previous meal)

1 large bunch of fresh kale (rinsed well)

4 carrots (peeled & roughly chopped)

2 large potatoes (chopped)

1 large onion (chopped)

1 large can white beans or any beans you like (drained & rinsed)

1 large 49.5 oz can of organic chicken broth

1/2 cup short cut pasta (optional)

2 dried bay leaves

sea salt, pepper, garlic powder

heat a couple of tbsp of olive oil in a large stock pot; brown the linguica; add the large can of broth (if you needs more liquid, add more stock or water); add the bay leaves (discard before serving); add in the onions, carrots and potatoes; season with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder; bring to a simmer; roughly chop the kale and add it in (it will look like a lot, but it wilts down); after the kale is wilted, add the beans & the chicken; while simmering add in pasta; simmer until all the veggies are tender; serve with crusty bread!!

brrrrr it's cold outside!

hopefully the last blizzard of 2010, lol!! we lost power for about an hour today...finally getting warmed up! i bundled the boys up, and took them outside to try out their new saucer sleds...it is so cold and windy, we did not last long, but it was fun :)

honey pumpkin pie

this the recipe for my "honey pumpkin pie"...i make my own crust, but you could also use a frozen pie crust.

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup local honey

3 beaten eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk or cream

1 can of pumpkin

~wisk together all ingrediants and pour over an unbaked pie crust. bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes. let cool. enjoys with lots of real whipped cream :)

composting!

with plans for next spring's veggie garden... we have started composting! my husband put together 3 sections of old stockade fence (you could also use old wooden pallets)... i have a pail in the kitchen to throw our egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags & veggie peels in, then at the end of the day i toss them in the compost pile. we layer in grass clippings, dried leaves and spent potting soil...once a week we hose it down and give it a stir...come spring we will have "black gold" to add to our garden! once we get the chicken coop up & running... we can age the chicken manure. that too, will make great compost!

our backyard flock!

with a family of five, we consume about 2 dozen eggs a week... we started looking into keeping a backyard flock of hens! not only will the fresh eggs be great, but i also think the kids are going to really benefit from the responsibility of careing for them! plus, they can be great pets!

this is a picture of the coop we are going to build...building our hen house with some simple diy plans, is a much cheaper option than buying one. one ready made can run up to $2000 and higher! since we live in new england, where we have some really cold winter weather...we are looking to raise a hearty cold-weather layer, like the barred rock or the rhode island red!