Maine

[gracejr]

I can tell winter is coming. Haven't seen any direwolves yet but my horses are starting to grow their winter coats. And the bees are really busy gathering any pollen they can find. Hopefully they will lay in enough honey stores to make it through the winter.

I am thinking I will put tarps around the chicken pen to block the winter winds and drifting snow. Since it is the beginning of September I should have at least another couple months to get that done. Unless we have another surprise Halloween storm like we did last year.

Last winter was nuts. Halloween snow, Thanksgiving snow, and practically a green Christmas!

Tarp on the fence is a good idea, our pen entrance is on the north side, so will have to try that ourselves! What on earth is a direwolf? (Other than the extinct species?)

 

[gracejr]

there was something wrong with your tofu for sure. I also was cooking with katie today. I made coconut crack bars (as well as my secret ingredient choc chip cookies with 1/2 the fat of regular CC cookies) . I always make her soft serve choc ice cream (frozen bananas and cocoa powder and a touch of milk). there are very few things that I have made that I disliked on the website. the tofu fries are pretty good even though they sound awful.
try this one, you might even have all the ingredients at home tonight. it's a chocolate pie and the secret is canned pumpkin- it's hard to guess it's in there.very rich and surely needs some ice cream or cool whip on it to cut the chocolate.

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/11/21/no-bake-chocolate-pumpkin-pie/

I love the banana ice cream! So much healthier, and a very cheap solution when you have dairy allergic kids! (I skip the milk, but I bet coconut milk would taste great)

 

[Widget]

Last winter was nuts. Halloween snow, Thanksgiving snow, and practically a green Christmas!

Tarp on the fence is a good idea, our pen entrance is on the north side, so will have to try that ourselves! What on earth is a direwolf? (Other than the extinct species?)

It's a Game of Thrones reference.

 

[hoppy]

I use soy milk since I'm allergic too.

I love the banana ice cream! So much healthier, and a very cheap solution when you have dairy allergic kids! (I skip the milk, but I bet coconut milk would taste great)

 

[hoppy]

direwolves- love the name, now I have to see what they look like.

It's a Game of Thrones reference.

 

[buckabucka]

there was something wrong with your tofu for sure. I also was cooking with katie today. I made coconut crack bars (as well as my secret ingredient choc chip cookies with 1/2 the fat of regular CC cookies) . I always make her soft serve choc ice cream (frozen bananas and cocoa powder and a touch of milk). there are very few things that I have made that I disliked on the website. the tofu fries are pretty good even though they sound awful.
try this one, you might even have all the ingredients at home tonight. it's a chocolate pie and the secret is canned pumpkin- it's hard to guess it's in there.very rich and surely needs some ice cream or cool whip on it to cut the chocolate.

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/11/21/no-bake-chocolate-pumpkin-pie/

I should mention that when I buy tofu it's dated almost 1 yr, which tells you how old yours was.
i'd try a different store 

Ok, I admit this is a little off topic, but I think it was Hoppy that posted a link to "chocolate covered Katie" blog, that has healthier chocolate desserts. I was skeptical, but tried the black bean brownies and they were yummy! I was on a roll, so today I stopped and bought some silken tofu, with the intent of trying the chocolate fudge pie. I've never eaten silken tofu before, but have had regular tofu.

I had my chocolate melting, and opened the tofu package. I only needed part of the package, so I began scooping some out into a bowl. It smelled a little odd, so I put a chunk in my mouth. What a mistake! It was totally foul and actually fizzy! Ugh. The package was dated good until November 5 (2012). I guess I'll be taking the package back to the store, and I don't think I'll be trying any desserts made with tofu for a long time.

I LOVE coconut! I guess I'll have to try those too!

 

[hoppy]

top with melted chocolate and it's a mounds bar. I actually used the honey I got from kinsey at the last swap and used that in place of the maple syrup or agave and I doubled the amount of coconut it called for. make sure to use unsweetened coconut as these are pretty sweet anyway. (unsweetened coconut is in near the bulk bins in hannaford not the baking supplies)
and it took me literally 10mins to make these.

I LOVE coconut! I guess I'll have to try those too!

 

[ashandvine]

mouth. What a mistake! It was totally foul and actually fizzy! Ugh. The package was dated good until November 5 (2012). I guess I'll be taking the package back to the store, and I don't think I'll be trying any desserts made with tofu for a long time.

It was fermenting! Not a bad thing just not what you wanted (I say this as a woman who intentionally ferments things.) It was either turning to alchohol or vinegar.
All this talk about chocolate has me yearning. I made chocolate bread for a birthday breakfast and brownies instead of cake this weekend. Anything chocolate does not last long enough. Anyone else ever notice that?

More feed bags up today and now I am working on the gate to the run made from beaver cuts and an apple branch that arches which they also cut.

I have a stalker. My new Russian Orloff shipment included a cockerel. He is in the very awkward teen stage so I figure he is just infatuated with me, the older woman, but its a little odd to keep heading out doors and find him waiting there. Or have him follow me down several acres of otherwise open yard.

Why is it everyone is in a hurry to give kids critters? Even really expensive bird eggs? I mean, its not like the kids have jobs to pay for the feed or build the coops by themselves or do any of the keeping by themselves until they are much older... and then no one gives them anything; they have to earn it by then. Its not right. And what about us kids at heart who do have jobs and build coops? Shouldn't someone take a chance on us and give us expensive bird eggs? (I'm pouting on the inside.) My son was offered very very nice Orpington eggs. I mean, Dinosaur sized birds, from out west if he would just write an essay for them. I'll write you a small book and illustrate it if you want to send me birds. Shipping does have to be paid and by me of course. I suppose if he writes the essay the deal is that he has to work off the postage and do the chores related to birds, but he already does that. Can they be mine if I am the parent? Can't I just say that what is mine is mine and what is yours is mine?? Or I should tell him he has to give me half the hatch!! yeah, to compensate for the postage. Ha!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Anything chocolate does not last long enough. Anyone else ever notice that?

My friend brought me back some camel milk chocolate bars from the UAE. They arrived yesterday. I have to say that normally nothing chocolate (milk anyway, boo to dark) lasts in this house long.

The date one was edible but the plain one... no thanks.

By the way, to add something chicken related, we've had a ton of hawks here. Haven't lost anyone yet, thankfully, but my fishing lines continue to be broken (and replaced).

 

[buckabucka]

Anything chocolate does not last long enough.  Anyone else ever notice that?

My friend brought me back some camel milk chocolate bars from the UAE. They arrived yesterday. I have to say that normally nothing chocolate (milk anyway, boo to dark) lasts in this house long.

The date one was edible but the plain one... no thanks.

By the way, to add something chicken related, we've had a ton of hawks here. Haven't lost anyone yet, thankfully, but my fishing lines continue to be broken (and replaced).

Camel milk? What was it like? I like all kinds of chocolate, although not white, but not so sure about camel milk.

I've been nauseous all day. I am not blaming it on the tiny taste of rotten tofu, but rather the recent exposure to more than 500 virus-carrying children I saw in the past week. I'm hoping it goes away quickly.

My chicken news, the weird albino wheaten Ameraucana that I hatched laid her first egg today. It is a beautiful blue. Much prettier than any of my other Ameraucana eggs, but it is her very first, so I imagine it will lighten over time.