Friday, 15 May 2015

Homemade Garlic Chicken Cream of Mushroom Soup


I love making soup because it's not an exact science. I love to bake also, but baking generally requires pretty precise measurements and ingredients. Soup is a more laid-back endeavor, suited for when you have some ingredients that seem like they would go well together, but you can't decide exactly what to make.

I started out making a pot of chicken noodle soup the other day but then realized I didn't have any egg noodles, not celery or carrots, and only one chicken breast, so I went off in a different direction and came up with this delicious (if I do say so myself!) twist on cream of mushroom soup. There's just NO comparison to store bought, as is always the case with homemade. If you're used to the gloopy, paste-like consistency of canned cream of mushroom soup, you'll be SO pleasantly surprised with this recipe!

And even if you're not a drinker, please don't skip the sherry, just a little bit adds such a wonderful flavor layer and it's a crucial part of the recipe.
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clamming



Big moon, very low tide. I wish I knew enough about the workings of this planet and moon to know if they were related. In any case, the monthly extreme low tides around Juneau happened this weekend, a nice minus 3 feet or so, so Jesse and I joined some friends to dig for clams. Ill take full credit for getting us there a little late, around 7:45 this morning. Its Sunday! There were at least a half-dozen cars and trucks already at the pullout. We spent about an hour digging in the mud, moving over rocks, trying to avoid getting squirted in the eye by a leggy worm or a big clam. Some are duds -- shells filled with rocks and sand. Some break when you dig for them. If youre not too picky, you can fill a 5-gallon bucket in not too much time. We stopped digging when the tide came in. Tonight well steam the little guys in white wine and garlic, put the bigger ones in saltwater with cornmeal to filter the sand from them.
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Thursday, 14 May 2015

S101 Building Success Chicken Coop Plans Construction How To Build A Chicken Coop

S101 - Building Success - Chicken Coop Plans Construction - How To Build A Chicken Coop
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Thanks for great sharing of our friends
about great building
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S101 - Detailed Plans for Construction
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It can comfortably hold 8 - 12 chickens
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Units: Inches - fractions
Overall size: 4 11" x 3 4 1/2" for Cage
1 8 1/4" x 3 4 1/2" for Nesting Boxes for 2 Hens
17 3" x 9 7/8" x 9 9 5/8" (height) for area of ​​the building
Construction area: 158.167 Feet ²
Total volume of wood: 157041 5/8 inches3 (= 90 7/8 feet3)
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Units: Millimeters - decimal
Overall size: 1499mm x 1029mm for Cage
1029mm x 514mm for Nesting Boxes for 2 Hens
5257mm x 2764mm x 2987mm (height) for area of ​​the building
Construction area: 14.59 Meters ²
Total volume of wood: 2.486 m3
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Abigails or Amys First Egg! Its Olive Green!

~our first Olive Egg~
As soon as I heard about the new breed called an Olive Egger earlier this year, I know I wanted some.  A black chicken (my favorite!) with cheek puffs and feathered feet that lays olive green eggs? Whats not to love!

For more on the breed, read Marans + Ameraucana = Olive Egger.
~our Olive Egger rooster, John Quincy Adams~

I was thrilled to get some hatching eggs from Chicken Scratch Poultry in March.  We hatched our very first chicks from those eggs. Follow along day by day HERE.   

We have two beautiful Olive Egg hens named Abigail and Amy and a regal rooster named John Quincy Adams. 
~Abigail, Amy and John Quincy Adams~
Ive been patiently waiting for the first olive egg from one of the two girls.  And waiting...

Several days ago, I caught Abigail checking out one of the nesting boxes and got my hopes up. But nothing.
~Abigail checking out her options~

Then just now when I was in the coop collecting eggs, look what I found!
~todays bounty~

Our first Olive Egg!
~it sure it olive-colored~

Twenty-one weeks old today, Abigail (or maybe it was Amy) laid her first egg!

Just when you think this chicken keeping is old hat, something exciting like this happens and its all new and exciting again!
~neat new color to add to our assortment~
Have I mentioned how much I have been looking forward to olive green eggs?
Doing a happy dance!

