Category Archives: chicken

Christmas with Maysara Wines

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Hello dear readers!  I hope the holidays were good for you and that you have all been doing well!  2016 FLEW by, as did our holiday and time off. While I’ll give a recap of all that we did with our time off later this weekend, I wanted to share with you all that we ate for Christmas, and highlight some delicious wines that we tried, so that you can run out and try them for yourselves. There will even be an easy appetizer recipe that pairs perfectly with the wines, too. Are you ready for my recap of Christmas with Maysara Wines?

As you know, when my family cooks, we usually get a little crazy and cook too much. This Christmas we tried to dial it back a bit; I think we did pretty well!

Christmas 2016 Menu

~Breakfast~
Russian farmers cheese, bacon, and leek tart
Pomegranate-blackerry mimosas

~Dinner~
Appetizers:
Deviled eggs-regular and habenero
Caprese skewers
Bacon wrapped dates with blue cheese (recipe below)

Drinks to accompany our appetizers:
2013 Scarlett and Mac Chardonnay
Georgetown Brewing’s SparklePuss IPA

Main Course:
Honey and Orange Glazed Ham

Sides:
Mashed potatoes
Curry spinach salad
Brussels sprouts with bacon and balsamic reduction

Drinks:
Maysara 2012 Jamsheed Pinot Noir
Georgetown Brewing’s BA Not Tom Rye Stout

Dessert:
Key lime pie
Chocolate bourbon pecan pie

The dinner came together perfectly and since we didn’t have 20 separate dishes, we spent less time in the kitchen and more time chatting as a family.  We lazily ate and sipped wine through the late afternoon and evening, and listened to music. It was wonderful and I can’t think of any other way to spend the day.

Day After Christmas Feast

Normally, we put together a pretty big spread for Christmas eve, but between long hours at work and fighting illness, we just didn’t have it in us to cook an elaborate meal for Christmas eve. Instead we took advantage of the time and prepped cassoulet, which we then ate on the day after Christmas.

Wait. You haven’t had cassoulet??  It’s a delicious, indulgent French dish with duck confit, pork,  sausage, herbs and white beans. It’s a labor of love and if you have the time, it’s a wonderful treat to make. We loosely followed an old Jacques Pepin’s recipe, but this one is also a handy guide.  We made our own duck confit, substituted a double smoked sausage instead of making our own sausage, and to add an extra layer of richness, we braised the pork butt in bacon fat, almost making a pork confit.  Meat cooked in its own fat (or with a little extra fat) is good guys, calories be damned. The richness of the cassoulet only needed a simple salad with spinach, pears, candied walnuts with a light vinaigrette. We happily sipped Maysara’s  2010 Asha Pinot Noir, an amazing accompaniment which cut through the fat in the cassoulet but also stood up to the bite of the vinaigrette.

Overall, I’d say that we ate well this holiday and I’ve ignored the scale just in case. We spent our energy by prepping the time heavy meal slowly and over time, so that the flavors built on each other and that was definitely the right call.

Now, here’s more on those wines, followed by a super quick recipe that you should try with both wines. I’d love to hear what you think!

About the wines:

The 2012 Jamsheed Pinot Noir was outstanding, and at $30 it’s a nice bottle to have for a holiday or a special day, that’s still affordable. It’s slightly spicy, earthy with dark fruit. It’s soft on your tongue in that it doesn’t overwhelm, with a touch of acidity. It stood up to the variety of foods, but went well with the sweetness of the ham. This was definitely my favorite wine of the night and the holiday.

Coming in at $39 the 2010 Asha Pinot Noir was also a hit. With a glass cork, you feel like you’re getting a  treat! It was interesting how different this Pinot Noir was to the Jamsheed. Still earthy with dark berries, but more rounded and floral than the Jamsheed. The tannins cut through the fat, but the flavor isn’t lost to the duck, nor the smoke of the sausage. If anything, the flavors were reflected more in the wine. Again, another solid wine that I enjoyed.