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post is featured here: The Homestead Barn Hop
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DVD Review Alternatives To Dentists

Alternatives To Dentists is a new eye opening DVD being offered from Marjory Wildcraft of Grow Your Own Groceries (a.k.a. Backyard Food Productions). When I first heard about this DVD, I didnt think it was for me. I mean, it just wasnt a top 10 priority at this point in my life or in my homesteading. But teeth are one of those things we take for granted until the moment of crisis when we get a toothache. Seriously, doesnt the world come to a halt at that point?

No, Im not suggesting that you ditch your family dentist! And neither does herbalist Doug Simons, who is the featured lecturer on Alternatives To Dentists. He does show you what to do in case you cant get to a dentist, which in and of itself is really helpful, but what I really liked about this DVD were the things I learned to help build up the health of my teeth so I wouldnt need extra emergency care or invasive dental work.

I have about the worst teeth of anyone I know. I dont know how it happened, but the only thing good I can say is that I still have them (well, not all of them, but enough!). I think part of my demise was growing up during a time when preventative measures were few and when they decided to fill a tooth, the removed way too much of the healthy tooth and filled it with a large mercury amalgam filling. It didnt help that I knocked out my front teeth 3 times - my top two front teeth twice! Once my baby teeth and then my permanent tooth on the right front side. Add to that over 14 years of braces on and off and then on again and off (a total of 5 times) and you can imagine my teeth are a bit discolored now. And a lot of enamel is worn off. Ive been brushing with toothpaste for sensitive teeth for years! Add to that a couple of root canals, an implant, and a spin through splints for TMJ and Im the poster child for bad teeth!

So along comes Doug Simons DVD and he talks about tips for actually building up enamel on your teeth using herbs! It sounds almost too good to be true! Im sure it will take time, but I have little to loose at this point. As soon as I can find the items I need, Im going to give his "recipe" a whirl.

Other topics Simons covers includes:

• dental hygiene without brushes, paste, or floss
• how to make your own tooth powder
• healing cavities with herbs
• treating abscesses with herbs and poultices
• treating cracked and chipped teeth
• reversing receding gums and gum disease
• information on root canals
• floride, is it good or bad for you?

Im not a practitioner and again, Im not recommending you stop seeing your dentist. But if this DVD can help you in advance or when you cant get to a dentist, then Im all ears. And if nationalized health care really does materialize, then we may be needing more information like this to treat ourselves in the future! At the very least, Doug explains a lot about teeth so that you can make a better decision even when you do go to the dentist. Its just good stewardship to do the best you can with your body in terms of being responsible, proactive, and preventative. And I could do better at this! But, I just didnt realize it was really possible until I watched his lecture.

One caveat I must include regarding this Alternatives To Dentists. Simons does not teach his material from a Biblical worldview and includes some information about talking to the plants as you are harvesting material from them. He has traveled and learned a lot about herbs and healing practices from Native American Indian tribes and some of their world view comes through in one particular teaching scene. That aside, I believe he has some good knowledge that many can benefit from. You just need to be aware in advance that this appears in the DVD.  

What do you think? Share a bit about something youd like to learn in order to improve the health of your teeth or something natural you are already doing for your pearly whites!




I received a copy of Alternatives To Dentists to review, but I have not been paid for this endorsement. My views are strictly my own.
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Wednesday, 13 May 2015

putting a price tag on climate change

The University of Alaska Anchorages economic research arm just released an updated estimate of how much more the state will have to pay to build and maintain public infrastructure because of climate change. You can find the report in my reading library and see the APs story on it by clicking here.
The dollar figure they give is about 3.5 billion to 6 billion between now and 2030, on top of the 32 billion it would cost otherwise.
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Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

In the spirit of Anne Voskamps One Thousand Gifts challenge, Im taking on the smaller challenge of finding one thing each day during the month of November that Im grateful for, adding it to my own list of 1,000 gifts, and taking a photograph that represents that item in some way. It might not be an exact representation, but something that would remind me or trigger that thought.



Ill be posting my items on my facebook page rather than on my blog, so if youd like to follow along, just click the fb icon on the right sidebar. You can leave a comment underneath the photo on fb with your own thoughts on gratefulness this month. I cant think of a better way to enter into the advent season than with a thankful heart!




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