Now, for the quick recipe. I love  these bacon wrapped dates (you could also use slices of pear in place of the dates and a slice of heartier blue cheese to mix it up). These pair quite well with the Jamsheed Pinot Noir!

Bacon Wrapped Blue Cheese Dates
Makes 10

1/2 lb bacon, cooked until the fat starts to drip but not crispy (6-8min.)
10 dried, pitted dates
Soft blue cheese (Trader Joes has a good one!)

  • Cut the strips of cooked bacon into 4 pieces each or less if you want more bacon
  • Open the dates. There is usually a cut along one side, but if not, just use a knife and slice half way through the dates, so you have a place to put the blue cheese.
  • Scoop in some of the blue cheese using a small spoon, or your fingers.
  • Wrap with bacon and pin with a tooth pic.
  • Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees to finish the bacon and make the dates a little softer.
  • To finish, drizzle with a little honey, or balsamic vinegar.
  • Let cool slightly and enjoy!

A hearty thank you to Dominic and all of the folks at Maysara winery for helping to make this holiday particularly special. While I did receive these wines to try and this is considered a sponsored post, I do highly recommend these wines and cant wait to share one more recipe featuring their wines soon!

To you and yours, and delicious food!

Raina

Chickens are jerks

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There’s a reason they call it pecking order. Chickens can be mean in their attempt to rule the roost.  We recently came out one morning to find that one of our chickens had died – she was young, healthy, but had clearly been on the losing end of the pecking order.

We’ve had chickens who didn’t adapt well to being in the larger flock and we have learned different ways to keep the girls happy. Happy girls mean more eggs for me, and I am all about that!  So, what do you do to with a jerk chicken (without actually making them into jerk chicken)?

1. Look at what they’re eating. Chickens will find food, even if it’s their buddies. I really like Scratch and Peck’s line of foods. I prefer their soy free one (here). It’s non-GMO, organic and they have really good business practices!

2. Are they getting enough of the extras?  I love feeding my girls vegetable scraps-pieces of kale, broccoli or whatever vegetables I have on hand.  It’s a nice treat for them, but it also adds extra vitamins.  You can also buy  pre-made treats like these Happy Hen treats, but know you can make treats for them as well with their food, and oat meal that is cooked and rolled up into a smooshy ball. If they need supplements, you can look into ones like these.

3. Are they getting out? Just like us, chickens need to get and have fun. Bored chickens are mean chickens. While their coop and run is huge, I let my girls out as often as possible. On the days that I work from home, they are out most of the day.

4. Do they have enough space? Just like us, if chicken’s are crammed into a space that is too small, they can be frustrated and overwhelmed. Make sure your girls have plenty of space to sleep, play and eat. Our coop is pretty big with inside and outside boxes so the girls have their own place to relax. Coops don’t need to be pretty, just functional. We all see those coops that look like they belong to Martha Stewart. If you can swing that-awesome, if not, that’s ok too! Ours is made from donated wood, building materials, leftover chicken wire, and love!.

5. Are you there? You’re one of the best ways to prevent chickens from attacking each other. If you’re there, you can spot issues early on and react. Ways to know if you need to jump in, is if you see aggression, or the signs of being attacked, missing feathers or bleeding, usually at the neck or tail.

6. Lastly, figure out who the jerk is and reset the pecking order. We have a small spare coop that we keep on hand for new birds, or in the case of a chicken that just needs to be separated. By pulling the aggressive one out, it gives the rest of the girls a break and keeps the rude one from being in charge. Having a spare coop is also handy if you have an injured bird, as it gives them time to heal.

The standard disclaimer still applies – if you think your chickens are sick and have any concerns about illness, you can get them checked out. Currently, there are reported cases of Avian Flu in Western Washington.

What ideas do you have to support a healthy, happy flock?

Here’s to happy birds, and more eggs!

Raina

**Disclaimer!! The links above are affiliate links, which means when you buy these products, I get a small percentage of that sale, which goes right back to my feathered girls :)**